Pei Chaochao couldn’t have been more direct.
No one had ever spoken so bluntly before.
Her gentle voice was like a soft blade, shattering the superficial courtesy of the aristocratic young master and revealing the arrogance hidden beneath.
Bai Ci’s pupils contracted slightly, clearly caught off guard by such words.
In the mortal world, Cultivators were revered, and Cultivators themselves looked up to a few great families and major cultivation sects as their leaders.
The Bai Family was an absolute authority in the cultivation world, and Bai Ci, as the eldest son of the Bai Family, held a status even more esteemed than that of royal descendants in the mortal realm.
He didn’t need to respect anyone; he only needed to look down from above, occasionally displaying a perfunctory politeness when appropriate.
He didn’t even need to speak harshly—just a hint of arrogance between the lines was enough to humiliate others, yet no one dared to point it out or disrupt the delicate balance.
The air fell silent for a moment.
Pei Chaochao found him quite amusing.
As if she had found a new toy, she tilted her head and asked, “Is that so, Elder Bai?”
It was clearly a challenge,
but her tone was soft and innocent, making it seem as though she was merely curious.
At that moment,
Yiyu couldn’t stand the atmosphere and spoke up first, “No, Miss Pei—”
He paused, trying to smooth things over, “Wait, you’re part of the Guiyuan Sect now, so I should call you Junior Sister Pei, haha! Junior Sister, you’re overthinking it. Elder Bai was just wiping the medicinal residue from his hands, and then… then his handkerchief accidentally fell.”
Pei Chaochao nodded as if she believed him, “Is that so?”
Seeing this, Yiyu breathed a sigh of relief and couldn’t help but think, this Miss Pei really…
Even when Elder Bai spoke like that, she didn’t seem upset. In fact, her responses almost seemed like she was concerned about Elder Bai.
She gave Elder Bai calming herbs, helped him retrieve his handkerchief, and even her final question was delivered in an extremely soft and gentle tone, as if she was afraid of upsetting Elder Bai.
No matter how you looked at it, Miss Pei seemed pure and gentle to the extreme.
But why did every word she spoke feel like a soft knife, precisely striking where it hurt?
Yiyu felt as though he had narrowly escaped disaster and was pondering this when,
the very next second,
the breath he had just relaxed was suddenly caught again—
as Pei Chaochao asked Bai Ci, “Elder Bai, is that true?”
Yiyu felt his vision darken, certain he was about to faint.
He was thinking of saying something to ease the tension when,
the very next second,
Bai Ci spoke, his tone carrying a barely perceptible hint of mockery, “What do you think?”
Pei Chaochao smiled faintly, “I think it is.”
She folded the handkerchief and leaned in slightly, “Then please keep the handkerchief safe, Elder Bai, and don’t drop it again.”
She placed her hand in front of Bai Ci, deliberately holding the handkerchief close to him to provoke him.
Bai Ci raised his chin slightly.
His fingertips twitched, gathering a trace of Spiritual Power to push her hand away from a distance.
His lips also moved as if to say, “It’s dirty. Throw it away.”
But before the words could leave his mouth,
and even before that trace of Spiritual Power could reach Pei Chaochao’s hand,
Pei Chaochao’s movements halted first.
Bai Ci paused as well, lifting his eyes to look at her.
Pei Chaochao straightened up.
Clutching the handkerchief, she thought for a moment and said, “A handkerchief used to wipe medicinal residue must be dirty. I forgot to ask. Does Elder Bai want it back, or should I throw it away?”
Now, she was being remarkably considerate, leaving Bai Ci momentarily stunned.
Her behavior was utterly unpredictable.
He said indifferently, “Throw it away.”
It felt like being suddenly soothed.
Pei Chaochao really enjoyed watching his emotions fluctuate.
Hearing this, she held the handkerchief and said, “Since Elder Bai doesn’t want it anymore, I’ll take it.”
Bai Ci: ?
He choked, coughing violently.
The corners of his eyes flushed faintly red, his voice slightly hoarse: “Take it?”
Pei Chaochao watched his reaction, her playful heart satisfied, feeling very pleased.
She tucked the handkerchief into her sleeve: “Mm, it’s very expensive. I’ve never used a handkerchief made of such fine fabric.”
