Chapter 112: A Taste of Home
Bai Jingxue, carrying a food box, rounded a corner and bumped into Luo Nianshang, who was also carrying a food box.
They stared at each other’s food boxes for a moment, then quickly looked away.
Luo Nianshang had come from the mountain, which meant she had visited Fang Xin. But souls weren’t the same as physical bodies. They didn’t seem to experience hunger.
Lü Qingyan, perched on Bai Jingxue’s food box, seeing Luo Nianshang, greeted her cheerfully. “Venerable One, you’re back from delivering lunch?”
“Yes,” Luo Nianshang replied.
She had been so busy lately that she had forgotten to ask Lü Qingyan for advice. She had been agonizing over how to even broach the subject. It felt too awkward.
She decided against it, her voice soft as she said, “I’ll go up the mountain first. Please take care of Master.”
Bai Jingxue sensed that Luo Nianshang had something she wanted to say, but Fang Xin would be waiting. She smiled. “Don’t worry, Venerable One,” she said.
She then passed through the watery curtain, carrying the food box.
Fang Xin, sitting on her grave, pretending to nap, opened her eyes, her feigned sleepiness vanishing as she saw Bai Jingxue.
She floated towards the food box, her voice eager. “Hurry up and set it out, Junior Sister,” she said.
Bai Jingxue placed the food box beside the grave, then patted Lü Qingyan’s head, instructing her to get down.
Once Lü Qingyan had jumped down, Bai Jingxue opened the food box, carefully arranging the dishes.
She had learned to cook at a young age, her family’s traditional values emphasizing domestic skills. Later, she had experimented with different recipes, trying to impress Lü Qingyan, who was a foodie.
But in this life, with Fu Yuan as their chef, she rarely cooked. If it hadn’t been for Fang Xin’s request, she wouldn’t have bothered.
She placed an incense burner beside the grave, lighting three sticks of incense, then, as she inserted them into the burner, she couldn’t help but correct Fang Xin. “Don’t call me ‘Junior Sister’,” she said.
Fang Xin inhaled deeply, her voice filled with appreciation. “Your cooking is much better than that Fu Yuan girl’s,” she said.
She was clearly changing the subject.
Lü Qingyan, however, oblivious to the underlying tension, beamed. Whenever someone praised Bai Jingxue, she was even happier than if she herself had been praised.
“Of course it is,” she said, her voice filled with pride.
She was looking up at Bai Jingxue, her chin the only visible part of her face. Bai Jingxue, patting her head, gently pushed it down.
Fang Xin, her appetite sated, sighed. “It’s a shame there’s no wine,” she said.
Bai Jingxue, storing the empty food box, wasn’t planning to leave yet. She was sensitive to other people’s emotions. She had noticed that Fang Xin seemed lonely.
It was understandable. Trapped in this well, with no one to talk to, her only entertainment the occasional visitor…
But as for the wine… Bai Jingxue had brought some.
Having lost her initial purpose, she had been exploring her other interests, like cooking and brewing alcohol.
She still remembered the information from her elective classes in her past life. She had decided to put it to practice, though she hadn’t dared to consume her creations, nor had she offered them to anyone else.
Lü Qingyan, her small legs carrying her around the confined space, paused before a small pond near the two graves.
She peered into the water, but she wasn’t looking at her own reflection. She was staring at the blurry, colorful images shifting beneath the surface, like watching television through a fogged-up screen.
She reached out a paw, about to touch the water, when Fang Xin’s voice, sharp and warning, stopped her. “Don’t disturb her,” she said.
Bai Jingxue walked over, scooping Lü Qingyan into her arms, then she also glanced at the pond, her brow furrowing. The images were blurry, but she recognized them. It was Fang Yue Lian’s dream, replaying that tragic scene, the fire engulfing everything.
Fang Xin, who had been cheerful a moment ago, now seemed sad, her expression mirroring the dream’s despair.
Bai Jingxue, petting Lü Qingyan, her gaze lingering on Fang Xin’s face, offered words of comfort. “We’ll find a way,” she said.
