Xuan Lin indeed left the city, heading down a narrow path. He seemed deliberately avoiding crowds, wandering without clear purpose, choosing only secluded routes. Whenever he encountered people, he would instinctively dodge them—his behavior undeniably suspicious.
After walking for about half an hour, he finally stopped in a remote grove. Glancing around to confirm no one was nearby, he placed Niu Niu under a large tree, murmuring a few words to her. As he stood up, Niu Niu grabbed his sleeve. Frowning, he roughly pulled away, snapped a few angry words, then abandoned her there and turned back toward the city.
Shi Xia felt an inexplicable fury burning inside her, so intense she wanted to punch him. When Xuan Lin turned onto another path, she stepped out and blocked his way. "Where do you think you're going?"
"Eh... B-Benefactor..." Xuan Lin jumped at her sudden appearance, his face paling. He stiffened before forcing an awkward smile. "You... Why are you here? I... I was just..."
"Were you trying to abandon Niu Niu?"
His face turned even whiter, his eyes darting around as his smile grew more strained. "You misunderstand, Benefactor. How could I abandon her? I was just... just... Yes! I was going to buy her some food."
Shi Xia glanced at the steamed buns still in his hand and clenched her fists at her sides. "Last time I found her, was that also you deliberately leaving her behind?"
"..." He didn’t answer, but his expression darkened.
"Xuan Lin, she’s your sister!" How could you be so heartless?
His face twisted with guilt and panic, then flushed with anger. "So what if she’s my sister? If not for her holding me back, I’d already have joined an immortal sect. Over these past six months, I’ve missed my chances again and again—all because of her. She’s nothing but a burden."
"And for that, you’d abandon your own flesh and blood?" Shi Xia was seething.
"Yes!" Xuan Lin spat, furious. "I want to be rid of her. I’ve had enough these past six months—carrying her, tending to her constant illnesses. All my savings have gone to her. If I keep dragging her along, we’ll both starve."
Shi Xia barely recognized the man before her. Was this really the same devoted older brother from before? How could he grow so cold in just half a year?
"Is cultivating immortality really worth this? Worth abandoning your own sister?"
"Don’t be ridiculous," he sneered. "Who in this world doesn’t crave eternal life?"
"But do you even realize how dangerous the forest is? How many demonic beasts lurk there? Leaving her there—she’ll die!"
"Good! Better dead than dragging me down!" He waved a dismissive hand.
"Damn you!" She finally snapped, punching him square in the face. "Are you even human? Do you have any idea how much she adores you? Despite all the suffering she’s endured just to follow you—nearly eaten by beasts! And you blame her? If anyone’s a burden, it’s you to her, not the other way around!"
"So what if that’s true?" Xuan Lin staggered back from the blow, his expression icy. "Easy for you to judge. When you’re starving, who cares about sibling bonds? I had no choice. Anyone in my place would do the same."
"Bullshit!" Shi Xia kicked him hard. "You disgrace the word ‘brother.’ Not everyone is as vile as you. Plenty would rather starve than abandon family. You’re just a pathetic coward taking his failures out on a child. ‘No choice’? That’s nothing but a damn excuse. You don’t deserve to be her brother."
Xuan Lin clutched his leg, glaring venomously. "Fine, I don’t. Since you care so much, why don’t you take her?"
"You—" Shi Xia cut off as a small figure appeared at the path’s edge. "Niu Niu..."
How had she gotten here? Shi Xia had deliberately confronted Xuan Lin out of earshot. Now...
"Niu Niu..." She rushed over, frantic. How much had the girl heard? "Listen, it’s not what you think—we were just..."
"Good that she heard!" Xuan Lin straightened his robes, indifferent. "I won’t take her back, no matter what. Beat me all you want. Someone else can deal with her."
He turned and strode away. Shi Xia called after him, but he didn’t look back, quickening his steps instead.
Niu Niu stood frozen, silent. No tears, no chase. Her dirt-smudged face was deathly pale, tiny body trembling, fists clenched white-knuckled.
Her stillness terrified Shi Xia more than screams would have. Kneeling, she pulled the girl into a hug. "Niu Niu..." But what could she say? Claim it was all a misunderstanding? A joke? Xuan Lin was already gone.
Niu Niu stiffened before collapsing into her arms, face buried, silent.
A long moment passed before a whisper escaped.
"Last time... Brother told me to wait under the tree. But Niu Niu waited so, so long... and he never came."
"..."
"Just now... he said to wait again..."
