Thinking about the task, Su Luo felt conflicted.
Cutting off someone's path to immortality was like killing their parents. Meng Shuying had lived miserably in the Qingxu Sect, probably holding onto the hope that she could awaken her spiritual roots at the Immortal Platform and become an outer disciple.
But now, with the Immortal Platform about to open, she couldn't participate because of Su Luo and Xie Hanzhu.
Anyone in her shoes would find this unbearable.
After considering for a moment, Su Luo softened her tone and tried to negotiate with Xiao Ba, "I understand the task needs to be done, but the task only requires stopping Meng Shuying from ascending the Immortal Platform. Look at her now—injured and running a high fever. If we leave her like this, she might die before the Immortal Platform even opens."
Hearing this, Xiao Ba hesitated, "You have a point... If she dies early, that would count as a task failure."
Sensing Xiao Ba's wavering, Su Luo pressed on, "How about I treat her first, and then we figure out how to stop her from going to the Immortal Platform?"
"No, no, that's... wait..." Xiao Ba was clearly torn.
"Alright, hold on, I'll check the manual," Xiao Ba said before abruptly disconnecting from her.
Su Luo: This task support system doesn't seem very smart.
With Xiao Ba gone and no idea when it would return, Su Luo wasn't about to just wait around. Holding Meng Shuying, she stepped out of the woodshed, only to realize she didn't know where Meng Shuying lived.
She looked at Xie Hanzhu, who shrugged, "I don't know where she lives either."
Xie Hanzhu glanced at the dirty little figure in Su Luo's arms, her brows furrowing in distaste, "Why are you bothering with her, Senior Sister? Han Yi will take care of it."
Her words reminded Su Luo that there was still someone else present.
The Immortal-Binding Rope floated out of the woodshed, dragging Han Yi along with it. Seeing Su Luo's displeased expression, Han Yi quickly began pleading, "Senior Sister, please have mercy on me..."
Su Luo remained silent, merely giving him a cold look.
Han Yi, suddenly struck by a flash of insight, guessed the reason for her cold demeanor and tentatively said, "Senior Sister, I swear, I didn't cause her injuries... I'm just a lowly outer disciple; I wouldn't dare harm a fellow disciple like this."
Judging by his expression, Su Luo thought he didn't seem to be lying and decided to believe him, her expression softening slightly.
With a thought, the Immortal-Binding Rope loosened. Once freed, Han Yi scrambled to his feet, wiping his tears and snot with his sleeve before bowing obsequiously, "Senior Sister is kind-hearted; please don't hold a grudge against me."
Han Yi led the way as Su Luo carried Meng Shuying behind him. Whether it was because of the extraordinary physical constitution of cultivators or because Meng Shuying was simply too light, Su Luo felt as if she were carrying a small bird—completely effortless.
After several turns, Han Yi finally stopped in front of a small courtyard.
The courtyard was old, its brick walls weathered and covered in moss.
Even though Su Luo had absorbed the original body's memories, she didn't know there was a place like this in the Qingxu Sect.
Han Yi pushed open the gate, the wooden door creaking loudly.
Seeing her pause at the entrance, Han Yi explained, "The servant disciples under my charge usually live here. Meng Shuying's room is inside."
Even among the servant disciples, there was a hierarchy. Meng Shuying, being young and unpopular, naturally lived in the worst conditions.
Inside the courtyard, Han Yi led her to a corner and opened a door before stepping aside, "This is where Meng Shuying lives."
Meng Shuying's room was tiny, even smaller than the woodshed, and could be seen in its entirety from the doorway.
The room was extremely simple, with only a wooden bed, a small table, and a broken cabinet.
Su Luo carefully laid Meng Shuying on the bed and instructed Han Yi to bring some water.
Han Yi quickly returned with a basin of warm water and a clean towel.
Seeing that Su Luo intended to treat Meng Shuying's injuries, he tactfully excused himself to stand guard at the door.
As he stood outside, Han Yi couldn't help but wonder why this young lady's temperament had suddenly changed, taking an interest in Meng Shuying's well-being.
After all, out of everyone in the Qingxu Sect, the one who disliked Meng Shuying the most was Su Luo.
Meng Shuying was a solitary child, not very likable. While others might not care for her, they at least abided by sect rules and wouldn't openly bully her.
But Su Luo and Xie Hanzhu, for reasons unknown, always found Meng Shuying an eyesore and frequently harassed her.
Inside, Su Luo was at a loss as she looked at Meng Shuying, who was covered in injuries. She had been hurt for so long that her clothes had stuck to the wounds, making it difficult to separate them.
Looking at the blood-soaked Meng Shuying, Su Luo steeled herself, gently but swiftly undoing her clothes.
Su Luo knew Meng Shuying was thin, but it wasn't until she saw her that she truly understood how emaciated she was.
Meng Shuying lay face down on the bed, her spine sharply defined, almost as if it might tear through her skin.
