Light from the night luminescent pearl completely faded. Outside the wooden window, the first rays of dawn broke, scattering the dark night.
A month’s time was nothing to a cultivator, but for Bai Xiaoxiao, who had transmigrated here from another world, it was a month of completely rebuilding her worldview.
Human adaptability is truly formidable; before she even realized it, Bai Xiaoxiao had gradually adapted to life in the cultivation realm.
She opened her eyes and dazed for a long moment before her mind slowly regained clarity. It was very warm inside the small building, but the person held in her arms was warmer still.
This was a temperature she could touch almost every single night.
Ever since that second chaotic, passion filled night with Shen Zhiyue triggered by the gu poison, everything afterward seemed to follow as a matter of course.
In front of others, they were still spirit pet and master. Yet once night fell, the flare-up of the gu poison rendered them intimately inseparable and deeply intertwined, leaving each other’s skin covered in lingering marks at the peak of their passion.
An indefinable sense of taboo.
Gazing at the peacefully sleeping Shen Zhiyue, Bai Xiaoxiao slightly lowered her eyelashes.
If it were when she had first arrived, she could never have imagined a one night stand evolving like this. She and Shen Zhiyue, a figure revered by so many in the book, would become bound together because of a gu poison.
Even though to outsiders, she was still merely Shen Zhiyue’s spirit pet.
The only difference was that she now possessed a human form.
Previously, only the Bright Moon Sword Venerated occupied the summit of Wangyue Peak, even her disciples did not reside in the same area. But now, there was an extra person on the peak or rather, a small snake.
Occasionally, Bai Xiaoxiao would help announce visiting guests, but most of the time she did nothing at all, focusing solely on conditioning her body as Shen Zhiyue had instructed.
Now, only this final day remained of the one month period. Whether it was a placebo or not, Bai Xiaoxiao truly felt her body was much lighter, and the aura surrounding her had grown far more condensed rather than floaty as before.
Only at this moment did her Foundation Establishment cultivation level become truly worthy of the name.
Releasing the soft, fragrant beauty from her arms, Bai Xiaoxiao quietly got up. After dressing neatly, she crept away with light steps.
In truth, a cultivator of Shen Zhiyue’s caliber had no need for sleep. There were exceptions, however: when the two of them overdid their late-night antics, Shen Zhiyue would simply go ahead and catch a bout of sleep.
Usually, by the time Bai Xiaoxiao woke up, Shen Zhiyue was already up and practicing her cultivation.
Today… was an anomaly. Last night, lost in the depths of passion, Bai Xiaoxiao hadn’t controlled herself and took things a bit too far…
Uncontrollable memories flashed through her mind. She touched her burning cheeks and hurriedly shook her head to cast out the filthy thoughts.
It was still very early. Bai Xiaoxiao donned her cloak and began her mental preparations for her daily routine training.
It all originated when some damn fool accidentally brought a fight near Wangyue Peak. Bai Xiaoxiao, fully aware of her own meager capabilities, hid far away. Yet, she was still unluckily grazed by a stray arc of sword qi, turning her face instantly pale with pain.
Upon learning the news, Shen Zhiyue stepped outside with a frost cold expression. Bai Xiaoxiao initially had no idea what was happening, but soon heard a deafening boom, as if a mountain peak had collapsed.
A short while later, Shen Zhiyue returned carrying a chill, handing her a bottle of spiritual dew meant for healing wounds.
Bai Xiaoxiao was in too much pain to hold it steady. Unable to stand watching, Shen Zhiyue snatched the spiritual dew back and applied it for her instead.
Her expression had been so icy, yet her touch was so gentle. Watching the person applying the medicine for her, Bai Xiaoxiao had momentarily blanked out.
Her heart thumped and pounded wildly, completely out of control.
Bai Xiaoxiao stayed dazed for a good while. It wasn’t until Shen Zhiyue finished applying the ointment that she frantically retracted her gaze and uttered a word of thanks.
“There is no difference between the body of a spirit beast and a monster beast, yet your physical physique cannot even withstand a stray burst of sword qi. Starting tomorrow, you must begin tempering your body. Let us start with… mountain climbing.”
