Wanxi Rebirth - Chapter 119

But then again, how was that ever her choice to make?

During the period when Yue Tingxi was nurturing her egg, she would occasionally hear chaotic snippets about the daily lives of Luo Yansha, Chanying, and Bi Fang…a truly turbulent trio.

Bi Fang’s incarnation, Chenjing, who was roughly the same age as the other two, had already managed to cultivate to the point where she could take human form on her own. However, survival in the Blackwater Secret Realm was a brutal affair, and a human form offered no tactical advantage there. Because of this, she had held off on facing her transformation tribulation, choosing to wait until she returned to Stream Mountain to prepare…and to politely ask Luo Yansha to tailor some clothes for her.

A child returning home absolutely deserved the finest garments! Long before Chenjing had even asked, Luo Yansha had already picked out a selection of premium fabrics she deemed perfect for the girl. She had personally sketched several design templates for Chenjing to choose from.

Chenjing didn’t bother picking; she wanted them all.

They were all hand-designed by Shasha herself, so how could she possibly reject a single one?

Watching the new outfits being completed one by one, Chenjing threw herself into preparing for her transformation tribulation with even greater fervor. Unlike that particular Suohan Flower back in the Blackwater Secret Realm, Chenjing wasn’t afraid of the lightning trials at all. In fact, she practically begged the tribulation to strike her with just enough force to leave a visible injury.

Preferably the kind of serious…but neither fatal nor disabling…wound that would force her to stay confined to her bed for ten days to a fortnight.

Because she had grown up with no actual humans to interact with in the Blackwater Secret Realm…where spiritual beasts strictly kept to their own territories and even the Bi Fang clansmen simply abandoned their eggs to fend for themselves…Chenjing’s mind was still very much that of a child. The more little schemes she plotted in her head, the easier they were to read on her face.

Luo Yansha, thoroughly occupied with tailoring the new clothes, was completely oblivious.

Chanying, on the other hand, had kept her eyes glued to Chenjing from the very moment the girl regained her memories. The second she caught wind of Chenjing’s little scheme, Chanying immediately dug out the defensive artifacts she had been hoarding at the bottom of her treasure chest. She even stayed up all night to purchase a few more from her master, Chuiyin, before handing them all over to Luo Yansha to pass along to Chenjing.

“Make absolutely sure you don’t mention they’re from me,” Chanying had stressed. “Otherwise, little Chenjing’s pride will get in the way and she’ll refuse them. She has a fierce sense of self-respect!”

Fortunately, the current Chenjing was still a wonderfully simple-minded “dummy.” Receiving anything associated with Luo Yansha filled her with pure bliss, so she equipped every single one of the defensive artifacts from head to toe.

When the day of the tribulation finally arrived, she didn’t sustain a single scratch. Instead, she actually used the lightning strikes to temper her physical body, fully replenishing her depleted spiritual energy in the process.

For the demon race, one’s human form was usually a reflection of their innermost desires. Chenjing had seen plenty of beauties, but she had no intention of making herself an exceptionally striking one. She didn’t want a situation where demons or humans might compare her appearance to Luo Yansha’s when they stood together—whether those comparisons were made out of kindness or malice.

So, she simply crafted a face that she found pleasant enough to look at. Her hairstyle and hair color, however, were tailored entirely to Luo Yansha’s preferences.

Her long, flowing hair was loose, save for a hint of crimson at the very tips, and structured so it could be woven into all sorts of intricate braids. It gave her an appearance that perfectly aligned with the word “endearing.” She then transformed her feathers into a teal robe adorned with red patterns that felt wonderfully soft and fluffy to the touch. Only then did she dispel the defensive barriers around her, happily rushing toward Luo Yansha, who had arrived the moment the storm clouds cleared.

“I still feel like Luo Yansha hasn’t realized that her ‘maternal love’ has shifted into something else entirely.”

Listening to Qin Suliu’s description of the events, Yue Tingxi let out a soft sigh. “She’s still raising Chenjing like a daughter!”

As a result, this “daughter” had never once called her “Mother.” Even in the memories of Lingjian, which had been witnessed by her other self, Chenjing had continued to call her “Shasha” right up until the tragic moment of Luo Yansha’s death.