"..."
"Big Sister Shi Xia... is Niu Niu not good?"
"...You’re very good."
"Did... did Niu Niu do something wrong?"
"No."
"Then why won’t Brother come back for me?"
"..."
"Does... Brother not like Niu Niu anymore?"
"Ah..."
"I... I knew last time."
"..."
She asked no more. Soon, quiet sobs shook her frame, growing louder until she wailed, shattered.
Shi Xia held her tighter, rubbing her back. Let it out...
Niu Niu cried until sunset, finally exhausting herself to sleep. Shi Xia carried her back to Dragon City, where a kind family took them in for the night.
By dawn, Niu Niu woke first. Overnight, she seemed older. No tantrums, no mention of her wretched brother—just a heavy silence. No matter how Shi Xia tried to cheer her, the girl remained solemn, her small face unreadable. Too mature for a child of six or seven.
Being abandoned by family leaves scars.
The next day, Shi Xia took her into the city to distract her, but the streets were even more packed than before, nearly impassable with crowds.
Curious, she asked a vendor, "Why so many people today?"
The vendor beamed. "They’ve all come seeking immortality in our Dragon City."
It turned out that the lord of Dragon City was a martial cultivator. Though his cultivation level wasn’t particularly high, he held considerable prestige and had some connections with various immortal sects. Dragon City could almost be considered a semi-immortal city, as cultivators frequently appeared there. Many sects also conducted spirit root tests in the city before selecting disciples, as a preliminary screening. Those with spiritual roots would then be taken to their respective sects for further evaluation. This was essentially a large-scale audition. Of course, some cultivators, while traveling, might directly recommend talented individuals to their sects.
Shi Xia suddenly recalled her previous attempt to join the Jade Flower Sect. It seemed the reason she only discovered her lack of a spirit root at the very end was because she had skipped this initial screening stage.
The reason for the unusually large crowd today was that at noon, the immortal sect Yu Yin Sect would be holding their disciple selection in the city.
As a public enemy, the mention of an immortal sect made Shi Xia instinctively want to flee. Just as she was debating whether to slip away unnoticed, Niu Niu unexpectedly tugged at her sleeve.
“What’s wrong?” Shi Xia crouched down to her level.
Niu Niu kept her head lowered, her small fists clenched tightly at her sides. After a long pause, she finally looked up and said, “Sister Shi Xia… I… I want to cultivate immortality!”
Though her voice was soft, there was an unmistakable determination in it.
Shi Xia frowned. “Why?”
Niu Niu lowered her head even further before murmuring, “He… always wanted to become an immortal. I… I want to see it too.”
Shi Xia’s heart sank. She knew exactly who “he” referred to—Xuan Lin, who had abandoned Niu Niu in pursuit of immortality. Now, Niu Niu wanted to see for herself what this path of cultivation was like, the very thing that had made her brother forsake his own family.
After a moment of hesitation, Shi Xia gently patted her head. “Niu Niu, you need to think carefully. Cultivation is a lifelong commitment. If you’re chosen, you’ll have to join an immortal sect, and we’ll have to part ways.”
Niu Niu remained silent for a while, then nodded firmly.
“Alright, I’ll go with you.” The incident with Xuan Lin had left deep scars on her young heart. She was too young to fully understand, yet old enough to grasp that her brother wasn’t coming back. The fact that she hadn’t completely broken down was a testament to her resilience. Perhaps this was the only way she could find some semblance of peace.
Shi Xia didn’t try to stop her. After asking for directions, she took Niu Niu’s hand and headed straight for the disciple selection site. Though she was wary of the immortal sect members, very few people had actually seen her face. As long as she kept her identity hidden, who would know she was Shi Xia?
But Shi Xia soon realized that when luck turned against you, even the simplest things could go wrong—like choking on water, finding worms in your apple, or running out of toilet paper when you needed it most.
In short, when Xuan Lin stood before the Yu Yin Sect cultivators, his face twisted with fury as he exposed her identity, she felt like the universe was playing a cruel joke on her.
“That’s her! I heard her say before that her surname was Shi, and Niu Niu calls her Sister Shi Xia. She’s definitely that demoness, Shi Xia!” Xuan Lin’s voice grew louder, his expression brimming with smug satisfaction at his betrayal.
Already, many in the crowd were reaching for their weapons. Shi Xia wanted nothing more than to smack Xuan Lin senseless. Not only had he abandoned his own sister, but now he was repaying her kindness with treachery.
