Chapter 6: Birth (Part 1)

The process of falling off the cliff was extremely dizzying.

Xu Qianyu knew that it began with a feeling of floating, followed by the earth shattering beneath her. She eagerly awaited the fatal blow. However, her body fell too quickly, as if her soul couldn’t keep up. It slipped out of her and slowly floated upward.

At that moment, the sky had cleared, and the post-rain sky was a brilliant blue.

On the Wufu Cliff, the sunset was as beautiful as a morning glow, spreading golden light everywhere.

In the glow of the evening sun, a figure came running, calling out as she approached. She was petite and delicate, adorned with tinkling jewelry, exuding an ethereal presence. As she drew nearer, Xu Qianyu recognized her familiar face.

This was the first time Xu Qianyu carefully observed Lu You.

Lu You had a delicate mouth and a graceful nose, her features adorably refined. Her almond-shaped eyes were filled with tears, her face as soft as spring flower petals, and her mouth slightly parted as if it could shatter with a touch.

Gasping for breath, Lu You stretched her hands toward the figure and exclaimed, “Wang Zhen, I… I stole the demon bone!”

Xie Yuzhen knelt facing the Wufu Cliff, holding the blood-soaked snow in his hands, momentarily speechless.

The bloodied girl had already brought him the demon bone that restored ninety percent of his power. Since what she had was real, Lu You’s demon bone was naturally fake.

Xu Binglai had crafted a bait and lured him into a trap; it was understandable that Lu You, with her shallow thoughts, had been deceived. Moreover, seeing her flustered, it was evident that she had fallen into the scheme and broken her vow just to save him.

Lu You was the only light in his world. With her sincere intentions, how could he not be pleasantly surprised?

Xie Yuzhen felt as if he heard a voice inside him explaining this in a rhythmical tone.

Yet, it seemed he was listening to another person speaking. With a blank expression, he felt no surprise in his heart.

This left him somewhat confused.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the blood from the snow in his hands still dripping steadily, looking quite alarming, and he wanted to conceal it to avoid scaring Lu You.

He had grown accustomed to the idea that people were incredibly fragile.

But in that instant, an unexpected image flashed through his mind—those large, bright eyes staring wide open, adorned with a dot of vermilion between her brows, like Guan Niang, briefly capturing his spirit like a talisman against evil. Yet she would rather die than speak a single truth or yield to him.

He had practiced for a long time and had become quite human-like, not losing control for a long while.

Today, his loss of composure and rage might only stem from the fact that he had never received the answer he desperately sought from that person.

“……”

Xie Yuzhen bent down, scooped up a handful of snow, and silently wiped the blood off his sword.

Then, he turned around and revealed a harmless smile familiar to Lu You.

Lu You rushed into his arms, tightly embracing him at Wufu Cliff.

Xu Qianyu:……

If souls had hands, she would want to poke her own eyes out.

She looked down, wanting to sink, but her body felt like a feather. No matter how hard she tried, she continued to float in the air.

Not only was she floating, but also numerous golden runes were drifting up from the bottom of the cliff, becoming denser, wrapping her entire soul in layers like a cocoon.

“Damn, although the protagonist has been enjoying a smooth ride, experiencing the story from the perspective of the female antagonist is really heart-wrenching.”

“+1, how am I empathizing with the wicked female antagonist?”

“Unbelievable! Though the book is titled ‘Exterminating Demons,’ it seems only the female antagonist diligently cultivates and fights demons every day.”

“I’m exhausted. Floating Boat, I want to scream three words: deceptive marketing!!!”

“Even though Xu Qianyu is both annoying and unlikable, the storyline after her departure is truly a mess, utterly crumbling beyond recognition. Ahhh, can the author please revise it?”

“……”

Xu Qianyu:?

Xu Qianyu:……

She couldn’t make sense of it.

……

The girl on the bed fluttered her eyelashes and struggled to open her eyes.

What met her gaze was a dark green canopy embroidered with golden threads, layered and shimmering in the morning light, casting a gentle glow on her cheeks like rippling water.

Waking from a deep sleep, she was drenched in sweat, while a fragrant handkerchief gently dabbed at her face.

