Chapter 45 The Chess Piece "Master, I want to change the injustices of this world..."

The bitter smell filled the room, and could also be smelled from the outside, drifting far away through the window.

Wu Zhuyue carried a basket full of ingredients into the house. After closing the door with one hand, she looked at the white-clad woman by the stove, whose face was covered by jade. The woman was staring at a pot of water on the stove that had not yet boiled.

"Master, the food has been bought." The young man walked to Si Liuhua's side and smelled the stronger herbal scent on her than usual. It was not pungent, but rather very gentle.

Si Liuhua nodded and picked up a small pestle and mortar. "Xiao Wu, help me grind the medicine."

She had already prepared all the herbs, mixed them together, and was slowly simmering some of them while the rest would be mashed and added at the end.

Wu Zhuyue took the pestle and mortar and began grinding the medicinal herbs into powder, while secretly glancing at Si Liuhua.

The ethereal woman didn't use her spiritual power. Instead, she tied up her long hair and slowly began processing the ingredients. Gentle steam spread, like a warm, human-like mist, making her feel cozy and relaxing her tense nerves. The somber aroma soon seeped in, so bitter it made her throat tighten, finally instilling a fear of illness in the eleven-year-old girl—she didn't want to be sick, didn't want to drink such bitter medicine.

But this aroma was also captivating, because my mother could also brew medicine. However, it was just talisman ash soaked in water with a few wild herbs that had been picked and ground up. It wasn't so bitter, but the taste was so strange that it still made people feel cold when they drank it.

From as far back as she could remember, her family was very poor. For a long time, her only impression and memory was of her mother, who would magically produce a small piece of candy and stuff it into her mouth. In the end, she did the same thing, her body covered in blood, trembling as she pulled out a piece of candy and told her to climb out of the pit where refugees were being buried alive and escape quickly.

Blood from fingertips stained the candy, and the memory was thus imprinted. From then on, Wu ate candy every month, but the taste that always preceded the sweetness was the metallic taste of blood, the overlapping of pain and happiness, the mingling of joy and sorrow. At that time, tears that had flowed unknowingly returned to his eyes.

Wu Zhuyue paused in pounding the medicine, then looked at Si Liuhua. In a daze, she saw a trace of illness in Si Liuhua's face, which was covered but still looked beautiful, and she was as pale as a dying person.

She blinked again, and the wisp of deathly aura dissipated, as if it were an illusion.

Fortunately, Si Liuhua is a cultivator, an immortal whose cultivation level she cannot fathom, so she will not die like her mother. Mortal lives are so fragile, like a candle flame, easily broken by the wind.

Those cultivators never looked at the mortal world, their hearts were set on the Dao.

Her master was different. Her master cared for the world and always taught her many small things. He must have been born in the mortal realm and only embarked on the path of immortality halfway through. Otherwise, how could he be so knowledgeable about the joys and sorrows of life? Wu Zhuyue often thought, if only it had been sooner, if only she and her mother had met Si Liuhua sooner. Would she have become very powerful and protected her mother until her mother passed away peacefully? Would her mother have also been able to embark on the path of immortality and become a carefree immortal, without her hands being stained with dust and blood, and without having to shed tears and beg for her safety in the end?

Thinking any further would only bring more tears. The boy swallowed the metallic taste rising in his throat, clenched his teeth as if biting into nonexistent candy, and took a deep breath of the fragrant herbal aroma.

After frying for a while, the aroma gradually lost its sourness and bitterness, and instead became somewhat mellow and slightly sweet.

As her mother's figure faded away, Si Liuhua took her place, reminding Wu Zhuyue of many things.

Along the way, Si Liuhua has taken on many identities—she can be a wandering martial artist without a sect, escorting refugees; she can be a gentle and refined scholar, teaching her and other girls who have no way to access education, writing documents by lamplight until the night is deep, leaving them for those children; and finally, she can be a doctor who saves lives, brewing medicine for the owner of this melancholy-shrouded house in a quiet corner of this town.

For some reason, Wu Zhuyue felt that the last one was perhaps the closest to Si Liuhua herself. Among her countless identities, one remained constant: the "demonic cultivator" in everyone's eyes, and perhaps the physician she was now preparing medicine and food for her patients.

