The Heroine Fell Deeply For Her [Quick Transmigration] 168

Chapter 168: I’ll Support You By Handing Out Flyers Part 13

Twenty minutes later, they arrived at Fu Guanyue’s residence.

Fu Luo got out of the car and opened the back door for Fu Guanyue, her head lowered like an obedient wife.

Fu Guanyue got out, followed by Tao Ning, and they entered the building.

Fu Guanyue lived on a high floor, the entire floor to herself, with Fu Xi and Fu Luo living downstairs.

After the sisters left the elevator, only Tao Ning and Fu Guanyue remained, their reflections in the metallic walls, and they soon reached their destination.

Fu Guanyue lived alone on this floor, her apartment fully furnished and stocked with daily necessities.

She opened the door, turned on the lights, and the clean and bright living room came into view.

Fu Guanyue opened a door: “You can stay here tonight, the bathroom is down the hall.”

After giving Tao Ning a brief tour, she returned to her own room.

It was too late to cultivate on the balcony, so she might as well cultivate in her room, the direction wasn’t ideal, but it would do.

Having a guest was indeed inconvenient.

But Fu Guanyue didn’t seem to mind, a strange feeling.

Tao Ning quickly finished washing up, her clothes already in the washing machine, to be dried and ready for tomorrow.

The apartment was silent, the soundproofing excellent, she couldn’t hear anything from outside, and she didn’t know what Fu Guanyue was doing.

After a moment of hesitation, Tao Ning didn’t wander around, lying down on the bed to rest.

She was indeed tired, sinking into the soft mattress, the room temperature comfortable, making her drowsy.

The bedside lamp emitted a warm glow, and Tao Ning looked out the window, the curtains undrawn, the night sky clear.

There was something she hadn’t told 520, that this place wasn’t just somewhere she had been before, but where she was born.

But back then, this world was different, filled with spiritual energy, with tales of immortals ascending to the heavens.

Unlike the current era of spiritual scarcity.

Every time she transmigrated, her soul would influence her body, her appearance gradually resembling her true form, the subtle changes imperceptible, her soul strengthening her physical body.

For example, Tao Ning’s current body, originally without a spiritual root, no talent for cultivation, her innate yin-yang eyes more of a burden, attracting unwanted attention from evil spirits, had awakened a spiritual root after her arrival, her body instinctively starting to cultivate, although much slower than before, the peak of her former power still a distant goal.

This was because of the current era, the spiritual energy scarce, limiting her progress, no matter her talent.

But it was enough for now.

And the world consciousness of this world didn’t like her, the spiritual energy instinctively drawn to her, circulating within her body, gathering in her dantian.

But the world consciousness, while instinctively rejecting her, couldn’t deny her existence, she was already here.

It was always like this, unable to control or eliminate her, just like in the past.

On the bright side, Tao Ning’s current quiet and unassuming behavior was a relief, and the world consciousness chose to ignore her, maintaining a fragile peace.

In the warm glow of the bedside lamp, a figure lay in bed, surrounded by a faint, misty aura, almost enveloped by it.

Tao Ning’s spiritual veins, like a vortex, instinctively absorbed the surrounding spiritual energy, gradually forming a golden core in her dantian.

Looking inwards, she indeed saw a golden core.

Tao Ning had formed a core just by lying in bed, it wasn’t that difficult.

And forming a core wasn’t something that required practice, after cultivating for half a month, forming a core while lying down was perfectly normal.

Outside, the sky churned, dark clouds gathering, lightning flashing, but no rain.

This unusual phenomenon attracted attention, and cultivators, sensing something, looked towards the sky, wondering what was happening.

Far away, in Qizhou, at the Yiheshan Fu Clan residence,

A few young people, stepping outside, noticed that the old woman who usually enjoyed the moonlight in the courtyard was gone, her cane left behind. Just as they were about to search for her, they saw a figure on the roof.

It was the old woman, somehow having flown up there.

While they knew she was still quite capable, occasionally flying around, seeing a centenarian on the roof was still startling.

They were alarmed, calling out, “Grandmother, what are you doing up there? Be careful! Someone, bring a ladder!”

The quiet Fu residence became lively, everyone abandoning their cultivation and rushing out, their phones forgotten.

They all saw the old woman on the roof, their faces mirroring each other’s shock.

“How did Grandmother get up there?”

“Hurry, get a ladder!”

“Grandmother, I’ll come up and help you down.”

Old Madam Fu, her eyes narrowed, glancing at the growing crowd below, raised a hand: “No need, I’m just old, not crippled, I can get down myself.”

With that, she leaped down, landing gracefully, reaching out a hand.

“Grandmother.” A young person quickly handed her the cane she had dropped, and she used it for support.

Old Madam Fu claimed to be over a hundred years old, but thanks to years of cultivation, she didn’t look that old, her eyes bright, appearing only about sixty, even younger than her own children.

