The woman completely ignored the little girl’s pleas, raising the stick high and bringing it down again.
Yun Xiao couldn’t bear to watch. She cast a spell to freeze the woman in place.
Unable to move, the woman began to curse loudly: “You bitch, what did you do to me? Let me go immediately!”
Yun Xiao ignored the woman, stepping forward to help the little girl up from the ground.
The girl’s exposed arm was bruised black and blue. It was not hard to imagine how many other injuries she had on her body.
Yun Xiao discreetly cast a Spring Recovery Spell on the girl. The girl’s pale complexion recovered a little redness.
Noticing the woman’s glaring gaze, the girl flinched and hid behind Yun Xiao like a startled bird.
Yun Xiao was both distressed and angry. She turned back to the woman: “She is so small, how can you bear to hit her?”
The woman could move again, and instantly, she was overjoyed. She retreated several steps and mumbled softly, turning her head: “She’s just a worthless girl. I’ll hit her when I want to, curse her when I want to. None of your business.”
Cultivators have keen hearing and sight. Yun Xiao heard every word and clenched her fists: “If she is ‘worthless,’ what are you? An old ‘worthless girl’? As a woman, you should understand the hardships of a woman even more. How do you behave? You beat and curse her, and you’ve starved her until she’s skin and bones. How can there be such a wicked person in this world?”
The people who had gathered around also couldn’t bear it and started pointing fingers at the woman.
“I advised her earlier, how can a child endure being beaten like that? This is truly sinful.”
“She’s been raised for so many years; she only needs a few more years before she can be married off. Why bother?”
“Anyone who didn’t know would think she was a stepmother. I’ve never seen a mother with such a cruel heart.”
“She’s just a little girl; how much food can she eat? Look how starved she is.”
…
The crowd spoke one after another, all blaming the woman.
Yun Xiao’s brow furrowed even tighter. From the mouths of these people, she already knew how low the status of young girls was in this dynasty. She was both angry and frustrated: angry that these people didn’t treat girls as human beings, and frustrated that she couldn’t change these deeply entrenched beliefs.
Alo lowered his gaze to look at the girl, softening his tone: “The Spiritual Root Test for Immortal Destiny will be held the day after tomorrow. You can go and try.”
Points of starlight sparked in the girl’s dim eyes. She asked fearfully, “Can I… can I go?”
Alo nodded: “Anyone under the age of twelve can participate.”
The girl’s eyes brightened even more. She secretly glanced in the direction of the woman and shook her head: “No, Mother won’t let me go.”
Yun Xiao swallowed the words about testing the girl’s spiritual root immediately, having spotted the increasing number of people gathering around.
She pulled out a piece of silver and dangled it in front of the woman’s eyes.
The woman’s eyeballs followed the silver, her eyes full of greed.
“I like this girl; this money will serve as wages for her service to us for these two days. Do you agree?” she asked. Yun Xiao felt she could not ruin the girl’s life due to her own negligence.
Alo was slightly surprised. He thought Yun Xiao would just take the girl by force.
Seeing Yun Xiao take out the silver, the woman smiled and nodded: “Yes, I agree. You can use her for as long as you like.” Thinking of something, she added: “If you find her easy to order around, I can even sell her to you.”
Before Yun Xiao and Alo could reply, the woman pointed at the little girl peeking out: “Serve the two young ladies well. If you are not careful and they send you back, this old woman will beat you to death.”
The little girl quickly drew her head back, her tiny body trembling.
Yun Xiao gently patted the girl’s shoulder, her meaning clear: “Don’t be afraid. You are my person now. If anyone dares to bully you, I will make them repay it ten-fold, even a hundred-fold.”
The woman shrank back, nodding and agreeing with a flattering smile.
Refusing the people sent by the City Lord’s Mansion, Yun Xiao, holding the girl’s hand, followed Alo into the inn. They requested two rooms.
The girl’s short clothes were already ill-fitting. Yun Xiao called the waiter and asked him to buy two sets of clothes that would fit a little girl.
The girl was overwhelmed by the favor, wanting to refuse but not daring to.
Suddenly recalling that the original body had obtained a Spiritual Root Test Orb from a retrieved storage bag, Yun Xiao quickly took it out and waved to the girl standing in the distance.
The girl walked over, staring intently at the orb: “It’s so pretty.”
“Put your hand on this, and feel the whole globe with your heart,” Yun Xiao guided.
The girl seemed to understand, placing her small hand over the Spiritual Root Test Orb.
After a moment, two pillars of light—one blue and one brown—lit up, indicating a dual Water and Earth Spiritual Root. Judging by the height of the light pillars, the purity of both the girl’s spiritual roots was not low. With the girl’s talent, she is certainly qualified to enter the inner sect.
