Chapter 10: Morning Rituals and a Sword’s Lament

The morning sun ascended, painting the sky with a soft golden hue, showing no trace of the demonic entities that had plagued the area last night.

After performing her usual set of calisthenics, Qíngyǔ channeled her spiritual energy to draw water from a large jar, watering both the white orchids and the grapevines before finally knocking on the inner room’s door to wake Little Girl.

“Just a little more sleep, please…”

Clutching her blanket, Little Girl, hearing Qíngyǔ’s call, abruptly rolled over, exposing most of her back as her milky-white legs desperately curled up.

Qíngyǔ knew she was already awake, merely feigning sleep as usual.

Still, it was early, so Qíngyǔ let her be.

‘Later, I’ll go to the Yang residence for another meal, then make Little Girl a set of clothes…’

Both of them were still dressed in coarse, patched linen, and while Qíngyǔ herself didn’t mind, Little Girl would look even cuter in something nicer.

‘Oh, right, and a Daoist robe… though I can make that myself when the time comes.’

If Little Girl decided to embark on Daoist cultivation, Qíngyǔ would need to prepare a Daoist robe for her; even if Qíngyǔ wasn’t necessarily her master, the robe should still be of superior quality.

Moreover, if it were a Daoist robe made by Qíngyǔ herself, even if Little Girl later left to wander the world alone, it would serve as a constant reminder of Qíngyǔ’s care, ensuring she wouldn’t be easily bullied.

Rationally, Qíngyǔ still longed to see the day Little Girl walked the world independently.

She wanted everyone to know how formidable her Little Girl truly was.

Just as Qíngyǔ leaned against the stone table, a smile playing on her lips, Little Girl, who had been secretly watching her, was conversing with Immortal Sword.

[Little Mom is smiling! So pretty!]

[This sword knows, this sword knows, you’re so noisy.]

Immortal Sword had been in a foul mood since the previous night’s events: first, her master’s Little Mom had run off and nearly fallen prey to demonic harm,

Then they encountered a Golden Core stage cultivator attempting to take a disciple, and upon returning, Immortal Sword was badgered with a barrage of irrelevant questions.

It was only due to Immortal Sword’s robust mental fortitude that she endured; any other sword would have long since shattered itself within its master’s Sea of Consciousness.

[By the way, why did Little Mom suddenly start smiling?]

‘How would I know?’

Immortal Sword muttered a retort internally, having clearly heard Qíngyǔ refer to herself as ‘this humble Daoist’ yesterday.

Immortal Sword wondered why Qíngyǔ would call herself that, clearly a mortal, surmising she must have stumbled upon some fortuitous encounter.

‘Or perhaps she’s a reincarnated powerful being, just like my master?’

‘But to be reincarnated with memories intact… is such a thing truly possible?’

Immortal Sword recalled how her own master had nearly exhausted everything, even relying on Immortal Sword herself—a sword born from heaven and earth—to barely escape with a sliver of hope for survival.

‘If someone could reincarnate with memories, what level of cultivation would they have achieved?’

‘Tribulation Crossing (TL Note: ‘Dujie,’ a cultivation stage involving heavenly trials), Body Integration (TL Note: ‘Hetí,’ a stage where spirit and body merge), Mahayana (TL Note: ‘Dacheng,’ a stage of great accomplishment, often leading to ascension)?

Or perhaps even a mortal immortal?’

Through her master’s eyes, Immortal Sword glanced once more at the “mortal,” feeling her sword body tremble.

[Hey! Didn’t you hear me? Why did Little Mom suddenly start smiling?]

[I don’t know, maybe she’s thinking of someone she likes.]

[Is it me?]

[That ‘like’ isn’t your ‘like’.]

Having casually appeased her master, Immortal Sword then dismissed the possibility of body snatching.

After all, there wasn’t a trace of spiritual energy in that body; the spiritual meridians were a tangled mess, making cultivation utterly impossible.

Possessing such a body would only cause an overly powerful soul to futilely burn through all its vital essence, ultimately resulting in a desiccated corpse due to depleted qi and blood and the inability to cultivate.

Moreover, there were certainly better targets for body snatching in the vicinity.

[What kind of ‘like’ then? Does Little Mom like other people besides me!]

