Chapter 27: The Consort of Heir Xue is a Talented Woman

As evening approached, Qin Lang stood on the hillside, holding a summoning artifact in each hand.

The artifacts were inscribed with blood-sucking vines and a ferocious summoning beast. Qin Lang never imagined in her life that she would be so extravagant; in the Monster Realm sub-space, the more powerful the summoning artifact, the easier it was to be targeted for robbery.

In Qin Bi's eyes, Qin Lang didn't look imposing at all; she just looked like she was holding a teacup in each hand.

Qin Bi felt no particular emotion; she was actually amused by the sight.

Jiang Xu glanced back, paused for a moment, and immediately averted her gaze.

"Why isn't anyone coming to steal our summoning artifacts?" Qin Lang stood on the hillside, trying her best to be ostentatious. "I'm being this blatant, with two summoning artifacts—and both are powerful summoning plants and beasts—yet no one is coming. If they won't steal ours, who are they going to steal from?!"

Qin Xun also stepped onto the hillside, gazing into the distance, seeing only a few low-level monsters.

Rong Yan said with a chuckle, "How about we find a weaker team and wipe them out completely?"

Jiang Xu, however, looked toward Qin Tang and Qin Bi.

As the eldest brother, Qin Tang's word was law; if he said Qin Bi could kill, she could kill.

If he had told her to follow Qin Bi's lead when they arrived this morning, Jiang Xu would have turned and left immediately. Now that he and Rong Yan were staying silent, she realized this concubine-born daughter of the Marquis of Qin Yan was truly formidable.

The Consort of Heir Xue, Qin He, was also quite famous, and she had even given birth to a "blessed treasure" born amidst two auspicious clouds. Her fortune was naturally immense. Could it be that all the concubine-born daughters were this capable?!

Qin Tang hesitated, while Qin Bi expressed her disapproval with a blank expression: "If others aren't stealing from us, don't go looking for trouble. Luck and providence are things you accumulate bit by bit; don't waste them away."

This was the first time Rong Yan had heard of such a thing, so he corrected her: "Only by killing enemies can you accumulate providence."

"I don't believe that," Qin Bi replied, dropping the subject. She was tired from the day's events and didn't want to talk anymore.

Rong Yan and the others had no choice but to wait for someone to attempt to steal their artifacts. As darkness fell, people dared not linger, so they found nearby teams to rest with for the night before continuing to hunt monsters the next day.

Their temporary campsite was a hillside surrounded by sandy terrain. By the time Rong Yan's group arrived, Mu Jun's team had already settled in, followed closely by a group of people dressed as scholars.

Worried that Qin Bi might go on a killing spree and fear no one, Rong Yan whispered a warning to her: "Do you see that group of scholars? They are students from the Academy. Their providence values are higher than ordinary people's. Try your best not to provoke them."

"Are they good at killing monsters?" Qin Bi asked.

"Very good."

Qin Bi obediently followed beside Qin Tang, while Qin Xun produced some dried meat to stave off her hunger.

Rong Yan and Jiang Xu approached, and Rong Yan suggested, "There are many experts at this campsite. Let's not bring out the monsters we've killed. We'll just make do with a simple meal to avoid attracting unwanted attention."

In their small team, only Qin Bi could kill. If the scholars decided to act together to seize their resources, they wouldn't be able to defend them, and they certainly couldn't afford to lose their summoning artifacts.

They had just gotten their momentum going and were feeling quite pleased; they couldn't let anyone rob them.

In the Monster Realm sub-space, killing for treasure was not uncommon.

Since everyone agreed, Qin Xun looked at Qin Bi, who whispered, "I'll just eat some greens."

Greens were a rarity here. The ground was covered in sand with no moisture, so there were no vegetables to be found. Qin Tang gave Qin Xun a meaningful look, and Qin Xun asked Qin Lang for the plants she had dug up.

