Mu RongXue sat calmly at her table, looking out of the window with an air of indifference as the pair of disciples entered.
Ye Zhen dragged Yu TianMin into the small house and threw the youth down haphazardly into a kneel in front of Mu RongXue. Yu TianMin, unable to offer resistance, lowered her head and tightened her fists.
"Dashijie, I caught this brat slacking off from her training and resting in the shed," Ye Zhen reported.
Mu RongXue avoided looking at the pair that had entered and instead focused on a branch outside the window, "Ah—! Don't treat the protagonist that way, are you not afraid of death?!" she thought panicked as she tried to steel her nerves.
"En. You can leave now." Mu RongXue said calmly if not a bit curtly, not letting her eyes drift from the branch as if it were more interesting than the two disciples. Ye Zhen looked at Yu TianMin and thought worriedly, "What did this kid do to anger dashijie so much she had to personally punish her?"
Ye Zhen kept quiet and left with a bow, closing the wooden doors behind him.
Mu RongXue finally turned her gaze to the protagonist. She was eleven at this point. Her lively, pointed eyes, and sharp features promised that she would grow up to be a heartbreaker. Her slightly tanned skin, a result of habitual training under the blazing sun, complemented her messy black hair which was carelessly gathered into a ponytail and held in place by a simple silver clip and pin. While a bit rough around the edges, Yu TianMin's bright eyes and boyish style of dressing gave her a spirited and hardworking aura.
Mu RongXue wanted to shout, "Please get up, this little one (1) can't receive your kneeling! Just please don't kill me in the future!" Instead she kept a straight face and looked calmly at Yu TianMin. It was clear that this child was just beat up, her clothes were dirty and there were bruises forming on her arms and face. The child kept her head down but it was clear she was in pain, probably more from the poison than anything else.
"You..." Mu RongXue started, looking away from the eleven year old, her eyes narrowing in distain for the abuse this child suffered under the other disciples. Yu TianMin flinched and grit her teeth; she's heard stories of how cold her dashijie could be. She couldn't think of how she angered her but with her unreasonably ruthless temperament, it would be a miracle if she came out of Winter Pavilion alive.
"Tch... Unsightly. I have no desire to look at such an embarrassment. Leave." she spat taking a small stone bottle filled with a high grade medical salve out from her spatial bag and tossing it to Yu TianMin. Honestly, Mu RongXue would've wanted to personally help the protagonist apply the salve but her sudden change in personality might make people think she went insane.
Yu TianMin caught the bottle in her hands and turned the label confusion, "This is a high grade salve! Was it really worth so little to her that she could give it as if tossing it away?" the child thought, slightly lifting her head to sneak a glance at her dashijie.
No matter what is thought of her, it was an undeniable fact that Mu RongXue was a beauty. Her clear white skin was contrasted by her ink black hair. Her bangs parted at the sides, delicately framing her face while the rest of her hair was styled elegantly with silver and jade pins and accessories and left flowing freely in the behind her.
The light blue tinted, gauze sleeves of her otherwise completely white robes drew attention to her every movement, and emphasized the royal and lofty aura from her posture.
Mu RongXue's infamously cold eyes were not prone to flitting around her surroundings, as if uninterested in the events of the mortal realm. The light blue fan she favored always held close to her face, covering her mouth, and making onlookers feel as if it were placed there to hide a mocking sneer on a pair of delicate lips.
Only the gentle movements of her hair and sleeves flowing in the wind reminded Yu TianMin that she wasn't looking at a painting of some celestial maiden.
"Leave," Mu RongXue repeated with more severity, ignoring the protagonist as she staggered onto her feet, bowed and stepped out of the room in a daze.
Yu TianMin walked down the dirt path a bit then looked at the salve in her hand and sneered. Why did she receive a salve? Was it not because such bullying would make Mei Hua Peak look bad in front of the other peaks?
"Rich people sure have it easy, giving away such a high grade salve like nothing," Yu TianMin thought indignantly. She tightened her fist around the small stone bottle, and glared at the ground. Since she had arrived at Mei Hua Peak, her pride and dignity were repeatedly trampled on by other disciples, "Willfully beating me up then turning around to call me unsightly? I will surely pay them this favor back tenfold," she vowed quietly, her gaze sharpening to a dark glare. A gust of wind blew by and broke Yu TianMin out of her thoughts and she continued walking.
She hurried back to her shed and applied the medicine on her wounds. She had already gotten rid most of the poison from the centipede out but there was still a bit left over, forming a huge bruise on her calf. Yu TianMin carefully bandaged her injuries before diligently hiding the rest of the medicine and going back to work.
