Chapter 31: The Female Immortal in the Mist (Part 1): You Have to Take Responsibility for Me! Part 2

Mu Qian Tan looked down at her loftily, hooked her chair back under the table with her toe, cutting off her hopes. “Wash first.”

Shang Shan sat on the ground, rolled her eyes at her, and saw she couldn’t stir the woman’s conscience. She huffed, rubbed her belly, and shuffled behind the screen.

Water splashed, steam rose, and with a plop, a dragon jumped into the tub. Water overflowed, dripping and pattering onto the floor.

Mu Qian Tan: “…..” Even bathing was so noisy.

From her capture until now, she truly hadn’t eaten much. Mu Qian Tan was a bit hungry too. She lowered her gaze to the table and was momentarily speechless.

The villagers were too earnest. They called it two plates of dishes, but basins described them better—shimmering meats piled into little mountains, enough to fill one just looking.

The rice was only two small bowls, probably so they’d eat more of the meat dishes.

She picked up her chopsticks, scooped a few grains of rice into her mouth, then went for a vegetable. Mu Qian Tan ate slowly. Her pale pink lips stayed free of grease, her cheeks bulging only slightly as she chewed thoroughly before taking the next bite.

Before transmigrating, she had severe stomach issues. After arriving, she found the original host was also sickly, so these habits stuck. From experience, after starving a day, eating too fast could cause stomach pain. Eating slowly did no harm.

She had just eaten half a small bowl of rice when someone knocked. “I’m here! Can I come in?”

Without waiting for an answer inside, Tan Que pushed the door open. About to shout for Shang Shan, she suddenly locked eyes with the immortal eating at the table and swallowed her words.

Mu Qian Tan picked up a green vegetable into her bowl and turned back. “No knocking?”

“Sorry!”

After the mountain events, Tan Que was full of worship for this immortal. She apologized immediately, bowed deeply, backed out while closing the door, then knocked carefully again. “Can I come in? I want to find Shang Shan.”

Mu Qian Tan said, “Mm.”

Tan Que pushed the door open. A loud shout came from behind the screen. “Who’s looking for me!”

Shang Shan splashed out of the water, clambered out of the tub, her little feet pattering on the floor as she ran over naked to greet the visitor. When she saw who it was, she laughed, “Did you send the frogs back?”

Tan Que still held the Lingdang Princess in her arms and waved her hand. “The other frogs went back, but Lingdang had something to give you, so she had me come find you!”

After speaking, she looked the girl up and down and added, “Your injuries are so severe. Don’t you like wearing clothes either?”

Mu Qian Tan chewed on some greens and thought: What do these two sentences have to do with each other?

She raised her gaze and saw that although Shang Shan wore no clothes, her expression was calm, without a trace of shyness. She boldly displayed her body. It was covered in bruises and purple marks, with overlapping wounds. The sword scar on her arm was even bubbling blood like beads on a string.

Narrow waist, long legs, well-proportioned flesh and bone—everything a body her age shouldn’t have but did, all that fine skin. Yet right now, not a single patch remained uninjured.

From Sweet Spring Mountain to Flying Dragon Stronghold, new and old wounds had piled up nonstop. Without paying attention, they had become this serious.

Shang Shan rubbed her huge handful of long, curly hair like seaweed and comforted her, “It’s fine. I’ll heal soon. I just washed my clothes, and they’re still wet, so I can’t wear them yet.”

Tan Que said, “Do you only have one set of clothes?”

Shang Shan said, “I only want to wear that one.”

Tan Que said, “I’ll bring you another one later. For now, just drape something over yourself until yours dries, then you can change.”

Shang Shan said, “Okay! Thanks!”

“Right,” Tan Que lifted Lingdang from her arms. “She wants to give you something.”

Lingdang was a pretty pink frog with a milky white belly, skin smooth as a mirror, distinct and long eyelashes, and two round blushing cheeks.

“Great!” Shang Shan shook the water droplets from her hands and cupped them, waiting for the gift.

Lingdang puffed her cheeks and croaked a few times. She opened her mouth, and her tongue rolled out a green stem from her red oral cavity. The stem was as long and wide as a palm, with only two leaves—one above, one below. Faint blue light flowed from the base of the leaf blades into the veins, alternating bright and dim. It clearly was no ordinary item.

“Each leaf can be eaten. It heals injuries, saves lives, strengthens the body, and improves health. It’s Lingdang’s treasure, and now she’s giving it to you.” Tan Que grinned, looking especially honest because she was missing a front tooth.

Shang Shan took the green stem and said happily, “Thank you both! I’ll accept it.”

Tan Que said, “I’ll go get you some clothes. Wait a sec.”

She ran out of the room holding Lingdang. As she passed Mu Qian Tan, she slowed carefully, hugged the wall, then vanished in a flash, not even leaving a shadow.

Shang Shan examined the green stem delightedly and came to the table wanting to eat. Mu Qian Tan said, “What will people think if they see you like this? Go wait in the back.”

She lightly placed the green stem on the table and pulled out a stool from underneath. Shang Shan sat down and shook her head. “If they see, they see. She’s a friend. What’s not to look at?”

Mu Qian Tan’s face showed disapproval. “We haven’t figured out her background yet. We’ve only known her for a day, and she’s already a friend?”

Shang Shan said, “She’s a good person. Of course we should befriend her. Playing together with everyone is so much fun.”

Hearing this, Mu Qian Tan said nothing more and picked up a few grains of rice to rest on her tongue tip.

In the original book, the female protagonist had a very important character trait: she was a total self-familiarizer.

