The Immortal Lord of the Path of Ruthlessness Bends for Me - Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Her Mother is Here, at the Pinnacle of Power in the Shangqing Realm.

Zhuang Jinfu’s back pressed against the wall of the hot spring pool, her throat gripped by Ling Shu’s hand. The sharp prick of claws stung her skin; she frowned slightly but offered no resistance.

Ling Shu’s chest heaved violently. Her face flickered with fox-like features—a savage, snarling expression. The thousand-year demonic power overflowing from her rage caused the temperature of the entire spring to rise. Inside, Ling Shu was burning with an unbearable heat; only the icy coolness emanating from the skin beneath her palm provided any solace.

Zhuang Jinfu’s silence startled Ling Shu. The Immortal Lord didn’t argue or fight back; her excessive composure eventually forced Ling Shu to calm down. The fox-like distortion on her face receded, though her ears and tail remained.

Zhuang Jinfu’s gaze lingered on the fox ears for a moment before she returned her cold stare to Ling Shu.

The steam was thick. Ling Shu was drenched in sweat. Suddenly, a stream of ice-cold spiritual energy flowed into her dantian, slowly suppressing the internal heat. Ling Shu looked down and saw Zhuang Jinfu’s palm hovering in the air, channeling the chilling energy into her.

This icy breath was like half a cup of water to a person dying of thirst—it wasn’t enough to quench the desire; instead, it opened up a greater craving. It was a mere trickle, too slow. She wanted more. The sight of that palm—white and smooth as mutton-fat jade—reminded her of the cold of the heavy snow outside. As if bewitched, she slowly reached out and touched that hand.

The other woman trembled slightly and moved back half an inch, but she was caught. Palms met. Ling Shu’s fingers brushed past the pinky like a snake coiling around a tree, sliding up the wrist and stealthily slipping into the sleeve.

The hand gripping Zhuang Jinfu’s neck loosened its pressure, but it refused to leave the skin, sliding down toward the collar. Just as her fingertips crossed the boundary of the neckline to probe further, an icy hand clamped down on hers, stopping the exploration.

“Ling Shu, you are overstepping.”

Zhuang Jinfu grabbed Ling Shu’s shoulder, spun her around, and pinned her against the edge of the pool. Her indifferent eyes now held a spark of aggressive territoriality. She said coldly, “Look clearly. I am your Master.”

Shaken by these words, Ling Shu’s mind cleared. Her fox ears and tail vanished. She pushed against Zhuang Jinfu’s hand, resisting the icy spiritual energy. “You… let go of me.”

“Are you awake now?”

“Yes…” The stream of cold energy had never stopped.

Zhuang Jinfu released her grip and leaned to the side. “This spring contains spiritual herbs meant to nourish the meridians. That thousand-year demonic power is too domineering; it has battered your meridians. If you don’t nourish them immediately, they will snap, and you will die.”

“Fine, I… I understand.” Ling Shu’s face was flushed, her heart racing. She couldn’t help but steal a glance at the woman beside her.

That glance was her undoing.

The water had soaked through the Immortal Lord’s elegant robes. A patch of white skin peeked through the wet fabric at her rounded shoulder. Her forehead was dry, but a few stray drops of spring water from their scuffle clung to her jaw, sliding down into her collar… The memory of that smooth touch still lingered on Ling Shu’s fingertips.

Ling Shu’s heart, already unsteady, began to thud wildly.

What a temptress!… No… I’m the demon here…

Ling Shu quickly looked away. The figure beside her walked toward the steps and slowly departed. Ling Shu let out a breath, pulling her knees to her chest as the water reached her chin.

The clear, melodious voice echoed again: “Don’t soak too long. Half an hour is enough. Once you’ve finished cleaning up, come to Qingxi Hall. I will lead you to see Sect Leader Wang.” When Ling Shu turned around, the ethereal figure had already exited.

The wooden door creaked. Ling Shu looked up, but it was Hai Gu who entered. She brought a fresh set of clothes, taking away the wet ones.

Ling Shu soaked for only fifteen minutes more. After bathing, she wrapped herself in a towel. Hai Gu, hearing the water stop, entered and used a Water-Removal Charm to dry her body and hair. She assisted Ling Shu in dressing and led her to a small side chamber.

Hai Gu parted the white crystal beaded curtains. Inside, a bronze lotus-petal incense burner emitted a cold, crisp fragrance that gave the room a solemn atmosphere. On the dressing table sat a few silver hairpins and a carved wooden comb.

