Thousand Mile Distance:
In the Hundred Demon Peach Forest, Shiyi was standing in front of the bed inside her small hut, a glimmer of shattered gold flashing through the darkness of her eyes.
After experiencing the struggle over the fate of staying or leaving with the stars, Yun Mu had finally and completely freed himself from the fate tied to those few stars with which he was destined to connect.
On the bed, the young man was drenched, the thin cyan robe clinging tightly to his body, soaked through with sweat, having nearly exhausted all his strength in the battle with the Origin Power of Stars.
“Shiyi Master… did I succeed?”
This was the only thing he said the last time he woke, right before slipping back into unconsciousness.
The feeling of weakness left him unable to distinguish between illusion and reality.
Shiyi merely nodded lightly with a sound of acknowledgment, then walked out the door, having taken care of a little “trouble” for “Yun”.
So at this moment, in the corner of the room, three young girls were obediently kneeling on the floor, their foreheads swollen and red.
“Shangguan Xunyi, it’s all your sister’s fault for awakening like that. Otherwise, with our disguise at the time, there’s no way we’d have been seen through so easily, right?”
“Hah? Qin Luoyi, don’t just push the blame like that! You were the one who talked the most back then, weren’t you?”
“I talked the most? Eh! Little fox, you be the judge—between your Sister Gouyi and me, who do you think talks the most?”
As she spoke to Tu Shan Huaizhi, who was sandwiched in the middle, she raised her fist, showing off. “Think carefully, or my fist, as big as a sandbag, might just fall down.”
“Gou—Xunyi-jie definitely talks less than you, wuwaa!”
Another miserable scream, followed by two sharp intakes of breath.
Their foreheads, already red, became even more inflamed due to the sudden “flicks”.
“You three really haven’t learned your lesson. Never mind sneaking into my place, you even eavesdropped on my conversation with Xiao Mu. Now you’ve been caught, and you’re still making a ruckus. What? Think I didn’t hit you hard enough?”
The demon and the two girls all shook their heads at once.
Whether timid or headstrong by nature, in front of Shiyi, none dared retort a single word.
Even Qin Luoyi lowered her gaze, only muttering things like
“A gentleman’s revenge takes ten years, just you wait until I surpass you in cultivation, then I’ll definitely settle this” in her heart; as for words of “dissatisfaction,” not a single one left her lips.
There was no helping it—Shiyi’s cultivation was simply too terrifying.
Although she couldn’t guess the exact level, this princess’ instinctive fear told her that Shiyi was stronger than any cultivator she had ever met—including Tu Shan Yunxi and even her own father.
Seeing that the three girls had finally quieted down, Shiyi glanced back at the peacefully breathing youth, thought for a moment, and finally spoke, “You three… who’s going to help Xiao Mu change his clothes? And then help wash him up…”
Like thunder on a clear day.
“Me me me! I’m Yun Mu-gege’s little sister, there’s nothing improper about it, and I take care of my own tail every day—I’m the best at washing up!”
“내다吾!”
Tu Shan Huaizhi was the most eager, standing up to dash toward Yun Mu, but before she could take two steps, Qin Luoyi yanked her tail from behind and sent her sprawling to the ground.
“Let me do it. At least I’m a physician—never helped anyone bathe before, but at least I can reduce Xiao Yunzi’s risk of getting sick.”
She stood up, looking down at the little demon fox struggling to her feet, smiling faintly.
“And compared to her, I’m a lot more reliable.”
“You? Reliable? Heh, what a joke. Back in the secret realm, if it weren’t for you, we wouldn’t have been trapped there for more than a week! Are you sure you’re reliable?”
The always quiet Shangguan Gouyi, sneaking forward, couldn’t help but laugh in exasperation when she heard that.
“And you’ve only known Xiao Mu for how long? Xiao Mu and I have been childhood friends for more than eight years—if it’s about such an intimate task, shouldn’t it be my turn?”
