A Sudden Appearance in the Hall

Zhang Xiaocha crouched like a small cat before the stone bed, her dark, glistening eyes occasionally darting towards Luo Bingning, who was preparing mutton stew nearby.

The rising morning light filtered through cracks in the wall, casting dappled patterns upon them both and dispelling a touch of the lingering chill.

Luo Bingning offered a gentle smile. “Stop peeking. It’ll be ready to eat soon.”

‘Little glutton,’ she chided inwardly.

She then focused on the stew before her, no longer paying attention to Zhang Xiaocha behind her.

“Hehe~” Zhang Xiaocha let out an embarrassed giggle before swiftly turning her back and raising a small hand into the air.

Instantly, a pale yellow Invisibility Talisman appeared in her grasp.

As the unique aroma of the mutton stew wafted through the air, Zhang Xiaocha’s throat bobbed. [Such delicious stew, and I, Chacha, have to give it to a substitute!]

[Ugh…] She pouted unhappily, yet her eyes suddenly brightened. [It’s me either way! No matter who eats it, it’s still me, Chacha, eating it. Rounding it up, it means I, Chacha, get to eat it!]

“Hehe~”

She slapped the talisman onto herself, simultaneously summoning a substitute from her system space to crouch in her original spot.

There, an identical version of herself squatted before her, pouting and swaying its little head back and forth.

[Ugh~ I, Chacha, am just too adorable~] Zhang Xiaocha gasped inwardly, her lips curving into an uncontrollable smile. A thought swiftly surfaced in her mind—[Speaking of which, I, Chacha, have never kissed myself before~]

Gazing fixed on the small face identical to her own, she couldn’t help but lift its fair chin, then leaned in for a deep kiss on “Xiaocha’s” pouting lips.

Softness entwined, causing Zhang Xiaocha’s eyes to sparkle.

[Ugh~]

[Such… such a novel sensation~] Her chest heaved dramatically.

“Xiaocha’s” small face instantly flushed crimson, and its dark, glistening eyes widened considerably.

[So this is how I, Chacha, look when I’m shy~]

[Hehe~]

[Truly, it’s me, Chacha~ So pretty~] Zhang Xiaocha mused smugly, a glimmer of light at the corner of her lips. Just as she was about to take another step, a familiar, sweet, cloying voice echoed in her sea of consciousness. “Ugh~”

“Please don’t bully me, Senior Chacha~”

Zhang Xiaocha froze slightly, then lowered her gaze to see “Xiaocha” staring at her with resentment. In that instant, her dark, glistening eyes widened.

[Myself…]

[My substitute can actually communicate with me, Chacha?! Does that mean…] She lifted her head, tilting it slightly as a rather audacious idea bloomed in her mind.

[Hehe~ Should I, Chacha, maybe~] Her breath hitched abruptly.

Just as she was thinking, “Xiaocha’s” soft, sweet voice interrupted her. “You can’t do that~”

Hearing the voice, Luo Bingning turned back in surprise. “What can’t you do?”

Zhang Xiaocha was about to answer, but then she heard her substitute speak. “Ah? N-nothing at all~ Hehe~”

It then fled from her as if frightened, scrambling onto the stone bed.

Zhang Xiaocha scratched her head and gave an awkward laugh. [Ugh…]

[Such a stingy Chacha~]

[Not at all like me, Senior Chacha~]

After a silent complaint, she pulled out a Teleportation Jade Talisman she had previously redeemed from the system, set her destination to Jade Maiden Sect, and in the next instant, her small figure vanished from the spot with a ‘whoosh.’

Luo Bingning, who was still cooking the stew, furrowed her brows slightly, gazing with a hint of confusion at the spot where Zhang Xiaocha had disappeared. However, she quickly averted her gaze.

Inside the Jade Maiden Sect’s deliberation hall, brilliant light shone.

Five low tables of black wood inlaid with silver threads stood within the hall. Their surfaces, smooth as mirrors, reflected the warm glow cast by the glazed lanterns hanging from the ceiling. The Sect Masters of the Four Great Sects and Peak Master Ling Qinxue sat around these tables.

