The Villain Fox's Sickly Beauty Master - Chapter 2
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- Chapter 2 - You Too Want to Become Immortal Venerable Luanqiu's Disciple?
Chapter 2: You Too Want to Become Immortal Venerable Luanqiu’s Disciple?
Fu Yi had been raised within the Canglan Immortal Sect. When she was young, no one dared to bully her, perhaps out of consideration for her birth mother, Fu Yanqing. Although she hadn’t formally joined any lineage, all her provisions were accorded the standards of an inner disciple, and the Sect Master arranged for her to live on the main peak.
Before leaving the sect, Fu Yanqing had informed Sect Master Xuan Mingzi that she would definitely return to the sect within ten years and personally instruct Fu Yi.
However, ten years passed, and Fu Yanqing not only failed to return but also left no trace of her existence.
Throughout the entire continent, Mahayana Stage powerhouses were rare and highly conspicuous, yet she seemed to have vanished all these years. There was only talk of someone seeing her in the Yulian Mountain Range, the border between the human and demon races; besides that, there was no other news.
Although the lifespan of cultivators is long, conflicts with the Demon Realm had never ceased since the founding of the Canglan Immortal Sect.
The Immortal Sect was located in the far north, closest to the Demon Realm’s Heavenly Disability where the demon race lived. Every year, the sect suffered heavy losses defending against the Demon Realm’s invasion, and many talented cultivators could silently perish somewhere.
While ten years might not be long for a cultivator, it was a gulf in terms of memory.
As time went on, fewer people discussed this former prodigy, and rumors of her possible demise spread like wildfire.
Many even speculated that Fu Yi was not Fu Yanqing’s daughter at all. These voices grew louder, and more people cast disdainful glances at Fu Yi.
The human heart is always the most unpredictable thing. Although no one dared to kick her out of the sect, Fu Yi began to be ostracized everywhere.
When she was ten, several disciples pushed her into the cold pond behind the mountain while she was picking fruit, taking advantage of her distraction. They called her a bastard clinging to the Immortal Sect and then left joyfully.
Fu Yi was left in the bone-chilling pond water. She clutched at the weeds on the bank several times, but they snapped, leaving several large gashes on her hands.
This isn’t the first time. What’s the point of living like this?
Fu Yi often thought this when she was bullied.
She also wished to be born with both parents present, to have someone to shield her from everything. Even if she couldn’t stay in the infinitely glamorous Canglan Immortal Sect that everyone yearned for, she would be perfectly content just to be born into a farming family, living a simple, humble life every day.
Perhaps this is it…
Fu Yi’s struggling strength suddenly waned. Due to the icy pond water, her lips and cheeks were turning purple from the cold, and her eyelids were slowly drooping.
She was so tired. She didn’t want to keep going.
Just as her consciousness was about to fade, she felt someone embrace her. Her forehead touched a warmth, and a faint, slightly bitter scent of medicinal herbs lingered around her. She forced her eyes open, but only saw a blurry face before falling unconscious again.
When she woke up, Fu Yi found herself lying in a bed, dressed in a new gown. The surroundings were strange, but on closer inspection, she could faintly smell the same fragrance she had encountered before she passed out.
In this situation, instead of gratitude, Fu Yi felt more alert. Although she was young, she had seen the two-faced hypocrisy of the people in the sect, and she had experienced many instances of people saving her life only to ridicule her afterward.
As she looked around, the wooden door in front of her was pushed open. The person who entered wore a cyan robe, had a jade flute tucked into her waist, and carried a bowl of medicinal soup. However, her lips were pale, giving her a sickly appearance.
If any slightly older disciples were present, they would recognize her immediately: this was Immortal Venerable Luanqiu of Shuiyun Peak.
“You’re awake? I don’t know how long you were soaking in the water. It’s too cold for someone who hasn’t cultivated; it’s easy to get a permanent ailment. So, be a good girl and drink the medicine.”
Saying this, the person moved closer. But with her movement, Fu Yi instinctively leaned back, assuming a defensive posture.
The person was momentarily startled but then smiled. She picked up the small wooden spoon in the bowl and tasted the medicine herself, frowning at the bitterness.
“It’s alright, it’s just a bit bitter. See, I drank some too.” After speaking, Luanqiu seemed to realize something else. She pulled out a candied fruit from nowhere: “I heard children are afraid of taking medicine. How about this: you drink the medicine, and I’ll give you the candied fruit. How does that sound?”
Since she could remember, Fu Yi had never heard such coaxing words. She slowly took the bowl offered to her, looked at the dark medicine inside, pursed her lips, and then pinched her nose and gulped it down. Her small face was tightly wrinkled, but she still swallowed the medicine.
Luanqiu was slightly surprised by the child’s decisiveness. But then she saw Fu Yi extend her small, short fingers, seemingly asking for the candied fruit. This manner of feigning composure while still revealing a childlike nature made her smile.
“Open your mouth.”
Unlike her previous resistance, Fu Yi obediently listened this time. She expected the promised candied fruit to be placed in her mouth, but instead, she saw the woman raise her hand and form a spell, and the bitter taste flooding her mouth instantly vanished.
Her dark, bright eyes were filled with shock, but also a hint of loss. As if guessing Fu Yi’s thoughts, the promised candied fruit was handed over to her at that moment.
“Eat.”
Even though Fu Yi wasn’t fond of sweets, much less something this overly sweet, the moment she received the candied fruit, she stuffed her cheeks full, like a little squirrel.
Seeing this, Jiang Jinheng couldn’t help but pinch Fu Yi’s still-chubby cheek and gently asked: “No matter what happens, you must not seek death again next time, understand?”