Only the older generation of cultivators knew that she was actually over one hundred and thirty years old.

A young woman in her thirties, her hair in a side braid, her features cool and composed, resembling Fu Guanyue, walked towards her.

This was Fu Guanyue’s mother, Fu Niyun.

She asked, “Why did you go up there, Mother? Did you see something?”

Old Madam Fu glanced at the clear, starlit sky: “I didn’t see anything, but I sensed an unusual surge of spiritual energy, as if… a new Golden Core cultivator is about to emerge, but it quickly faded, either concealed or destroyed by the tribulation lightning.”

Fu Niyun was surprised: “A Golden Core cultivator? Is that even possible in this era?”

Old Madam Fu patted her hand, her gaze deep: “Niyun, Golden Core cultivators have always existed, just because you haven’t seen them doesn’t mean they’re not there.”

Fu Niyun had grown up listening to legends of immortals ascending to the heavens millennia ago. It was said that before the Fu clan arrived, the former rulers of Qizhou, attempting to defy the heavens, were struck down by divine punishment, their entire clan vanishing without a trace.

For centuries, Qizhou was a barren wasteland, avoided by cultivators, until a disgraced Fu clan disciple was exiled there, forbidden from ever leaving.

That was the beginning of the current Fu clan. Fu Niyun had always considered it a legend, a story made up by their ancestors, but now, it seemed to be true.

Old Madam Fu’s voice, filled with the weight of years, continued, “The legends from millennia ago aren’t just legends, the world changes, and we cultivators, although seemingly all-powerful, are just like frogs in a well, unable to grasp the true mysteries of the heavens.”

Fu Niyun, still processing this, not understanding her mother’s words, feeling it wasn’t something she could comprehend, remained silent, respectfully helping her inside.

But Old Madam Fu stopped: “Wait, the old geezers from the other three families will definitely contact me.”

Fu Niyun was puzzled: “The other three families?”

Why all three? Didn’t that mean the surge of spiritual energy didn’t belong to any of them?

Where did this rogue cultivator come from, so powerful as to form a Golden Core without a family’s support?

Just then, a paper crane arrived, landing on Old Madam Fu’s shoulder, and it spoke: “Old Fu, did you see it too?”

It was the voice of the Zhen clan’s ancestor, a formation master, a close friend of the Fu family, to whom Old Madam Fu had gifted countless communication talismans.

At the same time, a young person holding a phone approached respectfully: “Grandmother, the Yu clan’s ancestor wishes to speak with you.”

Another person held a laptop with a glowing screen: “Grandmother, a message from the Dan clan.”

Old Madam Fu waved her hand: “No need to show me, just reply that it came from the southeast.”

The surge of spiritual energy had come from the southeast, and the other three families knew this, they were just confirming it with Old Madam Fu.

And trying to find out who this person was.

Fu Niyun was surprised: “Southeast? Isn’t that Yuzhou? Qing Que is in Yuzhou.”

Old Madam Fu paused: “Qing Que went to Yuzhou?”

In Bin City, Yuzhou, just as Old Madam Fu had guessed, the dark clouds gathering above gradually dispersed, the tribulation lightning not descending.

After a while, the sky cleared, a dark blue expanse, as if nothing had happened.

Fu Guanyue, who had been watching from the window: “?”

What happened? It’s not continuing?

She had thought there would be a downpour, but it seemed to have passed.

Fu Guanyue, not knowing what a tribulation lightning looked like, turned away from the window and walked back to her bed, unaware of the online discussions about the unusual weather.

Someone had uploaded a video, the swirling dark clouds, the flashing lightning, like a coiling dragon, a rare sight, jokingly asking which Daoist friend was undergoing their tribulation.

The video gained some traction, with many comments, but after the clouds dispersed without any rain or thunder, the discussion died down.

No one knew that the tribulation lightning should have struck. In ancient times, cultivators used tribulation lightning to temper their bodies, the accompanying rain containing spiritual energy to nourish their meridians, helping them break through to the next level.

But remembering some unpleasant memories, the world consciousness, angered, unwilling to bestow this benefit, dispersed the clouds.

While tribulation lightning was free, the accompanying rain was precious, having been accumulated for so long, it was reluctant to waste it on this troublemaker.

This was the disadvantage of being inflexible, it hadn’t considered sending down the lightning without the rain, and after much deliberation, decided not to give Tao Ning, a seasoned veteran, any special treatment.

Tao Ning, unaware of this, sat up, feeling the surge of spiritual energy within her body, confident that no creature would dare consider her a meal now.

She hadn’t sensed any signs of a tribulation and had even wondered if they still existed in this world.

Seeing the clouds disperse and the sky clear, she understood.

—They did, but they were rare.

And the only person who could trigger them was the one the world consciousness disliked the most.

But even without the tribulation lightning, her cultivation had already reached the Golden Core stage, no one could take that away from her.

