Don't Cause Trouble Chapter 43: Returning Sect Seal

Ye Su sat at the bedside, staring at You Fushi with a blank expression.

Normally, when a cultivator absorbs a demon core, it takes time to refine—it doesn’t just vanish in the blink of an eye like that.

No matter how she looked at it, his identity clearly wasn’t simple. And yet, he had never appeared in the original novel.

The original novel focused mainly on the male and female leads. While the powerful experts weren’t described in detail, they were at least mentioned. But Ye Su was certain You Fushi wasn’t any known powerhouse from either the cultivation realm or the demon realm.

—Because of the Purple Pear Burlwood.

In the later part of the novel, Ning Qian Yao crushed the Purple Pear Burlwood bead she wore around her neck, mixed it with the blood of her Yin Body, and forged a pseudo-divine sword for Lu Chenhan. That sword was powerful enough to suppress the entire cultivation world. Xin Shenzi was killed by it.

The rarity of Purple Pear Burlwood went without saying. Yet You Fushi had casually pulled out an entire box of it, making Ning Qian Yao’s bead look like leftover scraps.

The two factions and five major sects of the cultivation world couldn't produce something like that, and You Fushi had tossed it aside to store what Ye Su considered junk. He definitely wasn’t from the cultivation world—much less a demon cultivator, who were constantly fighting over territory because of their lack of resources.

When she first saw that box of Purple Pear Burlwood, she had already suspected that You Fushi was a demon. But suspecting something and confirming it were two different things.

Now, after seeing him absorb a demon core in an instant, it was almost impossible not to be sure.

So he really was a demon.

Ye Su sat beside him, once again going over the plot of the original novel. There hadn’t been much description about the demon realm in the book.

There was only one storyline: the demon realm was leaderless, with each race acting independently. During a struggle for power, the Fox King was injured and lost his memory. He fell out of the demon realm and accidentally became Ning Qian Yao’s contract beast. Afterward, the Fox King constantly traveled between the demon and cultivation realms, often creating jealous misunderstandings between the leads. He was basically a tool-fox.

Ye Su returned to her senses and looked at the sleeping You Fushi. Though the junior brother wasn’t very bright—and was illiterate—he definitely wasn’t that fox.

Foxes didn’t hibernate, and the Fox King had a scar on his chin.

Still, You Fushi hadn’t shown any signs of waking. Ye Su simply stuffed the last demon core into his hand. Once again, it was rapidly absorbed.

This time, it took two kè (about half an hour), but You Fushi finally woke up. He opened his eyes and met Ye Su’s gaze. He sat up slowly, his long black hair cascading down his back. His features were elegant and regal, though he didn’t seem aware of it. With complete confidence, he said, "I’m hungry."

Ye Su: "…"

If this demon ever tried to stir up trouble, he’d probably forget halfway through and just say he was hungry instead.

Ye Su pulled out a fasting pill and a new Qiankun bag and handed them to You Fushi. "You just used two demon cores."

She stared at his face, trying to catch any trace of panic.

Instead, You Fushi furrowed his brows slightly. "I don’t just absorb any random demon core." His tone was practically dripping with disdain.

Ye Su fell silent. She’d overestimated him. Schemes and plots? An illiterate guy like him wouldn’t understand any of that. All he ever thought about was eating and sleeping.

"What kind of demon are you?" Ye Su stood up and asked bluntly.

You Fushi held the new Qiankun bag and looked around, pretending not to hear her question.

Fine—no denial, no admission. Classic behavior for someone who couldn’t read.

"Are you insulting me?" You Fushi suddenly turned and glared at Ye Su, demanding an answer.

"No. Since you’re awake, in a few days, we’ll continue heading east." The senior sister suddenly leaned down and stared at her illiterate junior brother. "Even little demons have to cultivate."

You Fushi frowned as he watched the mortal leave. Little demon? He was clearly a great demon.

……

In just a few days, Ye Su, Ming Liu Sha, and the others crafted fifteen rune guns. Before leaving, they handed them all over to Huang Erqian.