The girl didn’t understand what the illuminated orb meant, staring in wonder at the two pillars of light. Yun Xiao couldn’t help but pinch the girl’s cheek. She told the girl what the two pillars of light meant in simple, direct language, and explained the benefits of becoming a cultivator. She also informed the girl of the potential dangers cultivators face.
The girl asked nervously: “Can I eat until I’m full if I become a cultivator?”
Yun Xiao internally cursed the woman again. She stroked the girl’s head with compassion: “Of course. You can eat as much as you want there.”
She then belatedly remembered that she had never joined a sect. She nervously looked at Alo, who was sitting opposite her, hoping Alo could give a definite answer.
Alo looked away: “Before Foundation Establishment, the sect provides spiritual food to its disciples.”
“Then I want to become a cultivator,” the girl said eagerly. She wanted to eat until she was full; she didn’t want to starve anymore.
Yun Xiao didn’t correct her, secretly planning to teach the woman a lesson before they left.
Alo immediately saw through Yun Xiao’s thoughts and reminded her: “Cultivators must not attack mortals. She may not be grateful to you.”
This struck Yun Xiao like a sudden blow. If Yun Xiao were to retaliate against the woman, she would become the villain in the eyes of the girl, who was influenced by the culture of filial piety.
Forget it. Yun Xiao had done what she could; her conscience was clear.
The girl didn’t quite understand, and fearing Yun Xiao and Alo would abandon her, she said nervously: “I can also eat less,” raising one finger, “Eating just one meal a day is fine.”
Grumble…
The girl quickly lowered her head, almost crying.
“Nonsense. Children need to eat enough to grow tall,” Yun Xiao stood up, opened the door, and instructed downstairs: “Send up a meal.”
“Yes.”
Returning to the room, Yun Xiao saw that the girl was no longer so nervous. She smiled and rubbed the girl’s head: “You haven’t told me your name yet.”
“Pan, Pandi (Hope-for-Brother).”
Yun Xiao rolled her eyes. Not wanting the girl to feel inferior about her name in the future, she asked: “Do you want to change to a better-sounding name?”
The girl nodded.
Yun Xiao gently stroked her chin, pondered for a moment, snapped her fingers, and mused: “‘Heaven pities the secluded grass, the world cherishes the late sunny day’—how about Wanqing?”
The girl jumped up happily: “Wanqing, Wanqing, I love that name! Thank you, Sister.”
Meanwhile, having received Alo’s consent, the City Lord quickly instructed his subordinates to spread the news. Time was tight, so they had to skip the more remote villages.
Even so, many children came to the bell tower for the Spiritual Root Test that day. The City Lord dispatched twice the usual number of personnel, some to maintain order, and others to assist Alo and Yun Xiao.
Seeing how well the City Lord had arranged everything, Yun Xiao silently gave him a thumbs-up in her heart.
By late morning, only three children had spiritual roots, and they were all impure mixed spiritual roots. Fortunately, in the afternoon, two dual spiritual roots and one mutated lightning spiritual root were tested. Alo’s calm expression was filled with surprise when he saw the pillar of purple light.
The next day, even more people came for the Spiritual Root Test, with queues stretching onto the street. They tested two single spiritual roots, five dual spiritual roots, seven triple spiritual roots, and over a dozen quadruple and quintuple spiritual roots.
As the sun began to set, the queue continued to grow. The City Lord was anxious. He cautiously approached Alo: “Immortal, these people have traveled long distances. Do you think we could make an exception and test everyone present?”
“Yes.”
As the City Lord turned, Alo spoke again: “My sect mates will arrive in five days, and they will travel to various towns to perform the Spiritual Root Test.” The implication was that those who missed out this time could go to nearby towns.
The City Lord nearly burst into tears of joy. He finally had an explanation for the common people.
Yun Xiao fully supported Alo’s decision. They also tested the villagers who arrived later, continuing until dawn.
To everyone’s surprise, more people still arrived. Before Alo and Yun Xiao could speak, the City Lord loudly announced: “The two Immortals have important business to attend to. Those who arrived late this time will have to miss out.” He changed his tone: “In five days, the Immortals’ sect mates will travel to various towns for the Spiritual Root Test. If you truly wish your child to seek an immortal destiny, you may wait in nearby towns.”
As soon as he finished speaking, those who regretted missing out showed smiles and offered repeated thanks.
Leaving a letter and a bottle of pills for the City Lord, Alo and Yun Xiao left publicly on a flying spiritual artifact.
After checking two cities without finding the necessary medicinal herbs, the two headed straight for Diannan.
Upon approach, they saw a dense, evil energy permeating the city. Evil energy meant that there was an evil cultivator causing trouble.
Yun Xiao turned and asked Alo: “Should we intervene?”