In another world far away from the demon realm, on the mountains of the Guiyuan Sect, there were golden fields of flowers covering the hills.
A female cultivator lifted her skirt and walked into the flower fields, her steps gentle and light in the moonlight.
The swaying sea of flowers was disturbed by her presence, causing a swarm of golden spirit butterflies to rise up. These were not just flowers, but also the resting place of countless Xumu butterflies.
The cultivator opened a silk sachet in her hand and formed a hand seal. The butterflies flapped their wings like gold foil and flew into the sachet in flocks.
Although the sachet was small, it seemed to have infinite space, accommodating thousands of butterflies before finally stopping.
“That should be enough. Let’s take them to the front,” the cultivator said.
The cultivator walked up to the ridge and handed the sachet to a younger girl with a bamboo basket on her arm. The basket was filled with sachets of different sizes.
In this golden mountain, many cultivators came and went, doing the same work as them.
The little girl skipped along behind her. “Senior sister, do we have to gather so many Xumu butterflies and send them to the Huayu Hall every year?”
“Yes, there are many senior brothers and sisters there, responsible for several mortal towns each on this day. They work even harder than us. Hopefully, we can find more talented children this year.”
“But isn’t this too much trouble?” The young junior sister sighed, “I heard that many sects use simpler magical artifacts. They only need the kids to touch them to know their potential. You don’t need to breed so many Xumu butterflies, and it’s not cheap either, right?”
Her senior sister looked back at her. “Do you remember the first lesson in the sect?”
“I remember, I remember.” The junior sister puffed out her chest and recited the first lesson, “Those who cultivate their essence but neglect their destiny will lose themselves in the void. Those who cultivate their destiny but neglect their essence will wander in madness. Only those who cultivate both essence and destiny can embody the virtues of heaven and earth, and become one with the universe. But what does this have to do with selecting disciples using Xumu butterflies?”
Her senior sister extended her fair fingers and gently caught a butterfly fluttering in the air. “Xumu butterflies, also known as the ‘golden inquiry,’ have the ability to inquire about the heart and ask about the way. You must understand that people in this world often cannot be judged by their appearance alone. Some people may have been through hardships and are stuck in the mud, but their hearts remain warm. Some people may seem righteous and virtuous on the surface, but they are full of filth and dirt inside. However, in the illusion, the true colors of their nature will eventually appear on the wings of the butterfly.”
“As disciples of the Guiyuan Sect, we learn the supreme method of cultivating both essence and destiny. Aptitude and dao heart are equally important. Therefore, in selecting disciples, no matter how troublesome it may be, we must first use the ‘golden inquiry’ to explore their dao heart.”
The junior sister covered her face, “What should I do? When I received the butterfly, I dreamt of the day I first ate chicken legs at my grandmother’s house. In my dream, I just kept eating and didn’t show any outstanding character. I really don’t know why our master selected me.”
The female cultivator leading the way laughed heartily, “Maybe our master thinks you can follow in the footsteps of Senior Sister Miaoyao of the Xiaoyao Peak, taking the path of food to reach enlightenment.”
Meanwhile, in the demon realm where Mu Xue resided, she had just arrived home and was feeling troubled. She held Cen Xiaoshan in her arms and carried a pile of things in her hands. Looking at the messy room, she had a headache and didn’t know where to place the wounded little guy.
Due to living alone for many years and being devoted to the art of refining tools, the courtyard she lived in had only a fire room, a lavatory, and one large and spacious work room. Inside the room, there was a smelting furnace, a forging area, various arrays for alchemy, large and small operation tables, and countless cupboards for storing materials and books. The only place to rest was a floating hanging bed and a meditation cushion.
A few days ago, she had crafted a custom-made magical tool for the Lei family and felt particularly proficient in it. She was completely focused on the refinement process and had even reached the state of mind and heart connection. She had been busy for a long time and had indeed produced a rare and exquisite masterpiece.
Of course, she had also left a messy room behind.
Now that she had returned, there was hardly any space left for her to occupy.
Mu Xue looked around for a while and found that the only relatively clean place was the meditation corner where she often rested. There was a large cushion located there and Mu Xue manipulated her magical power to summon a few pillows over and lay Cen Xiaoshan down.
Although he had slept soundly for the entire journey, Cen Xiaoshan woke up immediately when Mu Xue put him gently down on the pile of pillows.
Cen Xiaoshan propped himself up from the pillows in a jumbled mess of hair, his face alert and guarded. His beautiful eyes were filled with ice-coldness and resentment, like a wounded lone wolf in the wilderness.
Upon seeing Mu Xue and the surrounding environment, he was initially confused but quickly restrained his coldness and sharpness. He lowered his eyelashes and showed a gentle and obedient appearance. He followed Mu Xue’s instructions and slowly lay down on the cushion.
The thin and bony boy looked even smaller in the piles of pillows and subconsciously hugged his own arm, curling up his body slightly. He only kept his blood-soaked right foot outside the cushion as much as possible.
Mu Xue held his ankle and gently pulled apart the cloth strips, causing the boy’s fingers, which were gripping his arm tightly, to tense up.
The blood-soaked cloth strips had been tied for who knows how long and had long been stuck to the skin. If she were to forcefully tear them off, it would be extremely painful.
Mu Xue frowned. If Cen Xiaoshan were a cultivator, it would be relatively easy to treat such injuries with medicine or techniques. But as a mortal, it would be troublesome for her. No matter the magic drugs or techniques, a slight overdose could be fatal for them.
Mu Xue had not been in contact with the life of mortals for a long time.
