Filthy Cultivation: I Pierced the Heavens with the Merit System

Despite being mentally prepared, the vast difference in strength was undeniable. Even if Ye Wuxin only revealed a fraction of his Nascent Soul power, it was still beyond the reach of Li Fuyao, a mere mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator.

Seeing Li Fuyao struggling, Bai Suifeng became anxious and, without thinking of anything else, immediately rushed forward to help her. However, Ye Wuxin used some of her strength to hold her down and prevent her from moving, making Bai Suifeng so anxious that his ears practically popped out.

Fortunately, although Li Fuyao is usually lazy and pleasure-seeking, he is a tough nut to crack when pushed to the limit.

For example, even though she was overwhelmed by Ye Wuxin's sudden aura and felt sore all over and breathless, she still tried her best to maintain a smile on her face, forced herself not to kneel and pretended to be calm, and gave Bai Suifeng a reassuring look.

Bai Suifeng received the message from the soul seed, paused for a moment, and then obediently quieted down, simply looking at Li Fuyao quietly. The way the two worked together made Ye Wuxin take another look.

Li Fuyao's jaw was clenched into a stubborn straight line. Although the smile on her face looked a bit like constipation because of the exertion of her body, there was no fear in her clear black and white eyes. She looked straight at Ye Wuxin without the slightest hesitation.

This appearance was completely different from the timid orphan girl he had first met at the inn, which made the old man secretly amazed, but also made him feel a little angry.

He sat upright in his chair, facing Li Fuyao, his gaze sweeping down at the rather unfamiliar young girl before him. After a long while, he suddenly let out a cold, deep laugh:

"Heh, what's wrong? Not pretending anymore?"

"Elder Ye, Fuyao's actions are a last resort."

Upon hearing this, Li Fuyao gave a wry smile and slowly began to explain:

"My life was saved by Sister Qingqing. You naturally know my background. Fuyao is just an orphan with no secret family background. She is only swindling and deceiving to protect herself and Suifeng's lives."

Li Fuyao concealed the matter of Bai Suifeng. Recalling her experiences since her transmigration, her face showed genuine bewilderment and grievance:

"I know this is a dishonest act, but if I don't do it, what if my unique spiritual root attracts thieves who might take my life?"

“I lived like livestock for nine years, but I opened my spiritual root and gained consciousness. I’ve only been living like a human being for less than half a month. I don’t want to die like the villagers, with my life as worthless as grass!”

Seeing that Ye Wuxin's face remained stern, but a hint of emotion flickered in her eyes, and that her eyes held back tears, she pressed her advantage with a hoarse voice, like a pitiful kitten cornered in a desperate situation:

“I woke up in a living hell. I experienced the despair of being on the verge of death. Sister Qingqing saved me like a fairy descending to earth. I am grateful to her and respect her from the bottom of my heart. So when I woke up and found out that I had obtained a cultivation technique from that hammer and that I could cultivate, I was happier than if I had snatched a bone from the big yellow bowl.”

"When I was reborn, my mind was much clearer than before. The incident with the spiritual energy vortex in Yuanshan Town was my first cultivation experience. I knew that I not only gained the ability to repay Sister Qingqing's kindness, but I also gained the chance to defy fate and never be reduced to a pig or a dog again!"

Tears rolled silently down her long eyelashes, sliding down Li Fuyao's slightly reddened eyes to her chin, and then dripping onto her clothes, forming small, dark flowers. The sight of this made the old man and the young man in the room feel a pang of heartache.

Like the most cunning hunter, she seized upon the fleeting pity in Ye Wuxin's eyes, tilting her slender neck back and choking back sobs that seemed to bleed:

“I know that lying is bad, but I knew nothing about cultivation at the time. I only knew that my spiritual root was different from what Sister Qingqing said. I was afraid of dying, and I was afraid that you would abandon me, so I lied.”

"I desperately learned all the unfamiliar knowledge, and I tried my best to do good deeds and kill bad people, but I was still terrified. I could only fabricate a background that would make people afraid to act rashly and focus all eyes on me. Only in this way could I prevent those in the shadows from making a move and buy myself enough time to grow into a strong person."

Having experienced sordid scheming and the storms of doomsday, Li Fuyao has a conscience, but not much.

At least now, in order to achieve her goals, she will seize and exploit anything or anyone that is above her bottom line, and she will deceive and scheme against anyone or anything.

At this moment, although Li Fuyao looked as weak and pitiful as a kitten drenched in a downpour, and slid to the ground along the edge of the table as if she had lost all her strength, her expression showed a stubborn look that suggested she was ready to be killed or tortured at will.

She stared directly at Ye Wuxin with her dark eyes, a mixture of fear and composure, and, with tears in her eyes and a hoarse voice, used a retreat-to-advance tactic, shamelessly continuing her deception:

"Now that you have seen through my deception, I have no way to defend myself. I will accept whatever you decide to do with me. I only ask that you set Brother Suifeng free after I die, for the sake of his ability to take human form."

“I was an abandoned baby they picked up from the roadside, so I was never loved as a human being before they died. You and Sister Qingqing taught me to be strong and gave me care. I will always remember this kindness. Although I can't repay it in this life, if there is an afterlife, I will definitely, definitely…”

Li Fuyao choked up and could barely speak at this point, but after a few deep breaths, she still forced herself to prostrate herself in worship.

Before he could even bend down, he was lifted up by a pair of warm, aged hands.

A barely perceptible smile flashed in Li Fuyao's eyes. When she looked up following the force, her face was now a mixture of three parts surprise, three parts gratitude, and four parts regret.

"Elder Ye, what... what's wrong with you...?"