“Do you even know what ‘favoring the new over the old’ means? You’re the old one here.”
“Xiao Mu is quite nostalgic.”
“No! It has to be me!”
The little fox demon scrambled up again to rejoin the fray.
In an instant, the three girls who’d just been scolded and united in misery were at it again, arguing over who was qualified to wipe down Yun Mu.
It was a complete mess.
Seeing things about to spiral out of control again, Shiyi could no longer endure.
She turned sharply, sweeping the three with a piercing gaze, carrying an oppressive aura.
“You three are so noisy.”
With that, three more flicks landed on their heads, and the girls howled in misery.
“叮唔!”
Tu Shan Huaizhi, always the most eager, stood up to rush toward Yun Mu, but before she could take two steps, Qin Luoyi yanked her tail from behind and sent her tumbling.
“Let me do it. At least I’m a physician—never helped anyone bathe before, but I can at least reduce Xiao Yunzi’s risk of getting sick.”
She stood up, looking down at the struggling little demon fox, smiling lightly.
“And compared to her, I’m more reliable.”
“You? Reliable? Heh, what a joke. Back in the secret realm, if it weren’t for you, we wouldn’t have been trapped for more than a week! You really call yourself reliable?”
Shangguan Gouyi, who had been silent, now spoke up with a laugh.
“And you’ve only known Xiao Mu for so long? I’ve been his childhood friend for over eight years—if this involves skin contact, shouldn’t it be my turn?”
“Do you even know what it means to abandon the old for the new? You’re the old one.”
“Xiao Mu is very sentimental.”
“No way! It has to be me!”
The little fox demon jumped up, joining the battle once more.
Once again, the three girls, freshly scolded, started arguing fiercely over who had the right to wipe Yun Mu’s body.
Their bickering was endless.
Seeing things getting out of hand, Shiyi could bear it no longer.
She spun around, her gaze as sharp as blades, sweeping across all three and exuding a powerful aura.
“You three are too noisy.”
With those words, three more flicks landed on their heads, and the girls howled in pain, their foreheads turning red and swollen.
This time, Shiyi infused her “head flicks” with a special force—a power that not only hurt physically, but even penetrated to the Soul and Spirit.
[No way! Shangguan Gouyi! I only took a nap—how did you get caught by this woman again!]
Within Shangguan Gouyi’s sea of consciousness, Sha Qianmo shot up from a bed conjured from starlight, clutching her head and trembling.
The girl, who hadn’t even done anything, suffered a calamity for no reason.
That last flick hurt so much, she almost burst out crying.
It was excruciating.
[Uh… sorry, I really couldn’t help coming over.]
[And what about Yun Mu? Don’t tell me you couldn’t help it and came just to find this terrifying old woman.]
[Old woman? If you say that and she finds out…]
[What are you scared of? Even if this Shiyi old woman is strong enough to see through my existence, she definitely can’t hear what I say, relax… hiss!]
As they chatted, Sha Qianmo’s head suddenly ached again, as if it had been punched by some mysterious force.
This time, Shangguan Gouyi felt nothing, but as soon as she heard that pained scream in her mind, she immediately looked up at the woman before her and sat upright, tense.
“Sh-Shiyi senior…”
“Hmm, do you want to wait for me to throw you out, or do you want to go like the other two?”
Thrown… thrown out?
The girl instinctively looked toward the door, only to find that the other two—who had just been kneeling beside her—were now lying face down outside, looking as if they’d bitten the dust.
“I—I’ll go on my own. You—you won’t do anything to Xiao Mu anyway, haha… I’ll just leave and not cause any trouble.”
With that, she scrambled to her feet and hurried out, moving awkwardly.
“Wait.”
But just as she reached the door, Shiyi’s voice sounded again.
“W-what is it?” She turned back, nervous.
“Go tell the other two, I’ll give each of you a chance to be alone with Xiao Mu. As for the terms, I’ll tell you later—the choice will be yours.”
