Chapter 15: Listen to Me Weaving a Tale from the Start

That Bai Lianyi was a troublemaker, yet Xiao Ce still hadn’t remembered her name.

He just assumed she was a mere mortal.

Elder Xue heard Xiao Ce call his child’s name and turned around, his face flushed with anger and embarrassment. “What are you doing? What’s this about?!”

“Bringing this up now means you’re suspecting my Yunhe, isn’t it?”

His tone rose sharply at this point. “He would never do such a thing!”

There was not a trace of amusement in Xiao Ce’s eyes; his smile remained as usual, but it sent a strange chill down one’s spine.

“Of course,” he said, “it’s best if there’s no connection.”

“After all, the Sword-Wielding Peak has never been soft-hearted.”

Elder Xue muttered something incoherent as he turned his head away.

Meanwhile, the little ball of energy hurried along the stone path at her fastest pace.

But no matter how fast she went, she only had two short legs; no matter the effort, she couldn’t get far.

Finally, her foot slipped, and with a thud, she slid down the grassy stone path.

“Ah?!”

“Help! Help!”

The little one cried out, panic flashing across her face.

Her fair palm was instantly scratched by the stones, and thin trails of blood began to spread.

Though the wounds were small, each one was enough to irritate.

Those tiny, persistent pains were the most tormenting.

No one was around; the usual guardian, Xu Yingying, was absent.

Xia Huanjiao could only support herself with both hands and slowly get up.

But the pain in her palm was too much; she couldn’t hold back tears, which fell like broken pearls onto the grass.

They disappeared instantly.

Xia Huanjiao wasn’t the kind to cry easily.

It was only due to the influence of this worn-out body that she grew so sensitive.

She tried to stand, but this frail body made everything harder than it should be.

She stretched out her hand and angrily tapped the ground.

“Miserable legs, hurry up and move!”

Yet, it was useless.

Just then, the collar of her back garment was suddenly lifted by an unseen force.

The little one was lifted and moved horizontally, rising further from the ground.

Her feet left the earth completely, and she couldn’t help but utter in fright, “Hey, hey, hey?”

“Stop, stop!”

Warm breath brushed the back of her neck; the heavy exhale didn’t sound human.

Not knowing what had lifted her, Xia Huanjiao could only plead repeatedly, “Put me down, put me down!”

“Tch!”

What was that sound?

Just as Xia Huanjiao’s heart leapt to her throat, she was lifted higher and then tossed onto the back of this creature.

Its white fur was immaculate, with a short, fluffy tail.

Its ears, also white, had pink tips, soft and adorable.

On its head sprouted a pair of short antlers, also white.

Pure and elegant.

But when it turned to look at Xia Huanjiao, she was somewhat surprised.

For this spirit deer had a pair of red eyes.

The Azure Mountain Spirit Deer belonged solely to Azure Mountain Ridge.

Usually, they were the gentlest of spirit beasts, rarely showing aggression.

Their meat was delicious and infused with spiritual energy, making them prized food in the cultivation world.

However...

Xia Huanjiao had never seen a spirit deer with red eyes before.

Nor one so understanding of humans.

She was genuinely astonished.

She reached out to hug the deer’s neck, pressing her cheek against its soft fur, sensing a familiar fragrance.

She wrinkled her nose, trying to recall where she had smelled it before.

Then she asked, “Do you know where I need to go?”

The spirit deer turned its head and gave a disdainful “Tch.”

Quite proud.

This surprised Xia Huanjiao even more.

Were the Azure Mountain Spirit Deer really this sentient?

Suppressing her doubts, she saw the deer shake its front hoof and dash out like a gust of wind.

Riding this was entirely different from being carried by Xu Yingying on a flying sword.

The deer’s steps were agile, contrasting sharply with Xu Yingying’s steady sword flight.

The wind brushed her face, carrying the scent of the deer—a herald of spring’s arrival.

The spirit deer brought Xia Huanjiao to the cold river beside Reflection Cliff.

There, she saw Bai Lianyi collapsed on the ground, barely breathing, and Xue Yunhe unconscious.

Bai Lianyi was drenched in sweat, as if she had done something unspeakable.

Xue Yunhe’s clothes were disheveled as well.

To any onlooker, it would seem they had been involved in some illicit affair.

But Xia Huanjiao knew Xue Yunhe hadn’t touched Bai Lianyi.

After all, in the novel, a cannon fodder could never lay a finger on the “protagonist.”

This was all Bai Lianyi’s scheme, designed to make Xue Yunhe feel guilty.

At that moment, the gossip system in Xia Huanjiao’s mind activated again.

[Loading plot...]
[After Bai Lianyi’s smooth advances with Lin Xiao, she framed Xue Yunhe, making him believe he had defiled Bai Lianyi’s purity and must take responsibility.]

[Xue Yunhe took responsibility.]

[Bai Lianyi breathed a sigh of relief. Under the care of the Elder in the Alchemy Tower, her life improved significantly, and she was able to pass more information to Lin Xiao.]

[Then suddenly, Bai Lianyi’s condition worsened; her cultivation vanished. When the Elder took her pulse, he discovered she was pregnant...]

Xia Huanjiao: ...

Hearing this plot, her brow furrowed instantly.

Wow.

This was just too cruel.

Becoming an unwilling father without doing anything?

Although she wanted to teach Xue Yunhe a lesson about the treacherous nature of people,

she never imagined the child would suffer such injustice.

After all, they were disciples of the Sword Sect, and being slandered like this without cause was simply absurd.

Thinking this, Xia Huanjiao beckoned the spirit deer beside her and whispered, “Can you call a couple of your kind to help carry this person back?”

All things have a spirit.

For some reason, Xia Huanjiao felt the spirit deer understood her words.

It would help her.

As expected, the spirit deer lifted its head, looking even more proud.

“Tch!” (Of course.)

Xia Huanjiao tiptoed, reaching out with her chubby little hand to stroke Ninglu’s ear, whispering softly, “Thank you.”

Then she hurried over to Xue Yunhe, took a sleeping pill from her Qiankun pouch, and placed it into his mouth.

Seeing Bai Lianyi about to awaken nearby, she mercilessly pried open her mouth and did the same.

Now she was ready to start weaving her story.

The disciples of the Sword-Wielding Peak saw three spirit deer rushing toward them from afar.

They all raised their swords, prepared to defend.

But on the leading deer, they recognized a familiar figure.

It was their young sect leader.

The young leader’s face bore fresh bruises, her fair skin smudged with dirt, her clothes disheveled—she looked mistreated.

This instantly stirred righteous anger among them.

Who could be so heartless?

How could they harm such an innocent child?

The young leader leapt into the elder’s arms, her voice filled with extreme grievance.

“It—it was Lin Xiao!”

Then, with her eyes closed, she fainted.