Chapter 2

Hearing those words, the girl's bite faltered ever so slightly.

"I am already being mocked for the drastic drop in my cultivation," Shi Suiren said, a hint of helplessness in her voice. "If you keep biting me like this, I'll be called a cripple next."

She rolled up her sleeve, intending to wipe the girl's tears, but as she leaned in, the girl's canines sank deeper into her flesh.

The pain nearly made Shi Suiren cry out.

"Very well," she sighed to herself. Gu Yaoxing had suffered the transmigrator's torture for two or three years; it was only natural she would fear her now. Rebuilding their bond as master and disciple would require patience and a gradual approach, not haste.

With a silent wave of her hand, she formed a spell. Only then did the girl release her bite, rolling to the side and tumbling onto the floor, her lips stained with blood.

Shi Suiren stepped forward, gathered her into her arms, and dissolved into a stream of light, vanishing into the darkness.

______________________________________

At dusk, in a small courtyard tucked away in a corner of the Tianquan Sect.

The setting sun generously cast its final rays across the cramped space. Shi Suiren, carrying a bowl of clean water, stepped over the threshold and crossed the uneven brick ground to push open the wooden door of the main house.

This courtyard was named Xiumu Pavilion. Though small, it was divided into an inner and outer courtyard, with a main house and side rooms. As a former Elder, Shi Suiren had the privilege of living in the main house.

The main house itself was pitifully small—barely more than a handful of space. The only furniture inside was a wooden plank bed; beyond that, there was nothing but the empty rafters overhead and the starved rats that had died within them.

It was the very definition of squalor.

Gu Yaoxing now lay on that solitary bed. Her filthy rags had been replaced by a loose-fitting undergarment—Shi Suiren's own. The sleeves and pant legs extended far past the girl's limbs, making her appear even smaller and more fragile.

Though she was already eleven or twelve, years of prolonged abuse had left her no larger than a young child.

Gu Yaoxing remained unconscious. Shi Suiren had already used an Immortal Method to cleanse her body. Her untrimmed hair was swept to one side, revealing a pale, gaunt face.

"How pitiful," Shi Suiren murmured, her eyes filled with compassion as she gazed at the girl's sunken cheeks. She dipped her fingertips into the water and gently pressed them to the girl's parched lips.

Shi Suiren had taken Gu Yaoxing as her disciple not long before she was possessed. They had not spent much time together, but Gu Yaoxing was still her first disciple in this lifetime, and she couldn't help but feel an emotional bond with her.

As the water trickled into the girl's mouth through the crevices of her lips, her eyelashes fluttered slightly, and she licked her lips in her sleep.

Her face, now clean, looked much as it had seven years ago, only her body had grown taller and her face sharper, like a petal shivering in the cold wind, evoking a sense of tenderness and pity.

Shi Suiren couldn't help but recall their first meeting seven years ago. The girl had looked just as pitiful then, wrapped in thin clothes against the biting wind, struggling to walk on her short legs as a pack of wild dogs chased her like prey.

She had tripped over her own feet and fallen flat before Shi Suiren, lifting a small face stained with tears, sobbing as she tugged at her robes.

Even then, she had been so timid and frightened that she couldn't even cry out for help, only looking up with those wet, pleading eyes, like a mute.

Ultimately, it was her own fault as a Master for failing in her duty, allowing the girl to suffer such humiliation. Shi Suiren gently stroked the girl's hair and continued to feed her water.

This girl's fate is truly bitter, Shi Suiren thought. First, her spiritual root was destroyed by that villain. Then, years of being forced to ingest a chaotic mix of medicines caused them to accumulate and fester, eventually becoming a lethal poison that left her with a fatal, hidden ailment.

She had to find a cure quickly, or the girl wouldn't survive much longer.

"Elder Shi." A crisp female voice, like a spring sparrow's song, rang out from outside the door. A moment later, a soft, pink-blossomed figure slipped through the doorway, brightening the dim evening light of the small room.

The newcomer was Su Jiu, a resident of Xiumu Pavilion. Besides her, several other talented individuals lived here—all disciples who had been expelled from Chushan Courtyard for various offenses.

Shi Suiren had only learned of this place in the Tianquan Sect after waking up. Though named Xiumu Pavilion—the Pavilion of Elegant Wood—it was in truth the Pavilion of Rotten Wood. Its residents were all those abandoned by their sects, living in squalor and idleness.

They held little regard for her, the nominal "Elder" of Xiumu Pavilion, often meeting her with pursed lips and exasperated eye-rolls.

Only Su Jiu, a pill cultivator, remained warm-hearted and willing to offer a helping hand.

"Elder Shi, I have delivered the message you asked me to give the steward of the servant's quarters," Su Jiu said. "He said he will report it to the Sect Master and purge the Medicine King Manor. But as for the pills you wanted..." She clasped her hands behind her back, tapping her toes on the ground, seemingly hesitant to continue.

"Go on," Shi Suiren said, looking up.

"The steward said he's only responsible for providing food for Xiumu Pavilion, so he doesn't have any pills. He also said..." Su Jiu began rubbing her hands together.

"Go on," Shi Suiren sighed.

Su Jiu shut her eyes tight and blurted out, "He also said that you've always been so arrogant and looked down on everyone—how could you not even manage to get a single Blood Condensing Pill? Oh~ Maybe you're finally facing the consequences of your own evil deeds, hahaha! He refuses to give you the pills. If you're so capable, you can go to Lanyue Peak and beg for them yourself..."

