Chapter 96 You're right, I am a bastard, a bad dog.

Zhuang Jinfu was filled with shame. As a dignified immortal, she had actually lost to this little girl in this matter. It was too embarrassing for her immortal status. So much so that when Ling Shu came over to help her up, she pushed him away, determined to prove that she was capable.

Ling Shu chuckled, bent down, picked her up horizontally, and carried her towards the bathhouse. Knowing that she was concerned about her image, he gave her a way out and comforted her, "Master ruthlessly revealed his true identity three years ago while saving from a natural disaster. The loss was too great, and it's normal that he can't recover in a short time."

Zhuang Jinfu opened her mouth to say something, but Ling Shu looked relaxed. She didn't want to put too much pressure on her, so she kept the fact that the Ruthless Path was broken for her sake to herself.

Ling Shu weighed the person she was holding; she was very light. She had never held her before, but they had been intimate. Zhuang Jinfu wasn't originally this slender. She sighed inwardly, thinking, "She'll have to take good care of herself in the future."

"Master's body feels much warmer."

"Still cold." I wanted to ask her why she was so cold, but I didn't dare to ask.

“Since this way I can improve my cultivation faster, I will come here often in the future and try my best to make my master feel warmer.”

Zhuang Jinfu's face remained flushed. After a long silence, he finally spoke, "It's no use. I'm not afraid of the cold. It's just my constitution. The reason I'm cold-sensitive is..."

"I died once."

Ling Shu's smiling face froze, her heart aching and her nose stinging. She never expected it to be like this.

Without the body, the soul is cold.

"Before I became an immortal, because I was an enemy of the cultivators and refused to participate in the killing of demons with them, they regarded me as a heretic and surrounded and killed me."

"Before I died, I met a little shepherd boy. The little shepherd boy woke me up and told me not to have any sympathy for the murderer. I should be ruthless. After I left the little shepherd boy, I realized that my ruthlessness was different from others. Others cultivate the path of ruthlessness and sever all feelings and love. I can't be that extreme. My ruthlessness is coldness and hatred of evil."

"After parting with the little shepherd boy, I felt my limbs were floating, my body had no warmth, and I was in a daze all day long. I killed any evil people I saw. Two years later, I achieved the Way of Ruthlessness and ascended to heaven."

“I think that when I left the shepherd boy and walked into the thorny wilderness, I was already dead. At the time of my death, I had an epiphany and had achieved enlightenment. But my attachment was too deep, and I lingered in the mortal world for a long time. It was not until I had achieved great success in the Way of Ruthlessness that I ascended to the Heavenly Court to report for duty.”

Zhuang Jinfu rubbed Ling Shu's furrowed brows. "Alright, very few people achieve sainthood through physical means. I'm not that kind of genius."

Ling Shu placed her in the warm bathtub and squatted down in front of her: "From now on, I will take the risks for you, so you don't have to get hurt again."

Zhuang Jinfu rubbed her head: "Sweetie, it's all in the past. I don't want you to risk your life for me. If something happens to you, I really will go crazy again."

Ling Shu nodded, feeling her emotions surging. If she didn't leave soon, she would be exposed as vulnerable. Her hands and feet moved awkwardly as she said, "Master, you can take your time washing. I'll go out first."

Zhuang Jinfu was a little confused; she could stay.

If the fox girl wants to go out, then let her go. Shu'er is tired too and can no longer expect her to serve her.

Ling Shu went out, closed the door, covered her mouth, leaned against the door, and wept softly.

I died once.

die.

They were surrounded and attacked.

That must hurt so much!

She was ruthless and her words were broken.

How desperate one must feel when the truth is laid bare...

Ling Shu gradually realized she was sobbing uncontrollably. She was about to finish washing and come out, and she couldn't let her be discovered. Ling Shu suppressed her emotions, wiped away her tears, and stood there in the wind.

It took her about half an incense stick's time to recover.

The sea maid passed by under the eaves to call them for dinner. The two women were very close, but they had restrained themselves on the way because of her being an old woman in the middle, and had never been able to get close to each other. Now that they finally had the chance, they were sure to be affectionate. The sea maid supported all of this, but was worried that they would be too playful and not eat, which would be bad for their stomachs.

"Miss Ling, are you... ready to eat?"

"Master will come as soon as he's finished washing."

Hai Gu nodded with relief, seeing that the two of them were doing well, she was at ease. However, as she left, she added, "Miss Ling must not let the Immortal Venerable down."

Ling Shu didn't know why she said that, but she was sure she wouldn't let Zhuang Jinfu down.

