Chapter 45: Savior?
“Both of you, keep kneeling! Reflect properly—did you feed all my teachings to the dogs?!”
The old woman’s stern rebuke pierced through the door, carrying an undeniable authority.
Meanwhile, Xie Qiyang stood, intending to reason with her.
Li Tianxing was being punished because of her—she couldn’t just hide like a coward.
The wooden door creaked open.
Xie Qiyang instinctively looked up, and her breath caught.
The figure at the door was no longer the old woman in a tattered gray skirt with white hair.
Instead, there stood a stunning woman, radiating an awe-inspiring presence.
Her jet-black hair cascaded like ink, shimmering like jade in the dim candlelight.
Her eyes, no longer cloudy, were clear and piercing, holding a power that could see through illusions and shatter mountains.
Her skin was flawless, smooth as jade, her tall frame exuding an unyielding aura that her worn gray skirt couldn’t conceal.
What just happened?
Xie Qiyang stared, heart pounding.
As she reeled, the majestic woman stepped lightly into the room, her face softening into a gentle smile.
When her gaze landed on Xie Qiyang, the sharpness melted into a spring breeze-like warmth.
“Good child,” her voice was no longer raspy but clear and melodious, “how about… becoming my disciple?”
“Disciple?”
Xie Qiyang snapped back, eyes widening in shock.
Has she seen through everything? Is Li Tianxing’s plan as transparent as glass to her?
As if reading her thoughts, the woman smiled brightly.
“My name is Ye Zhuxian.”
Her voice carried a wistful trace of reminiscence.
“My parents hoped I’d chase the immortal path, roaming the nine heavens freely… a beautiful dream, but alas…”
She paused, a flicker of complexity in her eyes, before it turned to carefree acceptance.
“…I was unworthy, stuck here, confined to this corner.”
She stepped forward fluidly, gently brushing Xie Qiyang’s silky silver hair.
Her fingertips carried a warmth that seemed to soothe the soul.
Her gaze was distant, as if seeing her own youthful, fearless self in the girl before her.
“You and I… we’re both pawns in the river of fate, destined for hardship.
The chaos you’ll face in the future far surpasses what I endured.”
“When I struggled alone in the mortal world, I wished someone would lend a hand…”
She gazed at Xie Qiyang.
“Today, I met you. Perhaps it’s heaven’s will.”
“Me?”
Xie Qiyang pointed at herself, confused.
In her memories, Jiang Ningshuang’s life before meeting Li Tianxing was orderly and peaceful, with a loving family.
Her elders doted on her, even more than their own children, and her peers fawned over her.
Hardship? Where did that come from?
Seeing her innocent bewilderment, Ye Zhuxian sighed softly, her eyes tinged with pity.
She pulled over a chair, sitting down and gently guiding Xie Qiyang to sit across from her.
“Silly girl,” her voice was soft, “have you truly… never noticed anything?”
She prompted gently, “Think carefully. Your parents, your so-called loving kin—their words and actions… didn’t they always carry a trace of… calculated intent? Like they were wearing carefully crafted masks?”
Xie Qiyang’s heart jolted.
Ye Zhuxian’s words unlocked a neglected corner of her memory.
She recalled her uncle and aunt, always cold and distant at first, their smiles forced and fake under her mother’s stern gaze—artificial, like they weren’t even trying to hide it.
But when her mother brought out baskets of letters from who-knows-where, their smiles turned genuine, unlike the polite facades at the Jiang Clan.
Yet, her mother never neglected her despite this.
“Sigh…”
Seeing Xie Qiyang’s shifting expression, Ye Zhuxian knew she understood, her pity deepening.
“Not noticing might’ve been your blessing, preserving a shred of innocence.
But listen,” her tone grew solemn, carrying earnest advice.
“As you walk the vast immortal path alone, the words ‘immortality’ and ‘strength’ can turn siblings against each other, kin into enemies.
Human greed is far more terrifying than you can imagine.”
As she spoke, she naturally reached out, gently smoothing Xie Qiyang’s slightly messy hair with care.
“You’re Jiang Ningshuang, right?”
Ye Zhuxian’s voice softened further.
“Mm.”
Xie Qiyang nodded, her wariness and unease miraculously easing under that gentle gaze.
Ye Zhuxian’s lips curved into a playful smile.
Leaning closer, she peered into the girl’s clear silver eyes, asking with curiosity, “So, little Ningshuang, tell me… of the Li brothers, is there one your heart leans toward?”
“Uh…”
Xie Qiyang’s cheeks flushed red, her eyes darting away, stammering, mortified enough to want to crawl into a hole.
Who do I like? Can I say neither?
“Oh?”
Ye Zhuxian took in her reaction, her smile deepening.
“Not choosing either?”
She chuckled, her laugh clear and nostalgic.
“That… is just like me back then.”
“But in the end, things often defy your expectations, even with those odd little tools of yours.”
“This life, who knows how many will fall.
Your little tool might give you a head start, but that’s all.”
Xie Qiyang was utterly confused.
Little tool? Is she talking about my system? Or something else?
Another riddle master?
She opened her mouth to ask, but Ye Zhuxian pressed a finger to her lips.
“Some things, you’ll know when the time comes.
Let me help you change.
I want to help, but I can’t change what happens tomorrow—only offer every bit of support I can.”
“I’m no match for those old relics.”
“And… some things don’t need such resistance.
If you can’t refuse, why not embrace it?
There’s much you’ll have to face in the future.”
“Besides, dual cultivation isn’t bad—it relieves stress and boosts your cultivation.”
Ye Zhuxian’s tone was consoling, but her expression screamed I’m here for the drama.
Damn it!
Xie Qiyang had thought the heavens sent a cheat code to save her, only to find a meddling spectator.