False.
She just suddenly felt that, compared to returning the handkerchief to Bai Ci, keeping it would make him feel more like having a fishbone stuck in his throat.
Bai Ci indeed felt very much like having a fishbone stuck in his throat.
His temples throbbed twice, and he coughed again in anger, the taste of blood rushing to his throat.
Lifting his eyes, he met her harmless smile.
For a very brief moment, it seemed as if her smile had dazzled him.
Bai Ci suddenly felt a mix of shame and anger.
His fingertips tingled slightly, his chest rising and falling.
He wanted to say something to vent his emotions—whether careless words or curses directed at her,
to utter harsh words never before spoken from his proud lips, calling her lowly, inferior, unworthy of touching his things—
anything would do.
But these words weighed heavily on his tongue, turning it bitter, yet he couldn’t bring himself to say them to her.
He instinctively wanted to avert his gaze from her face but felt that looking away would mean he had lost.
Bai Ci was not the type to indulge in meaningless stubbornness, but at this moment, he stared at her face as if facing a challenge, suppressing the tingling in his fingertips as he picked up a brush.
The brush tip landed on the nearby list of miscellaneous duties.
The list included positions for recruiting miscellaneous workers,
one of which was helping Bai Ci dry medicinal herbs.
His gaze remained fixed on her face, but his hand held the brush.
Then, with a stroke of the brush, ink covered the position of “drying medicinal herbs”—
the leisurely position was gone.
Yi Yu watched as the position was crossed out, feeling a bit regretful.
He knew this Elder Bai had a proud and eccentric temperament and wanted to say something to help Pei Chaochao salvage the position.
However, before he could speak, he saw Bai Ci wheel his chair away.
Yi Yu scratched his head.
He looked at Pei Chaochao, a hint of apology in his tone: “Junior Sister, Elder Bai, he…”
Pei Chaochao had never intended to take the position near Bai Ci in the first place.
She pointed to her ear, her voice soft: “I heard him. He left. Are there any positions for gathering medicinal herbs?”
Yi Yu nodded: “Yes, there are.”
Pei Chaochao said, “Then help me choose a herb-gathering task. I used to go up the mountain with the villagers every day to gather herbs, so I’m very familiar with it.”
As soon as she finished speaking,
she heard the Deities in her mind begin to talk—
【If that’s the case, then she won’t have any contact with Bai Ci at all now!】
【Qiong Guang Jun kept her identity as a Medicine Person hidden. Now Bai Ci doesn’t even know her blood can be used as medicine.】
Before bringing Pei Chaochao back, Qiong Guang Jun had instructed everyone not to reveal her medicinal human constitution, lest those with ill intentions develop twisted thoughts about her.
【Yes, if she had some contact with Bai Ci, her medicinal human constitution might have been discovered. But now…】
【If she hadn’t had her memories sealed and couldn’t possibly know the contents of the Book of Fate, I’d suspect she was deliberately provoking him to stay away from Bai Ci!】
Listening, Pei Chaochao curved her lips.
Yes,
there was a bit of deliberate intention.
She thought to herself,
but not to stay away from Bai Ci.
It was just to give the Deities a little push.
Now things are increasingly deviating from the original course set in the Book of Fate.
Feeling anxious, aren’t you?
If you’re anxious, then hurry up and find a way to steer my fate back on track.
I’m still waiting for the chance to return the favor with a grand gift.
After helping Pei Chaochao choose her position, Yiyu took her to collect her disciple robes and waist token, and finally escorted her back to her dormitory.
He hesitated for a moment, then instead of returning to his own place, he headed to the waterfall at the back mountain.
Ji Shenzhi often practiced his swordplay in front of the waterfall at the back mountain.
As soon as Yiyu arrived at the back mountain, he indeed saw Ji Shenzhi practicing his sword.
Not far away, the waterfall cascaded down, yet droplets of water gathered at the tip of Ji Shenzhi’s sword, swirling along with his movements.
Though water is inherently soft, under his sword, it felt as sharp and cold as icicles.
Yiyu stood to the side, not daring to approach and disturb him.
Truthfully, he wasn’t sure if he should have come at all. He kept thinking that since Ji Shenzhi had tasked him with helping Pei Chaochao register, he should report back after completing the task.
