Chapter 2: An Unfitting Environment
To be honest, rebirth is not something that Fu Tianqing hasn’t experienced; he is quite familiar with it.
Last time, he was reborn as a newborn infant from a 19-year-old young man of the 21st century into this completely unfamiliar world of cultivation…
That time was somewhat acceptable.
But this time, things have really escalated.
Returning three hundred years into the past, reincarnating as the object of his hatred in his previous life, the person he had scattered the ashes of in the end…
Disciple, oh disciple, what is this poisonous wine of yours—
My head hurts…
Fu Tianqing… oh, now we should refer to myself as “Hang Yanling,” squatted down, holding her head.
Let’s think this through…
Firstly, it can be confirmed that the current timeline is three hundred years ago, when I had just embarked on the path of cultivation.
The reasons for returning to this time and transforming into Hang Yanling are unclear.
And at this moment, what I, “Hang Yanling,” have to face the most troublesome thing is the engagement withdrawal that is set to happen the day after tomorrow, which is my current self… that is, “Fu Tianqing.”
“Oh my goodness… what am I to do…”
As someone who has been through this, Hang Yanling knows all too well how much Fu Tianqing at that time wished to immediately rush to Lotus Palace and smash that Evil Woman who had humiliated her in every possible way.
What’s worse, I also feel that my former self’s thoughts back then weren’t unreasonable.
But the problem is, I can’t let myself smash her, can I?!
Moreover, back then, due to the upper echelons of Lotus Palace shielding that detestable Evil Woman so much, Fu Tianqing had the upper hand in the conflict, but Hang Yanling’s master, disregarding face, intervened and stabbed Fu Tianqing’s heart with a single sword.
This also led to Fu Tianqing subsequently declaring Lotus Palace as an enemy, and in the later incident of Lotus Palace’s massacre, she chose to remain a bystander.
Indeed…
Even though three hundred years have passed, I still remember that battle when I went to Lotus Palace to withdraw from the engagement…
And that foul old woman who intervened in the duel between the two…
Hang Yanling’s master, the fourth seat among the Four Fairies of Lotus Palace…
“Oh, that old woman, Pure Water Fairy—”
“Ying’er, are you calling me?”
The face of the woman Fu Tianqing would never forget suddenly peeked out from behind her.
…
…
“Ugh—!”
The “Hang Yanling” hosting Fu Tianqing’s soul stiffened, her head suddenly went blank.
The elder of Lotus Palace, dressed in a lake-blue gown, with an elegant hairstyle, revealing a chest that was completely on a different level than Hang Yanling’s, exuded a faint floral fragrance. After being startled by Hang Yanling, her gaze fell onto the blood-stained black gown of Hang Yanling, and a look of sorrow immediately appeared on Pure Water Fairy’s face:
“Ying’er, have you forced yourself to cultivate again…”
“Ah, ah…”
Suddenly faced with a lifelong enemy, Fu Tianqing stammered and couldn’t form coherent words.
Pure Water Fairy gently held Hang Yanling’s face, her expression filled with sorrow: “Why must you force yourself like this… sigh, with your master and uncles protecting you, what can that boy do to you?”
He can kill me…
Hang Yanling did not speak, only stared blankly and blinked.
Pure Water Fairy grasped Hang Yanling’s wrist, checked her pulse, and her tone was filled with concern: “Ever since you returned from the Fu Family five years ago, you’ve buried many things in your heart and refused to speak… sigh, you child, you are so stubborn and headstrong… forcibly cultivating harms your organs and severely damages your vitality… but don’t worry, Ying’er. If that Fu Family boy truly mistreats you the day after tomorrow, I will—”
“… stab him in the back with a sword during our duel, right?”
Pure Water Fairy gritted her teeth and nodded: “I have long had this intention!”
“Hang Yanling” twitched the corner of her eye, I thought you acted impulsively back then, but it turns out you had it all planned two days ago, right?
Regaining her composure, Hang Yanling broke free from Pure Water Fairy’s hold, lowered her head to hide her expression, and deliberately said in a weak tone, “Master, I’m fine… just a little low on energy… it’s nothing…”
“Silly child! If you continue to cultivate like this, you will lose your life! Come, I’ll take you to talk to the eldest sister! We’re not fighting the day after tomorrow, we’re not doing it!”
————————————————————
Pure Water Fairy carried Hang Yanling all the way to a lavishly decorated building inside Lotus Palace. The door was wide open, and upon entering, two rows of redwood armchairs were placed in the hall.
Three women, dressed differently, were already seated. In addition, a girl in a purple dress stood in the room, her face filled with anxiety.
As Pure Water Fairy stepped over the threshold, everyone’s gaze quickly focused on her and Hang Yanling.
Fu Tianqing recognized all of them without exception.
Sitting gracefully in a flowing purple patterned palace dress, with an air of calm and dignified demeanor, was Zi Shui Xianzi, the most powerful among them, and the current leader of Lotus Palace.
