Ji Yang had been in his new body for half a month, treading carefully each day. Finally, he found an opportunity to join a small Taoist sect recruiting new disciples. He planned to compete for a spot, temporarily seeking refuge in the sect to recover his cultivation level.
This body was fourteen years old. Though slightly older than ideal, it possessed an unremarkable four-element spiritual root, making him neither too conspicuous nor likely to be rejected. As he contemplated strategies to swiftly regain his powers, someone suddenly tapped his shoulder.
Ji Yang’s heart skipped a beat. The square was full of ordinary candidates, and with his spiritual sense extended, no mortal should have been able to approach undetected.
“Young master, may I have a word with you?” a voice asked.
Fortunately, Ji Yang’s usual lack of expression served him well. He turned naturally to see a strikingly beautiful woman in simple clothes, her face sickly yet extraordinarily attractive.
Glancing around, Ji Yang noted that while most children came alone to such recruitment events, some overly doting parents insisted on accompanying them, often to the disdain of other candidates. This was a loving mother escorting her child.
“What can I do for you, madam?” Ji Yang inquired.
The beautiful woman replied, “My surname is Nan. My ancestors were diviners, skilled in the art of the Five Elements and fortune-telling. Today, I see your spiritual light reaching the heavens and your luck soaring. You must be destined for greatness. I have a request if you’re willing to hear me out?”
Initially suspecting she had noticed something unusual about him, Ji Yang carefully examined the woman and confirmed she was indeed mortal. “I’m afraid I have nothing of value and am an orphan. I’m not sure how I could help you,” he responded.
To his surprise, the woman exclaimed joyfully, “An orphan? Perfect!”
Ji Yang was speechless.
The woman composed herself and continued, “I apologize. You see, I have a daughter who’s also joining the Yangyue Sect today. She’s quite young, and I hoped someone might look after her. If you’re willing, I’d like to arrange a betrothal between you two.”
Before she could finish, a scarred youth nearby interjected, “Don’t believe her! She just told me I was destined for greatness and offered to betroth her daughter to me!”
The woman retorted, “Young Mu, that’s not fair. Can’t there be more than one person with a great destiny?”
The youth spluttered, “That’s… that’s preposterous!”
“Did you mean to say ‘preposterous’ or ‘unreasonable’?” the woman asked.
“You know what I meant! No one will want to marry your daughter. Give it up!” the youth snapped.
Ji Yang paused, wondering why the youth reacted so strongly given the woman’s beauty. “If your daughter has spiritual potential, surely many would be willing to look after her, considering your beauty. Why are you so desperate?” he asked.
The scarred youth’s face turned ashen. “Her daughter is enormous. I’ve never seen such a fat girl. She’s like a ball.”
The woman smiled demurely. “My daughter is only eight. It’s normal for her to be a bit plump. She’ll grow to look like me.”
Ji Yang didn’t take it seriously, thinking it was unwise to judge by appearances. How fat could an eight-year-old be? As he prepared to politely decline, the woman began calling out.
“A-Yan, where are you? I’ve found you a meal ticket. Come back!”
The youth grumbled, “Stop looking. I gave her my rations. She’s still eating behind that tree.”
Ji Yang looked where he pointed and saw a green-clad, chubby girl sitting behind a pear tree. ‘Chubby’ was an understatement – she was practically spherical.
When she turned at her mother’s call, Ji Yang finally understood the youth’s vehement reaction. The child was realistically, alarmingly obese.
Her cheeks resembled plump white buns, squishing her features into obscurity. There was no trace of her mother’s beauty, and her prospects seemed dim.
The fat girl gazed at her mother languidly. “Congratulations, you can finally get rid of me.”
Nan Rang crouched down, pinching her daughter’s cheeks ruthlessly while speaking affectionately, “What are you saying? The Yangyue Sect is quite humane. They allow disciples to visit home twice a year. Our house isn’t far; I’ll be waiting for you.”
After enduring her mother’s assault, Nan Yan dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief and sobbed, “When I’m gone, will you mend my clothes and think of me? Will you tie a yellow ribbon on the crooked tree by our house every day? When I return after six months, will I see a tree full of ribbons, feeling your intense longing for me?”
Nan Rang stopped her torment and considered seriously. “I’m afraid not, dear. Mother is very busy.”
Nan Yan sighed, “I knew I was just a foundling you picked up by the Jinjiang River…”
Nan Rang sighed, taking out a necklace and fastening it around her daughter’s neck. “This belonged to your uncle. It’s now yours – a family heirloom of sorts. Don’t lose it. You’ll need a keepsake if you fancy someone in the future.”
“Mother, I’m too young. Isn’t it too early to think about that?” Nan Yan protested.
“When I was your age, I had already…”
Ji Yang, who had been casually listening to the mother-daughter exchange, suddenly focused intently on the pearl necklace the woman placed around the fat girl’s neck.