Hai Gu said, "The Immortal Venerable suffered too much heartbreak. After saving the victims of the natural disaster, she lost all her magic power. When she heard that you fought against the Heavenly Court for her, she chased after you, only to find your 'corpse'. She couldn't bear it and broke the Path of Heartlessness. It's pitiful."

Ling Shu felt as if she had been struck by lightning; she lost all feeling in her limbs and felt cold all over. How could this be?

Zhuang Jinfu's ruthless path was not broken because of saving a natural disaster, but because of her.

Ling Shu rushed into the bathroom.

At that moment, Zhuang Jinfu was getting dressed, with the sleeves of her clothes draped over her arms, revealing half of her beautiful back. When she saw the person who barged in, she was not annoyed, but only gently scolded, "You little rascal, so reckless."

Zhuang Jinfu picked up his clothes, put them on slowly and deliberately, and turned around.

Ling Shu knelt down in front of her, a few tears falling onto the floor.

"What's going on? Why are you kneeling down to me for no reason?"

"I'm a bastard." He slapped himself across the face with a startling sound. "Why didn't you tell me that the Path of Ruthlessness was broken because of me? I... I treated you like that, I forced you to leave me, and I forced you to tell me you were willing. I don't want to live anymore..." He raised his hand to slap himself again.

Zhuang Jinfu quickly used magic to stop her, then rushed over and squatted down in front of her. He didn't dare touch her reddened cheek, afraid of hurting her. His hand stopped outside her cheek, unsure of what to do.

Ling Shu quickly broke through the spell that was blocking her hand, and swung her palm again, but Zhuang Jinfu reacted quickly and grabbed her hand, stopping her.

"Good girl, don't get upset with yourself."

Ling Shu kept crying. She wouldn't let Zhuang Jinfu hit her with one hand, but he finally forced her to the ground before stopping.

"You're right, I am a bastard, a bad dog."

"Don't cry, it hurts me to see you cry. It's all in the past, let's not dwell on it anymore, okay?"

Hearing the commotion inside, Hai Gu regretted her words at the door. Ling was a kind-hearted girl; if she had taken all the blame upon herself, she would probably have felt guilty for most of her life.

She paced back and forth, not daring to go in, afraid of bumping into something.

Zhuang Jinfu held her hand, lowered his head and kissed away the tears under her eyes, and patiently comforted her little by little: "You used to love me, but I couldn't have any desires, and you suffered from heartbreak every day; now, I'm ruthlessly telling you the truth, which can be considered as repaying the heartbreak I owed you back then."

Ling Shu's tears continued to fall: "Master, you don't owe me anything, it's always been me who owes you."

Why can't you persuade her? Zhuang Jinfu was almost at his wit's end. He used his magic to heal the pain on her face, and cupped her face in his hands: "When have you ever risked your life for me? In the Bi Tan Shan Huang Chen Zhen, if you hadn't made a move, I would have rushed in when the formation forced everyone into a desperate situation."

In the mysterious realm of Tongxuan, I lost all my yang energy. You ventured into the Hidden Pit in the dead of night to gather Sophora flavescens for me. During the natural disaster, you joined hands with me to save us. Later, when you learned of the injustice I suffered, you single-handedly fought your way to the Heavenly Court for me, which is how I gained my current status, reputation, and the faith of my followers.

"This is all I owe you. You don't need to hold a grudge about my heartless exposure. It was I who broke my Dao heart, not you. If a cultivator can't protect her Dao heart, it's because her cultivation is incomplete, she hasn't truly understood, or rather, she's gone astray. The path of heartlessness has led to a dead end, so why bother? I've restarted my sword path, and everything is getting better. Good girl, let yourself go."

Ling Shu pulled down the hand that was covering her face, leaned closer, and hugged her tightly, sobbing softly, "I really didn't know you loved me, because before I asked you if you had anyone you cared about before you cultivated the Path of Ruthlessness, you changed the subject and didn't answer me. Later, the Heavenly Court said that you had developed feelings for mortals, so I'm sure you have someone you like."

After faking my death, I didn't come back to find you. I thought you didn't love me, so why should I keep chasing after your cold face? Master, sob sob, I didn't know the person you liked was me... Master, who is that person?

"It was a little fox I couldn't save on my first trip down the mountain. The little fox and I had no feelings for each other, and I felt guilty, which I held onto for many years, unwilling to mention it. It wasn't until I saved you that my heart was at peace. It was just a misunderstanding, Shu'er, are you relieved now?"

"Um."

"From now on, I don't need to blame myself for being so heartless in exposing this matter."

