Chapter 3

Such a gentle tone. She hadn't heard it in so long.

Even back then, when it occasionally graced the air, it was always meant for that favored junior brother, the golden child of the sect. She had only been able to kneel beside them, trembling, stealing a glimpse of the affection she could never share.

The metallic tang of blood grew stronger in her mouth. Gu Yaoxing's tongue lightly tapped the warm, slick skin inside her cheek. Abruptly, as if jolted awake from a dream, she released her bite and wiped the blood from her lips.

Am I truly losing my mind? she wondered. Was I driven mad during my imprisonment in that stone cave?

How could she have been so reckless, striking back for a fleeting moment of spite when she knew she had fallen back into this woman's clutches? Now, she would surely be tortured and disciplined again, enduring endless physical torment.

Or perhaps she would be thrown back into the Tianxing Pavilion, the place she feared most, where terrifying ghosts would hunt and tear at her.

"Master, your disciple has been unfilial... I have overstepped my bounds..." At this thought, Gu Yaoxing suppressed the resentment in her heart and spoke, her voice ragged. Having gone so long without speaking to anyone, her words were slurred and indistinct.

"...Your disciple knows her mistake. Please... please punish me, Master."

The girl collapsed onto the bed, her forehead striking the edge with a sharp thud. Yet she seemed oblivious to the pain, only pressing her waist lower and lower, as if pleading for mercy.

Shi Suiren's hand, still bleeding from the bite, hung in mid-air. Her gaze dropped to the girl, her expression a complex mix of emotions as it fell upon the pale, slender neck extended before her.

So young, she thought, yet she has already learned to grovel like this just to survive.

After kneeling for a long moment without response, Gu Yaoxing assumed Shi Suiren was dissatisfied with her apology. She brushed her disheveled hair aside and lifted her head.

Her eyes fixed on Shi Suiren's raised hand. Blood trickled down the long fingers to the tips, and the bite marks on the smooth back of the hand were clearly visible.

Gritting her teeth, Gu Yaoxing lowered her gaze and scrambled on her hands and knees to the edge of the bed. She feigned a gesture of devotion, cradling Shi Suiren's hand and leaning in to lick away the blood.

"Gu Yaoxing!" Shi Suiren's heart jolted. She yanked her hand away, but the sudden movement sent the girl collapsing into a heap, covering her ears as she pressed herself against the floor.

Shi Suiren trembled. Still, she managed to turn her back, presenting her slender spine to the girl, and murmured, "Please punish me, Master."

That damned transmigrator, what has she done to my dear disciple! Shi Suiren's mood had never been so gloomy. Unable to find the words, she simply lifted the girl from the couch, spun her around, and pressed a bowl of water into her hands.

"Drink," she commanded.

Gu Yaoxing stared blankly at the water, her expression one of utter confusion. She remained kneeling on the couch, clutching the bowl.

"Drink the water," Shi Suiren sighed. "If you drink it first, I won't punish you."

Though she couldn't understand why she was being spared, Gu Yaoxing still obeyed. She lifted the bowl and gulped the water down.

She drank without stopping, her stomach bloating until she began to retch. Only then did Shi Suiren snatch the empty bowl from her hands and set it aside, her heart still pounding with lingering fear.

"Child, why did you drink so fiercely?" Shi Suiren took out a handkerchief and gently wiped the girl's face. "If you couldn't drink any more, you should have just stopped. You don't have to obey my every command."

"Yes, Master," Gu Yaoxing replied, taking the handkerchief from Shi Suiren and lowering her head once more.

Her jet-black hair completely concealed her face and expression, leaving only her deathly pale hands visible, rustling as she wiped.

Shi Suiren, having lived for several hundred years, saw right through her feigned obedience.

So, how am I supposed to explain to her that I've been possessed? Shi Suiren stared at Gu Yaoxing, lost in thought, recalling the story the "System" had recounted in her mind eight years ago.

