“I’m not an immortal. I’m just an ordinary mortal.” Faced with the child’s question, Shu Xin still couldn’t bring herself not to answer.
That was all she said, however, before closing her eyes to rest.
She was in too much pain and didn’t have the energy to satisfy a child’s curiosity.
Fortunately, the boy called Wen Jingzhi was quite perceptive. When Shu Xin stopped speaking, he didn’t ask any more questions.
He didn’t dare touch the wounds covering Shu Xin’s body. Instead, he used a soft cotton cloth to carefully wipe around the wounds on her face and hands. As for the injuries on her body, he felt it would be inappropriate for him to tend to them. Once he got home, he planned to find one of his younger female cousins who listened to him and bring her over to help.
It was painstaking work, because there were simply far too many wounds exposed on Shu Xin’s body.
It was as if every inch of her skin had been torn open to release as much blood as possible.
Wen Jingzhi’s face grew paler and paler, while his gaze became increasingly resolute.
He had to save this person.
Only after Shu Xin’s breathing gradually evened out and she appeared to have fallen asleep did Wen Jingzhi get up and leave.
The instant he was gone, Shu Xin’s eyes flew open.
There was no way she would trust an outsider so easily, even if that outsider was only a child.
After all, among the people she had saved, there had been children who betrayed her.
So how much would this boy tell others about her?
[You don’t trust him?] The Sword Spirit had returned to Shu Xin’s side at some point.
The contract they had signed had been witnessed by the Heavenly Dao. As long as Shu Xin was in danger, no matter how many miles separated them—even if they were in different worlds—the Sword Spirit could fly back to her side as quickly as possible.
Therefore, the moment Wen Jingzhi moved Shu Xin, the Sword Spirit had already sensed it.
“I won’t fall into the same pit twice.” Shu Xin spoke indifferently. “Besides, a child’s momentary kindness fades easily. They’ll tell their parents and friends. What parent wouldn’t be worried after hearing that their child had rescued a blood-soaked adult? They’d at least report it to the authorities. Oh, officials in your world rarely do any actual work, so they’d probably report it to the town head or clan chief instead. My existence would then be announced to the entire world.”
[You’re right,] the Sword Spirit replied. [But you can’t move around much in your current condition. The descendants of the Chun clan shouldn’t be bad people. After all, they’re no different from mortals now, and their ancestral rules forbid them from cultivating. Rest for now. I’ll definitely find medicine that can heal you.]
Hearing the Sword Spirit make that promise yet again, Shu Xin felt only irritated.
She hated this so-called destiny.
She hated this damned world as well.
She wanted to go home!
Seeing Shu Xin’s dispirited expression, the Sword Spirit knew she was unhappy again.
There was nothing it could do.
Destiny had chosen this path, and even the Sword Spirit had no way to change it.
Meanwhile, because it was already late and he had missed the time he was supposed to return home, Wen Jingzhi had no choice but to sneak to the outside of his house and prepare to climb over the wall.
Unfortunately, he was small and not very tall. Even after finding a stone to stand on, getting down was still somewhat difficult.
Fortunately, a pair of hands caught him and helped him safely to the ground.
“Uncle, thank goodness! Thank you for saving me.” Wen Jingzhi knew who it was without even looking.
“Why climb over the wall when you know your legs are short?” a voice asked with a laugh.
“My legs aren’t short! I’ve compared them. I’m taller than other children my age. I’m just young, and I’ll keep growing.” Wen Jingzhi protested. He worked very hard every day to grow taller.
Moonlight fell across the smiling man’s face, making his deeply pitted skin look even more pronounced.
The newcomer was fairly tall, though somewhat thin. From behind, he might even have been considered a handsome man. However, his face had been disfigured in a fire when he was young, leaving his skin twisted and drawn tight. One eye was larger than the other, making him look quite frightening.
As a result, this still-young but sensitive man rarely left the house. The only person he was truly close to was his nephew.
Or perhaps it was more accurate to say that, because this nephew had been displaced and wandering from a young age and had witnessed countless scenes of suffering, he was the only one among the children who could face Fu Ge normally.
That was why the relationship between uncle and nephew was so good.
“Your parents are still waiting for you to come home and eat,” Fu Ge said softly. “Just tell them you went out to buy something for me, all right?”
