Pei Shishi’s words sent the surrounding cultivators into an uproar.

“That woman is Pei Shishi from the Heavenly Calamity Sect, right? Is she really going to marry into an ancient clan?”

The man beside him immediately sneered in a low voice. “Heh, Brother, haven’t you heard? The ancient clan partnering with the Heavenly Calamity Sect is actually a branch of the Sun clan.

“Sending their sect’s cherished prodigy to an ancient clan’s doorstep... I’m afraid only the Heavenly Calamity Sect would do something like that.”

The man’s face lit up with understanding. “So that’s how it is.”

The other cultivators who hadn’t yet grasped the situation cast even more envious gazes upward. Who in the entire Northern Territory didn’t know that the Six Gates Holy Sect’s strength had advanced by leaps and bounds after they joined hands with the Sun clan?

More than a few of them stared up at the woman hovering above, naked envy on their faces. If she truly were to marry into an ancient clan, her status would soar overnight. The gulf between the Heavenly Calamity Sect and the Sun clan was like clouds and mud.

“Tsk tsk, Pei Shishi has really transformed from a sparrow into a phoenix.”

“Right? Look at her, all dolled up. I thought she was some prostitute!”

“I really don’t know how the Sun clan’s eldest son took a liking to her. Aren’t I much better than her?” 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Many of the female cultivators’ voices carried a sour tone.

Kong Xun and the young man with him were both stunned. They’d had no idea. The young man had been fawning over Pei Shishi the whole way, only to find she was delivering herself to her fiancé’s doorstep. Now Kong Xun understood why the sect master and the other elders had warned them so insistently to be careful on the journey.

Pei Shishi was thoroughly enjoying her time at the center of attention, as if she were an immortal crane standing among chickens, ducks, pigs, and dogs. She swept an arrogant gaze over the crowd.

However, the onlookers caught Sun Zhen’s eyes turning slightly cold. He looked at the woman in front of him as she “unconsciously” thrust out her chest. His voice came out cold. “If I remember correctly, you’re supposed to be... just a concubine, aren’t you? Fiancée? Heh...”

Sun Zhen ogled Pei Shishi, his eyes filled with disdain.

Mocking voices rose in waves from the cultivators watching below.

“Hahaha, I really thought she’d married into the Sun clan, but it turns out she’s just a concubine?”

“Heh, isn’t she just relying on her primordial yin body and water-element physique to curry favor?”

“I knew it! How could the Sun clan possibly find an outsider like this for a fiancée? If it’s a concubine... that makes sense. Hahahaha.”

The harsh words drilled into Pei Shishi’s ears without mercy. Each new gaze felt like a steel needle stabbing into her flesh, and her pride made the gossip and stares almost unbearable.

Pei Shishi took several deep breaths, forcing down her rage. She smiled softly. “You’re right. I was too arrogant.”

Sun Zhen glanced at her indifferently, then turned his head to speak to the cold-faced young man. “Sun Jie, do as I said. Finish the work before noon, then seal the mountain.”

Sun Jie immediately bowed with cupped fists. “Yes, Second Young Master.”

After Sun Zhen left, Sun Jie released a spirit light jade slip, and the sect’s protective barrier parted to create a three-zhang gap.

Sun Jie played with the bloody dagger in his hand, smiling. “Everyone, if you please.”

Many quickly formed a long queue, turning in their tokens and paying with spirit stones. Sun Jie handed each person a feather piece the size of a thumb. Each feather shimmered with flowing light, inscribed with simple arrays and runes. The different colors signified whether they were of upper, middle, or lower grade.

As the queue moved forward, each person glanced at Pei Shishi before leaving.

Having endured the humiliation so long, she finally exploded in anger. She rushed forward to block a man’s path. “You! You’ll pay double the spirit stones!”

The man frowned. Pei Shishi was clearly targeting him. After all, he had mocked her the loudest earlier. “Pei Shishi, this is the Six Gates Holy Sect, not your Heavenly Calamity Sect! This is no time to settle private grudges!”

Sun Jie hesitated. Even though Pei Shishi’s cultivation wasn’t high, she was the eldest young master’s concubine and Dao companion. For a moment, he was stuck.

Then Sun Jie heard Pei Shishi’s voice in his ear. “Rest assured, Brother. I won’t act recklessly. I’m just troubled, and I want to punish a few people. I’ll certainly offer a modest gift of thanks afterward.”

Hearing this, Sun Jie simply turned a blind eye.

A seductive smile crossed Pei Shishi’s face, her alluring eyes sweeping over Sun Jie’s lower body. Then she turned back to the other man, her expression hardening to ice. “Can you afford it? If you can’t, hurry up and get lost!”

The man’s face went from contempt to shock. He gritted his teeth and growled, “I was already supposed to pay five hundred mid-grade spirit stones. If you double that... I only have eight hundred here! Miss Pei, could you be a bit flexible? This is all I have...”

Pei Shishi crossed her arms over her chest and sneered.

“Not enough? If you have no spirit stones, why were you shouting so fiercely earlier? Hmm? If you can’t pay up, get lost! Not only are you poor, but you have a foul mouth too!”

For this chance to step onto the Dao Comprehension Platform, the man had been saving spirit stones for years. As a rogue cultivator with no one to rely on, earning spirit stones meant risking his life every time.

Pei Shishi’s incessant mockery made his eyes turn vicious. His face twitched, and with a sudden motion, he threw a punch at her.

“Go to hell, you stinking whore!”

A strong wind suddenly picked up.

Pei Shishi turned pale and screamed in alarm, "Ah! Brother Jie, save me!!"

A cold gleam appeared in Sun Jie’s eyes. The dagger in his hand spun as he struck. There was a flash of golden light, and the man’s hand was severed at the wrist!

Li Guanqi coldly watched it all unfold. The sharp dagger sank an inch into the man’s jaw. The short Sun Jie tilted his head up to meet the man’s eyes.

Sun Jie’s voice was icy. “If you have spirit stones, pay up. If you don’t, then don’t cause trouble, or I’ll have to kill you.”

The man’s eyelids wouldn’t stop twitching, but in the end, he backed down due to the pain of his wounds.

Sun Jie was formidable. At the very least, not a single Divine Transformation Realm cultivator present was his match.

The man glared at Pei Shishi, venom in his eyes. Just as he bent to pick up his severed hand, she stepped on his palm and ground her foot down. The sickening crunch of bones echoed.

The man’s head snapped up, his venomous glare meeting Pei Shishi’s arrogant, condescending eyes.

She said, “Weren’t you cursing quite happily earlier? Why aren’t you cursing anymore?”