Hai Gu picked up the comb and began to style Ling Shu’s hair. Ling Shu looked at herself in the mirror. Her face was exhausted, her eyes filled with deep-seated hatred. Because of the unresolved demonic power, her skin had a faint reddish tint, while her lips were colorless. The redness looked like a forced application of rouge on a corpse-pale face.

Hideous.

Is this how I looked in front of her just now? Ling Shu picked up the lip glaze.

Once ready, Ling Shu went to Qingxi Hall. Inside, Zhuang Jinfu sat in the main seat, drinking tea and reading. Seeing Ling Shu, she put down the book and looked up. “Come here.”

Ling Shu, confused, walked forward but stopped about ten feet away.

“A bit closer.”

Ling Shu took a few more steps but remained at a distance. Zhuang Jinfu sighed, rose from her chair, and walked over. She leaned down and hung a jade pendant with a lotus pattern on Ling Shu’s waist. When she looked up, she met the blushing face of the young girl. Zhuang Jinfu looked away and brushed past her. “Follow me.”

Ling Shu stood dazed, touching the jade. it felt cool and smooth, still carrying a hint of the Immortal Lord’s body heat. By the time she snapped out of it, Zhuang Jinfu was at the threshold. Ling Shu hurried to catch up.

They left the hall and took a small path down the mountain. Passing a stone monument engraved with “Fire Cloud,” the road widened. They encountered a few cultivators who cast inquisitive or shocked looks at Ling Shu, whispering as they passed. She caught snippets: “That half-demon,” “Immortal Lord Qingxi actually took a disciple,” “She’s the first disciple?”

Zhuang Jinfu remained silent the entire way. Ling Shu felt incredibly awkward. This “Immortal Lord Qingxi” seemed to hold a very high status, but why had she saved her and taken her as a disciple?

In the distance, a grand palace stood amidst the clouds, flanked by two side halls. The entire structure was as towering as a mountain. Under the direct sunlight, the glazed tiles reflected a dazzling spectrum of light. The steps leading up were high and white as snow—unbelievably noble.

Her mother was here, at the pinnacle of power in the Shangqing Realm.

Ling Shu gripped the flame-patterned jade; it had already warmed to her temperature. The person her mother called out for on her deathbed was right here.

As they climbed the white jade steps, a woman in lavish robes stood at the entrance. Zhuang Jinfu stepped onto the platform and bowed. “Step-mother.” Ling Shu didn’t know what to call her, so she simply followed with a bow.

The elegant woman glanced at Ling Shu. “Is this the child?”

“Yes.”

“Unfortunate. True Lord Muli of Mount Xi is holding a birthday banquet tomorrow and invited the Sect Leader. She left fifteen minutes ago.”

Left fifteen minutes ago… Heh.

The woman walked over to Ling Shu, circling her to inspect her. She reached out and pinched Ling Shu’s cheek, laughing. “Indeed a beauty in the making. Such a tender little face.”

Ling Shu pulled her face away in disgust.

“Haha, a stubborn one,” the woman said, retracting her hand.

Ling Shu glared at her. “Who are you?”

The woman covered her mouth and giggled. “Who am I? Hahaha, I am your step-mother.”

Ling Shu turned and walked away immediately. After two steps down, she turned back and threw the flame-patterned jade at the woman. “Tell her I don’t want her things! Since she doesn’t want to see me, why go through the trouble of letting her disciple bring me into the sect!”

“This child… such a temper,” the woman called out to Ling Shu’s retreating back as she caught the jade. “If you want to leave, leave. No one is stopping you. You were the one who insisted on seeing your mother, and now that you’re here, you throw a tantrum. Why are you so obstinate?”

Ling Shu froze. She spun around. “I’m obstinate? She’s the one who doesn’t treat me like a human! She never intended to recognize me! I don’t need to beg her! My mother was the one who wanted me to come here. I’ve come, so I’ve fulfilled my duty to her. What that woman owes us, she can never repay in a lifetime!”

“She wanted power and wealth! She abandoned my pregnant mother in the dead of winter, leaving her to give birth to me alone in the ice and snow! My mother thought of her constantly, but her? She turned around, married into a good family, and climbed to the peak of power!”

“Wang Lifu is worse than a dog!”

She added one more thing: “And you! You’re no good either! If it weren’t for you, why would she have abandoned my mother?” Ling Shu’s eyes filled with tears. “My mother was such a good person, and she died all alone in the wilderness. I will never forgive you! I hate you!”

The woman grew angry. “How dare you speak like that? No matter what, she is your mother! You cannot be disrespectful!”

Ling Shu didn’t look back. Wiping her tears with her sleeve, she ran down the mountain.

