The Cub I Raised Turned Out to Be a Reborn Big Boss (GL) - Chapter 3
Wanxue Peak was perennially enveloped in layers of snow. Because Xue Qiancheng cultivated ice-attributed spiritual energy, the surrounding temperature was considerably lower due to the convergence of this energy.
Jiang Yixue first sent people to take the unconscious Li Wan to Wanxue Peak’s Medicine Hall. Then, she led Song Xi to Wanxue Hall on Wanxue Peak to meet Xue Qiancheng.
As they reached the foot of the mountain, she noticed Song Xi couldn’t help but shiver.
Her clothes had already been torn by Yan Zi’s sword qi, faintly revealing the delicate skin on her upper arms and shoulders, which turned crimson from the cold wind. Her cheeks were red from the wind, but her lips were deathly pale, yet she gritted her teeth without a sound, her back held straight, exuding stubbornness from her very bones.
A child of only ten, not crying, not fussing… Jiang Yixue sighed softly and took out a cloak from her interspatial bracelet, draping it over Song Xi.
The sudden warmth made Song Xi pause. Before she could resist, Jiang Yixue squatted down to meet her gaze. Her jade-like fingers wrapped around Song Xi’s neck, picked up the ties on the cloak, gently tied a knot, and then, in one smooth motion, straightened Song Xi’s clothes.
Jiang Yixue said with a hint of apology: “My apologies, I was careless.”
Meeting Xue Qiancheng so disheveled was quite rude, and Song Xi was aware of it, but she hadn’t said anything.
She deliberately wanted to appear disheveled and battered when meeting Xue Qiancheng. She wanted to know if Xue Qiancheng was truly aware of the actions of her own disciples.
Even Jiang Yixue’s jade talisman felt dirty to her, so the clothes were even more unbearable. Song Xi frowned, then untied the cloak and threw it back as quickly as possible: “I don’t need it.”
Children are all like this. Jiang Yixue remembered how, when she was little, her mother would tell her to wear clothes, and she’d stubbornly insist she wasn’t cold. But Song Xi’s stubbornness was a bit beyond Jiang Yixue’s imagination.
At times like this, one had to communicate slowly with a child; direct orders would only provoke rebellion. Jiang Yixue spoke softly: “Why don’t you need it? It’s very cold here.”
Song Xi frowned slightly. Jiang Yixue was truly annoying. She couldn’t very well say it was so Xue Qiancheng would see her current plight, so she casually found an excuse: “I don’t like wearing other people’s clothes.”
So that was it. Jiang Yixue breathed a sigh of relief and asked with a smile, “Then should we go back to your residence first?”
Song Xi still refused: “I don’t have any other clothes.”
She only had this one disciple uniform, and it was ruined today. Without her buying new clothes, Xi Xi’s quality of life had declined. Jiang Yixue’s heart softened: “Then let’s go to the Qiwu Pavilion first. Senior Sister will buy you new ones.”
How could a doll with only one outfit be considered a proper Barbie doll?
She remembered that when she played this game before, her friends jokingly called her playing “Miracle Xi Xi.”
Jiang Yixue quickly set a grand ambition: to ensure that Song Xi, like the Song Xi in the game, had a whole wardrobe of little dresses, a different one every day, which would surely look beautiful.
The Qiwu Pavilion was on Qiwu Peak, next to Wanxue Peak, serving as a small trading market within the Yuqing Sect. Disciples on training expeditions would acquire various rare treasures. Some that were useless to them would be brought to the Qiwu Pavilion for sale, simultaneously exchanging them for treasures they needed.
As Jiang Yixue entered the Qiwu Pavilion, she immediately drew the attention of those around her. As the Sect Master’s only direct disciple, Jiang Yixue held extremely high authority. As soon as she entered, an outer sect attendant came to greet her: “Senior Sister Jiang, what would you like to buy today?”
Jiang Yixue wasn’t impressed by the items displayed in the main hall. The first outfit she bought for her “doll” had to be a spirit artifact with a protective formation. Jiang Yixue slightly raised her chin and said, “Let’s go look at the inner chamber.”