Jiang Xu also produced the plants she and Rong Yan had struggled to dig up. Qin Xun and Rong Yan went to Mu Jun's team to trade for some greens and a few red berries, which would be enough to make two makeshift meals.

"Who's going to eat the greens?!" Mu Meng'er asked pointedly.

Qin Xun interjected, "My sister will eat them."

The young girl spoke without any politeness: "Your sister is so useless. She does nothing but cry during training. If it were me, I wouldn't bring her along."

Qin Xun felt a surge of irritation, but Jiang Xu gave him a look, so he replied, "I am happy to bring my sister."

"She's just a concubine-born sister, after all."

Seeing Qin Xun protecting Qin Bi, and noting that Jiang Xu didn't seem offended, Mu Jun found it difficult to intervene.

Mu Jun scolded, "Mu Meng'er, say a little less."

"Hmph," the little girl muttered, shutting her mouth.

"How was your harvest?" Mu Jun asked.

Naturally, they couldn't mention the monsters. Even a single low-level monster was a harvest, and any team with even a bit of strength could strike and seize it instantly; Jiang Xu understood this well.

"We dug up quite a few plants," Jiang Xu replied.

Mu Jun opened his mouth as if to say something, but hesitated. If they had dug up many plants and traded some away, there wouldn't be much left; it wasn't as if they could find vast patches of vegetables in this sub-space.

Regardless, it wasn't his business, so Mu Jun didn't bother to comment further.

Anything from the Monster Realm sub-space could be sold for a lot of money once brought out.

"Why didn't you bring that Qin He from the Marquis of Qin Yan's estate?" In Mu Jun's view, bringing Qin He would have been much better than bringing Qin Bi. "I heard her fortune and providence values are quite high."

Upon hearing Qin He's name, Qin Xun grew cold. "Qin He completed her training many years ago."

With that, Qin Xun and Jiang Xu returned to their group.

Qin Xun gave the red berries to Qin Bi, and Rong Yan went to find someone to gather water, returning with a bucket. Qin Bi felt too embarrassed to even wash her face; she just glanced at the water, though the heat in the sandy terrain was becoming unbearable.

Qin Tang and Qin Lang set about cooking the greens. The sub-space was hot day and night, and everyone was working up a sweat.

Once the meal was ready, the group took a bit of the vegetable broth to eat with their dried meat, giving all the greens to Qin Bi.

After eating, everyone closed their eyes to rest. The scholars gathered to discuss their training, mentioning the past performances of junior cultivators in the Monster Realm sub-space with voices full of admiration.

"Consort Xue had quite a significant harvest during her training."

"Oh? How so?"

"She killed several white foxes."

"Impressive."

"Consort Xue is a talented woman, very skilled in alchemy. It's said the grade of the pills she refines is very high."

"It's a pity. The Heir of the Duke of Yan is cursed to bring misfortune to his wives. Otherwise, Heir He and Qin He would have been a perfect match. A concubine-born daughter of the Marquis of Qin Yan actually benefited from it, marrying Heir He with her lowly status."

"A marriage obtained through luck isn't truly one's own. I heard that after the marriage, they divorced. She was merely a concubine-born daughter used to shield Heir He from his curse. She even harbored delusions of becoming the Consort of the Duke of Yan's estate."

"That kind of blessed fate Qin He possesses is not something anyone can compare to."

Qin Bi had recovered some of her lifespan today. Hearing this, she felt a surge of anger. Qin Lang decided not to sleep and instead ran over to chat with Qin Bi to prevent her from losing any more life due to stress.

It wasn't just Qin Bi; even Qin Tang and Qin Xun were infuriated.

Feeling curious, Jiang Xu asked Qin Tang, "Which concubine-born sister of yours married Heir He, divorced, and then married Heir Rong? I heard she gave Heir Rong a child, and that you all are counting on that child for the future."

Qin Tang: "..."

Rong Yan raised his voice at her, "Stop prying!"

Jiang Xu sensed something was wrong and shut her mouth, ceasing her questioning.

(End of Chapter)