“Bang—!”
The loud sound of a door being kicked open exploded by her ear.
The sturdy wooden door shattered into dust in the blink of an eye.
Pei Chaochao was startled awake by the noise.
She was locked in a woodshed with no lamp lit. Only a sliver of moonlight filtered through the doorway, revealing a figure standing there.
With the moonlight at his back, only the silhouette of his figure was visible—broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and a tall, straight posture.
At the same time, several voices echoed in Pei Chaochao’s mind—
【It is written in the Book of Fate: in her sixteenth year, Demonic Cultivators would slaughter Pei Chaochao’s village. To save his own life, her father would hand her over to the Demon Clan Young Master to be used as a Medicine Person!】
【Then she’s doomed. From here on out, she’ll be brutally tortured until she dies, right?】
【Ah, everyone, is this something we should be saying…】
【What’s the harm? She can’t hear us.】
【Besides, she’s currently undergoing her Trial in the mortal realm. Her memories and Spiritual Power are sealed. This fate was written specifically to target her; there’s no way she can succeed!】
【If she fails the Trial, her soul will dissipate. She won’t be able to return to the immortal realm alive at all. Are you afraid she’ll come to settle the score with us?】
…
The discussions rang in her head one after another, growing somewhat noisy.
Hearing these words, Pei Chaochao wasn’t angry; instead, she let out a faint smile.
She was the Dewdrop Immortal of the Ninth Heaven, a person of noble status, yet she had many enemies. Not long ago, pursued by several Divine Lords and Demon Lords at once, she found herself with no way out. In her desperation, she jumped into the Cycle of Reincarnation.
With that jump, her memories and Spiritual Power were sealed, and she was reincarnated as a mortal.
Thus, she lived for sixteen years as a true mortal—
Born blind, with a congenital heart condition, unloved by her father and ignored by her mother, living a life of hardship.
She had believed everything she experienced was real.
Until last night, when a wisp of Spiritual Breath awakened her memories.
She had secretly left this Spiritual Breath in the Heavenly Realm before jumping into the Cycle of Reincarnation. Linked to her divine soul, it was meant to wake her in times of crisis.
Because of this, after recovering her memories, she could use this wisp of Spiritual Breath to peer into the scenes of the Heavenly Realm.
She heard the discussions of the immortals and perceived the contents of her own Book of Fate.
It was only then that she suddenly realized her life in this mortal world was nothing but an illusion!
Everything she had experienced was merely a prank played by the gods!
The gods in the heavens wanted to deal with her but could not interfere in mortal affairs directly. So, they had tampered with the Book of Fate for her mortal life, adding layer upon layer of Trials. Now, they were watching her for their own amusement.
These Trials were set to officially begin in her sixteenth year.
Right now was the exact moment the Trials in her Book of Fate were supposed to start.
According to what was written in the Book of Fate, the person who had just kicked the door down was the Demon Clan Young Master, Jiang Du.
He was severely injured and had come to gouge out her flesh and blood to use as medicine for his wounds. Afterward, he would sever her hamstrings, cut out her tongue, and lead her away on a chain like a dog.
Pei Chaochao: Quite ridiculous.
She tilted her head slightly and “looked” toward the door.
In this life, she was born blind, so her eyes were covered with a white silk cloth.
As she looked up, the moonlight fell upon her face. Though faint, it clearly illuminated her features—
Her skin was somewhat pale due to illness, possessing a translucent quality under the moonlight. Her nose was delicate, and her lips were full.
Though the eyes beneath the silk were hidden, one could still see that this was an exceptionally beautiful face, as pure and clear as morning dew.
Seeing this, Jiang Du, standing at the door, paused slightly.
He suddenly uttered a soft “Ah” and laughed without context. “What a pity.”
Hearing this, Pei Chaochao tilted her head and replied, “A pity for what?”
Jiang Du walked over to her.
Because of the night chill, Pei Chaochao was currently hugging her knees, huddled in a haystack in the corner of the woodshed.
Jiang Du followed suit and crouched down, answering her: “A pity for this face of yours.”
