I Ruined the Long Ao Tian Script-Chapter 49

A Lifetime of Recklessness

"This..." Bai Roushuang glanced back at the sharp-eyed enforcers guarding the entrance. "This doesn't seem right."

"Not exactly," Xu Shulou sighed, troubled. "After all, I generally consider myself a law-abiding citizen."

Bai Roushuang didn't dare probe what "generally" entailed in her case. Her voice trembled as she suggested, "I mean, it's too dangerous to act here. Why don't we wait until they're bought and then follow the buyers?"

"What if they're sold separately?"

"Well... maybe we should observe first?"

"Fine."

Xu Shulou accepted her junior sister's advice and temporarily held back, loosening her grip on the folding fan.

A silk-robed cultivator demanded to inspect the goods on stage, prompting someone to open the cage and drag Fen Mo out by her ankle from where she huddled in the corner.

Her already scant clothing slipped further during the rough handling. As she nervously tried to cover herself, she was restrained, left exposed in nothing but a thin undergarment before the leering crowd.

The silk-robed cultivator sneered and tugged at the strings of her undergarment. Another fox spirit, unable to bear it, gritted her teeth and tried to intervene, only to be yanked aside.

"Feisty. Interesting," the cultivator chuckled darkly. "Are these two sold separately? I've no interest in sisterly affection dramas."

The auctioneer smiled. "Separate sales come at separate prices."

"How much?" The cultivator asked while running a hand along Fen Mo's bare leg.

Fen Mo shrank back, but a firm grip on her shoulder held her in place. The shackles around her ankles suppressed her spiritual power, chaining her to the cage—she couldn't even shapeshift back into a fox. Hearing they might be separated, despair threatened to drown her.

Then a woman's voice rang out from the crowd: "I'd like to inspect the goods too."

The auctioneer, surprised to see a female cultivator, still bowed respectfully. "As you wish, honored guest."

Xu Shulou smirked and whispered to Jiang Yan, "When chaos breaks out, take our junior sister and leave. Don't wait for me—I'll regroup with you after shaking off pursuit."

"Chaos?" Bai Roushuang knew her senior sister's temper wouldn't tolerate the humiliation of the fox spirits. Resigned, she pressed, "What chaos? There's nothing happening!"

Xu Shulou kindly clarified, "The chaos I'm about to cause."

"..." Bai Roushuang could only watch helplessly as her fearless senior sister strode onto the stage.

The two fox spirits widened their eyes in recognition as Xu Shulou approached. Unfamiliar with "inspecting goods," she improvised—mimicking how she'd handled foxes in the past, she pinched their cheeks, stretched their limbs, and smoothed their hair, even tossing them lightly like dolls.

The silk-robed cultivator eyed her warily. She looked innocent, but her methods were... unsettling. He sidled away, unwilling to be associated with such eccentric tastes.

While juggling Fen Mo, Xu Shulou transmitted a message: "Blink if you want to come with me."

Both foxes blinked frantically, as if their eyelids might fly off.

The silk-robed cultivator frowned. "Where did you get these? Untrained? Even their flirting looks like a seizure."

The auctioneer forced a laugh and stepped forward to intervene—just as a metallic clang echoed. Someone was severing the spirit-suppressing shackles.

"Stop them!" he bellowed. "Secure the exits!"

Then the roof shattered.

"Never mind—they're escaping upward! After them!"

Chaos erupted. Most attendees fled, leaving only the most thrill-seeking cultivators behind.

Xu Shulou slipped out with the crowd, glancing back at the enforcers scrambling over rooftops. Years of evading sects had honed her escape skills.

As she left, a voice snarled, "Whoever crossed the Soaring Eagle Sect won't leave Fan Ducheng alive!"

The pursuers soon realized their mistake and doubled back to the entrance.

"There!" Xu Shulou dodged into the Taixu Realm just as they spotted her.

She rummaged in her bracelet and handed a pill furnace to the attendant guarding two paintings—hardly useful, but it was the first thing she grabbed.

The attendant smiled and pressed a finger to her lips.

Xu Shulou leaped into one of the paintings.

Moments later, the enforcers stormed past, barely glancing at The Night Revels of Han Xizai on the wall.

Within the painting, a beauty strummed a pipa, two fluffy "cats" curled at her skirts. The other figures watched her, seemingly awed by her skill.

"Was there a cat in this painting?" one enforcer mused, his lack of art knowledge betraying him. The attendant's blank stare convinced him to move on.

Behind them, the green-robed woman in the painting huffed, "Why did you steal my pipa?"

