Chapter 6: The Reality of Dao Companions

Bai Xiaoxiao didn’t sleep very peacefully.

She could feel her body gradually warming, no longer so cold, so she had just relaxed her knitted brows.

But before long, she felt as if something had burrowed into her body. The aura wasn’t dangerous, yet she instinctively resisted it, knitting her brows again.

Then came low voices speaking, but she was like a flower gazing through fog, unable to make anything out. After a while longer, she couldn’t hear anything at all. When she finally opened her eyes, she found that it was already afternoon.

Bai Xiaoxiao had slept in a daze for several hours. Though awake now, she was terribly disoriented, with a strong sense of not knowing where or when she was.

Only after a long moment did she look around, discovering that she was lying on a soft couch. The room was sparsely decorated but very warm. Yet the unfamiliar room briefly gave her the illusion that she had transmigrated once again.

Then a voice sounded: “You’re awake. Any discomfort?”

Bai Xiaoxiao paused and turned her head, only to find Shen Zhiyue meditating not far away.

A familiar faint fragrance lingered in her nose—the scent left on the couch. All of it told her that she was probably in Shen Zhiyue’s bed.

So after she had fainted, Shen Zhiyue had brought her back to her own room.

Bai Xiaoxiao jolted and hastily rose from the couch. She rose too quickly and felt a wave of dizziness. Steadying herself with difficulty, she bowed slightly and said cautiously, “Your Eminence, I… did I sleep for a very long time?”

Shen Zhiyue opened her eyes, her gaze calm. “Not long. Only a few hours.” She paused, and when she spoke again, her tone carried a subtle hint of something more.

“After you fainted, I summoned an Elder from Medicine Peak to examine you. There’s nothing wrong with your body—just a little weakness. Is it because last night… you were too exhausted?”

Bai Xiaoxiao slowly widened her eyes, then abruptly hung her head, clenching the clothes at her sides in embarrassment. Her lips trembled, then pressed together even more tightly.

Looking at the person who had become a sealed gourd, Shen Zhiyue’s eyes flickered.

Silence spread between the two. Bai Xiaoxiao was both embarrassed and shy; the tips of her ears had quietly turned red. Though she tried hard to breathe deeply and calm down, it was of little use.

The fact that Shen Zhiyue had specially summoned an Elder from Medicine Peak to treat her made Bai Xiaoxiao feel somewhat dazed.

But before that emotion could fully take shape, she heard Shen Zhiyue bring up last night’s events in a matter-of-fact tone.

She had tried hard to stay calm, but clearly her heated brain wasn’t listening. Now not only her ears, but her cheeks were tinged with a thin layer of pink.

After a long while, Bai Xiaoxiao finally choked out a sentence, stammering: “Thank you, Your Eminence. I… I don’t think it’s from exhaustion. I was just… frozen, frozen for too long. I’m fine now.”

Shen Zhiyue glanced at her lightly. “Your cultivation is too low, and your constitution is rather poor. Still, since you and I have shared the reality of Dao companions, I naturally won’t treat you poorly.”

Bai Xiaoxiao’s heart shook, and for a moment, she was speechless.

But Shen Zhiyue continued: “I’ve already arranged with Elder Chen of Medicine Peak. From now on, she will send a bowl of Spirit Medicine over every day to help regulate your body.”

Bai Xiaoxiao, both shocked and a little mortified, felt her face grow hotter.

The words “regulate your body” sounded as if they were hinting that she had a weak constitution and poor stamina.

Heat climbed steadily across her face. With every word Shen Zhiyue said, Bai Xiaoxiao turned a shade redder.

“As for improving your cultivation, there’s no rush for now. We’ll start after your body has been regulated. You are a Spirit Beast. By all rights, Shapeshifting should require reaching the Nascent Soul Stage. Yet you suddenly gained human form. We must find out the reason first; otherwise, if you continue cultivating like this, there may be hidden dangers in the future.”

Bai Xiaoxiao’s brain was already steaming; she couldn’t lower the temperature of her face no matter what.

She tried hard to understand the meaning behind Shen Zhiyue’s words, but those words tangled her brain into a knot, leaving her unable to think at all.

A thousand words and ten thousand thoughts all condensed into a single question.

Why… had Shen Zhiyue suddenly become so good to her?

“System, do you think a person would treat you well for no reason?”

Bai Xiaoxiao asked softly.

The System seemed to pause before slowly replying: “Host, I’m just a string of data; I don’t understand human emotions. However, I just detected that Shen Zhiyue’s affection toward you has indeed increased. Her current affection value is 3 points.”

Bai Xiaoxiao felt a sense of unreality. The System was data; its detection should be accurate. But to her, Shen Zhiyue was lofty and revered, and the distance between them was like a chasm. Could she really receive the other’s favor?

In the silence, the heat on her face gradually receded. Bai Xiaoxiao didn’t ask why. She only said softly, “Thank you, Your Eminence.”

