Her physical reaction was faster than her brain.
Almost without thinking, she threw herself flat on the ground, trying to bury her face in the dirt.
She would recognize this voice even if its owner were burned to ashes.
It was her gentlest, most adorable Fourth Junior Brother, Xie Zhou.
Before she died, she had dug up his family's ancestral grave and moved his parents' remains into his room just to spite him.
He had been so angry that he coughed up blood and suffered qi deviation on the spot. Right now, he probably wanted nothing more than to hack her into a thousand pieces.
However, her appearance had completely changed, so he shouldn't be able to recognize her.
For safety's sake, Song Yao decided to shrink back like a quail until everyone left.
Unfortunately, heaven had other plans.
The boy who had been scared out of his wits just moments ago suddenly yanked her up from the ground. His face was flushed with excitement and gratitude. “Wake up! We're saved! It's the Nine Saints Hall! The people from the Nine Saints Hall have come to save us!”
“...”
Song Yao tried to struggle.
The boy grew even more excited. “Don't be afraid! The Nine Saints Hall is a great sect. They will definitely capture all these evil cultivators!”
“...”
The Nine Saints Hall was exactly who she was afraid of.
Because her struggling was a bit too noticeable, someone walked over and reached out to support her arm. His voice was clear, gentle, and warm. “This young friend is right. We came here today specifically to purge these evil cultivators. There is no need to fear, young lady.”
Song Yao looked up, and her vision went dark.
Another familiar face.
Yu Jing, the third legacy disciple of the Inner Yard's North Peak.
She had once kicked him into a manure pit. He had soaked in a spirit spring for forty-nine days, yet he still felt like he smelled. He had sworn to chop her into pieces and throw her into a manure pit to feed the maggots sooner or later.
To avoid being thrown into a manure pit, Song Yao forced herself to stay calm, mumbled her thanks, and crawled over to squat in a corner, doing her best to minimize her presence.
This area was a sprawling complex of interconnected courtyards, and there were quite a few evil cultivators.
The Nine Saints Hall disciples scattered in all directions, and the sounds of fighting could be heard from outside from time to time.
It looked like she would have to wait until they finished their business before finding a way to escape.
At least she didn't have to die. That was a good thing.
After squatting for a while, Song Yao's eyes involuntarily drifted toward Xie Zhou in the center of the courtyard.
The young man wore a moon-white robe. His figure was slender and tall, like a solitary bamboo that remained green through the winter mountains, completely out of place in this dilapidated, filthy courtyard.
His brow was relaxed, and the corners of his eyes drooped slightly. He should have had a warm, harmless appearance, but at this moment, he exuded a natural coldness and detachment.
He was a far cry from the person in her memory who loved to call her “Senior Sister” in a soft, sweet voice.
It seemed the psychological trauma she had left him with was quite severe.
But one thing was very strange.
Hadn't Fourth Junior Brother suffered a severe qi deviation?
How did he recover so quickly? How much time had passed?
Song Yao finally sensed something was amiss. She turned to the boy beside her, who was full of admiration, and asked, “What time is it now?”
The boy blinked. “It should be the Hour of the Monkey.”
Song Yao: “I'm not asking about the time of day. What year is it?”
“The year? It is the two hundred and thirty-seventh year of the Qingyuan era. The Mid-Autumn Festival is in two days.”
“...”
It had actually been over half a year since she died in the Earth Realm.
She wondered how the people of the Nine Saints Hall had reacted when they heard the news of her death.
Did they throw a celebration?
Song Yao silently wallowed in self-pity for a moment before she began examining the serpent-patterned seal inside her body again.
To make her death somewhat worthwhile, she had gone straight to the nest of the Great Demon of Qianhuang as soon as she arrived in the Earth Realm, fighting it to a standstill.
She originally had a sixty percent chance of winning, but she was ambushed. A restrictive seal was slammed down on her, and she died on the spot.
The serpent-patterned seal must have been left behind then.
But... who was the person who ambushed her?
It didn't feel like a demon; it should have been a cultivator.
A cultivator attacking her for the sake of a demon?
