6 - The Divine Physician’s Overbearing Wife

"Banxia Novel Chapter 6 Turn on the light: Small Medium Large Previous Chapter: Chapter 5 Next Chapter: Chapter 7 Yan Zhu Guang didn't even pause as she listened, her hands gracefully gripping two crimson wooden sticks that she wielded as if they were chopsticks. The thirteen-year-old girl had a ceramic urn hanging by her waist, and with a deft flick of her wooden sticks, she plucked a small worm, no thicker than her pinky finger, from the stalk of a spirit rice plant. Without lingering, the two sticks swiftly deposited the worm into the urn, and when the sticks emerged, the worm was gone. This small creature was the Spirit Valley Bug. The Spirit Valley Bug was a rather unique kind of spiritual insect. It didn't possess any attributes inherently, but it would change according to what it consumed. Spirit rice grown in Yinmiao Sect's spirit field bore a gentle wood attribute and was cultivated in water, resulting in most Spirit Valley Bugs being affiliated with water and wood attributes. They needed to be captured using items with fire, metal, or earth attributes to prevent their escape. Yan Zhu Guang’s movements of catching and releasing the bug were so fluid and seamless that they were a joy to watch. Even the system couldn’t help but marvel. A beauty remains a beauty; even when she walks through rice paddies doing such labor-intensive work, it seems like she is picking lush, vibrant blossoms with elegance and poise. Wait, now's not the time to be admiring the host's charisma. “Wow, she really spoke with the senior sister. The senior sister is so nice—not angry even after realizing her impure intentions.” “That Tao Zhi! She really turns things upside down.” “What nonsense is it that the host uses her beauty to seduce the supervisor, overshadowing other disciples? Does her family even know she lies like this?” “Aren’t her parents already dead?” Yan Zhu Guang remarked without missing a beat. System: ... Host, that's really not the point here. The system felt it might very well be driven mad by this Tao Zhi. It knew she was complicated inside, but didn't realize her thoughts were so malicious. Though the world of cultivation didn’t emphasize chastity for women as much as the mortal world, promiscuous women were still scorned. Moreover, some demonic cultivator women often used intimate acts to increase their power, making the orthodox sects particularly averse to such behavior outside of marital relations. If Tao Zhi’s slander were believed, their host would have a hard time in the cultivation world. This was why the system was so angry. Thankfully, the senior sister wasn’t someone who listened to one-sided stories and didn’t believe Tao Zhi’s words outright. However, seeing that most others seemed convinced, the system was still upset. “Host, aren't you upset?” The system relayed Tao Zhi’s words to Yan Zhu Guang, feeling somewhat regretful for having agreed to let the host use Tao Zhi to get closer to the senior sister. While approaching the senior sister was important, its host was also someone deserving of care. “From my looks, do you think people wouldn’t assume otherwise, even without Tao Zhi's slanders?” The system fell silent. Their host had a striking appearance. Although still somewhat youthful, it was clear she'd grow to have an enchanting and captivating beauty. From looks alone, such a woman, even if she did nothing, indeed seemed more susceptible to suspicion... "Host..." The system regretted being so dazzled by beauty that it forgot this world had such a backward appreciation of it. It should have adjusted the host's appearance to be more like Tao Zhi’s—look at how such a face invites pity. Thinking it over, the system found it unbearable—it was frankly sick of Tao Zhi’s face. Yan Zhu Guang chuckled softly, "What does it matter? If I'm strong enough, who dares to speak a single word against me? Anyone who dares, I’ll beat them so they can’t open their mouths—who would dare gossip then?" Yan Zhu Guang was well-acquainted with such looks and gossip and had long outgrown the age of anger over them. She knew that explanations were useless; people's mouths and minds were their own, and she couldn't control how they spoke or thought. However, as long as she was powerful enough, these bullies would learn to stay quiet—this was the most effective solution. The system's programming didn’t allow it to have the seasoned mindset Yan Zhu Guang possessed, so even with her words, it remained quite angry. Angry though it was, it remembered the host's admonitions and kept an eye on the situation elsewhere. Normally, the people from Yinmiao Sect with Yun Mi Xue wouldn't care much about a mere menial disciple's complaints. They likely wouldn’t even glance at her and would have her sent far away directly. But this time, things were different. They were with Fairy Lian Ji—they couldn’t miss the opportunity to show their camaraderie and righteousness. By now, the others, fueled with righteous indignation, were requesting the sect leader recall Tao Zhi back to Yinmiao Sect, expelling and crippling the dantian of the vicious woman who seduced the superintendent and ostracized fellow disciples. The system even saw the sly smirk Tao Zhi hid behind her lowered head. It quickly glanced at Yun Mi Xue to see her thoughtful expression, which was a relief. At least the senior sister wouldn’t believe it so easily. The system didn’t notice that, as a system for saving the white moonlight, its