After returning to her quarters, Xitong fell fast asleep the moment her head hit the pillow. She was truly exhausted from the day's events, but she had certainly taken a very good first step.
Earlier, when that little girl Shuqi had asked her if she was human, she felt that, yes, she was.
As for anything else, Xitong really had no idea. It was precisely because she had always felt she was different from the systems back at headquarters that she had resolutely chosen this path.
After a nap, Xitong woke up and lay on the bed with her eyes open, letting her mind go blank. After quite a while, she remembered that she ought to assign the little girl some tasks to work on first. Turning over, she pulled up the interface and listlessly swiped through it to make a selection.
After pulling together a few tasks of all sorts, she flashed into the thatched cottage. It was early morning, and sparse sunlight was streaming down, as if adding a touch of warmth to the empty courtyard.
The courtyard was very quiet. A pear tree grew in the middle, its branches dotted with white pear blossoms. A morning breeze blew, sending petals fluttering all over the ground. At that moment, Xitong seemed to understand why Granny Yu had chosen to live in this mortal world for so long.
Xitong didn't go into the master bedroom to look for the little girl. She simply sat quietly at the stone table under the pear tree. The early morning sun felt wonderful. Having spent so much time in the gloomy System Headquarters, being able to leisurely soak up some sun was not something to be taken for granted.
Before long, the door to the master bedroom was pushed open, and Shuqi's tender, round face appeared in the doorway. She was fully dressed and groomed, though still yawning.
Hearing the commotion, Xitong turned her head and saw the listless little girl, hastily asking, "Didn't you sleep well?"
"Oh no, I was too happy yesterday and went to bed a bit late. I'm fine," Shuqi replied.
"Then hurry up and wash up and eat. In a moment, you're coming up the mountain with us. Starting today, you're working to pay off your debt."
A bolt from the blue! Truly, a moment ago she had actually thought Xitong was showing concern for her.
"What, you're not willing?"
Shuqi was speechless. She had a feeling her Granny might not love her as much as she thought—how did that happen? Under Xitong's death glare, Shuqi ultimately caved.
Circumstances forced compliance, so she briskly trotted off to wash up.
Heading up the mountain once more, this time with the help of the interface provided by Xitong, it was much easier for Shuqi to find herbs and spirit plants. However, as soon as they reached the deep mountains, Xitong taught her how to use the interface, told her which areas on the interface she needed to clear by the end of the day to consider the job done, and then promptly found a large tree and lay down.
Looking at the various marks and areas appearing on the interface, Shuqi swallowed hard. Wasn't this a bit too much? Finishing all this just today—wasn't it way too much? She was still just a child.
Shuqi looked up at Xitong in the tree. Seeing that the other was closing her eyes to rest, she had no choice but to resign herself to her fate, pick up her herbal hoe, and get to work. She still had a vast expanse of mountain forest to conquer.
And so, starting from this very day, Shuqi began her life of climbing mountains to dig for treasures and pay off her debt.
Of course, in between all this, with Xitong's help, she also played a few pranks on the neighborhood kids who always came looking for trouble. With Xitong keeping her company, Shuqi hadn't wanted to bother with those kids—until that day.
On this particular day, Shuqi went up the mountain as usual. When heading back down, as she reached the middle of the slope, she found a tiny puppy in a patch of bushes. The pup looked like it had been born not long ago—about the size of a six-year-old child's palm. It had brown fur and whimpered with its eyes closed. She instinctively squatted down to take a look at the puppy, but right then, someone moved faster than her, holding a branch and poking straight at the little milk dog. The puppy was poked nearly half a meter away from its spot, lying there and whining.
Seeing this, Shuqi's eyes turned red. She raised her gaze to the culprit, a chilling look appearing in her eyes for the first time, and demanded loudly, "What are you doing?"
The other child was startled for a second, but then figured Shuqi was just a six-year-old tot and didn't take her seriously at all. She replied indifferently, "Didn't you see? I hate this puppy. If you've got a problem with it, make it bite me then."
Hearing this, Shuqi stood up in a flash. She grabbed the branch the other girl was holding with both hands and gave it a hard yank. The child on the other side stumbled and pitched right into the bushes, her face scratched by the thorns. Wailing miserably, she scrambled up in a clumsy heap. Instead of fighting back, she glared hatefully at Shuqi and dropped a harsh parting threat: "You just wait!"
"Fine, I'll wait!" Shuqi retorted without a care in the world.
After that kid left, Shuqi turned back and immediately went over to the innocent little puppy, gently picking it up to check its injuries.
For some reason, the moment Shuqi laid eyes on this tiny puppy, she felt an inexplicable fondness for it. She checked the surroundings, but saw no sign of the mother dog, nor any trace of a nest nearby.
"This puppy must have been born very recently; its eyes aren't even open yet," Xitong's voice echoed in Shuqi's mind. "You're carrying it down the mountain—are you planning to keep it? I wouldn't really recommend raising it."
"Why not?" Shuqi asked, puzzled. Surely Xitong wasn't afraid of dogs? The puppy was clearly so adorable.
"There's something I haven't told you yet. This is a Cultivation Continent, and where you are right now is the mortal realm of the Cultivation Continent. I just checked for you—this is just a very, very ordinary little puppy. So I don't suggest you keep it."
Shuqi wore a shocked expression. This impact was a bit too big.
"Didn't your Granny mention this to you before? Not even a hint?"
Shuqi shook her head, feeling rather defeated. "I've never heard the villagers mention anything about this world either. If they'd said even a single word, I wouldn't be this shocked."
Xitong was speechless. Suddenly feeling a bit of sympathy for this child, she fell silent for a moment and said, "Let's take it down the mountain first, and we can talk about the rest later."
Back at home, Shuqi hurriedly rummaged through her things to find the corresponding herbs, applied the medicine to the little puppy, and eagerly summoned the system.
"Xitong? System?"
After just a moment, Xitong appeared before Shuqi dressed in green. Her looks were stunning, but her demeanor was that of someone forced to work against her will. Her voice was listless as she asked, "What is it?"
Seeing her like this, Shuqi stepped forward and tugged at the hem of her garment with her little fleshy hand, acting like a child who had done something wrong—though she genuinely was a child. She stammered, "I hit that kid just now. Do you think she'll go home and get her family to come beat me up? Granny isn't here, and as a kid, I'm a little scared..."
Xitong was speechless. If she hadn't been bound to this child and able to peer into her inner thoughts, knowing all her intentions before she struck just now, not to mention how her look begging for praise had completely betrayed her, she almost would have fallen for it and believed the kid was actually scared.
"She won't." Seeing Shuqi's puzzled look, Xitong enlightened her: "You probably won't be staying here much longer."
"I don't really understand."
"In a few days, it'll be the day the Five Great Sects of the immortal sects recruit disciples. I've looked at your aptitude; getting selected won't be a problem. This tiny mortal village... oh well, anyway, you don't need to worry. Besides, aren't I here?"