As the sky dimmed and the moon rose above the willows, the night settled in.
Under the guidance of Uncle Yun Fei, Li Shijie and another disciple carried a stretcher up to Yanmo Peak. Su Luowei led the way with a lantern, occasionally glancing back at the person on the stretcher. Seeing Meng Shuying's brow furrowed in pain, she unconsciously quickened her pace.
After settling Meng Shuying into her room, Li Shijie and the other disciple left. Before departing, Li Shijie promised Su Luowei, "I'll investigate the cause of Meng Shuying's injuries first thing in the morning. I won't let her suffer this injustice."
Having said that much, Su Luowei could hardly ask for more. She thanked Li Shijie and sent her off. When she returned to Meng Shuying's room, she found the girl already trying to sit up, one hand bracing against the bed and one foot on the ground as if she intended to stand.
"What do you think you're doing? Lie down and rest!" Su Luowei hurried over, gently supporting her shoulder and pushing her back onto the bed.
She must have pressed against one of her wounds because Meng Shuying let out a muffled groan, which startled Su Luowei into immediately releasing her, worried about causing further harm.
Despite her pale, paper-like complexion and the blood loss weakening her, Meng Shuying was stubborn, still struggling to sit up again.
Her voice trembled as she muttered, "I'm dirty…"
Indeed, her body was a mess, covered in a mixture of mud and blood. Although Yun Fei had already cleaned her up a bit, the dirt and bloodstains still marred the bedding.
"At a time like this, and you're worried about that?" Su Luowei felt a wave of irritation, but when she met Meng Shuying's cautious gaze, her anger dissipated.
She knew. She had always known.
Even though Meng Shuying had lived on Yanmo Peak for half a year and they saw each other daily, the girl still feared her. Perhaps the original owner of her body had left a deep scar on Meng Shuying, or maybe it was Su Luowei's own cold demeanor. Either way, Meng Shuying was always as skittish as a startled bird, constantly on edge.
Su Luowei sighed inwardly, pressing her fingers against her temples to ease the dull ache forming there.
And yet, despite everything, Meng Shuying said, "Senior Sister, if you're tired, you can go rest. I can manage on my own."
When Su Luowei opened her eyes, she saw Meng Shuying's frail body stained with blood and her right leg tightly bound in a splint. The girl's lips trembled, but she tried to appear strong, her face set with quiet determination.
Su Luowei pinched the bridge of her nose. How was this child so stubborn?
Having made up her mind, Su Luowei stopped hesitating. She held Meng Shuying's shoulders with one hand and began to undo her outer robe with the other.
Caught off guard, Meng Shuying instinctively shrank back toward the inner side of the bed, but Su Luowei was prepared. She pressed her knee against the girl's legs and, in just a few swift movements, removed her soiled robe, leaving her in only her inner garments.
Meng Shuying's skin was pale and smooth, like freshly peeled lotus seeds—delicate and soft.
Ignoring her protests, Su Luowei pulled the quilt over her and tucked it in. Straightening up, she tossed the dirty clothes onto the floor and shot Meng Shuying a stern look. "There, is that better? Not dirty anymore, right?"
Meng Shuying seemed frightened. She clutched the blanket tightly, hiding half her face behind it, her wide eyes full of panic as she stared at Su Luowei. After a long moment, she hesitantly stretched out her arms, murmuring, "But Senior Sister… I'm still dirty…"
Truthfully, Su Luowei didn't have much experience taking care of others, especially knowing that the young girl she was tending to would one day become a ruthless villain. Though, of course, at this moment, Meng Shuying was just a twelve-year-old girl, harmless and innocent. But who knew? Maybe years later, she would remember this "humiliating" time and come back for revenge.
Faced with Meng Shuying's pleading eyes, Su Luowei's first instinct was to refuse. But she couldn't bring herself to be that heartless.
Throughout their time together, Su Luowei had struggled with how to care for Meng Shuying in a way that was considerate but not overly affectionate, distant yet attentive—a balance that had proven difficult to strike.
Leaving the room, Su Luowei fetched a basin of warm water and soaked a clean cloth in it. She wrung it out and handed it to Meng Shuying.
Meng Shuying carefully peeled back the corner of the blanket and began wiping the blood and dirt from her arms and chest. As she wiped away the dried blood, the warmth of the cloth soothed her aching body, but it also dirtied the cloth. Staring at the soiled rag in her hands, Meng Shuying suddenly felt uncomfortable.
Her Senior Sister was always so clean and tidy, always changing her clothes as soon as they got the slightest bit dirty. The thought of Su Luowei washing this filthy rag with her delicate hands was unbearable to Meng Shuying.
Lowering her head, she clutched the rag tightly, lost in thought, until she felt another warm cloth pressed into her hand. Startled, she looked up, wanting to say something, but the words caught in her throat.
Su Luowei, her expression calm, made a small hand gesture, and a red flame ignited, reducing the dirty rag to ashes.
Because of the poison in Meng Shuying's body, Su Luowei couldn't use her spiritual energy to cleanse her. She had to wring out the cloth by hand. But once it was dirty, she had no intention of keeping it and simply burned it away.
