Chapter 3#
Chapter 3#
The fire died out. A biting autumn wind whistled through the mountains, and the boy hanging from the tree shivered.
Xue Jingci’s expression softened slightly as he asked, “Where is the wooden tablet you dug out?”
The boy’s voice became even more submissive: “It was a useless thing, so naturally, I threw it away.”
“Where did you throw it?”
“I don’t remember clearly.”
Xue Jingci glanced at him.
It was a look full of intimidation, but the boy cautiously met his gaze.
“What is your name?”
Xue Jingci resumed his questioning.
The boy replied, “A-Pei.”
The two stared at each other in silence for a moment. With a casual wave of Xue Jingci’s hand, they both returned to the Daoist temple.
A-Pei fell through the air. Fortunately, it was late autumn, and the ground was covered with a layer of fallen leaves. He rolled on the ground without getting covered in too much dirt.
He gritted his teeth and climbed up, pressing his hand against the wound on his shoulder, letting out a pained groan.
Only then did Xue Jingci see the blood flowing from between the boy’s fingers, unable to be stopped.
He lowered his eyes in thought, pulled a bottle of medicine from his sleeve, tossed it over, and said, “Apply the medicine yourself.”
After saying that, he turned and entered the room without sparing another glance.
The boy’s submissive and fearful expression turned fierce the moment he turned his back. He grabbed the bottle and looked at it closely, seeing that the porcelain bottle was like jade and felt cool to the touch.
Just like that man.
He had never seen such refined medicine. He pulled out the stopper and sniffed it; a strong bitter smell hit him, and he quickly pressed the stopper back in.
Could this person be trying to poison him?
Not daring to use someone else’s medicine recklessly, A-Pei put away the bottle, tore his inner collar in a practiced manner to bandage the wound, and soon walked into the temple.
Xue Jingci was looking at the hole in the divine tablet.
He was full of cold detachment, with a face like a god or Buddha, radiating an aura of lofty purity that could not be approached. His moon-white robes seemed unable to tolerate the slightest filth.
A-Pei instinctively looked at himself, wiped his blood-stained hands behind his back, and then stepped forward.
Xue Jingci turned around, looked at the boy, and said, “From today on, you will live in the guest hall behind the temple.”
“Every day at the Mao hour (5 AM), you must wake up. By the Chen hour (7 AM), I want to see the entire temple cleaned, including the fallen leaves in the courtyard.”
A flash of irrepressible annoyance sparked in A-Pei’s eyes. But since he had destroyed the divine tablet, desecrated the deity, and had been caught due to his lack of skill, he had no choice but to accept his fate.
The boy lowered his head, his expression hidden. Xue Jingci didn’t look at him either, simply staring at the divine tablet and saying, “Go to sleep.”
After the boy left, Xue Jingci turned and picked up the basket he had set down earlier, pouring out the herbs to wash, spread out, and dry.
Watching the host’s fluid movements, the System teased, “It’s a pity you aren’t a medical cultivator.”
Xue Jingci shook his head: “I only know the basics; I don’t have that kind of talent.”
He was always very serious and didn’t like to joke. Seeing him answer so earnestly, the System couldn’t continue with any more witty remarks and quickly comforted him.
“It’s okay. Once the System Mall opens, what peerless divine medicine can’t be bought?”
Xue Jingci nodded and continued picking through his herbs seriously.
However, to open the System Mall, they had to go to the Upper Realm first and continue with the mission.
Seeing his unhurried manner, the System asked, “Host, when are we going to the Upper Realm?”
Xue Jingci’s tone remained faint: “I was careless before. I need some time to accumulate spiritual energy. There’s no need to hurry.”
The System knew he was always reliable, so it stopped bothering him.
The night passed.
Through the walls of the Daoist temple, a bell tower could be faintly seen on the high mountain in the distance.
That was a ruin of the Kunchan Sect. Since all the immortal sects moved to the Upper Realm, without the protection of the mountain-guarding array, the wooden bell tower had long since collapsed, leaving only a bronze bell standing firm.
Light in the mortal world was becoming scarcer, making it difficult to tell time by shadows. Only when the bell rang could one vaguely distinguish the time.
In the blink of an eye, it was the Mao hour. The solemn sound of the bell pierced through the night, echoing in all directions, though only a faint resonance reached Donglai Village.
The farmers were already used to this indistinct bell sound. They immediately woke from their slumber, gathered their farming tools, and hurried to the field ridges.
After the Mao hour, light could descend at any time. They had to seize every second to cultivate.
The women staying at home also rose. Smoke from cooking fires rose to various heights at both ends of the village, and the air was filled with the thick, sweet aroma of rice and food.
Xue Jingci twitched his nose, guessing that the nearby families were probably cooking sweet stem porridge. When he came to his senses, he realized that the guest hall was still quiet.
So he rose and knocked on the door: “Get up.”