As Jiang Yixue and Song Xi’s backs ascended the stairs, the disciples in the hall exchanged glances and whispered amongst themselves.
“Who’s that little girl? Why is she with Senior Sister Jiang?”
“That blue-green cloak has crane patterns embroidered on it, and there are hidden snowflake patterns in the formation along the edges. You can tell it’s only for direct disciples of Wanxue Peak.”
“Are you saying those clothes are Senior Sister Jiang’s?”
“Tsk, tsk, who doesn’t know Senior Sister Jiang has always been generous to her junior brothers and sisters. I heard today an outer sect female disciple was rude to Yan Zi of Wanxue Peak and was almost beaten to death on the sparring platform. It was Senior Sister Jiang herself who went to save her.”
“An outer sect disciple causing such a scene? How audacious!”
“I heard that outer sect disciple’s good friend is the direct disciple of Elder Han, the chief elder of the Enforcement Hall…”
“A direct disciple? Elder Han hastily left the sect after taking on a disciple. This departure could last ten years or so. In the end, isn’t she still the same as us? And although Elder Han’s status is high, can it be higher than the Sect Master’s? That outer sect disciple was simply presumptuous, some country bumpkin from who knows where, doesn’t know how to appreciate favors.”
Song Xi’s hands, hanging at her sides, clenched tightly, her eyes darkening.
So, this was how the story spread: Yan Zi and Yan Ming’s constant humiliation of Li Wan somehow turned into Li Wan being ungrateful.
Ultimately, it was because Yan Zi and Yan Ming had Wanxue Peak backing them, and the person supporting them was Jiang Yixue.
Song Xi glanced sideways at Jiang Yixue beside her.
She was currently conversing with the outer sect attendant, her faint smile coupled with her cold, noble demeanor made her irresistibly beautiful. Jiang Yixue always had that annoying, high-and-mighty air about her.
In the end, Jiang Yixue made herself look good, gained a good reputation, and even brought her to the Qiwu Pavilion to hear these rumors.
Did she think that hearing these words would make her cause trouble in the Qiwu Pavilion?
Song Xi’s lips curled into a slight smile. The Qiwu Pavilion housed a vast collection of treasures accumulated by the Yuqing Sect over many years, and it was heavily guarded. Causing trouble here was a severe violation and would lead to immediate expulsion from the sect.
Song Xi was almost certain that Jiang Yixue’s intention today was to humiliate her. She wanted to provoke her and achieve her own goals.
In her previous life, after learning that secret manual, Song Xi almost became a bloodthirsty demon. She had killed countless people and heard far worse things than this. These words no longer affected her heart.
The inner chamber of the Qiwu Pavilion was on the second floor, and the defense items section displayed many shimmering dresses. These were all spiritual items; once bound to a master, they could change according to the wearer’s body size. They were not only beautiful but also offered extremely strong defensive capabilities.
Jiang Yixue almost got dazzled seeing these dresses. In her previous life, she loved buying clothes for the dolls in her room. But even those exquisite clothes couldn’t compare to these spiritual artifacts. Each one contained boundless spiritual energy, radiating light—they were practically the fighter jets of little dresses.
After looking around, she asked, “Which one does Xi Xi like?”
“So Senior Sister Jiang is buying for Junior Sister?” The outer sect disciple who had been accompanying and guiding them looked at Song Xi with envy. “This one dress alone is worth a fortune. Senior Sister Jiang is so good to Junior Sister.”
Song Xi pretended to seriously choose, as instructed. Since Jiang Yixue wanted to appear kind to her, and she wanted to feign being a good person, she wouldn’t refuse. She’d see how long this hypocritical Senior Sister Jiang could keep up the pretense.
She pretended to choose for a long time, but she already had a target in mind—the dress displayed in the very center of this floor.
It was a deep purple dress. Song Xi had seen many fine things in her previous life and recognized it almost instantly. The material for this dress was jiao xiao, a silk produced only by the Merman clan in the Western Sea Realm. The peach blossom patterns, woven with heavenly silkworm thread, contained abundant spiritual energy.