Bai Xiaoxiao’s heart skipped a beat. She looked up dumbfounded, only to hear Shen Zhiyue add in a cold, ruthless voice: “Spiritual energy is forbidden.”
Thus, her recovery plan was no longer pure. Every morning upon waking, she had to brave wind and snow to hike down from the mountain top, and then huff and puff her way back up from the bottom, all without using spiritual energy.
At first, she could only manage half of it: getting down the mountain left her unable to climb back up. After slowly adapting over time, she could finally complete a full round-trip down and up the mountain in a single day.
It was just that she had to stop and rest several times along the way. Take right now, for instance, Bai Xiaoxiao was sprawled like a lump of mud over a boulder, trying to recover some stamina before continuing.
Today, however, seemed a bit different. As she lay on her back on the rock, Bai Xiaoxiao happened to catch sight of a ray of spiritual light streaking past like a shooting star. Yet within two seconds, it doubled back and landed right in front of her.
“Who are you? Why are you present on Wangyue Peak?”
The newcomer wore a sharp disciple uniform and carried a long sword on her back. Her features were heroically striking, sculpted with a touch of exotic, mixed heritage flair.
The System promptly chimed in. “Host, this is Shen Zhiyue’s eldest disciple, Ming Jingqiu.”
Bai Xiaoxiao had already guessed it. Having never seen her before, she had assumed Ming Jingqiu was in seclusion; as it turned out, she had likely been down the mountain acquiring real world experience.
She slowly sat up, curiously sizing up Ming Jingqiu.
The girl possessed a style entirely different from the previously encountered Rong Qingqing. If Rong Qingqing was a little sun, then Ming Jingqiu was a cold, hard rock, exceedingly taciturn and reserved.
Yet it was understandable. Anyone whose family was destroyed and who carried a blood feud would undergo a drastic shift in temperament.
In the novel, Ming Jingqiu’s tragic fate was practically spelled out in bold print. As Shen Zhiyue’s eldest disciple, she was already fourteen years old when she entered the sect, having been rescued and brought back.
Originally, the Ming Family was also a cultivation family. Although they only had modest savings passed down from ancestors, their living standard was considered exceptionally good compared to ordinary folk.
When Ming Jingqiu was born, the family already had an elder sister of rising fame, Ming Weishuang. Small families possessed limited resources, so the naturally gifted Ming Weishuang was naturally raised as the family heir.
As the youngest daughter, Ming Jingqiu didn’t have to shoulder the family burden. She grew up somewhat delicate, living a carefree and dashing life free of worries.
Although she occasionally envied the family’s deep favor toward her elder sister, she also knew her sister didn’t seem particularly happy. Smiles rarely graced her sister’s face, and whenever she looked at Ming Jingqiu, her eyes contained things Ming Jingqiu couldn’t quite fathom.
Ming Jingqiu hadn’t known what it was, but she never harbored inappropriate thoughts about her sister inheriting the family enterprise. Furthermore, she considered herself close to her sister and loved clinging to her since childhood, it was only as they grew older and her sister became increasingly busy that she could no longer bother her at will.
Perhaps due to the lack of pressure, Ming Jingqiu was not very invested in cultivation and frequently ran outside to play.
Her family was helpless against her. Though they constantly tried various methods to make her cultivate earnestly, Ming Jingqiu felt her elder sister had everything covered and that cultivation could be taken slowly. As a result, she was often chased through the manor by her mother wielding a whip for being disobedient.
And then… the catastrophe struck.
On an ordinary night, over ten members of the Ming Family were murdered. The family was wiped out, and the estate was turned upside down as if the killer was searching for something.
Ming Jingqiu happened to escape the disaster because she was playing outside and didn’t return home on time. Yet when she stepped back into her home under the moonlight with a guilty conscience, what met her eyes was a living hell of scattered corpses and rivers of blood.
The familiar faces of the past were now tainted with the shadow of death, their eyes wide open in unpeaceful demise, as though wishing to feast on the killer’s flesh and blood.