[How would this sword know…]

[Then why did you say Little Mom likes other people? She clearly only likes me.]

Between pondering these matters and fending off Little Girl’s incessant chatter, Immortal Sword felt she was truly suffering; her former master had been a taciturn female sword immortal, yet after reincarnation, she had become like this.

[Why don’t you just ask her yourself when the time comes, Master?]

[No.]

[Why not?]

[I don’t know, I just feel like it wouldn’t be good to ask.]

[Oh, my little ancestor…]

“Just tell me, what kind of ‘like’ is it, already!”

Little Girl declared, puffing out her cheeks, her spiritual consciousness solidifying slightly for a moment.

“Little Girl? Are you awake yet?”

Qíngyǔ, who had been sitting by the stone table, delightedly envisioning Little Girl, a bit older and clad in a Daoist robe, calling her ‘Master,’ was startled by the sudden voice and hastily snapped back to reality.

[Quick, quick, quick, your Little Mom is here! Go talk to her first, don’t expose this sword.]

Hearing Qíngyǔ’s call, Immortal Sword felt as though she had received a grand pardon, eagerly urging her young master to engage in conversation with her.

[I’ll ask you later.]

After giving Immortal Sword a fierce “glare” through her spiritual consciousness,

Little Girl slowly dressed and got out of bed, stepped over the threshold, scooped water with both hands from a basin on the shelf beside the door, splashed it onto her face, and after drying herself, pattered over to the stone table.

“Little Mom! Help me comb my hair!”

“Mm, sit on my lap.”

With Little Mom’s permission, the girl happily settled onto her lap, her legs playfully kicking as she waited for her hair to be combed.

Qíngyǔ gathered Little Girl’s dark hair; though the child wasn’t very old, her hair already reached her waist.

She had intended to tie it into a ponytail as usual, but her hands, as if guided by some unseen force, fashioned it into a Daoist bun instead.

“Little Mom, is my hairstyle different today?”

“Oh…” Watching Little Girl touch her hair in confusion, then tilt her head to look at her, Qíngyǔ chuckled and shook her head. “Turn back around, I’ll tie it for you again.”

“Oh.”

Little Girl obediently turned around again, sitting properly as she waited for Little Mom to style her hair.

“Mm, all done. Go brush your teeth.”

“Ugh… I don’t want to brush my teeth.”

“Be a good girl, go.”

Patting Little Girl’s head, Qíngyǔ stood up and gazed at the sky—cloudless for miles, the sun blazing fiercely.

It was a bit hot, but certainly good weather.

‘The girl looked truly lovely with that Daoist bun just now.’

‘So cute, and possessing such an ethereal aura, like a recluse cultivating in the mountains.’

While Little Girl went to brush her teeth, Qíngyǔ returned to the room to gather some copper coins and silver.

Meanwhile, the girl didn’t forget to sneak glances at her Little Mom while brushing her teeth.

[Look! Little Mom smiled at me just now!]

[I already told you that’s not…]

Immortal Sword sighed inwardly, unwilling to delve further into the matter.

The girl, meanwhile, happily bit into the pre-prepared willow branch, haphazardly brushed her teeth a few times, then spat the rinsing water under the grapevines.

“Hmm? Are you done?”

Qíngyǔ tucked the money into her kingfisher-embroidered purse, closed the master bedroom door, and watched Little Girl huffing and puffing, about to empty the water.

“Done!”

With a splash, the girl emptied the water, then gleefully put down the basin, darted to Qíngyǔ’s side, and naturally took her hand.

“Later, when we see that old Daoist priest, you absolutely cannot call him ‘old thing’ again.”

“Mm-hm!”

“When you see Sister Yang and Brother Jí, you must greet them properly; don’t be impolite.”

“Got it!”

Seeing Little Girl agree so readily, Qíngyǔ pondered for a moment, ensuring there were no omissions or mistakes, before taking her hand and heading out the door.

The iron lock on the door was frighteningly heavy and truly cumbersome to use.

‘A pity there’s not much spare money.’

Qíngyǔ shook her head, tucked the key into her inner garment, checked her bearings, and set off towards the Yang residence.

The old Daoist priest had left in a hurry and hadn’t set a precise time, so it was best to go early.

However, there was an upside to this: they could enjoy two substantial meals at the wealthy Yang residence.