In a dark place, somewhere in the void, a little girl opened her eyes. Looking around at the pitch-black and unfamiliar surroundings, she murmured, "Am I dead? How wonderful, everything is over."
She paused to think, "Why do I still have consciousness if I'm dead? And where is this?"
At that moment, a woman with long hair materialized. She was tall, with hair reaching down to her waist, and dressed in white, which made her look all the more effortless and graceful. The woman spoke, "Hello, little girl. Do you really want to die that badly? Perhaps everything you've been through is just a dream."
Hearing this, the little girl scanned her surroundings, searching for a way to end her life. The long-haired woman sensed her thoughts and quickly added, "Don't be so pessimistic. As long as I am here, you will not die no matter what. Right now you are a soul, without a physical body. Come, introduce yourself."
The little girl said, "My name is Meng Luoluo."
"Is that it?"
Meng Luoluo nodded.
Then Meng Luoluo asked, "Who are you? Are you an immortal?"
"Yes, I am indeed an immortal. You may call me Mother God. I will give you a chance to ask me one question. Once you are done, we will discuss serious matters."
Meng Luoluo thought for a moment, shook her head, and said, "Speak then. Finish quickly, and bring an end to all of this."
Seeing Meng Luoluo like this, Mother God could not help frowning and sighed. "Don't always think about seeking death. I am going to send you to an immortal cultivation world. Think about it carefully, look around that world, and you will find many interesting things."
With a wave of Mother God's hand, Meng Luoluo lost consciousness.
In the blink of an eye, Meng Luoluo opened her eyes again and sensed her body. Ah, the floating, unstable feeling from before was gone. Looking around, she was now in a grand hall, where someone was drinking tea not far away.
That person was a woman dressed in a cyan robe, with deep, sharp eyes that seemed capable of piercing through all hypocrisy and lies. Her gaze was so resolute and decisive that no one would dare to treat her lightly. With jet-black hair tipped with white at the ends, she sat lazily at a low table, sipping tea.
This person was none other than Shen Huaishu, Peak Master of Fan Peak at the Chaoyun Sect.
Meng Luoluo reached down to touch what she was sitting on; it was very smooth, feeling like some kind of fabric.
Just then, a man walked in from outside. The man was Yan Bei, dressed in a dark red robe tied with a plain jade belt. His lustrous black hair and dark eyes were as deep as an Abyss.
Yan Bei stopped at the base of the steps and called out, "Master."
The woman nodded slightly, then said, "On my way out recently, I picked up a child. Her aptitude seems quite good, with a bone age of ten and already at Qi Condensation Level 6, though some of her meridians are blocked—she must have never been exposed to cultivation methods."
"I want to take this child as my disciple. In a moment, you and your junior brother should find some herbs, build a house nearby, and clean up a small courtyard."
"A girl, after all, is..."
Right at that moment, Meng Luoluo finally snapped back to reality. She frantically looked around, spotted the long sword at Yan Bei's side, sprang to her feet, grabbed the sword, pulled it out with a fierce yank, and plunged it straight into her own heart. Blood immediately gushed from her mouth, streaming down along the blade.
Meng Luoluo lost consciousness once more. At the same time, the sky instantly turned gloomy, thunder rumbled, and several bolts of lightning struck the mountain peaks.
Because everything happened too fast—from standing up to the sword piercing her chest took less than three breaths—Shen Huaishu was still giving instructions and Yan Bei was listening intently, neither of them had time to react.
As luck would have it, another of Peak Master Shen's disciples, Xu Songshan, walked in from outside. He was dressed in a gold-threaded robe with a golden hairpin on his head and a gold belt around his waist, and his bright apricot-shaped eyes gave him a romantic and flirtatious air.
Xu Songshan had just stepped inside when he was greeted by this scene:
His Eldest Senior Brother's sword was stuck in a little girl, while his Master and Eldest Senior Brother stood there in a daze.
Shen Huaishu: "Take her to Alchemy Peak immediately."
Xu Songshan: "Second Senior Brother, if you didn't want Master to take a disciple, you could have just said so. There was no need to resort to murder."
Yan Bei: "……"
Yan Bei: "The Junior Sister committed suicide. Are you an idiot?"
Xu Songshan: "……"
Alchemy Peak.
Shen Huaishu: "Senior Sister Guo, can this child still be saved?"
The woman was dressed in a plain white gown with a natural expression, cold and aloof yet not distant. This person was none other than Guo Ziyi, Peak Master of Alchemy Peak.
Guo Ziyi looked at Shen Huaishu, then at the little girl, and let out a sigh.
"This is Alchemy Peak, not the Halls of Hell," she said. "If she has connections down in Hell, she'll definitely live. If she doesn't, I can't guarantee anything."
