But…
When she was twelve years old, two years before her death, Rong Yuan was dispatched by his master to lead over a dozen disciples to the Illusory Moon Sea in the East Sea secret realm to search for the century treasure, the Mirage Pearl.
That Illusory Moon Sea was no benevolent place. It suddenly erupted into chaos, and nearly all the accompanying disciples were wiped out. Only Rong Yuan’s life lamp flickered faintly.
No one in the entire Shangyun Sect dared to attempt a rescue.
She knelt outside Shen Rong and Ye Shuyin’s door for three days and three nights, kowtowing until her forehead was bloody, only to receive Shen Qingyao’s dismissive remark:
“Sister, why are you so unreasonable? If Elder Brother truly dies, that is his fate.”
She couldn’t bear to watch Rong Yuan die. In the end, she secretly picked many precious spiritual plants from within the Sect and hired high-level cultivators to go to the Illusory Moon Sea to rescue him.
It was Shen Ci who desperately carried him back to the Sect and cared for him tirelessly, yet Ye Shuyin punished her with a year of confinement for privately stealing the spiritual plants, causing significant losses to the Sect.
By the time she was released, Rong Yuan had already awakened, but he regarded her with even greater disgust:
“Shen Ci, don’t fantasize about stealing Qingyao’s credit.”
Memories receded like the tide. Shen Ci looked at this familiar yet strange face before her and suddenly laughed.
“If I recall correctly, Dao friend Rong is the chief disciple of the Discipline Hall. I’m just a menial laborer; it’s not your place to lecture me.”
Rong Yuan’s eyes showed shock, “What did you call me?!”
Song Heyu had been ranting ever since returning from the Gods and Demons Valley that Shen Ci seemed like a different person. He hadn’t believed it at first.
But now, the girl’s eyes were as cold as frost, without a trace of the former dependency she had shown him.
“Shen Ci!”
Song Heyu stormed over angrily, pointing his sword at the tip of her nose, “You ran away quite fast. Apologize to Qingyao, or I won’t let you off!”
Shen Qingyao quickly stepped in front of Shen Ci, her voice soft and pleading, “Elder Brother Song, you’ll scare sister~ Qingyao is fine now, isn’t she~”
Song Heyu’s expression softened at the edges, “Qingyao, you’re so kind to her, yet she shows no gratitude.”
Luo Xingyao stared darkly at Shen Ci, “Ungrateful wretch.”
Shen Ci: “Blind and foolish trash.”
“How dare you!”
Song Heyu flew into a rage, striking out with a palm. A fierce palm wind slammed hard into Shen Ci’s chest!
“Pfft—!”
Her slender body flew out like a kite with its string cut, crashing heavily to the ground. She vomited a mouthful of blood.
Rong Yuan’s pupils constricted sharply, roaring, “Song Heyu! Are you insane?!”
Shen Ci wiped the corner of her mouth, smiling sarcastically, “Putting on an act.”
“Bullying the weak—is this the upbringing of the Shangyun Sect?”
Bystanders had gathered around, pointing and whispering about Rong Yuan and the others:
“What kind of people are they, bullying a young girl like that? What could she have done to offend these privileged young masters?”
“Exactly, this young lady just bought a lot of ingredients from me earlier, so well-behaved and polite.”
…
Song Heyu, who valued face above all, was provoked and couldn’t back down. He directly drew his sword, “You stole Yao Yao’s storage bag and threw her in front of a demon beast, causing her serious injury. How dare you play the victim first?”
Shen Qingyao also wiped her tears, her tone full of grievance, “Elder Brother, I’m fine. Sister was just trying to escape; I understand…”
Shen Ci sneered, “Heh, escape? If I hadn’t taken the golden egg she stole and returned it to that Nine Heavens Mysterious Phoenix, you’d all be dead under her raging flames. How could you still be standing here distorting the truth?!”
“What…?”
Rong Yuan and Luo Xingyao simultaneously turned their gazes toward Song Heyu and Shen Qingyao.
“Junior Brother Song, didn’t you say that golden egg was something Yao Yao found by chance?”
