[Oh right,] the voice on the other end of the phone called back to the Lion King bandit chief, followed by a man’s sinister chuckle.
[Let her die knowing why. Make that little octopus dig deep into her past… Got it?]
“Got it,” the Lion King bandit chief replied with a knowing smile.
……
Inside the tomb’s inner chamber, I fiddled with the Reincarnation Stone.
Sitting on the ground with my legs splayed, I enjoyed this moment of isolation and peace.
My mind wandered in quiet contemplation.
—In the world of cultivators, turning a blind eye to what doesn’t concern you is the most basic rule of survival.
You repay the kindness you’re owed, no more, no less.
Don’t form unnecessary bonds, and don’t awaken dangerous mortal emotions.
According to the survival code I’ve lived by for years, my connection with Cluru should have ended the moment I helped her cleanse her meridians.
By my plan, I should be off fulfilling my dream of returning home in glory.
That’s why, after that, I began to feel my dao heart waver, uncertain of which path to take.
I went to see a psychologist, trying to make a clean break and sever all the messy karmic ties.
But then, in a moment of crisis, the Qilin statue collapsed.
Cluru pushed me away and added yet another chain to this karma, binding our ankles together— binding us in a way that couldn’t be broken.
The karma that already had us tightly entangled became even more hopelessly knotted.
Then came that dream.
As awful as that experience was, I’m grateful for it— it made me realize something.
—I’m afraid I’ll never be able to harden my heart and abandon that girl.
Otherwise, my dao heart will never be at peace for the rest of my life.
“If I can’t let her go, then I’ll face it head-on!”
I know Cluru has a twisted dependence on me.
In her dark world, she sees me as her only lifeline.
But I’m different.
If I’m honest with myself, even though Cluru is the most beautiful and adorable girl I’ve ever met, I don’t harbor any improper desires toward her.
My experiences in the cultivation world have made me wary of overly intimate relationships… I only trust in strength.
Strength— until I regain absolute power and a sense of complete safety, I don’t want to be entangled too deeply with anyone.
And yet, I still can’t let go of Cluru.
Then we need a new kind of relationship.
One that is close but not overly intimate— one where we can grow stronger together in harmony and mutual respect.
With that thought, the mental knot that had troubled me for half a month finally, completely, one hundred percent unraveled.
“I’ve made up my mind!”
Little Fox’s mood soared as she skipped out of the tomb, her small feet wrapped in white silk tapping lightly on the stone floor.
She raised a delicate hand and pointed proudly ahead.
“From today on, Cluru, you are officially my final personal disciple! I, the Immortal Venerable, will teach you everything I know and protect you until you become the second strongest in the world!
Now kneel and acknowledge your master!”
Huh?
What’s going on?
Why does the atmosphere outside feel… off?
“Bang!”
Inside the cave, the Lion King bandit chief kicked open the cage door.
Facing Cluru, who cowered in the corner of the cage, his tone and expression were filled with malicious intent that made one’s blood run cold:
“Well, well. Miss Infamous Evil God. What gave you the courage to step into the human world?”
Evil God.
Cluru’s eyes flew wide open.
It had been a long time since anyone had called her that.
Seventeen years, to be exact.
But the despairing memories tied to those two words came flooding back the instant she heard them.
She clutched her ears in terror, trying to block out the terrible echoes from the past.
Evil God… Evil God…
“How does a monster like you even have the nerve to go to school?”
“Did you curse your parents to death?”
“Sorry, but monsters aren’t welcome in the human world.”
“Do the world a favor and off yourself before you become a threat, okay?”
“Get out! Tentacle freak! Get out! Get out of this house!”
The young “Evil God” had yet to recover from the loss of her parents when suddenly, the whole world bared its fangs at her.
Terrified, she fled in a panic—but no matter how vast the world, there wasn’t a single place she could call home.
Until she found her way to a hospital.
“Just give up on treatment.”
Cluru saw a boy lying in a hospital bed, with men and women gathered around him.
The man said calmly, “Even if he wakes up, so what? He’s the most useless one in the family. It doesn’t matter if he’s gone.”
“…Are you sure you want to give up treatment? The tests show there might still be a chance he’ll wake up.”
“Yeah. Give up on him.”
That day, Cluru stood on tiptoe at the bedside, staring curiously at the bloodied boy.
No one wants you either, huh…
No.
I’ll take you.
And you’ll want me too, right~?
……
“So it really is you.” Seeing Cluru’s spirit sink in an instant, the Lion King bandit chief smiled even more brightly.
He’d long heard about Cluru’s family affairs.
The master he now served was one of the very people who had driven her out all those years ago.
In that household, no one wanted to see Cluru alive.
If he followed orders and tortured this girl to death, he was certain to earn the favor of that family— and rise to become their top-ranked mercenary!
“Students from Class One and Class Two, I bet you didn’t know this!” Following his script, the Lion King continued, “Your classmate Cluru is actually the infamous Evil God from seventeen years ago!”
“She killed her own parents and got thrown out by her family. Everyone knows she’s evil… Look at her spirit beast—an octopus! Have you ever heard of anyone else with an octopus spirit?”
“This octopus is one-of-a-kind in the world!
She is the Evil God!”
The Lion King slowly stepped up to the cage.
He raised the blade in his hand and tapped it against the bars.
“Little monster, time to die. You’ve been running for seventeen years— you can’t run forever.”
“No one wants you anymore. What’s the point of you even being alive?”
“Come on, let me cut off that head of yours. Heh… come on…”
Zzzzt!— BOOM!!
A furious bolt of lightning, bright as a nuclear blast, melted half the cage in an instant.
The Lion King recoiled in shock and fury.
That power— who?!
“Who said… she’s unwanted?”
I stood before Cluru.
In perfect harmony with heaven and earth, my immortal robe billowing, I had entered a transcendental state of mind, showing not a shred of mercy toward my enemies.
I paid no mind to the stares around me— neither the classmates nor the bandits could shake me.
“Cluru, call me Master. From today onward, your master will protect your peace for the rest of your life,” I said calmly.
Cluru:
“Wifey (ˊ˘ˋ*)♡.”