Shen Zhiyue’s gaze was calm. “You don’t ask why?”

Bai Xiaoxiao was stunned for a moment, then quickly responded: “Your Eminence has your reasons for your decisions. I won’t ask too much.”

A gaze that couldn’t be ignored came from above. Bai Xiaoxiao’s breath caught, and she hung her head even lower.

After a long while, she heard the other say calmly: “Very well. Then it’s settled. From now on, you will stay with me. Any questions?”

Bai Xiaoxiao actually had some, but Shen Zhiyue didn’t seem to intend to give her a chance to refuse, so she could only shake her head.

“Good. Since you’ve taken human form, you’ll remain by my side in this form from now on. Later, I’ll inform the various peaks of your existence so you can move about freely.”

She paused. “You belong to Moon-Gazing Peak. There’s no need to suffer any grievances. If anything happens, just tell me directly. Understand?”

The implication was that she would back her up.

Bai Xiaoxiao was even more bewildered, but she had no way to know Shen Zhiyue’s true thoughts.

Even though this would be a pie falling from the sky for anyone else, she had been unlucky for so long that she didn’t quite believe such good fortune would land on her head.

Still, after a moment’s hesitation, she nodded.

Shen Zhiyue gave a slight nod. “Regulating your body will take a month. During this time, the medicine sent by Medicine Peak must be taken on time.”

Bai Xiaoxiao nodded again.

And so, the relationship between the two seemed to have reached a conclusion.

But Bai Xiaoxiao still couldn’t quite understand what identity she was staying on Moon-Gazing Peak under.

Was she Shen Zhiyue’s Spirit Pet? Or…

That other possibility was something she didn’t dare imagine. Perhaps the current state was already the best outcome for both of them.

Later that day, a Medicine Apprentice landed on Moon-Gazing Peak, her round eyes full of curiosity. But her master’s instructions were still echoing in her ears, so she didn’t dare look around. She obediently knocked on the door, then said in a young yet proper voice: “Greetings to Sword Venerable Mingyue. This little apprentice has come to deliver medicine. The tonic my master was asked to brew this morning is ready.”

After all, she was still a child. Though she tried hard to act mature, her voice still carried a childlike faintness.

The door opened with a whoosh, and warm air slowly spilled out. The child’s expression eased; she wanted to raise a hand to rub her frozen cheeks, but feared it would be rude, so she held it back.

Without a word from the Sword Venerable, she didn’t dare enter on her own, so she stayed where she was, waiting for the person inside to speak.

Before long, the child felt a figure slowly approaching her, and curiosity filled her eyes.

She remembered the Sword Venerable’s aura. Although this figure also carried the Sword Venerable’s aura, she didn’t seem to be the Sword Venerable.

After all, the Sword Venerable always appeared without warning, but this person was walking slowly.

When had Moon-Gazing Peak gained another person?

The child was puzzled. Before she could figure it out, the figure gradually came into view.

The newcomer wore blue clothes and a thick Fox Fur Cloak, which made her small, delicate face look even more refined. But her features were too striking, and she gave off a faint, alluring aura. Wrapped in that fur cloak, she looked exactly like the kind of demon in storybooks that sucked the essence out of people.

Could a Fox Demon have infiltrated the Sword Sect?

The child knew that the Sword Venerable possessed heavenly beauty. Although her temperament was cold, she had countless pursuers. Among them was the Second Highness of the Spirit Fox Race—but that one was a Spirit Fox, not a Fox Demon.

Even so, the Sword Venerable hadn’t agreed to the Second Highness’s courtship. In fact, the Sword Venerable didn’t even realize that fox was courting her.

When a fox leaps onto the stage during the big sparring competition, anyone would think it was there to pick a fight. Naturally, the Sword Venerable pinned it down and gave it a sound beating. In the end, the black-and-blue little fox ran off crying, turned back into its original form, and buried itself in the First Highness of the Spirit Fox Race’s arms to sulk.

But that had been a long, long time ago, back when the Sword Venerable wasn’t yet the Sword Venerable.

Still, what the child knew wasn’t from personal experience—she had read it in the Nine Provinces Chronicle.

The Nine Provinces Chronicle was published by the Floating Life Pavilion, recording everything that happened in the Nine Provinces, from grand sect examinations down to the gossip of Mighty Figures.

Unfortunately, gossip couldn’t be published every day. It depended on when the Pavilion’s cultivators managed to dig something up. If there was something to dig, they’d publish. If there wasn’t—or they got caught—then nothing came out.

Thinking of that Pavilion Master, who pursued gossip with reckless abandon, the child sighed.

That person was truly an odd one. Where on earth did she get such whimsical ideas, founding such a wonderful publication? The only pity was that the gossip she published often angered Mighty Figures, who then chased after her with murderous intent.

But that wasn’t the current focus. The focus was…

A flicker of caution entered the child’s eyes. “Who are you? Where is Your Eminence?”

