“No matter what, you should stay here for now.” With that, the young girl bolted out the door, as if she couldn’t bear to see Luo Tangtang looking like she was on death’s door.
Another wave of exhaustion washed over her. Luo Tangtang lay on what seemed to be a bed… made of a smooth slab of rock, and fell asleep once more.
She didn’t know how much time had passed. It was only when her whole body felt limp and sore that Luo Tangtang finally fumbled her way up in the darkness.
She couldn’t see now, so she carefully felt her way. Even the short distance from the bedside to the door was traversed with trepidation.
When her hand finally touched the doorframe, Luo Tangtang’s heart settled a little. It seemed to be a sunny day outside; as she tilted her head up, warm light shone on her face. She slowly raised her hand and waved it gently in front of her eyes a couple of times.
Nothing. Luo Tangtang’s lips pressed together tightly.
“Your eyes were injured by the torrent of time. The power of time needs to be erased before they can be treated.” It was the young girl’s sugary voice again.
“Oh, is that so,” Luo Tangtang said softly.
“What do you mean, ‘is that so’?” The young girl’s face darkened.
“I don’t know.” Luo Tangtang lowered her head, her expression somewhat dejected, though her scar-covered face only showed ugliness.
“Uh…” The young girl’s mouth seemed to twitch. The next second, an object was viciously thrown at Luo Tangtang, startling her.
“What’s this?” Luo Tangtang felt the object in her hand, but even after a moment, she couldn’t figure out what it was.
“Try putting it in front of your eyes.”
“Huh?” Luo Tangtang was full of doubt, but she obediently did as the young girl said. She placed the object before her eyes and felt something from it attach to her temples on either side.
Her vision, which had been pitch black, suddenly filled with color. Beneath a giant parasol tree, the young girl in a pink dress was rolling her eyes at her…
“I can see!” Luo Tangtang’s cat-like pupils contracted slightly, her voice laced with shock.
She quickly took the object off, and her vision went pitch black again. After she did this several times, the young girl grew impatient once more.
Her face full of irritation, she let out a heavy scoff. “What’s your name?”
“What is this?”
The two spoke almost at the same time.
The young girl grew even more annoyed. “You first. What’s your name?”
“Luo Tangtang.”
“Your surname is Luo?” The young girl looked somewhat surprised. “That’s quite a coincidence.”
Luo Tangtang put the unknown object back on and could now clearly see the young girl. She looked about eight or nine years old, dressed in pink, and was exquisitely pretty, with a small tuft of hair tied on her head.
“Our Fusang Valley doesn’t support idlers.”
“And it just so happens I’m short of a servant girl for menial tasks.”
Luo Tangtang: “…” Can I say I don’t want to stay in Fusang Valley? I want to leave!
As if she had read Luo Tangtang’s mind, the young girl’s large, dark, grape-like eyes glanced over as she said coldly, “Do you know how much that thing on your eyes is worth?”
“And you just want to run off like this?” The young girl’s voice was chilling. “Besides, shouldn’t you explain the torrent of time affecting you?”
Luo Tangtang pressed her lips together.
“Luo Er, be quiet.”
A somewhat familiar voice sounded. Luo Tangtang looked up, and her heart suddenly began to pound violently in her chest.
It was a woman dressed in plain white, with dark hair and silver eyes, her face veiled with a light gauze. The hem of her robe was embroidered with fusang flowers. It was the woman from the Northernmost Mystic Realm, the one who looked almost identical to her.
“Luo Yi,” Luo Er pouted, dissatisfied, her eyes somewhat reproachful.
“I don’t know. I unintentionally wandered into a very chaotic place, and when I opened my eyes, I was here,” Luo Tangtang said, lowering her gaze and casually making it up.
“Who are you trying to fool with those lies?” Luo Er clearly didn’t believe her.
Luo Yi’s silver eyes stared quietly at Luo Tangtang for a few seconds, her face expressionless. “Your injuries are severe. You should rest and recuperate in Fusang Valley for the time being.”
“Outside… it’s too chaotic.”
Luo Tangtang looked up at her words, meeting Luo Yi’s eyes directly. They seemed to shimmer with a radiant light, captivating with every glance.
“Fusang Valley has a barrier, so you can’t enter or leave freely. However, there are no forbidden areas, but you may not enter my room or Luo Er’s. Otherwise, you are free to go anywhere else.”
After Luo Yi finished speaking, she dragged Luo Er away by her small hair tuft, leaving Luo Tangtang standing there alone.
So, they’re forcing me to stay.
“Luo Yi, what are you doing? I feel there’s something strange about that person.”
Luo Er was too short and petite. Being dragged by Luo Yi, she was unsteady on her feet, her little toes stumbling and dragging along the ground, looking quite pathetic. Soon, tiny beads of sweat appeared on her round little nose.
“Human bodies are so troublesome.” Luo Er’s face darkened, and she sighed. “So fragile.”
“I just checked,” Luo Yi said. “There are no abnormalities in the various minor worlds, and the Main God is still slumbering.”
“No abnormalities?” Luo Er’s expression turned grave. “Then, what about that Luo Tangtang? How do you explain her?”