After Ling Shu left, a figure stepped out from behind the palace doors, standing silently behind the two women, watching Ling Shu’s figure shrink into a tiny dot.

Zhuang Jinfu turned and bowed. “Master.”

Wang Lifu raised her hand, signaling her to stop the formalities. Her eyes remained fixed on the direction Ling Shu had gone.

The step-mother explained hurriedly, “Ling Shu is just acting out in anger. She’s a good kid, just a bit stubborn…”

“I know,” Wang Lifu interrupted. “She’s right. I don’t have the face to see them.”

The pine trees blurred past as Ling Shu ran. The closer she got to the gate, the colder the air became. Seeing the boundary stone, she charged down the mountain without hesitation.

The moment she crossed the boundary, figures hiding in the shadows moved. Ling Shu, overwhelmed by emotion, failed to notice the tails following her. She ran straight toward home. Aside from that ruined little wooden shack, she had nowhere else to go.

Their small courtyard was buried in snow. The house that used to be filled with light was now dark. she dug out a broom and began clearing the yard. Seeing the grain under the snow, now mixed with blood and dirt, her memory flashed back to two days ago.

It had been a rare sunny winter day. Ling Shu had accidentally spilled water on their stored grain. Since it was sunny, she moved it outside to dry. She was never good at the drying spell, so she had simply cleared the snow and spread the grain on the ground.

When Wen Ji came home, she smiled and asked why she didn’t wait for her mother to dry it with magic. Ling Shu said the sun looked good… she didn’t realize she’d make the grain even wetter. Wen Ji laughed and said since it was wet, they’d leave it for the birds. After sunset, they’d collect it specifically to feed the birds.

Ling Shu hadn’t been scolded. She had been happy. Back then, the demon hunter hadn’t revealed his true colors yet. He had smiled, taken spirit stones from his pouch, and said, “Go to town and buy a roast chicken. Our family will celebrate our new ‘bird grain’.”

…A nightmare. I wish this was just a nightmare. I want my home back.

The grain was ruined. She threw away the blood-stained peppers, corn, and garlic drying under the eaves. She cleared the snow and went inside. She lit a lamp and settled into the freezing house. Her mother’s smile was so clear in her dreams.

Outside the door, three dark shadows poked holes in the window paper and blew in sleeping smoke. Once Ling Shu was deeply asleep, they picked the lock and approached her bed. One carried her out, while the other two ransacked the house, stealing an imperial green jade bracelet hidden in a jewelry box.

When Ling Shu woke up, she felt a bone-chilling cold and smelled the stench of unwashed bodies. Her home was clean; it couldn’t be this smell. She jolted awake to find two burly men and a plump woman surrounding her.

“Who are you?” She was on the cold ground, her head heavy and her body weak. “What do you want?”

“We’re the bosses of Mount Shangqing!” a man with a bushy beard said. “Hand over the demon core, and we’ll let you go.”

Ling Shu couldn’t help but let out a short laugh. Another rugged man with short hair brandished a heavy iron hammer. “What are you laughing at?”

Ling Shu climbed up, not wanting to waste time. she tried to throw a punch to send them flying, but she realized her magical power wouldn’t manifest.

“What did you drug me with?”

“Just some black-market medicine,” the woman said, hands on her hips. “Even if Immortal Lord Qingxi took this, she’d be in trouble. We’re just wanderers looking for a core. Give it to us, and we’ll let you go.”

“Never!”

Ling Shu spotted a gap and lunged like a leopard. After a few steps, her head hit a barrier, throwing her back.

“Your power is sealed inside your body. You can’t escape,” the woman said lazily.

“What if I insist?” Ling Shu’s fingers curled into claws, her eyes fixed on the woman. “What’s that in your hand?… You stole my mother’s bracelet?! Give it back!”

Ling Shu pounced. The iron hammer swung, striking her hard in the abdomen. She was slammed against the stone wall, spitting out a mouthful of blood. She tried to get up and lunged wildly again, only to be beaten back to the ground.

Covered in dust and with blood smeared across her face like she’d eaten raw meat, Ling Shu panted. The woman asked mockingly, “Well? Still want to fight?”

Ling Shu shook her head. “No. Come here.”

The woman, suspicious, signaled the bearded man to step forward. Ling Shu looked at him with disgust and pointed at the woman. “I want you to come here.”

The woman hesitated. Ling Shu roared in fury, “If you want the core, come here!” The woman finally approached.

“Crouch down,” Ling Shu said, looking up. “Your man hit me. I can’t stand.”

For the sake of the core, the woman endured it and crouched.

“Closer. I’ll only give it to you.”

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