Chapter Six: The Transformation of the Flower Fairy

“Void Child, Chi Xiaoxiao, making me embarrass myself in front of Brother Ling Xiaozi—all of you are terrible villains.” The more Ling Qiqi thought about it, the angrier she became, so much so that she disregarded the physician’s orders and jumped out of bed, ready to hunt down the culprits.

The new disciples were all housed in a large courtyard, and after a little inquiry, Ling Qiqi located Chi Xiaoxiao’s room. Considering her depleted spiritual power, she grabbed a brick from who-knows-where for emergencies.

Standing at the doorway, brick in hand, Ling Qiqi pondered whether to kick the door in or knock first and then kick. Before she could decide, the door unexpectedly opened from within.

Cheng Yu, who had opened the door for some air, was startled by the unfamiliar girl wielding a brick outside. Though the young lady had delicate features, her face twisted in a fierce expression, brandishing the brick as if she’d been bitten by a stray dog and was determined to bite back.

Holy smokes, isn’t that the heroine? Why isn’t she barging in on Ling Xiaozi, but instead showing up at my door? Remembering Ling Qiqi’s identity, Cheng Yu decisively closed the door, pretending nothing had happened.

Outside, Ling Qiqi was baffled. The person who’d opened the door looked utterly ordinary, from head to toe, certainly not the annoyingly cute Chi Xiaoxiao. Had she found the wrong room?

Inside, Chi Xiaoxiao was equally confused. He sensed faint spiritual energy lingering at the door, yet when Cheng Yu opened it, not a peep was heard. Unable to hold back, he asked, “Brother, why did you close the door again?”

“There’s a mad dog outside. I’m afraid of dogs,” Cheng Yu feigned terror, blocking the door with his body, hoping his dramatic performance would fool the child.

“There aren’t any wild dogs in the immortal sect, maybe it’s a spiritual hound raised by the elders?” The child, not easily tricked, grew curious and insisted on opening the door to see what was outside.

Cheng Yu, powerless to resist, was easily pulled aside by Chi Xiaoxiao, forced to watch as the little rascal opened the door, unleashing Pandora from her box.

Chi Xiaoxiao opened the door and immediately shut it again, his face grave. “So there really is a mad dog on the mountain. Actually, I’m afraid of dogs too. If that mad dog breaks in, you must protect me, Brother—I’m still a weak, helpless, adorable child.”

Having been so easily pushed aside by the frail child, Cheng Yu began to question his existence, feeling as if he’d regressed to a slime, and soon would regress to a paramecium.

But then, Cheng Yu couldn’t understand why the heroine would lower herself to visit a mere bystander like him. After thinking it over, it seemed the issue wasn’t with him, but with Chi Xiaoxiao, whose identity was unknown and who didn’t exist in the original story.

Normally, a character who suddenly appears out of nowhere is either the protagonist or the big villain. Considering the author’s romance-driven mind, Chi Xiaoxiao must be connected to the heroine.

Cheng Yu shuddered. If there was a connection to the heroine, wasn’t that just her reserve of handsome men? No wonder Ling Qiqi and he had a chance to meet—the male lead was hiding right beside him. Terrifying.

Having sorted his thoughts, Cheng Yu realized that the dangers to cannon fodder bystanders weren’t limited to the heroine, but also included the heroine’s men. Sticking to the principle of rather mistaken than risky, he decided to keep his distance from the little rascal, instinctively retreating a few steps to the wall.

Ling Qiqi had barely exchanged glances with Chi Xiaoxiao before being shut out again, brick still in hand, not even thrown. This was outrageous. She didn’t care about knocking anymore and kicked the door open, brick raised and ready for a fight.

“How dare you! Breaking into a lady’s chamber—such shamelessness! Help, someone, I’m being violated! Miss, wait inside, I’ll fetch the servants to save you!” Chi Xiaoxiao, waving a pink handkerchief, shouted loudly, taking advantage of Ling Qiqi’s shock to dash out of the room, leaving poor Cheng Yu cowering by the wall and the brick-wielding warrior staring at one another.

So this kid was not only talkative but also a born performer.

“If heaven gives me another chance, I’ll tell him to get lost. If I must set a time limit, I’d hope he never comes back,” Cheng Yu regretted deeply, tears and snot streaming down his face, only to be forced to sniff it back under Ling Qiqi’s brick-induced threat.

After escaping, Chi Xiaoxiao began asking the senior sisters about Ling Xiaozi’s residence, claiming he admired Ling Xiaozi for ages and had come up the mountain to study just to be close to his idol.

The sisters, seeing the child’s shy and obedient demeanor, told him with some sympathy that Ling Xiaozi, after being injured, had moved in with Void Child.

Learning of their cohabitation, Chi Xiaoxiao forced a smile. “So it seems fate denies me any bond with Senior Ling Xiaozi. Thank you, Sister.” He turned away, his footsteps unsteady, looking every bit a lost, heartbroken soul.

His performance earned the compassion of all the senior sisters. Coincidentally, one of them was tasked with delivering something to Void Peak by the sect leader and kindly brought the pitiful child along.