“Got it, Uncle.” Wen Jingzhi tugged at Fu Ge’s sleeve. “Aren’t you going to eat with us? I could bring my meal to your room and eat with you.”
“No need. I don’t really feel like eating tonight.” Fu Ge touched his scarred face. “It’s hurting a little today. I’m going to take my medicine and get an early night.”
“Oh, okay. Rest well, Uncle, and don’t start overthinking things again.” Wen Jingzhi continued reminding him of this and that. “When I grow up, I’ll go back to my old country and find some medicine for you. My country may be run-down and troublesome, but at least there are lots of immortals living there, and their medicines are incredibly effective.”
Fu Ge forced a smile and patted Wen Jingzhi on the head. “It’s enough that you have the thought.”
How could he really expect anything from a child?
Wen Jingzhi had once been nothing more than a little slave in the Blood Demon Kingdom. Escaping by sheer chance had already been difficult enough. How could he possibly return there for Fu Ge’s sake?
It was hard to imagine that when he had first met this little nephew, the boy had snarled viciously at everyone who came near him.
Yet after these past few years, he had become the good child everyone in Wen Family Town praised.
His sister and brother-in-law had indeed devoted a great deal of effort to teaching him.
After saying goodbye to his uncle and changing his clothes, Wen Jingzhi went to eat.
“Dad, Mom, Auntie, I’m back.” Wen Jingzhi greeted everyone first, then sat down right beside his aunt, Wen Jingshu.
“You’re home late again?” Wen Jingzhi’s father, Wen Fan, asked with a frown. “And stop fidgeting. You’re practically tearing your aunt’s sleeve off.”
Sitting in her wheelchair, Wen Jingshu covered her mouth and secretly giggled.
“Oh, enough. Don’t put on that face. Who was it that kept saying we had to wait for Jingzhi to come home before eating?” The beautiful, gentle-looking woman beside them smoothed things over. She was Wen Jingzhi’s mother, Fu Lan. “Eat first. We can discuss everything else afterward.”
“Your mother made a bowl of medicinal food in the kitchen. It’s good for the body. After dinner, take it to your uncle.” Wen Fan reminded him carefully, “Your aunt has already had hers, and she says the flavor is all right.”
What?
His mother’s medicinal food? Was that even edible?
Wen Jingzhi turned his eyes toward Wen Jingshu.
Wen Jingshu gave him a helpless look in return.
“Oh. All right.” Wen Jingzhi lowered his head.
His mother could sing, dance, write, and even perform some impressive martial arts. But when it came to cooking and needlework, she was utterly hopeless.
Her medicinal dishes contained genuine medicinal ingredients, but as for the taste, it was simply beyond description.
Most of the time, whatever Wen Jingshu and Fu Ge couldn’t finish drinking ended up in Wen Jingzhi’s stomach.
This time would presumably be no exception.
While Fu Lan was in the kitchen adding more dishes, Wen Fan quietly said, “I secretly helped you drink half a cup already. The rest is all your mother’s heartfelt effort, so don’t waste it. You and Fu Ge each drink half.”
Wen Jingzhi wore a miserable expression.
After dinner, Wen Jingzhi helped clear away the dishes before running to the kitchen to fetch the medicinal food for Fu Ge.
Watching his small figure, Fu Lan, Wen Fan, and Wen Jingshu were all delighted.
“Jingzhi really is such a good child,” Wen Jingshu said with a smile. “It was definitely the right decision to adopt him.”
Five years ago, their family had accidentally found Wen Jingzhi unconscious by the river. At the time, he was nothing more than a wild child who bit anyone who came near him, harboring a natural hostility toward the entire world.
Only later did they learn from Wen Jingzhi that he had actually come from the Blood Demon Kingdom. Since childhood, he had been kept as a blood slave, forced to offer his blood to the immortals so they could cultivate their powers.
He had no idea who his parents were and had never had any family. The only people he had known were the other blood slaves who had grown up alongside him.
After one of his companions died from losing too much blood, Wen Jingzhi secretly escaped. But the older blood slaves discovered him, and in his panic, he leaped off a cliff. That was how he ended up drifting along the river beneath the cliff and arriving here.