She was very skilled at selecting herbs and discussing them with the clinic owner, and she also had a faint bitter smell about her.

After a long silence, Wu Zhuyue finally couldn't suppress her curiosity. After grinding some medicine, she placed it on Si Liuhua's side and carefully asked, "Master... what did you do before you started cultivating immortality?"

Si Liuhua raised his eyes, seemingly recalling for a moment before saying, "To cultivate medicinal herbs and treat people's illnesses."

If that's really the case, then there would be a faint herbal scent that seeps into clothing, even into the skin, and permeates the very bones.

No matter how you look at it, Si Liuhua at this moment is completely different from the person who had swiftly chopped off someone's hand and calmly led her through the blood-stained ground.

But it is indeed the same person.

"Speaking of this matter, I still need to write down some prescriptions so that this mother and daughter can have a solution if they encounter this situation again in the future." Seeing that the medicine in the young man's hands had been ground, Si Liuhua took the pestle and mortar. The dark powder was sour and bitter after being ground, but she treated it as if it were an old friend, lifting it slightly, smelling it for a while, before placing it on the table next to the bowl of cold water.

Upon hearing her words, Wu Zhuyue asked in confusion, "Why doesn't Master just give them some pills to cure their illness immediately and spare them the suffering of a long illness in the future?"

Si Liuhua gently shook her head. "Xiao Wu's idea is good. Low-grade pills are already miraculous medicines for ordinary people. However, can we give them enough pills to last the rest of their lives? Even if we could, how do we know that it won't bring disaster instead?"

She scooped up half a ladle of the decocted medicine, mixed it with cold water, poured in the powdered medicine, and stirred it slowly.

"After all, possessing a treasure is a crime."

Just then, a small boy ran over, his brows furrowed from the smell of medicine, and stopped nervously at a distance from the two of them.

She gripped the hem of her dress tightly, glanced at Si Liuhua, then at Wu Zhuyue beside her, whose sword was always at her side. Her timid demeanor suggested she rarely spoke to anyone, yet she steeled herself and said hesitantly, "Immortal Master Wangshu..."

Halfway through her sentence, she trembled, and as if making a decision, she walked towards Si Liuhua's side, gently tugging at her sleeve, her eyes brimming with tears.

"Save my mother... she's coughing so badly."

Si Liuhua put down the medicine bowl, turned around and gently wiped away her tears, saying softly, "Okay, I will definitely cure her. The medicine is ready, and since you've come, let's give it to your mother."

As she spoke, she picked up the bowl of medicine, bent down, and handed it to the child before her. Though her eyes were cold and indifferent, a hint of warmth lingered in them as she lowered her gaze slightly. The boy, simple-minded, couldn't see through the complexities beneath the gentle demeanor of the person before him. He simply thanked her solemnly with tears in his eyes before carrying the medicine steadily and urgently towards his bedroom.

After the boy left, the room fell silent again, with only the fire still burning and the kettle, now cooled, still warm. A cold glint flashed in Wu Zhuyue's eyes as she placed her hand on her knife and turned to look at the door.

There are people outside.

They weren't just passing by; they lingered, seemingly waiting for an opportunity. In no time, these people began discussing something outside. Their voices weren't loud, but for people with such keen senses as these, there was nowhere to hide.

"If she dies, will I really be able to get the compensation you mentioned?"

"That's natural. Recently, a new trend has swept through the city. A female official has taken office, and her first measure is to implement reforms. One clause states that if a mother dies and her daughter is left destitute, relatives can come to the government to receive a pension to ensure the child grows up safely and can support herself. How can this not be exploited?"

“Brother is wise. This way we can get a lot of silver, and we won’t have to worry about not enjoying wealth and luxury…”

Wu Zhuyue snorted coldly, her sword already drawn, its cold light gleaming as it awaited its taste of blood. She turned to look at Si Liuhua, and seeing that he did not shake his head, she quietly walked to the side of the door, and finally opened it almost silently and went around to the outside.

In the short time it took for the water to boil again, apart from a few screams that were cut short before they could escape their throats, there was no other sound outside the door. Si Liuhua slowly walked to the door, saw a large patch of blood on the ground, and swept it all away with a hand gesture.

