Chapter 24: The Destined-to-be-Abandoned Good-for-Nothing (4) p2
That night.
Su Mingxiu wasn’t cultivating. Instead, she sat by the frozen lake, her feet submerged in the icy water, but she didn’t feel any discomfort. This frozen lake on Mount Lingyu was originally formed from a spiritual spring that the original owner had specifically sought out to heal her old injuries from the celestial lightning. The coldness, imbued with spiritual energy, could effectively soothe the pain in her meridians.
The night was windless, and the world was silent, with only the bright moon hanging high in the sky. The silver light illuminated everything on the mountain peak even more brightly.
Gui Mian had just brought the day’s medicine from the disciples of the Hundred Herbs Hall. She should have fully recovered after drinking it. As she passed by the lake, she saw the figure sitting by the frozen lake, as straight as a pine or bamboo, her ink-black hair cascading down like a waterfall. The bold ink strokes on her outer robe seemed to fade in comparison to her dark hair.
Gui Mian, holding the medicine bowl, stopped in her tracks. She stared at the scene before her for a while and couldn’t help but wonder:
Why am I standing here?
Unable to figure it out, she simply greeted Su Mingxiu. After her master responded with an indifferent “Hmm,” she continued walking towards the Untainted Abode with the medicine bowl. But after catching a glimpse of Su Mingxiu’s face and seeing a patch of green beside her legs submerged in the icy water, she stopped again.
It was the only green amidst the vast expanse of snow on Mount Lingyu.
Gui Mian’s eyes widened. “Master, what did you plant?”
Su Mingxiu opened her eyes and looked at the lotus plant by her knees. It had been soaking in the spiritual spring for a long time but had only grudgingly sprouted a single green leaf. Her long eyelashes lowered as she replied casually: “Just a little something.”
Actually, when Gui Mian used to practice on the Platform of Enlightenment, she had overheard the other disciples chatting, saying that there was a special spiritual spring on Mount Lingyu that only those with high cultivation could benefit from. Mortals and those with low cultivation, if they fell into it, their spiritual energy circulation wouldn’t be fast enough, and they would easily freeze into ice sculptures.
Now, seeing the small green seedling beside Su Mingxiu, Gui Mian quickly understood that it was most likely a spiritual plant.
All spiritual plants needed a place with abundant spiritual energy to thrive.
Although Gui Mian didn’t know why her master had planted this, the books said that a good disciple should always be helpful. She stared at the green leaf in the lake thoughtfully, an idea forming in her mind.
———
“What are you doing?”
Early the next morning.
Su Mingxiu had spent the entire night in her cave abode, poring over ancient books, researching Gui Mian’s condition of “unawakened consciousness and lack of emotions and desires.” She was about to go out and check on her when she saw the little girl squatting by the spiritual spring she had soaked in last night, pouring brown medicinal liquid from the bowl in her hand—
All over the delicate lotus leaf.
If she didn’t know that her disciple was special, Su Mingxiu would have already labeled her a troublemaker and given her a good beating.
The little girl, caught red-handed, subconsciously shrank her neck.
Su Mingxiu glanced at the medicine bowl in her hand. She knew that Gui Mian had already recovered. This was a tonic that Elder Tian Nanxing had specially concocted to strengthen Gui Mian’s body, seeing that she was finally showing some care for her disciple. But she didn’t explain this to the little girl.
Standing on the other side of the frozen lake, she curved her lips slightly, giving the illusion of gentleness, and asked: “Don’t want to drink it anymore?”
If someone who knew her well was there, they would have recognized that this expression was a precursor to her anger.
Although Gui Mian didn’t understand her emotional changes, she had an innate sense of danger. She quickly shook her head, her round, doe-like eyes looking at Su Mingxiu. “N-no, Master, I… I was saving it.”
She pointed earnestly at the small lotus leaf by the lake.
The imposing aura around Su Mingxiu dissipated without a trace. She took a few steps forward, her boots crunching on the ice. As she moved, the frozen lake that had been frozen all night began to melt again, forming ripples around her boots.
“Oh?”
Gui Mian didn’t seem to consider the consequences of her words being taken as nonsense. She said to Su Mingxiu with her usual earnestness: “Disciple… wanted to help Master water this spiritual plant this morning, but as soon as I got close, half of it turned yellow and wilted. I thought it was sick, so I wanted to give it medicine to save it.”
As Su Mingxiu approached, she saw that, apart from the brown stains of the medicinal liquid, half of the lotus leaf was indeed wilted.
And the moment she reached the edge of the lake, the lotus leaf, as if sensing her presence, tilted its leaf towards her, seemingly trying to please her.
The wilted half of the leaf slowly regained its green color and vitality the moment her fingertip touched it.