"Don’t worry. It won’t be long before these rune guns become popular among talisman masters," Huang Erqian declared confidently.

"Let’s hope so," Ye Su replied casually.

Huang Erqian then handed Ye Su a bag of spirit stones. "This is seventy percent of the profit from selling those demonic beast materials last time."

Ye Su opened the bag and was momentarily dazzled by the pile of spirit stones. "You sold everything already?"

"Of course! I, Huang Erqian, still have my channels," he said, looking at Ye Su. "I’m just waiting for the day Qianji Sect rises again. When that time comes, Wendong Materials Shop will finally be able to do business out in the open."

Once spread throughout the cultivation world, Wendong Materials Shop now only had one branch left in Dinghai City that was still intact. If not for the occasional protection from the Po Yuan Sect, they would’ve long vanished from the Mortal Dust Continent.

After saying goodbye to Huang Erqian, Ye Su’s group continued eastward, exploring every minor secret realm they came across. There were no surprises—everything they encountered was a standard, ordinary secret realm.

Two months later.

"Why hasn’t Senior Sister broken through yet?" Xia Er said, a bit frustrated, as they exited another secret realm. "That doesn’t make sense."

Lu Jiu had already broken through to the early Golden Core stage after their recent life-and-death battles. Xu Chengyu, whose Nascent Soul had previously shattered, had also recovered and was once again advancing toward the Nascent Soul stage.

"Oh, come on." Ma Congqiu, who had been with them for quite some time, had picked up on a few things. "Ye Su only recently reached mid-Foundation Establishment. For most people, it takes three to five years just to break through with regular spiritual energy."

Xia Er snorted and lifted his chin slightly. "Excuse you. My senior sister is a genius. She’s not like most people."

"Stop bragging." Ye Su reached out and covered Xia Er’s face, pushing him aside. "We found a few useful materials in this last secret realm. Don’t sell them—I want to use them on the Crescent Shovel."

Ming Liu Sha and Xiyu had no objections.

"Quan Jiaying’s ranking rose again," Xiyu said, glancing at the public Hundred Green Ranking on the jade tablet. "Two promotions in two months—he’s pretty impressive."

Last month, Quan Jiaying had moved up one spot. This time, he climbed two more. He now ranked 147th on the Baiqing Ranking.

That meant in just two months, he had crafted two magical tools, each one better than the last.

"What about those two from the Zhanjin Sect?" Ye Su asked.

"Last month, Zuo Wenxuan and Hua Daiyu each dropped one place. This month…" Xiyu checked again, "Hua Daiyu is ranked 109th, and Zuo Wenxuan is 123rd."

The ranks between 100 and 200 on the Baiqing Ranking were typically filled by Golden Core stage artifact refiners. For someone at the Foundation Establishment stage to even move up one spot was remarkable—yet those two had jumped by dozens.

"They’re probably at the Golden Core stage already. You don’t move up that fast if you're only at late Foundation Establishment," Ye Su said as she pushed down the hand her junior brother had been sneaking into her Qiankun bag. "Fifty characters. The Qianji Sect has no illiterates."

You Fushi pulled out a stack of paper from his own bag. It was filled with characters he had written.

Ye Su: "…"

So while everyone else was fighting over treasure in the secret realm… he’d been practicing calligraphy in the back?

She had no choice but to let go. Only then did You Fushi happily take out the Mistflower Fang from her bag and put it on.

"Ye Su, are you on the Baiqing Ranking too?" Xu Chengyu asked curiously from the side.

Though he was a sword cultivator, he had heard of the artifact refiners’ Baiqing Ranking.

"No, I’m not." Ye Su didn’t want to attract attention from the Zhanjin Sect just yet. If they entered secret realms openly, people would just think they were desperate. But if she showed real talent and strength, she might be immediately targeted.

She had to wait until the Qianji Sect had fully stepped into the spotlight. Only then would groups like the Zhanjin Sect and Quandian Guild be unable to suppress them in the open.

