Chapter 123: Growing Apart
Xiaoya’s heart was about to burst.
Suddenly, a small hand blocked her eyes.
In the darkness, she slowly calmed herself.
“Take her in,” the maid’s voice rang out coldly.
Xiaoya felt herself being lifted again and thrown onto a stone couch, which was somewhat damp beneath her.
The scent of blood surged from the couch, so thick it was like the smell after she had just slaughtered a chicken—both fishy and foul.
Then, the sound of disordered footsteps faded, followed by the sound of the stone door closing.
Xiaoya still couldn't move and could only look at the cave ceiling.
The cave ceiling, adorned with stalactites, was studded with large, luminous pearls, illuminating everything as bright as day.
“This little girl is too skinny, not much meat on her.”
A sharp, hoarse male voice sounded.
It sounded similar to the broken-metal voice of Tie Zhu, Xiaoya’s childhood friend.
Tie Zhu was a few years older, and his voice had recently become rough and unpleasant, making him too self-conscious to approach Xiaoya.
“Granny Zhang brought her,” the maid said. “Should I inform Granny Zhang?”
“Never mind, it’s not impossible.”
“Eating too much pork belly, an occasional sparerib is fine.”
“Young Master, Madam instructed you not to just play around, but to remember to Cultivate and not waste this Yu Hu Immortal Cave.”
“I know, I know! Am I not Cultivating? This Yang Gang Blood Cultivation Technique precisely requires the irrigation of the body with extreme Yin Qi, slowly stimulating the acupoints with Yin Qi to absorb the ultimate Yang Qi from Spiritual Qi.”
“Now I only need five more virgin girls to Breakthrough to the fifth level of the Qi Refinement Stage. This way, I will have some confidence when I go to the Seven Profound Mountain for the entrance trial.”
“Alright, tomorrow I will tell Madam to quickly find five more, so as not to delay Young Master.”
“Then I won't disturb Young Master’s pleasure.”
In the quiet, bright cave, footsteps slowly approached.
Xiaoya’s heart pounded like a drum, unsure of what she was about to face.
But she knew this Young Master was definitely a very, very bad person.
She silently prayed to a certain existence, begging for her safety.
Finally, the footsteps stopped beside her.
Half a body leaned over, looking down at her from above her body.
It was a young boy’s tender face.
His Phoenix eyes slanted upwards, and his rosy lips were extremely thin, making his entire face appear handsome yet sinister.
His red lips curved, long and narrow as if cut by a knife at the corners of his mouth.
He was wearing deep black clothes, and as he leaned over, Xiaoya could smell the heavy scent of blood on them.
But because it was black, no bloodstains were visible.
Xiaoya trembled all over, turning her head to avoid the boy’s closeness.
“Disobedient, are we…?”
“Yuzhi, bring me my whip.”
The boy straightened up, looking coldly at Xiaoya.
Xiaoya stubbornly looked up at the boy’s bloodthirsty eyes; despite her fear, she stared fixedly.
She wanted to see his end.
“Yuzhi.”
But the maid still did not respond.
“Yuzhi!” He called out again without turning his head.
Still no answer.
His patience ran out, and he was about to burst into an angry curse.
Suddenly, a dark, slender object appeared by his hand.
“Young Master, your whip.”
He instinctively grabbed it, then realized the feel was wrong.
And the voice speaking was even more wrong!
It sounded like a clear, young girl’s voice.
“You are… Ah!”
Before the Young Master could react, the black object in his hand quickly wrapped around his right hand, then his left hand, then his feet, while also sealing his mouth.
Then he was hoisted high, and under Xiaoya’s gaze, a spray of blood suddenly burst from his chest, and countless black tentacles bloomed forth, wriggling on his chest.
Xiaoya was surprised, but she wasn’t afraid.
Those black tentacles looked terrifying, but she could feel a warm, sacred presence.
Afterward, the deceased Young Master was thrown to the ground.
A little girl with a leaf on her head appeared before Xiaoya and smiled gently at her.
“Little Fairy,” she murmured, a tear sliding from the corner of her eye.
Overwhelmed by extreme terror and extreme joy, Xiaoya finally fainted.
…
When Xiaoya woke up, she found herself lying by the stream where she had met the Little Fairy.
Looking at the sky, it was almost dusk, so she had probably been unconscious for half a day, and the Little Fairy was likely long gone.
She sat blankly, watching the stream babble, feeling a sense of loss.
Suddenly, she felt a small cloth bag on her body.
She opened it to find a book filled with words, and a few of those luminous pearls she had seen in the cave.
These were the things the Little Fairy had left for her.
…
【You actually gave that little girl your precious Cultivation notes.】
At this moment, the “Little Fairy” Xiaoya had been longing for had returned to the other side of the starry sky.
【I thought you found it in the Hidden Scripture Library and wanted to keep it safe.】
The world was somewhat curious about this emotion.
“Since I couldn’t bring it back, I might as well leave it for someone who needs it,” Liu Sheng said calmly.
Years ago, before Liu Sheng ascended to deal with Seven Profound Master, she left the Cultivation notes She Chan had given her in the Hidden Scripture Library.
She had always thought there would be no chance to retrieve them, and there was always some regret in her heart.
Unexpectedly, with Ling Xiaoshu as a vessel that could move freely, she took the opportunity to visit the Hidden Scripture Library before descending to the Lower Realm.
In the end, it was still left in that world, left for that little girl.
The notes contained the complete text of the Seven Profound Spirit Qi Art, as well as the White Rainbow Sword Art and Flowing Water Footwork that She Chan had once practiced, along with many of She Chan’s personal insights.
For that little girl, it should be enough.
“Sigh, I wonder how that Young Miss will be?”
Ling Xiaoshu was still quite concerned about Xiaoya; if her abilities allowed, she would have wanted to take Xiaoya with her.
“Why didn’t you just send her home, Big Sister?” Ling Xiaoshu had always wondered.
“Because I wanted to leave that choice to her.”
“Would she still want to return to a home like that?” Ling Xiaoshu immediately felt indignant when she thought of the little girl’s family.
Liu Sheng shook her head; there were many cases where people chose to forgive those who had harmed them, and she could only respect and bless her choice.
No matter what Xiaoya chose, with a Cultivation Technique by her side, slowly embarking on the path of Cultivation might make things better.
Liu Sheng considered many things, the only thing she didn’t consider was that Xiaoya was illiterate…
…
Xiaoya carefully opened the book and looked at it again, but she only recognized a small “She” character written in the bottom right corner of the cover, as it was her surname.
The character next to “She” had half a “Chong” (insect) character, and the other half she couldn’t understand.
Xiaoya untied her clothes, tightly bound the cloth bag around her waist, and concealed it under layers of clothing.
She wiped away a little dampness from her face and walked down the mountain.
She didn’t go home.
She no longer had a home.
So she had to walk all the way to the Town.
Find a way to make a living.
Then, learn to read.
Then, third watch.