Strongest Scammer: Scamming The World, One Death At A Time-Chapter 40: Xu Qing’s Arrival And A Bet

Xu Qing's luck had not been as good as she had been hoping.

Her original plan of covering two towns and one city in a day had fallen apart before her eyes. And for once, it wasn't even her fault.

"Dammit, they all left earlier than was stipulated! Those greedy bastards already took away all the talented individuals!" Xu Qing fumed internally, her fists clenching as she glared at nothing in particular.

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Her first stop had been Green Pond Town, and as she had already anticipated, there was nothing worthwhile left. But she had held out hope for Riverrun City, a major hub in the region, only to be met with yet another bitter disappointment.

The recruitment there had begun a whole four days earlier than scheduled, much to the shock of the locals. Of course, they were unaware of the unspoken competition raging between the sects and their disciples. It was a ruthless race to snatch up the most talented individuals before anyone else could get their hands on them.

Xu Qing had done the same, pushing her limits by taking a Teleportation Array to the nearest possible location before flying non-stop. She had guzzled down spirit-replenishing pills like they were candy, but even so, she had arrived a day too late.

And now, her efforts had amounted to exactly nothing.

When she reached Riverrun City, she found that the other disciples had already scoured it clean, picking up whatever raw talent they could find. Xu Qing had searched every alley, every hidden corner, even checking if someone had accidentally fallen into a well and gone unnoticed—but it was all in vain. Nearly a hundred promising recruits had been snatched up, leaving her empty-handed.

By nightfall, exhaustion won out, and she had no choice but to stay in the city. She was simply too drained to continue flying, and forcing herself to go on would only invite trouble.

In the morning, she set out for the next town on her list—Oak Head Town.

SIGH.

"I should just get the stamp from the authorities, take a quick look, and leave. Maybe I can still reach the next city by evening," she muttered, rubbing her temples.

As soon as she arrived in Oak Head Town, she made her way to the town hall and swiftly met with the Town Head. The man practically tripped over himself to accommodate her, offering tea, snacks, and endless flattery.

Xu Qing, however, remained unfazed. She had long grown used to such treatment. While the Town Head held some authority, her status as an Inner Court disciple of the Twin Leaf Peak Sect placed her far above him. Not to mention, she was an Early Stage Core Condensation Realm cultivator—far beyond the reach of anyone in this tiny town, where even a Mid-Stage Qi Refining cultivator was considered impressive.

After swiftly obtaining the required stamp, she left the town hall.

And promptly ran into trouble.

"Oh? Junior Sister is here too?"

Xu Qing's eye twitched at the familiar, unwelcome voice.

Standing before her was a man clad in the same robes as hers—a fellow disciple of the Twin Leaf Peak Sect.

"Brother Wei..." she greeted, her tone so flat it could have ironed robes.

Brother Wei's smirk widened. "Why the long face, Junior Sister? You don't seem happy to see your dear Senior Brother."

Xu Qing scoffed. "Don't think I've forgotten what you pulled last time."

"Oh, come now, Junior Sister. It's all up to fate what one finds," he said, feigning innocence. "It simply wasn't meant to be for you."

Xu Qing had to resist the urge to smack him. "Enough. I don't have time for your nonsense. I have work to do."

"Don't be like that. We were once equals, weren't we?" Brother Wei chuckled, pretending to reminisce.

"And I would have been in your place if you hadn't stolen that disciple," she snapped.

Ah, yes. The sore wound from the last recruitment.

Back then, they had been at the same cultivation level. Xu Qing had found a promising disciple and was moments away from securing him when Brother Wei swooped in with underhanded tricks, snatching him away right under her nose. The merit he gained from that allowed him to break through to the Mid-Stage Core Condensation Realm, while Xu Qing had hit a bottleneck.

She had been stuck ever since, needing a special alchemical pill to advance further.

"Like I said, it's all fate, Junior Sister." Brother Wei's smirk never wavered. "But perhaps this time, your luck will be better. Say, why don't we make it interesting?"

"I have no interest in competing with a cheat like you."

"Haha! Then let's set some fair terms." Brother Wei grinned. "I won't steal any potential disciples this time. We'll decide purely by who reaches them first. How about it?"

Xu Qing's eyes narrowed. "You expect me to trust you?"

"Of course not." Brother Wei's smirk deepened. "Which is why I'll sweeten the deal."

He pulled out a small pill bottle and casually flipped it between his fingers. "One Surging River Pill."

Xu Qing's breath hitched. "How did you get that?"

"Haha, leftover from last time." He was enjoying this far too much.

Xu Qing's mind raced. That pill was exactly what she needed to break through her bottleneck.

"Fine," she said. "If I win, I get the pill."

"Indeed." Brother Wei's grin was practically dripping with mischief. "But if you lose... you'll have to have dinner with Senior Brother Sun."

Xu Qing froze.

Of course.

Of course that slimy bastard was involved in this.

Senior Brother Sun, notorious within the sect, was infamous for his bizarre behavior and even worse table manners. He had a habit of talking about his bowel movements while eating and was known for dipping everything—including fruit—into chili oil.

Last year, he had eaten an entire roasted beast with his bare hands. No chopsticks. No utensils. Just hands, teeth, and a terrifying amount of slurping sounds.

And now, the idea of sitting through a meal with him was suddenly the most terrifying threat imaginable.