Wen Family Town was peaceful, but it was also quite hostile toward outsiders.
Fu Lan and Fu Ge were originally from a neighboring village. Their home had accidentally burned down, forcing them to move to Wen Family Town. It was only after Wen Fan married Fu Lan that the siblings were finally able to establish themselves there.
In order to adopt the child, Wen Fan had deliberately claimed that Wen Jingzhi was the illegitimate son of a deceased uncle of his, making the boy the same generation as Wen Jingshu. That was why he had taken him in.
If Wen Fan hadn’t married Fu Lan only a few years earlier, making it impossible for him to have such a grown son, he would have simply claimed that Wen Jingzhi was his own child.
“From now on, don’t mention the adoption in front of Jingzhi. You know our family has always had trouble having children, and your sister-in-law was burned before. That makes things even more difficult.” Wen Fan lowered his voice. Fu Ge’s burns were on his face, while Fu Lan’s were on her back.
“Don’t worry, Brother. I know.” Wen Jingshu smiled. “Though I’m going to say something unpleasant: even if you and Sister-in-law tried your hardest, you might not be able to raise a child as wonderful as Jingzhi.”
“Hmph. If your sister-in-law and I can raise one, we can raise a second.” Wen Fan was brimming with confidence. “Just wait. Before long, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to envy and resent me as his aunt.”
“Yes, yes. Then you’ll have to work harder, Brother. Ah, poor Sister-in-law.”
“You’re an unmarried young woman. Have some shame.” Wen Fan earnestly advised her.
…
The Sword Spirit recounted everything that had happened in the Wen household to Shu Xin.
“You guessed wrong. The child didn’t tell his parents or any other family members,” the Sword Spirit said. “He’s done an excellent job keeping your existence a secret.”
“Oh.” Shu Xin was somewhat surprised, but she still couldn’t summon much interest. “The child just thinks it’s novel. In a few days, once he realizes my injuries aren’t healing at all, he’ll ask an adult for help.”
“…You seem to have changed,” the Sword Spirit said. It couldn’t quite put its finger on it, but Shu Xin seemed to have become utterly despondent.
When she had first arrived in this world, she had been full of spirit and confidence. Now, it was as if she had suffered a major setback, and her entire state of mind had changed.
“I’m in pain, and I’m exhausted. I don’t have the energy to keep worrying about other people’s feelings.” Shu Xin spoke impatiently. “I’m as ordinary as anyone can be. Don’t I have the right to wallow in despair?”
The Sword Spirit was completely at a loss for how to respond.
“I’ll heal you as quickly as I can.” The Sword Spirit had no other solution, so it could only repeat those words to Shu Xin again and again.
Shu Xin desperately wanted to smash something to vent her frustration.
But she couldn’t move at all. Every day, she could only stare at the ceiling, counting the holes in it, as well as the spiders and mosquitoes that passed by.
If not for the Sword Spirit’s sword aura intimidating them, her condition—her body covered in blood as she was—would probably have attracted countless flies and vermin eager to feast on her.
Early the next morning, Wen Jingzhi brought a little girl with him.
The girl was badly frightened when she saw Shu Xin lying there.
However, Wen Jingzhi’s prestige among the children was simply too great. The girl didn’t dare make a sound and could only follow his instructions. She carefully wiped Shu Xin from head to toe, then meticulously applied the medicine Wen Jingzhi had brought.
When she saw the powder quickly being washed away by the blood flowing from Shu Xin’s body, the little girl’s eyes turned red with worry.
“I’m fine. Don’t cry.” Shu Xin could snap at the Sword Spirit, but she couldn’t bring herself to be harsh with a little girl who looked no more than seven or eight years old.
“Sister, you’re bleeding so much. It must really hurt.” The little girl silently shed tears. “My mother has some very effective wound medicine. I’ll go find it for you. Brother Jingzhi said we mustn’t tell anyone at home. I know.”
Shu Xin said nothing.
“Actually, this mortal town is one of the few secluded paradises left in this world,” the Sword Spirit’s voice sounded in Shu Xin’s mind. “Most of Chun’s descendants have gentle dispositions. They won’t betray you. You can try trusting them a little.”
Shu Xin still said nothing.
