Flirting with the Villain's Mother - Chapter 33

Shen Su left Fallen Moon City, carrying the rabbit eastward. After fleeing for two days and confirming they were far from the city, she finally slowed her pace.

Despite drinking a considerable amount of bl00d, Wei Nanyi showed no signs of transforming back from a small rabbit into a living person.

For the past few days, Shen Su had been carrying Wei Nanyi while traveling. She didn’t mind much, except for Wei Nanyi’s constant expressions of gratitude.

Whenever Wei Nanyi thanked her, Shen Su would bring up the Mirror Quilt and offer a few words of filial piety. She couldn’t be an unfilial descendant.

To be fair, a beauty was a beauty. Wei Nanyi’s rabbit form was not only visually stunning, but its fur also felt exceptionally soft. Shen Su couldn’t resist petting the rabbit, and fortunately, Wei Nanyi had a good temper and didn’t mind.

If it had been Jiang Xu, she would have been skinned alive twice over.

Even while traveling, Wei Nanyi would verbally transmit cultivation techniques to Shen Su, urging her to practice diligently. As a result, the spiritual power within Shen Su’s body had stabilized considerably.

Shen Su’s cultivation had reached the peak of the Qi Condensation Stage, but her combat prowess was only at the fifth layer of the stage at best. Wei Nanyi advised her not to rush her breakthrough, urging her to wait until her cultivation was more stable. Of course, this also meant finding a treasure land capable of completely suppressing the Phenomenon.

Foundation Establishment differs fundamentally from Qi Condensation. While Qi Condensation gradually reveals one’s Immortal Affinity, the quality of one’s Foundation Establishment determines a cultivator’s ultimate potential. Therefore, even when natural Foundation Establishment is possible, major sects still employ Medicinal Pills and Formation Arts to assist their disciples in achieving higher potential.

Shen Su need no longer worry about Foundation Establishment Pills, as Jiang Ruiping had gifted her an entire bottle.

However, cultivators with extraordinary talent often trigger celestial phenomena during Foundation Establishment. To conceal their disciples’ true strength, sects typically use Formation Arts to suppress the breakthrough aura.

The Male Lead, Yu Muhan, lacked such aura suppression. When he inadvertently merged with Jade Marrow, his bones and meridians were cleansed in a single day, leading to successful Foundation Establishment and triggering a celestial phenomenon. This earned him the title of Heaven’s Chosen, attracting the attention of major sects who flocked to Fallen Moon City to compete for his recruitment.

A sect’s future depends on the talent of its disciples, making gifted cultivators highly sought after.

Shen Su’s innate talent was undeniably exceptional. If her Foundation Establishment were to cause significant disturbances, she would inevitably draw the attention of major sects. However, both she and Wei Nanyi harbored secrets, making joining any sect a risky proposition.

The jade pendant left by Shen Yiwen could only conceal her aura, not suppress celestial phenomena.

Even if Wei Nanyi were to teach her Formation Arts now, it wouldn’t be something she could master in a short time. The best-case scenario would be stumbling upon a formation that could conceal their auras.

Of course, this was no easy task.

But compared to achieving Foundation Establishment, Shen Su had an even more pressing concern: she seemed to be lost.

Though Shen Su hadn’t yet decided where to take Wei Nanyi, she knew they needed to get far away from Approaching Immortals Mountain. So, after leaving Fallen Moon City, they had been heading east, hoping to put as much distance between themselves and the mountain as possible. Shen Su’s original plan had been to follow the cities along the way, preferably heading toward the most bustling ones.

Though living in the same world, cultivators and ordinary people existed more like deities and their worshippers.

If deities drew too close to their worshippers, the mortals would be terrified.

Moreover, most cultivators severed their ties to the mortal world the moment they embarked on the Immortal Path. Family and friends became strangers from that moment onward.

A cultivator’s lifespan far exceeded that of ordinary people. By embarking on the Immortal Path, they were destined to watch their loved ones die one by one. If they didn’t distance themselves, witnessing such constant death and separation would inevitably breed Inner Demons—a fatal threat to cultivators. Thus, most cultivators avoided mortal affairs and the company of ordinary people.

Unless it was a Sect-arranged trial or mission, cultivators rarely appeared so brazenly in bustling cities like they had when vying for the Heaven’s Chosen in Fallen Moon City. This meant Shen Su could avoid encountering cultivators as she traveled through the cities.

Fortunately, her cooking skills were lacking. The prosperous cities offered comfortable lodging for her and Wei Nanyi, along with delicious meals.

After all, she had plenty of money.

But the further they traveled, the fewer cities Shen Su saw.

The road wound endlessly through mountainous terrain.

Mountains stretched into mountains, an unbroken expanse of verdant green that seemed to stretch to infinity.

In these mountains, finding someone to ask for directions was nearly impossible.

Shen Su smoothed the rabbit’s fur with a worried frown. “Madam, are you hungry?”

She didn’t know what kind of mountains these were, but they hadn’t seen a single fruit along the way. They had encountered wild rabbits and chickens, which Shen Su managed to catch, but her cooking was terrible—mostly burnt. She forced down a few bites, but Wei Nanyi, in her current rabbit form, couldn’t eat meat. Even a trace of it would make her vomit. As a result, Wei Nanyi hadn’t eaten for over a day.

Shen Su realized her inexperience with long journeys. She had focused on bringing gold, silver, and other valuables, completely forgetting to pack any dried provisions.