"Brother Xu, what are the requirements to enter the Sect Tournament?" Ye Su asked as she carefully stored away the stack of writing.

The Sect Tournament happened every ten years. The next one was a little over a year away, expected around August next year.

"The Sect Tournament?" Xu Chengyu wasn’t sure why she was asking, but he still explained seriously, "One requirement is to reach the Golden Core stage before turning one hundred. Sect disciples represent their respective sects. Independent cultivators can join under the ‘Nameless Sect.’ There are a thousand spots for each of the four regions—east, west, south, and north. The selection process begins in March next year."

Ye Su nodded. "So, if I want to participate, I need to reach Golden Core stage first and then enter the selection?"

"You want to join the Sect Tournament?" Ma Congqiu turned around in shock. "There’s never been an artifact refiner in the history of the competition."

"Junior Brother Ma!" Xu Chengyu scolded, shutting him up.

"Well, it’s true…" Ma Congqiu muttered, "What would an artifact refiner even do? Put on a forging performance?"

Ye Su heard him clearly, but didn’t care. Instead, she asked, "What exactly do they compete in during the Sect Tournament?"

"The participants come from all kinds of paths—sword cultivators, Buddhist cultivators, talisman masters, spell users, and occasionally alchemists or body cultivators. It’s true, no artifact refiner has ever participated. But since you can draw talismans, maybe you could join through that path," Xu Chengyu said. "In the end, the tournament is about cultivation level and control of spiritual power."

Ye Su understood. In the original novel, Yi Xuan represented the Sword Sect, while Ning Qian Yao joined under the Nameless Sect alongside other rogue cultivators. Both entered the Sect Tournament as sword cultivators. The Qianji Sect wasn’t involved at all.

"Next, we should head to Guizong City. There are lots of talisman cultivators there. If there’s a secret realm nearby, we might be able to find some new talisman techniques," Xu Chengyu suggested.

"Good idea," Ye Su said. She’d been thinking the same thing.

……

Guizong City—its name taken from the phrase "the five elements return to the source"—makes clear the central role the Wuxing Sect plays here.

Unlike the overwhelming sword intent that surrounded Tushou City, standing before Guizong City, the group looked up at the tall city gate. Hanging above it was not a typical signboard with characters, but rather a talisman. At the center, there seemed to be three characters.

At first glance, the inscription radiated a solemn and righteous aura, dispelling all inner demons. But staying too long made one dizzy and disoriented, as if they were about to lose themselves.

"This is Guizong City," Xu Chengyu said, gazing up at the talisman and its three intricate characters. "Legend has it that the founding ancestor of the Wuxing Sect personally drew this protective talisman. Those three characters in the center are said to read ‘Guizong City.’"

"Guizong Seal," You Fushi suddenly spoke from behind Ye Su.

Ye Su turned her head slightly. "What did you say?"

You Fushi wrote a line on a page and handed it to her.

—It’s not ‘Guizong City.’

"Five characters," he said, pointing at what he’d written.

Ye Su: "…"

She looked up once more at the talisman plaque, then turned her head and quietly tucked the paper away. "Doesn’t count."

The others ahead didn’t hear what You Fushi had said; their attention was still fixed on the talisman plaque. Xu Chengyu did catch a few words, but when he glanced back and saw nothing unusual in Ye Su’s expression, he dismissed it.

As soon as they entered Guizong City, everyone could instantly sense an indescribable, invisible aura of Daoist intent. The streets bustled with people, yet few carried magical tools. Instead, many held talisman papers in their hands.

"Did you hear? The daughter of the Wuxing Sect Master has recently fallen for Lu Chenhan, the top talent of the younger generation from the Kunlun Sect."

"Lu Chenhan? I thought he was romantically involved with someone from the Hehuan Sect?"

A group of talisman cultivators were gossiping and laughing in a teahouse. Their voices carried from the second floor out onto the street.

Upon hearing this, Ye Su raised an eyebrow slightly. So the male lead’s conquest arc has officially begun?