In the first half-year after arriving at Yanmo Peak, Meng Shuying didn't quite adapt to her new life.
It was as if, after living in the shadows for so long, being suddenly brought into the warmth of sunlight left her feeling both comforted and unsettled. She felt like moss, growing in the cracks of a damp, dark pond, meant to stay hidden in the cold murky depths, not to be placed among beautiful flowers on land, bathed in sunlight and nourished by the same rain.
The one offering her this sunlight, her Senior Sister, acted as if everything was perfectly normal—as if it was all just a matter of course.
During this time, her Senior Sister treated Meng Shuying very well, patiently teaching her to read and write. In just six months, Meng Shuying progressed from illiterate to being able to write in beautiful, small script. With her newfound literacy, her tasks expanded. Besides studying, her Senior Sister would ask her to help organize the books in her study and sometimes even copy certain sections of them.
These books were rare and valuable, sent by the sect master and usually locked in the sect's library, out of reach for ordinary disciples. Only inner disciples with special permission from their elders could borrow and read them.
Meng Shuying, as a servant disciple, had no right to read such books according to the rules. However, if her Senior Sister instructed her to help with copying them, it wouldn't be breaking the rules for her to "accidentally" glance at them and memorize their contents.
Meng Shuying had an exceptional memory, almost photographic. While she couldn't fully comprehend the complex texts yet, she didn't let that stop her from remembering every word. It would only be much later, at a certain moment, that she would suddenly understand the meanings of those ancient texts and realize the deep intentions her Senior Sister had for her.
Unfortunately, she was too young at the time to think so far ahead. She spent most of her days troubled by the difficult words, worrying that she was too dim-witted and constantly fearing that her Senior Sister might one day abandon her for not being smart enough.
Though her Senior Sister took good care of her in terms of food, clothing, and shelter, her attitude was often cold and distant. Unless necessary, she rarely looked at Meng Shuying, let alone talked to her about anything other than their studies.
Meng Shuying was deeply bothered by her Senior Sister's coldness, but she tended to blame herself for it. She quickly came to the conclusion that her Senior Sister didn't like her because of how she looked—her pale complexion, sharp chin, and plain features were unattractive and lacking in fortune. Any random female disciple from Qingxu Sect looked far more appealing than her.
Moreover, her personality was unlikable: gloomy, twisted, and self-deprecating. Since her Senior Sister was closest to the bright and cheerful Xie Hanzhu, it was clear she preferred that kind of character. Meng Shuying, being the complete opposite, must have been naturally repellent to her.
The more she thought about it, the more convinced she became. She rationalized that it was only natural for her Senior Sister to not want to talk to her, and if she were in her Senior Sister's place, she wouldn't want to speak to someone like herself either.
With self-doubt and anxiety gnawing at her, Meng Shuying began to have recurring nightmares. She dreamed that, just as dawn broke, her Senior Sister would burst into her room, throw her belongings on the floor, and coldly declare, "From today onwards, you are no longer part of Yanmo Peak. We have nothing to do with each other anymore. Your life or death is no concern of mine."
Every time the dream reached that point, Meng Shuying would wake up drenched in cold sweat.
Though Yanmo Peak enjoyed spring-like weather all year round, the night breeze was still chilly. With her clothes soaked in sweat and clinging to her skin, sleep would elude her. After several nights of similar dreams, Meng Shuying began to fear the nights and the thought of falling asleep.
Each evening, after serving her Senior Sister until she fell asleep, Meng Shuying would return to her own room, light a candle, and sit by her bedside, staring blankly ahead for hours on end.
At only twelve or thirteen, the age when most children were still growing, Meng Shuying's body was as fragile as any mortal's since she hadn't yet started cultivating. After several sleepless nights, dark circles formed under her eyes, and she became increasingly tired and distracted during her daytime studies.
On the third day that she lost focus for no apparent reason, Su Luowei set down her book and silently observed her.
Meng Shuying kept her head down, her gaze fixed on nothing in particular, holding her brush motionless over the paper. Ink dripped from the brush, slowly seeping into the page, forming a small black blot that gradually expanded.