Although the Yuqing Sect’s truly best items wouldn’t be displayed here, this dress could be considered a mid-grade spirit artifact and was the highest grade on this floor. Of course, its price was also astonishing—580,000 contribution points.
Items in the Qiwu Pavilion were not priced in spirit stones but in contribution points, which circulated within the Yuqing Sect. These contribution points could be obtained by completing sect missions or by selling items to the Qiwu Pavilion.
The attendant, seeing Song Xi finally stop in front of this dress, immediately stepped forward with a beaming smile and said, “This junior sister has excellent taste! This was obtained by an elder during his travels in the Western Sea Realm a few days ago. It is truly a rare treasure.”
Song Xi’s voice was very soft, and her eyes showed some hesitation as she dared not look at Jiang Yixue: “But… Senior Sister… it’s too expensive…”
There wasn’t a trace of a smile in Song Xi’s eyes; instead, there was a hint of coldness. Wasn’t she supposed to pretend to be a good person? Then she would ask for it directly in public, making Jiang Yixue unable to decline.
The delicate little “doll” lowered her head, her two hands clutching the edge of the cloak, twisting and turning it with a troubled expression. Her long eyelashes fluttered in the air, looking somewhat pitiful. She was still a child, after all, and felt embarrassed asking for an outfit.
Seeing Song Xi’s conflicted look, appearing both fond of it and troubled, Jiang Yixue gently smiled, took out her token, and tossed it to the attendant: “I’ll take this dress.”
She was already accustomed to spending money on her “Barbie dolls” in the game in her previous life. What was this amount of money for a little dress?
Although Jiang Yixue thought this, seeing only 300,000 contribution points remaining on her token, she still couldn’t help but feel a pang of heartache.
Raising a “doll” in reality was expensive. It seemed she would have to work hard to earn money in the future.
When Song Xi reappeared before Jiang Yixue, she was wearing that purple dress.
The jiao xiao was soft and form-fitting, and the layered skirt flowed down, making Song Xi’s small body stand tall and slender like a green onion. The faintly circulating formation shimmered gently, and a blossoming peach branch adorned the skirt, swaying open with each of Song Xi’s steps.
Song Xi’s slightly flushed cheeks looked so tender that water could be squeezed from them, and her eyes were as clear as black obsidian. Although young, her beauty was striking, especially with this purple dress on. Her slightly upturned eyes subtly exuded a hint of allure.
“So beautiful,” Jiang Yixue blinked.
Jiang Yixue hadn’t expected Song Xi to suit such an intensely vibrant color so well.
The attendant also chimed in with praise: “Exactly! No wonder Senior Sister was willing to pay such a high price. Junior Sister looks like a celestial being in this outfit.”
There was some exaggeration, but it struck a chord in Jiang Yixue’s heart. How could the “doll” she raised not be beautiful!
Reaching out, she ruffled Song Xi’s little head. The soft, fluffy sensation made Jiang Yixue somewhat reluctant to let go: “Xi Xi, do you like this dress?”
Being so close, Song Xi could smell Jiang Yixue’s faint, fresh scent, like the crispness of winter plum blossoms in the snow.
But Song Xi’s face darkened almost instantly. She lowered herself slightly and retreated, pulling away from Jiang Yixue’s hand. Song Xi had a bit of a psychological cleanliness obsession. Thinking that the owner of this hand harbored dirty intentions, she felt a little disgusted.
As Song Xi retreated, she frowned slightly and softly replied, “I like it.”
Song Xi hadn’t expected Jiang Yixue to actually buy it for her, and now she felt a bit stuck. However, she accepted it quickly. Although Jiang Yixue bought it, she hadn’t touched it, so it wasn’t that dirty, and she could still accept it. Anyway, she had no money to buy clothes now, so she would just make do with this.
The soft, sweet child’s voice flowed gently past her ears like a stream winding through a mountain ravine.
Jiang Yixue looked at Song Xi, who had slightly lowered her head, her eyes full of smiles. The child was actually shy from being praised… The female lead in her childhood phase was really so soft; she was definitely the cutest child in the whole world!