Chapter 23: Encounter with a Horde of Weasels

Wei Yunxi was not about to indulge her opponent and immediately raised her chin, declaring,
“Sister, you can’t discourage us like this. Just because our cultivation is low now doesn’t mean it won’t improve later. Sister Yunting’s cultivation is definitely enough to deal with a first-stage spirit beast.”
Her words, though flattering to Wei Yunting, struck a chord with everyone. Even Wei Zongjin, standing nearby, was nodding in agreement.
Wei Yunqing regretted her earlier remarks almost as soon as she finished speaking. She had only reflexively contradicted Wei Yunxi, not truly intending to belittle her own family.
Wei Yunting simply smiled and said,
“Yunxi is right. Our cultivation is low now, but that doesn’t mean we can’t hunt spirit beasts. As long as we cooperate, we can do it.
As for alchemy, Yunxi has surely been guided by her maternal family. In future, we’ll wait to taste your fasting pills with roasted meat flavor.”
Wei Yunxi beamed and nodded, though inwardly she marveled at the precocity of children in the cultivation world. With just two sentences, Wei Yunting had united the disciples of the Wei family and praised her own talent for alchemy—it was pleasing to hear.
Having found herself out of favor, Wei Yunqing fell silent and pretended to meditate.
Half an hour later, the children of Kunyu City had eaten their fill, solved their personal needs, and automatically formed their teams. The Wei family’s squad was subtly at the forefront, waiting for orders to depart.
Wei Yunting was pleased with everyone’s obedience. With a wave of her hand, she commanded,
“Three teams abreast, pay attention to the woods on either side as we descend the mountain. Move out!”
She took the lead, followed in turn by the Wei family disciples.
Wei Yunxi wished to keep her distance from Wei Yunqing. From her experience reading novels, the area around the protagonist was a hotbed of incidents, and she wanted no part in any collateral trouble. So she walked with Wei Zonghao, deliberately widening the gap between herself and Wei Yunqing.
Wei Yunqing stuck close to Wei Yunting and Wei Zongjin—one had higher cultivation, the other was her training companion, and she was more familiar with them—so she gradually found herself at the front of the team.
Wei Zonghao tossed a dried fruit into his mouth and asked Yunxi,
“Yunxi, why aren’t you walking with your sister?”
Wei Yunxi was candid,
“I don’t want to walk with her. She always likes to take my things.”
Wei Zonghao immediately asked,

“What did she take from you?”
Wei Yunxi explained how, after her mother’s passing, Wei Yunqing had gone to Zhuohua Courtyard to claim her mother’s hairpin, emphasizing that their father knew about this—casting subtle aspersions on Wei Yunqing.
Although Wei Zonghao was young, he had been cultivating for a year, and he winked at Yunxi, lowering his voice,
“I’ve heard from my mother that Aunt Du was always jealous of your mother. She must have sent Yunqing to seize your things once your mother was gone.”
Wei Yunxi hadn’t expected the little chubby boy to be so fond of gossip. She nodded in agreement, even invoking her maternal family as proof.
The two continued to gossip about Wei Yunqing while sharing snacks as they traveled, without slowing their pace. The Feng family’s squad behind them overheard the gossip, and their impression of Wei Yunqing worsened.
An hour and a half later, some children began to lag, wanting to rest. Wei Yunting glanced at the sun overhead and agreed.
After all, the team was made up of children, some not even cultivators. To last an hour and a half without falling behind was quite an achievement.
They rested for a quarter hour and then continued down the mountain.
After another half hour, a commotion arose at the rear of the group—children’s screams echoed.
Wei Yunxi was curious and instinctively released her spiritual sense. What she saw made her scalp tingle: a swarm of creatures resembling weasels but the size of mice were chasing their team, frightening the children into fleeing.
As panic spread, their formation broke. Those slow to react knelt and cried; the quick grabbed their friends and ran ahead.
The children who were knocked down by the weasels vanished from the ground in the next instant. Wei Yunxi’s anxiety eased—at least no one would die. Clearly, someone was watching over them, monitoring their performance.
She realized the sect would never simply leave a bunch of children alone on the mountain; this must be part of the trial. The vanished children were likely eliminated.
Wei Yunting also sensed something amiss and shouted,
“Don’t stop! Run forward and leave the territory of these weasel beasts—they won’t follow us beyond it.”
Wei Yunxi withdrew her spiritual sense and grabbed the little chubby boy beside her, her legs moving swiftly down the mountain.
She also noticed, as she withdrew her sense, that Wei Yunqing looked uneasy and had moved closer to Wei Yunting—guilt written all over her face.
Wei Yunxi’s mind raced back to their recent rest, when Wei Yunqing had gone to the latrine with a mortal girl. Perhaps she had done something then to provoke the weasel beasts?
Apart from stepping into their territory, only taking something forbidden—like the spirit grass or food guarded by the weasel beasts, or even their young—could incite such relentless pursuit.

Wei Yunxi speculated based on the patterns she’d seen in novels, but these thoughts flashed by and didn’t slow her escape.
Wei Zonghao kept pace for a while before panting,
“How much farther do we have to run? Why are these weasel beasts still chasing us?”
Wei Yunting felt something was off. Normally, having left the weasel beasts’ territory, they should have stopped chasing. Yet the swarm was following their leading team.
Wei Yunting, older and more experienced, called out,
“Did anyone take something forbidden during the break? Throw it away immediately, or the weasel beasts will keep chasing us. None of us will escape, we’ll all be eliminated.”
“No, I didn’t!”
“Who would dare pick up anything here!”
“Who is it? Give it back to the weasel beasts in the rear, don’t drag everyone down...”
“Hurry, I can’t run anymore!”
“If someone gets me eliminated, I’ll drag them down with me!”
The team was in chaos, voices raised in anxiety.
But no one stepped forward to admit to taking anything.
Wei Yunting saw that things couldn’t go on like this. She raised her voice again,
“Everyone, split up by squad. Squad leaders, take your teams and run separately. The weasel beasts will follow whichever squad has the problem. The others, once you’ve shaken off the beasts, continue on your own.”
She wasn’t worried about anyone getting lost; the Haoran Sect’s gate was visible to the naked eye, and anyone who wasn’t blind could find their way.
On receiving Wei Yunting’s command, each squad leader immediately guided their squad into the nearby woods.