11 Heroine Goes to Work (1/2)

Han De's open display of hostility cast a shadow over the gathering.

The younger generations were gritting their teeth. They were all geniuses under the heavens. Their sects, families, doted on them. They had the power and the lineage to be arrogant. Han De suppressing them so openly, many felt indignant. They didn't have the power to oppose Han De (yet, many thought in their minds), but they could mess with his disciple, Ning Bi.

Ning Bi herself was aware of this. She was at the 4th stage of Qi Condensation. Although her senses were quite dull compared to Han De's, it was still sharp enough to hear most of it.

Ning Bi was a driven person. Once she realized what she wanted, she would pursue it to the end, no matter what. She went crazy for her father's stories, so she went and found herself a master. She thought warglaives looked cool, so now she was desperately trying to reach the 5th level so she could do cool mov*cough* train with them.

Truthfully, Ning Bi was also a tad obsessive as well. How else could a 12-year-old girl leave her village to find a sect by herself? Not even her family could stop her. Why did they not stop her?

She was also a person that knew how to repay gratitude. She was placed last in the selection, but Han De still took her in. She couldn't find a cultivation method, yet Han De rewrote a method specifically for her.

Even before getting into the sect, she knew how hard it was to find a suitable cultivation method. How could she not know this, it was the reason why she was stuck in Qi sensing stage.

Her cultivation method, Blazing Sun, wasn't just compatible with her, it felt like it was made for her. Insights in the scroll that Han De gave to her were almost prophetic in nature. Often times she would have goosebumps just by reading it.

Hearing the horrible things that were said about her, Ning Bi felt indignant. She knew she wasn't strong enough, she knew she had bad talent, so all she could do was to stay silent. However, she was a tad bit obsessed as well. So while staying still, she silently committed these people into her memory.

When Han De forcefully made these people submit, Ning Bi felt another wave of gratitude for her teacher. She was a smart girl. As Han De would say, 'Comprehension 8 is not a joke'. She knew Han De was making enemies because of her. So all she could do was to take note of every single person that showed disrespect towards her master and commit them to memory.

While looking at the Han De's back as he left, Chu Chen felt a weird chill in her spine. It went away as quickly as it came.

* * *

Han De himself was aiming to keep a low profile. He was searching for targets to sneer, show disdain, and scoff at. He wasn't happy with turning Ning Bi into a target, but at least he had a way of refusing immediate challenges now. He patted himself on the back.

'Thankfully, I only used one-third of the aura. Juuust enough to make people feel some pressure and stumble.'

'With me appearing overprotective, no one would bat an eye if I say she needs time due to her cultivation method. They would just think I am a helicopter parent. No one would further question it.'

Turning back, Han De saw a group of people heading towards him. From the report that he got from Elder Yu, they were from Plum Seed Sect. None of them looked like the sect leader, which was the only description he had heard from the report. Thinking they were a good target for showing disdain, Han De stood still on the spot and gave them a relaxed look first.

”Hmph, so the young master of Starfall Mountain still doesn't know the immensity of heaven and earth.”

The one that talked appeared to be the leader. He had a look of satisfaction with him. He was clearly enjoying the feeling of schadenfreude. Four that showed him support by sneering at Han De were clearly his posse.

'Alright, this is workable. He is older than me, but his cultivation is similar to mine. If I acknowledge him he'll gain satisfaction. I can't ignore him either.'

'The best approach is to act like I don't know them, smile and then leave. They will not get triggered from that, and I'll still appear arrogant. I'll just score this way and move on. Well, it's not even an act, I really do not know them.'

Han De kept his relaxed look. He did not answer him but slowly looked at their ceremonial robes. There was an ever so slight movement on his eyebrows that suggested he couldn't recognize their sect.

Sensing Han De's confusion and lack of recognition on his face, Cao Hai's face went dark.

Han De wasn't expecting such a serious reaction, but he was already committed, so he started walking away.

In a growling voice, Cao Hai spoke again.

”You dare to act like that after what you have done to my nephew?”

Han De suddenly stopped. He was bewildered. He knew for a fact he didn't have anything to do with Plum Seed Sect. He wouldn't even believe there was a sect with that name if it wasn't in the report.

'Maybe the report was wrong about the robe colors and patterns?'

Han De, still in his Arrogant Young Master look, turned and asked.

”Are you perhaps, what was it... Celestial River Sect members?”

Of all the things that the cultivation freak had done, the one that left the biggest impression on Han De was the crippling of Celestial River Sect genius.

He was an orphan that was picked up by a small martial arts family. He was bullied and ridiculed constantly. The only one that treated him fairly was the youngest daughter. Once he learned that she was entering the Celestial River Sect, he secretly ran away and entered the proving grounds. Showing some promise, he was able to join the same sect.

His cultivation was low, and he had a falling out with his adopted family. His life in the sect was hard, but over the years his cultivation soared. He gained the support of an elusive elder and suppressed his adopted family. Then he took his rightful place as the genius of the sect.

Until he met Han De. Upon hearing this story, Han De tricked the genius into a duel over the step-sister that he was in love with. Han De ridiculed and crippled the genius in front of her, then declared that she wasn't even worth playing around with, let alone taking her in as his concubine.

'Shit, wait, hold up. Why does this sound like an MC backstory all of a sudden? Why didn't I noticed this before?! He even found/faked an old grandpa supporting him from the shadows!'

Han De made a mental note to follow up on this. This flag had to be crushed with full force as soon as possible.

Of course, Plum Seed Sect members knew about the story of the Celestial River Sect genius all too well. As they say, misery loves company.

”You! Good! Very Good!”

Seeing Han De's unbridled arrogance, Cao Hai realized his vision was darkening. He couldn't let out a coherent sentence out of anger.

”Young Master Han De. It has been a while.”

Plum Seed Sect Master had arrived. Han De easily recognized him thanks to the report. Beady eyes, receding hairline, horsetail whisk with a plum-colored handle on his side, yes, this man was definitely him.

'It has been a while? Why is it that the cultivation idiot doesn't have any memories of the Plum Seed Sect?'

Feeling that ignoring or acting too familiar might cause unforeseen issues down the line, Han De chose a neutral greeting.

”Sect Master Li Honghui, greetings”

”It seems you have a rather promising disciple. My congratulations to you, Young Master Han De.”

Li Honghui had a neutral look. He didn't seem to be concerned with whatever Cao Hai was bothered about. A sect master naturally wouldn't be a simple person. Looking towards the Ning Bi in the distance, Li Honghui continued.

”Cao Hai, didn't you bring Su Jing with us? Why not ask Young Master Han De to have your disciples exchange pointers?”

Han De didn't miss how Cao Hai regained his composure with the arrival of their sect master. Knowing where things were going, Han De interrupted Cao Hai.

”Unfortunately, Ning Bi is practicing a mantra that requires her to refrain from practicing martial arts. Only after reaching the 5th level of Qi Condensation she can overcome this restriction.”

Han De gave a half-smile.

”You are more than welcome to exchange pointers after this crucial step is over. It shouldn't take long, say two weeks?”