Sensing Shen Su’s self-blame, the little rabbit shook its head vigorously. “Not hungry.”

If it weren’t for the rumbling in the rabbit’s stomach, Shen Su would have believed her.

Shen Su’s worry deepened.

Wei Nanyi knew some methods for finding her way, but these were techniques that couldn’t be learned through mere explanation.

Shen Su glanced up. Tender, emerald-green leaves hung thickly from the branches, their crisp, succulent appearance suggesting they were rich in moisture.

Though rabbits ate grass, she couldn’t actually pluck leaves for Wei Nanyi to eat.

Something was very wrong here.

Even at her worst, she was still a cultivator. No matter how vast this mountain was, her pace should have allowed her to traverse it long ago.

While Shen Su fretted, Wei Nanyi was equally troubled.

She sensed something amiss with the mountain, but high-level Formation Arts couldn’t be detected with mere spiritual power. Only someone of Jiang Ruiping’s caliber could discern the mountain’s true layout. Yet, trapped in her rabbit form, she remained unable to see through the mountain’s deception.

Shen Su carried the rabbit a while longer when suddenly she heard the clinking of chains.

Someone else is here!

Her heart leaped with hope, and she hurried toward the sound.

As she drew closer, she overheard a man’s voice: “Brother, that little girl seems to be heading our way.”

“We came to find her anyway—perfect timing! The silk she’s wearing is top-grade, and that jade hairpin in her hair is worth a fortune. We can rob her and buy rice and vegetables in town!”

“Brother, let’s hurry up and rob her, okay? I haven’t had rice in ages! I’m so tired of eating wild rabbits and pheasants every day!”

“……”

The voices overlapped, and Shen Su quickly estimated there were at least a dozen people.

They’re trying to rob me?

Have I run into mountain bandits? But these bandits sounded so young, nothing like the burly, rough-looking figures she’d always imagined. Of course, it was possible their voices were just youthful, and behind them lurked bearded, hulking men.

Shen Su pondered this silently.

Since she’d already been discovered, Shen Su walked openly toward the bandits’ location. Before she could see them, a massive, yellowish-brown figure suddenly burst from the dense forest. Startled, Shen Su stumbled back two steps.

Only then did she recognize the creature: a magnificent, towering tiger. A silver chain was fastened around its neck, clanging loudly as the beast charged forward.

A young boy, no older than thirteen or fourteen, sat astride the tiger’s back. He wore a long, faded yellow robe, washed pale with age. One hand gripped the tiger’s chain, while the other brandished a massive sword. Though slender and small, his eyes gleamed with sharp, unwavering determination, radiating an imposing aura.

Instead of immediately ordering the tiger to attack Shen Su, the boy pointed his massive sword at her and barked, “Attack!”

Shen Su recognized the voice—this was the “Big Brother” the mountain bandits had mentioned earlier.

He’s so young, Shen Su thought wryly. Before she could exchange a word with the boy, a swarm of small, wiry figures erupted from the forest. Each brandished a large saber, charging forward with ferocious momentum to block Shen Su’s path.

As Shen Su gazed at the swarming mass of mountain bandits, her expression gradually turned blank. It wasn’t that the bandits were particularly fearsome or grotesque; rather, she had never encountered such young highwaymen before.

She had already noticed the bandits’ childish voices earlier, but she hadn’t expected them to be an actual band of children.

The group consisted of both boys and girls. The oldest appeared to be around the same age as the young man, definitely no older than fourteen, while the youngest looked only five or six years old. The sight of the little girl brandishing a massive saber was comical; the blade towered over her, and she struggled to lift it above her head with both hands. Her frail body trembled under the weight, and Shen Su feared the saber might crush her.

The band of young mountain bandits surrounded Shen Su. The young man seated atop the tiger glared at her, his voice cold as he said, “Little girl, we won’t make things difficult for you. Just pay the road toll, and we’ll let you pass.”

Pfft.

Shen Su couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

She didn’t mean to mock the bandits, but the young man looked no older than fourteen. Though her current body was small, it was still eighteen years old. Being called “little girl” by someone so much younger felt absurd.

Her laughter made the young man’s eyes flash with fury. He glared fiercely at her. “What’s so funny?! This is Goddess Mountain! Without the Goddess Token, you’ll never escape!”

Goddess Mountain… Goddess Token…

So, there was something strange about this mountain after all.

Just as Shen Su was about to ask the young man about Goddess Mountain, the rabbit in her arms twitched its ears. “Miss Shen, are they really bandits? Their voices sound so young.”

“They’re just a bunch of kids,” Shen Su said.

“Kids? What are kids doing here?”

This was exactly what Shen Su wanted to ask.

Seeing Shen Su’s continued lack of reaction, the young man angrily swung his massive sword. “Take her down!”

At his command, the children swarmed toward Shen Su. The youngest girl glanced longingly at the rabbit in Shen Su’s arms before looking up at the young man. “Brother, Brother, can we take her rabbit too? It looks so pretty!”

The young man nodded. “Alright.”

The little girl’s face lit up with joy at his approval, but Shen Su’s expression darkened.

She hadn’t wanted to bother with a group of children, but their attempt to steal her rabbit angered her more than if they had tried to stab her.

The Jin Chuangyao prescribed by the physician had indeed been effective. Wei Nanyi’s leg had improved significantly over the past few days. Though still splinted, it no longer bled as easily as before. Shen Su tucked the rabbit into her arms and glared at the little girl, her voice firm. “You can take my money, but you can’t have the rabbit.”