Only when the blot reached the size of a fingernail did Meng Shuying suddenly snap out of her daze. Fearing her Senior Sister would notice her lapse, she hurriedly tried to cover the ink stain with her hand.
But when she glanced up and saw her Senior Sister looking directly at her, she stiffened and quickly pulled her hand away.
Not knowing how to face her Senior Sister, she lowered her head again, staring at the ink smudge on her palm.
The ink, neither too light nor too dark, had soaked into the lines of her hand. She rubbed at the stain with her thumb, but it wouldn't come off.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the tips of her Senior Sister's shoes and felt her gaze on her from above. Her back stiffened, and she bit her lower lip.
Distracted and careless, failing to study properly—her Senior Sister must be disappointed in her.
After what felt like an eternity, she heard her Senior Sister say, "Bring a mirror."
The scolding she had expected didn't come, but instead, a simple request. Meng Shuying wasn't sure if she should be relieved or concerned. Was her Senior Sister no longer reprimanding her because she had already given up on her?
Unable to discern her own feelings, Meng Shuying's body reacted before her mind could, standing up and fetching a mirror from the bedroom.
Su Luowei didn't use the mirror herself but handed it to Meng Shuying. Gazing into it, Meng Shuying saw her own sunken cheeks, dark circles under her eyes, and dull, lifeless expression. After several nights without sleep, even the strongest body would be showing signs of wear.
"Your complexion is terrible," her Senior Sister remarked, her tone matter-of-fact.
Embarrassed, Meng Shuying didn't know how to explain herself and simply lowered her head even further.
"Haven't been sleeping well lately?" This time, there was a hint of concern in her voice.
Meng Shuying's lips trembled slightly before she managed to respond in a soft voice, "I haven't been sleeping well."
Su Luowei had never raised a child, and it had been far too long since she herself was twelve or thirteen. She couldn't guess the complex thoughts and reasons behind Meng Shuying's sleeplessness, so she attributed it to a lack of physical activity during the day.
Meng Shuying often spent entire days sitting with her, with her only exercise being cooking and tidying up. She had never seen Meng Shuying go out to play or make friends.
Though Meng Shuying had once said she had no friends in the sect, Su Luowei thought that at her age, making a few friends shouldn't be too difficult.
Recalling the small bird that often followed her and remembering something Xie Hanzhu had mentioned a few days ago, Su Luowei pondered for a moment before telling Meng Shuying, "Senior Sister Li from the spirit pet garden mentioned she's short on help. Starting tomorrow, I want you to go there every afternoon for an hour and lend a hand."
The next day, Su Luowei personally escorted Meng Shuying to the spirit pet garden.
Li senior sister was also a disciple of Yanmo Peak. Su Luowei had interacted with her a few times and found her to be a good person, so she entrusted Meng Shuying to her, hoping that the girl might make some friends there and not always be so alone.
Of course, Su Luowei didn't explain her true intentions to Meng Shuying. She merely said that because Meng Shuying hadn't been diligent in her studies, she was being punished by having to help out at the garden.
The spirit pet garden housed six or seven servant disciples around Meng Shuying's age. One of them, a boy named Li Guangyao, was Li senior sister's distant nephew. As a result, the other disciples subtly treated him as their leader.
After briefly introducing Meng Shuying to Li Guangyao and giving him a few instructions, Li senior sister left with Su Luowei.
Watching her Senior Sister's departing figure, Meng Shuying wanted to call out to her but couldn't muster the strength.
Once the two women had left, Li Guangyao sauntered over with a grin. "So, you're that lucky servant disciple, huh?"
It was well-known among the servant disciples that Su senior sister had been injured during a mission and that the sect master had assigned her a servant. That servant turned out to be the most overlooked and disliked disciple—Meng Shuying. The news had spread like wildfire, making Meng Shuying a hot topic for quite some time.
Most of the disciples envied her.
Servant disciples had a much lower quality of life compared to inner disciples, but now that Meng Shuying had been brought to Yanmo Peak, she was surely being treated well. If, by some stroke of luck, she discovered a spiritual root later on, her cultivation resources would far surpass theirs. The thought that such good fortune had fallen into her lap filled them with jealousy.
