Yun Jin tilted her head slightly, watching as Ye Danxia stood there with an air of unwavering righteousness, a golden radiance seeming to shimmer faintly around her.
The sight alone nearly made Yun Jin burst out laughing.
Ye Danxia frowned, then declared loudly, "Yun Jin! You can't keep going down this wrong path! As your best friend, it's my duty to guide you back to righteousness!"
The surrounding disciples turned their attention to her. Under the influence of her protagonist aura, the male disciples around her looked especially moved.
This is our junior sister!
So just!
So fearless!
So kind!
The complete opposite of that Yun Jin!
Yun Jin's smile deepened. "Oh? Please, enlighten me. Exactly where did I go wrong?"
Ye Danxia looked somewhat proud, emboldened by the attention. "Isn't it obvious? It was supposed to be a sparring match, but you crippled Senior Brother Chen's dantian! That's far too ruthless! This kind of cruelty has no place among righteous cultivators. You might as well be a demonic cultivator!"
Feeling the weight of everyone's gazes, Ye Danxia spoke even louder, basking in the sensation of being the center of the world.
Yun Jin almost laughed out loud.
Demonic cultivator?
If anyone here qualified, it was Ye Danxia—the girl who would later take a Demon Sovereign as her lover. A mass-murdering tyrant, yet all it took was one line from her—"He's changed!"—and his crimes were instantly forgiven.
Yun Jin's eyes darkened. "Danxia, did you miss the part where he tried to cripple me first? That disc was aimed straight at my dantian."
Ye Danxia waved a dismissive hand. "But you're fine, aren't you? Yun Jin, don't be so petty."
The moment the words left her mouth—
WHOOSH!
Yun Jin's sword flashed.
A blade of light shot straight toward Ye Danxia's head.
Ye Danxia's pupils shrank. She shrieked, instinctively flinching—
The sword light passed.
A beat of silence.
Ye Danxia blinked. She… she was unharmed?
Then—
Her hands flew to her scalp.
Her expression twisted in horror.
Her hair.
Her hair was gone.
Yun Jin's strike had shaved off a perfect circular patch, leaving a bald spot right on the crown of her head.
The surrounding disciples stared.
They tried to hold it in.
They really tried.
But the sight of Ye Danxia's new disc-shaped bald spot was too much.
Snickers broke out.
Yun Jin grinned.
She really wanted to narrate: "Behold! The Bald Little Darling!"
Hearing the muffled laughter around her, Ye Danxia lost it.
"YUN JIN! I'LL KILL YOU!" she screamed, lunging forward in a blind rage.
Yun Jin sidestepped gracefully.
Ye Danxia stumbled, crashing to the ground.
"Junior Sister!"
"Junior Sister, are you okay?!"
A swarm of male disciples rushed to her aid. One of them caught sight of her bald spot and let out an involuntary snort. Ye Danxia's face burned with humiliation. She shot Yun Jin a murderous glare.
Yun Jin, looking completely innocent, said sweetly, "Danxia, why are you so mad? I just took off a bit of your hair. It was all in good fun. Danxia, one really shouldn't be so petty."
She returned Ye Danxia's own words, word for word.
Ye Danxia's lips trembled, her eyes now filled with venom.
She would kill Yun Jin. She WOULD.
Yet Yun Jin wasn't worried in the slightest.
Damn.
Her earlier match had drawn a huge crowd, yet she'd only earned 5,000 Emotional Value from everyone combined.
But this?
Ye Danxia alone had just provided 800 Emotional Value in one go!
This protagonist…
Efficient!
Reliable!
Maybe she shouldn't have declared she'd cut ties with Ye Danxia during the entrance test.
Such a good friend—worth keeping around!
No worries. It wasn't too late to rekindle their bond.
Yun Jin gazed at Ye Danxia with deep affection.
Ah, her Bald Little Darling.
"Yun Jin!" Ye Danxia clenched her jaw, forcing out a tight smile. "I'm not angry! I lost my temper earlier. But I forgive you now."
Ye Danxia pressed on. "Since I've forgiven you… shouldn't you apologize to Senior Brother Chen and return his Foundation Establishment Pill? And as compensation, you should give him your ring too."
"Oh?" Yun Jin tapped her chin. "Sure. But Danxia, you threatened to kill me over a little haircut. That deeply wounded my fragile heart. So first, you compensate me. Let's say… 10,000 low-grade spirit stones?"
Pure nonsense, of course.
Ye Danxia looked ready to explode. "Yun Jin! That's unreasonable!"
Yun Jin's expression turned icy. "Oh? And your demands aren't? Senior Brother Chen was the one who challenged me. He registered the duel at the Enforcement Hall. He tried to cripple me first. And now I'm supposed to apologize and compensate him?"
She leaned in, her voice sharp.
"Let's be real—he only fought me for you. If you want my ring so badly, Danxia, come take it yourself. Why hide behind others? These senior brothers care for you, yet you use them like tools. Doesn't that guilt eat at you?"
"And this whole righteous act? Senior Brother Chen is bleeding on the ground, but have you once checked on him? Taken him to heal? Or are you just putting on a show to look good—and maybe steal my ring while you're at it?"
Every word struck like a blade.
Ye Danxia's face went pale. She instinctively turned to look at Chen Hao.
Chen Hao looked terrible. His complexion was ashen, and when he looked at Ye Danxia, there was a faint glimmer of doubt in his eyes.
"Senior Brother Chen, I... I didn't mean to use you." Ye Danxia quickly explained.
"We know," Yun Jin said breezily. "Even if he died for you, it'd be his own choice, right? Nothing to do with you. But with how quickly you burn through senior brothers… I wonder how many you've got left."
The disciples around Ye Danxia stiffened, their expressions darkening.
Ye Danxia floundered. "I never thought that way!"
"If I were you," Yun Jin said casually, "I'd compensate Senior Brother Chen with another Foundation Establishment Pill. Then beg the Sect Master for a Dantian Restoration Pill. If taken soon enough, his dantian might still recover."
The words weren't just for Ye Danxia.
They were for Chen Hao.
And sure enough, his eyes flickered with hope.
"I... I only just entered the sect. How could I dare ask for such things?" Ye Danxia looked helpless.
"Oh, then I suppose Senior Brother Chen bled in vain. What a pity. His goodwill earned nothing in return." Yun Jin sighed in mock regret.
"You were the one who hurt him!" Ye Danxia shouted.
Yun Jin replied, utterly unashamed, "He tried to hurt me first! Of course I retaliated. Aren't you two close? Shouldn't you help him? And now you won't even do that. How cold and heartless. Such selfishness... how is it any different from the Demon Race?"
She shook her head in sorrow.
"Danxia, you've really let me down."
===
[+800 Emotional Value from Ye Danxia.]
[+300 Emotional Value from Chen Hao.]
[+200 Emotional Value from Bystanders.]