The stingy world consciousness not sending down the tribulation saved her the trouble of explaining to Fu Guanyue why lightning would strike her house, and she didn’t have to disappear into the mountains for months to avoid it.

Her dantian filled with spiritual energy, Tao Ning remembered something and asked, “Zero, did you finish the diagnostics? Is the progress bar working?”

520 came online: [I checked, the progress bar still isn’t working, I’ve reported it to the original world, and they said there are no bugs, everything is normal.]

Tao Ning: “Normal? That’s strange.”

The progress bar had been gray since she arrived, not moving at all, and she had assumed it was broken.

Although its presence wasn’t obvious, it was still useful, and its absence felt strange.

And without it, she couldn’t assess the progress of the relationship and adjust her actions accordingly.

They both stared at the gray progress bar, a long silence.

Tao Ning had a theory: “Zero, do you think it’s possible that the male and female protagonists haven’t met yet, so the progress bar isn’t activated, but the mission still exists?”

520 scratched its metaphorical head, if all other possibilities were eliminated, this was the only remaining explanation: [Perhaps…]

But privately, it didn’t think so.

The Fu and Yu families were old acquaintances, Fu Guanyue the future head of the Fu clan, and Yu Tong, before his injury, a promising young talent of the Yu clan, they couldn’t have not met.

And before his “don’t bully the young and poor” speech, he had said, “You’ve always been like this, so arrogant…” which indicated they had met before, just not very close.

One of Tao Ning’s strengths was her ability to let go of things she couldn’t understand, and she lay back down, closing her eyes: “Forget it, I’ll deal with it when it happens, if it’s an army, I’ll fight an army, if it’s a person, I’ll kill a person, I’m going to sleep for a bit.”

Having been human for so long, she had developed the habit of sleeping.

[If it’s an army, you’ll fight an army, if it’s a person, you’ll kill a person…] 520 muttered, trying to get Tao Ning’s attention, [Something’s not right with that statement.]

Tao Ning, her eyes closed, reached out and turned off the bedside lamp: “I’m asleep.”

520: […]

Calling me Zero when you need something, then claiming to be asleep, you heartless human.

The bustling city quieted down as night fell, occasional cars passing by before the silence returned.

Tao Ning slept soundly, and in the next room, Fu Guanyue, having finished her cultivation, also lay down, drifting off to sleep.

A shadow appeared under Tao Ning’s door, as if something was peeking inside.

Tao Ning, sleeping on her side, turned over, now facing upwards.

Her sleep was restless, as if something was watching her, a faint whisper in her ear.

“Wake up… Hey… wake up…”

Tao Ning woke up, a jade brush hovering above her forehead, emitting a faint light.

“What is this?!” Startled, she grabbed the object, bringing it closer for a better look. “The Shanhe Brush? What are you doing here?”

The brush in her hand vibrated slightly, as if responding to its creator.

Tao Ning released it, sitting up and leaning against the headboard: “No, you’ve already chosen someone else, been their family heirloom for generations, there’s no reason for you to return to me, I won’t take you back.”

The Shanhe Brush circled around her anxiously, as if wanting to write her a long letter.

Tao Ning stopped it: “One cannot serve two masters. I created you, but I never bound you to me, and after losing you, you chose your own master, I don’t blame you, there’s no need to feel guilty.”

The brush paused, as if considering her words.

Tao Ning continued seriously, “I truly don’t blame you, and I won’t destroy you, times have changed, you’re doing what you should be doing, go back.”

After much persuasion, she finally convinced the restless Shanhe Brush to return, and Tao Ning, now wide awake, got out of bed and walked towards the balcony.

The jade brush returned to the nightstand, resuming its hairpin form, landing on the surface with a soft click.

The faint sound awakened Fu Guanyue.

She rubbed her eyes and sat up, unaware that the seemingly obedient Shanhe Brush had gone to visit its former master.

Feeling rested, she got out of bed and went outside, finding an unexpected figure on the balcony.

Approaching slowly, the person stood with her back turned, looking up at the moon.

Fu Guanyue said, “Why aren’t you asleep? What are you doing here?”

Tao Ning turned around, her lips pursed slightly: “I had a nightmare.”

It wasn’t exactly a nightmare, she had been sleeping peacefully, only to be awakened by a hovering brush.

Fu Guanyue, noticing her slightly pale face, was reminded of their earlier encounter, perhaps the night enhancing her beauty, making that brief glance even more captivating.

Seeing the lonely figure under the moonlight, she suddenly felt curious: “Why didn’t you want to go home tonight?”

Tao Ning, bathed in moonlight, smiled faintly: “Because there’s no one waiting for me at home, my parents divorced long ago, they’ve both remarried, I… I have nowhere else to go.”

Fu Guanyue blurted out, “Then if you ever feel like you have nowhere to go, come find me.”

Tao Ning’s eyes widened in surprise: “What?”