Seeing Meng Shuying's blank stare, Su Luowei thought she was upset over the loss of the cloth. Frowning slightly, she said, "Don't worry about it. I'll give you a new one tomorrow."
Meng Shuying blinked in surprise. Her already pale face turned even whiter as she clenched the quilt with trembling hands. It took all her strength to suppress the bitterness in her heart as she whispered, "I wouldn't dare trouble Senior Sister…"
So, her Senior Sister still disliked her.
It was no wonder. She was so filthy that even she would have despised herself. How could her immaculate Senior Sister feel any differently?
Despite trying to console herself, Meng Shuying couldn't help but feel a sense of loss. She lowered her head and silently continued cleaning herself.
Su Luowei said nothing, simply handing her fresh, warm cloths in silence. When Meng Shuying struggled to reach her injured leg, Su Luowei moved forward and lifted the quilt.
The young girl's leg, once pale and delicate, was now swollen and bruised. Though it had been treated and splinted, it was clear how severe the injury had been.
"Let me do it." Gently lifting Meng Shuying's leg by the knee, Su Luowei carefully wiped away the grime. Her touch was gentle, but her words held no mercy. "You're too slow. At this rate, we'll be up all night."
The coolness of Su Luowei's hands and the warmth of the cloth created an odd sensation. Though the water wasn't particularly hot, Meng Shuying felt as though she were being scorched. Her heart trembled, and her body went limp against the bed. She stared up at the dark ceiling, her eyes moist.
Once finished, Su Luowei noticed that Meng Shuying had pulled the quilt over her head, hiding herself entirely. Understanding that a young girl's emotions could be fleeting and unpredictable, Su Luowei didn't bother guessing at her thoughts. She gently patted the lump under the blanket. "Sleep now. I'll check on you in the morning."
Hearing that Su Luowei was about to leave, Meng Shuying hurriedly pulled down the quilt, revealing her slightly red eyes and pitiful face. "Will Senior Sister really come tomorrow?"
"Of course."
Of course she would come back. Su Luowei's room was just across the hall—barely a few steps away. And besides, who else would take care of Meng Shuying? She couldn't expect the injured girl to get up and cook or do laundry for herself, could she?
Finding the question odd but not pressing further, Su Luowei straightened the quilt and retrieved a sachet from the spirit pet garden, hanging it by Meng Shuying's bed. "You're injured, so you might have trouble sleeping tonight. The herbs in this sachet will help you rest."
After Su Luowei left, Meng Shuying listened quietly to her fading footsteps. When she heard the faint creak of a door, she knew her Senior Sister had returned to her own room.
She lay there in silence for a long time, waiting for the sound of a door closing, but it never came. Glancing at the half-open door, she tugged the quilt down, exposing her face to the cool night air.
The sachet hanging by her bed released a calming fragrance—an herbal scent that filled her with a sense of peace.
Had her Senior Sister sent her to the spirit pet garden because she knew she hadn't been sleeping well?
Meng Shuying's thoughts swirled in her mind. She saw images of her Senior Sister's cold expression, Li Guangyao's sneering face, and the mocking glances of others. But in the end, only the warmth in Su Luowei's eyes remained.
Reaching out, Meng Shuying touched the sachet by her bed. It was different from the ones Li Guangyao and the other disciples wore—more delicate, with a richer fragrance.
By late morning the next day, Xie Hanzhu hurried over.
She arrived just as Su Luowei, sleeves rolled up, was standing at the stove, stirring a pot of porridge for Meng Shuying.
Holding a wooden spoon in one hand and controlling the flame with the other, Xie Hanzhu stood nearby, watching in disbelief. It wasn't until she realized there was no actual fire under the pot that she understood—Su Luowei was using her spiritual fire to cook porridge!
Spiritual fire, usually reserved for alchemy, was being used to make porridge—what a waste!
Peering into the pot, Xie Hanzhu saw that the porridge was nothing special, just ordinary rice with a slight burnt smell. She shook her head repeatedly in disbelief.
Su Luowei, not caring whether Xie Hanzhu ate or not, handed her a bowl of porridge. "What did the spirit pet garden say?"
Reluctantly accepting the bowl, Xie Hanzhu sat down but hesitated to take a bite, staring at the less-than-appetizing porridge. She sighed and said, "Li Shijie interrogated the disciples last night. They all claimed that Meng Shuying had asked to feed the Purple-Crowned Spirit Eagle herself."
"They're lying." Su Luowei's response was immediate. "Meng Shuying hasn't been at the garden long enough to know the spirit pets' habits. She would never have made such a request." And since the disciples worked in pairs, it was suspicious that Meng Shuying had been left alone. Most likely, she had been bullied.
"So..." Xie Hanzhu hesitated. "Should we report this to the sect leader?"
"It won't do any good." Su Luowei shook her head. "It's just petty squabbling between servant disciples, and no one died. The sect leader won't get involved."
"Are we just going to let it go?" Xie Hanzhu was furious. "Anyone can see that Meng Shuying's injuries weren't an accident."
Su Luowei glanced at her calmly. "Lower your voice. Meng Shuying is still sleeping. Don't wake her."
Chastened, Xie Hanzhu fell silent for a moment before quietly asking, "So what's your plan, Senior Sister?"