"My apologies," Xu Shulou stood, cradling the foxes. "Dancing with the troupe would've been harder." She poured wine from a nearby jug and raised her cup. "Pardon the interruption. A toast to you all." Then she leaped out.

The attendant murmured, "Why not hide longer? Crossing the Soaring Eagle Sect here isn't wise."

Xu Shulou grinned. "The Taixu Realm's master fears no sect."

"True," the attendant agreed. "We won't betray you, but we won't shield you either. Pay enough, and you're a guest—immortal or fugitive, it matters not. Farewell."

"Thank you." Xu Shulou bowed, then ascended the stairs instead of leaving.

She knew the entrance would be watched—and the pursuers would soon realize their mistake...

As expected, just after climbing a few flights of stairs, an angry shout echoed from above: "Why didn’t you say so earlier? Two 'li nu'? More like two foxes! Hurry up, search every inch of the Night Banquet Painting!"

Xu Shulou repeated her earlier trick, slipping into the nearby Spring Banquet Painting with the little foxes in her arms. Inside, scholars dressed in refined robes sat around a table, while servant boys stood nearby preparing tea.

Blending into the group of attendants, Xu Shulou meticulously brewed the tea. Once she saw the group of enforcers rush past outside the painting, she raised the teacup and drank the brew herself.

The scholars at the table expressed their displeasure, but Xu Shulou ignored them, stepping out of the painting and heading upstairs. The little foxes bounded playfully at her feet, their lively antics adding a touch of charm as Xu Shulou strolled leisurely through the illusory realm, treating the pursuit as nothing more than a casual stroll.

At the sound of approaching footsteps, she ducked into the nearest painting.

This time, it was the Thousand Ravines and Pine Winds Painting. After evading the pursuers, Xu Shulou didn’t rush to leave. Instead, she leaned against a tree trunk, watching as the two foxes transformed into human forms and gracefully bowed before her. "Thank you for your kindness, Miss Xu."

"No need for formalities."

The two little foxes splashed into the stream to bathe, and Xu Shulou retrieved two unworn dresses from her Qiankun Bracelet, handing them over. "How did you end up at the auction?"

The white fox, Ningxue, lowered her head in shame.

Fen Mo glanced at Xu Shulou, took a deep breath, and recounted their ordeal: "It’s all because of this silly fox here! She fell head over heels for some scoundrel of a cultivator, brought him home without a shred of caution, and then he drugged our water, knocked us out, and sold us off! He even emptied our storage pouches before vanishing."

Ningxue clenched her fists. "I’m the one who dragged you into this..."

Fen Mo rolled her eyes but softened at the sight of her distress. "Enough. We’ve been locked in a cage together, and I’ve heard your apologies till my ears went numb. Now that we’re free, I don’t blame you—just learn from this. The real villain is that bastard!"

Xu Shulou frowned. "Who was it? I’ll help you seek justice."

But Ningxue stubbornly shook her head. "Thank you, but... this is a debt I must repay myself."

Xu Shulou didn’t press further, simply nodding. "I understand."

"Still... today, we’ve dragged you into trouble with the Soaring Eagle Sect. Even if we escape now, you’ll likely be banned from this city."

Ningxue ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‍moved to bow again, but Xu Shulou stopped her. "It’s fine. If Fandu City won’t have me, there’s the Ever-Night City on the grasslands or the Crystal Palace in the Eastern Sea. Cultivator-built cities aren’t limited to just Fandu, after all."

Fen Mo chimed in, "Why not mention the Ice Lotus Palace on the snowy peaks?"

...Because the Ice Lotus Palace had banned her entry many years ago.

"That’s a long story," Xu Shulou coughed lightly, smoothly changing the subject. "For now, let’s focus on how to leave Fandu City."

The two girls fell into deep thought, but before they could devise a plan, a massive creature came soaring toward them on the wind.

Fen Mo looked up, startled by the shadow looming overhead. "Why is there a flying elephant in the Thousand Ravines and Pine Winds Painting?"

"A flying elephant? Could it be...?" Xu Shulou froze, a memory surfacing as the elephant drew near, affectionately wrapping its trunk around her waist.

"It really is you!" Delighted, Xu Shulou let the elephant lift her onto its back, leaning down to stroke its ears as she introduced it to Fen Mo and Ningxue. "This is my third junior brother’s spirit beast!"

The elephant happily raised its trunk and let out what seemed like an ultrasonic call.

Soon, a chaotic menagerie of creatures emerged from the trees and underbrush, charging toward them—even a large fish leaped from the water, flopping across the ground in Xu Shulou’s direction.