Outside the room, people had already begun discussing among themselves.
"Peak Master Fan just carried a child over here."
"A child? Where'd a child come from?"
"I know about this. Peak Master Fan picked her up from outside. What happened to the child? She was only unconscious when she was brought back; it shouldn't warrant a trip to Alchemy Peak."
Someone quickly chimed in, "Unconscious? I just saw her—the child seemed to have a sword stuck in her."
"It was a sword. If I'm not mistaken, it looked like the Eldest Senior Brother's sword from Fan Peak."
"Wait, Fan Peak's Second Senior Brother wouldn't draw his sword on a child, would he? He could easily kill one with a flick of his wrist. Is there something we don't know about?"
At that moment, the two direct disciples of Fan Peak also arrived.
Xu Songshan: "Second Senior Brother, if I remember correctly, that sword of yours was only drawn by Master once before it was bound. After the binding, no one else can pull it out."
Yan Bei: "……"
Xu Songshan: "What is it, Second Senior Brother? Did I say something wrong?"
Yan Bei: "I'd like to know myself how a little girl shorter than the sword, at Qi Condensation Level 6, managed to draw it so quickly and stab herself with it."
Yan Bei: "The reason I never let go of my sword is precisely because no one else can draw it."
Inside the room:
Guo Ziyi: "I never expected Peak Master Shen to be willing to part with both a Rejuvenation Pill and Soul-Recalling Incense. If she is saved and snatched away by some old geezers, tsk tsk tsk……"
The Rejuvenation Pill was a top-grade pill; even if someone's entire meridians were shattered and their heart vessels damaged, they could be saved as long as less than two hours had passed. The Soul-Recalling Incense was the same—even if someone had been dead for a long time, as long as they hadn't been reincarnated, their soul could be called back.
Shen Huaishu: "……"
Shen Huaishu: "Many thanks, Senior Sister Guo. You needn't trouble yourself with these matters. I wonder what else I need to do next."
Guo Ziyi: "Since you said the child committed suicide, it means she was already determined to die. You must burn a stick of Soul-Recalling Incense every ten days."
Shen Huaishu: "Thank you, Senior Sister."
Guo Ziyi: "Don't thank me so fast. I said before, if this child lives, there must be someone backing her up from below."
Shen Huaishu: "……"
Then she added, "Right, if all three sticks of incense are used up and she still hasn't woken up, don't come back either, because there's nothing I can do."
Shen Huaishu expressed her thanks once more, then picked up Meng Luoluo, grabbed her long sword on the way, and returned to Fan Peak, handing the sword back to her eldest disciple midway.
Yan Bei: "……"
Yan Bei shook his head and sighed, looking quite helpless.
Once everyone learned the truth, the discussions started up again.
"I told you so! Senior Brother Yan wouldn't kill casually, and besides, you don't need a sword to kill a child."
"Rather than discussing Senior Brother Yan, I'm more curious about how that child pulled out that sword. If I remember correctly, isn't that sword supposed to be drawable only by Senior Brother Yan?"
"You're right, it is indeed so. Could that child have some kind of special physique?"
"Ahem."
Everyone: "Senior Brother Yan."
Yan Bei: "Do not discuss this matter any further. I will investigate it, and I don't want to hear any more talk about it."
Everyone: "Understood, Senior Brother Yan."
Everyone: "Senior Brother Yan, we take our leave."
Yan Bei gave a slight nod, and those people dispersed.
Xu Songshan: "Aha, Second Senior Brother is truly cold, merciless, and utterly strict, tsk tsk tsk……"
Yan Bei: "……"
Yan Bei frowned and clenched his fists.
Seeing his Eldest Senior Brother's bad expression, Xu Songshan quickly spoke up again: "I suddenly remembered I still have sword forms to practice today, so I'll be leaving too. Farewell."
Run! If I keep running, I'll end up sparring—no, getting beaten up single-handedly. Time to slip away, he's too dangerous to provoke.
At the Main Peak grand hall, the Sect Master and several elders were discussing matters.
First Elder: "I wonder what the Sect Master's intention is."
Sect Master: "Forget it. Since even the Rejuvenation Pill and Soul-Recalling Incense have been used, you lot shouldn't fight over her."
"Besides, the child hasn't had her Spiritual Root tested yet, but I sense her aptitude shouldn't be too bad."
The elders present looked at each other in dismay, exchanging glances.
In the end, it was the First Elder who spoke: "Very well, then it is settled. That child will belong to Fan Peak."
"Two years from now is the Disciple Recruitment Ceremony. I wonder if we'll get some disciples with good aptitudes."