Meanwhile, the two rumored cohabitants were busy searching for mountain fowl. The junior uncle had promised Ming Shuang extra drumsticks, but forgot that cultivators on fasting diets had not a grain of rice at home. Too proud to admit defeat, the junior uncle stubbornly insisted on catching a chicken in the mountains, and Ming Shuang obligingly agreed.

Void Peak was always cold and deserted, lacking popularity but providing an excellent environment for spiritual beasts and immortal herbs. Medical cultivators from Jade Gate especially loved visiting Yunting’s place for medicinal ingredients.

Thanks to Ling Xiaozi’s fasting, Ming Shuang, after crossing over, never experienced hunger. He kept his strength up just by drinking water and absorbing spiritual energy. Not needing to eat spared him the trouble of using the toilet—he marveled at how clean and refreshing the little immortals’ lives were.

Though the mention of drumsticks made Ming Shuang crave them, it wasn’t essential. After all, toilet paper was hard to find in a fasting cultivator’s home, and he didn’t want momentary pleasure to lead to cremation in the restroom. Moreover, the image of such a handsome uncle plucking and slaughtering a chicken was impossible to imagine...

“Brother, if we can’t find a mountain fowl, let’s forget it. These immortal fruits are perfectly fine.” Ming Shuang tugged at his uncle’s sleeve, pointing meaningfully at a luscious red apple hanging from a nearby branch.

“You can’t eat fire-type fruit. The old Ling Xiaozi could handle it, but you can’t.” Uncle plucked the apple and took a bite.

Ming Shuang focused his spiritual vision and saw red energy from the apple flowing into his uncle, merging with the purple aura within him.

“So immortal fruits have different attributes? Are they categorized by color?” Ming Shuang swallowed and asked, his gaze searching for blue fruits.

Uncle polished off the apple in a few bites, wiped the juice off his hands onto Ming Shuang, and explained, “Most immortal fruits can be identified by their appearance and color, though rare kinds require a medical cultivator’s expertise.”

Their conversation soon shifted from catching chickens to finding fruits. Ming Shuang successfully provided an excuse for his prideful uncle, and the toilet paper issue was no longer a concern.

The brothers wandered their mountain, uncle searching for water-type fruit, Ming Shuang bouncing after him.

Along the way, Ming Shuang picked every beautiful flower he saw, eventually weaving a garland of precious immortal herbs and placing it on his uncle’s head.

“Flowers for a beauty, uncle, you look wonderful.” Ming Shuang flattered him, smiling as he admired the handsome man, then quickly looked away to avoid any improper thoughts.

Uncle reached up to touch the garland, gave Ming Shuang a glare, but didn’t remove it.

Chi Xiaoxiao and the senior sister found Ling Xiaozi just then, witnessing this scene. The sister covered her mouth in shock, and even Chi Xiaoxiao was surprised.

Despite their astonishment, there was business to attend to. The sister composed herself and called out, “Disciple greets Uncle Void Child and Brother Ling Xiaozi.”

...

The atmosphere grew awkward. Ming Shuang considered removing the garland for his uncle, but feared Pikachu might lash out indiscriminately.

While Ming Shuang fretted, a fearless little troublemaker stirred the pot. Chi Xiaoxiao, staring at the beautiful uncle crowned with flowers, teased, “So this is Senior Void Child—I thought it was the Flower Fairy fallen to earth.”

Tiny sparks crackled in the air. Ming Shuang quickly stepped in front of his uncle, shielding him from unwelcome scrutiny.

Determined to preserve his uncle’s carefully crafted icy idol persona, Ming Shuang resolved to handle the situation alone. He turned to the unfamiliar junior sister and asked, “What brings you to Void Peak, Sister?”

She was also perceptive—having seen Uncle Void Child with the garland, her nerves were frayed, but now that Ling Xiaozi had intervened, she promptly replied, “The sect leader sent me to deliver medicine to Brother Ling Xiaozi and instructed you to rest well, and not trouble Uncle Void Child.” She pulled a blue-and-white porcelain bottle from her sleeve and respectfully handed it to Ming Shuang.

“Tell Master that my injuries are no longer serious. You may return.” Ming Shuang took the bottle and dismissed her. The sister wiped the sweat from her brow and fled, relieved.

Chi Xiaoxiao, however, was different. He stood rooted, unfazed by the awkwardness.

Seeing that Chi Xiaoxiao lacked any sense, Ming Shuang ignored the child and pulled his uncle toward the courtyard.

“When I last met Senior Ling Xiaozi, you were holding the girl who sparred with me. How is it that after a month, you’re with the Flower Fairy? Who knew you’d be so fickle, Senior.” Unperturbed by being ignored, Chi Xiaoxiao launched into his monologue, his face full of sorrow and every eyebrow a drama, as if he were the one betrayed.

Who criticizes others upon first meeting? Ming Shuang rolled his eyes and refused to engage, letting the nonsense flow past him.

“When and where did you meet?” Uncle frowned, questioning Chi Xiaoxiao.

What’s going on? Uncle actually responded! How could he take the words of a brat seriously? Ming Shuang began to panic, realizing he might not escape today’s ordeal. After all, he had no idea if the original Ling Xiaozi encountered any random children when he brought Ling Qiqi up the mountain.