Shi Suiren closed her eyes.

These words were well within her expectations. After all, ever since she woke up, her reputation had plummeted along with her cultivation, reaching a point where she was utterly despised by everyone.

She wondered what that transmigrator had done while wearing her skin. When she finally found the culprit, she would tear its soul to shreds and feed it to the ghosts.

But that was a secondary concern. She didn't much care about her reputation. Her most pressing priority now was to help Gu Yaoxing recover.

"I understand. Thank you," Shi Suiren said politely.

Su Jiu hadn't expected her to thank her. She quickly waved her hands, her voice stumbling. "N-no problem."

Su Jiu had only been in the Tianquan Sect for two years, and in that time, she'd heard plenty of rumors about this Elder. They all painted her in a terrible light: two-faced, ruthless, blatantly biased, a snake in the grass—nothing but insults. Even the fellow disciples who had actually met her held a poor opinion, describing her as incredibly arrogant, someone who looked down on others and bullied those with lower cultivation.

When Su Jiu heard she was moving into Xiumu Pavilion, she'd been terrified. After all, her own cultivation was the lowest in the pavilion, making her the perfect target for "killing a chicken to scare the monkeys."

Since she couldn't fight back, her only option was to curry favor. That was why she'd forced herself to step forward and help when she saw Shi Suiren carrying someone in. She hoped that by doing so, Shi Suiren would remember her kindness and perhaps bully her a little less in the future.

But now... Shi Suiren didn't seem nearly as hateful as the rumors suggested.

Emboldened, Su Jiu took a step closer. Her gaze fell on the figure on the bed, and she couldn't help but exclaim, "Wow, this girl is absolutely beautiful."

Peach-blossom lips, a lotus-petal face, eyes like ink-washes, and brows like distant mountains—she was more beautiful than the New Year's dolls pasted on doors at the turn of the year. Yet she was also too pale and frail, with several lingering bruises on her delicate neck that told of a great deal of suffering.

"She is my disciple," Shi Suiren said with a smile.

"Disciple? Senior Brother Aotian?" Su Jiu froze.

Aotian? What an ugly name. Shi Suiren frowned. This must be the "protagonist" the transmigrator had insisted on taking as a disciple. Now that his Master had fallen so far, he hadn't even come to visit. He must be a heartless and ungrateful one.

"Her name is Gu Yaoxing, my only disciple," Shi Suiren's voice turned a few degrees colder. Su Jiu couldn't help but take a step back, the hair on her neck standing on end.

"This disciple understands," Su Jiu whispered. She then looked at Gu Yaoxing with a sympathetic gaze, thinking this must be the little wretch who had been abused and sold off by Shi Suiren. No wonder she was so thin.

Now that the child had been brought back, who knew how she would be treated.

What a tragedy, Su Jiu thought, turning her head away, unable to watch any longer. With a face full of sympathy, she took her leave.

The door creaked shut. Shi Suiren raised her hand slightly, and the candle by the bed flickered to life, dispelling the deepening night.

If she wanted to save Gu Yaoxing's life, ordinary medicines would certainly be useless. She would need a long-term supply of Blood Condensing Pills. But now, Shi Suiren was utterly penniless, without a single Spirit Stone to her name. She was barred from all other areas of the Sect, and seeing the Sect Master was absolutely out of the question.

Truly a dragon out of water, she thought. To think she would one day be reduced to such desperation over a few measly pills. Shi Suiren stared at the candle flame, her brow furrowed in a slight frown.

______________________________________

When Gu Yaoxing opened her eyes, this was the scene that greeted her.

The woman's eyes were like a deep pool, illuminated by the candlelight into a gentle, clear glow. A single spark of light danced upon the water's surface, like a moon's reflection that could never take shape.

Just like when they first met, she had played the part of a fallen immortal so perfectly—as if she were a deity from the Ninth Heaven, plucking her from the abyss of loneliness and fear, only to cast her into a sea of fire that brought agonizing torment.

Gu Yaoxing's limbs began to tremble violently. It was a terror born from the depths of her soul. Unable to control her voice or her movements, she curled herself into a ball in the corner of the room, clutching her head with her hands and crying out in terror.

Why? Why bring her back? She had already accepted her fate as a medicine person. Even if she were to be trapped in darkness for all eternity, she never wanted to face her "Master" again.

The sudden outburst of sobbing startled Shi Suiren. She stared at Gu Yaoxing in shock, momentarily at a loss for what to do.

The girl cried out in terror before her, as if she were some ferocious beast. Large tears rolled down her cheeks, and her clear, dark eyes—the whites stark against the pupils—stared at Shi Suiren, filled with hatred and despair.

Shi Suiren had always been soft-hearted, and now the girl's sobbing cut her to the quick. At a loss for how to soothe her, she paced in a circle before simply offering her hand again.

The bruise from the earlier bite still marred the pale skin of her hand, its purplish-blue hue stark against the white. Gu Yaoxing's sobbing paused for a moment. Through her tear-blurred vision, she saw Shi Suiren gently wave her hand.

Gu Yaoxing lunged forward and sank her teeth into the flesh. Hot blood flowed from her gums to the tip of her tongue, and to her surprise, it tasted intoxicatingly sweet.

Hazy and disoriented, she heard a voice from above—strained with pain, yet infinitely gentle: "Good girl, Xingxing."

"If you bite me, you'll stop crying, won't you?"