Chapter 1: Remote Town

After leaving the Daoist sect, Shuang Feixue traveled day and night, finally arriving with the child at a rather prosperous town in the northern borders of the Great Zhou Kingdom. The town was called Huaniang Town.

It was famous for its honey wine brewed from flower nectar. The previous emperor of Great Zhou had once tasted it and declared it a rare delight in the world, which was how it gained its renown.

The reason she chose this place to live in seclusion was simple: Shuang Feixue loved sweets and even more so sweet wine. This town suited her perfectly.

It was also far enough away that her old enemies would not easily find her here—especially since, under the watchful eye of that State Preceptor, they could not casually cross national borders.

Even if they somehow did, what clues could they possibly follow?

Shuang Feixue had relied purely on her lightness skill and inner energy to fly all the way to Great Zhou, taking only three days. She was confident that few experts in the jianghu could trace her path.

That said, she had still encountered plenty of problems in the past few days.

Shuang Feixue had absolutely no idea how to raise a child. As the holy maiden of a Daoist sect, she had been kept far from worldly matters since childhood.

Though her martial arts were unmatched, her knowledge of everyday life was half-baked at best—especially when it came to caring for an infant.

Even the most basic way to hold him had been copied from watching others. To this day, the child would cry nonstop in her arms simply because she did not know how to adjust her strength properly.

She was equally clueless about changing diapers. The most basic messes baffled her. Food was another issue—her figure was voluptuous, but she produced no milk. These past few days, she had kept the child fed only with cold rice porridge, forcibly passing it to him with true qi.

And now, this newly minted mother—a virgin no less—stood in the middle of the street, desperately trying to soothe the incessantly crying baby in her arms.

“Sweetheart, be good… be good…”

The peerless woman once known as strongest under heaven rocked the swaddled infant back and forth, hoping to lull him to sleep. But a hungry baby could not sleep—he could only cry.

This gave Shuang Feixue a terrible headache. She could hardly conjure milk out of thin air.

After thinking it over, she headed to the gathering place for jianghu folk: the post station. As long as one had money, they could solve any need for food, clothing, or shelter. Milk, however… that remained to be seen.

With nothing to lose, the unparalleled beauty strode toward the post station.

A short while later.

Everyone in the post station was watching a good show. The scene had even drawn a crowd of common townsfolk, who leaned in to eavesdrop on the conversation between the waiter and this breathtaking woman—especially since she was holding a child. A figure like Shuang Feixue was a rare sight in this small town.

“Do you have any milk here?”

“Honored guest, I’ve already told you several times—we truly don’t have milk at this post station.”

Shuang Feixue nodded faintly. A tael of broken silver appeared on the table.

“How about now?”

At the sight of money, the waiter could hardly refuse. The onlookers were growing in number, and the innkeeper’s glare was turning unfriendly. The waiter quickly pulled Shuang Feixue aside and whispered.

“Guest, we really don’t have milk here…”

“Fine. Return my money, then. I’ll look elsewhere.”

The waiter, who had been reluctant moments ago, suddenly panicked and hurriedly added.

“Wait, guest! No need to rush off! I wasn’t finished. Though we don’t have milk ourselves, I do have information. Recently, the Zhang family in the southern part of town welcomed a new baby girl and hired a wet nurse. You could try there.”

“And if that doesn’t work?”

To be absolutely certain, Shuang Feixue asked one more question.

“That’s easy too. Huaniang Town may not be wealthy, but the people are kindhearted. There’s a clinic in town run by a truly good physician. Her daughter just gave birth to a chubby girl. If the Zhang family doesn’t work out, you can ask her for help.”

“Thank you.”

Another tael of broken silver flew into the waiter’s hand. After receiving it, he bowed deeply to the retreating figure of the stunning woman holding the infant, then tossed the newly earned silver to the innkeeper before returning to his duties.

The crowd, seeing Shuang Feixue hurry out of the station, gradually dispersed and went back to their own business.

In a quiet alley, Shuang Feixue gently smiled at the now-exhausted infant in her arms. Her smile was full of joy—more joyful in this single moment than she had ever been in her entire life. She was genuinely happy that this child would not go hungry, even though he was not her own flesh and blood.

She had learned from her master that this child would be the one person she truly loved in her lifetime, and that he would love her just as deeply in return. It was their shared fate—that was what her master had said, and what Shuang Feixue herself believed.

Some things, after all, were destined from the very first moment they met.

“Good boy, Nanxi. Don’t cry anymore. You’ll have milk soon—just bear with it a little longer.”

“Giggle…”

The baby laughed like silver bells, clear and intermittent. Shuang Feixue adored this child from the bottom of her heart. Nanxi was not like other infants who cried constantly; most of the time he smiled. Only when hungry did he let out those tiny, adorable whimpers and squirms.

The child already had a name. It was told to her by the woman who had been protecting him when Shuang Feixue found him. That woman had only given the child’s personal name—nothing else. So Shuang Feixue did not know his full surname, whether it was truly Nan or something else. But it did not matter. Knowing his name was enough for her.

Before long, Shuang Feixue arrived with Nanxi at the Zhang family estate and secured milk.

Of course, the process had not been easy. For instance, when the gate guards blocked her way, she dealt with them—and several others—decisively. This drew out the master of the house, who threatened to report her to the county magistrate. In the end, Shuang Feixue had no choice but to use a bit of force to bring the entire household to heel.

Fortunately, it meant Nanxi could finally enjoy a full meal.

But it also left her owing a favor. Master Zhang was a martial arts enthusiast. Seeing Shuang Feixue’s extraordinary skill, he promptly invited her to become a retainer for the Zhang family. The duties were simple: teach some martial techniques to the younger generation and household servants, and serve as an occasional escort.

Shuang Feixue had already been worrying about the future. Seeing his interest, she agreed without hesitation—it also neatly resolved the earlier conflict.

As for why Master Zhang was so fond of martial arts, the story was a long one. Huaniang Town’s honey wine trade was dominated by two great families: the Song family in the north and the Zhang family in the south. Their ancestors had started the business together and shared a close bond. Unfortunately, later generations fell out over profits.

At first it was tolerable—they grumbled verbally at most, out of respect for their forebears. But in the past couple of years, the Song family’s son had married into a high-ranking court official’s family. This put the Zhang family in increasing danger. Skirmishes grew frequent, yet they dared not speak out or act because of that powerful connection. Their position had become precarious.

Fortunately, Shuang Feixue had arrived. With her martial prowess alone, the Zhang family’s safety was assured—at least no bloody incidents would occur.

And so, Shuang Feixue settled down here with Nanxi.