The day passed quickly and the next morning she realized her wounds were all completely healed, even the remaining poison in her body was counteracted. Yu TianMin was stunned, she didn't expect the medicine to work so well, it really was a high grade salve for a reason!
The protagonist looked at the bottle blankly, "Why did dashijie give me this when any salve would do to hide bruises?" She felt her resolve to getting revenge on the sect waver and quickly shook her head. Hiding the bottle once again, she steeled her will.
"But... Maybe dashijie does not deserve as severe a punishment as others..." Yu TianMin thought mindlessly, stepping out of the shed. "It's only fair that even small favors be repaid too..." she justified.
[QiQi: Congratulations! You've obtained +50 Plot Points! The store function will be unlocked when 100 points are gathered!]
[Mu RongXue: Plot points? What are those? (Is it edible?)]
[QiQi: Plot points are gathered when the plot diverges greatly from the original plot line or when the mentality of certain characters are changed~ !!! (ノ^∇^) ]
[Mu RongXue: ... Do you know for it's a good change or bad change?]
[QiQi: Emmm, all QiQi knows is that it's a change in plot ('･ω･') ~]
Mu RongXue started to sweat nervously and got up from her bed. Although it was in-character, she really was way too harsh yesterday. Even if she ran the risk of looking a bit crazy she should have helped Yu TianMin apply the salve herself! Ah! What should she do! She didn't have a good reason for calling the youth over in the first place, and with Mu RongXue's personality, the only time she would personally call for someone would be when she wanted to torture them by her own hands. She had been so tired that she fell asleep right after she told Yu TianMin to leave and didn't even think of the consequences of kicking the protagonist out.
"Well there's nothing I can do about it now... 50 points shouldn't be enough to determine if I die... right? I just have to work harder to kiss up to the protagonist next time," Mu RongXue mourned as she changed out of her sleep dress and put on her normal robes. She did her hair quickly out of muscle memory and strolled outside.
"Maybe I should just train myself harder so I don't die so easily by the hands protagonist..." she muttered absentmindedly to herself as she strolled down the path leading out of the Winter Pavilion.
[Mu RongXue: Do you know if I have the same powers as the original Mu RongXue?]
[QiQi: Yes, as long as Host remembers the actions of an attack, the rest will flow easily to you, although, it might look a bit rusty since you're technically new to this...]
"Maybe I should do some practice first," Mu RongXue resolved as she strolled deep into a forest where many other disciples trained. She found a clearing with no one around and began to comb through her memory. Sword arts seemed to be her specialty, so she took out a sword from her spatial bag.
The sword, Bing Wu was a thin flat silver sword with a light blue scabbard and hilt. The cross guard was shaped like a bundle of plum blossoms and buried in the sharpened pommel was a deep blue gemstone. The grip was wrapped in white ribbon and the blade of the sword seemed to emit a faint blue light that would follow the movement of the blade, drawing barely visible lines in the air.
It was lightweight, powerful, and easy to handle. She understood why the original Mu RongXue liked it so much. She twirled the sword around for a bit, testing the weight of the weapon in her hand and feeling a bit giddy from the feeling of hiding a sword for the first time, before getting serious. The original Mu RongXue practiced Plum Blossom Sword Arts and had already mastered to the ninth level, only one step away from a full mastery. She gathered her energy and started slashing the air, making crosses with her blade then sending the energy of those blades out at full force. The trees in front of her were cut cleanly and toppled over one another.
Mu RongXue who doesn't know how to control her power: "....."
[QiQi: Host! There's a group of disciples approaching!]
Mu RongXue's eyes widened in panic as she quickly looked around before finding a place to hide in the trees, seating herself gracefully with one leg dangling off the branch and her back resting against the trunk. Even if she gets discovered, she'll look elegant enough to protect her image.
"Are you not embarrassed to let Xiao Min carry everything for you? She's just a child!" a young female disciple argued. Mu RongXue looked down and felt a headache start in the space between her eyebrows. A small group of disciples were below her, one of the disciples, Li Qiu was shielding the younger Yu TianMin from three other male disciples, one of them being Ye Zhen.
"Shijie (2), it's okay, I can't do much so it's only natural I carry things," Yu TianMin said quietly tugging on the wicker basket filled with tools on her back. Li Qiu's eyes softened, how could this eleven year old be so mature? She was three years younger than Ye Zhen and two years younger than herself yet she acts like an adult; a good kid shouldn't be bullied like this!
"Yeah, we're just trying to give the brat some extra experience, she should be thankful," one of the disciples said. Mu RongXue heard the typical cannon fodder type line, and sighed inwardly, "Kid, you should be careful who you're talking to... The one before you is none other than the protagonist!"
