When Bai Xiaoxiao woke up, before her senses fully returned, she felt something warm and soft in her arms. Dazedly thinking it felt quite comfortable, she even snuggled closer against the other person. It wasn’t until she realized something was off and opened her eyes, staring at the exquisitely beautiful woman in her arms, that her brain suddenly went completely blank.
Memories rushed back like a tidal wave, and Bai Xiaoxiao recalled everything in a split second.
Being under the influence of gu poison was very different from being drunk. Thus, she certainly hadn’t blacked out regarding what took place last night, in fact, she remembered even the tiniest details with absolute clarity.
Bai Xiaoxiao had never felt her memory was this sharp, so sharp that she clearly remembered every single breath, and how Shen Zhiyue had taken her hand to guide her last night.
Bai Xiaoxiao suddenly swallowed, her face stiffening as her gaze slowly drifted down to the exposed skin of the woman in her embrace.
By now, daylight had flooded the cave, making the interior much brighter. Thus, she clearly saw the vivid red plum blossom marks scattered across that cold, pale skin. The contrast was far too stark, the most undeniable evidence of the sins she had committed last night.
Her fingers trembled as she reached out, wanting to touch the mark on the rounded shoulder, but right before touching it, she pulled back abruptly.
The hollow pupils in Bai Xiaoxiao’s eyes shook violently before she slowly closed her eyes. She genuinely lacked the face to confront the crimes she had committed against Shen Zhiyue.
“System…”
“I’m here, Host.”
“Is there a pill that causes amnesia?”
“Host, do you want to use it on Shen Zhiyue? Allow me to remind you, even if such a medicine exists, the probability of it working on Shen Zhiyue is negligible.”
Bai Xiaoxiao’s voice was faint. “I mean… for me.”
As long as she lost her memory, none of last night would have happened…
The thought of escaping filled her mind, but before the System could answer, Bai Xiaoxiao let out a sigh first.
“Though thinking like this feels a bit like self-deception. What I should do right now… is take responsibility, shouldn’t I?”
Even with that thought, Bai Xiaoxiao felt deeply troubled. Because even if she wanted to take responsibility, it would depend on whether Shen Zhiyue gave her the chance.
The gap in their status was immense, and the difference in their strength was an abyss. If she rushed to take responsibility, wouldn’t that just be a burden to Shen Zhiyue?
Besides… after doing that to someone, wouldn’t she just be stabbed to death the moment the other person woke up?
Bai Xiaoxiao hesitated for a moment, her thoughts still a jumbled mess.
She forced herself to regain composure first and gently released the woman in her arms. Although her fingers accidentally brushed against the soft skin as she pulled away, reminding her of the wonderful sensation from last night, no matter how reluctant she felt, she didn’t dare entertain any more ill thoughts. After getting up, she even dutifully covered Shen Zhiyue with the clothes scattered nearby.
It was only when those beautiful curves were thoroughly hidden beneath the garments that Bai Xiaoxiao relaxed her tense nerves.
After hesitating in place for a good while, Bai Xiaoxiao sighed in her heart, knowing that escaping would never solve the problem. She decided to wait for Shen Zhiyue to wake up and ask for her opinion. If Shen Zhiyue really gave her a sword thrust, so be it, at least it would save her from living in constant fear later on.
She just didn’t know what time it was right now, or if anything else had happened outside.
Yesterday, because her gu poison had flared up, she only had a vague idea of things and didn’t know for sure whether the danger had been cleared.
Bai Xiaoxiao glanced at Shen Zhiyue, and after confirming that she was still fast asleep, she hesitantly took a step toward the cave entrance.
Then, she suddenly realized she wasn’t wearing any clothes and was still completely naked. The embarrassment made her freeze in her tracks.
“System, how can I turn back into a little snake?”
“That question is a bit abstract, Host. I am merely a string of electronic data. Perhaps you could wait for Shen Zhiyue to wake up and ask her?”
