After Ma Jingyu left the Chen family and saw his own carriage, he immediately burst into wailing without a word, crying and shouting, “You bunch of useless fools, why aren’t you coming over to help your young master?!”
The guards were all bewildered. Hadn’t their young master gone to offer himself? Why had he ended up in such a miserable state? It looked as if he had been beaten up badly?
Could it be that Baipao Laozu was dissatisfied with the young master’s performance and had “driven” him out?
They had heard that high-level cultivators had strange tempers. If something displeased them even slightly, they would either beat or scold at best, or kill to silence at worst!
Tsk tsk tsk, the rumors were true after all!
The guards hurriedly went to help him. One of them mustered the courage to ask, “Young master, are you… was it the old ancestor who did this? Should we call a physician for you?”
Ma Jingyu transformed into a screaming chicken: “Shut up! How dare you gossip about that person! Do you want to die?!”
Ma Jingyu was terrified of that person who would casually kick and break someone’s ribs. She said she was a vengeful ghost returned from Shihun Jiang, but he thought otherwise—vengeful ghosts weren’t as terrifying as her!
She was a god of calamity!
A terrifying god of calamity!
The guards understood and quickly said, “Yes, this subordinate will shut up immediately.”
It must be that the young master performed too poorly and failed to please the old ancestor, which led to him being beaten out. But if this were spoken of, not only would it be physically painful, but it would also be a disgrace, bringing shame to their ancestors.
After all, as men, no one wanted to hear others say they were incompetent.
They understood, they all understood!
“Young master, be careful, we’ll take you back right away…”
“Hurry up!”
“Yes, young master, take it easy.”
…
Inside Luoying Yuan.
After sending Ma Jingyu away, Chen Miaomiao hummed a cheerful tune and began examining her spoils. As for the “alchemy pill” she had fed Ma Jingyu, haha, it was actually Chenpi Dan she had taken from the banquet earlier—sweet and quite tasty.
The Qiankun Dai that Chen Chuqing had given Chen Miaomiao was originally a “gift” for guests, with no spiritual imprint on it, so Chen Miaomiao could open it freely.
Inside were over a dozen bottles of alchemy pills, some silver and gold, and Lingshi. Chen Miaomiao counted them—there were more than fifty pieces in total, large and small, which was quite generous. Combined with the “high-level” alchemy pills Chen Wen had personally given Chen Miaomiao, she calculated that if she sold them all, she might make quite a bit of money!
Suddenly wealthy, Chen Miaomiao felt incredibly cheerful. Humming a tune, she was about to change clothes and go to sleep when she suddenly noticed that the ethereal figure, radiant as the sun and serene as the moon (1), was still there.
Chen Miaomiao went straight to the point: “Ah, why haven’t you left yet?”
Mo Xuanming: “…”
Seeing Mo Xuanming’s expression visibly darken, Chen Miaomiao raised an eyebrow and said, “Mo Xuanming, tell me the truth, do you know me?”
“…” Mo Xuanming stubbornly insisted, “Benzun said, we are merely strangers who met by chance.”
Chen Miaomiao sneered and glanced at him. I don’t believe a word of it!
If we were merely strangers who met by chance, how did you know that this body of mine couldn’t drink alcohol? And why did you trick me into making a contract with Baipao? With just a look, you suppressed Baipao’s resistance?
Chen Miaomiao felt she had cracked the case. Even thinking with her toes, she knew this person was connected to little Miaomiao.
It was highly likely that little Miaomiao had interacted with him during the three years she was missing.
And the treasures on her body were, eight or nine out of ten, from him.
As for why those three years of memories did not appear in Little Miaomiao’s soul, Chen Miaomiao neither knew nor cared to speculate. Since the other party refused to acknowledge any connection with Little Miaomiao, she was perfectly content to let it go.
After all, she had no relatives or attachments in this world, and living her own life was all that mattered.
“Oh, well then, take care. I won’t see you out.”
Seeing Chen Miaomiao’s carefree expression, Mo Xuanming felt an inexplicable tightness in his chest, even wanting to turn and leave in a huff.
But remembering Little Eggling and the elders’ entrustment, he still spoke up: “Have you encountered some trouble?”
Chen Miaomiao laughed, plopping down on a stool and resting her chin in her hand as she looked up at him. Her rosy lips curled into a faint, mischievous smirk. “What if I have? What if I haven’t?”
Mo Xuanming averted his gaze and said calmly, “If you have, Benzun might be able to assist you.”
“Oh… So the kind-hearted, chance-met sir is offering to help me deal with them? Well then, the Chen family branch members, the people of Yunluo Zhen, and even the main Chen family far away in Fancheng—they all have their share of villains. Some bullied me, others took advantage of my suffering, and the rest simply stood by, watching coldly or mocking me. Oh, and if we must go further, the world’s law of favoring the strong and oppressing the weak should also be changed—it’s too inhumane. Can you, sir, resolve all of these for me?”
Mo Xuanming frowned as he looked at her.
“Can’t?” Chen Miaomiao grinned like a mischievous kitten, revealing her small, white milk teeth. “That’s exactly right. Well then, thank you for your concern. I’ll just take things one step at a time and figure it out slowly. Take care, and I won’t see you out.”
At that moment, gazing into Chen Miaomiao’s shimmering eyes reflecting the candlelight—so bright, so resolute—Mo Xuanming seemed to understand why she was so determined to leave.
She was a wild grass growing freely in the wilderness, enduring fierce winds, cold frosts, and wildfires. She had been hurt, broken, and suffered, yet she remained vibrant and thriving. Naturally, someone like her would look down upon the delicate, parasitic flowers of a greenhouse.
Had she chosen to stay back then, she could undoubtedly have lived a life of power and influence. But she would have merely been Little Eggling’s “appendage”—on the island, no one would have truly seen her existence.
So she chose to leave.
For herself.
Mo Xuanming’s hand, hanging at his side, clenched slightly. After a long while, he averted his gaze again.
Fine.
She had brought Little Eggling to them. What harm was there in indulging her a little?
“Alright.”
With just that one word, Mo Xuanming turned and left, vanishing like a drop of dark ink dissolving into water, leaving no trace behind.
Chen Miaomiao: “??”
Gone again?
Are all Xiuxianzhe this baffling?
…
That night, Chen Miaomiao slept soundly. Ever since she transmigrated into this world, she had lived in constant fear and hadn’t slept in for a long time. Not to mention, this place had a comfortable bed, soft pillows, birdsong, and fragrant flowers—the perfect spot for lazing in bed.
Chen Miaomiao happily rolled over, but suddenly, something soft and tentacle-like shook her awake.
Furious, Chen Miaomiao grabbed it and glared. “Will you ever stop?!”
Bailongpao was taken aback. It had already condescended to form a contract with this ordinary little human, and now she dared to yell at it?!
How outrageous!
The Bailongpao transformed into strips of cloth, fiercely wrapping Chen Miaomiao into a mummy, then rolled her around on the spot until she was dizzy and disoriented. She hurriedly said, “I was wrong, big brother. I shouldn’t have had morning grumpiness. Whatever you need, just tell me, just tell me.”
Only then did the Bailongpao release Chen Miaomiao, shaping itself into the form of a hand and pointing outside.
Chen Miaomiao grimaced as she got up, saying, “You mean there’s someone outside?”
The Bailongpao kept pointing.
Chen Miaomiao: “Hmm… not outside? Outside of outside?”
The Bailongpao proudly floated around Chen Miaomiao until it received a “thank you” from her, then finally settled down, as lifeless as an inanimate object.
Chen Miaomiao: “…”