Why Aren't You Laughing If It's So Funny

Donggua silently led the young boy forward while contemplating her own predicament.

Severely wounded from a single strike by a combined-cultivation expert, she now had to contend with a stubborn blood energy wreaking havoc within her body. Most of her remaining cultivation was being used to suppress it, leaving her with less than a tenth of her usual strength.

In a fight, she’d be hard-pressed to defeat even a Golden Core cultivator—at best, she could trade her life for one. Behind her, Xigua was in even worse shape, too weak to walk.

She had no idea how many enemies were lying in wait or whether pursuers were already closing in. Worse, she suspected they might have been intentionally allowed to escape—for reasons unknown.

No matter how she looked at it, there seemed to be no way out. Their struggle felt futile.

Then, suddenly, Donggua stopped. She quickly hid the boy behind her and warily glanced up at the cliff above.

After a moment, a clear male voice rang out:

"Leisurely clouds rest upon the wilds—Senior Sister, the scenery here is truly unmatched."

A moment later, a colder female voice replied:

"Mn."

"A shame we have neither wine nor tea. Otherwise, resting here awhile would be delightful."

"Mn."

"Senior Sister… have you not learned to pronounce any other words?"

"Oh?"

"Never mind, pretend your junior brother said nothing. Let’s move on."

"Mn."

Donggua held her breath, not daring to release even a wisp of spiritual sense. She cautiously peeked upward.

Descending the mountain were a man and a woman, both dressed in what appeared to be sect robes.

The man wore a warm smile, his gait relaxed, giving off an air of carefree ease.

The woman, however, was extraordinary. Her gaze was steady and serene, her features not exquisitely refined, yet her bearing carried the dignified aura of a great scholar. Every movement held an innate grace, and the sword at her waist was no ordinary weapon—waves of pure righteous energy occasionally emanated from it.

Both were clearly elite disciples, their foundations solid, their cultivation deeply tempered.

In weaker sects, rapid advancement was often prioritized—even a subpar Nascent Soul was still a Nascent Soul, granting overwhelming advantage over ordinary Golden Core cultivators.

Without high-level experts, a sect would stagnate, trapped in a vicious cycle: no experts meant no resources, and no resources meant no means to nurture future experts.

Breaking free required sacrificing the potential of one or even two generations of disciples.

Moreover, these two were adorned with several high-grade protective treasures.

Donggua’s gaze locked onto the woman. A cultivator whose righteous energy overflowed so visibly—this was the first time she’d ever seen such a thing.

Neither noticed her or the concealed boy, walking past without pause.

Her mind raced. With enemies closing in, conventional means were useless. Now, she had no choice but to gamble.

Watching their retreating figures, Donggua finally called out:

"Fellow Daoists! Please, help us!"

Both halted instantly, turning toward the voice.

Cui Hao spotted Donggua dragging the boy out from the bushes. After ensuring the protective talisman on his chest was intact, he hurried forward, urgency in his voice:

"Fellow Daoist, what happened?"

Donggua pointed at the boy, her tone grief-stricken:

"We were rogue cultivators from the Eastern Victory Divine Continent. We were ambushed by demonic cultivators—he gave his life so we could escape. We don’t know if they’re still hunting us, so we’ve been hiding in the wilds."

She then revealed her right hand, ravaged by the blood energy down to the bone.

Lin Luoyu stepped closer, scanning it. "Blood energy?"

Donggua nodded emphatically before dropping to her knees, pleading:

"Yes—demonic cultivators from the Evil Spirit Sect. Please, save us!"

Cui Hao turned to Lin Luoyu. "Senior Sister, we can’t ignore this. Demonic cultivators must be stopped."

Lin Luoyu frowned slightly, hesitating before speaking:

"This blood energy is potent. If you survived its assault, your cultivation must be considerable. If the demonic cultivators are truly hunting you, I’m only at Golden Core—I may not be able to protect you. It’s not that I refuse to help."

Donggua kowtowed heavily. "The Evil Spirit Sect preys on the weak. Just your presence alone—high-sect disciples—would deter them. Otherwise, they’d have been wiped out long ago."

Cui Hao added eagerly, "Exactly, Senior Sister! Our Blazing Heaven Golden Sect is backed by the Taidao Sect. What demonic cultivator in the Eastern Victory Divine Continent would dare cross us?"

Donggua’s eyes glistened with tears as she watched Lin Luoyu’s conflicted expression.

The man, Cui Hao, seemed guileless, while the righteous woman, though principled, wasn’t foolish.

But Donggua knew how to handle such people—a noble heart could be exploited by its own virtue.

"Demonic cultivators thrive because no one stands against them," she said bitterly. "I was hunted for saving innocent mortals. Today, I learned the world is crueler than I thought. If you must leave, then go."

Cui Hao exclaimed, "Senior Sister! How can we let good people suffer? Look at her wounds—how could this be faked?"

After a long silence, Lin Luoyu retrieved a pill bottle from her spatial ring and handed it to Donggua.

"Those who gather firewood for others must not freeze in the storm. Junior Brother, stay close. If we encounter demonic cultivators, I’ll cover your retreat."

Donggua accepted the bottle with trembling hands, then turned to feed the pill to the boy bound in vines.

As the pill touched his lips, the boy caught a glimpse of the strange smile flickering across Donggua’s face.

Perhaps the demonic cultivators deemed them insignificant and didn’t pursue in force. Or perhaps they truly feared the two sect disciples.

Though Donggua remained tense the entire journey, they eventually broke free of the forest.

Returning to Qulin City was impossible, and she had no idea where to go next. But staying close to these two was her best chance—after all, the Taidao Sect’s name carried immense weight in the Eastern Victory Divine Continent.

She learned their names: the carefree man was Cui Hao, the righteous woman Lin Luoyu. They were on a sect-assigned mission for experience.

Cui Hao was a chatterbox, endlessly asking questions—some concerned, others trivial.

Lin Luoyu spoke sparingly, responding mostly with "Mn" or "Oh" unless pressed, her nature reserved.

Though Lin Luoyu was the decision-maker, Donggua focused on winning over Cui Hao first.

He was open, seemingly naive—easy to manipulate.

Donggua gazed at his foolishly grinning face and said softly,

"Thank you, Fellow Daoist Cui Hao. I could never repay this kindness, even if I served as your ox or horse."

"Ah, nonsense! If you were my ox or horse, you’d definitely repay it!"

"…What?"

"Just kidding. So, was it funny?"

"...Y-yeah... funny."

"If it's funny, why aren't you laughing?"

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