Extra: Little Yingling, The Story Begins

Outside the high wall, voices rose in a clamor.

Within the high wall, one person sat alone in silence, listening to the uproar beyond.

In an inconspicuous corner, Li Yingling curled herself into a ball. She lifted her gaze toward the azure sky, and toward the high wall that shut out the noise.

The commotion outside could not melt away the strict rules within.

For instance, the old woman standing not far away. No matter how ceaselessly the world beyond the wall clamored, she did not dare take her eyes off Li Yingling for even a moment.

Li Yingling liked lively places.

People always yearned for what they could not have.

The things one loved were always beyond reach. Perhaps that was simply the way of life.

Ever since her mother had passed away, the last remnants of warmth and concern had vanished with her.

Now, all that remained for Li Yingling was this secluded corner and a heart grieving in solitude.

Li Yingling was exceptionally intelligent. Even the scraps she had picked up by secretly listening in, or the few lessons she had overheard in passing, were enough to crush the heirs of the marquis’s household who had labored so painstakingly in their studies.

She had once hoped to use that intelligence to change the circumstances of both herself and her mother.

But sometimes, being disliked was enough to erase every effort and all talent.

Her father had never liked her mother, and naturally, he did not like Li Yingling either.

When he looked at Li Yingling, there was no delight in his eyes—only astonishment, and anger that she was not someone else.

In the Xuanwu Kingdom, even an intelligent woman had her limits.

That intelligence, that ability worthy of being called genius, had never been seriously cultivated. Instead, it had simply been turned into a bargaining chip and placed upon the table of profit.

The household of Minister Wang had an idiot son known throughout the capital.

Even with someone watching over him, he would end up filthy, drooling as he stared at the women in the streets and babbled, “A-ba, a-ba.”

It was said that he still needed to be fed by others.

Li Yingling’s reputation for intelligence had spread far and wide, and naturally, it had drawn the attention of Minister Wang’s household.

An idiot son needed a clever wife. That way, there might at least be some hope that their future grandson would inherit a measure of intelligence.

The marquis’s household had also declined greatly in influence. At this moment, it needed the support of a prominent official in the imperial court to preserve what remained of its standing.

It was a transaction. So long as the people making the deal were satisfied, no one cared what the merchandise thought.

Li Yingling’s gaze passed through the high wall.

If she submitted, she would be merchandise.

Only by refusing could she remain her own person.

Since the father who was supposed to be hers treated her as merchandise, Li Yingling would cast aside all hesitation and live for herself.

This towering wall could not hold back a woman hailed as a genius.

Li Yingling had already climbed over it in secret many times. She liked lively places, and she understood that liveliness would never come looking for her. So she would find every possible way to run toward it.

Now she needed to consider how to avoid pursuit and searches completely after she escaped.

The books said that immortals possessed divine senses extending ten thousand zhang, and could even detect the flutter of a butterfly’s wings.

Li Yingling knew she would have only one chance to get away.

She had to flee completely—and flee quickly.

Once they caught her and dragged her back, she would never have another opportunity.

Li Yingling drew a slow, gentle breath, calming the unease in her heart.

Whatever happened, she had to fight for her own life at least once.

In this world, the one person she could never give up on was herself.

Tonight was the night of a grand festival, and there would be no curfew.

Only amid the surging sea of people could she hope to confuse the cultivators and immortals who might come searching for her.

Night fell as promised.

The commotion tonight was no less than during the day—in fact, it was even greater.

Li Yingling had made up an excuse and used a few tricks to shake off the servants assigned to keep watch over her. Then, with her footsteps and heartbeat racing toward their peak, she darted onward.

She crossed the grass and passed through the artificial rockery.

Moving the objects she had arranged in advance, she skillfully assembled several seemingly unrelated items into a makeshift staircase sturdy enough to carry her over the high wall.

Without hesitation, Li Yingling stepped onto it. She reached out to steady herself against the wall, then turned and kicked the assembled objects back into a tangled heap.

As long as they failed to realize that the objects could be put together into a makeshift staircase, they might not discover that she had escaped. That would buy her some time.

Li Yingling lowered her head and looked at the ground below, which was still an intimidating distance away. She had originally planned to prepare something like a simple grappling hook, but even if she put it away afterward, it would leave traces.

So tonight, she had to summon the courage to jump.

Li Yingling had no idea whether a jump from such a high wall would break her legs, but she had no other choice.

“Goodbye forever.”

Li Yingling glanced back at the Marquis’s residence, her voice firm and natural. Then, without the slightest hesitation, she leaped down.

On the street, the bustle had become something tangible.

The long avenue was filled with a seemingly endless sea of people, while lanterns illuminated it as brightly as daylight.

Conversations and laughter merged into the background.

Li Yingling peered out from a side alley, her gaze drawn to the lanterns, which seemed to glow.

She took two deep breaths, then strode forward, plunging into the crowd and toward the freedom that belonged to her—a freedom in which she would no longer be defined as a mere commodity.

Lanterns threaded through the throng like flowers, their long poles tipped with red.

As Li Yingling hurried along, she suddenly came to a stop. She took out the little money she had and bought a mask from a street stall. Her vision was somewhat obscured, but she put it on anyway.

