Huang Rang lay atop the wall, clearly hearing the location Huang Zeng had arranged with someone.

He seemed worried about too many prying eyes, so he specifically chose the bamboo hut at Three Li Slope.

Huang Jun never spoke. Huang Zeng said: “Good little sister, big brother will just take that as your agreement. You help big brother this once, and big brother won’t forget you. I’m the eldest son—sooner or later, this Huang family will be under my control. Big brother absolutely won’t mistreat you.”

Having said this, he breathed a long sigh of relief, as if solving a major problem.

Huang Rang waited until he left before jumping down from the courtyard wall.

She knew what time this was now.

This year, she was eight years old.

Before age eight, Huang Rang had still been impulsive and hot-blooded.

She hated Huang Zeng, hated Huang Shu, even hated Xiyin, hated all the various people of the Huang family.

Even Huang Jun—she didn’t particularly cling to her either.

Combined with Huang Jun’s indifferent temperament, the two sisters weren’t that close.

However, Huang Jun was the only person in the entire Huang family who took care of her.

She showed no warmth toward Huang Rang, only silently saving money to buy her clothes and snacks. She occasionally taught Huang Rang to write characters, though unfortunately she herself didn’t have much learning, so the teaching was fragmentary.

Huang Rang had always thought she didn’t like this sister either.

But later, as time rolled on past Immortal Tea Town, past Yuhu Immortal Sect, past half her lifetime—

When Huang Rang looked back on her childhood, surprisingly there was only this one bright pearl.

Huang Rang’s temperament changed starting at age eight.

Before eight, she was a calf with horns, daring to butt heads with anyone. After eight, she was a gentle lamb, dignified and mild with everyone she met.

Huang Rang dusted off her hands. She changed into clean clothes and carefully tied her hair into a little bun.

Before leaving, she even secretly applied some of Xiyin’s fragrant powder.

Coming out of the small courtyard, she saw the preserved fruit that had fallen to the ground earlier.

—Very good, still usable. Huang Rang picked up these preserved fruits and repackaged them in paper.

When evening came, Huang Zeng, afraid the matter would be exposed, had already hidden away early. Huang Jun was hesitating about whether to go out.

Huang Rang ran into Chunxiu’s courtyard with an innocent face—Chunxiu was Huang Zeng’s birth mother.

She had originally been a brothel courtesan. Only because she became pregnant with Huang Zeng was she brought into the Huang family. Reportedly, at that time, Xiyin had not long been married to Huang Shu.

Xiyin had cried and made scenes, but this Chunxiu was no ordinary person either. She employed every means, and Xiyin encountered obstacles everywhere.

After giving birth to the eldest son, she looked down on Xiyin even more.

Xiyin couldn’t outmaneuver her in tactics.

In terms of charm and allure, she fell even further behind.

She hadn’t yet managed to drive Chunxiu out before being abandoned by Huang Shu herself.

Unfortunately, Chunxiu didn’t remain favored long either. Later, Huang Shu quickly obtained other beauties—how could he still look favorably on someone of her background?

Even Huang Zeng suffered endless neglect as a result.

At this moment, seeing Huang Rang, Chunxiu couldn’t help being extremely disgusted: “What are you doing here?”

Huang Rang snorted and said: “My mother said this courtyard will be mine to live in from now on. I’m coming in to look first.”

Chunxiu raged: “Bah! You little tramp! Usually you just don’t get beaten enough! Someone, throw her out!”

Huang Rang stuck her neck out stubbornly and said: “After big brother gets beaten to death, you’ll be driven from the Huang family too. Why shouldn’t I live in this courtyard?”

Her “childish words spoke without taboo,” but Chunxiu’s heart went cold. She asked: “Zeng’er? What happened to him?”

Huang Rang snorted but refused to say more.

Chunxiu stepped forward and grabbed her up: “What happened to your big brother?”

Huang Rang appeared frightened and couldn’t help saying: “He… he owes a lot of gambling debts. Those people took him to the bamboo hut at Three Li Slope on the south side. They say they’ll beat him to death!”

Hearing this, how could Chunxiu dare delay?

She wanted to find someone to help, but hearing that Huang Zeng owed gambling debts, she feared alerting Huang Shu.

“That worthless thing!” She didn’t dare delay. She quickly gathered some gold and silver valuables and quietly left the Huang residence.

Only after she left did Huang Rang go find Huang Shu.

At that time, Huang Shu was flirting with a newly purchased maid.