But Ji Shenzhi was aloof and indifferent, his personality as cold as ice, rarely involving himself in others’ affairs. Helping Pei Chaochao register and even offering extra advice about choosing a position was already unprecedented—likely the limit for someone as detached as him.
Perhaps the senior brother wasn’t even concerned about the follow-up after helping Pei Chaochao register?
As Yiyu pondered this,
on the other side,
Ji Shenzhi caught sight of Yiyu from the corner of his eye, and his sword movements faltered slightly.
As if recalling something, he stopped.
He rarely halted his sword practice midway like this.
Yiyu was a bit surprised, but his body moved faster than his mind, and he quickly walked over to him. “Senior Brother, I’ve accompanied Miss Pei to complete her registration and have already escorted her back to her dormitory.”
Ji Shenzhi gave a soft “Mm.”
He had brought her back and arranged a suitable position for her. As her benefactor, he had done enough.
From now on, her affairs would have little to do with him.
Qiong Guang Jun thought objectively.
Suddenly, he felt the air was a bit stifling.
While practicing his sword, water from the waterfall had splashed onto his clothes, dampening his collar. Normally, this wouldn’t bother him, but now, for some reason, it felt uncomfortably stuffy.
He used a bit of spiritual power to dry his clothes and gave Yiyu a slight nod. “Good, I understand. Thank you.”
Yiyu nodded and added, “By the way, Senior Brother, she chose the herb-gathering position.”
Herb-gathering?
Qiong Guang Jun paused. “She is blind.”
“Yes, but she said she used to go up the mountain to gather herbs every day in her village, so she’s quite skilled at it.” Yiyu hadn’t expected him to respond like this and was a bit taken aback. “I was thinking of drawing a few talismans for her later.”
Although the talismans couldn’t restore Pei Chaochao’s sight, they contained spiritual power and could support her if she stumbled or was about to get hurt.
Yiyu said, “I can finish drawing them tomorrow and give them to her, so she won’t fall while gathering herbs.”
Upon hearing this, Qiong Guang Jun thought for a moment. “I have some.”
He opened his palm, and in the next second, several talismans appeared out of thin air. “Already drawn.”
Yiyu scratched his head. “Should we give them to her? It only takes a little over a quarter of an hour to fly to the Servant Peak by sword—”
Qiong Guang Jun sheathed his sword.
His expression remained as impassive as ever, his voice indifferent. “I’ll deliver them.”
Meanwhile.
Pei Chaochao was in her dormitory.
She had few personal belongings, so her living space felt quite empty.
The Guiyuan Sect was vast, and all servant disciples lived on the Servant Peak, each with their own small courtyard.
The mountain was cold.
Without any cultivation level, her mortal body struggled to withstand such temperatures.
She entered the Guiyuan Sect through her connection with Qiong Guang Jun, but in reality, even the sect’s menial disciples possessed some cultivation level—at least at the early Qi Refining stage—and none were as sensitive to the cold as she was.
Thus, there were no thick quilts here, only a thin sheet.
Pei Chaochao curled herself under the sheet, pondered for a moment, and took out her disciple waist token.
The disciple waist token could be used to contact all members of the Guiyuan Sect.
When she first received the token, Jiang Du had sent her several voice messages in a row.
[Jiang Du: So you really joined the Guiyuan Sect as a menial disciple?]
[Jiang Du: It can’t really be for Ji Shenzhi, can it?]
[Jiang Du: Did you really fall in love with him at first sight? I find that hard to believe.]
[Jiang Du: Reply!]
Pei Chaochao ignored them all.
Now, she rubbed the waist token and sent a voice message to Jiang Du: [Come find me.]
The reply came quickly, as if he were both angry and amused—
[Who do you think you are? Ordering me around? You think I’ll come just because you say so?]
Pei Chaochao didn’t respond.
A moment later.
A few more voice messages popped up from him:
[What do you want? To confess why you stayed in the Guiyuan Sect? Honestly, I’m not that interested.]
[Speak up! What is it!]
[Fine, not saying anything, huh? I’m on my way. I’ll be there in a quarter of an hour. You’d better have a good reason.]