Chapter 5: Is There a Pill to Make Someone Forget? Part 2

Shen Zhiyue’s expression condensed slightly, a hint of astonishment passing through her eyes.

Silence spread between them.

Feeling that gaze so different from before, Bai Xiaoxiao was even more embarrassed. She could even imagine the look on Shen Zhiyue’s face and hung her head even lower.

It truly couldn’t be helped. She was just an ordinary modern person—never been to an amusement park, never flown on a plane. Fear of heights was only natural, even if it was ridiculous in the Cultivation World.

Her thoughts in a jumble, Bai Xiaoxiao secretly glanced up at Shen Zhiyue. Catching the rather speechless look in the other’s eyes, she lowered her head in shame again.

“Shizun! Shizun! You’re finally back!”

A voice came from far away. Just the sound of it conveyed sweetness, involuntarily lifting one’s spirits.

Bai Xiaoxiao instinctively looked up and didn’t miss the softness that flashed in Shen Zhiyue’s eyes at the voice.

Who was this? Calling Shen Zhiyue “Shizun” meant she should be her disciple.

But Shen Zhiyue had two disciples—

Bai Xiaoxiao looked over curiously. The next second, a look of understanding crossed her eyes.

As expected, it was none other than Shen Zhiyue’s Little Disciple, the protagonist of the novel who was showered with the world’s affection—

Rong Qingqing.

Bai Xiaoxiao had never known that a person could truly be like a little sun.

Until she saw the owner of that voice, who landed on Moon-Gazing Peak just a few seconds after calling out.

The moment she appeared, she became the sole splash of bright color on the snow-covered peak.

Bai Xiaoxiao didn’t know what styles the female cultivators of this era favored, but Rong Qingqing’s outfit was clearly extraordinary at first glance.

She wore a bright yellow long dress with flowing cloud-wide sleeves. The hem was intricately detailed, seeming to bloom with flowers at every step. Her waist, cinched by a fine belt, was so slender it looked like a single hand could encircle it.

Ribbons trailing from her skirt fluttered behind her as she walked. Her hair was done up in an elaborate style, adorned with all sorts of exquisite ornaments.

Visibly refined.

The moment she saw Shen Zhiyue, Rong Qingqing’s eyes lit up, and a brilliant smile blossomed across her face.

“Shizun!”

She called out happily, then quickly composed herself and gave a proper salute.

“You’re back at last. Did the inspection of the Forbidden Ground go smoothly?”

Rong Qingqing had a pair of beautiful almond eyes—round and obedient-looking, incredibly cute when widened a little.

Not to mention her overflowing energy; her whole being radiated vitality.

Rarely, Shen Zhiyue’s aura softened. She nodded. “It went smoothly. But what about you? Have you been slacking in your cultivation?”

Rong Qingqing’s smile stiffened, and she gave an awkward laugh. “Not very smoothly, Shizun. I can’t quite understand the lessons the Elder teaches at Knowledge-Seeking Peak.”

Shen Zhiyue frowned slightly. “When I’m not here, if there’s something you don’t understand, you may go ask your Senior Sister.”

Rong Qingqing looked at her with a pitiful expression. “But I want to ask Shizun for guidance. Isn’t that allowed?”

Every time she saw this, even knowing it was deliberate, Shen Zhiyue still softened a little.

“Qingqing, don’t treat cultivation as a joke. The courses at Knowledge-Seeking Peak aren’t difficult, and there’s an Elder available after class for questions. Don’t be lazy.”

Rong Qingqing pouted unhappily, but still obediently said, “Oh. Shizun, your disciple understands.”

Only then did Shen Zhiyue’s expression ease. But thinking of the current hour, her brows furrowed again.

“If I remember correctly, at this hour you should be in class at Knowledge-Seeking Peak. Today is the Eleventh Elder teaching, and the topic is the basics of Medicine Refining.”

With each word she uttered, Rong Qingqing’s face turned a shade paler. “Shizun…”

But Shen Zhiyue paid no attention to her wheedling tone. “Go to class at once. If the Eleventh Elder lodges a complaint with me, you’d best be wary of punishment. I won’t plead for you then.”

Rong Qingqing’s face fell, and she answered listlessly.

The two chatted as if no one else were present. Bai Xiaoxiao never interrupted, quietly serving as a background board.

It was only after seeing it with her own eyes that she realized the novel’s descriptions had still fallen short.

Shen Zhiyue truly doted on her Little Disciple. Not only was her tone different, even her feigned sternness lacked its usual edge.

Bai Xiaoxiao had seen her cold indifference, and had seen her murderous look when facing the strange intruder of the Forbidden Ground.

But she had never seen that Shen Zhiyue could appear as such a good Shizun to her disciples.

Perhaps she had been staring too long, her gaze so obvious that Rong Qingqing suddenly looked at her.

Bai Xiaoxiao paused and lowered her eyes, withdrawing her gaze.

But Rong Qingqing wasn’t about to let it go. Seeing a stranger beside Shen Zhiyue, she furrowed her brows and asked warily, “Shizun, who is that? A new Servant Disciple you took in?”

Shen Zhiyue paused slightly, only then realizing she had forgotten the little snake beside her. When her gaze shifted over, what she saw was Bai Xiaoxiao waiting obediently.

Head bowed, looking submissive, her slender frame looked utterly pitiable amid the falling snow.

She hadn’t used spiritual power to ward off the cold, enduring it with her bare body, until her lips had turned blue from the peak’s freezing temperature, and her previously rosy cheeks had lost all color.

Yet she made no sound, quietly waiting.

A strange feeling passed through Shen Zhiyue’s heart, but it vanished quickly. Facing Rong Qingqing’s question, she rarely found herself unsure how to answer.