The maid dressed seductively, her hair half-down and half-up, appearing very improper.

But Huang Rang acted as if she saw nothing. Hugging her paper packet, she smiled radiantly: “Father!”

She ran in with arms outstretched. Seeing her, Huang Shu first frowned.

Huang Shu didn’t like Huang Rang—because of that business with him and Huang Jun, it was still too base.

But today’s Huang Rang was clean and neat, warm and soft as sunshine. So he also adopted a somewhat amiable manner and asked: “What is it?”

Huang Rang held up the paper packet and said: “Your daughter got a packet of preserved fruit and specially came to give it to Father.”

Huang Shu couldn’t care less about preserved fruit, but when Huang Rang offered one, he still let her put it in his mouth.

The preserved fruit was truly ordinary—how could Huang Jun afford expensive snacks?

After eating one, Huang Shu said: “Alright, Father has eaten. You may go now.”

Huang Rang carefully handed him the few in her hand, looking innocent as she said: “These few are clean. Father, keep them to eat.”

“Clean?” Huang Shu glanced at the paper packet in her hands and asked: “The ones in the bag aren’t clean?”

Huang Rang pouted and said: “When I came out, I ran into big brother and he made me spill them.”

Huang Shu made a sound of acknowledgment. He wasn’t interested in what had happened.

—Actually, just looking at the bruises on Huang Rang’s face, he could roughly guess.

But ultimately these were just small matters of children squabbling—how could he have the heart to inquire?

The beautiful maid before his eyes was more lovable.

Huang Rang stuffed another preserved fruit in his mouth and said: “Tonight Aunt Xiu isn’t here. Father, won’t you go to Mother’s place? Mother thinks of Father every day.”

Hearing this, Huang Shu immediately couldn’t help feeling irritated. He consequently found the daughter before him obstructive as well.

He said: “I’ll go when I have time. You…” Asking this far, he suddenly remembered something. “How do you know Aunt Xiu isn’t here? Where did she go?”

No wonder he was suspicious. Chunxiu had originally been a brothel woman. Now with the sky darkening, if she wasn’t home, where could she be?

Huang Rang fed him another preserved fruit, looking innocent as she said: “I heard she went to the bamboo hut at Three Li Slope. Father only cares about Aunt Xiu and doesn’t care about Mother!”

“Three Li Slope, bamboo hut?” Huang Shu frowned. “What’s she doing there?”

Huang Rang said: “Don’t know. Father, have another one!”

How could Huang Shu still have the heart to eat preserved fruit?

He immediately stood up and called two servants: “Come with me!”

Only after Huang Rang coaxed him out the door did she run to the courtyard. At this time, Huang Jun had already prepared to leave. Huang Rang grabbed her hem—how could she let her go out?

“Sister will teach me to read today!” She found a tree branch and pulled Huang Jun to a sandy patch in the courtyard to start writing characters.

Less than half a shichen later, the outer courtyard erupted in commotion.

That Chunxiu had indeed gone to the bamboo hut at Three Li Slope. Waiting there were several lust-starved ghosts. Seeing her, how could those men care whether she was Huang Jun or not?

When Huang Shu arrived, he saw this unbearable scene.

Chunxiu cried herself to death, but at this moment could only ignore her son, claiming she was repaying Huang Zeng’s gambling debts.

And at this moment Huang Zeng was still hiding outside—how could he know what had happened?

The next day, Chunxiu disappeared from the Huang family.

Some said she was sold by Huang Shu, others said she was beaten to death by Huang Shu.

The matter was told with much exaggeration, but Huang Zeng was also severely beaten by Huang Shu. This eldest son completely lost power. From then on in the Huang family, he was like a household servant whom anyone could bully.

At that time, Huang Rang was in Xiyin’s courtyard, holding a writing stick. In memory, she started lying from this year onward.

She sweet-talked and hypocritically pleased Huang Shu. Others then spread rumors claiming she was the same type as her sister. Xiyin often beat her viciously, but Huang Rang wasn’t as submissive as Huang Jun.

She grew increasingly cold toward Xiyin.

She often cursed back at Xiyin, raising all her poisonous thorns to resist the humiliation. She pleased the village elder and clan elder, learned to bully other siblings. She quietly let everyone know that in this family, Huang Rang could not be provoked.

So she exposed others’ shortcomings in scolding, rubbed salt in wounds—who cared about others’ grief and suffering?

Later, Huang Rang would somewhat understand why Huang Zeng and his mother were so vicious.