Some of the disciples, however, pitied her.
Everyone knew that Su senior sister had the hardest personality to please. In their view, Meng Shuying hadn't been chosen out of kindness; she was likely being taken in to be tormented under Su senior sister's harsh care.
Li Guangyao's tone was dripping with envy, clearly marking him as one of the first group. To him, Meng Shuying was just lucky enough to win Su senior sister's favor.
And, in a way, he wasn't wrong. Meng Shuying did feel incredibly fortunate to be on Yanmo Peak.
Li Guangyao had planned to engage in small talk with Meng Shuying to try and curry favor, but she didn't even glance at him, rolling up her sleeves and asking the nearby disciples, "What do you need me to do?"
In the spirit pet garden, most of the animals were low-grade, gentle beasts that had yet to develop any spiritual consciousness. Caring for them was not much different from tending to ordinary livestock. Meng Shuying's tasks were straightforward—feeding and cleaning the enclosures.
Before entering the working area, Meng Shuying was handed a small pouch. This pouch was not only proof of her right to be in the garden but also served as protection. It contained calming herbs and was engraved with a mysterious array that helped keep the spirit pets' emotions stable, preventing them from attacking humans.
From that day on, Meng Shuying began visiting the spirit pet garden after her daily lessons. Surprisingly, the physical labor left her exhausted enough to fall into deep sleep at night, and within two weeks, her complexion improved. However, her relationship with Li Guangyao took a different turn. At first indifferent to her, he began to make things difficult for her, turning hostile.
Spirit pets needed fresh food, and their meals were prepared three times a day: in the morning, at noon, and in the evening. Since Meng Shuying arrived after her lessons, she was responsible for the evening feedings.
Initially, Li Guangyao and the others would prepare the food, and all Meng Shuying had to do was carry it to the feeding stations. But soon, they stopped preparing the food altogether, leaving her to do it herself.
Preparing the food wasn't difficult—just mixing spirit grains with rabbit-eared algae—but gathering the algae was a challenge.
The algae grew in a shallow lake within the garden, and harvesting it required a pair of workers: one to cut the algae with a long sickle and another to catch it with a net before it sank to the bottom. The sickle and net were both specially made and quite heavy, difficult for even an adult man to manage, let alone Meng Shuying.
Fortunately, Meng Shuying was no stranger to hard work, having done it both at home and later at Qingxu Sect. Though awkward at first, she soon got the hang of it, swinging the sickle with impressive strength. Even Li senior sister was impressed by her determination.
But Li Guangyao wasn't finished. When his first plan failed, he devised another. Under the pretense of following Li senior sister's orders, he sent Meng Shuying to the deepest part of the garden to feed the Purple-Crowned Spirit Eagle.
The eagle was a female who had recently given birth, making her highly protective and dangerous. Meng Shuying, being unfamiliar with its temperament, would surely be injured.
As expected, Meng Shuying didn't emerge from the eagle's enclosure for a long time.
At the start of the hour, a disciple came running, reporting that Meng Shuying had been gravely injured by the eagle and had already been taken to Yun Fei Shishu's quarters for treatment. Hearing this, Su Luowei didn't even bother finishing her evening grooming. She hurriedly pinned up her hair and rushed to Yun Fei's residence.
By the time she arrived, Yun Fei had already treated Meng Shuying's injuries. She had sustained over twenty cuts and scratches from the eagle, all of which had been cleaned and bandaged. Though she would survive, she looked utterly pitiful.
But beyond those wounds, there were two major issues.
First, she had broken her leg while trying to avoid the eagle.
Second, she had been poisoned by the venom from the eagle's crown. The venom reacted violently to spiritual energy, making it impossible for even Yun Fei to use healing magic or pills.
This meant that neither Yun Fei nor Su Luowei could heal her injuries with spiritual energy or medicine. Her body would have to recover on its own, including her broken leg and all her wounds.
With Meng Shuying so severely injured, there was no way she could return to the spirit pet garden, and even keeping up with her daily lessons would be challenging. Most troublesome of all was that, from now on, Su Luowei would have to take care of her personally.