Fen Mo and Ningxue gaped in disbelief.

"These are all my third junior brother’s spirit beasts," Xu Shulou explained, scooping up the fish and giving it an affectionate pat before tossing it back into the stream. "What a coincidence—I didn’t expect him to be here too."

"...Why does your junior brother keep so many spirit beasts?" the two girls asked, bewildered.

"It’s... a personal hobby," Xu Shulou replied, doing her best to preserve her sect’s dignity and not reveal the truth about the Path of Emotionlessness. She picked up a shuyan (wild goose) and examined it. "Hmm, are you new? I don’t recognize you."

Addressing the swarm of creatures around her, she asked, "Where’s Third Junior Brother? Can you take me to him?"

The animals clamored eagerly—the flying elephant even tried to carry her directly—but Xu Shulou politely declined, selecting a small spirit monkey as their guide instead.

Following the monkey, they exited the painting and arrived at the twentieth floor, where an unfinished landscape painting greeted them. A slender man stood before it, brush in hand, adding final touches.

Hearing footsteps, he turned—and his eyes widened. "Senior Sister?"

This refined-looking man was Feng Yi, the third disciple of Bright Moon Peak on Dustless Island.

Xu Shulou stared at his paintbrush in surprise. "You’re working as a painter here?"

Feng Yi nodded despairingly. "Spirit beasts eat too much. I need to earn money to feed them." freeweɓnovēl.coɱ

"...Why can’t they just eat grain instead of spirit stones?"

The senior sister, whose pockets were emptier than her face, and the junior brother, nearly bankrupted by his menagerie, stood across the corridor, sharing a silent moment of mutual suffering.

Feng Yi looked utterly defeated. "Senior Sister, are you here for fun?"

"No, I’m being chased."

Well acquainted with his senior sister’s tendencies, Feng Yi didn’t even blink. "Any escape plan?"

"Just hiding in the illusory realm for now. I’ll slip out once they lower their guard."

Feng Yi rummaged in his Qiankun Ring and tossed her a small token. "A perk from working here. This lets you enter paintings without paying spirit stones. I usually keep my spirit beasts in the less-frequented ones."

"Thanks!" Xu Shulou brightened. Having just parted with a low-grade alchemy furnace and two defensive jade bracelets in the illusory realm, the token was a welcome boon.

Before leaving, she asked sympathetically, "Does the illusory realm pay well?"

"Not bad," Feng Yi admitted. "Six months as a painter here funds a decade of feeding those little demons."

"...Stop adopting more spirit beasts. Have you given up on the Path of Emotionlessness yet?"

"Trash cultivation method—ruined my life. Dropped it ages ago," Feng Yi scoffed. "I didn’t plan to keep collecting them, but—see that shuyan? Its owner tossed it aside for a new pet, calling it useless. I took it in, only to realize it truly does nothing but eat."

Xu Shulou patted his shoulder. "When I have spirit stones to spare, I’ll help out."

In the city of Fan Du, Bai Roushuang and Jiang Yan crouched by the base of a wall, watching the patrolling enforcers of the Soaring Eagle Sect with growing impatience. "Where are we supposed to find our senior sister?" Bai Roushuang fretted.

"Don’t worry," Jiang Yan reassured her. "I’ve got experience—I know where to look for her. Even if we don’t find her, she’ll show up on her own in a few days."

"……" Bai Roushuang had absolutely no desire to know how he’d gained such experience.

Sure enough, the mention of the past brought a pained look to Jiang Yan’s face. "Let’s check the Taixu Realm later. It’s the best place to hide. You should change your outfit first, though—just in case the Soaring Eagle Sect remembers we entered the auction together with our senior sister."

"Fine."

Jiang Yan truly did understand Xu Shulou. After anxiously circling the Taixu Realm three times, Bai Roushuang finally ran into their senior sister.

But Xu Shulou hadn’t been found—she had burst out on her own.

Cradling a fox, she tumbled out of a painting in a rolling flourish, landing gracefully on the steps with a flick of her hair. She looked utterly composed, showing no trace of the desperate chase she’d just escaped.

Inside the painting, the figure who had been pursuing her was frozen mid-swing, face twisted in a snarl.

Bai Roushuang nearly wept. "Senior Sister… what kind of trouble have you gotten into this time?"

Someone was after her inside the painting, and someone was after her outside it too.

With a sigh, Bai Roushuang could only marvel at her own luck—getting a front-row seat to witness the sheer, unrelenting chaos of Xu Shulou’s life, a life so wild even dogs would steer clear.