He drew his blade and lightly tapped her face with the back of the sword. “When I take your blood in a moment, I’ll avoid cutting your face.”
Even crouched before her, at her level, he still carried an air of looking down from above.
Pei Chaochao asked, “Are you complimenting my looks?”
Jiang Du gave a frank “Mhm.” “But—no matter how good you look, you’re still going to be a Medicine Person.”
After recovering her memories, Pei Chaochao had tried to use magic, but her Spiritual Power remained sealed. The only thing she could command was that wisp of Spiritual Breath left in the Heavenly Realm.
However, thanks to her recovered memories, she could still chant an Immortal Incantation.
She recited an incantation and regained a bit of sight.
It wasn’t exactly regaining sight.
Her eyes still couldn’t see things, but images appeared in her mind.
In this situation, whether her eyes could see or not didn’t really matter.
Now she could also see Jiang Du’s appearance. He had the looks of a wild and reckless youth, very striking.
He was currently covered in blood, with some stains on his face as well, but he didn’t look pathetic. On the contrary, it suited his aura, giving him a sharp, bold edge.
Pei Chaochao smiled. “You need a Medicine Person?”
She asked, “Why? Is it because you’re about to die?”
Pei Chaochao had a pure, harmless quality about her. Even saying such things, she sounded as if she were concerned for him.
Jiang Du rubbed the blood on his fingertips and said nothing.
He looked at her deeply, seemingly trying to discern if she was truly concerned or mocking him.
Though, whether it was genuine concern or mockery, he was going to use her as a Medicine Person regardless.
However, in all his years, no one had ever dared to mock him—
He had a bad temper. Those who made him unhappy were sent straight to see the King of Hell.
Jiang Du smiled slightly.
He thought to himself: If those words just now were a mockery, I’ll make her regret it.
For a moment, no one spoke, and silence returned to the room.
But Pei Chaochao’s mind was very busy. She heard those people in the Heavenly Realm start whispering again:
【Hilarious! You’re the one who’s going to die, Pei Chaochao! How does she even dare to speak like that?】
【She’s always been a bit clever; she’s probably just stalling for time right now.】
【What’s the use of stalling? She’s just a blind girl who can’t even truss a chicken.】
【Hurry up and cut her flesh, take her blood! I can’t wait to see her get tormented!】
…
Listening to the discussions of the crowd in the heavens, Pei Chaochao suddenly found it quite interesting.
If she could overcome this Trial of Fate, she could return to the Heavenly Realm and continue being an immortal.
If she couldn’t, her soul would be extinguished.
With memories and Spiritual Power sealed, experiencing such a fate would indeed make it difficult not to die.
But who could have guessed that not only had she recovered her memories, she also knew the contents of the Book of Fate in advance?
The corners of her lips curled up. She thought with great interest—
I won’t be following the preordained fate. Those people in the Immortal Realm are destined never to see me fail my Trial and have my soul dissipate.
What a tragedy for them.
Over there, Jiang Du saw her smile.
He had a faint intuition that there was something wrong with that smile, but her face was so harmless that it was truly difficult to interpret the smile as “malicious.”
Jiang Du was somewhat uncertain.
He disliked this feeling of uncertainty. If it were anyone else before him, he would have already kicked them in the face to make them speak properly.
But Pei Chaochao…
Looking at this face, Jiang Du actually felt a strange thought arise: he couldn’t bear to see her look so disheveled.
He wanted her as a Medicine Person, he wanted to take her blood and gouge her flesh, yet he had already planned to avoid cutting her face.
Thus, for a moment, he didn’t think to kick her face.
He simply pressed the edge of the blade against her arm. “What are you laughing at?”
Pei Chaochao didn’t speak. Her wrist moved slightly, and then she reached out to pinch the back of the blade with her fingertips.
During the motion, her finger was sliced by the edge, and a bit of crimson seeped from her pale fingertip.
Yet she showed none of the expected panic or helplessness.
Jiang Du was a bit surprised. He wondered, How can she look not scared at all?