Bai Xiaoxiao sighed again, speaking in a somber tone, “I knew you were unreliable.”
The System remained silent, seemingly pouting.
Bai Xiaoxiao ignored it. After thinking for a few seconds, she cautiously wrapped her arms around herself and shuffled toward the cave mouth. However, the moment she took a step forward, a familiar voice laced with chill came from behind her.
“Trying to run? Do you know that in this Wuxu Valley, a low-cultivation little snake like you won’t last fifteen minutes before dying a violent death?”
Bai Xiaoxiao’s steps froze. Stunned, she turned around and indeed saw that familiar figure. Yet, the woman who had been sleeping peacefully just a moment ago was now fully dressed, looking at her coldly.
Bai Xiaoxiao was dumbfounded.
When did she wake up?
There was not a single trace of sleepiness in Shen Zhiyue’s eyes, she didn’t look like someone who had just woken up at all.
In other words, she had feigned sleep on purpose just to probe her actions?
Bai Xiaoxiao paused, almost subconsciously explaining, “N-No, that’s not it. I wasn’t trying to run! I just saw that it was bright outside and wanted to check the situation…”
Her voice grew quieter and quieter as she spoke, because the other woman’s gaze was so cold it felt like she was being frozen solid. She gritted her teeth slightly and hugged herself tighter, trying to ward off the overwhelming cold.
After a long moment, the icy expression on Shen Zhiyue’s face seemed to soften slightly. “You really weren’t trying to run?”
Bai Xiaoxiao nodded frantically without the slightest hesitation.
Thus, the frost in Shen Zhiyue’s eyes gradually thawed, and the near freezing chill vanished in an instant.
It was only then that Bai Xiaoxiao realized the cold earlier hadn’t been an illusion, but an aura emanating directly from Shen Zhiyue.
A glint of surprise flashed across her eyes as she quietly asked the System, “Has her cultivation recovered?”
“Yes. According to my detection, Shen Zhiyue’s cultivation has recovered by eighty percent.”
“Does it usually recover this fast in situations like this?”
She remembered that no matter the story setting, injuries caused by backlash were never easy to heal. Yet, Shen Zhiyue’s recovery speed was unnaturally fast.
The System paused briefly. “Unable to detect the specific reason. Perhaps Shen Zhiyue is extraordinarily talented.”
Bai Xiaoxiao only hesitated for a moment before accepting this answer. After all, this was Shen Zhiyue.
In comparison, her current situation was far more awkward.
Shen Zhiyue was fully dressed, while she was still completely naked. Wrapping her arms around herself had offered a sliver of security, but under Shen Zhiyue’s sweeping gaze, she froze up completely and didn’t dare to move.
Even though the two had engaged in much more intimate acts, to Bai Xiaoxiao, they had only known each other for a single day. Facing her so openly was truly mortifying.
After enduring Shen Zhiyue’s gaze for a while, Bai Xiaoxiao finally couldn’t help but speak up, “I… V-Venerable One, do you have any clothes… to, no, could you lend me a set…”
The words stumbled out of her mouth awkwardly, as if she were learning to speak for the first time.
Bai Xiaoxiao still wasn’t used to this world. The moment she opened her mouth, she remembered this was the Cultivation World, not modern society. So she hurriedly dragged out the respectful title people used for Shen Zhiyue from her memory of reading the web novel and stammered it out.
If anyone cared to investigate, Bai Xiaoxiao would have exposed herself countless times over.
However, Shen Zhiyue showed no intention of pursuing it. She even pulled a set of clothes from her storage ring and handed them to her.
It was only when the soft texture of the fabric pressed into her palm that Bai Xiaoxiao realized Shen Zhiyue had actually given her a set of clothes.
The gesture was completely unexpected, and Bai Xiaoxiao stared blankly at the garments.
Evidently, the style of these clothes was almost identical to what Shen Zhiyue wore, they were likely clothes Shen Zhiyue frequently wore herself.
