It's Hard for a Villain Character Not to Collapse - Chapter 25

Chapter - 25

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Inside the cave, a campfire was lit, casting flickering light on the walls and reflecting the shadows of two people. One figure sat confidently, while the other curled up as small as possible, trembling.

Bai Rong forced himself to stay calm. Qiao Han shouldn’t discover his identity as a demon, since those sent out for spying had strong seals on them.

However, Bai Rong had the instinct of a small animal. He couldn’t shake the feeling that when Qiao Han talked about eating rabbit meat, his gaze on him was like looking at a food supply.

Bai Rong's hair stood on end, and his ears almost betrayed him. He could only grip his hair tightly with both hands, looking pitifully at Qiao Han, hoping he was just being paranoid.

Even if Qiao Han found out he was a rabbit demon, as long as he didn’t change back to his original form, he wouldn’t be able to eat him. Right!?

Just as Qiao Han was about to say something, voices from outside interrupted.

“Don’t listen to him! Eating rabbit meat at this hour is just being dramatic. Can’t you eat the fasting pill?” As she spoke, Lu Xiang walked in.

The girl looked down at Qiao Han with disdain and proudly sat down by the fire.

At this, Bai Rong felt a spark of hope and instinctively wanted to move closer to Lu Xiang for safety.

But he was suddenly held back by Qiao Han, who grabbed the back of his neck.

Bai Rong froze in place, looking at Qiao Han in terror.

Qiao Han smiled slightly and gently patted Bai Rong’s head, saying, “But Bai Rong wants to eat too.”

Bai Rong's eyes widened in shock as he shook his head vigorously.

At the cave entrance, Sheng Jue peeked in and awkwardly said, “Eating some meat to change your mood isn’t a bad idea. Besides, even if the rabbit meat isn’t from a spirit beast, it still has some spiritual energy.”

Bai Rong shivered at the thought.

Lu Xiang frowned and asked, “Why do we have to eat rabbits? They’re so cute! I even had one as a pet.”

Bai Rong quickly nodded in agreement.

“You had one?” Qiao Han paused, finding it a bit amusing. In the original story, the siblings had also kept rabbits for a while.

“Yes, but later my brother roasted it! Otherwise, I could have raised it into a spirit beast!” Lu Xiang clenched her fists in anger.

Bai Rong: !!

Qiao Han chuckled, feeling that Lu Zhui really had a reason to be scolded. “Ahem, it seems that Brother Lu and I are kindred spirits; we both love eating rabbits.”

Lu Xiang glared at Qiao Han, remembering how her pet rabbit had escaped after just ten days of being cared for, only to be seen by Lu Zhui and never returned. She had cried terribly, hitting her brother while demanding her rabbit back.

“You’re all so cruel!”

Bai Rong nodded in agreement, feeling quite wronged, and let out a silent cry, “Humans are scary! Qiao Han is scary, and Miss Lu’s brother is scary too. No wonder even Young Master Yin had suffered; how could he escape? Boohoo, who would come to save me?”

But Qiao Han continued, “So you haven’t tried it yet. Let me tell you, if it is a fat rabbit’s meat, it’s definitely tender and juicy, melting in your mouth. The meat is sweet and flavorful, with a rich taste that’s soft and crispy. It’s absolutely better than any other meat, especially those lively rabbits; they’re truly a delicacy.”

As Qiao Han spoke, he gently patted Bai Rong's back, noticing that Bai Rong's spine was gradually stiffening and fear was evident in his eyes.

"And that spicy rabbit head is made solely from the rabbit's head, seasoned with a spicy and numbing sauce. The taste is absolutely incredible and truly unique. You just need to split the rabbit head in half at the mouth," Qiao Han said casually, tapping Bai Rong's chin and cheek. He continued, "Then you can nibble on the meat. That spicy and delicious flavor will dance on your taste buds."

"Ugh, that sounds unbearable," Lu Xiang said in disgust.

Qiao Han delivered the final blow, "But this was all made by Brother Xiao. I’ve tried it!"

Lu Xiang immediately changed her tune, her eyes lighting up. "Really? Is it really that good?"

At the cave entrance, Sheng Jue swallowed hard, asking, "Should I go catch some rabbits? How many do we need?"

"Grab a few," Qiao Han said, casually resting his hand on Bai Rong's shoulder, feeling the little rabbit trembling all over. He continued to smile, "Bai Rong can help catch them too. Oh, and I’ll teach you a special song for catching rabbits. It makes the rabbit meat taste even better!"

