Tao Afu was seized by a large group of people and pushed towards a brightly lit building. Since her hair was still damp from washing it in the afternoon, Afu had left it loose. Stumbling and staggering as she was shoved along, her disheveled appearance made her look like a little madwoman. After being pinched twice by an old woman, Afu dared not cry out and walked on silently, held captive.
The Tao family estate was vast, but Afu had never been to other parts of it. She had never seen such a beautiful building before. As the menacing group pushed her inside, she couldn’t help but turn her head to admire the intricately carved window frames.
A portly middle-aged man sat on the main couch. Upon seeing Afu enter, he barked with a cold, disgusted expression, “Kneel!”
Afu was thrown to the ground with a thud, one hand still firmly held by a servant. She looked up at the middle-aged man and finally recognized him as her father, whom she had only seen a few times in her life.
Lang Jun Tao found her blank, dull expression irritating. Next to him sat an elegantly dressed woman, his second wife, Madam Yang. Behind Madam Yang stood three beautiful daughters, her flesh and blood. Though all four women were attractive, their expressions were haughty, their eyes filled with similar disdain. They looked at Afu as if she were mud accidentally smeared on their skirts.
None of them spoke to Afu directly. Madam Yang asked the servants, “Is she the one who’s been stealing things in the house?”
“Yes, Madam. The little miss has been stealing food. We’ve all seen it,” replied a servant.
Lang Jun Tao slapped the couch. “Indeed, she’s the offspring of a country woman, just like her mother – uncouth and only knows how to embarrass me!”
“How could I have a child like you? I should have strangled you at birth to save myself from your disgraceful behavior now!”
Despite Lang Jun Tao’s scolding, Afu remained fixated on the small table to his left, intently staring at what she knew to be soft, delicious pastries.
Angered by her silence, Lang Jun Tao grew even more furious. Madam Yang condescended to look at the mouse-like Afu and said, “My dear, this child is out of line. I think she needs to be taught a lesson.”
Lang Jun Tao’s expression softened towards her. “Whatever you say, my lady. Handle her as you see fit.”
Madam Yang smiled demurely. The three young ladies, adorned with precious jewelry and wearing magnificent dresses, scrutinized Afu critically before whispering to their mother. Madam Yang gazed at them lovingly, then instructed the servants holding Afu, “Teach her some manners, then lock her in the isolation room. She can come out when she’s learned her lesson.”
The two servant women acknowledged in unison, fully aware of what “teaching manners” entailed.
Lang Jun Tao added, “My lady is too kind. In my opinion, she should be beaten to teach her a good lesson.”
Madam Yang gave him a reproachful look. “She’s still your flesh and blood. How could I let someone beat her? I feared you might object.”
Lang Jun Tao replied carelessly, “She’s just a girl, what use is she? I don’t care at all. Beat her to death if you like.” Without even glancing at Afu, he ordered the servants, “Before locking her in isolation, give her a good thrashing. Beat her hard!”
Only then did Afu realize the danger and begin to tremble. Looking around, she saw faces full of malicious intent, as well as some showing pity and sympathy. No one here would save her.
Suddenly, Afu twisted her hand free from the servant’s grip. Ducking low, she scrambled between the legs of a tall servant woman and ran towards the exit without looking back.
Her move was so unexpected that the others were caught off guard and failed to grab her. However, some quick-witted servants immediately gave chase.
Afu was small and agile. One servant lunged at her from behind, but she dodged. Soon, several more servants were in pursuit, and it seemed she couldn’t escape. Just then, the frightened and desperate Afu heard a voice.
“To the left.”
It was Master’s voice. Afu recognized it immediately. Master had come to save her! Although she couldn’t see where he was, hearing his voice instantly made her less afraid. She ran with all her might to the left.
To the left was a large lake with expansive lotus leaves and flowers, beautiful in daylight. But now it was dark, with only two dim lanterns that couldn’t illuminate the night-shrouded lotus. All she could see was a hazy black silhouette.
Just as she was about to reach the lake’s edge, Afu suddenly stumbled. A servant had caught up and shoved her hard from behind, pushing her to the ground.
By cruel coincidence, there was a protruding rock right where Afu fell, aligned with her head. It seemed she would crack her skull open. Afu closed her eyes tightly in fear.
However, Afu only felt something soft cushion her head, which didn’t hurt at all. Behind her, a series of anguished cries suddenly erupted.
