Master 02

She shouted at Shen Wanwan.

Shen Wanwan looked at her and sneered, "Why are you asking about him? Do you even know him? He's the pride of our generation—what are you compared to him?"

She turned to leave but then added to the person beside her, "What a shame Ling Feng is about to marry Fairy Caixia. Otherwise, I might have tried my luck. Ah, to be his one and only—marrying him must be bliss."

Shen Xiaoxiao felt as if she had been struck by lightning.

After enduring a hundred days of lashings, she was thrown back into her remote little hut. A senior disciple came to announce her judgment: her cultivation would be abolished, and she would be expelled from the sect.

Shen Xiaoxiao’s expression was numb.

Her heart was filled with despair and agony. Looking back on her life, it had been nothing but a joke.

Tomorrow, she would be cast out of the sect. As if guided by some unseen force, Shen Xiaoxiao recalled the forbidden artifact mentioned by the disciplinary hall disciples. Under the cover of night, she sneaked into its hiding place—perhaps for the first time, fortune favored her, as the process went smoothly.

She found the "forbidden artifact"—a demonic weapon. When she touched it, as if sensing the immense pain in her heart, it unexpectedly awakened the remnant soul of the Demon Lord hidden within.

Shen Xiaoxiao was corrupted. In exchange for her beauty and lifespan, she cultivated the technique provided by the Demon Lord.

She hid in the underground caverns beneath the sect.

The Xuantian Sect faced her vengeance. One night, she slaughtered most of its disciples. When she pursued Shen Wanwan, the sect master intervened. But Shen Xiaoxiao’s reckless, life-risking fighting style instilled fear even in him, especially with the Demon Lord’s remnant soul aiding her.

The Xuantian Sect was nearly annihilated.

Shen Xiaoxiao’s infamy spread throughout Yunzhou. Two voices now echoed in her mind—one her own, the other the Demon Lord’s. She continued her slaughter, particularly targeting Fairy Caixia and the renowned Ling Feng. Finally, she confronted Ling Feng again.

She had the chance to kill Fairy Caixia, but Ling Feng shielded her. In that moment, Shen Xiaoxiao seemed to glimpse the Ling Feng of the past, the one whose eyes had once held starlight. Her heart softened. The Demon Lord seized control of her body to strike them down, but she resisted. In the end, Ling Feng’s sword pierced her heart, and she wore an expression of relief.

As her soul scattered, she heard Ling Feng’s whispered apology.

No regrets in this life.

"Bullshit!" Fang Zhiyi scratched his head in frustration. "Why didn’t she stab him to death? No—why not kill both of them?"

Little Hei burped. "That’s you. She wasn’t a demonic cultivator like you. Deep down, she was still pure and kind-hearted. You wouldn’t understand."

"Who am I? Tell me!" Fang Zhiyi cracked his knuckles.

"Master Qingxu."

"Damn. Fine."

Fang Zhiyi stood up, testing the spiritual energy within his body, then sat back down.

"This original owner’s foundation is wrecked beyond belief," Fang Zhiyi grumbled. "Little Hei, what’s the sect master’s cultivation level?"

"Late-stage Nascent Soul."

"...And he dares act so arrogantly with just that?"

Though Fang Zhiyi couldn’t bring his cultivation from other worlds here, his experience and methods were leagues beyond this realm.

It took him seven full days to repair the damaged foundation.

Shen Xiaoxiao was washing clothes as usual. Today, her senior brother had assigned her even more chores—if she didn’t hurry, she wouldn’t finish in time.

She glanced wistfully into the distance, where her "master’s" peak stood. Since joining the sect, she had never met him. They said he might emerge from seclusion in a few years, and perhaps then, her life would become easier. Though the outer sect taught the basics of cultivation, she barely had time to learn.

"Shen Xiaoxiao! Where are the herbs I asked you to dry?" A familiar voice approached. Shen Xiaoxiao suddenly remembered—Young Lady Wanwan had tasked her with drying medicinal herbs.

"Oh no!" She scrambled to her feet. "I’m sorry, Young Lady! I forgot! Yesterday, Senior Brother Nie Xiao had me clean the training hall, and I worked too late..."

Shen Wanwan’s face darkened. She didn’t even listen to the explanation. "You dare make excuses? Those herbs were supposed to be delivered to the alchemy peak today! The senior brother finally agreed to refine the Longevity Pill for me, and you—!"

Her frown deepened as nearby disciples turned to watch.

"Is Shen Wanwan bullying Shen Xiaoxiao again?"

"Their names sound so similar—like sisters."

"Sisters? Shen Wanwan made it clear—Shen Xiaoxiao is just a servant’s daughter, leeching off their family..."

"Like dogs biting each other. One’s a natural-born waste with mixed spiritual roots, the other’s a brat who flaunts her master’s status as the sect leader."

Some watched with amusement.

Their whispers were interrupted by a cough behind them.

"Elder Zhong!" Someone turned and hastily stepped aside. The disciplinary elder had arrived—a ruthless figure whom everyone avoided.

Slap! A crisp sound rang out.

The crowd turned back to see Shen Xiaoxiao clutching her cheek, eyes brimming with grievance. "Young Lady... why did you hit me...?"

"Hit you?" Shen Wanwan scoffed. "You dare talk back to me now? If this were the Shen family, I’d beat your mother too!"

"You—"

"What, you still have complaints?" Shen Wanwan’s glare sharpened, but the disciple beside her intervened. "Junior Sister, let it go. Why bother with a waste like her?"

Shen Wanwan glanced at her senior brother and reluctantly lowered her hand.

"What’s going on here?" Elder Zhong strode forward.

Before Shen Xiaoxiao could speak, Shen Wanwan pointed at her. "She ruined my alchemy plans!"

"Oh?"

Shen Xiaoxiao tried to defend herself, but all she managed was a stammered, "I... I forgot."

Elder Zhong glanced at Shen Wanwan’s group, then at the outer sect disciple, and snorted. "If you’ve done wrong, you’ll be punished."

"Punish my ass!"

Elder Zhong’s face twisted in fury. "Who dares speak to me like that?!"

He turned and saw a face both unfamiliar and eerily familiar.

For a moment, he froze. "F-Fang... Elder Fang... You..." His eyes darted to Fang Zhiyi’s body.

"Me what? Thought I was dead, didn’t you? So you bullied my disciple like this?"

"You—you—how can an immortal cultivator spew such vulgarities?" Elder Zhong was at a loss for words.

Meanwhile, Shen Xiaoxiao was stunned. She looked up at the man in the grayish-blue robe—was this her master? The grievances in her heart surged with sudden excitement.

She had secretly dreamed of her master emerging to teach her cultivation, freeing her from menial labor. But now that he stood before her, her mind went blank.

Fang Zhiyi glanced at her, then swept his gaze over the surrounding disciples.

"All disciples of Qingxu Peak—step forward!"