Dressed in an exposed-shoulder golden maple dress, straight-backed and poised, is Cheng Shui Xianzi, known as the second elder of Lotus Palace.
Relaxed and leaning back in her chair, wearing a green gauze dress, looking listless, is Bi Shui Xianzi, the third in ranking at Lotus Palace.
Along with Hang Yanling’s master, Pure Water Fairy, the renowned “Four Fairies of Lotus Palace” were all present. All four were at the Golden Core stage, which is why Lotus Palace could be directly referred to as one of the top sects in Southern Prefecture due to having four Golden Core cultivators.
Pure Water Fairy set Hang Yanling down and greeted the leader, Zi Shui Xianzi: “I brought Ying’er here. Ying’er, find a place to sit… just go sit over by Qiuyu.”
Pure Water Fairy waved to the girl in the purple dress standing at the side, while she sat down next to the other three fairies. The girl in the purple dress nodded in response, gracefully approaching Hang Yanling.
Hang Yanling was feeling increasingly uneasy, scratching her body, and when she looked up, a girl who was half a head taller than her walked over, her gaze lowered, softly calling out: “Yanling Junior Sister…”
The appearance of this girl made Fu Tianqing, now in Hang Yanling’s body, feel particularly familiar. After looking her over several times, she incredulously asked, “Xiao Qiuyu?”
The person in front of her was Fu Tianqing’s fiancée from her last life, a childhood sweetheart with whom she used to play, Yan Qiuyu.
Yan Qiuyu was originally the adopted daughter of the Fu Family and also Fu Tianqing’s arranged betrothed. As a child, she always followed Fu Tianqing closely, a quiet and gentle little sister. Later, for reasons unknown, she was taken away by Lotus Palace and became the only direct disciple of the second elder, Cheng Shui Xianzi.
Since then, Fu Tianqing had had no further opportunity to see Yan Qiuyu until the Evil Woman Hang Yanling came to withdraw her engagement and messed everything up…
Well, that makes sense…
At this moment, Yan Qiuyu is the second disciple of Lotus Palace, and now that I am Hang Yanling, it’s no surprise to see her…
After a brief moment of shock, Hang Yanling quickly adjusted her state, awkwardly smiled: “Ah, Second Senior Sister.”
Saying this, she plopped down into her seat, scratching her head.
The current situation feels increasingly complicated.
However, that brief “Xiao Qiuyu” was clearly heard by Yan Qiuyu, which is the name Fu Tianqing often used to refer to her. Suddenly hearing it from Hang Yanling’s mouth made Yan Qiuyu’s gaze flicker, and then she nodded gently, softly placing her hand on Hang Yanling’s cheek: “Junior Sister, what’s wrong… do you have a headache?”
With concern, Yan Qiuyu sat beside Hang Yanling, who shook her head and remained silent.
It really is a headache.
Meeting you gives me a headache.
Cheng Shui Xianzi, seated upright, saw that everyone was seated and clapped her hands, saying: “Now that everyone is here, it’s time to discuss the events of the day after tomorrow—Fu Family’s young master is coming to our mountain gate to fulfill a five-year agreement. He is already a well-known young hero in the Jianghu, and we cannot afford to lose face over this matter.”
Bi Shui Xianzi, lazily leaning back against her chair with her leg crossed, said languidly: “What’s there to discuss? According to what was decided five years ago, he can simply pick any young direct disciple of Lotus Palace for a duel, and the winner takes all.”
Hearing this, Pure Water Fairy frowned: “That won’t do, everyone knows he is definitely targeting Ying’er! Who knows what luck that Fu Family boy has had, he was originally a waste, but now his strength has improved tremendously… If he insists on fighting Ying’er the day after tomorrow, she stands no chance of winning!”
Hang Yanling, holding her head, secretly nodded.
That’s right, if it weren’t for your old meddling, I could have broken Hang Yanling’s arm back then.
The most senior and solemn Zi Shui Xianzi slightly opened her eyes and said gently: “Losing face doesn’t matter, but the engagement between Elder Fu and Qiuyu… cannot come to be.”
Hang Yanling slightly raised her head; for some reason, Zi Shui Xianzi seemed to be looking at her intentionally or unintentionally.
Though Zi Shui Xianzi’s voice was gentle, it was also not to be refuted.
Cheng Shui Xianzi nodded and looked at the other two sisters: “Eldest Sister is right, but I am genuinely worried… in the end, it may not go well for us in Lotus Palace, to be safe…”
“To be safe, then let me take the lead?”
Bi Shui Xianzi yawned and wiped the corner of her eye: “Hah~ Anyway, it was only said that the Fu Family boy would challenge the direct disciples of Lotus Palace, it’s not impossible for me to directly go to Fourth Sister and then change my name to Hang Yanling. It should be fine to have the same name, right?”