Ming Jingqiu was driven insane on the spot. She searched the entire Ming manor without finding a single living soul. She wanted to roar, but her throat felt blocked, unable to make a sound. Had it not been for Elder Feng Wu, the Sixth Elder of the Sword Sect who happened to pass by the vicinity while traveling and rushed over upon noticing something amiss, Ming Jingqiu’s end would have been dire.
Elder Feng Wu was usually carefree and heartless, yet seeing such a scene still birthed pity in her heart. Especially since Ming Jingqiu at the time had hollow, vacant eyes, moving senseless like a wooden puppet, covered in bloodstains without weeping or making a noise.
Leaving her alone would damage her dao heart, so Elder Feng Wu decisively brought her back to the Sword Sect.
After the massacre, Ming Jingqiu became quiet and reticent.
Fortunately, after being awakened by Elder Feng Wu, she resolved to seek revenge. She began cultivating recklessly and volunteered to join Shen Zhiyue’s faction.
The Sword Sect lacked no formidable individuals, but only Shen Zhiyue, the Sword Venerated, was universally acknowledged as the absolute strongest.
A deep obsession had taken root in Ming Jingqiu to avenge her family, so she wished to take Shen Zhiyue as her master to become stronger.
It was just that initially, Shen Zhiyue had no desire to take on disciples, she found it troublesome, and instructing a disciple required too much time.
In the end, it was Elder Feng Wu, who had brought Ming Jingqiu back, who couldn’t stand by any longer and pleaded with Shen Zhiyue on her behalf.
Regrettably, entering under Shen Zhiyue’s tutelage was precisely the prelude to her tragedy.
At first, Ming Jingqiu was Shen Zhiyue’s sole disciple. Even though Shen Zhiyue didn’t want to accept her initially, once she officially took her in, she fulfilled her duties as a master.
However, comparison brings harm.
The turning point occurred when Rong Qingqing successfully passed the trials and joined the Sword Sect. At the disciple selection assembly, Shen Zhiyue broke precedent by proactively asking Rong Qingqing if she was willing to become her disciple.
Though surprised at the time, Ming Jingqiu knew her master’s choice of disciples had nothing to do with her. She simply assumed she had gained an irrelevant junior sister and had no desire for excessive interactions with her.
Yet, once the protagonist took center stage, everyone else was bound to be marginalized.
Thus, Ming Jingqiu was gradually pushed to the sidelines as well.
Shen Zhiyue’s attention was drawn away by Rong Qingqing, and the daily gazes bestowed upon the latter grew more frequent.
Though Ming Jingqiu felt the disparity, she tried her best to adjust.
However, after her most desperately needed pill was deliberately coaxed and wheedled away by Rong Qingqing, her goodwill toward this junior sister evaporated completely.
Yet opposing the protagonist ultimately leads to no good end.
During a secret realm expedition, Ming Jingqiu refused to rescue Rong Qingqing when she fell into danger. As a result, upon leaving, Ming Jingqiu encountered a monster beast a whole major realm higher than herself, meeting an extraordinarily hasty end.
Conversely, Rong Qingqing not only turned danger into safety, but also obtained the Secret Realm Stone, directly taking the entire secret realm into her own pocket.
Recalling this plot segment, Bai Xiaoxiao couldn’t help but glance at Ming Jingqiu with a look of sympathy.
So we’re all just scapegoat cannon fodder, it’s just that compared to me, Ming Jingqiu lived a little bit longer.
Ming Jingqiu naturally couldn’t comprehend Bai Xiaoxiao’s gaze. Finding it somewhat inexplicable, she quietly began forming a hand seal, merely waiting to confirm whether the woman was harmless.
“Host, Ming Jingqiu is about to make a move on you.”
Bai Xiaoxiao paused, her eyes darting over to catch sight of the hand forming the seal. She explained listlessly, “My name is Bai Xiaoxiao. I am Her Highness’s spirit pet.”
Ming Jingqiu was taken aback, then furrowed her brows.
She knew her master had a snake pet, but that snake was barely a bit long, acted foolishly, and liked to play tricks all day long.
