Chapter 64: Calm

Jiang Ying dreamed of strange scenes. In them, a kind father and a gentle mother caressed and coaxed her softly, as if they truly loved her.

She was treated like their own biological child, receiving the same precious care as Jiang Baozhu.

But how could that be? It was absolutely impossible.

For as long as she could remember, Jiang Ying knew she should have been named Jiang Buying, meaning “unwelcome.” No one in this family welcomed her. Her father ignored her because she was not obedient and docile enough. Her stepmother loathed her because she was the product of her father’s affair. Jiang Baozhu hated her even more, detesting her and her biological mother’s existence for shattering their perfect family.

Even though her father was a cultivator, her life was worse than that of Xiao Ling, the daughter of the tofu vendor two streets over.

Jiang Ying knew she was unwelcome in this home, but she refused to simply wither away. Fate finally smiled on her once: she actually possessed a spiritual root, gaining an opportunity that even Jiang Baozhu could not obtain.

She became an outer disciple of Yonglu Mountain. As long as she cultivated diligently and successfully reached Foundation Establishment, her family would no longer be the shackles binding her.

So she cultivated with all her might. She cultivated when others cultivated, and she cultivated when others rested. Knowing her spiritual root was poor, she put in double the effort. She did not expect herself to one day form a core or reach the Nascent Soul stage; she only wanted Foundation Establishment. That was her sole goal. As long as she could become stronger than her father, she would never again have to fear being stabbed in the back by her own family.

She thought she had been cautious enough, but she never expected Jiang Baozhu’s karma to catch up to her and damage her spiritual root. Nor did she expect her family to hate her so much that they would destroy her cultivation just to forge a path to heaven for Jiang Baozhu.

Pain. It hurt too much. A boundless agony swept through her mind, yet it only made her more awake.

Jiang Ying, you can’t just fall asleep like this. You have to wake up. Wake up and call for help, expose all of this! Even if not for yourself, you cannot let Jiang Baozhu enter Yonglu Mountain. Yonglu Mountain is the best place you have ever been in your life. You love it there. It is your only sanctuary, and you absolutely cannot hand it over to Jiang Baozhu!

Clinging to this conviction, she managed to escape. But just as she was nearing the gates of Yonglu Mountain, the doors of fate slammed shut in her face once more.

“Help-“

“Save… someone… please… save…” me…

Her consciousness plunged into a deep sea, and everything before Jiang Ying’s eyes turned pitch black. It was just like her life, an endless abyss with no bottom in sight. She had tried so hard, but it was no use. It seemed she could only strive up to this point.

Heaven had never pitied her. The five-element spiritual root and Yonglu Mountain had both been right before her eyes, yet they remained as unreachable as the distant horizon.

Jiang Ying, a name that sounded like “about to win.” It was like the most vicious curse, giving her hope only to make her fall when she was closest to it. About to win, which meant she had never actually won.

It was over. Everything was over. Jiang Ying really was unwelcome. Perhaps she should just accept her fate.

At that very instant, she felt her soul drift lightly out of her body, only to be dragged by a powerful force into another. This new body was battered and broken, and an agonizing pain capable of destroying heaven and earth engulfed her almost instantly.

Yet before she lost consciousness, she still struggled to lift her head. She wondered why no one pitied her or listened to her. She had family too, so why couldn’t they spare even a tiny bit of affection for her?

She had never asked for much, yet they were too stingy to give it, even acting like bandits to rob her of the little she did have.

In the darkness, Jiang Ying walked alone for a long time. Just as she was about to sink completely into despair, a faint, hazy light suddenly appeared on the horizon. It was not even very bright, but humans were born to chase the light. Like a moth to a flame, she ran forward without stopping. Her mind was a chaotic mess and her feet sank into a sticky marsh, but she did not care at all.

She ran forward with all her might. The light drew closer and closer. With a burst of joy, she lunged toward it, finally landing amidst a wash of brightness.

“Junior Sister Jiang, can you hear me?”

The silent world instantly filled with sound. Jiang Ying looked up blankly and saw an unfamiliar face.

She had never met this person, but she recognized the robes he wore. He was a disciple of Yonglu Mountain. Delight flashed in her eyes, and her voice trembled. “I… did you save me? But right now…” Her body should have been taken by Jiang Baozhu. Why was this person still calling her Junior Sister Jiang?

Bian Chunzhou pulled a large bottle of Blood and Qi Recovery Pills from his robes and handed it over. “You’re safe now, Junior Sister Jiang. That night, I heard your cry for help. Take some pills first. As for what happened, I…”

But Jiang Ying suddenly began to weep, large tears spilling over. She had never cried so unrestrainedly before. Perhaps she had, but that must have been when she was very small and did not know any better. Now, she did not care. She just wanted to cry her heart out.

So someone had actually heard her voice!

She was not a solitary boat isolated from the world. Jiang Ying was so overcome with joy that she could not stop crying.

Bian Chunzhou was at a loss. Holding the bottle of pills, he stood there completely helpless. “Junior Sister, please don’t cry. I… should I apologize to you? I’m sorry, I should have walked faster back then…”

“Senior Brother, thank you! Really, thank you!”

