Scum Of The Demonic Sect

Chapter Nine Xie Ruolan

In Lin Haoming's memory, the last time he saw Xie Ruolan, she was a pretty little girl. But now, five years later, Xie Ruolan should be sixteen years old. As a cultivator, she now stands before him as a stunningly beautiful young woman.

Her eyebrows are like willow leaves, her eyes like stars, and beneath her naturally perfect nose, her delicate lips are slightly upturned, forming a faint smile that gives her a gentle aura.

Lin Haoming can say that not only here, but even in his previous life, he had never seen such a beautiful woman. Although due to her cultivation, she wouldn't have the freckles or other marks that most women have, even so, Lin Haoming seems to have no memory of any woman who could compare to her.

"What are you looking at? Aren't you afraid I'll gouge out your eyes? Get lost!"

Just as Lin Haoming was staring blankly at the girl who, if the ancestor hadn't perished, would have become his woman, he didn't expect to arouse the displeasure of the man beside him.

As an inner disciple, and not just any inner disciple, Ling Shengjie had treated Xie Ruolan as his own possession ever since he met her a year ago. Anyone who dared to make a move on her would definitely suffer the consequences.

"Senior Brother Ling, don't be like that!" Xie Ruolan heard him and called out, seemingly a little angry.

Ling Shengjie immediately softened his tone, saying gently, "Junior Sister, I'm just worried about you. Besides, I want people to know that your beauty isn't something just any Tom, d**k, or Harry can stare at!"

"You're so domineering! Try calling him that in front of Senior Brother Kong!" Xie Ruolan pouted, her tone carrying a hint of coquettishness.

Hearing Xie's sweet, coquettish voice, Ling Shengjie's eyes burned with desire, but he also felt a pang of annoyance. "Don't worry, Junior Sister," he said, "Kong Yuanliang was only born a year earlier than me, giving him an extra year of cultivation time. If I also cultivated for an extra year, he definitely wouldn't be my match!"

Upon hearing Senior Brother Ling mention Kong Yuanliang, Lin Haoming immediately recognized the man before him.

He remembered that when he was young, there were several descendants of the sect's great-grandparents. One of them, a great-great-grandson of an ancestor surnamed Ling, was named Ling Shengjie. This was likely the man before him. As for Kong Yuanliang, he was the son of Kong Fang, the eldest disciple of another ancestor. He had met him a few times. He hadn't expected that five years later, they would both have taken a liking to Xie Ruolan.

Although Xie Ruolan was stunningly beautiful, like a celestial being descended to earth, Lin Haoming knew that even though she had spoken up for him earlier, her eyes didn't hold him in the slightest respect.

Moreover, this woman hadn't paid him any attention in the past five years; she had surely forgotten him long ago. He wouldn't bother going looking for her.

For Lin Haoming, the duel with Guo Xin was still the priority, so he left without lingering.

Seeing Lin Haoming leave tactfully, Ling Shengjie directly asked Wang Chen, "How's business this month?"

Wang Chen chuckled and took a storage bag from his waist, handing it to Xie Ruolan with a smile, "Here's a full eight hundred spirit stones!"

"Eight hundred! Junior Brother Wang is really capable! You've earned several dozen more spirit stones than last month!" Xie Ruolan scanned the bag with her divine sense, her heart filled with joy.

Ling Shengjie, hearing this, smiled smugly, "Junior Sister Ruolan, what do you think? My judgment was spot on, wasn't it? If you had listened to Kong Yuanliang back then, you wouldn't be earning hundreds of spirit stones every month now!"

"Thank you, Senior Brother Ling. When we get back to the second floor, I'll definitely buy you several jars of fine spirit wine to reward you!" Xie Ruolan said with a beaming smile.

Seeing Xie Ruolan smiling at him, Ling Shengjie was overjoyed.

Xie Ruolan, observing his behavior, secretly sneered, a hint of disdain flashing in her eyes. Deep down, she thought coldly, "This kind of dim-witted young master is a waste of his status as the great-grandson of Elder Ling. He's not much better than that Lin Haoming back then. But it's fortunate he's stupid; otherwise, how could I have managed to play both him and Kong Yuanliang so skillfully?"