She looked so weak, and was even blind. He only needed to move a finger to kill her. On what grounds was she not afraid?
A sense of indignation rose within him. His hand holding the blade exerted a bit of force, veins bulging on his arm. “I asked you a question. Speak.”
Only then did Pei Chaochao seem to hear the suppressed displeasure in his tone.
She didn’t answer him but instead gave a somewhat helpless smile.
Then, pinching the back of the blade, she pulled the sword slightly toward herself. “Come closer.”
Jiang Du instinctively leaned in toward her.
However, just as he got closer, his movements abruptly stopped.
Pei Chaochao asked softly, “What’s wrong?”
Jiang Du crouched there staring at her, his expression shifting rapidly like a color palette.
After a long while, he cursed with a laugh, full of ferocity: “Who the hell do you think you are, telling me to come closer? Why should I listen to you?”
Pei Chaochao laughed.
She thought to herself, This Jiang Du is quite handsome, but why is he like an irritable mad dog?
Though she thought this, the smile on her face was pure and clean, showing no hint of mockery, looking only as if she had heard something that made her happy.
Jiang Du felt even more displeased.
He ordered imperiously: “Shut up! You, come here!”
Why should he be the one to lean in? Was she treating him like a dog?
If he ordered her, would she come over obediently? Come over to do what, be sliced by his blade for blood?
While he was pondering this, Pei Chaochao seemed a bit helpless upon hearing his words and let out a soft sigh.
Jiang Du sneered, thinking: See?
She knows she’s to be a Medicine Person; she can’t wait to get as far away from him as possible. It’d be a miracle if she came over obediently!
But just as that thought landed, in the next second…
Pei Chaochao leaned forward slightly and moved toward him.
The distance between the two vanished in an instant, yet she maintained a calculated boundary, keeping a sliver of space.
Her scent also swirled around him in that moment, like the smell of morning dew evaporating among flowers and trees, clean and soft.
Jiang Du’s fingertips trembled, his personality’s innate aggression manifesting instinctively: “I told you to come here and you actually came? Fine. Since you’re so obedient, don’t you dare hide when I take your blood later.”
He said this, but the hand holding the blade didn’t move for the moment, seemingly waiting for her reaction.
But Pei Chaochao’s fingertip had already been cut by the blade just now.
Her finger was still pinching the tip of the sword, and as the distance closed, her palm was also sliced open by the sharp edge.
The wound wasn’t very deep, but blood had already begun to well out.
Beads of blood dripped down, soaking a corner of her clothes.
She loosened her grip and let out a light laugh. “Hmm? Isn’t the blood already being taken?”
It was as if taking some blood or being a Medicine Person was truly a trivial matter to her.
From her tone, it even sounded as if whether blood was taken or not didn’t matter—as long as she could help him, she was happy.
Jiang Du: “…”
Jiang Du felt that this was somewhat different from what he had imagined.
He had seen many people in this situation—either trembling and begging for mercy or feigning calmness to stall for time. But the person before him… he simply couldn’t understand what she was thinking. This was too absurd. She couldn’t truly be this altruistic, could she? She wasn’t a Bodhisattva!
The sense of strangeness in his heart churned even more violently.
It was at this moment that Pei Chaochao raised her hand.
One of her fingertips pressed against his lip. “It’s just a bit of blood. If you need it, of course I’ll give it to you.”
As she spoke, her finger pressed slightly against his philtrum, and the blood flowed naturally into his mouth.
A wave of sweetness spread through his mouth. It didn’t taste like metallic, briny blood; instead, it was like morning dew.
Jiang Du’s breath hitched, his brain turned somewhat blank by this sudden act.
His body tightened instinctively, and for a moment, he didn’t even know whether to focus on the sensation on his lips or the sweetness in his mouth.
He lowered his eyes, observing Pei Chaochao once more.
The white silk cloth rested on the bridge of her nose, so he couldn’t see her eyes, yet he could still read that “harmlessness” from her face.
Yet he couldn’t help but wonder…
Perhaps she’s faking it?
