Chapter 53: The Troubles of a Popular Commodity

Early the next morning.

Sunlight spilled through the gauze windows, filling the room with warmth.

Lin Chen walked into the room carrying a bowl of hot porridge. Looking down, she saw Su Xiaoxiao curled up under the covers, feigning sleep, her eyelashes fluttering gently.

"Stop pretending; the porridge is going to get cold," Lin Chen sighed helplessly, placing the bowl on the bedside table.

Su Xiaoxiao lazily opened her eyes and said in a soft, sweet voice, "I'm genuinely weak, you know. Have you forgotten that I almost perished yesterday?"

"You call that perishing? You were clearly just clinging to me and refusing to leave," Lin Chen said, sitting on the edge of the bed and scooping up a spoonful of porridge. "Open your mouth."

"Ah—" Su Xiaoxiao opened her mouth obediently, looking excessively well-behaved. "Sister Lin Chen is the best."

Lin Chen frowned. "If you call me 'Sister' one more time, I'll send you to the Wenxiu Study to transcribe scriptures for three days tomorrow."

"Wuu wuu, then I'd better just eat my porridge," Su Xiaoxiao said, swallowing the mouthful and feigning pity.

Lin Chen rolled her eyes, though her heart softened completely.

As the two were playfully bickering, they suddenly heard a rumbling sound outside the courtyard.

Lin Chen raised an eyebrow. "What's all that commotion?"

The courtyard gate opened, and Xiao Qiao ran in, flustered. "Mistress of the God Lord—ah, no, Sister Lin Chen, something terrible has happened! Over by the back mountain… a whole honor guard has arrived!"

"What?" Lin Chen stood up.

"It's Poetry Immortal Yu Xuanji from the Xuanji Immortal Realm! She came in person! And she brought that White Jade Lion beast of hers; it's so flashy!" Xiao Qiao said, looking stunned. "She said she's here to see… Su Xiaoxiao?"

Su Xiaoxiao's hand, holding the porridge bowl, paused. Her eyes flickered, and she muttered, "Trouble has arrived."

At the Spirit Platform on the back mountain.

Poetry Immortal Yu Xuanji, dressed in black and white gauze robes, stood atop the jade steps. Behind her, the honor guard stood in neat, solemn formation; their silver armor shone brilliantly, and the banners fluttered, exuding an imposing Aura.

"Su Xiaoxiao," she said in a cold, clear voice. "My Xuanji Immortal Realm is willing to offer you the position of 'Deputy Realm Lord' to invite you to join us and Cultivate."

As the news spread, Moxiang Pavilion erupted in chaos.

Palace Master Shangguan Waner frowned, while Lin Chen held Su Xiaoxiao's tiny wrist. "You really are a popular commodity."

"What should I do then…" Su Xiaoxiao blinked, putting on an innocent face. "I'm just a weak, pitiful, and helpless girl with a junk Spiritual Root."

"You have an Innate Dao bone; I admire your ability to act like you're this useless," Lin Chen scoffed.

A moment later, the news spread throughout the Immortal Realm.

Zhao Yun from the Dragon Soul Holy Domain, Suirenshi from the Fire God Palace, and even the more distant Haotian Ancient Clan and Taiwei Divine Sect sent messages, expressing their willingness to recruit Su Xiaoxiao with extravagant conditions such as "personal instruction from a God King," "shared access to a thousand-year Spiritual Vein," and "candidacy as the Supreme Successor."

Zhao Yun arrived in person, laughing heartily. "Such a rare talent! If she joins my Dragon Soul lineage, she will surely become an Emperor within a hundred years."

Suirenshi sneered. "So what if she becomes an Emperor? My palace is willing to merge our God blood with hers to help her cleanse her bones and re-Cultivate, recasting her supreme true spirit with a hundred generations of Dao bones!"

Poetry Immortal Yu Xuanji spoke coldly. "You are all too noisy."

The few locked eyes, and the scent of gunpowder began to rise.

Meanwhile, Xue Yao, standing to the side, had a gradually strange expression on her face.

"Su Xiaoxiao? A rare talent? The sickly girl you're all talking about… isn't that just the… poor little thing that Master Lin Fan is disguised as?"

She gulped, clutched her head with both hands, and began to have a mental breakdown.