Afu turned to look and saw several enormous bees swarming around the servants’ heads, stinging them. She had no idea where they had come from.
More servants were rushing over. Afu heard Master’s voice in her ear again, saying, “Jump into the lake.”
So Afu quickly got up and, before the second wave of servants could reach her, plunged into the lake without hesitation.
After jumping in, she started to sink. It was only then that Afu remembered she couldn’t swim. As she struggled in the water, she suddenly saw something dark swimming towards her, giving her a terrible fright. But upon closer look, it was a large turtle.
The turtle swam under Afu and lifted her. Afu immediately clung to the turtle, terrified, as it carried her toward the other side of the lake.
Just as Afu felt she was about to suffocate, the turtle brought her to the surface. With a splash, Afu coughed up water and began breathing heavily. Lying on the turtle’s back, she breathed in the fresh air, saw the moon peeking out from behind the clouds, the frost-like reeds in the moonlight, and a man in white robes standing before her, extending his hand.
Afu stared blankly at the hand in front of her. It was as white as jade, with a misty glow in the moonlight. The joints were beautifully shaped – it was a very, very beautiful hand.
The owner of this hand was a beautiful man. Though male, Afu thought he was as beautiful as a fairy from the moon, more beautiful than her stepmother and three half-sisters.
The “fairy” smiled slightly, using that hand to remove a piece of waterweed from her head, and said, “Aren’t you going to get up?”
Afu suddenly came to her senses – this voice was Master’s! She immediately grabbed the reeds at the man’s feet and crawled ashore. They were now far from where she had jumped into the water, and it was dark, so the commotion couldn’t be seen from the other side, though faint noises could still be heard.
“Master, they want to beat me. Let’s run away quickly!” No longer silent as she had been in front of Lang Jun Tao and the others, Afu now chattered away. “They’re very bad, and there are many of them. We must run! If they catch me, I’ll be locked up!”
Seeing her dripping wet like a drowned rat, Pei Jiya gently brushed her seaweed-like hair with a finger and said leisurely, “Run? If they want to beat you, whether they succeed or not, you should beat them back.”
This was the first time Afu had heard such an idea. She thought for a moment and felt that Master probably had a point. “But I can’t beat them,” she said.
Pei Jiya smiled kindly in the moonlight. “Since you call me Master, of course, I’ll teach you how to do it.”
“Come, let’s catch some rats first.”
Afu was confused. “Catch rats?”
Pei Jiya pushed aside the reeds, his tone a mix of casual indifference and anticipation. “Yes, you have a father, a stepmother, and three half-sisters, right? So we’ll catch five rats.”
“Master will teach you how to make something, then take you to play a game where living people turn into rats. It’s very interesting.” He chuckled softly, tapping Afu’s wet forehead. “However, if you can’t learn or make what Master wants, Master will have to turn you into a little rat instead.”
Though his tone seemed joking, Pei Jiya was not joking at all. Afu couldn’t discern whether it was a joke or not. She laboriously lifted her wet skirt and followed Pei Jiya, stumbling back to their dilapidated little courtyard.
“What I’m going to teach you is called ‘mouse lichen,'” Pei Jiya said.
In his youth, Pei Jiya had been sickly. The Pei family had hired countless doctors for him, even various mystical practitioners. Among them was a deranged old woman who could create all sorts of strange things. Pei Jiya had a clever mind but was naturally disinclined to learn what ordinary people should. Instead, he was deeply interested in these “occult arts” and mastered everything the old woman knew in just two years.
Moreover, he sought out similar “occult arts” everywhere, searching for various records and texts, and even tried to explore new “occult arts” on his own, creating many peculiar things. His talent in this area was said to be once in a century. Even the old woman had said he was born to learn such “occult arts.”
Today, Pei Jiya suddenly discovered that this little rat Afu, whom he had casually picked up, had a talent no less than his own, perhaps even greater.
He taught her to make “mouse lichen.” Apart from failing on her first attempt, she successfully created it on her second try. Out of five rats, she made four mouse lichens. Even he had failed several times before succeeding when he first learned.
Pei Jiya’s gaze upon Afu became somewhat strange.
However, Afu didn’t notice, innocently fiddling with her successful creations.
Pei Jiya suddenly lifted Afu’s chin, examining her unremarkable face carefully. Finally, he smiled at her with satisfaction. “You’re very good, excellent. From now on, you’re my beloved disciple. I’ll teach you everything I know.”
Pei Jiya began to anticipate what she would become in the future.