"What? There’s a special song?" Lu Xiang couldn't contain her curiosity.

Qiao Han turned to Bai Rong, smiling as he began to sing, "Little rabbit, be good, open your forehead wide, hurry and open it, the deliciousness is coming..."

Just as he was halfway through the song, Bai Rong suddenly slumped backward, rolling his eyes and fainting.

Bai Rong's fainting shocked everyone present. They checked on him for a while, and seeing that he was okay, they felt a bit confused and lost their appetite for rabbit meat.

Watching Bai Rong curled up on the ground, occasionally twitching, Qiao Han realized he had scared the little rabbit. He decided it was a lesson for the bold little one.

After his harsh treatment of the rabbit, this little background character would probably be too scared to return to his group. A dangerous mission like this was not suitable for such a foolish little rabbit. To avoid the fate of losing its demon core and being forced back into its original form, it would be better to hurry home and focus on training.

Qiao Han covered Bai Rong with a blanket and decided to leave him alone.

What he didn’t realize was how his actions were monitored from outside the water mirror.

Lu Zhui felt a bit awkward as if he had seen something he shouldn’t have. It was one thing that his sister and that boy with four spirit roots didn’t notice, but he and Xiao Jiuci had seen everything from the beginning.

Individually, Qiao Han’s actions might not have seemed significant, but given that the subject was the boy who had almost pulled his pants down, it was quite a different story. He had patted the boy’s head and back, and then, after he fainted, he had held him close and even covered him with a blanket afterward.

Oh dear...

Lu Zhui stole a glance at Xiao Jiuci, feeling an inexplicable sense of light of jealousy surrounding his good friend as if something was off.

Meanwhile, Xiao Jiuci was silently watching the water mirror, his face revealing no emotions at all.

“Ahem,” Lu Zhui said, patting Xiao Jiuci on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, that boy is going to join our Yuxu Sect.” (Implying that he is keeping an eye on things! He wouldn’t let the little demoness charm his friend’s wife.)

Xiao Jiuci glanced at Lu Zhui.

Lu Zhui immediately added, “Qiao Han definitely likes you.”

Xiao Jiuci raised an eyebrow, wanting to say that Qiao Han didn’t like boys, so the scene in the water mirror couldn’t possibly mean anything romantic. But the words got stuck in his throat.

Forget it, he didn’t want to say anything.

Because he couldn’t quite understand Qiao Han’s actions either. Was it really possible for there to be so many... confusing things just from watching the scene?

At that moment, another person appeared in the water mirror—Meng Wan had returned. He had just gone to check the surroundings and initially wanted to bring Lu Xiang along, but she didn’t want to spend too much time with him, finding it annoying, so she had come back first.

Naturally, Meng Wan had strolled around casually before returning.

Upon entering and seeing the situation in the cave, he greeted Lu Xiang first and then turned to Qiao Han, asking, “Young Master Qiao, are you awake?”

Qiao Han gave Meng Wan a surprised look, noticing his playful demeanor, and replied, “No, I’m just sleeping with my eyes open.”

Meng Wan was momentarily speechless, his expression twisting.

“Pfft!” Lu Xiang had just taken a sip of water and immediately spat it out, nearly extinguishing the campfire. She coughed a couple of times and glared at Qiao Han, saying, “Why are you so sharp-tongued!”

Qiao Han responded, “Having a sharp tongue is better than having a poisonous hand, right, Young Master Meng?”

Meng Wan’s expression changed slightly.

“What do you mean by that?” Lu Xiang asked, displeased. “Why are you being so cryptic?”

Qiao Han paused, realizing from Sheng Jue’s confused expression what was going on. He directly said, “He got me attacked by an iron-eating beast. You all didn’t know about this?”

At this revelation, the other two were stunned, looking at Meng Wan in disbelief. They hadn’t seen Meng Wan make a move and thought it was just the Iron-eating beast going wild.

Meng Wan replied calmly, "I only accidentally bumped your shoulder. It was your fault for not holding the Red Immortal Sap steady. The Iron-eating beast charging at you was unexpected, and it almost got me into trouble as well. If you ask me, Young Master Qiao, you’re too self-righteous, playing with fire on the edge of a blade. Spirit beasts are not so easy to control. You brought this upon yourself and still blame others. That’s just unreasonable."

Qiao Han couldn't help but laugh at Meng Wan's words.