"I understand, it won't happen again."

Hai Gu paced anxiously back and forth. Finally, the door opened, and Ling Shu emerged, supported by Zhuang Jin Fu. Her eyes were red, but her face had been washed, and she seemed alright. Hai Gu was relieved and said to Zhuang Jin Fu, "Immortal Venerable, it's all my fault for being so talkative..."

Zhuang Jinfu patted her shoulder and took her hand as they walked: "She'll find out sooner or later."

Hai Gu felt as if she had been granted a pardon, and treated the two of them very well during the meal. She didn't dare to breathe too loudly for two days until Li Qiaoyan returned.

Li Qiaoyan returned travel-worn. Li Chang, wearing a bamboo hat, watched her from under the eaves. Ling Shu followed Zhuang Jinfu to the door to greet her. After entering the house, Li Qiaoyan washed up and returned to the flower hall. He dismissed the servants before Li Chang dared to come out.

Li Chang hugged her arm sweetly and called out, "Auntie, I missed you so much."

Li Qiaoyan: "Have you taken good care of our distinguished guests?"

Li Chang nodded: "Of course."

Zhuang Jinfu and Ling Shu greeted her and explained their purpose. Ling Shu went straight to the point: "Do you know her whereabouts?"

When Wang Lifu was mentioned, Li Qiaoyan's expression inevitably became emotional. In the end, they were destined to be apart and parted ways. It was better to waste one's life than to live another. Li Qiaoyan said, "The last time she came to see me, she brought a divorce agreement and asked me to divorce her. I didn't want to sign it, but she was determined to go to Qinan Mountain to live in seclusion and cultivate. This time she came to sever all ties with the world. What else could I do? I signed the divorce agreement, in duplicate. She took her copy and left without looking back."

In Qi Nanshan.

Upon receiving the news, Ling Shu was eager to leave, but Zhuang Jinfu stopped her, made her sit at the dining table, and ate a meal before setting off the next day.

After dinner, Zhuang Jinfu, Haigu, and Li Qiaoyan had some casual conversation. Ling Shu disliked social drinking and slipped away. Li Chang had already disappeared sometime earlier. When Ling Shu came out, she saw a girl's figure on the roof.

Ling Shu climbed up, "You're here to avoid the drinking too?"

Li Chang, looking languid, propped her chin on her hand and said, "Yes."

Ling Shu sat down beside her and looked down at the myriad lights below. He heard Li Chang say, "I've become a god, but I still feel like a child. I can't learn how to socialize or say polite things. I came out alone to see the myriad lights, and I found that the myriad lights have nothing to do with me."

Even Li Chang felt lonely.

Ling Shu said nonchalantly, "If we can't learn it, we can't learn it. Nobody's stopping us from hiding. They drink and raise their glasses, we eat with chopsticks. The lights of thousands of homes are indeed irrelevant to us, but what we are protecting is these lights of thousands of homes."

“You are the land, and in the future, more people will offer you incense. After a hundred years, your home will be gone, but you will have grown up. You will have your own temple, and in the heavens above, you will have your own home. When you come down to the mortal world, you can go anywhere. No one will say that you are incompetent or that your cultivation is not worthy of your status. Once you become a god, you will have divine power. There is nothing to fear in this world anymore.”

Li Changtu's ears drooped on the back of her head, still unhappy, as she looked into the distance: "I also want to be like you, to have someone to accompany me."

Ling Shu couldn't persuade her this time. Love is something you can't force. Thinking of this, Ling Shu suddenly realized, "Miss Li is thinking about love now?!"

Wow, you've got it!

Ling Shu teased her, "What kind of girl do you like?"

Li Changtu's ears suddenly perked up: "As long as you're with me, that's fine. I don't have a specific type I like."

The rabbit's ears were glossy and white, and Ling Shu couldn't resist touching them. They were warm and soft to the touch, and felt wonderful. Li Chang immediately dodged away and glared at her fiercely, saying, "Don't touch my ears!"

Ling Shu withdrew her hand and obediently held it up: "I won't touch it, I absolutely won't touch it."

Suddenly, a cat's meow was heard, "Meow~".

A calico cat climbed up from below, its long, soft fur flowing gracefully as it walked, its fluffy tail held high. Judging by its fur color, it looked very familiar.

Li Chang was delighted to see her and called out to her, "Chu Ji, come here quickly."

This kitten looks a lot like one of the two cats she had picked up before. The older cat was a calico cat named Ruixue, and the kitten was Ruixue's daughter, a calico cat that hadn't been named yet.

Ling Shu asked warily, "Did you steal my cat?"