The rain fell in a torrential downpour.
“Girl, what are you doing? Come inside and get out of the rain!”
A kindhearted Auntie, holding a paper umbrella, hurried across the mud to reach a despondent girl and pulled her into her arms.
“Oh my goodness, child, why are you wearing so little? Aren’t you cold?”
Auntie felt the girl’s icy body temperature and asked with concern while leading her into a small thatched cottage.
“…Where… is this?”
The girl gazed at the unfamiliar surroundings with vacant eyes, asking in a daze.
“This is Cuiwei Village. We’re the only village for 100 miles!”
Auntie spoke with pride, her voice so loud and booming that the girl’s eardrums felt like they might burst.
“Blackie, pour a cup of hot water. Quick!”
The young man called “Blackie” had been fretting over how to manage the Research Society and was trying to relax by zoning out for a moment. Hearing his mother’s call, he hurried to fill a cup with hot water.
“Who is…”
Blackie looked at his mother in confusion.
“I don’t know, son. I just found this girl on the road. She was soaked to the bone; it was a pitiful sight…”
Auntie reached out to pat the girl’s head, but as soon as her hand moved, it was slapped away by the other party.
“Hah, this little girl is quite strong.”
Auntie let out a small cry of pain.
“Oh, Mom, it’s obvious she doesn’t like being touched. Stop bothering her.”
Blackie quickly pulled his mother aside to check for injuries.
Fortunately, his mother had a cultivation base at Level 2 of Qi Refining, and the girl clearly hadn’t intended to cause harm, so there were no major issues.
“…Sorry. I didn’t mean to.”
The girl took two steps back and pulled her hood lower.
“Oh, it’s fine. Auntie used to be young too, I know you’re at a very sensitive age.”
Auntie waved it off, still smiling cheerfully.
Blackie shook his head and helped his mother sit down before handing the hot water to the girl.
The girl offered a word of thanks, took the cup, and drained it in a single gulp.
“Wait, be careful… well, never mind.”
Blackie had wanted to warn her it was hot, but since she seemed completely unfazed, he let it go.
Just as he was about to ask whose child she was, she suddenly spoke: “Does anyone here know… Yun Heng?”
At that moment, a bolt of lightning crashed down from the heavens, illuminating the girl’s pale, pitiful, and heavenly beautiful face.
Her eyes were filled with anticipation yet also contained a touch of caution, as if she feared they would give the same “Who is that?” answer she had heard from everyone else.
Blackie blinked, keenly sensing something unusual.
Afraid his mother might say something inappropriate, he hurriedly turned around and said, “Mom, don’t you have some old clothes in your room? Bring out a few pieces so the girl doesn’t catch a cold.”
He then half-pushed and half-pulled his mother back into her room, even receiving a quiet scolding from her in the process.
After closing the door, Blackie kept his hand on the handle and looked at the girl.
The girl looked back at him.
“…In this 100-mile radius, there probably isn’t a single person who doesn’t know Mr. Yun.”
Blackie gave an ambiguous answer first.
He didn’t know the girl’s background. Yun Heng’s actions had caused such a massive stir that no one could guarantee she wasn’t a remnant of the Academy coming for revenge.
However, in the next second, the girl blurred and appeared right in front of Blackie. She grabbed his hand with such force that it nearly crushed his bones.
“Really?!”
She stared intently at Blackie, her bloodshot eyes brimming with boundless ecstasy.
“It… hurts…”
Blackie spoke with difficulty, gasping for air.
“Ah! Sorry!”
The girl quickly let go, reflexively rubbing her index finger. She then seemed to space out for a moment, appearing to finally remember that she no longer had a Storage Ring.
“…My apologies, I don’t have any Elixirs on me right now to heal you. But I can give you a promise—if you ever run into trouble in the future, just give them my name.”
“Who do you think you are, some famous powerhouse? ‘Just give them my name’…”
Being suddenly attacked had made Blackie lose his temper, and he couldn’t help but speak sarcastically.
But before he could finish his sentence, he felt as if his throat were being squeezed by some python from the nine underworlds, leaving him unable to even breathe.