Li Qiu glared at the male disciples, "Look at how mature Xiao Min is acting right now, then take a look at yourself. I'm sure she'll grow up to be a real talent, she's already better than you lot in cultivation!"
Yu TianMin's eyes widened and the male disciples looked at the eleven year old, stunned.
"What did you say?" Ye Zhen asked Li Qiu, coldly glaring at Yu TianMin, who seemed to grow paler with every passing second.
"It's true! Xiao Min is already been at the lower stage of Foundation Establishment for some time, it wouldn't surprise me if she reaches mid-stage next week!" Li Qiu said confidently.
Mu RongXue's headache got worse as she saw the shift in emotion of the male disciples from mockery, to disbelief, to anger. "Younger disciple sister... couldn't you tell our protagonist was hiding her cultivation level from the other disciples so that she wouldn't find trouble for being as talented as the current top disciple in her younger days? Why are you blurting this out like it's normal?!" she cried inwardly.
"You..." Ye Zhen was seething in rage. He was an above average disciple for reaching the seventh step of Qi Condensation at fourteen, how could he stand having his face slapped by this brat who had already reached Foundation Establishment?
"Were you hiding your cultivation to mock us?!"
Yu TianMin shook her head with all her might, "No! I really didn't mean to do it! I—"
Ye Zhen took his sword from out of his scabbard and charged at Yu TianMin, movements unrefined but fueled by anger. Mu RongXue sighed to herself. Thankfully, she already predicted this sort of cliché development and had long prepared to counter it.
She covered a leaf she plucked from the nearest branch with her qi, in order to strengthen and control it's movement. Usually this technique was used on many leaves at once in order to cut the opponent, but that wasn't her intention. Instead, she blocked Ye Zhen's advance by stopping the tip of his sword with the leaf.
Ye Zhen shouted in frustration, his eyes flashing as he drew back his sword and lifted it once more. Yu TianMin shut her eyes in fear and tried to shield herself with her arms but the blow never landed.
"Ahem," Mu RongXue coughed, the sound of her fan snapping open drawing the attention of the people below her as she inspected the leaf she had used to block the sword as it drifted back between her fingers after fulfilling its duty.
The disciples' eyes widened in fear, all clasping their hands and bowing. "Greetings to dashijie!" they said in unison. Mu RongXue waved her fan in reply.
The five person group looked at each other nervously. Had their dashijie heard their argument? Where they interrupting dashijie meditate? How should they escape this situation? Li Qiu was, of course, the first to speak up.
"Dashijie! You must seek justice for Xiao Min! She is being unreasonably mistreated by her shixiongs (3) because of her youth and talent!"
Mu RongXue felt her headache develop into a migraine, "This young missus! Can't you tell I'm trying to intervene?! Must you make it so obvious? Why do you think the original Mu RongXue would even care about these petty arguments between disciples? In fact, the original Mu RongXue supported the bullying of this kid!"
Her cold gaze sweated across the group. "Bullying your fellow brothers and sisters is unsightly, are you trying to make Mei Hua Peak loose face?" she asked coldly. The disciples shook their heads like their lives depended on it.
"You," she said her gaze falling on Yu TianMin, "come to my pavilion after finishing your tasks."
With that, Mu RongXue descended smoothly from her perch, and walked off. The male disciples looked after their dashijie's image, dazed.
Li Qiu patted Mu RongXue up and down, "Xiao Min, are you okay? Dashijie acts cold but she's actually very nice to us, don't get mad at her okay?"
Yu TianMin nodded. Due to her higher cultivation and sharpened senses, she could vaguely make out what happened. When Ye Zhen attempted to strike her with his sword the first time, Yu TianMin was really too surprised to do anything. What saved her was a leaf covered in qi blocking his advance. The leaf had returned to her dashijie's hand so was she really the one controlling it. Was it true? Was Mu RongXue actually a kind person? Had she been misunderstanding her kindness for the past three months?
The disciples looked at each other, almost in disbelief of what just happened, shook their heads in confusion, and continued on their task of gathering herbs.
[QiQi: Host! You've received another 50 Plot Points! The store is now unlocked~ Would you like to take a look?]
[Mu RongXue: Well, I've got nothing better to do...]
[QiQi: Okay, opening store~ (*• ∀ •*) ]
A translucent digital screen popped up in front of Mu RongXue as she sat down on her chair by the window. It looked like an online shop similar to Amazon or TaoBao. She looked at how the items were organized: Scenarios, Cheats, Key Items, and Information. She looked at the price, "Is this a fucking scam?! Even if it's a key item, why does the pin of some random woman cost 1000 plot points?! And that's the cheapest one, no less!"
