Guide to the Rebirth of the Evil Woman in the Immortal Realm - Chapter 7

With a beauty before her and spring scenery behind, anyone who witnessed this scene would have felt their heart soften.

Yet Shen Fuxin remained as unyielding as iron and stone. She gazed directly into the other’s eyes, shimmering like spring water, and said softly, “I seek neither power nor fame, only answers. If you can answer my question, I will pay the divination fee. If you cannot…”

A crisp whistle of sword energy swept through, and the peach tree in full bloom shed thousands of petals in a rustling cascade. Amid the swirling floral rain, Shen Fuxin pinned her against the tree. A translucent, water-hued longsword materialized in her hand, its tip resting precisely an inch away from the other’s heart, the locus of her immortal soul.

Catching a faint whiff of plum candy fragrance, Shen Fuxin remarked indifferently, “If you cannot answer, I will take your life.”

The jade-robed immortal lifted two fingers and gently pushed Shen Fuxin’s sword tip away, complaining pitifully, “This is my only fine set of robes, please don’t ruin them. Ah, don’t poke, don’t poke! Just ask your question. I promise to hold nothing back and tell you everything I know, alright?”

Ignoring her pitiful expression, Shen Fuxin cut straight to the point: “What does it mean when a joyous occasion is followed by a funeral?”

The other cast a few glances over her, feigning innocence. “Fair immortal, I see your cheeks are flushed, yet the center of your forehead bears a shadow of misfortune.”

Shen Fuxin slammed her palm against the tree trunk beside the other’s neck, and the trunk snapped in two.

The jade-robed immortal fell silent at once. After a moment’s hesitation, she ventured cautiously, “How about you ask me a different question?”

“Then what of the lotus seed?” Shen Fuxin’s eyes turned icy. “Why is the lotus seed heartless?”

Hearing these words, the other’s previously pitiful expression vanished, as if a tranquil spring pond had been disturbed, revealing the long-buried, frigid ice lurking beneath the surface. It was astonishing how different she looked when not smiling.

Shen Fuxin grew wary, tightening her grip on the sword, ready at any moment to pierce the other’s immortal soul.

Just then, the jade-robed immortal spoke again.

“I remember now. A long, long time ago, someone told me that though lotus seeds may seem insignificant, there are differences among them.” She lowered her eyelids, concealing the emotions in her eyes. “A lotus seed with a heart is bitter; one without a heart is sweet. If possible, she wished for her child to be a heartless lotus seed, to taste the sweetness of the world in her stead, a sweetness she herself could never savor.”

Beneath the falling petals, the jade-robed immortal looked down at the water-hued sword tip pressed against her heart and reminisced, “Your sword isn’t fast enough. Someone else’s sword was faster than yours. And you carry an aura that shares the same lineage as hers.”

It seemed the lotus seed was a metaphor for an immortal’s offspring, and the shared lineage could it be her mother?

But if her mother had truly cared for her, why would she have abandoned her in a wild river channel, leaving her to fend for herself?

Though Shen Fuxin’s expression remained unmoved, her heart raced uncontrollably. She gripped the other’s collar tightly, as if clutching a hard-won clue, and demanded, “Where is the person you spoke of?”

“I do not know.”

“When was the last time you saw her?”

“I do not know.”

“If you know nothing, what purpose is there in you living?” Shen Fuxin could no longer contain her frustration. “Let me ask you this: What is your name, and where do you come from? Surely you haven’t forgotten even that?”

Hearing this, the one pinned against the tree seemed to recall something and suddenly lifted her head.

Frowning deeply, she murmured, “My name… My family name is Ji, my given name is Ting. I am Ji Ting. As for where I come from.”

Ji Ting fell silent once more. She lowered her gaze, staring fixedly at a single, jarring drop of brown mud staining her pristine shoe.

“In a single day, I emerged from the serpent marsh.”

–

One day earlier, in the immortal realm, the Serpent Marsh, a haunted domain.

This was the dwelling place of countless serpents, a land rarely touched by human presence. Apart from the sticky, slithering sounds rising from the depths of the marsh, all was silent, as if everything were perfectly ordinary until a strange scratching noise shattered the tranquility of the serpent marsh.

In the next moment, a mud-caked hand shot straight out from the marsh.

Instantly, the serpents grew restless. Countless black-and-gold pythons surged toward the source of the disturbance. But just as several snakes coiled around that arm, the serpents that had dwelled here for millennia were flung away by an invisible force, vanishing in the blink of an eye into bursts of blood mist!

The hand slowly lowered, gripping the wild grass along the bank, and with great effort, it pulled its way ashore.

The figure, entirely caked in mud, was unrecognizable. Their movements were stiff and rigid, as if they hadn’t used this body in a long time. Only immortals could appear in the immortal realm, yet they resembled nothing so much as a corpse, long dead and discarded in a mass grave.