“Wear them. No need to return them, it’s just a set of clothes.”
Shen Zhiyue’s airy words reached her ears, making Bai Xiaoxiao feel inexplicably embarrassed. Heat rushed to her face, burning so hot she wished she could jump into water to cool down.
What made her even more mortified to the point of wanting to disappear was that, because it was her first time wearing clothing from the Cultivation World, the whole process was so chaotic it felt like a wrestling match. When she finally managed to put them on, she realized she was wearing them in a completely botched manner.
Heat practically radiated from the top of Bai Xiaoxiao’s head as she explained in a low voice, “Venerable One, please forgive me… I… I don’t know how to put them on…”
Shen Zhiyue said nothing. She stepped forward two paces, coming close to calmly help untangle and neatly arrange the messy clothes Bai Xiaoxiao had put on.
Not expecting her to do such a thing, Bai Xiaoxiao was surprised, but a strange emotion also rippled through her heart, one that was hard to fathom.
Bai Xiaoxiao quieted down, letting the other woman neatly adjust her clothes bit by bit.
The surrounding temperature seemed to rise. Looking at the person right in front of her, Bai Xiaoxiao briefly doubted reality.
Could this be an illusion?
Yet the scent floating into her nose was the exact same as last night, so vivid, so real that it couldn’t possibly be a hallucination.
It wasn’t until the clothes were fully arranged and Shen Zhiyue stepped back two paces, saying softly, “All done. Let’s go,” that Bai Xiaoxiao snapped out of her daze. She nodded hurriedly without even hearing clearly what was said.
Following behind Shen Zhiyue in a daze, Bai Xiaoxiao noticed that subtle scent lingering around her nose the entire time.
She took a light breath, then suddenly raised her hand to sniff at her sleeve. Instantly, the familiar scent filled her nasal passage.
These clothes… were they actually worn by Shen Zhiyue before?
They were completely steeped in her fragrance, and it smelled… really nice.
Bai Xiaoxiao wore a foolishly intoxicated expression and couldn’t resist sniffing again. However, she didn’t realize how perverted she looked right now, nor did she notice that the owner of the clothes was secretly observing her using divine sense.
Seeing this, Shen Zhiyue’s hand hidden inside her sleeve clenched tightly, only to slowly loosen moments later.
Forget it.
This snake’s background is a mystery. Engaging in dual cultivation with her actually cured the injuries caused by my backlash, so she is surely not simple.
She’s just… a bit of a pervert.
Bai Xiaoxiao had no idea she had been labeled a pervert. After confirming her suspicion through the familiar scent, she behaved herself and obediently let Shen Zhiyue carry her toward the central barrier.
Although Shen Zhiyue had absolute confidence in her own attacks, when it came to matters like this, extra caution was never a bad thing. Thus, she planned to inspect the barrier.
Fortunately, the barrier remained secure. Just in case, she injected more spiritual power into it to reinforce it further.
With that, the trip to Wuxu Valley came to an end. Shen Zhiyue’s eyes shifted, and she quietly glanced at the only unexpected variable of this journey.
Unfortunately, the variable herself was currently suffering from acrophobia.
Bai Xiaoxiao hadn’t known she was afraid of heights. Perhaps it was because Shen Zhiyue was flying too high, they were currently speeding right through the clouds.
Logically, at such high speeds, the ground was a blur, yet she still felt dizzy and her face grew quite pale.
Even though she had prepared herself mentally, her preparation was clearly insufficient.
It was just a bit strange, when she was a snake, she hadn’t seemed this terrified, but turning human brought out her fear of heights.
Thus, Bai Xiaoxiao didn’t dare to look down at all, keeping her eyes tightly shut the entire way.
When they finally landed safely on Wangyue Peak and Shen Zhiyue’s stabilizing spiritual power faded, Bai Xiaoxiao’s knees buckled, and she nearly sank into the snow.
“What… are you doing?”
