Villainous Fox’s Sickly Beauty Master - Chapter 2

Fu Yi had been raised within the Canglan Immortal Sect since she was a child. When she was very young, others might have refrained from bullying her out of respect for her biological mother, Fu Yanqing. Although she had not officially joined any specific lineage at the time, her supplies and provisions were matched to those of inner-sect disciples, and the Sect Leader had even arranged for her to live on the Main Peak.

Before Fu Yanqing left the sect, she had informed the Sect Leader, Xuanmingzi, that she would definitely return within ten years to personally teach Fu Yi.

However, ten years passed. Not only did Fu Yanqing fail to return, but she left behind no trace of her existence.

Across the entire continent, Mahayana-stage experts were as rare as phoenix feathers or unicorn horns, drawing attention wherever they went. Yet, over all these years, it was as if she had vanished into thin air. The only rumor was that she had been spotted in the Yulian Mountains at the border of the Human and Demon realms; beyond that, there was no news.

While the lifespan of a cultivator is exceptionally long, the struggle against the Demon Realm had never ceased since the founding of the Canglan Immortal Sect. The sect was situated in the extreme north, closest to the “Demon Realm’s Tiancan” where the demons lived. Every year, they suffered heavy losses while resisting demon invasions, and many talented cultivators would perish silently in unknown places.

Though ten years is not long for a practitioner of the Dao, for memory, ten years is a vast chasm. Over time, fewer people discussed this former genius, and rumors of her death spread far and wide.

Many even began to speculate that Fu Yi was not Fu Yanqing’s daughter at all. These voices grew louder, and more people cast disdainful glances at Fu Yi.

The human heart has always been the most difficult thing to gauge. Although no one dared to kick her out of the sect, Fu Yi began to be marginalized at every turn.

When she was ten years old, several disciples pushed her into the cold pool in the back mountains while she was picking fruit, taking advantage of her lack of caution. They called her a “bastard” who was clinging to the sect before walking away laughing.

Fu Yi was left in the piercingly cold water. She tried to grab the weeds on the bank several times, but they snapped, and her hands were marked with large gashes.

This was not the first time. What is the point of living like this? Fu Yi often thought this when she was being bullied.

She wished both her parents had been present at her birth; she wished she had someone to shield her from everything. Even if she couldn’t stay in this prestigious Canglan Immortal Sect that everyone yearned for, she would have been perfectly satisfied being born into a farming household, living a simple and poor life every day.

Let it end like this…

Fu Yi’s struggling strength suddenly diminished. Due to the freezing pool water, her lips and cheeks turned purple, and her eyelids gradually drooped. She was so tired; she didn’t want to hold on anymore.

Just as her consciousness was about to dissipate, she felt someone lift her up. A touch of warmth met her forehead, and a faint, slightly bitter herbal fragrance surrounded her. She forced her eyelids open, but saw only a blurred facial contour before fainting once again.

When she woke up, Fu Yi found herself lying in a bed, changed into a new dress. Her surroundings were completely unfamiliar, but if she sniffed carefully, she could vaguely smell that same fragrance from before she lost consciousness.

In this situation, Fu Yi felt more vigilance than gratitude. Although she was young, she had seen the two-faced nature of the people in this sect. She had experienced many instances where someone would save her life only to mock and torment her later.

As she looked around, the wooden door in front of her was pushed open. The newcomer wore green robes, carried a jade flute at her waist, and held a bowl of medicinal soup. Her lips were somewhat pale, giving her a sickly appearance.

If a senior disciple were present, they would surely recognize her as Immortal Lord Luanqiu of Shuiyun Peak.

“You’re awake? I don’t know how long you were soaking in that water. For someone who hasn’t begun cultivation, the cold energy there is too heavy and can easily leave lasting health issues. So, be a good girl and drink this medicine.”

As she spoke, the woman moved closer, but Fu Yi retreated further back into the bed, taking a defensive stance.

The woman froze for a moment upon seeing this, but then she smiled. She picked up a small wooden spoon from the medicine bowl and took a sip herself, her brow furrowing from the bitterness.

“It’s alright, it’s just a bit bitter. See? I drank it.” Having said that, Luanqiu seemed to think of something else and produced a preserved plum from nowhere. “I heard children are afraid of taking medicine. How about this: you drink the medicine, and I’ll give you the plum, okay?”

Since she could remember, Fu Yi had never heard such a gentle way of coaxing a child. She slowly took the bowl held out to her. Looking at the black medicinal juice, she pursed her lips, pinched her nose, and downed it in one gulp. Her small face was tightly wrinkled, but she swallowed the medicine nonetheless.

Luanqiu was somewhat surprised by the child’s decisiveness. She then saw Fu Yi stretch out her small, short fingers, clearly asking for the plum. This attempt to act steady while still showing a child’s heart made Luanqiu unable to suppress a smile.

“Open your mouth.”

Unlike her previous resistance, Fu Yi obeyed. She thought the woman would shove the promised plum inside, but instead, she saw the woman raise her hand to cast a spell. The bitter taste filling her mouth vanished instantly.

Shock filled those bright, dark eyes, but there was also a hint of disappointment. As if reading Fu Yi’s mind, the promised plum was handed over at that exact moment.

“Eat up.”

Even though Fu Yi was not fond of sweets—especially something as sickeningly sweet as this—the moment she received the plum, she stuffed her cheeks full like a little squirrel.