heart had grown increasingly biased toward its host. "Sister, what do you think?" Chu Ning Yan could tell that this girl named Tao Zhi had come with a plan to accuse. Though she didn’t know if the woman Tao Zhi talked about truly did seduce the supervisor and ostracize disciples, she didn’t have a good impression of the woman either. To her, it takes two to tango—regardless of whether Tao Zhi spoke truthfully, the woman called Yan Zhu Guang must have done something wrong to earn Tao Zhi's malicious gossip or complaints. Moreover, their quarrel disturbed her senior sister. Yun Mi Xue found herself in a dilemma. By rights, she shouldn’t meddle in the affairs of Yinmiao Sect. But it was clear these Yinmiao Sect people, trying to please her, sought to redress an injustice for Tao Zhi. Yun Mi Xue wasn’t inclined to judge based on one side's words alone. However, if she didn’t intervene, the people of Yinmiao would convict the woman to flatter her. If the woman was wronged, would she not be guilty? She pondered for a moment and finally said, “To understand what's true, it would be best to hear a word from Miss Yan herself.” The Yinmiao Sect people agreed, “Indeed, indeed.” “The senior sister is thoughtful.” “A face-to-face confrontation would prevent dissatisfaction from the accused.” “I’ll have someone fetch that menial disciple now.” “Wait,” Yun Mi Xue interjected, “If you call her here, other disciples might look at her differently.” “I’ve never visited the menial disciple area, so it’s a good chance to see these spirit fields for myself.” Upon her words, the Yinmiao Sect members echoed, “The senior sister is truly kind, to consider even a mere disciple.” Watching these people's fawning expressions, Chu Ning Yan quietly sneered. The system, watching this unfold, quickly reported to Yan Zhu Guang, who was still attending to the spirit fields, “They’re coming, they’re coming.” Tao Zhi, consumed with scheming, didn’t tend to her fields properly, leaving them plagued by Spirit Valley Bugs. Even with her skilled hands, Yan Zhu Guang had only cleared a third after some time. Seeing her dressed simply, splattered with mud, the system felt conflicted. Would the host, meeting the senior sister properly for the first time, really appear like this? It wished the host could dress beautifully, sparking fondness from the senior sister: “Host, won’t you change clothes?” “No need.” This was the rightful appearance of a menial disciple engaged in work. Changing outfits now would only affirm Tao Zhi’s slanders. How could someone diligent in their tasks spare time to maintain a pristine appearance? Yan Zhu Guang acted as she always did, as if unaware of anything out of the ordinary. So when Yun Mi Xue and her entourage arrived at the spirit fields of the menial disciples, they saw a figure bent over, tending to the plants. At this point, all other disciples had finished their work, leaving only Yan Zhu Guang still busy with the fields Tao Zhi had neglected. Seeing the silhouette, Yun Mi Xue felt a strange sense of familiarity. That back—wasn’t that from the little girl who’d eavesdropped on her lecture? In her usual days, she encountered respectful disciples from the celestial sects or flatterers from Yinmiao Sect. This little girl was the first to flee upon seeing her, something that had left quite an impression on Yun Mi Xue. “Is she the Miss Yan?” Tao Zhi replied, “Yes, that's her.” She wore a sorrowful face, “We used to be so close. I can’t believe she’d treat me this way.” Recalling the timing Tao Zhi mentioned, it coincided with that little girl coming to listen to her lecture—this made Yun Mi Xue all the more skeptical about the veracity of the story. Yan Zhu Guang had mentioned going to overhear the lecture, but Tao Zhi never expected her to reveal herself in front of Yun Mi Xue, or that Yun Mi Xue would remember her. The sect leader channeled spiritual energy and called out to the figure, “That menial disciple! The chief senior sister is here, come quickly and pay your respects!” The small figure jumped, raising her head to reveal a face marked with a bit of mud. Cultivators had good eyesight, so the confusion in her eyes was plainly visible to Yun Mi Xue. After a moment, the young girl seemed to realize what was happening. She was at a loss for where to put her hands, unsure whether to drop the wooden sticks or continue holding them. In the end, she clutched them tightly as she jogged over. Yun Mi Xue found the child delightful, her smile deepening without even realizing it. "Yan Zhu Guang pays respect to the honored immortal," she greeted. Barely into her teens, the girl offered a proper bow to Yun Mi Xue and then proceeded to bow to each of the unknown sect leaders and disciples, referring to them all simply as "sir" or "madam" since she didn’t know their names. Having greeted everyone, she inevitably noticed Tao Zhi, who had come along with them. Surprise crossed her face as she spoke up, “Tao Zhi, why are you back?” Before Tao Zhi could reply, Yan Zhu Guang added, “Are you worried about your spirit field? I’ve mentioned before that you’re not diligent enough with your field management. I’ve been busy for days and still haven’t finished catching all the Spirit Valley Bugs.” “But don't worry, I’ll make sure to take good care of it for you.” Yan Zhu Guang rattled off her words like they were beans spilling from a pod, catching Tao Zhi off guard and leaving her slightly flustered, her expression twisting just a bit.