No matter which way one looked at it, the woman before her bore no resemblance to that small snake.
However, this aura…
“Why do you carry Master’s aura on your body?”
Ming Jingqiu’s expression was filled with doubt.
Bai Xiaoxiao’s face suddenly flashed with a moment of awkwardness. She said unnatural, “It’s better if Fellow Daoist Ming… doesn’t ask too much. You only need to know that I am Her Highness’s snake pet.”
Ming Jingqiu’s mind was flooded with questions, but this woman named Bai Xiaoxiao showed no intention of answering, her eyes dodging nervously as if carrying a guilty conscience.
Frowning as she stared at her, Ming Jingqiu unclasped her hands after half a moment and performed a formal greeting between peers.
“My sincere apologies for offending you earlier. I hope Fellow Daoist can forgive me.”
Bai Xiaoxiao waved her hand. “No matter. Are you heading to see Her Highness? Go on ahead.”
Ming Jingqiu nodded, turning around to fly away on her sword.
Bai Xiaoxiao sighed melancolically, resignedly scrambling off the boulder to slowly drag herself up toward the summit.
As if drawn by something, Ming Jingqiu looked back mid-flight, catching sight of the woman shifting up the mountain trail like a roaming ghost.
Remarking to herself how strange it was, she hesitated briefly before choosing not to turn back. Transforming into a stream of light, she landed on the summit to audience her master.
As Bai Xiaoxiao labored onward, roughly twenty minutes passed when she spotted Ming Jingqiu on her return trip.
Flying on her sword, the girl moved swiftly and smoothly, disappearing past the horizon in an exceedingly dashing manner.
“I’m a bit envious. What was Ming Jingqiu’s cultivation level again?”
The System replied. “Upon her debut, Ming Jingqiu’s cultivation was at the mid-Core Formation stage, just a single step away from the late stage. She could certainly be hailed as a genius.”
Bai Xiaoxiao recalled the details. “I remember her realm seemed unstable. Eager for revenge and overly anxious for results, her mental state was erratic, that was probably one of the reasons that led to her death.”
The System agreed. “Indeed. Her mid-Core Formation cultivation was inflated, realistically, she could probably only display the power of an early-stage cultivator.”
Bai Xiaoxiao let out a sigh. A thought flickered in her mind, only to fade away just as quickly.
She herself was merely muddling through life, yet she actually had the leisure to worry about someone else’s cultivation.
Still, Ming Jingqiu was truly a pity. If an opportunity arose to lend a helping hand, it might be worth a try.
Bai Xiaoxiao still felt she was unfit for this role as a task-taker. Her pursuit of Shen Zhiyue was never her intention, their beginning was filled with accidents, and maintaining their current relationship was something she had never anticipated.
Not to mention she still had to disrupt the protagonist’s fortuities.
Bai Xiaoxiao was deeply worried about one issue, if Rong Qingqing were to descend the mountain, the System would definitely issue a task directing her to follow along to snatch away the fortuities.
Yet ever since coming to the cultivation realm, aside from her initial appearance at Wuxu Valley, her scope of activity had been almost entirely confined to Zhaoyue Peak, offering zero opportunities to go down the mountain.
On the other hand, Rong Qingqing frequently came to seek Shen Zhiyue out, either to pay respects or to seek instruction, lingering for half a day every single time.
When the two of them were engaged in cultivation guidance, Bai Xiaoxiao couldn’t butt in either, she either avoided them or acted as background scenery.
Even so, Bai Xiaoxiao could still sense the subtle targeting directed at her through Rong Qingqing’s words. Lacking status and voice, she naturally chose silence every time, whereas Shen Zhiyue, seeing this, would reprimand Rong Qingqing a few times.
However, this was undoubtedly a vicious cycle. Rong Qingqing seemed to channel all her resentment over being reprimanded onto Bai Xiaoxiao.
Bai Xiaoxiao felt so wronged, yet seeing Shen Zhiyue’s protection over her brought an uncontrollable surge of delight, so much so that without her knowing when it began.
Vain desires had quietly sprouted in her heart.