“Alright, I’ll go tell them now.”
The girl’s voice was oddly excited.
“Make sure to pass it on, and don’t answer on their behalf.”
“…Fine…”
The exposed girl’s voice dropped.
Once she’d finally left, Shiyi locked the door with her power, then looked down at Yun Mu.
“Missing one Soul and Spirit, yet still alive—such cases are rare in the world.”
She raised her hand, took off the Fox Mask, the corners of her mouth rising in a strange, fleeting smile.
“In the end, I’ve contradicted myself. Originally, I only took this boy as a disciple because of Tu Shan Yunxi, but I find myself growing more and more interested in him.”
With that, she conjured a peach blossom petal from thin air, gently pressed it to her own forehead, then, using the Mist Force, ground it into a black-tinged powder.
The powder swirled, and with a flick, she sent it into Yun Mu’s brow.
“Hear my command, let the peach be the matchmaker, enter the river of time.”
As soon as she finished speaking, her body became wrapped in a shaft of light, finally dissipating into water vapor.
Yun Mu’s body slowly lifted from the bed, suspended in mid-air.
“Mother, why do we plant peach blossom trees?”
Shiyi opened her eyes to find herself sitting at a wooden table outside a small tavern; in front of her was a bowl of Peach Blossom Brew.
A little boy passed by, carrying two books, followed by a woman holding a young peach tree.
“Peach Blossom Brew is also a kind of peach blossom’s fate…”
Shiyi looked down at the untouchable bowl of wine, shook her head, and was about to leave this time domain when, as she lifted her hand, she met the little boy’s eyes.
She froze for a moment.
“Little one, can you see me?”
No one answered, and Shiyi could only smile at herself.
“Really, I must be losing my mind, having such wild hopes—you’re only four, how could you possibly sense my presence.”
She took a sip of Peach Blossom Brew, then vanished.
“Mu’er, what are you staring at?”
Just as she disappeared, the woman asked, tapping the dazed Yun Mu.
“Ah, Mother, nothing, maybe I was just seeing things.”
“Seeing things? What did you see?”
“A beautiful big sister…”
“Are you… running a fever?”
She leaned over, pressing her hand to his forehead.
“Really!”
he protested, lightly pushing her hand away.
“This time, it’s a peach tree that’s already been planted? Judging by the time, it’s been two years…”
Shiyi sat in a tree in the Shangguan family’s secluded courtyard, about to search for Yun Mu’s figure, when she caught sight of the struggling boy below.
“What’s this…?”
She asked herself subconsciously but did not leap down, simply observing the boy quietly as he collapsed beneath the tree, clutching a spot of pain.
Her gaze dropped, and she noticed the tree full of peach blossoms.
“These peach blossoms… strange… Why does this power feel so similar to mine?”
She plucked two petals, sniffed them lightly, her brow furrowing.
“They’re exactly like the ones Tu Shan Yunxi gave me…”
Muttering, she glanced again at the boy, sighed helplessly, tossed aside the petals, and left.
When she opened her eyes again, she was back in reality.
“These peach blossoms and him—only two time anchors? That can’t be… I could clearly sense something else…”
Puzzled, she picked up another peach blossom, but no matter how she tried, she couldn’t enter that state from before.
After some thought, she gave up.
“I’ll think about it later.”
She muttered to herself, put the mask back on her face, and a flash of gold flickered in her pitch-black eyes.
She walked to Yun Mu’s side, sat on the bed, leaned over, and undid the first button of his robe, then the second, then the third…
She gently peeled off his damp upper garment, revealing the boy’s body, covered with overlapping old and new wounds.
She reached out, softly caressing the injured skin.
Beneath the mask, her expression was far from pleasant.
“He’s suffered quite a bit. But, since you’ve become my disciple, the saying about the heavens putting great burdens on great men… is just nonsense now.”
She raised her hand, pinched a flower, and once more sent her power into the boy’s body.
The scars began to heal, slowly, bit by bit.