Upon hearing this, Cheng Shui Xianzi’s eyelids twitched: “I mean, wouldn’t that be a bit shameless…”
Before she could finish her sentence, Pure Water Fairy clapped her hands excitedly: “Great, come on, Third Sister, quickly come over and bow to me, and I’ll take you as my disciple right away!”
“Old Fourth, don’t follow along!” Cheng Shui Xianzi massaged her temples in frustration: “We can’t lose our face like this… Eldest Sister, you say something to her too…”
Zi Shui Xianzi narrowed her eyes slightly, calmly extending her hand to pat: “Third Sister’s plan is quite ingenious.”
“Ingenious, my foot! We should still have some dignity!!”
Cheng Shui Xianzi was becoming increasingly agitated, giving her master a slap on the back of the head. Zi Shui Xianzi tilted her head from the hit, slightly opened her eyes, covering the back of her head, looking rather dazed.
Accustomed to her eldest sister’s temper, Cheng Shui Xianzi turned to glare at the other two younger sisters: “You two will behave for me the day after tomorrow! Don’t play tricks!”
“Sure~”
“Sigh.”
Cheng Shui Xianzi understood from the expressions of her two junior sisters that they wouldn’t really listen. Ultimately, she could only helplessly turn to Hang Yanling and Yan Qiuyu: “This matter still lies in your younger generation’s hands. Ying’er, Qiuyu, what do you think?”
When Yan Qiuyu was named, she froze for a moment, lowered her head and said quietly, “Junior is willing to take the initiative to challenge Fu Ge… the young master of the Fu Family to a battle day after tomorrow, with the outcome left to fate, after all… this is our own matter.”
“Sigh…”
Seeing Yan Qiuyu’s expression, Cheng Shui Xianzi felt her anger dissipate by half, she returned to her seat, repeatedly sighing: “But that is not reasonable; what if something goes wrong…”
Hang Yanling glanced at Yan Qiuyu beside her, seeing her childhood sweetheart looking sad, after some consideration, she raised her hand: “That… anyway, Fu Tianqing is really coming for me, so let him fight me the day after tomorrow?”
Upon hearing this, Pure Water Fairy immediately shook her head: “Ying’er, don’t be strong-headed. You don’t know that he…”
“Master, please listen to me.”
Hang Yanling interrupted her master, standing up and cupping her hands toward the elders present: “Master, and respected elders, please allow me to say a word. I believe Lotus Palace and the Fu Family have no enmity, all of this stems from five years ago when I made disrespectful claims towards the second young master of the Fu Family, which led to a misunderstanding. Ultimately, this is a private grudge between him and me, and after this battle, our grievances can be settled. As for the engagement, I believe Fu Tianqing will respect Sister Qiuyu’s wishes.”
Well-reasoned and calm.
Once Hang Yanling finished speaking, the hall fell silent.
The four fairies all stared at Hang Yanling, unable to utter a word.
After a long while, Bi Shui Xianzi jolted awake from her drowsy state, looked at Hang Yanling in confusion, then suddenly slapped herself and jumped up, shouting:
“Whaaaat!? Who taught her that string of words just now, was it Second Senior Sister?!”
Cheng Shui Xianzi quickly shook her head: “Not me! Wasn’t it Old Fourth who brought her here? Shouldn’t it be Old Fourth who taught this child those things… it can’t be?! Old Fourth is a mess herself, how could she prepare such words for Ying’er?!”
Zi Shui Xianzi also sighed and clapped: “This is broad daylight, it can’t be that it’s a ghostly encounter, right?”
The reactions of the elders left Hang Yanling bewildered. She scratched her head: “Uh, wait, did I say something wrong?”
Pure Water Fairy stood up suddenly, appearing in front of Hang Yanling without a word, and without hesitation lifted her up, turning to shout at the others: “Ying’er must have forced herself to cultivate, her vital energy must have injured her brain; I need to check on her to see if her mind is damaged!!”
Hang Yanling, being carried, was utterly stunned: “Wait!? I was just being reasonable?! Wait, respected elders!? I think what I said makes quite a bit of sense—”
Zi Shui Xianzi nodded and succinctly replied to Hang Yanling: “Exactly because it is reasonable that it is abnormal, your head must indeed be faulty; we cannot delay this, Second and Third, quickly go and consult the medical texts, let’s figure out how Ying’er has gone mad.”
Hang Yanling’s face turned red with anger: “I damn… wait!? Master!? Second Elder!???
Cheng Shui Xianzi looked deeply at Hang Yanling, her expression filled with sadness: “Ying’er, it was Second Elder who spoke incorrectly before, shouldn’t have put such a heavy pressure on you. Don’t worry, I will arrange for Third Sister to apprentice to Fourth Sister, so Ying’er, just focus on healing, and absolutely must not give up hope for recovery!”
“No, hey, wait, hey, hey!!! You Lotus Palace really has a big problem!!!”