Tears welled up in Shen Qingyao’s eyes. “Senior brothers, don’t you trust Yao Yao?”
Luo Xingyao’s heart immediately softened, stepping forward to gently pat her back. “Don’t cry, little junior sister…”
Rong Yuan also crouched down, his features filled with warmth, showing none of the cold severity he had directed at Shen Ci moments before. “How could we not trust you?”
Both felt deeply remorseful – how could they have doubted their pure and kind junior sister Qingyao just because of Shen Ci’s few words?
Shen Ci closed her eyes in exasperation. There was one thing she truly admired about Shen Qingyao – how did she manage to cry on command like that?
Song Heyu also complained with a pale face, “Senior brothers, how could you believe that beggar’s words?”
Taking advantage of the four’s confusion, Shen Ci seized the opportunity and silently activated her Cloud Stepping Gait to escape.
She knew Rong Yuan too well – he would definitely capture her and take her back to the Shangyun Sect. She’d rather die than return!
Shen Ci didn’t pause her steps for a moment. By the time she returned, the sky had already darkened.
That bastard Song Heyu had struck really hard. Shen Ci clutched her chest, gasping in pain.
The cultivation gap was too large. Song Heyu was at mid Foundation Establishment stage, while she was only at late Qi Refining stage. Just the realm suppression alone made her suffer greatly.
“It’s okay…” Shen Ci gritted her teeth to comfort herself. “One day, I’ll… ouch…”
So painful. It seemed she couldn’t dig in the fields today.
Just as she was about to go retrieve her hoe from the field, a voice as clear and cold as jade sounded behind her:
“Little girl, I’ve been waiting for you for quite some time.”
Delight shone in Shen Ci’s eyes as she turned her head. “Senior!”
She immediately tried to run over on her short legs, but when she was just a few steps away, Mo Cheng suddenly frowned and waved his wide sleeve, creating an invisible barrier between them.
“You smell of blood. Don’t come near me.”
Shen Ci abruptly halted, freezing in place at a loss. “S-sorry…”
Mo Cheng said indifferently, “Change into clean clothes before coming to see me.”
Shen Ci clutched her clothes in embarrassment. “But… I don’t have any other clothes…”
Mo Cheng looked somewhat surprised. “How has your family been raising you?”
The image of Shen Qingyao twirling in her new dress appeared before her eyes again. Shen Ci lowered her head and remained silent.
Seeing she wouldn’t answer, Mo Cheng didn’t press further. He flicked the strings from his wrist, his slender fingers plucking at the air as the moonlight gathered like strands of silk, finally weaving into a gown as white and luminous as snow at his fingertips.
“Catch.”
Shen Ci dumbly caught the dress, her fingers lightly tracing the cool, soft fabric. “This is… a dress woven from moonlight?”
She suddenly looked up, her eyes reflecting both the moonlight and Mo Cheng’s snow-clear figure, breaking into a wide smile. “Senior is so amazing!”
Without waiting for Mo Cheng’s response, Shen Ci quickly boiled water, scrubbed herself spotless from head to toe, then carefully changed into the dress.
She looked at herself left and right in the mirror, grinning like a little fool.
“Senior, I’m all clean now!”
She bounced back into the courtyard, her eyes curved in smiles as she approached Mo Cheng. “By the way, did you need something from me?”
Mo Cheng didn’t speak, merely raising his hand as a string wrapped around Shen Ci’s wrist.
She curiously plucked at the glowing white string. “Senior, what material is this? It’s so special.”
“Myriad Year Ice Essence.”
Shen Ci’s eyes widened into perfect circles. “Such a treasure…”
A rare trace of confusion appeared between Mo Cheng’s brows. “Doesn’t it hurt?”
“Huh?”
“This silk thread is wrapped around your wrist. Doesn’t it hurt?”
Shen Ci shook her head blankly. “Not at all. In fact, it feels soft and ticklish, quite comfortable.”
After a moment of contemplation, Mo Cheng suddenly withdrew the silk thread and vanished into the moonlight in the blink of an eye.