“But offering a warning would probably be useless anyway,” Qin Suliu noted. “If it would help, Chanying would have spoken up long ago. After all, she and Chenjing are love rivals.”

“I originally thought that once Chenjing grew up a bit more, Shasha would naturally figure it out on her own, just like you and I did.” At this, Yue Tingxi looked at Qin Suliu with a touch of helplessness before lowering her gaze to her own serpentine body. “But now that little Chenjing has ‘grown up overnight,’ it’s going to take quite a while for their dynamic to straighten itself out.”

Just as she predicted, even though Chenjing had taken human form and now spent her days with Luo Yansha as a grown woman, she remained incredibly well-behaved. Her actions seemed no different from how she used to interact with the Master of Mount Qingyu.

Chanying would occasionally drop by to visit them, bringing fresh fruits and freshly roasted flower tea.

“Ha, I really did view little Chenjing as a rival at first and kept my guard up,” Chanying laughed confidently, biting into a juicy peach. “But I realized she can’t catch up to me anyway, so I just let her be. Besides, based on my understanding of Shasha in this lifetime, she would never allow a ‘daughter’ to become a ‘cultivation partner.'”

Meeting the curious stares of the two women, Chanying chuckled. “Because Shasha truly just wants a daughter! Even if Chenjing actually found the courage to confess to her, the shock to Shasha would probably be no different than if your little snake suddenly told you both one day that she doesn’t want to be your daughter anymore, she wants to be your lover, and that the three of you should bed together at night.”

Yue Tingxi: “…”

That really is a terrifying thought.

As if the little snake inside the egg had somehow sensed they were talking about her, Yue Tingxi distinctly felt the shell give her a gentle, twin-thump nudge.

Autumn arrived in the blink of an eye. Qin Chuhan made a special trip to Stream Mountain, bringing along various natural treasures that the disciples of the Empty Bright Villa had just retrieved from the Glacial Ice Valley.

“The Glacial Ice Valley can technically be considered a secret realm, but it’s only safe during the summer months, opening just once a year,” Qin Chuhan explained, her tone half-joking but entirely serious. “Compared to an untamed secret realm, though, it serves as a much more controlled training ground. Thanks to your upcoming wedding, quite a few rogue cultivators gathered this time. After filtering them through the trials of the valley, the number of people who managed to stay is highly impressive.”

Qin Suliu thanked her for the gifts, inquired about the current affairs of the Empty Bright Villa, and finally asked about the status of the other Suohan Flower.

In her past memories, she herself had been chosen as the vessel for that flower. Perhaps because of that history, the young Qin Suliu couldn’t help but wonder: if that flower hadn’t endured centuries of absolute isolation and obsession, could it have avoided walking down such a twisted path, just like Qin Chuhan had? That was why she kept an eye on its current state.

“Lord Chuiyin is currently trying to understand her,” Qin Chuhan answered, her voice visibly turning a fraction colder. “But she is highly likely to be one of those exceedingly rare cases—a ‘born bad seed.’

“Mercenary, ungrateful, completely indifferent to the survival of others… just about any negative description you can think of can be seen in her behavior. Having a piece of trash like her alive is honestly a stain on the reputation of our entire Suohan Flower clan!”

Despite her harsh words, Qin Chuhan let out a pitying sigh. “But then again, how was that ever her choice to make? Whether one is born a bad seed or naturally kind-hearted is something that can’t be detected beforehand, whether it’s an embryo or a seed. And even if we did know, should we truly wipe out a living, breathing life?

“Lord Chuiyin considered erasing all of her memories to raise and teach her from scratch, but in my opinion, if someone is a born bad seed, the starting point makes no difference.”

She glanced down at the name Tushan Jinglan written on the gift registry. “If someone is inherently crooked, it won’t matter how many times you erase their memories; the end result will always be the same. But if there is still a shred of hope for redemption, they can be guided back to the light without needing to strip away who they are.”

Yue Tingxi listened intently to her words, her hand unconsciously brushing against her slightly curved, serpentine abdomen.

She couldn’t help but feel a fresh wave of curiosity about what kind of child they would ultimately welcome into the world.

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