Acting submissive and obedient, even taking the initiative to give blood, just to lower his guard and wait for a suitable moment to escape?
It couldn’t be that she knows she can’t beat him, so she’s just surrendered obediently, right?
At this time, the crowd in the Heavenly Realm, watching this scene, couldn’t help but discuss it. Their voices drifted into Pei Chaochao’s mind:
【What is she doing? She’s just giving in? So cowardly.】
【She’s probably thinking that being obedient might save her some suffering. If she feeds him blood willingly, Jiang Du might let her go afterward.】
【Too bad she doesn’t know the Book of Fate was written long ago. Being obedient is useless; no matter what, she’ll be taken away as a Medicine Person.】
Pei Chaochao ignored the voices in her head.
She tilted her head slightly, leaned toward Jiang Du’s ear, and finished her earlier sentence: “I just don’t know… if you can handle my blood?”
Her voice was very soft.
When the immortals watched someone undergo a Trial, they needed the help of the ancient artifact, the Kunlun Mirror.
However, the images and sounds the Kunlun Mirror could capture were limited. Pei Chaochao was intentionally whispering to Jiang Du; at such a volume, the Kunlun Mirror couldn’t pick it up.
The immortals couldn’t hear what she said.
But Jiang Du could.
Jiang Du: ?
He had a very bad feeling and instinctively tried to push her away.
However, just as he was about to raise his hand, he felt a wave of numbness flow through his limbs along with his blood—
He couldn’t move.
Pei Chaochao’s voice was soft as she continued to whisper in his ear, “You shouldn’t be able to move now, right?”
Her true form was morning dew. It was only because she had absorbed divine power that she developed a soul and took human shape; but her entire body’s blood was still celestial dew, which indeed had medicinal uses.
However, whether Jiang Du practiced immortal or demonic cultivation, he was still essentially a mortal.
The Spiritual Power in her blood was far, far too vast for a mortal. Even though she had only fed Jiang Du a few drops, his body, in order to process that Spiritual Power, had automatically sealed his meridians, causing him to be temporarily paralyzed.
Jiang Du: “…”
The irritation Jiang Du had been suppressing all surged out at once.
He suddenly realized—
She had planned this all along!
He stared coldly at Pei Chaochao, only to see her smiling at him again.
Now, Jiang Du was about to be driven to laughter by his own anger, yet he also had a feeling of “as expected.”
He let out a cold laugh. “What, are you going to run away?”
In his heart, he thought, I’m only temporarily unable to move, not permanently.
Good, very good!
When I can move again, I’ll catch her and tear her apart… hm?
Before he could finish the thought, he felt her grab his wrist.
At that moment, Pei Chaochao said, “I’m not running.”
Jiang Du: ?
Jiang Du lowered his eyes to look at Pei Chaochao, seemingly waiting for her to continue.
However, Pei Chaochao paused.
She pulled the blade out of Jiang Du’s hand, then smiled slightly and continued, “I’ll just kill you directly.”
In the next second, her movements were swift as she raised her hand and drove the blade deep into Jiang Du’s chest!
At the same time, a huge spray of blood erupted!
Facing this sudden turn of events before the Kunlun Mirror, the scattered discussions of the gods abruptly stopped.
Then, after a period of deathly silence, came overwhelming cries of shock—
【Wait, what’s going on??? What did Pei Chaochao just do?!】
【She… she stabbed Jiang Du straight through?? Am I seeing things?】
【This is impossible! Then how is she going to go to Guiyuan Sect to be a Medicine Person?】
Jiang Du was the Demon Clan Young Master, but he was also an undercover agent in the righteous cultivation sect, Guiyuan Sect.
According to the Book of Fate, Jiang Du was supposed to take her away after tonight, bringing her back to the righteous sect to continue his undercover work. He would claim he had rescued her when Demonic Cultivators slaughtered her village. The reason he would sever her hamstrings and cut out her tongue was precisely to prevent her from revealing his identity as a demonic cultivator.