—Probably because in this Huang family, everyone was selfish and cold, yet no one had ever been satisfied.

On the sandy ground, she wrote a character with horizontal and vertical strokes.

The character “qiu.”

Di Yiqiu, those wounds carved by sharp blades were too ugly. In this dream, I won’t live like that anymore.

Outside the courtyard, Huang Jun hurried back. Just reaching the courtyard entrance, she happened to meet Huang Shu coming out from a minor concubine’s courtyard.

Seeing him, Huang Jun’s entire spine went rigid.

Huang Shu walked before Huang Jun and raised his hand to smooth her stray hair. Huang Jun couldn’t help leaning back, instinctively avoiding him.

“Coming back from the fields?” Huang Shu asked with feigned kindness.

Outside the courtyard, countless gazes of all kinds fell upon them. Huang Jun could only make a sound of acknowledgment. Huang Shu’s gaze traveled up and down her body as he said: “In this household, you’re the most obedient.”

Huang Jun kept her head lowered, never looking at him. Huang Shu sensed others’ gazes and thus said in a gentle tone: “Leave the rough work to servants—don’t tire yourself. Go on.”

Only then did Huang Jun hurry into the courtyard with quick steps.

Outside, after Huang Shu walked away, other concubines began cursing in veiled terms. At these matters of innuendo and indirect scolding, their cultivation was quite profound.

Huang Jun naturally didn’t dare talk back. She could only pretend nothing happened. Passing before Huang Rang, she saw the sand already covered with a full row of the character “qiu.” She said: “This character—didn’t you already write it yesterday?”

Huang Rang stubbornly wrote another and said: “I just like this character.”

Huang Jun didn’t mind. She paused, then suddenly asked: “The matter with Huang Zeng’s mother… did you do it?”

“What is sister saying? I don’t understand.” Huang Rang kept her head down continuing to write, but her mind was thinking of other matters.

—How should this life be lived?

She didn’t want to take control of the Huang family again. If so, Huang Jun would still have to wait for her to grow up.

Too much time.

When one’s days felt like years, time was a rusted, blunt knife.

This Huang family in Immortal Tea Town was rotten to this degree—no need to stay.

Her mind turned with thoughts, and Huang Jun said: “Yesterday you told me not to go out. How did you know Chunxiu… would go to the bamboo hut at Three Li Slope? Arang, you…”

She’d just asked this when suddenly someone cursed: “You harlot who only knows how to seduce men!”

Huang Jun’s face went white, immediately stopping her remaining words.

Xiyin entered from outside. She threw away the “divine medicine for conceiving sons” in her hand, rushed up and grabbed Huang Jun, delivering a slap: “In broad daylight making such base displays without shame! Are you afraid those little tramps are blind and can’t see?”

Huang Jun covered her face, knowing Xiyin was having another episode.

Xiyin wore a light gray cloth dress. These past years she’d prayed to gods and Buddhas wanting a son, so her dress was plain.

At this moment her cheeks were gaunt, eye sockets sunken. Combined with her crazed and venomous expression, her entire person was quite terrifying.

Huang Rang took Huang Jun’s hand, wanting to leave and avoid her.

Unexpectedly, Xiyin grabbed Huang Jun’s hair. She grabbed a window prop pole at hand and struck down indiscriminately.

Huang Jun was a small earth sprite. The cultivation method she practiced was actually just absorbing spiritual power, maintaining human form, and nurturing the land.

She had no real combat ability.

This wooden stick beating on her body, though not fatal, was extremely painful.

But Huang Rang had cultivated martial arts for over a hundred years.

Extremely impatient, she snatched the pole from Xiyin’s hands, using the momentum to push her to the ground, angrily saying: “Enough!”

Xiyin suddenly sat collapsed on the ground, hair disheveled, clothes dirty. The fury in her eyes intensified.

“You… you bastard spawn! Sooner or later you’ll be just like your sister…” She muttered curses, then suddenly rushed into the room.

Huang Rang pulled Huang Jun to run. Huang Jun said: “Arang, you shouldn’t curse her like that. These past years her mental state has gotten worse…”

Before Huang Jun finished speaking, Xiyin suddenly charged out. A cold flash of light in her hand went straight for Huang Jun’s face. Huang Jun instinctively raised her hand to block. Severe pain shot through her arm. Only then did she realize what it was—it was a sharp knife.

“I’ll scar both your faces, then no one will gossip anymore!” Xiyin muttered, appearing crazed. Blood flowed from Huang Jun’s arm where flesh curled back exposing white bone. After a moment, blood poured like a stream.