After a few moments, they staggered to their feet.

They raised their hands, studying them carefully for a while, then reached up to touch their face. After a moment of stillness, as if recalling something, they blinked softly.

In that instant, it was as though an invisible current washed over their entire body, cleansing away every trace of filth.

The one who had just crawled out of the serpent marsh summoned a water mirror with a flick of their hand and gazed silently at their reflection.

The figure in the mirror wore jade robes garments of intricate and elaborate design, every inch of the outer robe adorned with delicate, hidden patterns of swords. Adorned with jade pendants and embroidered ceremonial attire, the outfit was far too formal for daily wear, more suited to ritual ceremonies.

Her dark, deep eyes lingered on the robes for a long while before she finally looked up to study her own face.

When her expression was neutral, there was an intimidating, austere quality to her. She examined her face from every angle, then suddenly curved her lips into a smile.

In that instant, the frost melted away, radiant as spring blossoms.

She scrutinized her reflection repeatedly, as if finally remembering something, and murmured softly, “My name is Ji Ting.”

Another long silence followed.

Ji Ting lowered her eyes in confusion, gazing at the serpent marsh that had swallowed her. “Who am I?”

Seeming to come to a decision, she took a difficult step forward, leaving behind the serpent marsh that had, for some unknown reason, consumed her physical form.

The world stretched out vast and unknown, with no clear origin or destination. Apart from her name, nothing was clear. It was indeed a troubling and disorienting predicament.

But at least the path lay beneath her feet. By walking onward, perhaps she would eventually remember all that had been lost.

After traveling frantically for a full day and night, Ji Ting stopped in an unfamiliar immortal market. She looked around sword vendors had no swords, medicine sellers had no remedies in sight. Was there any trade with no cost that could earn spirit stones to sustain her livelihood?

Her eyes lit up. She had an idea.

A short while later, the little immortal in jade robes intercepted a young man in blue robes who looked somewhat weary.

With an air of seriousness and conviction, she declared, “Fair one, your face bears the mark of peach blossoms. Your wishes are coming true, and joyous occasions are near!”

–

In the vast expanse of the immortal realm, trying to recall anything felt like searching for a needle in a haystack. But here before her seemed to be the ready-made daughter of an old acquaintance.

No use letting it go to waste.

Thinking this, Ji Ting raised her eyes, as if having resolved something, and suddenly beamed a brilliant smile at Shen Fuxin. “Take me with you.”

Shen Fuxin’s expression shifted unpredictably.

Listening to your words is like listening to words, yet the other party held the only clue to her own origins. She ultimately suppressed the urge to kill, tapping Ji Ting’s cheek with the flat of her sword.

After all the commotion, she no longer bothered to maintain decorum, finally revealing her true nature. Coldly, she said, “Take you with me? Why should I bring along a burden whose origins are unknown? What benefit can you offer me?”

Ji Ting grasped the blade of her sword with her bare hand. “You care deeply about the person I mentioned earlier. I promise, if I ever see her again, I will definitely recognize her aura.”

Shen Fuxin turned her face to the side, scrutinizing her carefully, then changed her approach. “Why do you want to follow me?”

Ji Ting thought for a moment. “There’s a vaguely familiar feeling about you.”

A vaguely familiar feeling? Shen Fuxin felt a headache coming on. She, too, was puzzled where had she met this person named Ji Ting before? Could it be that she had offended her in the past or owed her money?

Before she could ponder further, Ji Ting took a step forward, allowing Shen Fuxin to rest the sword against her neck. She leaned in slightly, so close it seemed as if she were about to press her forehead against Shen Fuxin’s. Their breaths instantly intertwined, and Shen Fuxin caught the sweet scent of plums on her once more.

“Take me with you,” Ji Ting blinked pitifully, “please?”

Shen Fuxin had never been one to fall for beauty traps. She held out her hand to Ji Ting. “I can take you with me, but shouldn’t you first show some sincerity?”

Ji Ting let out a confused “Hmm?” and then heard Shen Fuxin continue, “Hand over all three thousand spirit stones you swindled from that golden dragon earlier.”

Ji Ting clutched her spirit stone pouch tightly, unwilling to let go.

“You have nowhere to go and no one to take you in. Since you’re following me, I’ll consider myself half your guardian,” Shen Fuxin smiled faintly. “Now, immediately, hand over the spirit stones.”

“Later, when we go back, if anyone asks, just say you’re an immortal attendant I hired from outside to serve me. Understood, Xiao Ting?”

First, use up all her spirit stones, Shen Fuxin thought. If she proves useless, just abandon her.

After all, the immortal realm is vast, she won’t be able to find her way.