And this was caused by nothing more than a single look from the girl.
“…I was the one at fault first, so I will forgive your rudeness.”
The girl retracted her gaze and let out a breath. “I have already stated the condition. Now, please tell me the whereabouts of Yun Heng.”
She was being as respectful as she possibly could. She had even used the word “please.”
One must realize that in her past life, the number of people who could make her use that word could be counted on one hand.
“…What if I refuse to say?”
Blackie could see that this visitor was not friendly.
Although he didn’t want himself or his family to be harmed, Yun Heng was the great benefactor of Cuiwei Village. He didn’t want Yun Heng to be threatened even more.
“That’s fine. I have plenty of ways to get the answer out of your mouth.”
The girl smiled faintly.
After a pause of 2 seconds, the girl seemed to lose interest in arguing with Blackie and simply reached out her hand.
Blackie closed his eyes, preparing himself for death.
1 second, 2 seconds…
However, after waiting for nearly 30 seconds, the attack never came.
Opening his eyes a crack, Blackie saw the girl let out a weary sigh.
“…Did Yun Heng tell you not to tell me?”
Blackie didn’t understand why the girl’s emotions were fluctuating so wildly. One moment she was threatening him, and the next she suddenly looked like a fragile, abandoned child.
‘She’s a total psycho.’
However, since his life and his mother’s life were temporarily safe, he didn’t mind stalling for more time.
“…Mr. Yun is the great benefactor of our Cuiwei Village. If you can’t say why you’re looking for him…”
Pausing for a moment, Blackie added, “Even if you hadn’t run into me, anyone else would likely give you the same answer.”
“Is that true!”
As if she hadn’t understood Blackie’s point at all, the girl said excitedly, “Is it really true that he didn’t tell you to stay quiet?”
Blackie was bewildered.
‘Definitely. She’s a psycho.’
Blackie confirmed this in his heart.
“That’s great… that’s wonderful…”
The girl breathed a sigh of relief, gently patting her small chest. “Even though many things are different from before, as long as he’s still himself, then everything is acceptable.”
Blackie’s nose twitched.
For some reason, he felt like he smelled… the scent of unrequited love?
Blackie had recently reached the age of twenty, a time when interest in the opposite sex was quite strong. Although no young lady had fallen for him yet, there was a girl in the village who lived in his heart.
It was normal.
Unfortunately, that girl’s heart already belonged to someone else.
After a moment of hesitation, Blackie asked tentatively, “Do you… admire Mr. Yun?”
Yun Heng was not only handsome but also possessed a refined temperament. Whether it was his ability or his character, he was one in a million. It was only natural for a girl to admire him.
Even though Blackie had only spent a few days with Yun Heng, the man had visited his home the day before the immortal seeking grand exam.
Blackie had immediately noticed that the young page’s feelings for Yun Heng went beyond those of a servant for a master.
It was just that the two of them didn’t seem to have noticed yet.
“More than that, Mr. Yun admires me very much as well.”
The girl let out a proud little hum, looking exceptionally happy.
“You?”
Blackie blinked, wanting to laugh but not daring to.
Setting aside Mr. Yun’s preferences, if he truly admired you, how could you be in such a miserable state?
Blackie believed in Yun Heng’s character. A man like that would never let his beloved person suffer through hunger and cold like this.
“You wouldn’t understand.”
The girl took on the tone of a little adult and shook her head. “Our feelings transcend species; they transcend the world.”
“Sure, sure.”
Blackie offered a perfunctory response.
He thought he understood now. This little girl was likely just one of the crazier ones among Yun Heng’s many pursuers. As long as he played along, nothing would go wrong.
“So then, what is your name?”
Thus, Blackie stood before a Former Generation Immortal King and put on the attitude of a sunny, cheerful older brother, asking kindly.
“My name is Ling Yao. The ‘Ling’ that towers over all living things, and the ‘Yao’ of the dawn light from the Jade Star.”
Ling Yao gave a radiant smile.
“This is the name he gave me. It’s pretty, isn’t it?”