Mu Xue realized that she needed to get some medicine for mortals, as well as some clothes and perhaps a bed. Oh, and he was just a mortal who needed to eat three meals a day.
Looking at Cen Xiaoshan curled up in the pile of pillows, Mu Xue also realized that her decades of living alone seemed to have been disrupted by this little unexpected guest.
She needed to come up with a simpler solution.
After rummaging through the cupboards for a while, she found an old Qiankun bag and took out a small golden toad.
“Found it. I can’t believe this thing from so long ago is still here,” Mu Xue showed the ancient bronze-colored toad to Cen Xiaoshan.
She twisted a small screw on the back of the toad, and it opened its mechanical jaws and made a “croak” sound.
“Bathed in toad light, purify the body and mind,” Mu Xue recited the incantation.
The toad then croaked and hopped forward one step, then another step, until it had circled Cen Xiaoshan and came to a stop. Everywhere the toad stepped, a soft light appeared, perfectly encircling Cen Xiaoshan.
Cen Xiaoshan sat up, looking somewhat perplexed as he gazed at Mu Xue.
“This was a magical tool I made when I just started refining tools. Its only function is to create a formation that stops bleeding and revitalizes Qi, perfect for healing external injuries. It should be suitable for you to use, and you can lay inside for a few days. Even the most severe injuries should heal,” Mu Xue clapped her hands, happy that she could come up with a simple and convenient solution.
On this trip, aside from bringing Cen Xiaoshan back, she also purchased the skeleton of a mermaid, a refining material she had never encountered before. Seeing that Cen Xiaoshan’s injuries were no longer a concern, Mu Xue couldn’t help but pick up the demon bone and sit at her operation table, carefully studying it.
She lost track of time and only snapped out of her trance when the snow stopped outside the window, and the rooster crowed at the break of dawn.
Today was a rare sunny day.
Mu Xue lifted her head from the pile of shattered bones and looked to the corner.
The old bronze-colored toad was still squatting quietly on the ground, with a faint circle of toad light shining brightly. But there was no one inside the circle.
Mu Xue surveyed the surroundings and couldn’t see Cen Xiaoshan’s figure anywhere.
However, the messy room had already changed its appearance. The corners of various refining materials were sorted and placed together.
The garbage was organized into a basket and placed on one side. Although the used containers and equipment were not cleaned, they were neatly placed on an empty shelf.
The wooden floor, which had not been cleaned in years, was carefully wiped, and it was almost shiny enough to see one’s reflection.
Mu Xue couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise, unsure of how to express her emotions at the moment.
She stood up, walked outside, opened the door, and stuck her head out.
She had hung a clothesline in the spacious courtyard, and the clean sheets and pillowcases fluttered in the light breeze after the snow had cleared.
A young boy rolled up his sleeves and was hanging clothes on the line with his arms raised. He heard the sound of the door opening and turned his head to look.
At that moment, it was as if the bright moon suddenly appeared in the sky, and the courtyard was filled with jade-colored snow.
The bleak and dark courtyard was transformed into a vivid and bright landscape because of this little figure in the winter.
Ruan Honglian once said that this was a beautiful child. But Mu Xue hadn’t expected Cen Xiaoshan to be so exquisite and beautiful.
Just cleaning off the dirt, tying up the messy hair, and it couldn’t hide the dazzling beauty.
The cultivation world had never lacked beauties, and any form of beauty can be achieved through pill refining and magical techniques. Mu Xue even refined a magical tool that could adjust facial features with external force, achieving the effect of beautifying one’s appearance.
But even the most finely crafted and decorated appearance would pale in comparison to the sight of this young man’s exquisite figure.
Mu Xue finally understood why Lei Liang was so reluctant to sell him to her.
Mu Xue felt great.
The desire for beauty is universal. Compared to the big, rough and plump aunt who cooked meals, having such a clear and graceful boy living at home naturally made people feel more cheerful.
Moreover, this child was so sensible and hardworking.
Cen Xiaoshan saw Mu Xue and quickly walked over.
“Is your foot better already?” Mu Xue looked him up and down, noticing that he was supporting himself with a makeshift crutch made of a tree branch under his arm, and his ankle was still wrapped in those ragged cloth strips, but there was no longer any bleeding.
He didn’t even have a pair of shoes, and with a crutch, who knows how much time he spent working tirelessly throughout the night?
Even if she was carefree, Mu Xue felt a bit embarrassed, “Rest for a few days and don’t worry about doing these things. I can wash the clothes myself.”
This child was hardworking and sensible. Without inquiring about Mu Xue’s situation, he knew not to move things around haphazardly while tidying up. He washed towels and bed linens, but didn’t touch the intimate clothing that was hanging.
In fact, Mu Xue could certainly use some techniques to solve these chores. But whether it was the Avoid Dust Art or the Object Manipulation Art, it required energy and time. It wasn’t like what some novels in the mortal world portrayed, where a snap of the fingers would automatically clean the entire courtyard.
That’s why Ruan Honglian suggested that Mu Xue buy some servants since she seems unable to organize her own life.
Cen Xiaoshan secretly assessed Mu Xue’s expression and saw that she had no displeasure, so he slightly relaxed and tentatively asked, “The hot water is ready in the kitchen, would the host like to wash up? I’ll go get it.”
“No, no, no, you rest. I’ll go by myself.” Mu Xue stopped him.
She wasn’t crazy enough to let a boy with a leg injury go to fetch her face-washing water.
A Qiankun bag (乾坤袋, Qiánkūn dài) is a pouch able to hold more than it appears able to carry. It is used by cultivators to carry large items.