In the cultivation world, Qinghua Xianzi was not a likable existence.

She was certainly born beautiful and had extremely high cultivation, but her coldness exceeded even Shaoyang Zhenren. Although Shaoyang Zhenren had a cold nature, he would at least leave some room for maneuver in his dealings with people. Qinghua was different – she seemed to never know how to write the word “tactful.” When young talents from various major sects came to court her favor, she rejected them all without leaving any face.

She was Yushan Shengren’s disciple with such high cultivation that those “young talents” didn’t dare do anything to her. However, some with inferior character felt their “male dignity” had been insulted and, in their rage, spread bad rumors about Qinghua everywhere. They said she was born without emotions and desires, that she was a freak. Over time, except for a few sects friendly with the Taiyan Sect, very few people dared to actively approach her.

Qinghua didn’t care – those people were too noisy, and she was happy to have peace and freedom.

However, while she could ignore the cultivators, she couldn’t turn a blind eye to these children who had just escaped from danger.

She had rarely dealt with children in her life, and now with an entire courtyard full of children crying loudly, even the usually cold Qinghua showed some helplessness on her face.

Should she use a silencing technique to quiet them? But that would only make them more afraid.

She was contemplating when a child covered in evil cultivator’s blood stumbled toward her, opening both arms as if wanting her to hold him.

Qinghua looked at this child hesitantly, her beautiful face showing no expression.

The child’s steps suddenly froze. Looking at the cold-faced woman before him, he seemed frightened, pouted, and burst into tears with a loud “wah.”

Qinghua: “……”

She knew she wasn’t popular with children, but she hadn’t realized it had reached the point of making children cry.

Just then, someone walked over, picked up the child who was standing there crying, comforted him softly, and smiled at Qinghua: “Xianzi, you can’t coax children like that.”

Qinghua looked up at him. This person’s movements in holding children were extremely practiced – in just a moment, he had calmed the child who had been crying hysterically.

He carried this child to the courtyard and called the other children over to sit properly on the ground. From his Qiankun bag, he pulled out a large handful of colorful candies, smiling as he distributed them one by one to the children.

Qinghua was slightly stunned.

Gu Caiyu’s Qiankun bag never contained talismans, magical artifacts, or pills, but instead held quite a few snacks and useless foods – she had already experienced this in the Li’er Kingdom’s secret realm. All along this journey, as Gu Caiyu followed her, when passing trading halls, he bought no magical artifacts or spiritual herbs, but instead brought along many local specialty pastries.

As if he were out for pleasure.

But this had its advantages – for instance, at this moment, these sweet candies could quickly make these frightened children temporarily forget the terrifying scenes from before.

When the children quieted down, Gu Caiyu drew out the purple long flute from his waist. This purple flute looked unremarkable but was a powerful magical artifact that had withstood the demon beauty’s diamond bracelet in Heishi City. Qinghua didn’t know what Gu Caiyu intended to do until he placed the long flute to his lips and began playing a melody.

Qinghua couldn’t help but be stunned.

She had seen the powerful side of this magical artifact – it was no less formidable than her Suihua sword – but she didn’t know that when this artifact was simply used as a long flute, it could produce such pleasing sounds.

Under the melting moonlight, a gentle breeze blew away the bloody smell from the courtyard. Amid the devastation, children sat quietly, listening to the young man play his flute in the courtyard.

When he played the flute, his eyelashes lowered, unlike his usual chattering self. His spring-colored robes fluttered slightly in the wind, along with his hair ribbon, making his posture appear jade-like and otherworldly, as if an immortal banished from the ninth heaven had mistakenly entered the mortal world, playing celestial music to soothe the suffering of all living beings.

Always gentle.

The flute sound was extremely beautiful, the melody unfamiliar, seeming like some countryside folk tune that made one think of golden wheat fields and gentle cooking smoke. This flute sound contained magical power to calm the mind and settle the spirit. As the children listened, their expressions gradually became drowsy.

Sleepiness came like a warm wind. When the flute sound stopped, Gu Caiyu stood up and gently carried each child in the courtyard one by one, placing them on the beds in the rooms, carefully tucking them in.

He was quite patient, his movements very gentle. Qinghua watched his actions thoughtfully, feeling some admiration arise in her heart. This vexing situation had been resolved properly in just moments under Gu Caiyu’s handling – he was truly quite capable.

The last child was the one who had been frightened to tears by Qinghua Xianzi earlier. When Gu Caiyu placed him on the bed, the child seemed to sense something, opened his tired eyes, and tightly hugged Gu Caiyu’s neck, unwilling to let go.

It was said this child had witnessed his friend being thrown into a pill furnace by evil cultivators and had been greatly traumatized. Even with the flute’s comfort, the lingering fear in his heart hadn’t subsided.

Gu Caiyu didn’t force him and, letting the child hug his neck, carried him back to the outer courtyard.

The bodies of the dead evil cultivators had been moved to the rear hall to avoid frightening the children. The living evidence was bound with immortal-binding ropes and tied up in the main hall, waiting for people from the sect to come and handle them.

These children had been abducted from various places. When people from the sect arrived, they would still need to send these children back home.

Qinghua sat down at the stone table in the courtyard, watching Gu Caiyu approach while holding the child.

His movements were very gentle. The small child seemed to find security in him, curling up like a kitten in his arms, sleeping peacefully.

Qinghua glanced at this person, paused, and her tone was gentler than before: “You’re very good at coaxing children.”

Receiving praise, Gu Caiyu’s expression became somewhat proud. He curved his lips and said, “Naturally. From childhood to adulthood, children have liked me very much. Others say that if I ever have children in the future, I’ll be the father most beloved by children.”