Sheng Jue naturally defended Qiao Han, saying, "But it was indeed due to Daoist Meng’s mistake that Young Master Qiao got hurt. That’s a fact. If it weren’t for Young Master Qiao’s waist-sealing artifact, the injury would have been much worse."

Meng Wan shot Sheng Jue an annoyed glare. Turning back, he noticed Lu Xiang frowning. He knew she had a strong sense of justice and often liked to uphold fairness, sometimes to the point of being unreasonable.

Feeling awkward, Meng Wan said, Lu "Xiang, I was going to apologize when I came in, but I didn’t expect Young Master Qiao to mock me right away. Isn’t that a bit petty?"

Qiao Han wasn’t buying it and replied, "You read me perfectly; I am indeed petty! Now, apologize!"

Meng Wan nearly choked on his words. Soft tactics weren’t working, so he went on the offensive, "I thought the senior brother of the Qingyun Sect had a partner who was as generous and kind-hearted as he was, which is why he didn’t speak up sooner. I never expected it to be like this. Does Senior Brother Xiao know how aggressive you are? Or perhaps… Senior Brother Xiao’s reputation is just a facade, and he’s actually as petty as you when he’s with Young Master Qiao?"

Qiao Han's expression instantly changed, the mocking smile disappearing, replaced by a deadly stare at Meng Wan.

In Qiao Han's mind, Xiao Jiuci was perfect, and he couldn’t tolerate any association with the word "bad."

Before Qiao Han could respond, Lu Xiang suddenly exploded, "Why bring Senior Brother Xiao into this? Just talk to Qiao Han without bringing innocent people in between!!!"

"Senior Brother Xiao is generous and open-minded, while Young Master Qiao is particular about details. But they both have their own principles and are both people with good hearts," Sheng Jue chimed in.

Meng Wan didn’t expect that his words would offend everyone present, and his face turned even uglier. He wanted to make amends but couldn’t bring himself to do it, especially with Lu Xiang looking so indignant, which only added to his frustration.

He had wanted to pursue Lu Xiang, as she was the sect leader’s daughter and had good talent, making them a suitable match. However, Lu Xiang seemed completely uninterested in him and only had eyes for Xiao Jiuci, making him feel inferior in comparison.

Yes, as the senior brother of the Qingyun Sect and the top of their generation, he indeed felt he couldn’t measure up. It was only when Xiao Jiuci had such a partner that Meng Wan felt a sense of balance. Yet Lu Xiang still looked down on him, which naturally led him to resent both Xiao Jiuci and Qiao Han.

“I was just saying,” Meng Wan gritted his teeth. “Even if Senior Brother Xiao is a good person, he doesn’t manage his partner well.”

“Hmph, how long have they even known each other? Senior Brother Xiao doesn’t really know him,” Lu Xiang quickly defended the two. But as soon as she said that, she recalled how seriously Senior Brother Xiao had stated in front of the secret realm that Qiao Han was his partner. Her face turned pale, feeling both wronged and angry.

At this moment, Qiao Han finally spoke up, “No need to apologize.”

Meng Wan shot him a challenging look.

Qiao Han smiled lightly, “I can’t let people say Senior Brother Xiao isn’t managing well, so let’s just forget about this. You’re right; it was an accident. After all, spirit beasts aren’t contracted beasts; no one can control the actions of wild spirit beasts.”

Meng Wan silently scoffed, thinking that Qiao Han was backing down.

Lu Xiang glanced at Qiao Han but didn’t say anything further.

Sheng Jue was somewhat surprised. Although he wasn’t very familiar with Qiao Han, he understood that Qiao Han wasn’t someone to be easily bullied. Why had he let it go so easily this time?

However, avoiding conflict was a good thing, so Sheng Jue quickly tried to change the subject.

Qiao Han acted as if nothing had happened, cheerfully sharing the extra Red Immortal Sap with everyone.

Previously, everyone had seen him drink it several times and were quite curious about it. Now, they felt relaxed and the atmosphere improved significantly.

In the cave, Bai Rong could be heard mumbling in his sleep from time to time, “Don’t... don’t eat me.”

Everyone found it quite amusing.

Outside the water mirror, Lu Zhui was puzzled. He thought that given Qiao Han’s temperament, he wouldn’t easily let Meng Wan off the hook. Yet here they were, seemingly getting along.

Meanwhile, Xiao Jiuci was observing the other water mirrors.

The next morning, Bai Rong was the first to wake up. Instinctively, he ran toward the cave entrance. As soon as he stepped outside, he was startled to see Qiao Han there, nearly revealing his true rabbit form in fear.