Her injuries were so horrifying that even adults would recoil at the sight of them. Yet in the eyes of these children, the only thing that mattered was whether she was in pain.
What was more, the children all listened to Wen Jingzhi. When he told them not to inform their parents, they truly kept the secret.
It was clear just how much of a leader of the children Wen Jingzhi had become.
Perhaps the ancestral wound medicine the children of Wen Family Town had secretly taken from their homes really did have some effect. Gradually, the bleeding from Shu Xin’s wounds actually stopped.
Perhaps among those medicinal powders was the tiniest trace of something Chun had once bestowed upon them. Even though it had been diluted countless times, it still retained some effect.
“I knew it! There must still be branches or leaves Chun left behind in Wen Family Town,” the Sword Spirit said excitedly. “I’ll work harder and search for more. If only I’d known, I would have made Chun reveal its true form and give me a large section of its body. Then what injury could you possibly fail to heal?”
But back then, the Sword Spirit and its former Swordmaster had been virtually invincible beneath the heavens. Even immortals had lowered their heads before them. How could they possibly have valued Chun, whose effects extended only to cultivators below the Earthly Immortal realm?
Once the bleeding from her wounds stopped, Shu Xin and Wen Jingzhi gradually became familiar with each other.
“They’ve never seen an immortal, but I have.” Wen Jingzhi dragged over a small stool and sat down beside Shu Xin’s bed. “I knew you were an immortal the moment I first saw you. The injuries on your body are very similar to the ones I suffered when I was a blood slave. I’m guessing you were also hurt by those immortals in the Blood Demon Kingdom. That’s why I’m definitely going to save you.”
In truth, the methods used by demonic cultivators were all more or less the same. The wounds on her body really hadn’t been inflicted by cultivators from the Blood Demon Sect.
But the way demonic cultivators drew blood was largely similar, so it was perfectly understandable that a child couldn’t tell the difference.
“This is Wen Family Town, the best place I’ve ever seen,” Wen Jingzhi said with a smile. “To be honest, I’ve always suspected that this wonderful life was just a dream. But when I saw the wounds on you, Sister, I knew I wasn’t dreaming. I really was living the kind of good life I’d never even dared to dream of. There are no immortals here, nor any people managing us on their behalf. Everyone supports themselves, and the entire town is made up of our own people.”
“The people in our town are actually very kind. They say they don’t accept outsiders, but whenever they see children like us with no one to rely on, they secretly bring us home and raise us. That little girl who treated your wounds before is my younger cousin, but she was adopted too.” Wen Jingzhi rested his chin in his hands. Whenever he talked about Wen Family Town, his entire face lit up. “My father and mother are both wonderful people. My aunt and uncle are wonderful too, although they have some health problems and don’t like going out to meet people. Whenever I see something interesting outside, I bring it home for them. They’re always very happy when I do.”
Wen Jingzhi chattered on endlessly, telling Shu Xin all sorts of things every day.
Who had gotten into an argument today, which child had gotten into trouble tomorrow and still had no idea how to clean up the mess afterward…
And how his aunt and uncle had started taking all kinds of strange medicines again, hoping they would recover.
It seemed as though Wen Jingzhi always had something to say.
At first, Shu Xin endured it as best she could. But eventually, she grew genuinely impatient.
She only wanted to hear some juicy gossip, not these trivial everyday details.
“All right, shut up. Stop talking.” Shu Xin rarely lost her temper at Wen Jingzhi. “You’re giving me a headache.”
“Sister, you finally got angry.” Instead of becoming upset, Wen Jingzhi looked delighted. “I thought you never lost your temper at all. You were like a Bodhisattva in a temple.”
What kind of nonsense was that?
Shu Xin was both amused and exasperated.
“I’m serious, Sister.” Wen Jingzhi sat up straight and looked at Shu Xin solemnly. “You can’t see it yourself, but in truth, you never show any temper at all. You don’t have any vitality. I know because I used to be like you. The people around me were the same as you too. They felt that life was meaningless, and that there was no point in keeping themselves alive.”
Wen Jingzhi had once been a blood slave himself, so he understood all too well what it was like to count down the days while waiting for death.
“But Sister, don’t be too depressed. I mean it. When I was a blood slave, I thought life was utterly terrible. I felt that even being a bird or an insect would be better than being human.”