Qinghua Xianzi said indifferently, “Oh.”

“What about you?” Not seeing Qinghua’s adoring expression, Gu Caiyu leaned forward and asked, “Does Xianzi like children?”

“No.” Qinghua’s answer was quite cold.

“Why not?” he said. “Children are so cute. Xianzi must have been very lovable when she was small. When Xianzi cried as a child, could a piece of candy buy you off?”

Qinghua didn’t respond.

She came from a declining cultivation family and had excellent spiritual roots from childhood. When the clan was in decline, and suddenly gained a cultivation genius with outstanding talent, and they devoted all their energy to training her. Before being taken away by Yushan Shengren, Qinghua’s daily activities consisted of nothing but cultivation.

The family elders were very strict with her, always saying she was the clan’s last hope. If the clan could produce a sect disciple, the entire family would rise with her. But bearing the hopes of the entire clan had always been heavy.

Qinghua practiced hard daily from childhood. The children in the clan didn’t play with her because she was the “hope.” The family elders were especially devoted to her. If her cultivation didn’t meet expectations, no one would scold her, but being looked at with those disappointed eyes inevitably made her feel guilty.

She rarely cried. The clan leader often said that the path of cultivation was lonely and bitter – if one couldn’t endure even this little suffering, how could one explore the great Way? When young Qinghua really couldn’t help but cry, no one would wipe her tears, and no one would give her candy to comfort her patiently.

Tears couldn’t increase cultivation, and anything that couldn’t increase cultivation was a waste.

She grew up this way until age twelve, until she made a stunning impression at the sect selection and was valued by Yushan Shengren, who brought her back to Taiyan Sect.

Yushan Shengren was a very unique person, different from what the clan elders had described. He had supreme cultivation yet always loved doing “idle things.” Finding seeds from outside to plant flowers and plants, going to mountain taverns to work as a helper for months just to learn a signature osmanthus fish dish, reading storybooks and listening to folk songs… He lived vibrantly and meaningfully, and hoped his disciple Qinghua could do the same.

Unfortunately, Qinghua was disappointed with his good intentions.

Perhaps because she had been taught from childhood that everything except cultivation was a waste of time, Qinghua didn’t like enjoyment – more accurately, she didn’t know what “joy” meant. She told Gu Caiyu that she cultivated to protect all living beings, but sometimes Qinghua felt that she was also one of those living beings, yet she couldn’t even make herself happy.

Sometimes she quite envied Gu Caiyu. Gu Caiyu was the same type of person as Yushan Shengren – they could always find interest in the mortal world. But she couldn’t. Perhaps what they said was right – she was indeed a freak who simply couldn’t experience ordinary people’s happiness.

A person who didn’t understand happiness lived a fundamentally uninteresting life.

“Xianzi?” Gu Caiyu called her from beside.

Qinghua came back to her senses and spoke plainly: “I didn’t cry as a child.”

“How is that possible?” Gu Caiyu dramatically gasped, “Could it be that you had no sad things as a child?”

Sad things? Perhaps there were, but that was too long ago. She lowered her eyes: “I don’t remember.”

Gu Caiyu fell silent.

The evening wind blew, stirring the hair of the child in Gu Caiyu’s arms. The child’s face was tickled by the hair strands, and he frowned and hummed twice. Coming back to himself, Gu Caiyu gently patted the child’s back, softly singing: “Moonlight bright, good for planting ginger, ginger sprouts well, good for planting bamboo, bamboo flowers bloom, good for planting melons…”

He always knew many nursery rhymes. When he quieted down to coax children, he was patient and gentle. His voice was moving and pleasant, as if it could travel through the years to comfort little Qinghua, who had once cultivated alone in the clan’s empty chambers and cried alone.

He sang for a long time, and Qinghua listened for a long time.

A candy wrapped in red paper was extended in front of her.

Qinghua was slightly stunned.

He wasn’t looking at Qinghua but was focused on the child in his arms, seemingly afraid of waking the child, deliberately lowering his voice.

“It doesn’t matter if you don’t remember. I see Xianzi isn’t very old, at most fifteen or sixteen years old. In our cultivation world, that’s still considered half a child. Today, we were disgusted by these evil cultivators, and the children all got candy as compensation. Since we’re all here, our Xianzi can’t be left out.” Seeing Qinghua wouldn’t take it, he simply placed the candy on the stone table and smiled at Qinghua: “Let me take the liberty of acting as Xianzi’s elder to coax this little child.”

This person was accustomed to talking nonsense. No matter what, she couldn’t possibly be “fifteen or sixteen years old” now, but Gu Caiyu spoke so sincerely that it was difficult to get angry.

He brushed away the hair from the child’s face, stood up, and said softly: “Little Fatty is asleep. I’ll take him to bed. Xianzi,” he blinked, “remember to smile.”

He carried the child toward the house. Qinghua sneered inwardly – this person was treating her like a child, trying to coax and buy her off with a piece of candy… it was truly ridiculous.

She picked up the candy wrapped in red paper and looked at Gu Caiyu’s back. His movements were very light. The child hugged his neck tightly. Gu Caiyu carefully stepped over the threshold, slightly extending his arm to shield the child from the incoming wind.

“Ding—” A sound.

A light bell rang fell into the wind. This sound was extremely fine and light, quickly covered by the wind. Qinghua didn’t notice.

After a while, she gripped the candy in her palm and suddenly laughed softly.

She had just forgotten to mention – actually, his flute playing… sounded very good.