Bai Rong let out a short cry, and when Qiao Han turned around, Bai Rong froze in place, his fur standing on end.

Seeing Bai Rong’s terrified expression, Qiao Han felt a twinge of guilt, realizing he might have scared him too much.

“Come here, I have food.”

Food? Rabbit meat?

Bai Rong nearly cried at the thought, but then he saw Qiao Han holding up a branch with an apple skewered on it.

Bai Rong felt tears of relief welling up in his eyes. “Young Master Qiao... good morning.”

With the sweet fruit offered to him, Bai Rong’s heart was instantly lifted. Humans were scary, but the fact that he hadn’t been eaten last night and was still alive meant he hadn’t been exposed yet.

Bai Rong sat obediently at the farthest distance from Qiao Han, happily munching on the fruit until not a single seed was left.

Qiao Han found it quite happy to watch Bai Rong eat. Was this the joy of feeding a small animal?

However, when Bai Rong noticed Qiao Han staring at him, he started to tremble again.

Qiao Han chuckled, “Go call Sheng Jue.”

For some reason, Bai Rong immediately obeyed Qiao Han’s command, obediently going inside to call for him, as if afraid that he would be eaten if he didn’t do it right.

Sheng Jue stepped out, yawning. “What’s wrong?”

“I think I heard something over by the Black Rabbit,” Qiao Han said.

Sheng Jue instantly perked up. “I’ll go check it out.”

Bai Rong wanted to follow, but when Qiao Han shot him a look, he froze in place.

After Sheng Jue had been gone for a while, Qiao Han asked, “Did you hear anything?”

Bai Rong shook his head, huddled in the corner.

But Qiao Han smiled and said, “Go inside and call Lu Xiang. Sheng Jue might be in trouble and needs her help.”

Bai Rong was startled; as a rabbit, he had excellent hearing and hadn’t heard anything at all.

Yet, when Qiao Han narrowed his eyes, Bai Rong could only obediently go inside to call her. He moved quietly, making sure not to wake anyone else.

Lu Xiang was groggily awakened and, seeing Bai Rong trembling and pointing outside, immediately jolted awake, thinking something had happened, and rushed out.

As soon as Qiao Han mentioned it, the rescue-loving Lu Xiang immediately dashed out without a second thought.

Qiao Han stood up, clapped his hands, and said to Bai Rong, “Let’s go check it out too.”

Bai Rong wanted to mention that there was still someone in the cave, but he didn’t dare go against Qiao Han’s words and could only follow him.

As they passed through the forest, Bai Rong suddenly sensed something was off; the ground was vibrating as if something was rushing toward them.

He quickly warned Qiao Han, who finished the last sip of Red Immortal Sap without hesitation and jumped onto a tree with Bai Rong.

Moments later, a Iron-eating beast charged toward them. Bai Rong was startled, quickly realizing that it was the Red Immortal Sap Qiao Han had just consumed that had attracted the beast.

However, the Iron-eating beast sniffed around for a while and then ran in the direction they had come from.

Bai Rong, not being very clever, thought it was just a coincidence.

It wasn’t until he heard the sound of a mountain wall collapsing, spells exploding, and a thunderous roar that Qiao Han took Bai Rong back. On their way, they encountered Lu Xiang and Sheng Jue.

“What happened?” Sheng Jue asked in surprise.

“I don’t know! I thought you were in trouble and was about to find you,” Bai Rong replied.

“There’s nothing wrong! It’s just that others are fighting the Black Rabbits!” Lu Xiang said irritably. “Wait, where’s Meng Wan? Is he still sleeping in the cave? That sound from the Iron-eating beast…”

Bai Rong then spoke up, “We just encountered an Iron-eating beast; it was in the forest.”

Lu Xiang's face changed dramatically as she rushed toward the cave.

From a distance, she saw a massive black-and-white figure blocking the entrance, with its entire panda head stuffed inside. Its large body was too big to fit through, so it lay on the ground, its tail occasionally flicking.

On the other side of the cave, there was already a gaping hole, smoke billowing out.

Upon closer inspection, she noticed a person running over in a disheveled state.

“Meng Wan!” Lu Xiang immediately dashed forward. After all, he was a group member; despite her annoyance, she had to protect him in a critical moment.

Meng Wan appeared to have several protective artifacts shattered, his clothes in tatters, his hair disheveled, and he was trembling uncontrollably. There was blood at the corner of his mouth, indicating he was injured, and strangely, his lower half was wet.

