Reborn as a Human Cauldron, But I'm the Top - Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Not Again, I Didn’t Smile

Shen Yirong found that all her nightmares had vanished. The painful memories of her past with Song Yin were all replaced by indescribable things.

Thus, she woke up startled again before dawn.

“Hah…”

Shen Yirong was panting heavily. She wiped the sweat from her forehead and lay in bed, deep in thought.

Why was she always dreaming of these things?

Had a certain green website manifested itself?

No, the green website shouldn’t be that explicit.

She should have asked the System which website this book came from.

“Tsk,” Shen Yirong began to meditate.

Shen Yirong was always diligent in her cultivation. In her previous life, she was hampered by her body, but if her body were healthy, she would definitely find a way to break free from the System’s control.

After circulating her spiritual energy for several cycles, she opened her eyes, a pout forming on her lips, “Still too weak.”

Although she had no old ailments, her aptitude was too poor, far inferior to her previous life.

The two Immortal Venerables of the Great Peace Sect were a sword path genius, rare in ten thousand years, and the other was born without the emotional aperture, making the difficult Path of Emotionlessness most suitable for her.

Suddenly, she remembered Senior Sister Mei. She was similar to the current Song Yin, cold and icy, but the two were different. Senior Sister was a silent snow mountain; she remained the same no matter the external circumstances.

But Song Yin was different. If anyone provoked her, she became an avalanche.

Even when Song Yin was still in the Great Peace Sect, she didn’t get along with Senior Sister Mei. Whenever the Senior Sister visited, she wouldn’t smile and wouldn’t help set out the tea and spiritual fruits.

It was also a winter day then. The connection with the System was unstable, and its control was weakened, so she didn’t scold Song Yin for it.

She asked Song Yin to serve tea, and watched as the girl reluctantly complied, leaving the room with a sullen face.

At that time, she told her Senior Sister, “My disciple is unruly. Please don’t take offense, Senior Sister.”

But winter was too short.

Thinking back on the past, Shen Yirong raised her hands and patted her own face, “Stop thinking. Cultivate, cultivate.”

Shen Yirong set up a Spirit Gathering Array using the high-grade spirit stones she had acquired. The spiritual energy in the room slowly turned into mist, and when she meditated, the mist drilled directly into her body.

Sinking into introspection, a small, ancient sword hung in her sea of consciousness. Beside the small sword was a crimson butterfly entangled in chains.

After Song Yin bit her, this butterfly stayed here.

Opening her eyes again, the spirit stones used in the Spirit Gathering Array had turned to powder. Shen Yirong felt a pang of heartache.

She counted the remaining spirit stones in her storage bag: nine hundred and thirty-two.

She hadn’t spent that much before. Having suddenly become rich, she couldn’t control herself.

Shen Yirong sat on the bed, resting her chin in her hands and staring blankly at the spiritual stone powder on the floor.

After a while, she found a lantern and walked toward the Scenic Literature Pavilion.

The pavilion lurked in the darkness, seemingly waiting for prey to approach, ready to swallow it whole.

Shen Yirong stopped, holding the lantern, swallowing lightly. Finally, she mustered the courage to enter.

To prevent a fire, Shen Yirong blew out the lantern.

She searched for a luminous pearl in the cabinet by the door.

“Clatter!”

In the stillness of the night, even a subtle sound became amplified.

Shen Yirong was startled, “Who is it?”

No one answered.

Perhaps someone reading a book hadn’t placed it properly, and a book had fallen.

Shen Yirong found the luminous pearl. The soft light illuminated a small area in front of her.

She walked toward where the sound came from, intending to put the book back, but after taking two steps, she suddenly noticed someone lying motionless on the floor.

This sudden sight gave Shen Yirong quite a fright. She thought the person had fainted and tried to help them up, but when she squatted down and pulled, she couldn’t move them.

“Fellow Daoist, wake up!”

Shen Yirong tried to pull again, only to hear the person clinging to the ground say with a trembling voice, “You, you don’t pull me. I, I’ll get up myself.”

Shen Yirong looked at the silver mountain cloud pattern on her black clothes and recognized the familiar voice, asking tentatively, “Protector?”

The person on the floor sat up against the bookshelf, then curled into a ball. She pulled her hood down to cover most of her face, looking like she had been kidnapped.

And Shen Yirong was the malicious kidnapper.

Shen Yirong took a step closer, and the person trembled. She took a step back and then closer, and the person trembled again.

Quite amusing…

It really was the Fifth Protector, Luo Ci. Huang Li said she was very afraid of people. After all this time, only Song Yin and the other four Protectors had seen her true face.

Shen Yirong rubbed her forehead. Does the Demonic Palace really have a future?

