I Ruined the Long Ao Tian Script-Chapter 45

Wei Xuandao had finally figured it out—Xu Shulou might be powerful, but her mind was as inflexible as a block of wood.

Tasking her with stealing a Soul-Summoning Banner had been a disaster, and his plan to manipulate her with a love gu into becoming his obedient assassin was nothing more than a pipe dream.

After a long silence, Wei Xuandao spoke, "However, your sect leader has invited me to Dustless Island to collaborate on countermeasures against the Soul-Summoning Banner. Since I won’t be at Lingxiao Sect, I won’t be able to help you break the love gu. Perhaps you should—"

"It’s fine, Elder Wei, you can leave without worry," Xu Shulou replied cheerfully. "I’ll have the disciples of Lingxiao Sect to keep me company."

A vein throbbed in Wei Xuandao’s forehead as an old saying flashed through his mind—meat buns thrown at a dog, never to return.

The "meat buns" naturally referred to his obedient disciples, while Xu Shulou before him was, well… tch.

Choosing his words carefully, Wei Xuandao said, "Lady Xu, after being away for so long, wouldn’t your junior disciples on Dustless Island be missing you by now?"

"Elder Wei, are you suggesting…" Xu Shulou drew out her words under his expectant gaze, "that I invite my junior disciples to visit Lingxiao Sect?"

"…" Wei Xuandao opened his mouth but found no words. His gaze turned distant, as if he were staring at some unfathomable anomaly.

"That might not be appropriate," Xu Shulou said with such sincerity, such consideration for others, "it would be far too much trouble."

Wei Xuandao stared at her in disbelief—you actually know the word 'trouble'?

Xu Shulou met his gaze with a smile, the very picture of a naive, oblivious beauty. Defeated, Wei Xuandao weakly waved his hand. "You may leave now."

In the end, Wei Xuandao did go to Dustless Island, departing with a dazed expression, as if he couldn’t fathom how, after living peacefully as an elder at Lingxiao Sect, a simple invitation to Xu Shulou had somehow resulted in him being the one sent away.

The night he left, Xu Shulou slipped into his room under cover of darkness and thoroughly ransacked it.

But she found nothing useful—unsurprising, since cultivators carried their valuables in spatial rings or pouches. No one would leave important items lying around.

Even if the cultivation technique that had harmed Zhang Baihe still existed, Wei Xuandao wouldn’t have carelessly left it in his room.

Still, his departure had one immediate benefit—the disciples of Lingxiao Sect visibly relaxed. Even Xiao Ya dared to invite Xu Shulou out of the valley for a stroll, eager to play the gracious host.

Xu ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‍Shulou happily accepted.

Lingxiao Sect was remote, and the nearest place of any liveliness was a small town called Eternal Peace City. The three of them—Xiao Ruzhuo had insisted on tagging along—now stood in its streets.

A notice board by the city gates displayed several wanted posters. Xiao Ruzhuo remarked in surprise, "I remember Eternal Peace being quite peaceful. Why so many bounties all of a sudden?"

After asking around, they learned that a bandit gang had recently fled here. The local guards were overwhelmed, focusing only on the most brazen robbers while petty thieves ran rampant. Reinforcements from neighboring towns were expected, but it would take time.

Xiao Ya frowned—this was her family’s empire, after all. "How long until reinforcements arrive?"

"Hard to say," a local answered. "We’re out of the way here. The officials up the chain have to approve it. Probably at least ten days."

Xiao Ya glanced at Xu Shulou and Xiao Ruzhuo, her eyes gleaming. "How about a wager?"

Xu Shulou saw right through her. "Related to the bounties?"

Xiao Ya grinned. "Let’s see who can catch the most thieves by midnight. Loser pays for today’s expenses."

Xiao Ruzhuo scoffed. "Too easy."

"Then we add a rule—no spiritual power. Only fists, feet, or mortal weapons," Xiao Ya proposed.

"Deal!" Xiao Ruzhuo agreed.

Xu Shulou nodded. "Fine by me."

"We split up now and meet at Donglaishun Restaurant at midnight!"

Xu Shulou found the whole affair amusing and played along. But after walking a short distance, she heard Xiao Ya’s exaggerated cry behind her.

"Oh no! My purse came loose!" Xiao Ya wailed, bending down to gather scattered silver with agonizing slowness, her performance so theatrical it was painful to watch. Once done, she tied the bulging purse—nearly twice the size of her palm—to her waist, making sure it was impossible to miss.

She was clearly baiting thieves.

Xu Shulou, forced to witness this farce, twitched her lips.

Glancing back, she saw Xiao Ruzhuo covering his face in the distance, clearly unwilling to acknowledge his sister.

Perhaps the thieves found it too ridiculous as well—Xiao Ya spent the morning prowling back alleys, yet not a single one took the bait. ƒгeewёbnovel.com

When someone finally tailed her, her excitement quickly turned to fury—it was a lecher, not a thief.

Xiao Ya dangled her purse in front of him. "Are you sure you don’t want my money?"

"Nah…"

"Really? There’s a lot in here."

The man blinked. "Well, if you’re offering…"

Xiao Ya snarled, "I want you to want it!"

"Wh-why?!"

In the end, she beat him senseless and dragged him to the authorities.

Frustrated, Xiao Ya stormed through the city, practically wearing her purse on her forehead—yet still, no thieves.

Passing Donglaishun Restaurant, the aroma made her pause. She looked up—and saw Xu Shulou lounging by a second-floor window, sipping wine.

Xu Shulou raised her cup in greeting.

Xiao Ya stiffened. I’ve been working all morning, and this woman is just relaxing?!

She marched upstairs and glared at the slacker.