A-Pei was startled awake from his deep sleep, feeling aches all over his body, and the pain from his wound instantly cleared his mind.
Xue Jingci gave him a set of clothes. Though coarse, they fit well.
He took off his favorite black outer robe; although it had a hole in the shoulder, he folded it carefully. After drinking the hot porridge on the table, he resignedly picked up the broom and chose a place sheltered from the wind to start sweeping.
As soon as he stepped out, he shivered from the cold and rubbed his arms vigorously.
When he finished sweeping the entire temple, Xue Jingci didn’t give him a chance to breathe, instead telling him to go to the wheat fields with him.
Seeing Xue Jingci, the villagers who were working stopped immediately and greeted him: “The Immortal Master is here!”
When they saw A-Pei behind Xue Jingci, they showed looks of shock and began to whisper: “Isn’t that the hood— child? Why is he following the Immortal Master?”
Xue Jingci spoke slowly: “I’ve brought someone to help with the autumn harvest.”
A-Pei pursed his lips, his expression colder and harder than the winter wind: “You didn’t say anything about this before!”
However, Xue Jingci only gave him a look, the threat in his eyes self-evident, and then mercilessly dropped him into the rice fields.
He conveniently borrowed a sickle for him.
A-Pei gripped the sickle, straightened his back, and walked toward the wheat field under the inquisitive gazes of countless people.
Xue Jingci didn’t leave immediately but watched from a distance.
Reaping wheat was not easy; it required bending over for a long time. There were other children working in the fields, and their movements were inevitably slower than the adults'.
But A-Pei’s speed was very fast, and his movements were skillful, as if he had endless strength.
Only then did Xue Jingci look away with peace of mind and turn to the side. The river demon had come ashore at some point and was squatting not far from him, watching the fun with a smile.
Seeing Xue Jingci look over, the river demon smiled at him politely.
Initially, he was somewhat afraid of this Immortal Master, fearing that he would kill him before leaving to eliminate future troubles.
But after observing in secret for many days, he saw that this person had no intention of looking for trouble, so he plucked up the courage to approach.
“Since you care so much about these people, why didn’t you save those children back then? They hadn’t been dead for long; summoning their souls back wouldn’t have been discovered.”
Xue Jingci looked up at him, his eyes devoid of emotion, neither sad nor joyful: “The dead are gone; one cannot act against heaven.”
The river demon looked around, and seeing that he seemed to mean what he said, he pulled a red rope knot from his robes and handed it to Xue Jingci: “This belonged to that child.”
Xue Jingci reached out to take it.
After saying that, the river demon vanished, and as the wind blew, only the rustling of the wheat waves could be heard.
Xue Jingci returned to the temple. After walking around the village, his arms were filled with various vegetables and fruits.
The villagers revered the immortal. Knowing he lived alone in the temple, they feared he wouldn’t eat or sleep well. Now that he had sent a laborer to harvest wheat, everyone liked him even more.
In this small village, news always traveled fast. Auntie Wang at the east end of the village had a loud voice and shouted, “Only you could keep a little hoodlum like that in check!”
Xue Jingci was not used to such enthusiasm. He said his thanks and returned to the temple with difficulty, put the things in the small kitchen, and then went to meditate and cultivate.
The spiritual energy circulated within his body for forty-nine cycles. When he opened his eyes again, it was already dusk.
He sensed someone entering the temple. The scent of incense wafted through the building, so he went to the main hall and saw three wisps of blue smoke quietly rising from the incense burner.
A woman was kneeling on a prayer mat, worshipping devoutly. Under the offerings was a piece of paper with the name of the drowned child written on it.
There was a custom in the local folk traditions: for a child who died a wrongful death, an adult needed to send their spirit from a Daoist temple until the twenty-first day after death to protect them from being bullied by small ghosts in the underworld.
Xue Jingci waited for the woman to finish offering incense before slowly stepping forward.
At the moment their eyes met, a flash of unease crossed the woman’s face, and she said hesitantly, “Did I disturb the Immortal Master…”
Usually, she was worried about disturbing the Immortal Master’s peaceful cultivation, so she always chose to come secretly to worship before the Mao hour. She had never bumped into him before.
Xue Jingci saw her nervousness and asked softly, “Why have you come so late today?”
The woman was startled, realizing the Immortal Master knew all along that she had been worshipping. She sighed and said, “I was delayed by things at home. My youngest daughter had a fever and cried for a whole day; I couldn’t coax her no matter what. She only just fell asleep from exhaustion.”
Xue Jingci was pensive.
It wasn’t even winter yet, and many people were already falling ill.
A child could still cry and rest, but the farmers planting the fields could only grit their teeth and harvest the wheat with their strained bodies.
He asked about the child’s symptoms and gave her several doses of medicine.
Thinking of her young daughter at home, the woman thanked him and was about to leave, but was stopped by Xue Jingci.
“I have something to return to you.”