Fang Xin, having always shouldered her burdens alone, surprised by this unexpected kindness, sighed, her voice laced with a weary hope. “Yes,” she said. “We will.”
There were many ways to resurrect the dead, but it required a functioning cycle of reincarnation. Once that was restored, they would have a chance.
She looked forward to that day. Destiny was shifting. She didn’t know what the future held, but it was better than endless waiting.
She returned to her usual spot, smiling at Bai Jingxue. “When we’re alive again,” she said, her voice filled with a playful amusement, “I’m going to call you ‘Junior Sister’ in front of Luo Nianshang. It’ll be hilarious.”
Bai Jingxue, realizing she was serious, felt a headache forming.
She didn’t want to be Luo Nianshang’s senior. Luo Nianshang was so much older than her.
She held up three fingers, her voice tempting. “Three meals a day, and you don’t call me ‘Junior Sister’. Deal?”
Fang Xin’s eyes lit up. She wasn’t particularly greedy, but after centuries of solitude, her desires had been amplified.
“Deal,” she said, her voice cheerful.
Lü Qingyan, however, wasn’t happy. She pawed at Bai Jingxue’s chest, her voice a mournful whine. “You haven’t even cooked for me yet, Jingxue.”
Bai Jingxue, staring at her pitiful expression, felt like a terrible person.
Fang Xin, watching them, her gaze envious, then she remembered she should reciprocate. She floated towards her grave. “Come here,” she said. “I have something for you.”
Bai Jingxue followed her instructions, digging until she unearthed a small, glass lamp.
She carried the lamp back to her room, Lü Qingyan circling it curiously.
She hadn’t closed the door, so Luo Nianshang, passing by, paused, then knocked softly on the doorframe. “May I come in?”
Bai Jingxue smiled. “Of course.”
Luo Nianshang entered, settling onto a chair. She recognized the lamp. It had been a treasure she had acquired during her travels, shortly after Master Yue Lian’s death, when the Ejian Sect, its resources depleted, had fallen from grace.
She had been filled with rage, her heart consumed by a desire to protect her sect. She had ventured into countless dangerous secret realms.
She had acquired the lamp during that time. It possessed the ability to nourish souls. She had buried it beside Fang Xin’s grave.
So much time had passed that she could no longer remember the faces of those she had hated.
Lü Qingyan, seeing the sadness in Luo Nianshang’s eyes, approached her, placing a paw on her hand. “Are you sad, Venerable One?” she asked, her voice soft.
Luo Nianshang, watching her, her heart softening, shook her head. “No,” she said. “Just remembering the past.”
The entire righteous realm was currently searching for those statues. As she had expected, every sect had at least one, but that was only a fraction of them.
And there were places even the righteous sects couldn’t reach. Those were her responsibility. She was preparing to leave.
But then she remembered that Bai Jingxue and Lü Qingyan also possessed unusual destinies.
She turned to Bai Jingxue, her voice calm. “I have a request.”
There was a small, isolated kingdom far from the Ejian Sect. Its spiritual energy was weak, too weak to support a cultivation sect. It was simply a small mortal kingdom, known as Cang Xi.
Luo Nianshang took Bai Jingxue and Lü Qingyan there.
The moment they arrived, Bai Jingxue felt her spiritual energy vanish. She could maintain her human form, but her abilities were disabled.
Luo Nianshang, walking along a narrow path, explained, “This place is special,” she said. “No techniques work here. Everyone becomes a mortal upon entering.”
Bai Jingxue nodded, then she noticed a small shrine by the side of the path. And inside the shrine was a statue, its goddess cradling a bouquet of flowers.
This place was beyond the reach of the cultivation world, too remote, too insignificant. It was a neutral ground, ignored by all three realms. It wasn’t surprising to find a statue here.
Luo Nianshang crouched down, reaching for the statue, but a voice, loud and angry, stopped her.
“How dare you defile the goddess!” the voice shouted. “Stop!”
It had been a long time since anyone had dared to speak to her like that. She looked up, her brow furrowing.
