Transmigrated as the Little Concubine of a Paper-Thin Man - Chapter 9

The torrential rain lasted for three days, only letting up slightly on the morning of the fourth day, but the dark clouds overhead remained heavy.

The Divine Doctor whom Zhao Fengyan had invited finally arrived at a leisurely pace. Along the misty, rain-soaked mountain road, Shi Yunji held an umbrella and led the way for them. Shallow puddles floated on the bluestone steps, dampening her yellow embroidered shoes. Every step Shi Yunji took felt like walking on water-logged cotton.

Before they reached the summit, the group encountered the newly activated restriction (barrier). Zhao Feng shouted towards the mountaintop several times, “Immortal Master,” but received no response.

He turned back to apologize to the Divine Doctor and asked, “How about we try again this afternoon?”

The elderly Divine Doctor stroked his beard, “I’ve long heard that the Spirit Bell Immortal Master has a bad temper and does not associate with other cultivators. Now it seems the rumors are true.”

Shi Yunji stared at the auspicious clouds on her embroidered shoes.

She thought, Yan Ling indeed dislikes socializing, but how did that escalate to having a bad temper? The cultivation world isn’t much better than the mortal world; they all love to spread rumors.

Zhao Feng smiled apologetically, “This… Sir, our Immortal Master is just injured. Perhaps, perhaps she happens to be resting and didn’t hear us. She is not intentionally avoiding anyone.”

“Don’t give me that.” The Divine Doctor waved his hand, “Such a huge incident as Zhou Huaibi coming to cause trouble, and aside from the Sect Master’s daughter, none of the Immortal Masters from the other peaks offered assistance. Fortunately, the Spirit Bell Immortal Master is highly capable, and no great tragedy occurred.”

He didn’t want to fall out with Spirit Bell Peak, so he added, “How about this, from your description, the Immortal Master just has unstable spiritual power; it’s not a major issue. I have a few packets of medicinal herbs and a bottle of spirit pills here…”

Shi Yunji stepped forward and accepted the items from his hand.

“Wait until the Immortal Master has ‘rested’ enough, and give these to her to try. If there are still problems, have the Immortal Master come to the Medicine Peak to find me.” With that, the Divine Doctor flicked his sleeve and departed. He then used the technique of traveling one li with every step, disappearing from Spirit Bell Peak in just a few breaths.

Zhao Feng sighed, turned around, and motioned for Shi Yunji to return, but Shi Yunji refused. She pointed to the medicine packet in her arms, then to herself, trying hard to express her meaning.

“You want to stay?” Zhao Feng was surprised.

Shi Yunji nodded.

Zhao Feng smiled, “Good, young people should be ambitious. Since you have this intention, stay here then.” He then instructed, “If the rain gets heavy again later, remember to go back to your courtyard.”

Shi Yunji acknowledged each instruction.

After seeing Zhao Feng off, she looked around and found a place under a tile eave for shelter from the rain. Although the raindrops were small, they were not sparse. Fortunately, the medicine packet in her arms was well protected and hadn’t gotten wet at all. Shi Yunji sighed in relief, put down her umbrella, leaned back against the wall, and gazed blankly at the mountaintop.

Rain fell lightly, occasionally hitting her face when the wind blew, cold and cool.

In the mountains after a new rain, she felt no sense of “newness,” only that the entire peak was terribly empty. The calls of the flying cranes were distant, echoing off the mountains. It took a moment for the echoes to reach her ears.

When the sun began to set, the wind and rain completely stopped.

Having missed lunch and dinner, Shi Yunji didn’t feel hungry. The medicine packet in her arms had already warmed up from her body heat, and she hesitated whether to wait a little longer. But a flock of low-flying birds returning to their nests passed over her head, chirping a clear reminder for her to leave.

She looked up and saw the path up the mountain disappearing into the gloom.

It was time to go back.

Shi Yunji turned and took the first step down the mountain.

But she couldn’t help herself and looked back.

It was with that glance that she saw the white figure at the end of the path. The wind and rain had passed, and her young girl, dressed in white, stood there quietly, as if waiting for something.

Shi Yunji instinctively ran toward her, not noticing that halfway there she passed through another layer of bubble-like restriction.

But upon getting closer to Yan Ling, she hesitated, slowing her steps and not daring to approach. She stared at the strip of cloth, which had dried into a brownish-red, covering the other’s eyes. She raised her hand and waved it in front of Yan Ling’s face.

Yan Ling grabbed her wrist.

Skin on skin, both paused. Shi Yunji was purely astonished, but Yan Ling’s expression was somewhat complex. She initially frowned slightly, seeming a little hesitant and lost, and her grip on Shi Yunji’s hand tightened.

Shi Yunji couldn’t bear the pain, and a soft “woo” sound escaped her throat.

As if brought back to her senses by this sound, Yan Ling quickly shook off her hand.

They stood in silence for a few breaths, the surrounding air thick and condensed. A gust of mountain wind passed by, lifting the corners of their skirts. Yan Ling slowly walked past her and headed towards the Jade Bell Palace not far away.

Shi Yunji was inexplicably relieved and followed, hugging the medicine packet.

When the moon rose above the treetops, she crouched by the corridor, hugging her knees and decocting the medicine.

Shi Yunji, who had been soaked by the rain all day, leaned close to the fire pit. The firelight glowed warmly, making her face red. The medicine in the pot on the stove was already boiling, and the steam lifted the lid, releasing the scent of the herbs. It wasn’t bitter, but rather made one feel more awake the more one smelled it.

She watched the flickering flames for a while, then looked out at the sky beyond the corridor. It was pitch black, with no stars or moon to be seen.

Footsteps came from the other end of the corridor. Shi Yunji turned her head and saw a corner of a white robe. Looking further up, she saw Yan Ling’s slightly pale, thin lips, and the silk scarf wrapped around her eyes—

The silk scarf had been washed clean, showing no trace of blood, and could even compare to the immaculate white dress Yan Ling wore.

Yan Ling stopped about five or six steps away from her, facing her directly. If her eyes hadn’t been injured, her gaze would be fixed on Shi Yunji right now.

Shi Yunji tilted her head, waiting for her to speak, but the other party remained silent.

The ceramic lid, pushed open by the steam, tapped the pot with a soft “thunk.” Shi Yunji shifted her attention, pulling out some of the firewood from under the stove to reduce the heat further.

In the rising steam, she looked up at Yan Ling and suddenly found the situation quite amusing.

When she used to play the game, the initial Yan Ling was not very powerful and was often injured. Shi Yunji would search for various medicines for her through system missions and exploration. Every day after the battle ended and they returned to their shelter, Yan Ling would take out the medicine stove and start decocting medicine. At this time, a decocting progress bar would display on the stove, which only Shi Yunji could see. Shi Yunji would patiently wait in front of her phone, reminding Yan Ling to add firewood, reduce the heat, and then pour out the medicinal soup at the right time.

It was actually a purely time-consuming feature, but Shi Yunji never felt bored. She liked to poke little Yan Ling’s cheek while reminding her, listening to her earnestly confirm the steps.

“Should I add water?”

“The heat has been increased. Is this enough?”

“I can ladle it out, right?”

“…”

Remembering the soft and gentle little girl from back then, Shi Yunji actually forgot the setting and let out a chuckle.

She quickly reacted, covering her mouth, and secretly watched Yan Ling’s reaction.

Yan Ling raised her left arm, but for some reason paused in mid-air, then withdrew it.

In the quiet night, she finally spoke: “When Zhou Huaibi attacked the mountain, where were you?”

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