The crowd surged around her. It seemed that no one would be able to find Li Yingling now.

Moving against the flow of people, Li Yingling began making her way toward the city gates.

The capital was vast, and there were guards everywhere.

Yet before long, soldiers began searching the streets.

Their reaction was so swift that even Li Yingling found it difficult to believe.

Li Yingling stood by the roadside. She did not know whether they were searching for her, but she did not dare take the risk.

“Holy crap… Seriously?”

Suddenly, a clear male voice rang out beside her.

Li Yingling instinctively turned her head and saw an exceptionally handsome young man staring at her in shock and disbelief. It was as if he could see straight through the mask on her face, straight through to the panic beneath it.

She did not think much about it and immediately prepared to run.

But in the next moment, the young man seemed to appear out of nowhere and seized her sleeve.

The young man spoke in a solemn tone:

“The Li Marquis household is offering two spirit stones. Minister Wang is offering fifteen.”

Li Yingling’s heart sank. She struggled desperately to break free, but the young man’s grip did not budge. After hearing those words, she did not dare shout and draw everyone’s attention.

But soon, a single sentence from the young man made her stop moving.

“Marrying the idiot is indeed rather inhumane, but expecting to escape on your own is underestimating cultivators.” The young man lowered his handsome face, then blinked. “I was only out for a stroll and never intended to capture you. It just so happened that I ran into you—a poor wretch who really shouldn’t have been this unlucky.”

“Hmm... Actually, that’s not quite right. After meeting me, you can hardly still call yourself unlucky.”

“Miss of the Marquis’s Estate, if you don’t want to marry the idiot, there’s another path you can take.”

Li Yingling finally spoke, her voice filled with deep suspicion:

“What path?”

“Join the number one immortal sect in the Xuanwu Kingdom.” The young man continued with a light laugh. “Once you enter the number one immortal sect in the Xuanwu Kingdom, you can do as you please throughout the kingdom. No one will be able to force you to marry someone you don’t want to marry.”

Li Yingling remained wary as she asked, “Who are you?”

“The sect master of the number one immortal sect in the Xuanwu Kingdom—and your future master.”

“Why should I believe you?”

“First, you have no other choice. The fact that I’m willing to chat with you means you’re worth more than those spirit stones.” The young man raised a hand, gesturing toward the hand with which he was holding Li Yingling’s sleeve, then continued, “Second, it would be a waste for you not to cultivate. I’ve never liked wasting things.”

Li Yingling was silent for a moment before asking, “So what do you intend to do now? Go see my father, then use your status as the sect master of the number one immortal sect to take me away and begin cultivating?”

The young man smiled and shook his head. “No. First, I’m taking you to collect the reward.”

The suspicion on Li Yingling’s face instantly shattered, transforming into pure anger.

Are you kidding me?

“Any spirit stones we can earn should naturally be earned. We’ll just treat them as your initial funds for embarking on the immortal path.” The young man spoke in a perfectly matter-of-fact tone, as though his words were absolute truth. “I’ll make the necessary preparations as well. Two days from now, I guarantee you’ll leave the Marquis’s Estate openly and in full view of everyone.”

“...Can we not take this money? The number one immortal sect can’t possibly be this poor, can it?”

“What kind of thing is that to say? Cultivating isn’t like that. You have to seize every opportunity you can.”

“Senior, esteemed senior, could you pretend you didn’t see me today and let me go?”

“Of course not. Then I’d lose both the spirit stones and you.”

“Senior, just listen to yourself... Do you sound like a normal person?”

The young man gazed calmly into Li Yingling’s eyes.

“Because I’m telling you the facts—the truth. And what you want to hear is the truth, not pretty words.”

“The wedding is in fourteen days, and I’ll take you away the day after tomorrow.”

“If they move the date forward, I’ll move forward as well. No matter the cost, I’ll get you out of the living hell of feeding the idiot.”

Li Yingling listened in silence. She raised her eyes to meet the young man’s gaze and the gentle smile that perpetually curved his lips.

“What is your name, Senior?” Li Yingling asked.

“Chu Xingchen,” the young man answered honestly, then followed up, “Why do you suddenly ask?”

Li Yingling drew a deep breath and made the choice she had no choice but to make.

“If you go back on your word, I’ll spend the rest of my life sticking pins into a curse doll of you.”

Chu Xingchen chuckled and nodded.

“Very well.”

————————

Two days later.

The Marquis’s Estate.

With a thunderous boom, the entrance to the marquis’s residence was blasted open.

Chu Xingchen reached out and seized Li Yingling’s hand, pulling the unsteady girl along as he strode out of the residence.

He held two Thousand-Mile Teleportation Talismans tightly in his hand.

Chu Xingchen had already chosen a ruined temple in a desolate stretch of Shilipo as a temporary rendezvous point. All necessary preparations had been made there. Now, he would pay any price to protect this hard-won lone seedling of immortal potential.

Li Yingling looked at Chu Xingchen’s figure in his tattered Daoist robe, her eyes shining with joy and astonishment, a brilliant smile blossoming across her face.

At that moment, the figure before her

was like a ray of light.

It had smashed through the high walls

and illuminated her bleak, ruined life.

Li Yingling suddenly felt that

only now

was her life’s story truly beginning.