Chapter Five: I Do Not Resent Her

Later, Cheng Yingxue was carried down the mountain on Su Changling’s back.

Once the young girl had recovered from her initial outburst of grief and indignation, she stubbornly refused to be held any longer. However, since Su Changling could not possibly let an injured person make the descent alone, she simply insisted that the girl climb onto her back.

Back in the sky, transported by a flying sword, the young girl was filled with wonder. Gazing at the mist above and the birds darting past, she could not stop letting out gasps and cries of amazement. Her shoes, clearly too large for her, dangled from her toes, swaying like small boats.

"Look at that monkey swinging over there!" the girl suddenly shrieked, having spotted a mountain ape in the distance. "Wow! It’s so agile!"

"Sister Su, is the daily life of a cultivator fun? Does it feel amazing to fly through the sky on a sword every day?"

"Not really. Usually, our master doesn't let us fly about on our swords casually, mostly because we don't want to frighten the passing travelers," Su Changling replied, shaking her head with solemn sincerity. "Besides, cultivators have to chant sutras, practice, and patrol the mountains every day... When you break it down, it isn't particularly fun."

"And what about you? What do you do on a typical day?"

"Alas, what can a young lady confined to her chambers possibly do?" Cheng Yingxue’s tone turned slightly dejected. "Just embroider useless flowers, feed useless fish... and read useless books like the 'Four Books for Women'."

"By the way, Sister Su, I’ll tell you a little secret," the girl said, gripping Su Changling’s shoulders tighter. "When I was a child, my father didn't intend to have my feet bound."

"He felt I had a real talent for business... He wanted to keep me by his side to help manage the shop."

"And what happened then?" Su Changling asked, following her lead.

"Later... when I was seven, my mother couldn't withstand the chatter of the clan’s grand-aunts and the neighbors. While my father was away on a long trip, she hired someone to bind my feet." Cheng Yingxue’s voice grew very faint. "I don’t resent her for it, Sister Su."

"Because my mother was just an ordinary woman with a gentle nature. When she was young, her father never told her interesting stories about business, nor did he teach her how to read the shop's ledgers... She was raised on the 'Instructions for Women' and taught only needlework."

"She was simply doing what she thought was right for her daughter, what she believed was the proper thing to do."

"But Sister Su, tell me, if the whole world considers something to be good and right," the girl’s eyes dimmed slightly, "is it necessarily correct?"

Su Changling tilted her head back, barely perceptible. "I do not know."

—Her sole remaining soul fragment did not yet allow her to grasp such complex emotions; her shallow understanding of the "mortal world" also prevented her from making a "timely" judgment. This seemed to be the only answer she could give.

Even though she knew, theoretically, she ought to provide an answer. Anything would have sufficed.

"Indeed, you are a cultivator," Cheng Yingxue said with a bitter smile, "of course you wouldn't know..."

"But in matters like this, I have never liked listening to the judgments of others," Su Changling finally couldn't help but add in a low voice.

"Oh?" Cheng Yingxue’s eyes widened in surprise.

"…I prefer listening to my own." She didn't care whether others thought it should be done or if it was considered correct. As long as she felt it was right, that was enough.

"Take, for example, back when... everyone on the mountain advised me against learning that lightning technique," Su Changling said, staring intently at the mortal village becoming clearer at the foot of the mountain. "But in the end, I gritted my teeth and mastered it anyway."

"So, young lady," the flying sword paused slightly above the treetops, "do as you wish. Pay no mind to the rest."

"—You aren't hindering anyone else, after all."

"But speaking of which, Miss Cheng, where is your home? We are almost at the foot of the mountain."

"Oh, let me see... Fly a bit lower, and I’ll show you the way!" Cheng Yingxue craned her neck. Su Changling lowered the altitude of the sword as requested and secretly cast a spell of concealment.

"To the left... then to the right. There, that large courtyard with the four-tiered horse-head walls is it." The girl, completely unaware of the other's secret spell, gestured excitedly. A moment later, they successfully arrived at her family estate.

Having snuck out before dawn, she naturally dared not walk through the front gate, so she led Su Changling through a side entrance. Su Changling had intended to carry her over the wall, but the girl refused, so she had to indulge her by stepping over the threshold, getting a firsthand experience of the "announcement" process of a wealthy household.

"Madam, Madam! The Young Miss is back—" The young maid, seeing Cheng Yingxue return, panicked. She nearly tripped over herself as she rushed inside to inform Mistress Cheng. "Madam, the Young Miss is back!"

Mistress Cheng, who had been pacing in distress over her daughter's disappearance, ran out of the inner room immediately. As she stepped out, she was met with the sight of the girl being carefully set down on the ground.

"Mother—Mother, I’m home, Mother." Once on the ground, Cheng Yingxue threw herself into the woman's arms, gripping her clothes tightly.

With her feet back on solid ground, the realization that she had nearly succeeded in jumping off a cliff finally hit her. A sense of survivors' guilt and relief washed over her, and when she spoke, her voice was laced with tears. "I’m sorry for worrying you, Mother."

"Oh! You silly girl." Mistress Cheng’s eyes reddened at the sound of her daughter’s cries. "Look at how torn your clothes are... Where have you been running wild since early this morning?"

"I was so worried when the maid didn't find you at dawn that I was about to send someone to report it to the magistrate!" Mistress Cheng patted the girl’s back, scolding her while casting sharp, reproachful glares. Only then did she notice the young woman left standing by the entrance and quickly released her daughter.

"Oh, by the way, who is this young lady?"

"I—well, I was upset because Uncle and the others were forcing that marriage on me, so I went out early to climb Mount Huang to blow off some steam," Cheng Yingxue said sheepishly, fiddling with her fingers, unable to admit she had been trying to end her life.

"But when I got to the top... I wasn't careful and nearly fell off a cliff. Thankfully, this passing fairy saved me, and I was lucky enough to keep my life."

"Look, Mother, my skirt is still stained with blood, and I’m wearing the fairy’s shoes!" The girl whimpered, lifting her hem to show the bloodstains.

Mistress Cheng’s face turned deathly pale on the spot.

"Mother, this is the fairy who saved me," Cheng Yingxue said with a smile, taking Su Changling’s hand. "If it weren't for her timely help, I wouldn't be alive to see you today!"

"Oh, oh, so you are a celestial being from the mountain... Immortal, please forgive this commoner for her ignorance; I failed to recognize your divine presence and was quite remiss in my hospitality." Mistress Cheng bowed repeatedly, curtsied, and began apologizing profusely.

Without waiting for Su Changling to react, she immediately knelt and performed a deep, formal bow.

"Furthermore... there is no way to repay the grace of saving a life. Please, Immortal, accept my gratitude!"