“Did you... pee in your pants?” Qiao Han immediately focused on the key point.

Lu Xiang, who had intended to approach, was so shocked that she stopped in her tracks and awkwardly turned away.

Meng Wan shifted from dazed to embarrassed and angry. “No! I got splashed with Red Immortal Sap! I jumped into the creek to wash it off and it left a yellow stain!! It’s not urine guys!!!”

“Don’t explain; it’s normal to be scared and pee in pants,” Qiao Han quickly offered in a kind attempt to comfort him.

Sheng Jue looked on with embarrassment, while Bai Rong was wide-eyed in shock.

Lu Xiang didn’t even dare to look; the scene was too much for Meng Wan to explain.

But then he suddenly reacted, “Wait... it’s you!”

Qiao Han looked at him in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“It was you who attracted the Iron-eating beast with the Red Immortal Sap! The cave... several bottles of Red Immortal Sap were spilled!” Meng Wan shouted in anger, but his loud voice aggravated his internal injuries, causing him pain.

He could hardly bear to think about it. He had been jolted awake from his sleep by a roar, and upon opening his eyes, he found the terrifying face of the Iron-eating beast right in front of him. Its massive, fierce black-and-white face was like a grim reaper, nearly scaring his soul out of his body. He could only scramble back into the cave, like a trapped beast fighting for its life. If the cave entrance hadn’t been so small, the beast could have easily swallowed him whole instead of just attacking him with its spiritual power.

Everyone immediately turned to look at Qiao Han. He wore an innocent expression and said, “Huh? Are you talking about the ones we drank last night? Did we spill any?”

“Seems like... a few bottles were spilled,” Sheng Jue recalled. “But there was no attack from the Iron-eating beast last night. It should be... a coincidence. Maybe the beast just happened to be nearby and caught the scent.” Sheng Jue looked at Qiao Han uncertainly, as it was indeed a bit too coincidental.

Bai Rong listened in confusion, trying to make sense of everything.

Lu Xiang was equally bewildered and didn’t know who to believe.

But Meng Wan pointed an accusing finger at Qiao Han, furious. “You did this on purpose! You set me up!”

Qiao Han replied, “So the urine on your pants—oops, I mean the Red Immortal Sap—was also spilled by me?”

Meng Wan was momentarily at a loss for words, realizing that he had gotten it on himself while rolling around on the ground. “That was an accident! But the attack by the Iron-eating beast was definitely your doing!”

“That’s a huge misunderstanding. You can’t blame me for your misfortune. If you had woken up earlier and gone out with us, you wouldn’t have faced this bad situation,” Qiao Han countered.

Meng Wan inhaled sharply. “You!”

Qiao Han sighed helplessly, saying, “Meng Wan, even if we assume for a moment that the Red Immortal Sap wasn’t stored properly and you want to blame me for that, I didn’t do it on purpose. The Iron-eating beast is a spirit beast; no one can control it, right? Such an accident is something no one could have predicted. It’s a bit too petty to hold me responsible for it.”

“I didn’t hold it against you yesterday. What’s this? You’re going to hold me accountable for an accident today? Then I really have to question your father’s ability to discipline you, as an elder of the Yuxu Sect,” Qiao Han shot back.

“You, you, you…” Meng Wan was practically speechless with rage.

Lu Xiang couldn’t take it anymore and stepped in front of Meng Wan, saying, “Stop making a scene.”

“You’re not even helping me!” Meng Wan glared at her.

Lu Xiang replied impatiently, “I didn’t force you to apologize to him yesterday, so how do you expect me to help you today? Helping you like this would only make outsiders think poorly of our Yuxu Sect, and… it’s impossible to clarify the facts of this situation anyway.”

Sheng Jue immediately added, “I really think it was an accident. If Young Master Qiao wanted revenge, he could have chosen a better location to set a trap; the Iron-eating beast couldn’t even have entered that cave.”

That was true; if it had been a deliberate setup, Qiao Han’s intention wouldn’t have been to cause serious harm but rather to teach a lesson.

Seeing that no one was on his side, Meng Wan’s anger flared up, but being injured left him isolated and helpless. In the end, Lu Xiang provided him with a high-quality healing pill, and Sheng Jue played the peacemaker, so the matter had to be temporarily set aside. However, the way Meng Wan looked at Qiao Han had completely changed.

Outside the water mirror, Lu Zhui watched the entire scene unfold, swallowing hard. “Truly ruthless.”