And after Pei Chaochao was brought to Guiyuan Sect, the unique nature of her constitution would be discovered by the sect elders. Thus, she would be secretly locked in a dungeon, never to see the light of day, having her flesh and blood taken daily.
At this moment, the immortals thought to themselves: How the hell did this script fall apart at the very beginning?!
Pei Chaochao thought: Who would want to go be a Medicine Person? Crazy!
She felt the voices in her head were a bit too loud and, after a thought, decided to temporarily sever the link with the Spiritual Breath.
By severing the link, she would temporarily stop hearing the immortals’ discussions, though the immortals could still watch her Trial through the Kunlun Mirror. However, that wisp of Spiritual Breath would remain in the Heavenly Realm, allowing her to reconnect whenever she wanted to know the situation there.
With a thought, she began to disconnect.
At the same time, one last sentence drifted into her mind—
【In order to get back the Heavenly Iron, Qiong Guang Jun jumped down after her, with his memories and Spiritual Power sealed, reincarnating as the Eldest Senior Brother of Guiyuan Sect. If she doesn’t go to Guiyuan Sect, what will happen to Qiong Guang Jun?】
Pei Chaochao: ?
Qiong Guang Jun?
Qiong Guang Jun was a Divine Lord of the Heavenly Realm.
Before she jumped into the Cycle of Reincarnation, she was pursued by several Divine Lords and Demon Lords. Qiong Guang Jun had been chasing her specifically because she had stolen a supreme treasure of the Heavenly Realm—the Heavenly Iron.
She wanted to hear more, but at that moment, the link was severed.
She tried to reconnect with the Spiritual Breath, but this body had a heart condition; for a while, she didn’t have the strength to link back up.
Pei Chaochao pressed the white silk over her eyes, falling into deep thought.
Her true form was morning dew. Even with a body full of divine power, because she was born with incomplete Six Roots, she could only ever be an immortal.
Gods and immortals had vastly different statuses.
And precisely because her body was full of divine power, if she wanted to complete her Six Roots, she could only use the Six Roots of a god to do so.
She currently only lacked a Root of Emotion. If she could somehow obtain a Divine Lord’s Root of Emotion, she could achieve Ascension and become a god.
While in the Heavenly Realm, she had no way to plunder a Root of Emotion from a god.
But now Qiong Guang Jun had become a mortal, and his memories were sealed…
Was there ever a better time to get a Divine Lord’s Root of Emotion than now?
Pei Chaochao’s lips curved into a smile, her face looking harmless once again.
She thought she could give it a try.
With that in mind, she dropped the blade and leaned in closer toward Jiang Du.
Jiang Du had been stabbed straight through the heart and lay on the ground. Blood pooled around him, making him look as dead as one could be.
Pei Chaochao stepped into the pool of blood without any distaste. She reached out and searched his body, pulling out a Guiyuan Sect disciple jade pendant.
A disciple jade pendant could sense the location of fellow disciples. Jiang Du had come out this time with his sect brothers; he had only slipped away alone to slaughter a village.
His fellow disciples were in the neighboring town. Jiang Du had agreed to meet them back in the town once he finished his business.
Pei Chaochao thought to herself: When the time comes, I’ll take this disciple jade pendant and say Jiang Du was killed by Demonic Cultivators while protecting me.
Then I’ll make up an excuse to travel with their group and secure a position at Guiyuan Sect—as a servant or a disciple, it doesn’t matter.
Guiyuan Sect… I should go after all!
On the other side.
The expressions of the crowd in the Heavenly Realm could only be described as spectacular; they were all staring at one another in shock.
The silence in the air lasted for quite a while before someone finally spoke up—
“Don’t worry, I just checked the Book of Fate. Jiang Du isn’t dead!”
“Huh?”
“The cultivation technique Jiang Du practices is unique. A single blade through the heart won’t kill him.”
“Pei Chaochao took his jade pendant and seems to be looking for the people from Guiyuan Sect. When Jiang Du finds his fellow disciples and sees Pei Chaochao there, will he tear her apart on the spot?”
“I’m starting to look forward to this.”