Xu Qianyu’s heart raced like a drum, feeling as if she had been chased ten miles. Frowning, the woman gracefully knelt beside her and softly spoke, “Miss, I saw that you were uncomfortable in your sleep, so I thought I’d help you wipe away your sweat. I didn’t expect you wouldn’t like it. Did I wake you?”

Xu Qianyu turned her head and looked at the woman in her thirties before her. She wore a dark green collarless gown, her skin smooth as jade, her hair tied up elegantly, and her eyebrows drawn with neat precision. Her eyes were lowered, and her eyelashes fluttered gently.

As her heartbeat gradually calmed, Xu Qianyu lay there for a moment, recognizing the person before her, and murmured, “Guan Niang.”

Guan Niang responded with a busy hum.

Xu Qianyu took Guan Niang’s soft hand and suddenly sat up.

The air from the wind-cooling water cart in the room brought a fragrant breeze, brushing against the sweat on her forehead, refreshing and comfortable.

The surroundings were so quiet that the sound of cicadas from outside could be heard clearly.

The dream had been too deep and too long, inevitably giving a sense reminiscent of Zhuang Zhou dreaming of a butterfly; she sat for a long time before remembering who she was.

Her name was Xu Qianyu, fourteen years old.

She was the only daughter of the Shui family, the richest family in Nanling, and also the cherished granddaughter of her maternal grandfather, Shui Rushan, who had raised her in luxury.

The large bed beneath her was wide enough for three strong men to lie down on, and this boudoir was astonishingly luxurious, with a comfortable temperature and a gentle fragrant breeze; even a spoken word echoed.

Because home was too comfortable and nowhere outside compared to the comforts of home, Xu Qianyu was very attached to her home. Moreover, due to the frequent appearances of great demons in recent years, the outside world was dangerous, and her activities had been limited to the vicinity of the Shui family, never leaving Nanling.

As for cultivating immortality, there indeed exist four great immortal sects in the world today: Qianlong, Lingyue, Tianshan, and Penglai. However, those sects are scattered in the four remote and barren edges of the continent. Her grandfather said that cultivating immortality is not something that ordinary people can do; we mortals lack the ability for it, so we shouldn’t aim too high and should just live a simple life.

She agreed with this. Hearing that cultivating immortality is arduous, just the thought of the hardships was enough to deter her.

Thus, her only connection to immortality was the bits and pieces she heard from stories and legends.

Xu Qianyu understood she had a nightmare. Yet the pain and sadness in that dream felt so real, as if she had experienced it herself. She recalled the entanglements with Xie Wangzhen and others in the dream and placed her hand on her chest, frowning.

It felt as if something was blocking her heart, unable to rise or fall.

With her long black hair cascading down, she wore a deep red silk undergarment that made her skin appear as white as snow, accentuating the vividness of her heart’s vermilion. She had been raised delicately, her features bright and clear, resembling a celestial being beside Guan Niang. Unfortunately, her eyes were too proud; especially when she frowned, they carried a hint of arrogance, making her appear somewhat haughty with an air of worldly pride.

The maidservant, Guan Niang, who attended to Qianyu closely, was also a person of exceptional talent. She had an ethereal beauty and was observant; at this moment, she had already brought a jade spittoon with concern.

Xu Qianyu felt gloomy for quite a while but didn’t touch the spittoon. Instead, she stared into the void and coldly uttered two words: “Bad luck.”

At this time, Xu Qianyu was not yet fourteen and was completely unaware of worldly affairs; she had not yet awakened to life’s realities, remaining quite naive. She couldn’t understand why someone would hit her, another would kill her, and why her dream self had to feel such heartbreak.

Having such dreams affected her mood, making her feel that the day was not good at all.

Therefore, she pushed the spittoon aside and instructed Guan Niang, “Bring me a brazier.”

“Uh…” Guan Niang was startled and gently advised, “Open flames are dangerous. What if it catches fire and hurts you? Moreover, smoke left in the room will harm your breath when you sleep at night.”

“Just bring it.”

Reluctantly, several maidservants brought the brazier over with great effort.

Xu Qianyu had already dressed herself.

In the current dynasty, dark colors were valued, and she wore a deep blue silk skirt, elegantly embroidered with clusters of goose-yellow flowers at the hem, with dark patterns on the skirt that shimmered beautifully.