Her back was crisscrossed with whip marks, some of which had split open, turning an ominous shade of purple.
What kind of monstrous person could do this to such a small child?
On the way here, Su Luo had asked Han Yi about the woodshed's key, which many outer disciples had access to. Han Yi didn't know who had slipped into the woodshed and beaten Meng Shuying like this while he was distracted.
Su Luo also learned from Han Yi that Meng Shuying was only twelve years old.
She had originally lived in a village at the foot of Qingxu Mountain, but a flood had destroyed the village two years ago, separating her from her family. That's how she ended up brought to the mountain by Qingxu disciples.
Many children were brought up the mountain at that time, but most had since been reclaimed by their families. Only a few, likely orphans, remained.
After cleaning Meng Shuying's wounds, Xie Hanzhu returned, but she was alone, having not brought Uncle Master Yunfei.
She handed two porcelain bottles to Su Luo and explained, "Uncle Master Yunfei is busy refining pills and couldn't come, but she sent these two bottles of medicine. This one is for external use, and this one is for internal use."
Su Luo opened the bottle for external use and found it contained a white powder.
Since Uncle Master Yunfei was skilled in medicine and alchemy, her prescriptions were sure to be reliable.
Su Luo poured the powder into her palm, gently lifted the cloth covering Meng Shuying's back, and carefully applied the medicine to her wounds.
Afterward, she took out a spirit stone, formed a hand seal, and watched as the spiritual energy slowly condensed into drops of spirit liquid.
The liquid, seemingly with a will of its own, settled over Meng Shuying's wounds, forming a thin protective layer.
When Su Luo finished, she noticed that Xie Hanzhu had been staring at her for quite some time. Seeing her finally done, Xie Hanzhu asked curiously, "Senior Sister, why are you acting like a different person? You're so concerned about her now."
Hearing that she seemed like a different person, Su Luo's heart skipped a beat. She quickly explained, "I'm worried that if she dies, the Sect Leader will investigate, and when they trace it back to us, our theft of the Mingxin Lamp will be exposed."
Xie Hanzhu, being simple-minded, accepted this explanation without further thought and nodded, "You're right. A death would be a big deal and could send us to the Disciplinary Hall. Senior Sister, you're very thoughtful."
Seeing that she wasn't pressing the issue, Su Luo breathed a sigh of relief.
She had Xie Hanzhu fetch clean water so she could turn Meng Shuying over and lay her on her back. Then, using a cloth soaked in water, she gently wiped the dirt from her face, revealing her true appearance.
Meng Shuying was still very young, her features not fully developed. Her face was small and thin, her skin pale and delicate, her chin sharp and fragile.
She kept her eyes closed, her brows furrowed, and her lips tightly pressed together, showing a stubborn resolve even in her discomfort.
As Su Luo wiped her face, she couldn't help but wonder what had happened to this frail and delicate child to turn her into the dark and obsessive villain depicted in the book.
Uncle Master Yunfei's internal medicine consisted of three pills, and Su Luo gave Meng Shuying one.
Whether it was the medicine or the spirit liquid that worked, Meng Shuying's fever subsided shortly after she took the pill.
Seeing that her fever had broken, Su Luo finally felt at ease. She placed the remaining pills by her pillow and instructed Han Yi, who was standing guard at the door, "Stay here until she wakes up."
"Yes, yes," Han Yi quickly agreed.
"I found it, I found it!" Xiao Ba suddenly chimed in Su Luo's mind. "I just went through the manual. It says that task completion is determined solely by the final outcome."
That meant as long as the task was completed in the end, there was a lot of room for maneuver.
"But there's another rule: If the host's behavior violates the character setting, the host will be punished."
"What does violating the character setting mean?"
"...Host, what you just did violates the character setting."
What was the original character setting?
A cannon fodder villain.
A cannon fodder villain who suddenly stopped being a villain, went out of her way to save Meng Shuying, and even treated her wounds with care. That was a complete break from the character's role!
Hearing this, Su Luo panicked slightly. "Why didn't you think of this sooner? What's the punishment for breaking character?"
Xiao Ba sounded sheepish, "The punishment depends on the extent of the break. Earlier, when you suddenly felt a headache in the woodshed, that was the system warning you. But you went ahead and broke character anyway…
The exact punishment… well, you'll find out when it happens..."
Su Luo: ...Useless system.
What kind of garbage system was this? Not only did it make her work for it without pay, but it also punished her for doing the job wrong!
Perhaps hearing her grumble, Xiao Ba quickly tried to reassure her, "Since only Xie Hanzhu and Han Yi know about this incident, the impact on the plot should be minimal. Besides, it's your first offense, so the punishment shouldn't be too severe."
Realizing she couldn't bargain with the system, Su Luo felt frustrated and helpless.
Looking at Han Yi's fawning face in front of her, she coldly ordered, "Don't tell Meng Shuying about any of this. Only the three of us should know."
Han Yi nodded quickly, "Yes, yes, I'll do as you say, Senior Sister."