Xiao Jiuci glanced over, and Lu Zhui quickly clarified, “I’m talking about the Iron-eating beast.”

After saying that, he looked at Xiao Jiuci with curiosity. Given Qiao Han’s vengeful nature, it seemed that someone with Xiao Jiuci’s ‘truth, goodness, and beauty’ mindset would likely disapprove. Although Qiao Han left no evidence, anyone who had witnessed the events could piece together what had happened. Only his younger sister, who was straightforward, wouldn’t be able to discern the twisted arguments of others.

However, Xiao Jiuci clearly saw that Qiao Han had a carefully planned revenge scheme. How could he not show any signs of disgust? Instead, he seemed… secretly pleased?

Lu Zhui couldn’t help but ask, “What do you think?”

“…” Xiao Jiuci paused for a moment and said, “I think the Iron-Eating Beast is very fierce, just like you said.”

Lu Zhui: … Is that what he was asking?

Xiao Jiuci slowly shifted his gaze away from the young man's energetic face in the water mirror. He felt that living like that was quite interesting.

Moreover, Xiao Jiuci had guessed a little. It wasn’t that he wanted to be self-absorbed, but when Qiao Han first confronted Meng Wan, his expression was quite casual. However, after Meng Wan said something, Qiao Han’s expression suddenly changed. At that moment, even through the water mirror, Xiao Jiuci could feel Qiao Han’s anger. His judgment was based on Lu Xiang, who had always been against Qiao Han. Yet at that moment, they seemed to unite, and Xiao Jiuci could only think it was related to him.

Qiao Han seemed particularly prone to showing different emotions regarding his matters.

Thinking this, Xiao Jiuci suddenly felt a bit embarrassed and questioned himself—was he being a bit too self-righteous?

After taking a moment to regroup, everyone set off again.

Qiao Han walked along cheerfully as if nothing had happened. Sheng Jue stepped forward and said softly, “Brother Qiao making enemies here is not wise. Can’t you wait until we get outside to settle the score?”

Sheng Jue wasn’t foolish; the situation was too coincidental. He didn’t need to think too deeply to know that it was Qiao Han’s design.

“Nope,” Qiao Han replied directly. He couldn’t ask the main character to hold back until they got outside; that was impossible.

Moreover, if they went outside and both Xiao Jiuci and Lu Zhui were there, it would be difficult for him to seek revenge.

Sheng Jue awkwardly said, “Do you know that the water mirror outside can see what’s happening inside?”

Qiao Han's body stiffened. He knew about the water mirror, but he thought it couldn’t be so coincidental that they could see everything. Besides, Xiao Jiuci was busy and couldn’t possibly keep watching them. The half-hearted silent video wouldn’t reveal much; at most, it would seem like an accident.

However, there was still a bit of unease in his heart. He didn’t want Xiao Jiuci to see him seeking revenge recklessly.

Sheng Jue also hinted at this, worried that their personal grudges might cause trouble and delay their mission.

Soon, they arrived at the hill where the Black Rabbits were located.

At that moment, the rabbits were standing on the mounds of earth.

Seeing the Black Rabbits for the first time, Qiao Han was shocked.

Standing two to three meters tall, their muscular bodies looked incredibly fierce as they stood on the mounds, glaring down at the cultivators below, ready to leap and attack at any moment.

They called these creatures “rabbits”? They looked more like giant kangaroos resembling mighty warriors!

He had already seen a group of cultivators get knocked out, their faces bruised.

Clearly, the Black Rabbits were a type of spirit beast that attacked in groups. If one was provoked, countless others would rush in to attack.

With heavy punches and kicks, their physical attacks were infused with spiritual power. If one was not agile and relied solely on spells, they would surely end up getting beaten.

Their mission was to collect the bones of the Black Rabbits, which meant they had to hunt a few down. This was particularly unfriendly for Qiao Han, who specialized in wood-based abilities.

So when Lu Xiang and Meng Wan charged in to fight, Qiao Han could only watch from the slope.

The two rushed up the mound to engage in battle, and instantly, dozens of Black Rabbits charged in to surround them. If they could kill one, the others would scatter immediately, but if they couldn’t, they would be relentlessly beaten.

Although Sheng Jue's spiritual root wasn’t strong, he had spirit and wouldn’t rely entirely on others. He charged in, trying to find a weaker opponent to fight.

Before long, Lu Xiang and Meng Wan managed to defeat one and dragged it over, noticing that Qiao Han was still watching.

Meng Wan seemed eager to prove himself, asking, “Brother Qiao, can’t you help?”