This southern coastal region wasn’t short on pearls. The one on the girl’s neck, though as large as a fingernail, had a grayish tint and was crudely set in silver. To most, it would seem worthless.
However, Ji Yang found it oddly familiar. After a moment, he realized why he hadn’t sensed the beautiful woman’s approach earlier, finally recognizing the object for what it truly was.
Silver Mermaid Pearl.
This object was the core of a Northern Sea mermaid. Before reaching adulthood, a mermaid’s core resembled the moon, concealing its demonic aura to avoid hunters. When obtained by human cultivators, it required no refinement. Simply wearing it could mask one’s true cultivation level, deceiving even those near the Nascent Soul stage.
Ji Yang desperately needed this Silver Mermaid Pearl to purify the taint from his body-snatching—a crime punishable by death in the cultivation world, on par with massacring mortals. The five unforgivable sins were: slaughtering mortals, marrying demons, body-snatching, succumbing to demonic cultivation, and defying the Dao. Anyone committing these could be killed on sight.
Even if he didn’t take the pearl, staying near this girl for a year or two would be enough to erase the taint, making him indistinguishable from other cultivators.
“Enough chatter. Here’s my daughter A-Yan’s birth date and time. What’s your surname, young master?” the woman asked.
“My name is Ji Yang.”
“Come, press your handprint here. I’m entrusting my daughter to you,” she said, producing a tattered paper with scrawled characters and grabbing Ji Yang’s hand.
The scarred youth, irritated, intervened. “How can you do this? He hasn’t agreed to marry your daughter. You can’t force him!”
“You mean ‘it’s unreasonable,'” Ji Yang corrected.
“Right, it’s unreasonable. Plus, she’s only eight. What about when she grows up?”
The chubby girl, Nan Yan, glanced at Ji Yang and edged closer to the youth, joining the opposition. “YeAh what if I become a flirt when I grow up?”
Ji Yang interjected, “May I speak?”
“Go ahead.”
“Madam, you’re rushing this betrothal because you fear A-Yan will be alone in the sect. Since we’ve met today, we needn’t force a marriage. If you trust me, I’m willing to become her sworn brother, caring for her like an elder sibling. When she comes of age, she can decide her fate.”
A moment of silence followed. The youth, Mu Zhanting, spoke up. “Sister, I’m an orphan. While I don’t want to marry your daughter, I could treat her as a sister if she behaves. What do you say, girl?”
Nan Yan blinked curiously at Ji Yang, then beckoned Mu Zhanting closer. She whispered, “Brother Mu, he sounds so cultured. What does ‘sworn brothers’ mean?”
Mu Zhanting explained, “It means he wants to burn yellow paper and become your sworn brother.”
Nan Yan replied, “He’s got good taste. He knows I’m Guan Yu material.”
Feeling competitive, Mu Zhanting shook his head vigorously. “No way, I’ll be Guan Yu. You can be Liu Shan at best.”
“How am I, Liu Shan?” Nan Yan turned to Ji Yang angrily. “Uncle Emperor, tell him I’m at least Zhang Fei, right?”
Caught off guard by the sudden title, Ji Yang asked, “Why call me that?”
“Because you talk like a scholar, a cultured person.”
Ji Yang thought, “Liu Bei would skewer you with his double swords for that.”
At that moment, a misty white light appeared at the sect’s entrance. The heavy gates slowly opened, revealing two or three blue-robed, sword-carrying cultivators. The leader’s voice boomed like spring thunder:
“The selection of disciples begins now! Candidates line up on the right and touch the Spirit-Testing Jade in turn!”
Finally, it was starting.
Nan Rang stopped insisting, a flicker of an indecipherable emotion in her eyes. She took Nan Yan’s hand, saying, “A-Yan, take care of yourself in the sect. Don’t push yourself too hard. Wait until you’ve achieved something in cultivation before acting.”
Nan Yan hugged her mother’s neck, mumbling, “I’ll be back in six months. Take your medicine daily and get better. Don’t disappear for days anymore.”
“No, from now on, mother will always be by your side.”
After their farewell, cultivators began arranging the queue. Suddenly, Nan Rang called out to Ji Yang.
“Young Master Ji, come here for a moment.”
Ji Yang paused and turned back. “What is it, madam?”
“Some things I couldn’t say earlier. Come closer.”
As Ji Yang leaned in, he sensed danger. Before he could retreat, an overwhelming pressure like ten thousand mountains bore down on him. In an instant, Nan Rang had cut his finger and forced him to press it on the paper with the birth details.
“You—”
Nan Rang’s expression changed completely, a malicious smile playing on her lips. “Body-snatcher, I like your sworn sibling trick, but… I’m about to disperse my soul. I’d rather use your life to protect my daughter’s.”
The tattered paper absorbed his blood, instantly turning to ash and seeping into Ji Yang’s body. In the blink of an eye, a blood seal appeared on his back.
Mortal heart locks bind lovers together.
Immortal fate locks, when broken, both shall perish.