Stealing Luck from the Heavenly Dao's Favorite

Wei Yunxi wasn't about to take that lying down. Chin lifted, she retorted at once.

"Big Sister, you can't talk down to us like that. Just because our cultivation is low now doesn't mean it won't improve later. Besides, Big Sister Yunting's current level is more than enough to handle a first-rank spirit beast."

Her words were a little flattering, sure, but they still hit the mark. Even Wei Zongjin, standing to the side, nodded in agreement.

Wei Yunqing regretted her earlier comment almost immediately. She hadn't truly meant to belittle anyone—it had just been a reflexive rebuttal to Wei Yunxi.

Wei Yunting gave a warm smile and said gently, "Little Sister Yunxi is right. Just because our cultivation is still low doesn't mean we can't hunt spirit beasts. As long as we work together, I'm sure we can do it."

She then turned to Yunxi with a teasing glint in her eye. "And with the guidance from your mother's family in alchemy, I bet your bigu pills will taste like roasted meat. We'll be counting on you."

Wei Yunxi beamed, nodding quickly. Though she kept smiling, she couldn't help but marvel at how mature kids in the cultivation world were. In just two sentences, Wei Yunting had united the disciples of the Wei clan and even praised Yunxi's talent in alchemy. It was hard not to feel good after that.

Having embarrassed herself, Wei Yunqing stayed silent, pretending to meditate with her eyes closed.

Half an hour later, the little radishes of Kunyu City had eaten their fill, taken care of personal matters, and sorted themselves into teams. Unspoken yet clear, they formed up with the Wei family team at the center, waiting for the command to depart.

Wei Yunting, pleased with their discipline, raised a hand and ordered, "Three teams in parallel formation. Keep an eye on the woods to either side as we head down the mountain. Move out!"

With that, she took the lead. The rest of the Wei disciples followed in orderly lines behind her.

Wei Yunxi deliberately kept her distance from Wei Yunqing. Based on everything she'd read in novels, trouble always happened near the protagonist. If you didn't want to be collateral damage, you stayed away. So she walked beside Wei Zonghao instead, subtly widening the gap between herself and Wei Yunqing.

Meanwhile, Wei Yunqing kept close to Wei Yunting and Wei Zongjin. One had higher cultivation, the other was her cultivation partner. Both were more familiar, and before long, she had moved toward the front of the group.

As Wei Zonghao popped a dried fruit into his mouth, he glanced sideways at Yunxi and asked, "Little Sister Yunxi, why aren't you walking with your sister?"

Yunxi didn't even try to hide it. "Because she always steals my stuff."

Surprised, Zonghao asked, "What'd she steal from you?"

Yunxi immediately told him about how, after her mother's 'death,' Wei Yunqing had rushed to Zhuohua Courtyard and taken her mother's hairpin. She emphasized that even their father had known about it, subtly smearing Yunqing's name a little more.

Though Zonghao was still young, he had at least cultivated for a year and understood subtext. He leaned in and lowered his voice. "I heard from my mother that Concubine Du always envied your mother. She probably sent Yunqing to take it, now that your mother's gone."

Yunxi hadn't expected the chubby little guy to enjoy gossip, but she nodded along and even pulled in her maternal family to back the story. The two of them chatted and snacked the whole way, never slowing down. The Feng family's team, walking just behind them, caught wind of the gossip too—and their opinion of Wei Yunqing sank even lower.

An hour and a half into the walk, some of the kids began to lag behind. One even asked to stop and rest. Wei Yunting glanced at the sun overhead and nodded.

To be fair, most of the group were still children, and some hadn't even started cultivating. Making it this far without anyone dropping out was already impressive.

They rested for a quarter of an hour, then continued down the mountain.

Not long after—less than thirty minutes later—commotion erupted from the rear. Shrill screams rang out from the back of the group.

Alarmed, Wei Yunxi instinctively released her spiritual sense to check what was happening. Her scalp prickled at what she saw.

A dense swarm of creatures, each shaped like a weasel but no larger than a mouse, was chasing after the stragglers. Terrified, the children screamed and ran, their formation quickly falling apart. Some, too slow to react, collapsed sobbing to the ground. Others grabbed their friends and sprinted.

Those who were caught by the weasels vanished in an instant, which oddly made Wei Yunxi feel a little relieved. At least no one was actually dying. Clearly someone in the shadows was watching over them, perhaps evaluating their performance.

She'd wondered why the sect would toss a bunch of kids onto a mountain without any supervision. This had to be part of the test. The children who disappeared were probably just being eliminated from this round.

Wei Yunting had noticed the disturbance too. She shouted, "Don't stop! Run ahead! Once we leave the territory of these weasel beasts, they'll stop chasing!"

Wei Yunxi quickly withdrew her spiritual sense and grabbed the little fatty beside her. Legs pumping furiously, they dashed downhill.

Just before she retracted her spiritual sense, though, she had noticed something. Wei Yunqing's expression had shifted subtly, and she had inched closer to Wei Yunting—clearly guilty about something.

Wei Yunxi's eyes narrowed.

She suddenly remembered that during the last rest break, Wei Yunqing had gone to relieve herself with one of the mortal girls. Could it be that she did something back there that triggered this swarm of weasel beasts?

Spirit beasts usually didn't pursue humans so persistently unless someone trespassed into their territory—or took something they shouldn't have. Maybe sacred herbs they were guarding, or even their food. Worst case? A cub.

Yunxi wasn't sure, but based on her novel knowledge, the theory made sense. Still, now wasn't the time to dwell on it. She had to run.

At first, Wei Zonghao kept pace, but before long, he started gasping. As he panted beside her, he asked, "How much farther do we have to run? Why are they still chasing us?"

Wei Yunting was frowning too. By now, they should've left the beasts' territory, yet the swarm kept coming—worse, they were zeroing in on her team at the front.

As the eldest among them, she quickly raised her voice. "During the last break, did anyone take something they shouldn't have? Toss it out now! These weasel beasts won't stop unless we return it. If we keep running like this, we'll all be eliminated!"

"No! I didn't take anything!"

"Who'd dare touch stuff in a place like this?!"

"Whoever it was, hurry and give it back! Don't drag the rest of us down!"

"Quick, I can't run anymore!"

"If I get eliminated because of someone else, I'm dragging them down with me!"

The group had descended into chaos, everyone shouting at once.

But no one admitted to taking anything.

Seeing the mess spiraling, Wei Yunting raised her voice again.

"Everyone, split up by teams! Team leaders, take your group into the woods. If the weasels chase after a particular team, then we'll know that group has the problem. The rest of you, keep moving once you've shaken them off!"

She wasn't worried about anyone getting lost. The main gate of Haoran Sect was visible even to the naked eye. As long as you weren't blind, you could find your way.

As soon as her command went out, team leaders sprang into action, guiding their members into the nearby forest.