As he spoke, he handed the rope knot to the woman. The vermilion hair rope had become somewhat dull from being washed by the river water, but the woman trembled all over as soon as she saw it.
“This is…”
The woman covered her mouth, but tears fell rapidly.
She recognized at a glance that this was something she had given her son.
The children in the village had no toys, and even their clothes were passed down. Since Huan-er died, the woman had searched the house for a long time but couldn’t find a single thing that truly belonged to her child.
And this red rope instantly reminded her of how Huan-er looked with his hair tied up.
The woman sobbed uncontrollably. Xue Jingci left the temple to her alone and departed silently.
Just as he stepped outside the temple, he saw A-Pei with a dirty face, holding a chicken in his arms—a gift from Second Auntie Wang.
The boy clamped the chicken’s beak with one hand to keep it from making noise. Clearly, he had also heard his conversation with the woman and didn’t want to disturb them.
But he looked truly ridiculous in this state.
Xue Jingci heated the food sent by the village head Mo Lin and told A-Pei to go get water to wash his face.
“Wash your hands and come eat.”
Perhaps the wind was too strong or the voice was too light, but the boy actually had an illusion—this person seemed very gentle.
“After you finish eating, remember to fetch a few more buckets of water.”
A-Pei looked stunned. When he realized what was said, he immediately argued, “Don’t you know spells? You could have water with a wave of your hand. Why must you make me work so hard to fetch it?”
Xue Jingci didn’t answer, continuing his meal as if he hadn’t heard.
The way he ate was slow and methodical, quite different from A-Pei’s wolfing down of his food.
The boy pursed his lips, feeling that this person was just teasing and tormenting him. Swallowing the rice in his mouth, he threw out a sentence harshly: “It’s just water. I’ll go right now!”
Xue Jingci picked up his chopsticks and continued eating.
“He’s got quite a temper, leaving before even finishing his meal. Host, aren’t you going to chase after him?” the System couldn’t help but ask.
“A child won’t starve to death from missing one meal.”
The System silently shed a tear for the boy.
As soon as A-Pei ran out the door, he slowed his pace, pricking up his ears to listen for any movement behind him.
He had thought Xue Jingci was a gentle person and would surely chase after him to coax him with a few words.
To his surprise, after waiting and waiting, not a single person came after him.
Unable to figure out this person’s temper, he could only resignedly fetch water and return to the room.
“One bucket for now.”
A-Pei found an excuse for himself: “I’ll fetch the rest after I finish eating, or else the dishes will get cold.”
Xue Jingci nodded.
A-Pei buried his head in his food. Once Xue Jingci was full, he looked up at him.
Xue Jingci’s gaze was direct, making A-Pei feel a bit embarrassed.
Knowing his table manners were unrefined, he actually felt a rare sense of bashfulness and deliberately slowed his chewing, not wanting this person to think he was a ghost who had been hungry for lifetimes and look down on him.
However, Xue Jingci only asked him one question.
“Why did you damage the divine tablet?”
A-Pei remained silent.
He didn’t want to answer, but for some reason, the image of Xue Jingci handing the red rope to the woman flashed through his mind. By some twist of fate, he said, “I don’t believe there are any gods in this world.”
“If there were, why would everyone suffer from cold and hunger, or even starve to death because they have no food? If there were, why wouldn’t those gods come to save us?”
After speaking, he secretly observed Xue Jingci’s expression but couldn’t see anything.
A-Pei guessed he would be angry.
Cultivators were more reverent of gods than mortals. Besides seeking protection, they were also afraid of something like a “lightning tribulation.”
Neither spoke, and the atmosphere became somewhat frozen again.
A-Pei put down his bowl and chopsticks and said, “I’m finished eating. I’m going to fetch water.”
Xue Jingci suddenly called out, “A-Pei.”
It was the first time he had called him by this name. His voice was gentle. A-Pei’s heart trembled slightly, and he looked back with some anticipation, though he didn’t know what he was anticipating.
Could he be losing his mind, wanting the cultivator in front of him to agree with and echo his words?
However, Xue Jingci only pointed at the table in front of him and said, “Remember to wash the dishes as well.”
A-Pei turned and walked out decisively. When he returned from fetching water, he suddenly saw a tabby cat squatting in the room.
This tabby was not a real cat but the transformation of the System.
Now that its energy was low, it could only transform into a weak tabby cat. But that was enough to make the System happy for a long time, and it rolled around on the ground.
“Host, look! Look at me!”
Before Xue Jingci could speak, the boy spoke first—
“Where did this stray cat come from? So ugly…”
Its aura was weak, its fur messy, and its eyes were like mung beans.
The System was so angry at that sentence that it meowed repeatedly. Finally, its energy was exhausted, and it couldn’t move anymore.
Xue Jingci fell silent for a moment, then bent down and picked up the motionless System. On his spotless white robe, a dark paw print was left.
Shock appeared in the boy’s eyes.
Xue Jingci spoke faintly: “Mine.”