“That Yun Xuechang… she’s in love with me…?”
Hua Yan listened to her grandmother’s logical analysis, her mind completely blank.
The figure she had secretly resented every day for the past ten years resurfaced vividly in her mind —
— The sounds of gongs and drums filled the air, accompanied by continuous cheers.
The Cold-faced Immortal, dressed in white with hair as pale as snow, stood in the center of the martial arts arena, the focus of ten thousand eyes.
A cool breeze brushed against the hem of her robes, making her appear as if she were radiating celestial energy.
She held a divine sword, her moves sharp, decisive, and invincible.
Back then, it was because of such a person that Hua Yan had felt a competitive fire, wanting to see who truly was the leader of the younger generation.
But who could have guessed that Hua Yan — gifted with extraordinary talent and undefeated since childhood — would be so utterly defenseless?
She had been beaten into the dust, and because of that defeat, she had even been transformed into a woman.
Someone like Yun Xuechang… actually liked her? Liked her enough to give birth to a daughter for her?
Hua Yan froze for a long moment before throwing her head back and laughing loudly, her voice filled with the thrill of vindication.
“Hahahaha! Yun Xuechang! You finally have your day! For these past ten years, I’ve thought about getting revenge every single day. I’ve tempered myself in a hundred ways, yet I always felt it wasn’t enough!”
“I was just worrying about how to defeat you, but I didn’t expect you to hand me a weakness yourself!”
“If you’re in love with me, then that’s perfect! This young master will be the man you can never have for the rest of your life!”
“This is the best revenge! Hahahahahaha! Ow!”
A familiar ruler landed squarely on the backside of the ‘man Yun Xuechang could never have,’ making her cry out in pain immediately.
“Look at yourself! You’re a woman now! How dare you talk about being a man someone can’t have! You idiot!”
Hua Yuheng glared irritably at her troublesome grandson — no, she should call her a granddaughter now — and pulled back the ruler in her hand.
“Let me tell you, in our Hundred Flowers Valley, we don’t allow such indecisive behavior!”
“Get out of the valley right now and bring my daughter-in-law back! If you can’t bring Rongrong’s mother back, don’t even think about stepping foot in the Hundred Flowers Valley for the rest of your life!”
“Huh?”
Hua Yan’s almond-shaped eyes grew misty again.
She lifted her face from the soft couch, wiped the tears that had started flowing once more, and stared hard at her grandmother, trying to find any sign of a joke on her face —
Unfortunately, her experience since childhood told her that her grandmother’s words were undoubtedly serious.
But that wasn’t all. Hua Yuheng walked straight past her and leaned over to pick up Hua Xiangrong.
“You’ll take little Rongrong with you. Teach her the basics of cultivation while you’re at it. She’s reached the age where she should start.”
“Huh?”
“Huh?”
Hua Yan looked at the pink-haired girl in her grandmother’s arms, then at the poor Gold-winged Magpie in the girl’s hand — the bird’s feathers had been ruffled into a mess by the girl’s small hands, making it look like a golden ball of fluff.
Under the terrifying pressure of the surrounding people, it could only bury its head in its wings.
It didn’t look like a majestic spirit beast at all; instead, it looked like a pitiful quail.
‘That’s absolutely a little demon king! I don’t want to travel while taking care of this little ancestor!’
Alarm bells rang in Hua Yan’s mind, and she spoke up urgently, “Why? Wouldn’t it be better for Rongrong to stay in the valley than to follow me? She…”
“If you don’t take the child, do you think a guy like you would have any way to bring the mother back alone? I think it’ll be a miracle if she doesn’t pull her sword and cut you down once she sees your true nature!”
Hua Yuheng sneered, ruthlessly cutting her off.
“As for safety, I believe that with your cultivation at the Late Nascent Soul Stage combined with your skills, you’re capable of handling most situations out there. Don’t tell me you can’t even protect your own daughter.”
“Of course, to keep an eye on you and provide an extra layer of protection for little Rongrong, I will personally refine a Voice-Transmission Talisman over the next few days. It will allow you to communicate with me from thousands of miles away, and it can use my cultivation to block three lethal hits for Rongrong.”
“Alright, that settles it!”
With that, Hua Yuheng gave Hua Yan no further room to bargain. Holding her darling great-granddaughter, she walked straight out of the hall.
All that was left for Hua Yan was the fading sound of the elderly and the young chatting as they walked away.
“Little Rongrong, do you like little birds? Do you want Great-grandmother to have people catch more for you to play with?”
“No need, Great-grandmother. That would be too much trouble. Having this one is enough.”
“Oh, Rongrong is so good! You’re much more sensible than your mother was as a child! Come, Great-grandmother will take you to pick flowers!”
“Okay! Thank you, Great-grandmother!”
Watching the two receding figures laughing and talking, Hua Yan was speechless for a long time, feeling like she wanted to cry but had no tears left.