Seeing this, Jiang Jinheng (Luanqiu) couldn’t resist pinching Fu Yi’s chubby cheek. She said softly, “No matter what happens, you are not allowed to seek death again next time, do you understand?”

Seeing Fu Yi’s dazed expression, she sighed helplessly. “You have such a good natural foundation; your cultivation will surely be smooth in the future. If you seek death, wouldn’t you be playing right into the hands of those who humiliate you?”

She didn’t know if a seven or eight-year-old child could take these words to heart. Since she woke up, Jiang Jinheng hadn’t heard her speak a single word. Just as she was about to turn and leave, her robes were tugged. A childish voice rose from behind her.

“I wasn’t seeking death. Someone pushed me into the pool. I didn’t have the strength to struggle, so I began to drown.”

Fu Yi didn’t know why she wanted to explain herself to this woman she had only met once, but seeing her back as she walked away made her heart panic.

It seems she hasn’t been turned into a little mute.

Jiang Jinheng gave a soft “mm” to show she understood. Seeing that Fu Yi still wouldn’t let go of her hem, she helplessly explained that she had to continue gathering herbs before she was finally allowed to leave.

After leaving the “senior sister” persona behind, Jiang Jinheng kept an eye on Fu Yi, though she was usually too busy to run into her often. Occasionally seeing from afar that her foundation was excellent and her resilience remained, Jiang Jinheng felt relieved—though she hadn’t expected the child to be so clingy.

It’s only natural to want to be close to someone after being harmed.

Thinking of this, a cold glint flashed in Jiang Jinheng’s eyes.

For the next half month, Fu Yi lived in that wooden house. She was curious about the woman’s identity but didn’t dare ask too much. Those were the days she cherished most in all her years.

However, after half a month, the Sect Leader, Xuanmingzi, realized Fu Yi was missing. He cleared up the situation, punished the disciples who pushed her into the cold pool, and found her current residence. He stated that the matter had been handled properly and that he was taking her back to her previously lonely and desolate courtyard.

Fu Yi kept staring at the woman with eyes like water, but the woman only smiled gently and handed her a jade whistle.

“Go on. In the future, if you are bullied, remember to blow this.”

It was only much later that Fu Yi learned from others that the person who saved her that day was Immortal Lord Luanqiu of Shuiyun Peak.

Her health was poor, but she was born with an affinity for herbs. Every year when autumn began, she would move to the sect’s Hundred Herb Garden, which was very close to the cold pool. She happened to be gathering herbs in the back mountains that day, making the rescue a pure coincidence.

However, that jade whistle was never blown. Instead, she wore it on a string, hanging right against her heart.

The Canglan Immortal Sect held selections every three years. Back when she was ten—the year Fu Yanqing failed the ten-year promise—the Sect Leader had already asked about her wishes, intending to take her as a disciple.

Fu Yi didn’t hate Xuanmingzi; the fact that he cared for an orphan like her because of her mother was already more than enough.

But she didn’t like the Canglan Immortal Sect, and she didn’t like those so-called “Daoist practitioners.”

These people all claimed to be righteous, slaying demons and defending the Dao, yet behind the scenes, they committed acts like harming fellow disciples, bullying the weak, and colluding with foreign races. Sometimes, the returning scouting parties would bring back powerful demon beasts; these creatures were either forcibly contracted by certain disciples or turned into cultivation “furnaces” because of their beautiful human forms.

For some reason, every time Fu Yi saw those demons covered in wounds, lying in cages and whimpering, her eyes would turn red. she felt an impulse to rush forward and fight these people.

Thus, she requested of Xuanmingzi that she be allowed to leave the mountain gates when she turned sixteen. From then on, her life or death would have nothing to do with the Canglan Immortal Sect. Xuanmingzi had agreed at the time.

Now, there were only three months left until she would leave the sect. However, news broke during this year’s disciple selection: Immortal Lord Luanqiu of Shuiyun Peak intended to take a disciple—and only one personal disciple at that.

Fu Yi was moved. Since their first meeting, she had never seen that person up close again. Every autumn, no one ever visited that wooden house. After asking around, she learned that after that year, Immortal Lord Luanqiu had fallen gravely ill and stopped seeing outsiders.

The memory ended. Fu Yi continued to look at the person on the platform. She had grown thinner, but she was as breathtakingly beautiful as the day they first met.

If nothing unexpected happened, Fu Yi would have continued staring at her until the aptitude selection began. However, a sea-blue vertical zither was suddenly placed in front of her, forcing her to avert her gaze.

The newcomer was Qi Ranyan, the one who had been provoking Fu Yi earlier. She followed Fu Yi’s gaze and saw the extraordinary figure among the Immortal Lords. After a moment of dazing, anger filled her face, and she couldn’t help but sneer.

“No way. You actually think you can become Immortal Lord Luanqiu’s disciple?”

Everyone knew that Immortal Lord Luanqiu was the Grandmaster’s most pampered young disciple and the youngest Body Integration-stage Immortal Lord in the sect. If she hadn’t been indifferent to sect affairs and suffered from innate physical weakness, the position of Sect Leader would have been reserved for her.

In Qi Ranyan’s heart, Fu Yi was just a useless orphan. Only a girl from a prestigious family like herself was worthy of the peerless Immortal Lord Luanqiu.

Thinking of this, she raised her hand to slap this audacious girl. But at the moment she struck, her wrist was grabbed. Agony spread through her wrist bone. She looked up in terror, only to meet a pair of eyes as cold as frost.

“Im… Immortal Lord Luanqiu…”