"If they find out the truth… will I have to run away with my Master and Mistress!"

Moxiang Pavilion.

Zhao Yun and Suirenshi clashed with their Auras, causing the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi to tremble faintly, and the surrounding Void Realm began to distort slightly. The air stagnated, as if a great battle were imminent.

At this moment, Xue Yao silently shuffled into a small corner of the backyard, trying to stay as far away from these big shots as possible.

She struggled to keep her expression straight, preventing herself from laughing, though cold sweat had already beaded on her forehead.

"Become an Emperor? Recast the true spirit? Personal instruction from a God King?"

She glanced at the "sickly girl" Su Xiaoxiao, who was still in the room drinking spiritual tea. The latter was curled up on the couch, acting coquettishly and softly toward Lin Chen.

"My foot still hurts, Chenchen, rub it for me again~"

"You've been rubbing it for half an hour already!" Lin Chen's face flushed slightly, yet her movements remained gentle.

Xue Yao felt her worldview frantically testing the edge of collapse.

"Should I warn them? No… if I say anything, Master will probably throw me to feed the Kun tomorrow…"

She wrapped herself up like a zongzi, silently chanting, "Can't see me, can't see me."

Meanwhile, Su Xiaoxiao had already quietly activated her home-field advantage mode.

She leaned "weakly" against the headboard, looking at the titans of the Immortal Realm like Poetry Immortal Yu Xuanji, Suirenshi, and Zhao Yun. Her red lips parted slightly, and her voice was soft and delicate: "I am overwhelmed by the kindness of you all, Seniors. However… I am merely a weak and sickly mortal; how could I dare to accept such generous gifts?"

Zhao Yun: "This is no mortal; this is heaven-sent talent! You only need to nod, and the entire Dragon Soul Holy Domain will make way for you."

Suirenshi: "If you come to my Fire God Palace, the God King Hall can reshape your bones and Bloodline, and re-Cultivate your destiny."

An envoy from the Taiwei Divine Sect spoke in a deep voice: "A spot for personal instruction from the Taiwei Divine Ancestor, and your choice of any God Realm secret treasury."

The Haotian Ancient Clan was even more exaggerated: "If you are willing to come, our clan can include you as a candidate for the future position of Clan Chief."

Su Xiaoxiao: "Hmm… this is truly… so hard to choose…"

She tapped her chin with her jade finger, smiling gently, while inwardly feeling ecstatic: "You guys keep competing, and I'll keep pretending."

Then, she feigned hesitation: "Unfortunately… my identity in this life is sealed, and there is a lot of Karma entangled; it might not be suitable for me to easily join a sect…"

Everyone immediately dared not pressure her, becoming even more cautious instead.

At this moment, Su Xiaoxiao suddenly smiled: "However… if you all don't mind, I could become a Named Disciple of each domain, receiving a modest sum of a million Immortal Crystals, just as a matter of etiquette…"

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire scene fell silent for two seconds.

Then—Zhao Yun laughed loudly: "Haha, what a clever girl! It's just a mere few Immortal Crystals; the Dragon Soul Holy Domain will offer ten million for Miss Xiaoxiao to spend as she pleases!"

Suirenshi raised an eyebrow: "The Fire God Palace does not like to be looked down upon. How about I exchange a hundred drops of God King true blood for just one stick of incense worth of your smiles?"

Poetry Immortal Yu Xuanji said indifferently: "I will design seven battle dresses for her, each containing the Aura of a different Dao, and include a small Spiritual Spring realm for her to play in during closed-door Cultivation."

The Taiwei Divine Sect, the Haotian Ancient Clan, and others also increased their offers. For a moment, Immortal Crystals fell like rain, and Dao traces gathered like clouds. On everyone's face were written four words: "Must snatch her!"

Xue Yao was about to faint. Her lips trembled: "Th-th-this… she's a scammer… oh no, she's my Master, but I'm not even sure if she's a scammer anymore!"

She sighed up at the sky: "Master, how can you sell out the Immortal Realm just by selling your name!?"

In the room, Su Xiaoxiao looked at the spatial rings, jade boxes of Immortal Crystals, and jade bottles of God blood piled on the table…

She gently touched her forehead, her smile charming and radiant: "As expected… the best method of Cultivation in the world is called 'playing the pig to eat the tiger'."