chapter 7 - The Heroine Insists on Being My Master

"The school is just ahead. From now on, you'll take classes here with the other beginners. At this time of day, classes should be in session, so there won't be anyone around..." Before Huaijing could finish his sentence, Wen Jiayin pointed at a wall to the side and exclaimed, "But Senior Brother, there's someone over there, and they're children!" In an instant, Huaijing's temper flared, the irritation rushing to his head. Several children were scrambling over the wall, and among them, the leader was unmistakably his little junior sister! Wen Jiayin also recognized that little troublemaker. Wasn't it the same girl who had thrown a purification talisman at her on the immortal boat? "Run! My silly senior brother is here!" The child, noticing the commotion, yelled out. It was one thing to call him 'Senior Brother,' but did she have to add 'silly'? Wen Jiayin could sense that Huaijing's blood pressure was reaching dangerously high levels beside her. "Heh heh heh..." Huaijing let out a few cold laughs. "Junior Sister Wen, will you be alright exploring the school on your own? Your senior brother has a small matter to attend to. I'll be back shortly." "Go ahead, Senior Brother! I'll be fine on my own. Finally, the little troublemaker is going to be disciplined. What a relief!" As soon as he finished speaking, Huaijing vanished. "Ah... Cultivating is wonderful. Even if you get a spanking, you can recover quickly," Wen Jiayin mused to herself as she walked towards the school. "Sssss..." Since channeling energy into her body, Wen Jiayin's senses had noticeably sharpened. Suddenly, she heard a sound in a corner of the courtyard that was distinctly not the wind rustling the leaves. Quickly, she locked onto a patch of bushes. Let's approach it slowly, careful not to make a sound. Hey! What have I caught? A child... wait, a child? Wen Jiayin pulled a small child from the bushes. The use of the word "pulled" might not be quite accurate, as she was only slightly taller than the child and nearly dragged her out. But the child's appearance was peculiar. Her hair wasn't purely black; it was interspersed with red strands. One eye was a normal human black, while the other resembled a beast's—golden with a slit pupil. On her skin, faint traces of orange-red down resembled the feathers of a fledgling bird. It was clear she wasn't human, or at least not purely human. "I'm sorry, please don't hit me, I'm begging you," the child sobbed, shielding her head with one hand while covering her inhuman left eye with the other. "Uh..." Wen Jiayin was taken aback. "Don't cry, don't cry! I'm not going to hit you, don't accuse an innocent person. If anyone sees, I won't be able to explain myself even if I jump into the Yellow River!" But the child continued crying, unpersuaded by Wen Jiayin's assurances. "Grrr..." As Wen Jiayin fretted to the point of her hair nearly standing on end, an ill-timed rumble echoed between the two of them. "Oh, you're hungry?" "Hic!" Perhaps the blend of wanting to cry and feeling ashamed contributed to the child's inability to stifle a sob-hiccup. "Do you want something to eat? If you stop crying, I'll give you something tasty." Convincing children often revolved around the allure of food, though Wen Jiayin herself had nothing to offer but the treasures her master gave her. The child said nothing, continuing to sob while eyeing Wen Jiayin warily. Wen Jiayin could feel the child's hesitation, yet she remained cautious, not immediately agreeing. Such trouble. Wen Jiayin crouched down to level her eyes with the child. "What do you want to eat? I'll take you there." In such a large sect, there had to be a place to eat, right? "Grrr..." The child's stomach growled even more audibly. "Bigu pills..." "What?" The child's voice was so faint that Wen Jiayin couldn't hear it clearly. "Bigu pills." This time the voice was louder, and Wen Jiayin understood. She had tried bigu pills before, and indeed they could stave off hunger for days, though they tasted slightly bitter. What child would willingly eat that? "Little one, I don't have any bigu pills on me, but my master surely does. How about you wait with me, and when she arrives, I'll ask her to give you some?" The child, now silent, looked down, and Wen Jiayin sensed a silent accusation branding her as a liar... "I'll give it to you, I promise, it's just that I've just arrived here and have nothing with me. I'm not lying to you!" Wen Jiayin attempted to shed the deceitful label looming over her. "Damn little wild chicken! Where did you run off to? Get out here, or I'll pluck every feather off your back!" An irate, arrogant voice shouted from outside the wall. "Ooo..." The child sitting on the ground immediately shrank back fearfully and began crying again, biting her hand to stifle her sobs. The angry voice grew closer, and Wen Jiayin began feeling uneasy. In this world of cultivators, who knew what these powerful but unethical kids were