For the first time, she wept uncontrollably in front of a complete stranger, as if she had been waiting all her adult life for such a good cry.

“Ah, there’s no need for that. Besides, I wasn’t the only one who saved you. There are three of us. They’re still over at the Jiang Residence, and I came ahead to rescue you. The truth of what happened to you might be a bit cruel, but… I think you deserve to know. Junior Sister Jiang, prepare yourself.”

Jiang Ying was mostly done crying, and her emotions had stabilized. “Go ahead, I can take it.” She had long since lost all expectations for the Jiang Family. No matter what they did, she would never again…

Jiang Ying realized she had still underestimated the sheer malice of the human heart. “Is… what you said really true?”

Her hands gripped her clothes tightly, her nails digging into her flesh, but Jiang Ying didn’t notice at all. She had thought… So that was why Jiang Fengnian’s eyes used to hold a trace of guilt when he looked at her.

What a joke. A colossal joke.

So, who was she in the end? Was she Jiang Baozhu, whose birth had been eagerly anticipated? Or was she the unwanted Jiang Ying? It seemed she was neither. After all, whether she was Jiang Baozhu or Jiang Ying, she was always the first one to be abandoned.

“Junior Sister Jiang.”

Jiang Ying looked up blankly. Her eyes were unfocused, and she only responded instinctively.

Bian Chunzhou was not good at comforting others, but he was perceptive enough to know that Junior Sister Jiang might need some external support right now. So he spoke up: “Junior Sister Jiang, no matter what, you are an outer disciple of Yonglu Mountain. Yonglu Mountain only recognizes your soul.”

Yes, there was still Yonglu Mountain. She was not a wandering soul with nowhere to go.

Jiang Ying’s heart suddenly cleared. At this moment, she was incredibly grateful to her past self for saving that person. If she hadn’t saved that elderly man back then, she might have died long ago.

The world said that home was a cultivator’s final harbor, but for Jiang Ying, Yonglu Mountain was. The Jiang Family, to her, was more like a battlefield where she had to fight.

“I want to see Jiang Fengnian.”

Bian Chunzhou looked at Junior Sister Jiang, whose eyes were now clear and determined, and nodded. “Alright, I’ll take you there. But take your pills first.”

Jiang Ying swallowed a handful of pills. This body was even more ruined than she had imagined. Her spiritual roots were damaged, and her cultivation had regressed. This was her original physical body, yet it had been used and battered to a complete mess before they were willing to return it to her like charity.

She should have been a cultivator with three spiritual roots. She should have…

There were no “should haves.” Perhaps in the future, she wouldn’t even be able to cultivate anymore.

*

Wen Xu used a Transmission Talisman to notify the Yonglu Mountain disciples stationed in Langyuan City. Before long, a Foundation Establishment senior brother arrived with a group of people. By coincidence, it was Senior Brother Huang, whom they had dealt with before.

“Little Grand-Uncle Master?” Senior Brother Huang couldn’t help but complain inwardly. Was the path of growth for a favored child of heaven always this exciting? While other people spent their Qi Refining Stage groaning and sweating in secluded cultivation, this guy… well, fine. He seemed to have been challenging Foundation Establishment cultivators above his level since he was in Qi Refining.

There was simply no comparison. Senior Brother Huang composed himself. “What happened? They are…”

Wen Xu briefly explained what Jiang Fengnian had done. “Someone has already gone to rescue Junior Sister Jiang. She should be here soon. I’ll leave the rest to you, Senior Brother.”

Although Wen Xu called him senior brother, Senior Brother Huang didn’t dare to actually call him junior brother. Besides, Jiang Fengnian’s actions were truly detestable. What did he think Yonglu Mountain was, daring to practice such evil cultivation arts? “Please rest assured, Little Grand-Uncle Master. I will thoroughly investigate this matter.”

The three from the Yunxia Sect were already scared out of their wits. The leading second senior brother also knew this matter was too big, so he had already notified the elders of his sect, who would likely arrive before long.

Senior Brother Huang ordered his men to seal Jiang Fengnian’s cultivation, preparing to take him back to the mountain for interrogation. However, just as they finished binding him with talismans, they saw Junior Brother Bian approaching from afar, bringing a weak female cultivator with him.

Of course, the one even more agitated than him was Madame Jiang, who was standing nearby.

Madame Jiang was a mortal, and Yonglu Mountain would not easily punish mortals. She had violated the laws of Langyuan City, so the City Lord’s Mansion would naturally come to arrest her, but since she hadn’t personally laid a hand on anyone, she probably wouldn’t face the death penalty.

But the truth she had just learned was more painful than being flayed alive.

Damn that Jiang Fengnian, how could he! That damned little bitch wasn’t even his own flesh and blood, yet he could bring himself to sacrifice his own daughter! He had no heart at all! What kind of monster had she married?!

“My Baozhu…”

Madame Jiang wanted to run over, but the moment she met her daughter’s cold gaze, she froze in place. At this moment, all the malice she had directed toward her, whether intentionally or unintentionally in the past, turned back and pierced her own heart.

What had she done?!

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”

Jiang Ying looked at the nearly hysterical Madame Jiang, her heart completely untroubled. She asked coldly, “Who are you saying that to?”