When she lifted her skirt, the deep blue contrasted with her snow-white feet.

Xu Qianyu stood up from the bed and, without warning, jumped out barefoot. The maidservant carrying the brazier was so startled that she almost cried out, but the girl nimbly leapt over the brazier like a cat, landing on the plush carpet without even singeing the hem of her skirt.

Four maidservants warmly welcomed her: one was busy fetching water, another plucked the freshest pink rose from the vase, scattering the petals one by one into the copper basin. Another opened a dressing box the size of half a wall, revealing an array of colorful jewels and pearls that dazzled the eyes.

*

Xu Qianyu was not very happy that afternoon.

Guan Niang had invited a doctor to examine her. Her health had always been robust, so the biggest issue in the past two days was the nightmares and night sweats. Guan Niang said that this doctor specialized in treating women’s nighttime worries and long-lasting melancholy.

He sat behind a screen and insisted that Xu Qianyu dismiss the maidservants and detail the content of her dreams to him for interpretation.

Xu Qianyu vaguely recounted the dream’s content through the screen. In the end, she encountered a skeleton that beat her without mercy; later, Xie Wangzhen first killed her and then removed her outer garment. Hearing such a terrifying dream, Guan Niang’s face turned extremely pale.

After sending off the doctor, Xu Qianyu asked, “Why did he speak through the screen?”

Guan Niang saw the innocent look in Qianyu’s eyes and couldn’t bear to explain that she was almost fourteen, now a young lady, and according to the customs of this dynasty, should consider the boundaries between men and women. Instead, she gently coaxed, “It’s because outsiders can be ugly, and we wouldn’t want to scare you, Miss.”

Xu Qianyu pondered for a moment and replied, “But I’ve seen many ugly people when I went out before. Do I have to cover my eyes from now on?”

“No, no, no…” Guan Niang noticed the topic had gone off track and paused before smoothly steering it back, “Spinning thread is not easy, and that would be too wasteful. If you find them too ugly, just wear a veil hat to cover your eyes.”

Qianyu was greatly enlightened: “Alright.”

Recently, a great demon had appeared in Nanling City, specifically targeting the carriages of noble families, so everyone had shut their doors and stayed inside. Qianyu couldn’t go out, and the scholars who used to come to the Shui family to teach her couldn’t enter either. Thus, she temporarily suspended her studies, with Guan Niang supervising her reading and writing.

Bored throughout the long day, Xu Qianyu looked at her reflection in the mirror. Half of her hair was cascading over her shoulder, while the other half had been styled into a complex updo by the maidservant, who was currently pinning a peach blossom into it.

The maidservant suddenly felt a cool hand grip her wrist: “Teach me how to style my hair.”

The maidservant was startled and immediately knelt down: “Why does the Miss say that? Is it because I haven’t served you well enough?”

“It’s not that.” Xu Qianyu stared at the mirror, awkwardly mimicking some moves with a wooden comb on her head, and expressionlessly said, “I worry that one day, when I leave home, I won’t know how to style my hair and will be laughed at by others.”

“How could that be?” The maid, through her tears, broke into a smile. “Miss would never leave home.”

“How can you be so sure?” Xu Qianyu glanced at her, finding her unfamiliar. “What’s your name?”

“My name is Xiao Dong,” Xiao Dong replied, half envious and half admiring as she looked at Qianyu in the mirror. “Don’t worry, Miss. Even without me, there will always be someone else like Xiaochun, Xiaoxia, or Xiaoqu to serve you. This household can do without me, but there will always be someone to comb your hair.”

Xu Qianyu paused for a moment. In the past, she would have taken that for granted. But ever since that dream, hearing these words made her feel shaken.

“Perhaps one day, the one sitting here will be you, and I will be the one combing your hair. Perhaps one day, I will be a servant, living a life worse than death.”

“I wouldn’t dare!” Xiao Dong immediately fell to her knees in fear. “Please don’t think such things, Miss.”

With a thoughtful expression on her slightly youthful face, Qianyu idly plucked the teeth of the comb, making a crisp sound, and uttered something deeply philosophical: “Who knows? Life is full of uncertainties.”

“Forget it, I won’t dwell on it anymore. You should just teach me how to comb my hair.” Xu Qianyu urged her. “Hurry, teach me the simplest one.”