A group of mortals, their clothes simple and worn, their hands wielding hoes and rakes, their expressions hostile, were rushing towards them. They were soon surrounded.
Bai Jingxue stepped in front of Lü Qingyan, shielding her. She wasn’t worried. Although her magic was disabled, her demonic strength remained.
The mortals, intending to teach these disrespectful outsiders a lesson, paused as they saw their faces, their beauty captivating. They exchanged glances.
Luo Nianshang, their assessing gazes making her uncomfortable, clenched her fists, her anxiety mixing with anger.
They were just three seemingly defenseless women. These mortals thought they could easily subdue them.
Their leader, his clothes slightly better than the others’, looked them up and down, a greedy smile spreading across his face. “My friends,” he said, his voice filled with excitement, “these are rare and valuable offerings!”
Lü Qingyan, unable to bear it, rolled up her sleeves, preparing to fight, but Bai Jingxue stopped her.
The villagers, seeing that these women weren’t afraid, their defiance unusual, one of them, wielding a wooden club, swung it at Luo Nianshang’s head.
Luo Nianshang didn’t even flinch. The club struck her head with a sickening thud, then snapped in two.
She brushed the wood shavings from her hair, her expression unchanged.
The villagers stared at her, their eyes wide with a mixture of shock and fear, then another one, his courage fueled by disbelief, also attacked, but Luo Nianshang didn’t hold back this time. She kicked him, sending him flying.
Seeing that she was too powerful, the others turned their attention to Bai Jingxue and Lü Qingyan.
Bai Jingxue, who had been enjoying the show, suddenly felt a surge of killing intent. She saw a hoe approaching, its sharp edge aimed at her head. She ducked, then grabbed the man’s throat, tossing him aside.
Before he could react, she placed her foot on his chest, her voice a low warning. “Move, and I’ll kill you.”
Lü Qingyan, jumping up and down, her voice filled with excitement, shouted, “Jingxue is so cool!”
Bai Jingxue’s cheeks flushed. This dog was always so loud and enthusiastic.
The villagers, realizing they had underestimated their opponents, their courage vanishing, abandoned their comrade, scattering in all directions.
Luo Nianshang, discarding the farming tools she had confiscated, crouched down, retrieving the statue.
The injured villagers, seeing this, their cries of pain forgotten, scrambled to their feet, rushing towards her.
Luo Nianshang didn’t hesitate. She crushed the statue, reducing it to dust.
And the moment the statue was destroyed, they collapsed, unconscious.
Bai Jingxue removed her foot from the man’s chest, exchanging a glance with Luo Nianshang. “There are more of them,” she said.
Luo Nianshang, brushing the dust from her hands, stared at the unconscious villagers, her expression troubled. “This kingdom’s primary deity is the evil god,” she said. “They rule according to her divine decrees.”
In other words, this kingdom was completely under the evil god’s control.
Bai Jingxue sighed. This was a difficult situation. No wonder Luo Nianshang had to handle it personally.
But she was surprised that Luo Nianshang had brought them along.
They hadn’t killed anyone, so these mortals would simply sleep for a while.
“Let’s go,” Luo Nianshang said. “The capital is still a long way from here.”
She turned and walked away.
Bai Jingxue, grabbing Lü Qingyan’s hand, followed. After a few steps, she heard Lü Qingyan’s voice, soft and close to her ear. “Jingxue, if you’re tired, tell me. I’ll carry you.”
In their past life, whenever Bai Jingxue had been tired, Lü Qingyan had always offered to carry her on her back.
She had always been happy to do so.
But this wasn’t their past life.
Bai Jingxue suddenly bent down, extending a hand behind her. “Hop on,” she said.
Lü Qingyan, stunned, then her face lighting up, jumped onto Bai Jingxue’s back, her arms wrapping around Bai Jingxue’s neck.
Luo Nianshang, hearing their laughter, glanced back at them, then quickly turned away, a sudden regret filling her heart.
“Perhaps I shouldn’t have brought them,” she thought.
Then, a moment later, her thoughts drifted to the Demon Lord.
She shook her head, dismissing the thought, then sighed.
Leave a Reply