“It’s only been a few days since we last met, and my dear child already misses her master this much?”
A familiar, gentle voice came from the doorway. Rong Yao looked up and saw a young man standing at the entrance.
The young man wore a white Daoist robe, otherworldly as snow, handsome like a fine orchid or jade tree, his bearing fresh as morning dew and moonlight, noble and transcendent, his whole person exuding an aura as soothing as a spring breeze.
“Master,” Rong Yao said.
The newcomer was none other than her master, Elder Wuchen.
After calling out, Rong Yao instinctively tried to get up from the bed, but the man walked over and pressed down on her shoulder. ”Rest, my dear child. You’ve used up quite a lot of Spiritual Power today—it’s not good for you to move around.”
“Mm-hm.”
Rong Yao nodded obediently, her gaze fixed on the man’s face.
In her past life, during the great war between gods and demons, her master had been gravely injured and remained unconscious for years without waking. To be able to see him again now—it was truly wonderful.
“Your Spiritual Power is still somewhat weak. Let me transfer some more to you.” The man reached out and took her pulse, passing some Spiritual Power to her.
“You mustn’t be so reckless again like today. The Image Fixing Pearl requires its holder to possess powerful Spiritual Power. Fortunately, I happened to return today. If I hadn’t, you’d have lost your little life.”
As he spoke, a hint of sternness entered the man’s tone.
Rong Yao stuck out her tongue. “Master, this disciple understands. I just couldn’t stand watching Senior Brother Kong’an frame someone else. He was clearly the one who shattered the Seven-Treasure Glazed Mirror, yet he tried to pin the blame on someone else.”
After speaking, Rong Yao turned to look at Taotao beside her. “Isn’t that right, Taotao?”
Taotao, suddenly called out by the girl, froze for a moment, then nodded her little head and said to the man, “That’s right, Immortal Venerable. You always teach us to be kind at heart. When we encounter such framing and slander, how could we just stand by and do nothing?”
Watching the big one and the little one playing off each other, Wuchen couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow slightly.
Rong Yao pursed her lips and lowered her head. “This disciple knows she was wrong. It won’t happen again.”
The man sighed and ruffled the girl’s hair. “Don’t let there be a next time, or I won’t bring you this anymore when I go to the mortal realm.”
With that, he pulled a small paper bag from his sleeve.
Rong Yao’s eyes lit up, and she immediately reached out to take it. “Peach blossom candy!”
“I knew you loved these, so I brought them back specially for you.”
“Thank you, Master!” Rong Yao was overjoyed. Peach blossom candy from the mortal realm was her absolute favorite.
“Rest early. The sect’s annual Demon Exorcism Trial is in half a month. Haven’t you always wanted to train in the mortal realm? Spend the remaining half month cultivating diligently.”
The annual Demon Exorcism Trial was specially held by the sect to assess its disciples’ strength.
As long as one killed ten Yao during the sect’s Demon Exorcism Trial, one would be granted a Demon Exorcism mission from the sect and allowed to train in the mortal realm.
Rong Yao recalled that in her past life, her aptitude had been so poor that she had never once passed the sect’s Demon Exorcism Trial, let alone gone to the mortal realm to train as a demon exorcist.
The reason Rong Yao had joined the Immortal Gate Sect and become Elder Wuchen’s disciple was rather peculiar.
Rong Yao had been frail since birth. Before being taken in as a disciple by Elder Wuchen, she had spent nearly every day steeped in medicinal broths by her parents, which caused them no small amount of worry.
It wasn’t until she was eight years old that a master passed by her home. Seeing the little girl’s sickly complexion, he kindly advised her parents: in her previous life, she had been a lotus flower in the Jade Pool. Newly descended into the mortal world, she needed to be nurtured in a place of utmost purity. If she remained in this filthy mortal realm, she would surely perish at a young age.
Hearing this, the Rong couple was alarmed and immediately begged the master to point them toward such a pure place. According to his guidance, the purest places were the cultivation sects dedicated to demon exorcism, and among the four great immortal sects, the most revered of all was the foremost of them—the Immortal Gate Sect.
Though the couple was deeply reluctant to part with their young daughter, in order for her to survive, they could only bear the pain of sending her to the sect.
However, because Rong Yao’s aptitude was truly not suited for cultivation, she was rejected at first. Her parents knelt for a full three thousand steps of the immortal staircase, and in the end, they moved Elder Wuchen, who took the eight-year-old Rong Yao in as his disciple.
Less than a year after Rong Yao entered the sect, all her illnesses were indeed gone, and she became lively and energetic.
In her previous life, she had failed the Demon Exorcism Trial, but this life, she would work hard!
Rong Yao declared earnestly, “Master, this disciple will strive to pass this Demon Exorcism Trial and bring honor to you.”
“Silly girl, you know I’ve never cared about such things. Just do your best—you don’t need to compare yourself with the other disciples.”
Although her master said he didn’t care, Rong Yao still wanted to pass the trial.
After all, having been reborn, she now had a goal: in this life, she would cultivate diligently and live to uphold righteousness in the world and protect all living beings!
Late at night, Taotao had already slept and woken up, yet the girl was still sitting in her chair, earnestly studying talisman drawing. It couldn’t help but yawn.
“Yaobao, it’s very late. You should hurry up and sleep…”
“Ahhh! So annoying!” Just as Taotao finished speaking, the girl suddenly threw down her brush as if driven mad, her face full of frustration.
Taotao looked utterly confused. “D-did I say something wrong? Waaah…”
“Not you!”
Rong Yao stood up, pressing her hand against her neck.
When she lowered her hand, Taotao saw the Love Gu Mark on the girl’s neck, its nine-tailed demon markings flickering continuously.
“Now I finally understand what the books mean by ‘living and dying together’!”
Living and dying together didn’t just mean her life was tied to Yin Yanxiu’s—she could even feel his emotions at this very moment.
Rong Yao said, “Right now, he can’t sleep because of the pain from today’s whip marks. Even though I can’t feel his pain, he’s affecting me!”
Because she could sense his emotions, she simply couldn’t calm down and focus on her cultivation.
Finally, unable to bear it any longer, Rong Yao once again went to the boy’s dwelling.
It was still that same woodshed from last time. Taking advantage of the dark night, Rong Yao carefully pushed open the closed wooden door.
Unlike the damp, moldy smell last time, this time the moment she pushed open the door, she was hit by a thick stench of blood—so strong it nearly made her retch.
“Yin Yanxiu, are you there?”
Rong Yao called out instinctively. The room was pitch black, and no one answered her. She walked further inside, then suddenly stepped on something and nearly fell.
When she looked closely, she saw the boy lying face-down on the ground, motionless. His white Daoist robes were completely soaked through with blood, and the wounds on his back were a horrific sight.
Rong Yao froze for a moment. Hadn’t they treated his wounds and bandaged him?
Rong Yao reached out and touched his forehead, finding that his entire body was burning hot—he had clearly come down with a fever.