An Encounter with the Tsundere Immortal Lady Chapter 35

Only the cool water kept her from immediately sinking. The flowing river water also washed away the ceaseless tears from her face, so she wouldn’t seem quite so vulnerable. The agony of losing her most beloved had nearly destroyed her. In the vast expanse of heaven and earth, she felt she had no place to call home.
Home. She used to have a home. Although it was just a dilapidated small wooden cabin, inside lived her most cherished person. There was someone who cooked meals for her every day—food that might seem unremarkable to others, but to her, it was the most delicious in the world, waiting for her return. There was a dilapidated, simple room that often leaked when it rained, but it was hers alone. That was her home, the home where she had grown up since she was little.
But now it was gone. Nothing was left. Only ruins and rubble remained, with ashes drifting everywhere. Everything was gone, as if it had never been there at all.
She was like duckweed floating on water—alone, without support, adrift with the currents.
She closed her eyes, forcing herself not to dwell on these thoughts. She tried to clear her mind. It’s best not to know anything, not to think about anything, as if none of it ever happened.
But she couldn’t get her wish. This world always had those who loved to disturb others’ peace. She impatiently opened her eyes and looked towards the little girl in peculiar clothes who was curiously approaching her from the sky. Even she could feel the utter lack of warmth in her own words: “Don’t bother me. Stay away.”
She had always been this impolite, actually. But in her current state, she truly had no patience to speak politely to anyone, not even wanting to utter a single word.
If this finely dressed little fairy’s hand really poked her face, she absolutely wouldn’t pay her any mind. So what if she was a legendary, omnipotent fairy who could fly through the heavens and burrow through the earth? Could she save them?
Save them?! She abruptly sat up from the ground and asked the little girl standing on a flying sword in the distance, “Do you know magic?”
The girl was about the same age as her, around six or seven. Such a small child, she even wobbled a bit while riding her flying sword. Yet, she put on an air of adult-like seriousness, her small face stern. “It depends on what kind of magic. We cultivators naturally know common spells.” Though her face was stern, a hint of pride could be heard in her voice.
Suppressing the surging emotions in her heart, she asked, “Then can you save them? They were killed! They were good people their whole lives, they didn’t deserve to die!” As she spoke, her eyes welled up with tears again.
“Well…” The little girl looked a bit embarrassed, murmuring, “I can’t do anything about that either. If it was right when a mortal just died, feeding them a Vitality Return Pill might have a forty percent chance of bringing them back. But now… even my Master couldn’t revive them.”
Though she had expected as much, she still felt a pang of disappointment. The name “Vitality Return Pill” echoed in her mind. If only she’d had a Vitality Return Pill back then, maybe… they wouldn’t have died.
But it was too late for any of that now. She stopped talking, closed her eyes, and lay back down on the ground, no longer in the mood to bother with the little girl who called herself a “cultivator.”
“Are you alright?”
She didn’t want to respond, but that didn’t mean the other person thought the same. A soft, sweet girlish voice sounded by her ear, making it impossible for her to find peace.
She opened her eyes and looked angrily at the little girl wobbling on her flying sword, forcing out each word through gritted teeth, “‘Cultivator,’ you may look cute, but I’m really not in the mood to play house with you right now. If you want to fly, this world is vast, fly wherever you please. But for now, could you please just let me be alone for a while?” The loss was too fresh; she truly had no inclination to chat with this strange little girl. The tragedy had struck too suddenly, and her mind felt muddled.
“Uh…” The little girl seemed startled. Her already unsteady flying sword wobbled even more. Her fair, rosy little face turned a bit pale from fright. Even so, she didn’t turn and leave. Instead, she pouted, “You’re so rude! I was just trying to be nice. Why are you being so fierce?”
She had sensed the overwhelming murderous aura here earlier and wanted to see what was happening. Unfortunately, she had only just learned how to ride a sword. By the time she arrived, everyone in the village, young and old, had already been slaughtered by that murderous demon. Seeing such a scene, she also felt terrible. If it weren’t for her guilt, she might not have brazenly struck up a conversation with this surviving little girl. But this girl… how could she be so fierce to her? The more the little girl thought about it, the more wronged she felt, and her eyes unknowingly started to redden.
The angry little girl wanted to flick her sleeves and leave. But out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of the arm under the survivor’s simple, worn-out sleeve, covered in bruises. Strange, she clearly wasn’t touched by those demons, so how could she have such injuries? Unable to suppress her curiosity, the little girl shakily steered her flying sword lower, low enough to get a good look at the bruises, low enough to lift the survivor’s loose cotton sleeve. But just as her hand touched the patched, brown fabric, her wrist was grabbed, and she was pulled right off her flying sword, falling to the ground!
What’s going on?! Her hand was pinned down with utmost speed. The little girl looked up and saw a pair of dark, gloomy eyes. The survivor’s pale little face still had tears on it, and she was glaring fiercely at her.
“Speak! Who are you, and what do you really want?!” she demanded fiercely, looking at the girl who, despite falling to the ground, had not a speck of dust on her hair or clothes. Cultivators were omnipotent; usually, they wouldn’t even glance at the royal court officials in the capital city. Now, she truly didn’t understand why such a favored child of heaven would bother her so much.
It had to be said, her emotions, having just suffered such a heavy blow, were truly on edge. Anything happening around her could easily fray her raw and fragile nerves.
The little girl looked rather wronged. Her big eyes blinked, and she sniffled. After a long moment, she said, “As you can see, I’m just a cultivator. I was bored and came looking to meddle, that’s all. Now I see. If you don’t like it, I’ll just leave. Why stay here and be disliked?” She turned her head away, trying not to look at the bruises visible through the survivor’s loose collar, desperately holding back her tears. She had been of noble status since she was young; everyone tried their best to curry favor with her. It was rare for her to take the initiative to talk to someone, yet this was the result she got. No matter how talented she was, she still felt wronged. Her eyes reddened, and she started to cry.
Stunned, she looked at the little girl whose eyes had reddened. Only then did she realize that this was just a little girl of six or seven, just like herself, not like those demons who had slaughtered her village. A wave of guilt washed over her. No matter how heartbroken she was, she shouldn’t have taken her anger out on an innocent person. She… she was probably just concerned about me.
Thinking this, a warmth spread in her heart. She took the little girl’s hand, helped her up, and said, “I’m sorry. I apologize for my rudeness earlier. Because of… what happened, perhaps I was seeing enemies everywhere…” As she said this, her eyes dimmed. “But I’m clear-headed now. I want to sincerely thank you for your concern, and I hope you can accept my apology.” She gathered her spirits and spoke sincerely to the girl.
The little girl, who was already feeling wronged and angrily preparing to leave, was stopped when the survivor grabbed her sleeve. The survivor’s eyes looked at her earnestly, completely different from her cold demeanor before.
The anger in her heart couldn’t help but deflate a little. She kept a straight, cold face and said, “Since you’ve apologized so sincerely, I’m not petty. I can reluctantly forgive your previous rudeness.” As she said this, the little girl felt extremely awkward.
“Really? That’s great!” Hearing this, the gloom in the survivor’s heart lifted a little. She held the little girl’s hand. “Then, Big Sister, can you teach me cultivation? I want to ride a sword and fly like you.” I will definitely kill those demons who slaughtered my village and avenge my family!
“Although sect secret techniques cannot be passed on to outsiders, I can teach you simple cultivation methods.” Seeing the first slight smile on the survivor’s face since they met, the little girl couldn’t bring herself to refuse.
This is great.