She held the luminous pearl and moved away, “My apologies.”

Shen Yirong went elsewhere. She wanted to look for books on Cleansing Marrow and Spiritual Conduit.

This time, she found the book quickly. Shen Yirong took it down and flipped through it, discovering that some of the necessary materials were available in the Demonic Palace, but not accessible to cultivation vessels. The last ingredient was in the Eastern Territory.

The Great Peace Sect was in the Eastern Territory.

Other immortal sects should have it too, but because the Demonic Palace and the Great Peace Sect were enemies, they didn’t.

Shen Yirong gritted her teeth. Why are there so many complications on the road to success?

She closed the book and began to worry again.

“Cough.”

A soft cough from Luo Ci drew Shen Yirong’s attention. Having been plagued by illness for years in her previous life, she immediately understood.

When she was forced to weave cloth last time, the faces of the few Protectors present weren’t well, and it had only been a few days since.

She held the luminous pearl and walked over, stopping when the light reached the hem of the other person’s clothes. She bent down and placed a porcelain bottle on the ground.

The porcelain bottle made a sound against the wooden floor.

Shen Yirong turned and left. The light of the luminous pearl disappeared, and the pavilion returned to darkness.

Song Yin also dreamed. This time, she didn’t wake up immediately. After the absurd dream, came another one.

She dreamed that Master was surrounded by people again, and she was smiling at that group of people.

Not again, not again!

Song Yin angrily stepped forward and tore those blurry figures to shreds.

But this was a dream. The dream could not bear her hostility. When she turned, Master’s figure was also covered in cracks.

Master shattered, and the dream ended.

The vine patterns retreated from her face. Song Yin lay quietly on the bed.

It took a while before she seemed to come back to life.

In a daze, she went to where the cultivation vessel lived, but the person wasn’t there.

Did she run away?

Song Yin sneered. Just as she was about to use the Cultivation Vessel Seal to control her, she sensed the person’s presence.

“Venerable One?”

Song Yin turned. The person’s hair was lightly styled, her manner lazy, and she was looking at her, holding a lantern.

The anger subsided, “Where have you been?”

“Woken up by a nightmare, I went to the Scenic Literature Pavilion for a while.”

Shen Yirong was extremely nervous. She had just had that kind of dream, and looking at Song Yin made her feel guilty. In fact, she didn’t dare to look at her at all.

Song Yin seemed displeased. Shen Yirong thought about what she had said during the day and suddenly smiled, “Venerable One, I didn’t smile at anyone else.”

The moonlight was hazy. Shen Yirong couldn’t see her expression, nor did she know if what she said was correct.

But Song Yin left, disappearing on the spot without a word.

Shen Yirong relaxed. As she pushed the door open and entered the room, she couldn’t help but smile when she saw Little White sleeping soundly in its nest.

Lighting the candles in the room, Shen Yirong reached out and poked Little White’s belly.

No reaction.

She couldn’t help but mutter, “Aren’t cats supposed to be vigilant? I should just call you Little Pig.”

Seemingly having found a good target for her complaints, Shen Yirong continued to speak.

“The snake demon’s words really can’t be trusted.”

Secluded cultivation? She was here during the day and again at night.

Secluded cultivation? Hmph.

Shen Yirong was still thinking about the Cleansing Marrow and Spiritual Conduit.

She took out the two jade tokens, looked at them for a while, and then put them away.

The next day, she sought out the two Protectors early.

The two who received the message found themselves staring at each other in front of Shen Yirong’s courtyard.

They said in unison, “Why are you/Senior here?”

Shen Yirong waved to them. The three sat inside the house.

Shen Yirong went straight to the point, asking them to help her access the required materials.

She was refused.

Li Xiu’s face showed difficulty, “We do not have the authority to decide on these spiritual medicines.”

Ren Qing nodded.

Shen Yirong hadn’t expected this and was immediately disappointed.

Li Xiu felt a little bad, so she offered an idea, “The rules in the Palace are strict. These matters can only be approved by the Venerable One.”

Ren Qing nodded.

Shen Yirong jolted, but she took the advice to heart.

“What should I do then?” Shen Yirong hesitated.

Li Xiu was helpless, “If one could guess, she wouldn’t be the Venerable One.”

Ren Qing nodded.

Then why did you say anything? And what’s with the person next to me?

Before the tea even got cold, Shen Yirong politely ushered the two out.

She paced in the room for a long time. Suddenly, she remembered Song Yin had asked her to cook before.

She was better at cooking than embroidery.

She remembered that Song Yin used to love fish. She liked any kind of fish.

There was a pond in the Demonic Palace.

Shen Yirong gritted her teeth. As if having made a firm decision, she turned and walked out the door.

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