“During the previous Five Sect Grand Competition, it was my Jade Maiden Sect that opened the Heavenly Profound Secret Realm. Following the established order, this iteration should be hosted by the Mystic Moon Sect…” Peak Master Ling Qinxue recounted, considering the various matters requiring attention for the upcoming competition.

“No matter, there’s no rush for that! It’s merely the old rules. Perhaps you could tell us about your disciple, Zhang Xiaocha. Previously, we only heard rumors, but we never imagined it would be so bizarre!”

“She even ignored the Sound-Sealing Array that your sect’s various peak masters, along with Sister Zhi, jointly set up in the Nine-Layered Demonic Pagoda! I recall Zhang Xiaocha hasn’t even reached Foundation Establishment, has she?” Yaoyue remarked, a hint of surprise in her eyes as she looked at Peak Master Ling Qinxue.

“Sect Master Yaoyue jests,” Peak Master Ling Qinxue replied. “To speak of it, it was Xiaocha’s naughtiness. Dissatisfied with the treasures I bestowed upon her, she secretly took my token and trespassed into the sect’s treasury. It was then that she unexpectedly caused that wondrous treasure to acknowledge her as its master! Only then did all these events transpire…”

“However, it was also fortunate that the Sect Master, considering her youth, chose not to hold it against her. Otherwise, Xiaocha would not have escaped punishment!” This was the story she had agreed upon with the Sect Master from the beginning. With almost everyone in the Jade Maiden Sect believing this version, there was no fear of the Four Great Sect Leaders investigating too deeply.

Yet, ever since Yaoyue arrived at the Jade Maiden Sect, she had been probing about Xiaocha’s true situation, whether intentionally or not. Wasn’t her persistence a little too deliberate?

Peak Master Ling Qinxue subtly surveyed the four Sect Masters seated opposite her.

Just then, a spatial fluctuation subtly swirled above their heads. Peak Master Ling Qinxue’s brows furrowed slightly. ‘Could the Sect Master have returned?’

In the next instant, a figure plummeted from the void with a thud, landing in the open space between the two rows of low tables.

“Ow! My butt, Chacha’s butt…” Zhang Xiaocha exclaimed, clutching her small, seemingly split-in-two backside in pain.

Seeing this, Peak Master Ling Qinxue’s brows furrowed slightly. ‘How could it be Xiaocha…’

Just as she looked up, she saw four unfamiliar people before her. Instantly, Zhang Xiaocha’s dark, glistening eyes widened considerably, and a murmur rose in her heart. [Ugh…]

[Strange…]

[Are there these four people in the Jade Maiden Sect? How come I, Chacha, don’t know them? Could it be that the Teleportation Jade Talisman malfunctioned and sent me, Chacha, to the wrong place?]

The soft, sweet voice resonated within Peak Master Ling Qinxue’s sea of consciousness, causing her mind to tremble violently. ‘Is this Chacha’s voice?’

‘How could this be… she clearly hasn’t spoken aloud!’

‘Could it be a sound transmission?’

She secretly speculated in her heart but quickly dismissed the idea. Her eyes filled with disbelief. ‘This is Chacha’s inner voice!’

Before the low tables, the Sect Masters of the Four Great Sects watched Zhang Xiaocha with keen interest.

‘Interesting!’ Yaoyue mused inwardly.

‘To be able to disregard the restrictions of the Jade Maiden Sect’s deliberation hall and barge in directly! Then, the so-called demonic overlord who appeared in the Jade Maiden Sect might very well be her!’

Feeling the four individuals’ intensely eager gazes, Zhang Xiaocha’s small head instinctively shrank into her clothes.

[Ugh~ Bad people~]

She then prepared to use the Teleportation Jade Talisman again to return herself to the stone cave. As she turned, her peripheral vision inadvertently caught sight of Peak Master Ling Qinxue behind her.

Instantly, she was overjoyed. “Wow~ It’s Master! I, Chacha, thought I had been teleported to the wrong place!”

She immediately scrambled to her feet, supporting herself with her small hands. “Hehe~” She excitedly ran towards Peak Master Ling Qinxue, only to find a figure suddenly appear before her, blocking her path.

Zhang Xiaocha immediately looked up at the woman before her with dissatisfaction. “Ugh… you’re blocking me, Chacha!”