The immortal in the ink-stained robe frowned slightly. She pinched the thin stem of the lotus leaf and asked, as if to herself: “What are you?”
But the lotus leaf remained motionless.
Gui Mian carefully called out to her: “Master?”
Su Mingxiu looked up at her, not blaming her for causing the lotus leaf to wilt. Her expression returned to its usual calm indifference. “Spiritual plants are different from humans. Your medicine is useless to it. From now on, you must finish all the medicine sent by the Hundred Herbs Hall, every last drop.”
The little girl blinked and replied with an “Oh.”
Just then, the system suddenly jumped out: “Please help the female lead improve her strength as soon as possible! Make her reach the Foundation Establishment stage within three months! Failure penalty: Your meridian pain will increase tenfold during cultivation for one month.”
Then, seemingly casually, the system added: “Friendly suggestion, life-or-death situations are the easiest way for the female lead to improve her strength. For example, there’s a demon wreaking havoc in a village a hundred miles from here, and it’s at the middle stage of Foundation Establishment.”
Su Mingxiu listened to the mission details with an impassive expression. After the system finished speaking, she asked:
[Her inability to improve is clearly due to her chaotic consciousness and her inability to sense the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. Why would fighting a demon in a life-or-death situation help her improve?]
System: “That’s not for you to know.”
[Oh.]
So, right in front of the system, as Gui Mian finished the last drop of medicine in the jade bowl, Su Mingxiu reached out with her left hand, grabbed the bowl, and tossed it aside. With her other hand, she grabbed Gui Mian’s collar, lifting the girl with her cheeks still puffed out—
A surge of dense spiritual energy emanated from her body, completely melting the frozen lake beneath her feet. A cold, white mist of spiritual energy appeared, swirling around her robe.
“Circulate your spiritual energy.”
Su Mingxiu instructed indifferently.
Gui Mian quickly swallowed the remaining medicine in her mouth and obediently circulated her spiritual energy. But soon, she was enveloped by the mist from the spiritual spring. Water droplets condensed on her eyelashes and skin. Even though she hadn’t fallen into the spring, it was as if she had been thoroughly soaked. Even her newly changed clothes were completely wet.
This scene didn’t look like she was about to be thrown into the water, but rather like she had just been fished out by Su Mingxiu.
The concentration of spiritual energy was too high. The little disciple felt like she could barely breathe, her cheeks quickly turning red, her eyes becoming hazy. Only her instinct remained, following Su Mingxiu’s instructions, diligently circulating her spiritual energy.
Su Mingxiu couldn’t teach her any better techniques or methods of circulating spiritual energy while holding her like this.
After some thought, she sat down by the edge of the spring, expanded the lotus leaf with her spiritual power, and placed Gui Mian on it, separated by the spring water and enveloped in the spiritual mist. She was about to turn Gui Mian around so that her back was facing her, but as she reached out, her hand was suddenly caught and bitten by Gui Mian.
“Hmm?” She looked down at the limp figure lying on the green lotus leaf. Her clothes were soaked through, revealing the slender lines of her body. Her exposed skin, due to years of malnutrition, was pale and dazzling. And now this person was biting her finger.
It wasn’t just biting, but gnawing like a small animal.
Her fingertip was enveloped in a warm softness. Su Mingxiu couldn’t take it anymore and said in a low voice: “Let go!”
Gui Mian’s consciousness was hazy, her gaze meeting Su Mingxiu’s for a long time before she seemed to remember something. She loosened her grip on Su Mingxiu’s fingertip and muttered softly: “I finished it, every last drop.”
Su Mingxiu: “???”
She couldn’t help but glare at her little disciple, her anger turning into amusement. She was about to ask if the girl knew what she was saying when she suddenly realized something.
The next moment.
Su Mingxiu, with a complicated expression, lifted the finger that had been bitten by her disciple and brought it to her nose. As expected, a faint scent of the medicinal herbs lingered.
…Was it from when she moved the bowl away for her earlier?
She casually dipped her fingertip into the spring water and raised her other hand, wanting to help Gui Mian sit up from the lotus leaf. But the little one, dazed by the spiritual mist, swayed back and forth like a noodle, then fell back into Su Mingxiu’s arms.
Her wet clothes clung to Su Mingxiu’s robe.
The little disciple’s eyes, as if also affected by the mist, became hazy. She called out to her with a hoarse voice: “Master…”
But as soon as she opened her mouth.
That faint medicinal fragrance wafted out again.
Su Mingxiu’s eyelashes trembled uncontrollably. Her left hand, submerged in the spring, moved restlessly, splashing the water more vigorously, as if trying to wash away those traces that shouldn’t be there.
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