In that story, she was the "cannon fodder" Master, destined to take the Protagonist as her disciple, dedicate her entire life to her, and eventually die a tragic death to save her, forcing the Protagonist to finally achieve enlightenment and success.

Gu Yaoxing, on the other hand, was the daughter of the Demon Emperor, destined to become a villain after falling in love with the Protagonist and being rejected. Her future was one of brooding arrogance and murderous rampages.

What an absolute farce.

Shi Suiren was a cultivation prodigy, her heart fully committed to the Great Dao of achieving enlightenment and aiding the world. How could she possibly dedicate her life to another, even her own disciple?

As for Gu Yaoxing, she was exceptionally intelligent. Under Shi Suiren's guidance, she would never become some villain who slaughtered others over a personal grudge.

What a piece of junk this System is, Shi Suiren thought. It's nothing but a fraud, in league with that so-called transmigrator, stealing my cultivation!

She had already reached this conclusion in her mind.

However, Gu Yaoxing still saw her as the same "Master" who used to beat and scold her at every turn. She would never truly trust her; her current obedience was merely a means of self-preservation.

Moreover, Gu Yaoxing was still so young. Trying to make her believe a story about being possessed by another soul would be even more difficult.

I'll wait until our relationship stabilizes a bit before I try to explain, Shi Suiren decided.

"Alright, if you keep scrubbing, you'll rub your mouth raw. It's a frightening sight," Shi Suiren said, reaching out to take back the handkerchief, which was already creased from being crumpled. As she did, she gently patted Gu Yaoxing's abdomen.

She felt the girl's body tense up instantly as she approached.

So jumpy, just like a little kitten, she thought.

"Your stomach is completely sunken. You must have been starving for days." Shi Suiren recalled the blackened, unidentifiable food they had fought over in the cave. "Does the Medicine King Manor not give you any meals?"

The girl's hand, which was little more than skin and bone, unconsciously touched her own stomach. The hunger-numbed belly, suddenly awakened by the mention of food, flared with a searing pain.

"Very... very little," Gu Yaoxing replied. "The masters there said our blood as medicine people must be pure. We must eat little of the five grains."

"Charlatans," Shi Suiren muttered under her breath.

"Wait here. I'll go get you some food." Shi Suiren swept her sleeve and turned to leave. Just as she was about to step out the door, she added, "I've placed a barrier around the room. Behave yourself and don't even think about escaping."

In the darkness behind her, Gu Yaoxing, who had already reached the window, was tiptoeing back to the bed.

Shi Suiren chuckled softly.

Xiumu Pavilion was a place the entire Tianquan Sect had abandoned. No one provided for their food, clothing, or daily necessities. In terms of treatment, they fared worse than the labor disciples without spiritual roots in the neighboring servant's quarters.

The labor disciples received full board and two Spirit Stones each month. As for Xiumu Pavilion, far from receiving Spirit Stones, they had to scavenge leftover steamed buns from the labor disciples.

The kitchen was even more dreadfully bare. Shi Suiren searched every inch of the rafters before finally scraping a single scallion and half a carrot from a crack in the wall—someone must have secretly stashed them there, as they were still fresh.

But no matter how fresh they are, I can't raise Gu Yaoxing like a rabbit, can I? Elder Shi stared at the carrot on the cutting board, troubled.

She couldn't get her hands on any pills, nor did she have rice, flour, or oil. At this rate, she couldn't possibly raise a child. Shi Suiren shook her head and sighed. It was all the transmigrator's fault for squandering the family fortune she had worked so hard to build.

She needed to earn more money as soon as possible. Even if she, as a cultivator, didn't need to eat, Gu Yaoxing was still growing and needed plenty of meat.

Night fell over the Tianquan Sect, and a rooster crowed in the distance.

Shi Suiren pricked up her ears. A blush crept across her face, and she cleared her throat before vanishing from her spot.

An hour later, she reappeared at the door of the small room, carrying a bowl of steaming chicken soup. The golden broth shimmered with clear oil, garnished with diced carrots and chopped green onions. Its aroma filled the air.