Perhaps it was a social butterfly skill honed in the village, but Shang Shan could chat with anyone, hit it off, gossip about family matters and old news, talkative and enthusiastic.

Along her growth path, she made new friends at nearly every stop. These relationships, unconsciously nurtured early on, gradually matured later to become one of the sources of power that allowed her to command a hundred responses and propel her to the pinnacle of this world.

Mu Qian Tan slowly chewed the rice grains, the sweetness grinding between her teeth, briefly tasted before fading.

She couldn’t help but think: What’s there to say? She’s the protagonist. Any random spirit herb she picks is a heavenly treasure, any friend she makes becomes a top big shot later on. Someone personally backed by the creator—why would she need a cannon fodder character to guide her? It’s laughable even to say.

That bit of hunger vanished instantly. Mu Qian Tan said, “Go wait behind the screen. You’re ruining my appetite.”

Shang Shan’s stomach rumbled again, but she refused to listen. “If I wear clothes, it ruins your appetite. If I don’t, it still does. Your appetite is too poor. You never eat properly usually, that’s why it’s like this now. You should be like me—one meal three times a day, no skipping….”

Mu Qian Tan kicked her stool with her foot. “Can’t understand human speech anymore?”

Shang Shan nearly flipped over from the kick and grabbed the table edge, yelling, “I won’t! You’re too overbearing! I want to eat like this! I didn’t force you to strip, so why control me!”

Mu Qian Tan said, “Dare to disobey your Master? Want me to teach you some rules?”

Shang Shan resisted desperately. “I said there’s no Master like this! I’ve never seen one! The carpenter master in our village made toys for his apprentices. Master Qin He even cooked for hers. Only you! So mean to me! Always hitting me! Bad person!”

Mu Qian Tan said coldly, “Then go find her to be your Master.”

Silence fell in the room. Shang Shan rubbed the tabletop with both hands, fidgeted into a straight sitting position, and after a while said, “I want to eat.”

Just then, Tan Que came over with new clothes. She habitually went to push the door but suddenly remembered who was inside and switched to knocking.

Mu Qian Tan made no sound. Shang Shan dashed over to grab the clothes, saw Tan Que off, then came back and threw them on haphazardly, muttering, “Wearing them, wearing them.”

They ate the meal quietly until the end. Shang Shan dumped the leftover rice into her bowl, polished off all the food, wiped her mouth clean, then slumped back in her stool.

But she didn’t stay put for even a moment. Suddenly, she grabbed the green stem and headed out. “I’ll be right back!”

Mu Qian Tan didn’t call out to stop her. In the blink of an eye, even her shadow was gone. She rubbed her brow, utterly speechless.

The next plot was the sect’s internal exam, about two months away. In that exam, Shang Shan would learn to use spiritual power, compete with other sect disciples, and ultimately win—a chapter of significant growth, but not irreplaceable like the hands or Wu Gan, so no rush.

This period, she could finally rest properly without following this brain-damaged dragon everywhere.

Mu Qian Tan breathed a light sigh of relief and stood, intending to drag that stupid dragon back and leave. But she suddenly remembered the letter she hadn’t sent yet.

Since there was no hurry for the next tasks, before heading back, she might as well make another trip to Hibiscus Goose Mountain.

Last time, she’d rushed the main plot and hadn’t searched carefully. This time, with more time, she might find that reclusive female immortal and deliver the sect master’s entrusted letter.

Decision made, Mu Qian Tan headed for the door, lightly lifting her skirt to step over the threshold. One foot still inside, a white whirlwind blew from afar and crashed into her arms. “Oof!”

Shang Shan rubbed her forehead and looked up. “You came out.”

Mu Qian Tan nearly had the wind knocked out of her by the collision and gnashed her teeth. “Rushing around like that—what are you doing?”

Shang Shan said, “I finished my business and came back to find you.”

Mu Qian Tan unceremoniously shoved her away and straightened her collar. “What business could you possibly have.”

“I gave one leaf to that big uncle—the one called… Li Cheng.” Shang Shan held up the green stem; sure enough, only one leaf remained.

“…” Mu Qian Tan hadn’t expected such a shocking development and laughed in anger. “Do you know what this is? And you just gave it away?”

Shang Shan said, “It’s just the medicine Lingdang gave me. There’s still one leaf left, right? I think that’s enough. Besides, the villagers said his daughter is seriously ill and incurable. She needs it more than I do….”

The woman’s face grew worse and worse, and Shang Shan’s voice grew smaller and smaller. Not understanding why the woman was angry, she racked her brains and finally got it. “Could this be the thing that opens the hands’ qi apertures?”

The more she thought, the more it seemed right. Shang Shan laughed, “No problem then! There’s still one leaf. Opening one hand is fine too!”

Mu Qian Tan took a deep breath, her voice icy as she enunciated each word. “If it can only open one hand, figure out the other yourself. Remember this: I won’t accompany you to find them anymore. Don’t come back to the Narrow Sea until both are fully opened.”

She’d come all this way, worked hard on her main plot, endured the boredom and the rain, watched closely—and she still managed to branch off into side content. Unbelievable.

Her smile vanished. Shang Shan furrowed her brows into an inverted eight. “Why like this? I just wanted to save one person. I didn’t know this was for the hands. You didn’t say.”

And to be blunt, this was a gift from her friend. Wasn’t how to use it up to her?

Mu Qian Tan said, “What’s his daughter got to do with you? There are so many people with terminal illnesses in the world—why not cure them all? Do you have that ability?”

The original text had nothing about this Li Cheng. Who knew if his so-called daughter was even real? She didn’t confirm and just gave it away. She’d only learn her lesson after being scammed out of her underwear.