Xu Shulou pushed a plate of fried spare ribs toward her.

Xiao Ya hesitated, then took a bite. Her eyes lit up. "Good."

Xu Shulou raised a brow. "You’ve never been here?"

"I’ve been in seclusion for years. If not for you…" She took another bite. "And I don’t come to Eternal Peace often. Master’s always pushing us to keep up with other peaks’ disciples. I only sneak out when he’s away."

"Try this mung bean cake," Xu Shulou offered another plate. "Not as refined as high-end restaurants, but tasty."

Xiao Ya sampled it. True enough—though crudely made, it was rich in bean paste, soft and fragrant without being cloying.

Xu Shulou rested her chin on her hand, teasing with a gossipy tone, "Your third senior brother seems to like you."

"I know," Xiao Ya replied, meeting Xu Shulou's slightly surprised gaze. She swallowed a bite of pastry and blinked at her with a smug smile. "My mother taught me about these things since I was young. She told me that those who like me would one day become my allies—or my brother’s, in his bid for the throne."

"..."

"But now that we’re cultivating immortality, there’s no need for such convoluted schemes," Xiao Ya chuckled. "Liking someone is just liking them. Disliking is disliking. No need to consider anything else."

"Then you—"

"I won’t tell you." For once, Xiao Ya’s expression softened with a girlish playfulness, her eyes shimmering with a hint of shyness.

Though she refused to admit it, Xu Shulou could tell from her demeanor that Xiao Ya held some affection for Xiao Ruzhuo.

Even if it hadn’t yet reached the stage of mutual love, there was at least mutual admiration.

Yet, in the storybooks, Xiao Ya ultimately became one of Lu Beichen’s wives.

Xu Shulou sighed inwardly. Whose happiness was this dream ultimately meant to fulfill?

Xiao Ya gracefully finished a plate of pan-fried ribs, a serving of mung bean cakes, and a bowl of honey rice milk before suddenly realizing something was amiss. What had she originally come here to do?

Staring at the empty plates before her, she found she no longer had any grounds to glare at Xu Shulou. Instead, she asked, "Why aren’t you out catching thieves? Aren’t you afraid of losing?"

"I won’t lose."

Xiao Ya’s competitive spirit flared. "That confident?"

"At the very least, I won’t lose to the two of you."

"So you think even after wasting the entire morning, you can still beat us?"

Xu Shulou grinned. She had been sitting by the second-floor window to observe. "Because I have experience."

She had caught thieves and, in her time, been one. After leaving the palace but before joining Dustless Island, she had even been robbed by thieves. These two, with their limited life experience, were no match for her in this regard.

"The outcome isn’t decided yet. I won’t admit defeat so easily," Xiao Ya declared, her fighting spirit undiminished despite her fruitless morning. She flashed Xu Shulou a smile. "I’ll take my leave now. See you at midnight!"

Xu Shulou raised her wine cup in a casual farewell.

As Xiao Ya left the tavern, she heard Xu Shulou call out, "Waiter, two more jars of plum wine, please."

"..."

Outside the tavern, Xiao Ya passed by the government office and spotted Xiao Ruzhuo escorting a man in coarse clothing inside. He emerged only after the time it took to burn an incense stick, with a yamen runner cheerfully handing him a reward.

Had her senior brother caught someone on the wanted list? Xiao Ya clenched her fists. No way—she couldn’t let herself and Xu Shulou both end up trailing behind him.

She set off again.

This time, luck was on her side. Just as she turned onto a long street, she saw a woman crouching by a vegetable stall, picking through the slightly fresher produce. A middle-aged man knelt beside her, inspecting a squash while his left hand stealthily dipped into the woman’s basket of coins.

Xiao Ya suddenly understood—thieves didn’t always strike in secluded alleys.

She immediately rushed forward and pinned him down. The woman gasped in shock, but after hearing Xiao Ya shout "Thief!", she quickly thanked her.

"No need for thanks." Xiao Ya hauled the man to the government office. Though he wasn’t on the wanted list, the yamen runners found two stolen purses on him, confirming her claim.

Only then did Xiao Ya realize that to have a thief detained, she needed evidence—either stolen goods found on them or witnesses to corroborate her account.

Armed with this knowledge, she set out again, brimming with confidence.

She crossed paths with Xiao Ruzhuo once more, exchanging tips, but Xu Shulou remained conspicuously absent.

She finally caught sight of Xu Shulou’s whereabouts that night. The streets had grown quiet, with only a few stragglers left. Suddenly, a man sprinted past, wailing in terror, followed by a woman brandishing a knife—and further back, a squad of night-patrolling yamen runners.

The bizarre procession drew curious onlookers. Xiao Ya squinted and realized the woman was none other than Xu Shulou, who had vanished all afternoon. She was waving a large blade of unknown origin, while the yamen runners at the rear shouted, "You there, bandit! Drop your weapon at once! Cease your pursuit of that innocent citizen! Do not cause trouble in Eternal Peace City!"

Another runner yelled, "Hold on, brother up ahead! We’re coming to help!"

Xu Shulou, despite adhering to the no-spiritual-powers rule, was on the verge of catching up. Furious, she snapped, "Can’t you see he’s the actual robber?!"

The yamen runners fell silent.

...Honestly, no, they couldn’t tell. Generally, the one being chased was the victim, and the pursuer was the criminal.

Especially when said pursuer was waving a knife like a murderer, while the man ahead was sobbing as he ran...

Xu Shulou hurled the knife’s hilt, striking the man squarely in the back and sending him sprawling. She retrieved the blade and planted it beside his neck, nearly scaring him to death, then shot the yamen runners a look before chiding the man in a sweetly gentle voice, "Stop crying. See? You’ve made everyone misunderstand me."