Mu RongXue sighed and swallowed her complaints.
[QiQi: Host, the protagonist is approaching, Li Qiu is with her.]
Mu RongXue sighed inwardly once again, if there was another person here too than she couldn't carry out her plan of hugging the protagonist's thighs (4) without completely ruining her image... Ai... What to do...
Li Qiu and Yu TianMin entered at the same time, "Greetings to dashijie."
Mu RongXue nodded, "En."
"Dashijie, did you need this one for something?" Yu TianMin asked cautiously. Mu RongXue didn't look at her, as if she didn't notice her at all, and instead strolled leisurely over to her bookcase. She took out a cultivation manual and a jade slip, and strolled back to stand in front of the two.
"Do you think you are strong?" Mu RongXue asked coldly, her black eyes trained on Yu TianMin's.
"No, how could I possibly think that when people like dashijie before me," Yu TianMin answered solemnly, bowing her head to hide the frustration in her eyes.
"But, Xiao Min is very talented for her age, she's already low-stage Foundation Establishment and she's only eleven, I'm sure with another year she'll be just as good as you were at her age!" Li Qiu said passionately. Yu TianMin paled. While she was ever thankful that she had a shijie who supported her, Mu RongXue was not the right person to boast to!
Mu RongXue stared at Li Qiu in masked disbelief, "This KY (5) girl... If the original Mu RongXue heard that she'd probably try to kill Yu TianMin where she stands..."
Yu TianMin looked up fearfully at Mu RongXue through her bangs. Li Qiu had tried to support her but instead said something along the lines of, "If you don't watch out, Yu TianMin will naturally take your position!" How could the notoriously prideful dashijie take that lying down! Mu RongXue's gaze shifted back to Yu TianMin and she flinched, her gaze dropping back down to the floor.
"Hmph... There is no point smothering a good sprout," she said tossing the cultivation manual and jade slip to Yu TianMin as if it were nothing important. "You will come with me to the Purple Mist Forest tomorrow after completing your daily tasks to complete an A-grade quest. If I see that you can not take it, then it will prove that you are just a waste of talent and a fault in Mei Hua Peak's judgment," she stated coldly, turning around to face the window with her back to the two disciples, "Leave."
The duo quickly bowed and exited. Yu TianMin once again walked down the path in a daze, happy to still be alive, barely aware the chatterbox Li Qiu talking next to her.
"Dashijie means we'll but she's really too harsh with her words! She's so beautiful that you would expect her to be warmer... Xiao Min, listen to your shijie okay? Dashijie is definitely testing you to give you a chance! She's super strict but not completely unreasonable, so if you think the test is too hard, don't push yourself! Your dashijie is really a monster when it comes to training, how else do you think she's gotten to upper-stage Core Formation even though she's only nineteen? So remember to rest properly and look for shijie if you have any problems. I'm not scared of dashijie so I'll stand up for you!"
Yu TianMin nodded absentmindedly. She didn't remember how exactly she went back to her shed but it was already quite late. She inspected the cultivation manual: "White Fire Arts". Her eyes widened, this was a top grade manual! Once again she'd been freely given a superior quality resource! Even if dashijie was an ice attribute cultivator, how could she have tossed such a manual away like a piece of scrap paper?!
Still a bit shocked Yu Tianmin grasped the jade slip in her hands, and passed some of her qi into the slip to activate and retrieve the embedded information. The first level of Plum Blossom Arts?! When dashije said she would not smother a good sprout, did she mean to imply that she was comparable with the Plum Blossom Arts?! Only the best and closest of the inner disciples were of Mei Hua taught it! So far the only two people who knew this art were Mu YangXi and Mu RongXue.
"Did dashijie mean to give me this last time as well?" Yu TianMin thought to herself, dumbfounded. Just when she thought she didn't stand a chance in this sect, Mu RongXue came in to save her and offered her a chance to prove herself.
"No matter how hard the quest is," Yu TianMin muttered, "I have to take this chance at becoming more powerful!"
—✿✿✿—
The author has something to say:
Author: Xiao Xue has a gold finger (6) now~
Mu RongXue: You dare call that scam store a gold finger?! How am I supposed to earn all those points?!
Author: Don't worry, you can earn a lot of points just by hanging around Xiao Min, I think~
Mu RongXue: "....."
Footnotes:
(1): Exaggerated show of difference in status
(2): Senior sister; referring to fellow disciples
(3): Senior brother; referring to fellow disciples
(4): Kissing up to someone
(5): Short for 'kūki yomenai'; describing someone who can't read the mood
(6): OP/Cheat skill; usually given to protagonist