Seeing this, Bai Xiaoxiao endured the cold and said softly, “I… am Your Eminence’s Spirit Pet.”

Rong Qingqing’s frown deepened. She wanted to say something, but from the corner of her eye, she noticed that Shizun wasn’t refuting it. Startled, she quickly smoothed her expression.

“Shizun? She… what she said is true?”

Shen Zhiyue indifferently withdrew her gaze. “Mm. She’s that snake. She obtained a fortuitous chance and gained Shapeshifting.”

Rong Qingqing automatically translated: that loathsome snake had been granted Shapeshifting because of Shizun’s reward.

Her eyes darkened slightly, but when she raised her head, the sunshine was back. She smiled and said, “I see. So she’s—Senior Sister Snake? Um, Shizun, what’s her name? How should I address her?”

Shen Zhiyue paused as well.

From the day the little snake had been picked up until now, she had never thought to give it a name. Naturally, it didn’t have one.

She frowned slightly, but heard the person beside her say in a very soft voice: “My name is Bai Xiaoxiao. The ‘Xiao’ in my name is written with the bamboo radical. Just call me Xiaoxiao.”

Shen Zhiyue was silent for a moment, then gave a slight nod of acknowledgment.

Rong Qingqing bit her lip, but still squeezed out a smile and called out sweetly, “Senior Sister Xiaoxiao.”

She had said it deliberately. The woman was just a pet that had managed to take human form through sheer luck; she wasn’t even a Sword Sect disciple, so she didn’t deserve to be called Senior Sister at all.

But if she called her that, Shizun would surely stop her, which would just happen to make the woman realize her place.

This woman who had suddenly taken human form and appeared beside Shizun was worth her vigilance. Besides, the woman looked so bewitching—if there was nothing strange about her, how could she have such a face?

And… Rong Qingqing’s eyes darkened. That woman was wearing Shizun’s clothes.

Yet to her disappointment, Shizun didn’t stop the title at all.

Rong Qingqing gritted her teeth inwardly. She was about to say something more when Shizun’s voice came.

“Qingqing, stop wasting time. You should be getting back to class.”

Rong Qingqing’s expression shifted slightly. She quickly suppressed her emotions and saluted obediently. “Yes, Shizun. Your disciple will go now.”

Was Shizun… defending that little snake?

But why? That was clearly just a pet! And hadn’t it teased her several times before? Didn’t Shizun know?

Biting her lip, Rong Qingqing left Moon-Gazing Peak unwillingly.

Moon-Gazing Peak fell silent once more, only the rustle of falling snow remaining.

Bai Xiaoxiao was dizzy; her breath condensed into a puff of white mist before her face. She had no mind to think too much—because she was already nearly numb from the cold.

Moon-Gazing Peak was simply too high. From here, all she could see were clouds and mist circling the summit. Unsurprisingly, the temperature at the peak was freezing.

Bai Xiaoxiao didn’t have the little snake’s memories and had absolutely no preparation. While talking with Shen Zhiyue earlier, she had barely managed to hold on. But when the other started speaking with Rong Qingqing, she didn’t want to interrupt, so she endured with all her might.

Yet the snow at the peak of Moon-Gazing Peak seemed even more biting. In no time, she felt her head spinning.

For cultivators, channeling spiritual power to resist the cold was the most basic of operations.

But Bai Xiaoxiao… truly didn’t know how.

The spiritual power in her body lay curled obediently in her Dantian. She could sense it, but she couldn’t use it.

So she could only wait.

Actually, waiting was what she was best at.

In the orphanage, she waited for the director to give her toys last, to give her food last, to give her clothes last.

When it was time for her to go to school, she kept waiting—waiting to see if some kind person would sponsor her, waiting for her turn to come.

When she finally got the chance to attend school, because she was naturally slow and learned everything late, she became a “problem child” in her teachers’ eyes. Even when assigned to mutual-aid study groups, she still had to wait for the others to finish learning first before it was finally her turn.

But sometimes, even after waiting to the very end, she never got the group leader’s tutoring.

Bai Xiaoxiao had been used to this since childhood. To her, it wasn’t such a hard thing to endure.

It was just that the temperature at the peak of Moon-Gazing Peak was too low. Her face seemed frozen, and her vision flickered between black and white.

The moment the world spun, Bai Xiaoxiao didn’t even realize she had frozen into unconsciousness. She only felt a sense of release.

Shen Zhiyue still caught the falling figure with spiritual power, then turned her around to face her.

Bai Xiaoxiao was visibly losing body heat at an alarming rate. One could see that a layer of frost had already formed on her eyelashes.

Indeed, the clothes the woman had given her had no cold-resistant properties—they were just ordinary clothes.

She rarely wore Dharma Robes, and her usual clothing was all ordinary.

But what Shen Zhiyue hadn’t expected was that Bai Xiaoxiao didn’t even know how to channel spiritual power to ward off the cold, and had simply endured until she froze into such a state.

This truly wasn’t Possession.

Even now, Shen Zhiyue couldn’t believe it, suspecting that her examination had been flawed.

But looking at Bai Xiaoxiao, whose vitality was visibly draining, she still carried her into the pavilion.

At the peak of Moon-Gazing Peak stood only the small pavilion where she lived. It was built modestly, but the moment the door closed, a Formation Pattern suddenly surfaced.

Though it quickly hid itself again, everyone knew that Formation Patterns weren’t something just anyone could afford, and those who could carve one onto a door were even rarer.

Unfortunately, no one was present to witness such an extravagant sight.

The temperature inside rose quickly, and Bai Xiaoxiao’s condition gradually stabilized, her breathing evening out.

Shen Zhiyue casually placed her on a bed, then stood gazing at the unconscious girl, her eyes dark and unreadable.

After a moment, she withdrew her gaze and left Moon-Gazing Peak.