Seeing Fu Yi look somewhat confused, she sighed helplessly: “With your excellent root aptitude, your future cultivation will definitely be smooth. If you seek death, won’t you be playing right into the hands of those who humiliated you?”
She didn’t know if the seven- or eight-year-old child understood these words. But since she had woken up, Jiang Jinheng hadn’t heard her utter a single word. Just as she was about to turn and leave, she was grabbed by the hem of her clothes. A childish voice rang out from behind her.
“I wasn’t trying to die. Someone pushed me into the pond. I didn’t have the strength to struggle, so I nearly drowned there.”
Fu Yi didn’t know why she felt compelled to explain herself to this woman she had only just met, but seeing her leaving back made her heart panic.
Looks like she didn’t grow up to be a mute.
Jiang Jinheng gently acknowledged with an “Mm,” indicating she understood. But seeing Fu Yi still clutching her skirt hem, she had no choice but to explain that she needed to go gather more herbs before she was finally let go.
After the Senior Sister left, Jiang Jinheng intentionally paid attention to Fu Yi, but she was usually too busy to run into her many times. When she occasionally saw her, and observed her excellent spiritual root aptitude and lingering tenacity, she was relieved, but she hadn’t expected the child to be so clingy.
It was normal to become attached to people after being pushed into a cold pond and harmed.
A cold glint flashed in Jiang Jinheng’s eyes at this thought.
For the next half-month, Fu Yi lived in that wooden house. She was curious about the woman’s identity but didn’t dare to ask too many questions. It was the most cherished time of her life in all those years.
However, after half a month, Sect Master Xuan Mingzi noticed Fu Yi’s disappearance, clarified the sequence of events, punished the disciples who had pushed her into the cold pond, and tracked her down to her current residence. He said he had handled the matter appropriately and intended to take her back to her former lonely and desolate courtyard.
Fu Yi kept looking at the woman with the flowing, gentle eyes, but the woman only chuckled softly and handed her a jade whistle.
“Go. If you are ever bullied again, remember to blow this.”
It was only much later that Fu Yi learned from others that the person who saved her that day was Immortal Venerable Luanqiu of Shuiyun Peak.
Her health was poor, but she had a natural affinity with medicinal herbs. Every autumn, she would move to the sect’s Herb Garden, which was very close to the cold pond. She was picking herbs behind the mountain at the time, so saving Fu Yi was quite a coincidence.
However, that jade whistle was never blown. Instead, she wore it on a string around her neck, hanging over her heart.
The Canglan Immortal Sect held elections every three years. Back when she was ten, the same year Fu Yanqing failed to return for the ten-year promise, the Sect Master had asked about her willingness and was keen to take her as his disciple.
Fu Yi did not dislike Xuan Mingzi. His willingness to care for an orphan like her because of her mother was already the height of benevolence.
But she didn’t like the Canglan Immortal Sect. She didn’t like those so-called cultivators.
These people all claimed to be righteous individuals, slaying demons and resisting evil. Yet, behind closed doors, they committed countless acts of harming fellow disciples, bullying the weak, and colluding with outsiders.
Sometimes, returning teams would bring back high-level demon beasts. These would either be forcibly contracted by certain disciples or, if they could take human form and were beautiful, become cauldrons for cultivation replenishment.
For some reason, every time Fu Yi saw those injured demons lying in cages, emitting whimpering sounds, she couldn’t help but feel her eyes turn red, feeling an urge to rush over and fight these people.
Thus, she requested Xuan Mingzi to allow her to leave the mountain gate when she turned sixteen. From then on, her life and death would have nothing to do with the Canglan Immortal Sect. Xuan Mingzi agreed at the time.
Now, she was only three months away from leaving the Immortal Sect. However, news had spread from this year’s disciple selection that Immortal Venerable Luanqiu of Shuiyun Peak planned to take a disciple, and only one inner-chamber disciple.
Fu Yi’s heart was stirred. Since their first encounter, she had never seen that person up close again. Every autumn, that wooden house was never visited by anyone. After some inquiries, she found out that after that year, Immortal Venerable Luanqiu had fallen seriously ill and did not receive outsiders.
The memory ended. Fu Yi was still looking at the person on the platform. She was thinner, but still as stunningly beautiful as she was at their first meeting.
If there were no accidents, Fu Yi would have continued to stare at that person until the spiritual root selection began. However, a sea-blue vertical harp was suddenly placed in front of her, forcing her to avert her gaze.
The person who arrived was none other than Qi Ranyan, who had challenged Fu Yi earlier. She followed Fu Yi’s gaze and saw the eminent figure among the Immortal Venerables. She was startled for a moment, but then anger rose on her face, and she couldn’t help but sneer.
“No way, you too want to become Immortal Venerable Luanqiu’s disciple?”
Everyone knew that Immortal Venerable Luanqiu was the most favored junior disciple of the sect’s Grandmaster, the youngest Integration Stage Immortal Venerable in the sect, and if not for her lack of interest in sect affairs and her inherently weak constitution, the position of Sect Master would have been reserved for her.
In Qi Ranyan’s mind, Fu Yi was a mere piece of trash, an orphan. Only a member of an aristocratic family like herself was worthy of the incomparably graceful Immortal Venerable Luanqiu.
Thinking this, she raised her hand to strike this presumptuous person, but at the moment of impact, her wrist was seized by someone. Sharp pain spread through her wrist bone. She looked up in terror, only to meet a pair of ice-cold eyes.
“Luan… Immortal Venerable Luanqiu…”