Seeing the fair, round, adorable child, Bai Xiaoxiao unconsciously smiled. “The Sword Venerable sent me to get it. Didn’t your master tell you? That tonic is actually for me to drink.”

The child frowned. She had indeed heard her master say that the medicine wasn’t for the Sword Venerable, but for the woman the Sword Venerable had brought back.

Could it be this person in front of her?

Bai Xiaoxiao blinked. Seeing the child’s wary, disbelieving expression, she found it a little amusing. “The Sword Venerable is inside cultivating. If I were a bad person, would Your Eminence allow me to act so freely? Doesn’t that make sense?”

The child nodded dizzily. “True, true! The Sword Venerable is the most powerful.” Her eyes suddenly cleared. Looking at the woman with unabashed curiosity, but keeping a serious little face, she said: “Then I’ll give it to you. My master said this medicine is bitter. If you don’t drink it while it’s hot, it’ll be even more bitter when it cools. Drink it now.”

She brushed a hand over a pendant hanging around her neck, and a steaming bowl of medicine appeared in her hand.

The smile on Bai Xiaoxiao’s lips gradually stiffened as she stared gravely at the bowl of medicine.

Seeing this, the child grew a little nervous too. “What’s wrong?”

Bai Xiaoxiao shook her head, pretending to be calm. “Nothing. I’ll… drink it now.”

Taking the medicine bowl from the child’s hand, her eyes were full of profound suffering, but she couldn’t show it in front of a child.

After staring silently for a moment, Bai Xiaoxiao tilted her head back and downed the medicine in one go. The bitterness twisted her expression for a second.

Even the root of her tongue seemed numbed. Bai Xiaoxiao’s mind went blank for a moment, and she stiffly handed the bowl back.

“So adults fear bitterness too. I told my master that her medicine is so bitter it’s unbearable, but she wouldn’t believe me.”

The child looked at Bai Xiaoxiao with sympathy.

Bai Xiaoxiao worked her tongue, shivering from the bitterness before managing to recover. “It’s… it’s actually not that bad.”

The child looked knowing. “Adults really are good at lying. Fellow Daoist Sister, you don’t have to put on a brave face. Every time I drink medicine, I cry from the bitterness. My master says there’s no shame in it.”

Bai Xiaoxiao: “…”

That’s completely different.

When she finally saw the child off, the little girl smiled with curved eyes as she comforted her: “Don’t worry, Fellow Daoist Sister. When I bring the medicine tomorrow, I can bring you a few pieces of candied fruit. They’re sour and sweet, really tasty, and they can suppress the bitterness in your mouth. But you can only eat one, okay? My master says if you eat too many, your teeth will hurt, and then you’ll have to drink more medicine. That’s no good.”

Bai Xiaoxiao’s heart warmed. “Alright, I’ll remember. Thank you.”

The child curled her lips, a childish smile blooming on her face that was trying so hard to be mature. “Fellow Daoist Sister, you can call me Fushui. My master gave me the name. She said she found me by a pool of water, that I’m a blessed person, so she named me Fushui. [T/N: Fushui means blessed water/floating water] What’s Sister called?”

Bai Xiaoxiao paused, then said, “You can call me Sister Bai, or Big Sister Xiaoxiao.”

Fushui nodded. “Okay, I’ve got it.”

Having delivered the medicine and exchanged names with the woman who looked like a demon from a storybook, Fushui’s steps practically skipped on the way back.

Unexpectedly, the woman who seemed like a Fox Demon was completely different from the storybooks. She spoke so gently.

Watching the bouncing child disappear into the distance, Bai Xiaoxiao closed the door, inexplicably feeling much lighter.

Perhaps it was because of her conversation with the little one.

She took off her Fox Fur Cloak, tidied it a little, and put it away properly.

Naturally, the cloak wasn’t hers. She had only just taken human form; the only clothes she had were the ones Shen Zhiyue had given her. This cloak was also given to her by the other just now, to keep out the cold.

Moon-Gazing Peak was frozen and snowy, and Bai Xiaoxiao’s grasp of spiritual power was still very clumsy. Inside the building was fine, but when she went out, she would inevitably freeze once more, so Shen Zhiyue had given her this thick Fox Fur Cloak.

It could wrap her from head to toe, leaving not a single gap for the cold wind.

Bai Xiaoxiao quite liked it. But she knew it must be valuable, so after wearing it for a bit, she had taken it off and arranged it neatly.

Shen Zhiyue had been cultivating the whole time. Bai Xiaoxiao had nothing to do, so she simply sat in a daze.

Perhaps because of the bowl of medicine she had drunk, her whole body felt very warm now, to the point of feeling a little hot.

At first, she thought the medicine was simply fast-acting, but before long, she felt something amiss. This heat didn’t seem to be ordinary warmth. Paying closer attention, she found it faintly familiar.

A flash of inspiration streaked through her heating brain, and Bai Xiaoxiao remembered.

This was precisely the symptom of last night’s Gu Poison flare-up!