She took out the astrolabe, examined the markings on it, and finally shook her head, shattering the two wisps of souls that had fled in panic.

The souls of mortals, tainted as mud, are not worth collecting.

"It turns out that he had already planned to poison his sister."

The voice seemed normal, but upon closer listening, it carried a chill.

Wu Zhuyue sheathed her sword and came over to examine it closely, her curiosity evident, while obediently waiting for her master to explain. Si Liuhua raised his hand to touch the top of her head and said patiently, "This is something important to me. In this world, the stars are of utmost importance, and all things are guided by the stars. The power of the stars is the foundation for sustaining all living beings."

She ran her fingertips across the surface of the astrolabe, her voice softening slightly, yet still enigmatic, "This is an astrolabe, which can interpret celestial phenomena and is also related to the stars in the sky."

In addition, it can also store souls.

“It sounds really precious…” Wu Zhuyue nodded, and with Si Liuhua’s permission, she gently stroked the surface of the star chart, feeling the cold, ancient texture coming from her fingertips.

Magical implements are common; ordinary cultivators always have them.

As she touched him, she suddenly raised her head, looked into Si Liuhua's eyes, and said earnestly, "Master, I want to change the injustices in this world."

An ordinary adult would probably have found her childish. But for some reason, Wu Zhuyue still uttered these words that a five or six-year-old child would only say after reading a storybook, as if she was certain that Si Liuhua was different from any elder and would listen to her.

And that was indeed the case. The woman in front of her was slightly taken aback when she heard her words, then smiled and pursed her lips.

“Alright, if Zhu Yue wants to, then let her do it, and she will definitely succeed. I believe in Zhu Yue.”

Her warm, dry hands, calloused from sword wounds, stroked the boy's hair. Whether it was from his affirming words or the tender touch, Wu Zhuyue felt a sudden heat in her heart, a warmth that brought a faint blush to her face. Yet, she felt an unprecedented ease in even her breathing. Spiritual energy flowed through her body, cleansing her meridians in circles, surging joyfully and propelling her cultivation to the point where she was about to break through a minor realm.

Become extremely strong, so strong that no one can stop you, so that you can intervene in all things and prevent such things from happening again, so that there will be no more refugees with nowhere to retreat facing the fate of being buried alive. Change all the injustices in this world.

After Si Liuhua withdrew her hand, she clasped her hands to her chest and bowed deeply, "Thank you, Master. Your disciple now understands what the Dao Heart is."

The woman in white smiled and said, "Okay."

The two returned inside and sat down in chairs.

Si Liuhua pondered for a moment, and finally asked, "Zhu Yue, I've thought of a path that suits you. Would you like to hear it?"

Wu Zhuyue nodded, "I'm willing to listen to whatever Master says."

A familiar figure resurfaced in her mind. Si Liuhua curled her fingers and tapped them lightly on the table twice, as if trying to dispel the recurring and irretrievable memories. She didn't even realize that a soft sigh almost escaped from her lips.

"Previously, in the Sixth Domain where we were located, there was a sect that was the number one sect in the Nine Domains, and its name was Taihui."

If it were there, she could surely raise the boy in front of her well and fulfill her wish to right the injustices of the world.

After all, that was the place where the most noble and righteous people in the Nine Realms were praised.

“I have traveled far and wide, and my teaching of you has been inadequate, not as good as that of the disciples of the sect. I hope you can join the sect and learn properly.”

Wu Zhuyue lowered her head and remained silent. She urged herself to answer in her heart, but no matter what she did, she couldn't utter a single word.

Seeing her hesitation, Si Liuhua sighed softly, "Zhu Yue has also witnessed what I have done. Since you want to be a righteous person, you cannot spend all your time by the side of demonic cultivators."

"No, no—I don't want to be a righteous man," Wu Zhuyue suddenly looked up and said excitedly, "I believe that Master must have had a reason to do so, rather than being one of those demonic cultivators who wantonly kill!"

The young man's words were brimming with emotion, as if only someone his age could utter such unrealistic, blindly sincere words. Si Liuhua lowered her eyes after listening and simply said softly:

"If you don't want to go, then don't go. Or, when you've figured it out, I'll send you there."

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Author's Note: The master-disciple storyline is finally going to be merged into the main storyline...

In short, this is an extra chapter!