No matter what, she had already reached the Supreme Sword Art. Even if the Hall Master of the Nine Saints Hall—her master—wanted to kill her, it would be impossible to do so in a single breath.
Who was the mastermind behind this?
After thinking for a long time without any answers, Song Yao simply put it out of her mind.
Whatever.
Since she had a second chance at life, she only wanted to live peacefully as an ordinary person.
A small house, a small yard, growing some crops, raising a dog, and occasionally cultivating a bit would be enough.
She wondered where the property prices were cheap...
The more she thought about it, the more she felt her future was full of hope. Suddenly, the boy beside her spoke up excitedly, “They're leaving.”
Song Yao snapped back to reality. “Leaving? Where to?”
“To the Nine Saints Hall.”
Yu Jing had wandered back over at some point. “We still have some questions to ask you all. Please do not worry, young lady. Once this matter is resolved, we will escort you all back home.”
Song Yao: “...”
Sending her to the Nine Saints Hall—how was that any different from walking into a tiger's den?
The evil cultivators might have only wanted her life, but the people of the Nine Saints Hall would probably make her wish she were dead.
She squatted there, refusing to budge, and negotiated sheepishly, “Can't you just ask us here? I... I still have things to do...”
Yu Jing looked troubled. Suddenly, a voice cut in from the side: “I heard you were dug up from a grave earlier. Your corpse was decaying, yet you suddenly came back to life. You refuse to go to the Nine Saints Hall now—is there something you are hiding?”
Song Yao's body stiffened. She looked up and met her Fourth Junior Brother's cold, rippleless dark eyes, and her heart skipped a beat.
She knew Xie Zhou well. When he showed this kind of expression, he was usually harboring murderous intent.
He must think she was some kind of evil cultivator or malevolent entity and wanted to eliminate her to rid the world of evil.
Fine.
The Nine Saints Hall wasn't some inescapable dragon's den, and she was no longer the original Song Yao anyway. What was the big deal about going there?
She stood up abruptly, about to speak, when her vision suddenly went black. She fell straight forward, right toward her Fourth Junior Brother.
Before losing consciousness, only one thought crossed her mind.
Damn it.
A miscalculation.
She, a great perfection Supreme Sword Cultivator, had actually fainted from hunger.
Song Yao's sleep was fitful, filled with nightmares that flashed through her mind like a revolving lantern.
One moment, she dreamed of her Eldest Senior Brother forcing her to do a pole dance, threatening to slice her into sashimi if she didn't. The next moment, she dreamed of Second Senior Sister's spirit beast chasing her with a kitchen knife, wanting to throw her into a pot to make soup.
She ran while begging for mercy: “I didn't actually roast you! I only plucked all your fur to sell it!”
At the critical moment, someone stuffed two pills into her mouth.
As the medicinal effects took hold, the spirit beast with the kitchen knife disappeared from her dream, and her consciousness slowly returned.
Before opening her eyes, she let out a sigh of relief.
Thank goodness it was just a dream.
After opening her eyes, the boy who had been rescued with her was blushing with immense joy. “I have great news! The two of us are now disciples of the Nine Saints Hall!”
Song Yao: “?”
She closed her eyes and lay back down.
She must still be having a nightmare.
She would sleep a little longer.
Unfortunately, the boy refused to let her go, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her vigorously. “Wake up! The apprenticeship ceremony is about to begin! If we can catch the eye of an elder, or even the Hall Master, we can enter the inner sect to cultivate!”
Song Yao was shaken until she was dizzy. She sat up, her face filled with bitterness. “How did we suddenly become disciples of the Nine Saints Hall?”
“Isn't it a coincidence? It happens to be the recruitment period for all the sects in the Tianshu Realm, and the Nine Saints Hall is no exception.”
The boy grew excited as he spoke. “Last night, we followed Fourth Senior Brother back to the Nine Saints Hall. After some testing, it turns out both of our aptitudes are actually quite good! Fourth Senior Brother said that if we are willing, we can stay.”
Seeing a glimmer of hope, Song Yao scrambled out of bed and rushed toward the door. “I'm not willing. I'm leaving.”
The boy grabbed her. “No, you can't leave.”
Rate on N.U.