Huang Rang had a sense of past events repeating.

She charged forward and mercilessly used the pole to knock the knife from Xiyin’s hand. Yuhu Immortal Sect’s sword techniques made dealing with Xiyin far too simple. Xiyin was clearly in pain. She drew back her hand, panting heavily.

Huang Rang stared into her eyes, sneering: “We’re base? Xiyin, back then you were in your boudoir yet became pregnant with Huang Shu before marriage. Finally swept out by the Xi family, you could only marry down into the Huang family. Who exactly is base?”

Xiyin reeled back as if struck.

Huang Rang’s words dripped with mockery: “You willingly degraded yourself—that’s one thing. But you insisted on giving birth to us to suffer! No matter how much of that conception medicine you drink, you won’t have a son! Who would be willing to crawl out of your belly and acknowledge a weak and incompetent woman like you as mother?”

She grasped Huang Jun’s hand and walked step by step toward the courtyard exit, not forgetting to add: “Look at yourself now—yet you still want to maintain your former airs and graces as a young lady of means. Truly both pitiful and laughable.”

After finishing her scolding, she pulled Huang Jun all the way out of the small courtyard.

The two sisters came all the way to a farmland area.

Coming to her senses, Huang Rang discovered this place was exactly where she’d cultivated the immortal grass back then.

After Xiyin’s death, her remaining sand was scattered here.

Huang Rang collapsed in the field, lying face up looking at the sky.

Huang Jun said: “Cursing her like that, she definitely won’t spare you when you return.”

Huang Rang closed her eyes without speaking.

So Huang Jun sat down beside her. Today’s sky was completely clear, a few white clouds floating and drifting, casually changing shapes.

“How’s your wound?” Huang Rang asked.

Huang Jun pressed the wound and tore out a piece of cloth to stop the bleeding. She was often injured and had long grown accustomed to it.

So at this moment, she worried about other things: “Don’t know when she’ll calm down.”

But she won’t calm down. Huang Rang turned over, burying her head in the half-withered shallow grass.

Outside the dream that year, they sat here until dark.

When they returned to the small courtyard, Xiyin was already dead.

She’d used that sharp knife to cut out her own heart.

Blood covered the ground. Her death was extremely gruesome.

For many, many years afterward, Huang Rang couldn’t remember her feelings at that time.

Perhaps terror?

Perhaps satisfaction?

She rarely recalled this past. Xiyin, together with that small courtyard, had been blurred by memory’s rain.

She lay prone for a long while, then suddenly sat up, hands holding her head.

Huang Jun was startled and asked: “Are you hungry?”

Huang Rang didn’t speak. Huang Jun’s blood dripped into the field soil and was quickly absorbed by the earth.

This woman deserved to die and wasn’t worth half a moment of sympathy.

Huang Rang thought coldly.

But when evening came and a layer of golden sunset clouds burned at the horizon, she suddenly stood up and ran toward the small courtyard.

A voice in her heart softly called: “Mother.”

She walked on the wind and arrived at the small courtyard in an instant.

In the courtyard, the knife in Xiyin’s hand had already pierced her chest. Huang Rang picked up a small pebble and flicked it lightly. Xiyin’s wrist went numb and she instantly lost strength.

She raised her head and saw Huang Rang jumping over the courtyard wall, then suddenly roared: “What are you coming back for?” She grabbed Huang Rang, raising her hand as if wanting to slap her again. But after raising her hand, after a long while, she suddenly embraced Huang Rang in her arms, crying: “What are you coming back for?”

Her blood soaked Huang Rang’s clothes, warm and hot.

“Can you live?” Huang Rang gently stroked her dry, withered long hair. This woman held her, crying like a shrill, resentful ghost.

Unable to answer her question.

Huang Rang could only say softly: “Live on, alright?”

Huang Jun rushed back to the small courtyard and saw Huang Rang and Xiyin embracing. Xiyin knelt on the ground, her entire person buried in Huang Rang’s arms. Huang Rang’s small chin rested atop her head, her expression carrying a compassion that shouldn’t belong to this age.

That very night, Huang Rang set out.

She left Immortal Tea Town and headed toward Ruyi Sword Sect.

She was penniless, but fortunately had the martial arts from the previous dream. Travel posed no difficulty.

Huang Rang had never been to Ruyi Sword Sect.

But this sect ranking second among immortal sects was easy to find.

Huang Rang traveled dusty and worn, pressing on day and night. After over half a month, she finally arrived at this place.