‘Wait, what is this! Everything was fine, so how did an unknown daughter suddenly pop out? I was doing just fine as a young master of the Demon Cult, so how am I getting kicked out in the blink of an eye?’
“Sister Liu…”
The red-haired girl turned tearfully toward the only other living being in the hall.
Protector Liu took out several pieces of women’s clothing, rouge, and powder from her storage bag and crouched down in front of Hua Yan.
“Young Mas… Young Miss, the Valley Master just sent a voice transmission telling me to teach you how to be a woman and how to be a mother.”
Protector Liu seriously held up a bright yellow ruqun and measured it against Hua Yan.
“Hmm, it seems a bit small in some places…”
She cast a subtle glance at the impressive curves of Hua Yan’s chest and silently swapped it for a white one, finally nodding in satisfaction.
“Don’t worry, Young Miss. Over these next few days, I will definitely teach you the lifestyle of a girl. I guarantee that the moment the Immortal Yun sees you, she will be captivated by your beauty.”
“No! I don’t want that! I don’t want to learn how to be a woman!”
Even though Hua Yan’s wails were mournful and melodious, they didn’t have the slightest effect.
……
Half a month later, at the valley entrance surrounded by green mountains.
“Little Rongrong, remember to eat well while you’re out. If your mother bullies you on the road, use the Voice-Transmission Talisman Great-grandmother gave you to tell me. I’ll beat her up for you later.”
The Old Valley Master reluctantly straightened the hem of Hua Xiangrong’s dress — the girl was still dressed in pink, though the style had changed.
“Yes! Rongrong will be good and cultivate hard while we’re out!”
Hua Xiangrong nodded vigorously, while Hua Yan, standing beside her, couldn’t help but urge them on.
“Oh, I know, Grandmother! You just love to worry! We’re leaving now!”
Hua Yan had changed into a red-orange, chest-high ruqun.
The skirt was dyed with flowing cloud patterns and paired with vermilion ribbons.
The chest-wrap design accentuated the girl’s graceful figure, and the hem was embroidered with vivid maple leaf patterns.
She wore an orange thin-silk, large-sleeved robe over her shoulders, looking elegant and ethereal.
Her crimson hair was pulled into a high bun, adorned with beaded flowers and swaying tassels that jingled softly with her movements.
Her fair, oval face was beautiful and delicate, and her almond eyes were expressive and charming. She truly possessed a beauty that could topple cities.
— Unfortunately, it would be better if she didn’t open her mouth to speak.
Hua Yuheng looked at her granddaughter and sighed inwardly.
Meanwhile, Hua Yan had an entirely different scheme running through her mind.
‘Dammit! For the past half month, I’ve been forced to wear women’s clothes every day. Those female Protectors and Elders in the sect treated me like a doll, dressing me up in every way possible! I can’t stay in this Hundred Flowers Valley for even one more second!’
‘Once I’m out of the valley, the sky is the limit! Who cares about Yun Xuechang! As for this little kid, I can just distract her with whatever!’
Thinking this, she smiled brightly and waved.
She summoned an exquisite Flower Boat from her storage bag, and with a sweep of her thin sleeves, she landed gracefully upon it with Hua Xiangrong.
“Grandmother, wait for my good news! I’ll definitely bring your granddaughter-in-law back!”
Hua Yuheng stood with the people of the valley, watching the flying vessel turn into a small dot on the horizon before finally disappearing into the blue distance.
“Valley Master,” Protector Liu asked softly, “are you really comfortable letting the Young Miss take Rongrong? It would be safest to let her stay and cultivate in the valley…”
“Hmph, of course I’m not comfortable.” Hua Yuheng sneered, her finger teasing the little yellow bird her great-granddaughter had left behind. “With a person like Hua Yan, I wouldn’t even trust her to raise this bird, let alone Rongrong.”
“Then why…”
“I just don’t want Rongrong to grow up rarely seeing her parents, like Hua Yan did.”
“Look at that child, Hua Yan. She grew up without strict discipline, and look how she turned out. I don’t want my cute little Rongrong to become a scoundrel like her.”
The old woman sighed softly, turned around, and led the group back into the valley.
“Besides, with the current conflict between the righteous and demonic paths, and evil spirits lurking in the shadows, the Shenzhou Continent hasn’t been peaceful for years.”
“Even if she stays in the Hundred Flowers Valley, how long could we protect her? It’s better to let her go out and gain experience early.”
“Rongrong has talent and spiritual intelligence; she’s a piece of unpolished jade. But as they say, jade cannot become a vessel without being carved. Only by enduring a thousand carvings can she become true fine jade.”
“As for Rongrong’s cultivation, leaving it to that brat — I mean, that girl — will be fine. After all, her only redeeming quality is that she’s good at fighting.”
“But then again,” Hua Yuheng suddenly stopped and muttered to herself, “Yun Xuechang was actually able to beat Hua Yan so badly back then that she couldn’t even fight back?”
“Just how strong is she?”
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