“Is that really Luozhilan from childhood?”
A man, a woman, and a Blue Fox stood beneath an ancient tree, gazing at the young Luozhilan not far away.
Limuqun looked at the little girl by the stream, her face wet with tears like pear blossoms in the rain.
Then, comparing that to the strong-willed figure from his memories who wouldn’t even allow a kiss from a passive position, he found it all the more unbelievable.
They say girls change a lot when they grow up, but this wasn’t just eighteen changes—it was eight hundred!
He turned to Luo Dan’er beside him and asked with a puzzled look, “Hey, Luo Dan’er, you’ve stayed by Luozhilan’s side the longest. Was she really like this in the past?”
“I…I don’t really know.” Luo Dan’er was also quite shocked as she looked at the girl by the creek, who looked so similar to herself, almost a perfect copy.
“Mother only split off a portion of her innate spiritual energy to give birth to me after she became a Golden Core Cultivator. She hardly ever talked about her past.”
“But there is one thing I can be certain of—Mother’s attitude toward childhood was definitely not very kind. The reason she resolutely practiced the Western Sect’s secret technique in reverse, cultivated the Jade Heart Elixir Mind Technique, renounced the Seven Emotions and Six Desires, and sought to attain the Great Vehicle through the Jade Maiden’s Path of Detachment, must be deeply connected to these childhood experiences.”
Seems like every psychological deviant has an unhappy childhood.
Limuqun frowned slightly, about to ask more, when he saw Luo Dan’er and Zuo Qiuli suddenly transform into two streams of energy and vanish into thin air right where they stood.
“What are you two doing?”
He asked in surprise, only to hear Zuo Qiuli’s voice in his ear:
“Hurry up and hide! She’s coming!”
Limuqun looked up in shock to see that the young Luozhilan who had been crouching by the creek crying had somehow already stood up and was walking toward the ancient tree.
Damn, why didn’t you say so earlier!
He immediately wanted to turn and flee, but just as he lifted his right leg, the young Luozhilan had already reached the ancient tree with light steps.
She stretched out her fair neck, her bright eyes fixed intently on Limuqun beneath the tree, her gaze flickering with confusion and incomprehension.
“Hey, who are you?”
“Why are you in my backyard?!”
It was over. Completely over.
Limuqun froze where he stood, his raised leg stiff in midair like a statue.
“Aren’t you the best at making things up? Say something, quick!”
The reminder from Zuo Qiuli in his mind snapped him out of his stupor.
Years of deception—no, years of maneuvering through the Rivers and Lakes—allowed him to react instantly.
With a thud, Limuqun knelt down.
They say a man’s knees are worth their weight in gold; today, let me borrow some in advance!
He bowed respectfully and said, “Your humble servant greets the Fairy!”
“???”
This time it was the young Luozhilan’s turn to be stunned.
“Y-Your humble servant?”
She sized up the man before her—tall and handsome, a first-rate dashing wanderer in the Rivers and Lakes.
Such a handsome youth… could he really be her family’s old servant?!
Since when did her family have such a servant?!
Seeing her incredulous expression, Limuqun hurriedly explained:
“Yes… your humble servant indeed!”
He lowered his head, speaking with utmost humility, “Your humble servant has worked in the manor since childhood. The masters in the household call me ‘Stable Supervisor,’ as I’m just a stablehand.”
“Stable Supervisor?” The young Luozhilan pondered, her confusion easing a bit as curiosity crept into her eyes.
“That’s an interesting name, but I’ve never heard it before.”
Seeing that his lie was working, Limuqun quickly continued fabricating:
“Your humble servant spends most days in the stable eating and drinking, and the only ones I interact with are the horses. Fairy hasn’t seen me before, so naturally it’s normal.”
“I see.” The young Luozhilan nodded but still asked cautiously, “If you usually live in the stable, why are you here today?”
“This creek isn’t exactly forbidden territory, but it’s rarely visited—almost deserted.”
