Chapter 14: The Spooked Little Wildcat

Bai Zhou eyed the scruffy cat before her. Without even a trace of Qi Refining, in this world, she was no more than an ant. Who gave her the audacity to pull the same trick under Bai Zhou’s nose?
Truly a newborn calf unafraid of tigers.

But that was before. Now, with the double pupils hidden within her, she was the textbook case of a crippled protagonist rising from weakness to strength.
“Thinking of making peace now? Too late.”

Bai Zhou mercilessly shattered her hopes. Ling Qingli’s face paled instantly. Was her backside about to suffer again?
In her panic, a desperate courage surged within her:
“You… you’re bullying me with your power! Let me go, and I’ll show you I don’t need to call you Mom to survive in Baihe City!”

Bai Zhou hadn’t expected such words. After the double pupils merged, their memories would fuse too.
Contrary to Ling Qingli’s expectation of a stormy reaction, Bai Zhou’s tone was surprisingly gentle:
“Care to say that again?”

“I…”
Perhaps suppressed by some instinctual bloodline pressure, Ling Qingli’s resolve wavered, but she stubbornly held her ground:
“That was the old me talking. What’s it got to do with me now?”

“Sigh…”
With a hint of helplessness, Bai Zhou sighed, almost missing the double pupils. Sure, they had unrealistic ideas about her, but at least they were obedient.
The merged Ling Qingli, though, was stubborn and a bit of a rogue.

Considering her upbringing, it wasn’t surprising she had this rough edge—honest people were the easiest to exploit in this world.
“Let’s go.”

To Ling Qingli’s surprise, despite bracing for another spanking, she was set down. The sensation of her feet touching the ground left her dazed.
That was it? She was being let go just like that?
“What, didn’t you want to leave?”

Seeing Ling Qingli’s stunned expression, and with her goal for this trip achieved, Bai Zhou had time to toy with this little wildcat.
After a moment, Ling Qingli accepted the reality, but instead of the joy she’d expected, an inexplicable emptiness lingered. On impulse, she asked:
“You’re really letting me go that easily?”

Bai Zhou, seemingly annoyed, roared:
“Scram!”

Startled, Ling Qingli’s nose stung, but she quickly suppressed it, huffing defiantly:
“Hmph! Fine, I’m gone!”

She scrambled out of the dead-end alley, hands and feet flailing.
Reaching the street and blending into the panicked crowd, she couldn’t help but glance back.
That white figure didn’t follow, as if truly letting her go.

Her heart felt hollow, like she’d lost something, or her expectations had fallen flat.
A mix of frustration and a reluctant sense of loss fueled her defiance.
“Without you… I can still survive! And I’ll live better!”

Her years of scraping by weren’t for nothing. She could claw out a living in this cutthroat world without anyone.
But Baihe City was no longer the place she knew.
The sky rumbled incessantly, waves of spiritual energy crashing down like tides.

The streets were void of ordinary folk, only wary cultivators darting by occasionally.
Hiding behind a half-collapsed kitchen, Ling Qingli panted softly, scanning the street, instinctively licking her dry lips.
She hadn’t secured today’s meal money yet.

A target appeared.
Three cultivators in mismatched robes moved cautiously along the wall, avoiding the main battlefield. The leader’s bulging coin pouch swayed with his steps.
The pouch’s tie seemed loose…

Normally, Ling Qingli wouldn’t dare target cultivators—too risky.
But now, driven by a restless need to prove herself, her newly cleared eyes locked onto that pouch.
“I can do it… I definitely can… just like before…”

Taking a deep breath, she crept closer, using the ruins and dust as cover.
As the trio passed a corner, their sight briefly blocked, she struck.
Her small frame flashed by, her grimy hand a blur, hooking the loose tie with precision and tugging.

Success!
The heavy weight landed in her arms. Her heart raced with a mix of triumph and terror.
Not daring to linger, she turned and dove into the depths of the ruins.

But after barely ten steps—
“Stop!”
A furious shout exploded behind her.

A crushing spiritual pressure locked onto her. The lead cultivator touched his waist, his face darkening.
“You little thief! Stealing from your grandpa?!”

Ling Qingli’s scalp tingled as she sprinted with all her might, but her speed was like a turtle’s to a cultivator.
A gust of force struck her back.
Thud—
She was flung forward, the pouch slipping from her grasp, silver coins and low-grade spirit stones scattering across the ground.

“Fck! Tired of living?!”
Another cultivator caught up, kicking the curled-up Ling Qingli.
Pain surged, and she let out a muffled groan, curling tighter.

“Big brother, why waste words on a beggar? Just kill her!”
The third cultivator’s eyes gleamed with malice.

The leader retrieved the pouch, counted its contents, and his expression softened slightly, though his hostility remained.
He opened his mouth, but his rage seemed to be forcibly erased, twisting into a strange mix of ferocity and wariness.
The three exchanged glances.

The leader, quickest to react, suppressed his shock and barked at Ling Qingli:
“You little bstard! Got the guts of a bear and leopard!”

He signaled, and the second cultivator drew a short stick, striking her.
Thwack! Thwack!
The dull thuds of the stick echoed.

Pain made Ling Qingli clench her teeth, refusing to cry out. She struggled, but a Qi Refining cultivator’s strength was beyond her.
She bit down hard, curling to protect her vitals, screaming inwardly:
“Double pupils! Come out! Help me like before!”

The double pupils remained silent, offering no response.
The power she’d felt was like an illusion, leaving only the raw pain and helplessness of this moment.
Why didn’t it work? Why wouldn’t it help her?
Was it because of… that white-robed woman?

Grievance, anger, fear, and defiance nearly drowned her.
The beating stopped.
The leader stepped forward, picking up the scattered silver with disdain, tossing a few pieces beside her.
“Pah! You’re lucky I’m in a good mood today. I’ll spare your worthless life!”

Mimicking the condescending tone of noble heirs tossing scraps to beggars, he sneered:
“Learn your lesson! If I catch you stealing again, I’ll break your legs! Let’s go!”

The three cultivators hurried off, as if fearing some mysterious power might change its mind.
Ling Qingli was left alone in the alley.
Curled in the cold dust, pain pulsed through her body.

The scattered silver glinted mockingly, more unbearable than the beating or her failure.
She didn’t touch it, burying her face in her arms, her shoulders trembling.
Soon, she lifted her face, tears wiped away, and unhesitatingly picked up the silver.
“I earned this by taking a beating. It’s mine!”

Reinvigorated, Ling Qingli glanced toward the street, but the white figure didn’t appear.
Suppressing the mix of emotions, she gritted her teeth and left the alley.