Shen Zhiyue’s voice was faint, puzzled by the snake’s sudden action.
Bai Xiaoxiao stood up straight in embarrassment and answered honestly, “N-Nothing… my legs… just feel a bit weak…”
Shen Zhiyue’s expression froze slightly, a flash of astonishment flickering in her eyes.
Silence stretched between the two.
Sensing that gaze, so different from before. Bai Xiaoxiao felt even more embarrassed. She could easily imagine Shen Zhiyue’s expression, so she hung her head even lower.
She couldn’t help it, she was just an ordinary modern person who had never been to an amusement park or ridden an airplane. Being afraid of heights was normal, even if it sounded hilarious in the Cultivation World.
Bai Xiaoxiao let her mind wander, secretly raising her head to glance at Shen Zhiyue. Catching the somewhat indescribable look in the other’s eyes, she lowered her head again in shame.
“Master! Master! You’re finally back!”
A voice echoed from afar. Just hearing it conveyed a sense of sweetness that couldn’t help but make one feel pleasant.
Bai Xiaoxiao instinctively looked up, not missing the softness that flickered in Shen Zhiyue’s eyes upon hearing the voice.
Who was that? Calling Shen Zhiyue ‘Master’… it must be her disciple.
But Shen Zhiyue had two disciples.
Bai Xiaoxiao looked over curiously, and the next second, understanding dawned in her eyes.
Sure enough, the person who arrived was none other than Shen Zhiyue’s younger disciple, the protagonist loved by thousands in the novel.
Rong Qingqing.
Bai Xiaoxiao had never known a person could truly be like a little ray of sunshine.
Until she saw the owner of that voice, who landed on Wangyue Peak within seconds of speaking.
The moment she appeared, she became the only splash of bright color on the snow covered Wangyue Peak.
Though Bai Xiaoxiao didn’t understand what styles female cultivators preferred in this world, one could tell at a single glance that the outfit Rong Qingqing wore was anything but ordinary.
She wore a bright yellow dress with flowing, wide sleeves, and the hem was intricate, making flowers seem to bloom with every step she took. Her waist was bound by a high-grade belt, slender enough to wrap a hand around.
The ribbons fluttering along the edges of her skirt danced behind her as she moved. Even her hair was styled intricately and adorned with various delicate accessories.
An embodiment of exquisite care.
The moment she saw Shen Zhiyue, Rong Qingqing’s eyes lit up, and a radiant smile instantly bloomed across her face.
“Master!”
She called out joyfully, but then hurriedly checked her demeanor, performing a proper bow.
“You’re finally back! Did your patrol of the forbidden zone go smoothly?”
Rong Qingqing had a pair of very lovely almond eyes. Round and bright, they looked exceedingly well-behaved, when opened a little wider, they made her look impossibly cute.
Not to mention she was bursting with energy, every inch of her radiating vitality.
Shen Zhiyue rarely softened her aura as she nodded, “Everything went smoothly. What about you? Have you been slacking off in your cultivation?”
Rong Qingqing’s smile froze, and she let out two awkward laughs. “It hasn’t been going very smoothly, Master. I can’t quite understand the lectures given by the elder at Qiuzhi Peak.”
Shen Zhiyue frowned slightly. “If I am absent, you may ask your senior sister about anything you don’t understand.”
Rong Qingqing looked at her with a pitiful expression. “But I want to learn from Master. Is that not allowed?”
Every time she put on this act, Shen Zhiyue’s heart would soften just a little, even though she knew her disciple was acting pitiful on purpose.
“Qingqing, do not treat cultivation as a joke. The courses at Qiuzhi Peak are not difficult, and the elder offers Q&A after class. Do not be play hardened.”
Rong Qingqing pouted unhappily, but still gave an obedient “Oh.” “Master, I understand.”
Only then did Shen Zhiyue’s expression soften, but when she recalled the current hour, her brows knit together once more.
“If I remember correctly, you should be attending class at Qiuzhi Peak right now. Today is Elder Eleven’s lecture on basic alchemy.”