After leaving the bearded Wang Chen, Lin Haoming didn't immediately return to his cave. Instead, he went to several other caves to buy Qi Gathering Pills.

He brought a total of 350 spirit stones, exchanging the remaining 250 for Qi Gathering Pills before returning.

Actually, Lin Haoming had originally planned to buy a magic weapon, but he didn't even have a storage bag. If someone discovered he possessed a magic weapon, it would be tantamount to being targeted. His cultivation level was too low, which wasn't a good thing; exchanging for pills was more practical.

Back at his residence, he immediately activated the magic array, popped a Qi Gathering Pill into his mouth, and sat down within the Five Elements Spirit Gathering Array to cultivate.

This Qi Gathering Pill was far more effective than the Qi Circulation Pill. Consuming one pill, after refining, was roughly equivalent to absorbing the spiritual energy of a low-grade spirit stone.

However, he could refine a single Qi Gathering Pill in just three hours, while this low-grade pill, due to its higher impurity content and the time needed to expel those impurities, would take about four hours. Even so, it was still much faster than simply absorbing spiritual energy. Taking it within the Five Elements Spirit Gathering Array combined the two, almost doubling his cultivation speed.

If he had enough Qi Gathering Pills, he estimated he could reach the eighth level of the Qi Refining stage in three months. Currently, he was consuming three pills a day, requiring 270 pills over three months. Considering the Qi Gathering Pills he had brought back, it seemed about right.

However, time waits for no one; in three days, it would be time to collect his monthly salary.

That day, besides Ma Gaofeng, the chief steward, twenty-four other stewards of the Floating Pagoda Cave stood facing each other outside Ma Gaofeng's cave.

Lin Haoming was among them, and it was the first time he had seen the legendary Zhou Zhiye.

Zhou Zhiye and Situ Ping were both at the Great Perfection of Qi Refining, and about the same age, but compared to Situ Ping, Zhou Zhiye looked more like a pretty boy.

Situ Ping was merely aloof, while Zhou Zhiye's gaze always carried a hint of wickedness. Lin Haoming now felt somewhat fortunate, subconsciously thinking that following this guy was probably not as good as following Situ Ping.

Just then, Zhou Zhiye asked sarcastically, "Senior Brother Situ, I heard you have a guy under you at the seventh level of Qi Refining who's actually going to bet his life on someone. That's quite interesting; it's been a long time since I've encountered something like this. Since that kid dares to say that, it means he's very confident in this competition. I wonder if you, Senior Brother, also have confidence in him?"

Situ Ping snorted coldly, "Junior Brother Zhou, just say what you mean. This sarcasm is ridiculous. No wonder Master said you're not like a man!"

"Hmph! Senior Brother is right. Then I'll be frank. We haven't bet on these minor managers' competitions in a long time. Since there's such an interesting kid, I'd like to bet on my side. I wonder if you'll accept?" Zhou Zhiye asked.

Situ Ping squinted at Zhou Zhiye, then glanced at Lin Haoming and asked, "How confident are you?"

Lin Haoming felt uncomfortable under Situ Ping's gaze, but he knew his answer was crucial. After a moment's thought, he replied, "At least 70% if we disregard the consequences!"

Hearing this, Situ Ping smiled and asked, "Junior Brother, what do you think?"

Zhou Zhiye, having also heard Lin Haoming's words, sneered, "That's simple. Just have them sign a life-or-death contract, and we'll act as witnesses!"

"Alright, let's do it that way!" Seeing that he had suggested this method, Situ Ping didn't ask Lin Haoming's opinion again and immediately agreed.

PS: Readers who have been following Lao Jing's books might wonder why he's using the "mortal mode." Indeed, this mode is quite old, but it's the one Lao Jing is most familiar with. By simplifying some settings, Lao Jing can focus more on character development. Lao Jing hopes to create a character that readers will remember long after they've read the book! A little spoiler: Ruolan is the female lead! Furthermore, this book will not become a pornographic novel. There will definitely be more than one female lead, but no more than three. At least, the outline I've prepared is expected to be within two million words. So now that the female lead has appeared, please add it to your favorites!