capable of? "Is she looking for you, little one? Why don't you hide while I distract her? She's almost here!" The child looked up at Wen Jiayin and quickly returned to her hiding spot in the bushes with her urging. "Don't cry, and don't tremble. Otherwise, she'll know someone's hiding here," Wen Jiayin said, adjusting the "shivering" bush for better concealment. As the bush stilled, the source of the voice appeared in Wen Jiayin's line of sight. Casually, Wen Jiayin acted as though she were simply looking at the sky and ground. "Hey! Did you see that little monster?" A girl, seemingly a few years older than Wen Jiayin, demanded, hands on her hips and pointing at Wen Jiayin. "Little monster?" Wen Jiayin feigned confusion on her face. "Are you new here?" The girl scrutinized Wen Jiayin, confirming her unfamiliarity. "Yes, I just arrived. My senior brother had some things to handle and told me to wait here," Wen Jiayin replied. "No wonder you don't know about the half-demon. Her hair is a mix of red and black, and she covers her left eye with a cloth. Have you seen her?" the girl asked. "Oh! Her! I actually did see her. She just ran out, and she was so fast I thought I was seeing things!" Wen Jiayin exclaimed in sudden realization. "That little brat! She caused her junior uncle to be captured by Senior Huaijing and still dares to run? Hmph!" The girl stamped her foot in anger and turned to leave. Just as Wen Jiayin started to relax, thinking the girl was gone, she suddenly turned back. "You! Come with me!" The girl pointed at Wen Jiayin. Today's kids were really unbearable. Reluctantly, Wen Jiayin followed, curious to see what trouble the girl intended to stir. The girl, impatient with her slow pace, grabbed her arm and pulled her along. "Quit dawdling. If you find that half-demon, Junior Uncle won't let you down. Lead the way." "Lead the way? Lead where?" "Don't be stupid, of course to find that half-demon!" "...But I just saw her leave and didn't see where she went, how can I lead the way?" "I don't care. Since you saw her, you have to find her. Because of her, Junior Uncle got caught by her senior brother and is in a foul mood! If you don't find her, you'd better think of an explanation for Junior Uncle," the girl demanded haughtily. Goodness, Wen Jiayin finally understood. This little girl wanted to make her the scapegoat! If they found the child, she could claim credit. If not, she could blame Wen Jiayin. This cunning maneuver was uncannily reminiscent of certain seasoned veterans in her past life company. And this girl was so young! If this was the future of the sect, no wonder it quickly declined after the great celestial-demon war. How lamentable, that the glory of the sect seemed destined to end with her master's generation. "Can't you walk faster? Junior Uncle won’t be pleased if he has to wait too long," urged the impatient girl. "I really haven't eaten. Is there anywhere in the sect we can get food?" "Eat? Eat until you're stuffed! I'm telling you, if you don't find that half-demon, don't expect to eat a single bite like her!" As Xinyun came to find Wen Jiayin, she caught the tail end of the girl's threat. "Why is it suddenly so cold?" the girl wondered, rubbing her arms. Turning around, she nearly fell to the ground in shock. "Master! You’re finally here!" Wen Jiayin, delighted by her master’s timely arrival, ran to her, embracing her like a lifeline. "Did she bully you?" Xinyun asked softly, holding her dear disciple. "No way! She couldn't bully me if she tried. Master, you're underestimating me!" Wen Jiayin giggled. Satisfied that her precious disciple was unharmed, Xinyun retracted the trace of spiritual pressure she had released. "Did Master and Uncle Master finish their discussion?" "Yes, it's settled. Do you want to head back to Lingjian Peak now?" As the pure white figure moved into the distance, the once arrogant girl finally collapsed to the ground. Truly... terrifying... Accustomed to hiding behind others' authority, she had finally met her match. This lesson would likely keep her from causing trouble for several days. "Wait a moment, Master. I need to find a little child first!" Wen Jiayin, ensuring they were out of the mischievous youth's earshot, pointed towards the school and said to Xinyun, “I promised to give her a bigu pill!” Xinyun, of course, didn't refuse. But when they arrived at the little half-demon's hiding spot, the child was no longer in the bushes. "It seems she's gone. We'll have to find her another time. Shall we head back, Master?" Wen Jiayin tugged at Xinyun's hand, surprised when there was no response. "...Alright." Why is her presence here? Xinyun glanced at the disheveled bushes, her eyes growing darker. The person who had once stirred jealousy in her even in death, someone she hoped never to see again in this life, had shown up so soon? Author’s Note: Let's congratulate the master’s main source of jealousy from past and present lives for making an appearance! (Applause.jpg)