With every word she uttered, Rong Qingqing’s face grew paler by a fraction. “Master…”
Shen Zhiyue ignored the coy tone in her voice. “Go to class immediately. If Elder Eleven complains to me, be careful not to get punished. I won’t plead for mercy on your behalf.”
Rong Qingqing’s face fell, and she gave a dispirited response.
As the two talked without paying attention to anyone else, Bai Xiaoxiao remained silent from beginning to end, quietly serving as a background object.
Only after seeing it with her own eyes did she realize the novel’s descriptions had been too sparse.
Shen Zhiyue truly doted on this younger disciple of hers. It wasn’t just the tone of her voice; even her feigned sternness lacked real severity.
Bai Xiaoxiao had seen her cold and distant side, and she had seen her lethal, murderous expression when facing the intruder in the forbidden zone.
Yet she had never seen her look like a good, gentle master when facing her disciple.
Perhaps because she looked a bit too long, her gaze was obvious enough that Rong Qingqing suddenly turned her eyes toward her.
Bai Xiaoxiao paused and lowered her eyes, retracting her gaze.
However, Rong Qingqing had no intention of letting it go. Seeing a stranger beside Shen Zhiyue, her brows furrowed, and she asked with a vigilant expression, “Master, who is she? Is she your new handyman disciple?”
Shen Zhiyue paused slightly, suddenly realizing she had completely forgotten about the little snake beside her. When she shifted her gaze over, she saw Bai Xiaoxiao waiting meekly.
With her head lowered and eyes downcast, her fragile body looked profoundly pitiful amid the falling snow.
She hadn’t used spiritual energy to ward off the cold and was enduring it purely with her physical body. The freezing temperatures on the peak had turned her lips pale, and her previously rosy cheeks had lost all color.
Even so, she didn’t make a sound, waiting in quiet silence.
A strange feeling flickered in Shen Zhiyue’s heart, though it quickly vanished. Facing Rong Qingqing’s question, she found it surprisingly hard to speak.
Seeing this, Bai Xiaoxiao endured the cold and whispered softly, “I… am Venerable One’s pet.”
Rong Qingqing’s brows furrowed even tighter. She wanted to say something, but out of the corner of her eye, she noticed her Master didn’t refute it. She felt a shock in her heart and hurriedly checked her expression.
“Master? Is… is what she said true?”
Shen Zhiyue retracted her gaze casually. “Mm. She is that snake. She only transformed into human form after gaining an opportunity.”
Rong Qingqing automatically translated this in her mind: That annoying snake only managed to take human form because of Master’s bounty.
Her eyes dimmed slightly, but when she looked back up, she restored her sunny demeanor, smiling as she said, “So that’s how it is! Then, this Little Snake Senior Sister? Uh, Master, what is her name? How should I address her?”
Shen Zhiyue paused as well.
From the moment the little snake was picked up until now, she had never thought about giving her a name, so she naturally didn’t have one.
She frowned, but then heard the person beside her speak in a very soft voice: “My name is Bai Xiaoxiao. It’s the ‘Xiao’ with the bamboo radical. You can just call me Xiaoxiao.”
Shen Zhiyue was silent for a moment before nodding slightly in agreement.
Rong Qingqing bit her lip, still forcing a smile as she called out sweetly, “Xiaoxiao Senior Sister.”
She was calling her that on purpose. A mere pet that happened to turn human was nowhere near a true disciple of the Sword Sect, and certainly didn’t deserve to be called “Senior Sister.”
By calling her that, Master would surely stop her, which would serve to put this creature back in her place.
This woman who had suddenly transformed and appeared beside Master warranted her guard being raised. Moreover, her features were so enchantingly charming, if there wasn’t something suspicious about her, how could she look like that?
And…
Rong Qingqing’s eyes darkened. The clothes that woman is wearing belong to Master.
To her disappointment, however, Master didn’t stop her choice of address.