Seeing his expression, Lu Xiang felt a surge of pride. If Qiao Han had to ask for help here, then the matter with the Purple Spirit Bamboo would be settled, and she wouldn’t owe him anything. She almost couldn’t help but grin, saying, “Hey, need a hand?”

Qiao Han yawned and shook his head. Meng Wan snorted, and Lu Xiang rolled her eyes, saying, “You’re just being stubborn!” Then the two went back to their fight.

Qiao Han continued to watch calmly. Noticing that Bai Rong wasn’t joining in, he asked with a smile, “Aren’t you going to help?”

Bai Rong hesitated and shook her head, saying, “I… I don’t have this mission. I just came to see out of curiosity.”

Qiao Han raised an eyebrow, realizing that the rabbit had initially followed them to try to take advantage of him.

He thought for a moment and suddenly became curious about what would happen if two rabbits collided.

Just then, he saw Sheng Jue struggling a bit, so he grabbed Bai Rong by the collar and said, “Go help,” then tossed him toward the Black Rabbit attacking Sheng Jue.

Bai Rong let out a short scream as he landed on one of the rabbits, knocking it down.

The Black Rabbit got up in anger, ready to attack, but when it saw Bai Rong curled up on the ground, it sniffed and changed its target.

Clearly, the Black Rabbits wouldn’t attack Bai Rong.

Seeing this scene, Sheng Jue was stunned and quickly pulled Bai Rong out of the fight.

Lu Xiang and Meng Wan also noticed this astonishing sight and quickly stepped back, their eyes fixed on Bai Rong.

“What’s going on?” Sheng Jue asked. “Aren’t they going to attack Bai Rong?”

Bai Rong became frightened, unsure how to explain.

Then Qiao Han said, “Oh, I drew a formation on his back.”

“What kind of formation?” Lu Xiang immediately asked.

“It’s a secret formation from the Qiao family, not to be shared,” Qiao Han replied, making up a story.

Everyone believed him.

Bai Rong also believed it and let out a sigh of relief, looking back at his own back, thinking that the secret formation was placed on him when he was lifted.

“Can you draw one for me?” Sheng Jue asked excitedly, showing his quick thinking.

“Not possible,” Qiao Han said. “Works only on those with earth-type spiritual roots.”

Sheng Jue had four types of spiritual roots, but unfortunately, none were earth-based.

The other two didn’t have them either.

“Don’t worry, I have a good idea,” Qiao Han said with a smile, looking at Bai Rong.

“You’re not going to make Bai Rong fight, are you? Even if your formation protects him from attacks, he still can’t defeat the Black Rabbits,” Lu Xiang countered directly.

Bai Rong quickly shook his head; she didn’t want to fight the rabbits either, feeling a sense of conflict over fighting his own kind.

“Ha, relying on others to fight for you again. Why don’t you just call the Iron-Eating Beast to help?” Meng Wan mocked.

Qiao Han glanced at everyone and smiled, “Eat more almonds after we get out.”

“What?” Meng Wan was taken aback.

“To strengthen your brain.”

Meng Wan quickly realized he had been insulted, but before he could respond, Qiao Han continued, “Our mission is the bones of the Black Rabbits. This is their territory. After so many years, don’t you think the Black Rabbits would die? We could just dig up graves to find bones. Does Bai Rong really need to fight the Black Rabbits to dig?”

As soon as he said this, everyone was stunned. It could be done that way?

They turned their eyes to Bai Rong.

A quarter of an hour later, under a big tree, Qiao Han was resting in the shade, Sheng Jue was waiting at the slope, and Bai Rong was obediently digging at the graves of the Black Rabbits.

Lu Xiang and Meng Wan stood by, their expressions changing constantly.

After Bai Rong had collected enough for Qiao Han and Sheng Jue, he hesitated and looked at Lu Xiang and Meng Wan, then at the resting Qiao Han, and asked, “Can I help Miss Lu?”

Qiao Han smiled and said, “We’re all on the same team; there’s no need to worry about it.”

Lu Xiang looked at Qiao Han. She needed to collect five sets, but after defeating one, the other rabbits had become resentful, making it harder to fight, and she had been injured earlier. However, asking for help felt too humiliating, and she couldn’t bring herself to say it.

Sheng Jue helped by saying, “We’re all on the same team; there will definitely be times we need your help later.”

Lu Xiang’s expression improved, looking like a proud girl being coaxed. She reluctantly nodded. Then she quickly added, “For other tasks later, I’ll help you all. I need five sets.”