What met her eyes was a giant sword. The giant sword stood pointing toward heaven, fully displaying its sharp energy.

Huang Rang found the gate-guarding disciple and said: “I am the niece of Lady He, Qu Manying. Please announce me.”

That disciple, seeing her covered in dust and quite disheveled, immediately doubted: “Our Sect Leader’s wife’s niece? Do you have proof?”

Huang Rang said: “I am the daughter of Xiyin of the Xirang clan. Please, Senior Brother, announce me. My aunt will surely see me.”

That disciple frowned tightly, hesitating and not daring to enter.

Huang Rang glared and said: “Don’t judge by appearances!” As she spoke, she pulled out the disciple’s sword from his waist and immediately performed a sword technique. The technique naturally came from Yuhu Immortal Sect, called Roaming Spirit Mountain.

Seeing this, the disciple was startled and indeed didn’t dare underestimate her anymore. He hurried inside to announce.

Huang Rang waited at the entrance, heart anxious.

She didn’t know if Qu Manying would really come out to see her.

Before long, Ruyi Sword Sect’s main gate opened. A woman wore practice clothes with a bright red silk sash still tied at her waist.

“Where is the child?” she asked while looking around.

“Lady… Lady He…” Seeing her again, Huang Rang felt as if in another lifetime. She didn’t dare call her aunt anymore, fearing Qu Manying would misunderstand she was climbing connections for advantage.

After all, the relationship was too distant.

“Oh my, you’re really Xiyin’s daughter?” Qu Manying examined her carefully, then after a while said: “There is some resemblance. You… how did you end up like this?” She scooped Huang Rang up in her arms and touched the bruises on her face—exactly what Huang Zeng had inflicted.

“The blood on your body—heavens, what happened to Ayin?” Qu Manying asked repeatedly.

Huang Rang pressed close in her embrace. For the first time, she tried seeking help from someone she barely knew. She pressed her face against Qu Manying’s chest and after a long while said: “My mother wants to kill my sister. I beg Aunt to save my sister.”

Her age was young and her voice carried childish innocence.

Qu Manying held her and said: “Alright, don’t be afraid. Tell Aunt slowly. What exactly happened? How did you find this place?”

As she was asking, someone approached from not far away—it was He Xijin.

He Xijin was tall, handsome, and dignified in appearance.

He pointed at Huang Rang and asked: “She, she, she… is, is, is who?”

Qu Manying said: “She says she’s Sister Xiyin’s daughter, but I don’t know why she’d run to Ruyi Sword Sect covered in blood. I fear something happened at the Huang family. I want to go see.”

He Xijin said: “Good, good, good. I, I, I will, will go, go a-, a-long.”

“That’s fine.” Qu Manying nodded. “Someone, prepare the carriage.”

She instructed the servants, then asked Huang Rang: “Good child, why does Mother want to kill Sister?”

Huang Rang hesitated and said: “Because Father goes to Sister’s room to sleep, so Mother took a knife and cut Sister.” She made a slashing motion and said: “Sister was already cut and wounded.”

With this one sentence, Qu Manying was greatly shocked. He Xijin’s expression changed drastically and his voice rose: “Wha-, wha-, what?!”

Huang Rang seemed startled. She burrowed into Qu Manying’s arms and stopped talking.

“Don’t frighten the child.” Qu Manying stroked Huang Rang’s head and said: “Xijin, I fear if we go to the Huang family with great fanfare, it won’t be easy to handle. Best to secretly investigate first. If that Huang Shu truly is such a beast in human form, we absolutely cannot let him continue doing evil.”

A fierce expression surfaced on He Xijin’s face: “If, if, if this, this mat-matter is, is true, I, I, I will, will peel, peel off his, his, his skin!”

This was originally an extremely domineering harsh threat, but Sect Leader He delivered it in fragments.

Huang Rang wanted to laugh but held it in.

She nestled in Qu Manying’s arms as if finding support.

When the two characters “support” surfaced in her mind, Huang Rang couldn’t help freezing.

How could someone like her still care about support?

But this feeling was truly wonderful. Leaning in Qu Manying’s arms, before long she actually fell asleep.

Only in her dreams she saw Di Yiqiu again, one hand braced against the city gate, being gnawed by skulls formed from black fog. In his chest cavity, his organs were clearly visible.

“Di Yiqiu.” Huang Rang murmured softly in her sleep.

Qu Manying listened closely but ultimately didn’t understand.

“This child must be terrified,” she murmured.