“You’re acting suspiciously here today. Could it be that you’re plotting some kind of scheme?!”
She widened her eyes, staring straight at Limuqun.
Well, if you guessed “scheme,” you’d be right…
Limuqun was momentarily speechless, but suddenly inspiration struck him.
Maybe sincerity is the best ultimate skill, better than lies!
So, he lowered his head, acting shy and bashful as he said, “Your humble servant once caught a glimpse of Fairy in the stable and thought Fairy’s beauty unmatched, as if from the heavens. Since then, your humble servant has been unable to control his yearning, thinking day and night, unable to eat or sleep.”
“Today, I happened to see Fairy coming here alone, and I was so entranced that I followed Fairy all the way.”
His tone was earnest, carrying a mixture of shyness, longing, and the relief and joy of confession.
Then he prostrated himself and pleaded, “Fairy, Fairy, your humble servant knows he was wrong, he knows he was wrong!”
“Please, Fairy, look upon your humble servant’s sincere heart and forgive me this once!”
The young Luozhilan had never seen such a display before and didn’t quite know how to respond, muttering softly, “I didn’t say I…”
“Enough, enough,” she waved her hand generously, “You’d better leave quickly. I’ll pretend I never saw you.”
“But don’t get any more improper ideas!”
“Thank you, Fairy, thank you, your humble servant will surely change!”
Limuqun gratefully expressed thanks while turning to flee.
Just then, the young Luozhilan suddenly seemed to remember something and called out to his retreating back:
“That’s not right! As a servant in the household, how could you have such improper thoughts?”
“Didn’t you undergo purification when you entered?!”
Limuqun had just lifted his leg again but was frozen by that question.
Damn, what kind of perverted family is this? Even the servants have to be cleansed to become eunuchs.
With such a family upbringing, no wonder they produced a misandrist and repressed psychotic like Luozhilan!
But no matter how he answered, it was a lose-lose question.
If he said yes, they’d drag up why he hadn’t been purified.
If he said no, what if she made him take off his pants to check?
A fatal dilemma!
“Hey, hey, hey, Zuo Qiuli.” Seeing himself about to be exposed, Limuqun hurriedly called out in his mind, “What happens if young Luozhilan detects something strange? Will this memory break down?”
“Not exactly. Since she’s the protagonist of this memory, if she notices the anomaly, won’t she spread the word everywhere?”
“If that happens, whatever we want to do will be extremely difficult!”
“Why didn’t you say so earlier? That’s easy to solve!”
Limuqun suddenly had an epiphany, turned around, and instead ran toward the young Luozhilan.
“What are you thinking? I don’t get it,” Zuo Qiuli asked curiously in his mind.
“What am I thinking? Didn’t the Great Sage Equal to Heaven disobey? What about the Six Eared Macaque?”
Zuo Qiuli immediately understood Limuqun’s meaning without further explanation.
A blue-green aura silently drifted behind the young Luozhilan.
“Huh? Instead of running away, you’re coming toward me?” The young Luozhilan was a bit startled as Limuqun ran up to her.
“Well then, this saves me some effort.”
She waved her small hand, ready to seize the sneaky “Stable Supervisor.”
But before she could act, with a dull “clang,” the young Luozhilan’s eyes darkened, and she fainted on the spot.
“Heh heh, after beating the young, I guess that counts as bullying the old!”
The culprit’s blue-green aura transformed into a human figure behind her, smugly lifting the unconscious young Luozhilan.
At that moment, Luo Dan’er, who had been hidden all along, finally jumped out.
Seeing Zuo Qiuli holding young Luozhilan, she anxiously said, “If you do this, and someone comes looking for Mother, how are we supposed to respond?”
“Don’t worry, don’t worry.” Limuqun’s eyes flickered between Luo Dan’er and young Luozhilan as he nodded approvingly, speaking slowly, “If they’re looking for Luozhilan, we’ll just give them a Luozhilan, won’t we?”
“Huh?”
Luo Dan’er suddenly felt uneasy under their intense gaze.