“Sister, there are many good people in this world, and there are many bad people too. No one can meet only good people and never encounter any bad ones, right? I used to think that the entire world was filled with villains.”
Wen Jingzhi spoke with grave earnestness. “That was until I came to Wen Family Town, until I met my father and mother. When I first saw them, I bit my father really hard. He still has the marks of my teeth on his wrist. But look at me now. Aren’t I living a good life? So, Sister, as long as you keep living, you’ll eventually encounter good things. Once your wounds heal, you can stay in our town. Life will get better.”
When Wen Jingzhi said these things, he sounded nothing like a young boy.
Perhaps it was because the experiences of his childhood stood in such stark contrast to his life now. Or perhaps he had simply been born precocious. Either way, Shu Xin remembered his words.
[This child is right.] The Sword Spirit hurriedly chimed in. [You came here to change this world. I’ll definitely help you.]
Shu Xin’s eyes shifted slightly.
“It’s all right, Sister. You’ll understand gradually.” Wen Jingzhi smiled and was about to leave, but then he ran back. He took a peace talisman from around his neck and bent down to place it around Shu Xin’s neck.
“My father gave me this peace talisman. He wore it when he was little. I’ll lend it to you, Sister. Just return it to me after you recover.” Wen Jingzhi’s eyes curved into crescents, and there was a hint of slyness in them.
The Sword Spirit froze for a moment before suddenly realizing what was happening.
[I knew it! You’re my Swordmaster. You have destiny on your side and carry tremendous fortune. You definitely aren’t meant to die young!] The Sword Spirit was so excited it could barely contain itself. [This peace talisman is made from the trunk of Chun. If you grind it into powder, you’ll be able to recover!]
“Someone kindly lent me his peace talisman. You expect me to eat it after he’s worn it for so many years?” Shu Xin frowned.
[…You only need to grind off one corner. I never said you had to eat the whole thing.] The Sword Spirit spoke cautiously.
“If you needed my peace talisman ground into powder and made into medicine for you to eat, would you agree?” Shu Xin suddenly asked aloud.
“Huh?” Wen Jingzhi froze. “Sister, how about I wash it properly for you first? It’s pretty dirty. My father and I have both worn it for many years.”
Shu Xin couldn’t help laughing.
“Actually, I don’t need that much. Half of it will be enough,” Shu Xin replied. “It can heal my wounds.”
“If one corner is enough, then could the rest be ground into powder to cure my aunt and uncle? My aunt was born unable to move her legs, and my uncle was burned.” Wen Jingzhi hurriedly asked, “Would it heal them too?”
Shu Xin asked the Sword Spirit as well.
[No. Chun’s trunk can only heal injuries caused by cultivators. Its main effect is neutralizing spiritual energy.] The Sword Spirit spoke in a small voice.
Shu Xin could only tell Wen Jingzhi the unfortunate news.
“It’s fine. As long as it can heal you, Sister.” Wen Jingzhi was disappointed, but he understood that the world did not contain such perfect miracles. If it had worked, his father would have done it long ago. After all, the peace talisman was an heirloom passed down through generations.
“Shouldn’t you discuss it with your parents?”
“Some things can be told to them, and some things can’t. I’ll just pretend I tripped and broke off one corner of the peace talisman.” Wen Jingzhi patted his chest confidently. “Don’t worry, Sister. I can make this small decision myself.”
Shu Xin seemed to be amused by him.
The Sword Spirit, watching from the side, almost wanted to kneel and kowtow to the child.
It had been so difficult. Heavens, it had never encountered a Swordmaster this troublesome before.
It had nearly thought it would have to wait who knew how many more years before finding its next Swordmaster.
At least Shu Xin was smiling now. That proved she still had some fondness for this world.
The Sword Spirit studied the child carefully. If he had been capable of cultivation, it wouldn’t have minded giving him a few good things.
Unfortunately, he was an utterly ordinary mortal, without the slightest trace of spiritual roots.
The Sword Spirit felt sorry for the child.
“Sister, you should smile more. You look very pretty when you smile,” Wen Jingzhi said sincerely.
Shu Xin immediately stopped smiling.
This child wasn’t as honest as he looked.