When Meng Wan heard what Lu Xiang said, he realized it was over. With his own combat ability, it would be too difficult to complete the mission. Besides, everyone else had finished, and he would be left behind. He still needed to stick with Lu Xiang. In the end, he suppressed his resentment and jealousy and mustered the courage to say, “I want two sets; I’ll help out later as well.”

So, under the astonished gazes of the other cultivators, the mission was easily completed by a soft-spoken young boy.

Afterward, Bai Rong looked at the carrots Qiao Han had prepared and shivered.

“You’ve worked hard; eat up,” Qiao Han said.

Bai Rong: …Wuwuwu, does he really not know anything?

“Let’s all eat together. There aren’t many things in the Black Rabbit’s territory, but the carrots will fill you up.”

Bai Rong: …It seems there’s still hope. Wuwuwu, carrots are really delicious.

Outside the water mirror, everyone was dumbfounded, surprised by this method.

They all began discussing what trick they had used to keep Bai Rong from being attacked.

Lu Zhui was also curious, asking, “Did your Qiao Han do something again? From what he gestured, did he draw some formation? It feels like he must have done something.”

Xiao Jiuci’s eyes flickered; Qiao Han… didn’t know formations.

After completing the third mission, they needed to discuss their next destination.

The group took out their jade tokens to compare.

Bai Rong and Sheng Jue had the fewest tasks remaining, with two left.

One of them was the overlapping Black Spirit Fish.

Lu Xiang and Meng Wan still had three tasks left; aside from the Black Spirit Fish, the other two were quite challenging.

However, when they saw Qiao Han’s jade token, everyone fell into a peculiar silence.

Meng Wan was the first to speak, almost gloating as he said, “I didn’t expect that the most promising among us is Young Master Qiao. I wonder if it’s because of Senior Brother Xiao’s influence that even his tasks are so… impressive.”

“Does your Qingyun Sect have such high standards?” Lu Xiang asked in disbelief. “The last one is… a magical beast?”

Sheng Jue instinctively shook his head. “I’ve encountered a few from the Qingyun Sect. Although they have some difficulty, but Qiao Dao You, your last three… isn’t this something a Foundation Establishment cultivator can handle?”

The Eight-Direction Wuzhen Grass is a rare spirit plant guarded by powerful spirit beasts.

The Celestial Luminary Stone is said to be a spirit stone used by a formidable spirit beast for sleeping, but it would definitely require battling it to obtain.

Not to mention the Scarlet Wild Spider Silk, which was from a magical beast, that would basically require a Golden Core cultivator, right?

Seeing everyone’s reactions and looking at their jade tokens, Qiao Han’s mouth twitched slightly. He recalled the expression of someone when he infused the jade token with spiritual energy as if they had already figured it out.

Although the original text didn’t clarify whether the jade tokens could be manually adjusted, Qiao Han felt too embarrassed to say that he was exceptionally talented and had boundless potential, making it seem like a mission that everyone thought was impossible to complete.

Since the difficulty of the Qingyun Sect's "exam" itself wasn't high, it seemed like he was just being targeted and set up.

The trouble now was whether he could seek justice for this kind of design. If he didn’t collect later on, would he be unable to explain himself and end up delaying his entry into the sect?

After thinking it over, Qiao Han decided to take things one step at a time. He wouldn’t act foolishly, but he would do his best.

The group then headed to the Qianxing Fish Pond, preparing to complete their joint mission of catching Black Spirit Fish.

This was a very relaxed task that didn’t require combat, but it was also quite challenging. It needed skill in controlling spiritual power and a bit of luck.

When they arrived, they saw many people gathered around the pond, fishing. Everyone appeared leisurely on the surface, but inside, they were anxious.

The agile and clever Black Spirit Fish were very hard to catch.

Qiao Han, well-prepared, found suitable bait along the way. As a wood-type cultivator, he didn’t even need a fishing rod and was excited to start fishing.

However, once he sat down by the shore, his fishing line didn’t move at all.

Meanwhile, the people around him had caught at least two fish each after half an hour.

Looking at his reflection on the water's surface, Qiao Han watched as the fish swam around his hook, blowing bubbles but refusing to bite, as if they were teasing him. His expression gradually stiffened.

Another half an hour passed, and he was the only one on the shore who hadn’t caught a single fish.

Yet, the number of fish circling his hook only increased.

Qiao Han: …

It seemed like he was being bullied by the Black Spirit Fish.

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