The night breeze slipped into the room with her sleeves, making the candlelight flicker. The girl was curled up in a corner, wrapped in an oversized undergarment, bathing in the lamplight as she slept soundly.

In her sleep, she sneezed—a soft, kitten-like achoo.

Perhaps her body was too weak, for she had grown tired just waiting.

Only then did Shi Suiren realize she had remembered to change Gu Yaoxing's clothes but had forgotten to give her a blanket. She truly had no experience raising a child.

Holding the chicken soup, Shi Suiren forced a smile and stepped forward to wake Gu Yaoxing. The girl's eyes fluttered open in her slumber, but for a moment, she thought she had been having a nightmare.

In her dream, she saw Shi Suiren's face twisted in a cruel grin. The girl froze for a moment before erupting into uncontrollable screams. Her limbs flailed wildly, sending the bowl of chicken soup Shi Suiren held flying through the air.

Oh no, Shi Suiren thought. She swiftly swung her sleeve, the wind from the gesture swirling the bowl in a tight circle before guiding it steadily back into her palm.

After setting the soup aside, she turned back to Gu Yaoxing. The girl was sobbing, her deathly pale feet kicking aimlessly as if she were fighting some invisible monster.

She's terrified out of her mind, Shi Suiren thought, quickly reaching out to hold her down. Gu Yaoxing snapped her jaws, trying to bite her, but Shi Suiren just barely dodged the attack.

She let out a frustrated laugh. "Gu Yaoxing, are you a dog or something?"

Finally, Shi Suiren took off her outer robe and wrapped Gu Yaoxing in it, layer upon layer, until she was cocooned like a pupa. She also covered the girl's mouth, leaving only her small face and a pair of eyes exposed. The eyes, wet and brimming with tears, stared at Shi Suiren.

The tears fell so freely they soaked Shi Suiren's palm and sleeve, threatening to flood the entire bed.

Shi Suiren looked down at her last decent piece of clothing and sighed inwardly. I can't let her cry like this again.

She's still so young; crying this much will hurt her eyes.

After an eternity, the tears gradually dried, leaving only a few droplets clinging to her eyelashes. They trembled, and her eyes cleared, though they remained utterly bewildered.

"Awake? Done crying?" Shi Suiren asked gently.

Gu Yaoxing tried to move her shoulders, found she couldn't, and simply blinked.

This child's eyes are truly beautiful, like the stars in the sky, Shi Suiren thought. I wonder who gave her such an apt name.

"Now that you've finished crying, let's eat." Shi Suiren's hand had grown tired from the constant patting. She stood up, wiped her hands, untied Gu Yaoxing's restraints, and placed a bowl of chicken soup before her.

"Chicken... soup?" Gu Yaoxing stared, her expression a mix of confusion and struggle. In the end, her appetite won out. She lifted the bowl and drank it all in one go.

Shi Suiren wasn't a great cook, but to Gu Yaoxing, who went days without a full meal, the soup tasted like a delicacy. She drank greedily, only stopping when Shi Suiren finally took the bowl away.

"You've been starving for too long. You can't drink so much at once. There's more in the pot—you can have the rest when you wake up again." Shi Suiren set the bowl aside and handed her a cup of clean water to rinse her mouth.

Gu Yaoxing was completely unused to such kindness. Her hand hovered in mid-air for a long moment before she finally mustered the courage to take the cup.

Maybe tomorrow this woman will just sell me again, Gu Yaoxing thought numbly. I wonder where she'll send me this time. Probably somewhere even worse.

But it doesn't matter anymore. I've already accepted my fate of being humiliated and abandoned. What does it matter where I go?

And so, Gu Yaoxing watched numbly as Shi Suiren cleared the dishes, tidied the bed, took off her outer robe, and then...

...lay down beside her.

A chill shot down Gu Yaoxing's spine. She tried to spring away, but Shi Suiren's arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her back with effortless ease.