Rong Qingqing secretly gritted her teeth. Just as she was about to say something more, Master’s voice rang out again.
“Qingqing, stop wasting time. You should go back to class.”
Rong Qingqing’s expression shifted slightly. She hurriedly reined in her emotions and bowed obediently. “Yes, Master. Your disciple will go right now.”
Is Master… defending that little snake?
Why? She’s clearly just a pet! And she teased me several times before, doesn’t Master know that?
Biting her lip, Rong Qingqing left Wangyue Peak reluctantly.
Wangyue Peak quieted down once more, leaving only the rustling sound of falling snow.
Bai Xiaoxiao felt lightheaded, her breath condensing into a white mist in front of her face. She didn’t actually have the energy to overthink things, because she was already frozen to the point of losing sensation.
Wangyue Peak was far too high; looking out from here, one could only see clouds and mist enveloping the summit, and the temperature at the top was predictably freezing.
Bai Xiaoxiao had no memories of the little snake and was completely unprepared. Earlier, while talking to Shen Zhiyue, she could barely endure it, but when Shen Zhiyue was chatting with Rong Qingqing, she hadn’t wanted to interrupt, so she pushed through with sheer willpower.
However, the snow on Wangyue Peak seemed extra piercing, making her head spin after just a short while.
For cultivators, channeling spiritual power to resist the cold was a routine operation.
But Bai Xiaoxiao… she really didn’t know how.
The spiritual power inside her body curled up obediently at her dantian. She could feel it, but she couldn’t use it.
So all she could do was wait.
In truth, she was best at waiting.
In the orphanage, she waited for the director to give her toys, food, and clothes last.
When it was time for school, she had to keep waiting, waiting to see if there were kind hearted donors, waiting to see if her turn had come.
When she finally got the chance to go to school, her natural slowness meant she learned everything at a crawl, becoming a problem child in the eyes of her teachers. When assigned to peer study groups, she still had to wait for everyone else to finish learning before it was finally her turn.
Yet sometimes, even after waiting until the very end, she wouldn’t get any tutoring from the group leader.
Bai Xiaoxiao had been used to it since childhood, to her, waiting wasn’t something difficult to endure.
It was just that the temperature on Wangyue Peak was too low. Her face felt completely stiff, and her vision was turning dark and white by turns.
The moment her world spun, Bai Xiaoxiao didn’t even realize she had passed out from the cold, she only felt a sense of relief.
Shen Zhiyue ultimately used her spiritual power to catch the person who was about to collapse onto the ground, bringing her over to stand before her.
Bai Xiaoxiao was visibly losing body heat rapidly, a layer of frost already clinging to her eyelashes.
The clothes she had given her indeed lacked the ability to resist the cold, they were just an ordinary set of garments.
After all, Shen Zhiyue rarely wore magical robes, preferring plain clothes for everyday wear.
What Shen Zhiyue hadn’t expected was that Bai Xiaoxiao didn’t even know how to channel spiritual power to ward off the chill, enduring it until she froze into such a state.
This really isn’t a case of body-snatching.
Even now, Shen Zhiyue could hardly believe it, suspecting her own probe had been mistaken.
Looking at the fading life force of Bai Xiaoxiao, she ultimately carried her into the house.
At the top of Wangyue Peak stood only a small, low-key building where Shen Zhiyue resided. But the moment the door was closed, a array pattern suddenly emerged.
Though it quickly vanished, anyone would know that array patterns were not something just anyone could afford. And those who could carve an array pattern directly onto a doorway were fewer still.
Unfortunately, no one was there to witness such an extravagant scene.
The temperature inside the room rose quickly, and Bai Xiaoxiao’s condition gradually stabilized, her breathing becoming smooth and steady.
Shen Zhiyue casually placed her on a bed and stood beside it, staring down at the unconscious woman with dark, unreadable eyes.
A moment later, she retracted her gaze and left Wangyue Peak.