Luo Yi’s expression also turned grim. She gently shook her head. “I’m not sure. Let’s keep her in Fusang Valley for now. We’ll decide what to do after the Main God awakens.”
“Alright then.” Luo Er drooped her head as if resigned to her fate. “But let me be clear, I’m not taking responsibility for her meals.”
Luo Yi’s cold gaze swept over her.
“I—!” Luo Er immediately wilted. Even the little tuft of hair on her head seemed to droop listlessly.
Luo Tangtang watched the two of them leave, her mind somewhat dazed.
After a moment’s pause, she began to walk, heading towards the sound of flowing water nearby. It was a small, clear stream. The valley scenery was beautiful and untouched, with only a few withered leaves resting in the water.
When Luo Tangtang stood by the stream, she easily saw a face reflected clearly in the water.
Her clothes seemed to have been changed. She was wearing a grey robe made of coarse linen. If this were the past, she would have likely started complaining loudly long ago. But now…
A bitter feeling welled in Luo Tangtang’s eyes. Her hand tightly gripped the small spatial artifact at her neck—a small, black, rectangular iron box, only about the size of her thumb, yet it seemed to hold all her courage and faith.
The woman in the stream’s reflection had a face full of scars, making it difficult to discern her original features. The strange object on her face covered her dull, lifeless eyes. Her skin was sallow, and she looked exceptionally ugly.
But perhaps it’s for the best. Luo Tangtang thought of Luo Yi. She and I look too much alike; it would inevitably cause unnecessary trouble.
It’s just… Luo Tangtang touched her own face, her expression dimming. So ugly. Senior Sister probably won’t like me anymore. How can I go find Senior Sister like this?
Plop. A small pebble was thrown into the water, splashing water in front of her. Luo Tangtang’s face and shoes were splattered.
“Hey! Don’t be so disgusted by your own ugliness that you decide to end it all!”
Luo Tangtang turned her head and saw Luo Er, her small face cold, slowly shuffling towards her.
“Um…”
Luo Er turned her face away, not looking at Luo Tangtang. “Luo Yi told me to handle your meals. Let me be clear, I’m not a good cook. It’s already generous of me to cook for you at all. So, whether it’s good or bad, you have to eat it. Don’t be ungrateful. Even if it’s really terrible, you have to finish it all. And you’re not allowed to say it’s bad. Got it?”
Luo Tangtang’s mouth twitched slightly. “Actually, I can cook.”
“You can cook?” Luo Er’s big eyes sized Luo Tangtang up and down. “With your body as frail as a flickering candle, can you even manage to cook?”
Her big eyes were filled with doubt and disbelief.
“Frail as a flickering candle???” Luo Tangtang’s brow twitched.
“Well, isn’t it true? Although your White Tiger clan body is tough, you’re so heavily injured. You shouldn’t push yourself.”
Luo Er narrowed her eyes, her expression a clear warning. “I’m not pitying you. It’s just that I’ve lived in this valley for a long time and grown fond of these trees. I can’t bear to use them to make a coffin for you. So, you’d better just obediently eat what I cook.”
“Wait… White Tiger? You mean—me?”
Luo Tangtang was inwardly shocked. She hadn’t completed her mission and had used a special access card to return to an earlier point in time. Her own physical body couldn’t be reformed, so she had to continue using “Luo Tangtang’s” body.
But how did this child see through it? Luo Tangtang’s gaze suddenly deepened.
“Don’t look at me like that. It was obvious.”
“Your fur is hideous anyway. It’s not like I’m going to skin you.”
Luo Er stuck her tongue out at Luo Tangtang and then gave her a dramatic eye-roll.
Hmph, what an ungrateful wolf! Look at that suspicious glare, repaying kindness with enmity!
“Follow me. I’ll take you to the small storehouse to get some things.”
Seeing Luo Tangtang still somewhat dazed, Luo Er grew a bit exasperated. She darted forward and grabbed Luo Tangtang’s hand. As her fingers brushed against the dry, scar-covered skin, Luo Er’s small frame tensed for a moment. She snorted coldly, and her initially brash pace slowed considerably.
Luo Er led her to a small bamboo hut. It seemed no one had cleaned it for a long time. When the door was pushed open, a cloud of dust billowed out. Luo Tangtang’s throat was also injured, and her spiritual energy was sealed; at this moment, she was like a mortal. The dust entered her throat, and she immediately began to cough violently.
“You’re so delicate,” Luo Er said, sounding a bit helpless.
With a light wave of her hand, the dust cloud instantly dispersed.
“Sigh, Luo Yi usually doesn’t let me use magic, says we should ‘experience mortal life.’ But then she doesn’t clean up herself and bosses me around every day.”
“I didn’t want to clean this place either, so it’s been like this for ages.”
Luo Er explained.
“Look through the things here. If there’s anything you need, just take it.”
“Luo Yi and I rarely leave the valley. These are all offerings from the mortals outside.”
Luo Tangtang’s eyes moved stiffly as she glanced around. Then, she raised a withered hand and pressed it tightly to her temple.
Wasteful! So incredibly wasteful!
Back when I was the sole heir of the White Tiger clan, even with all our treasures, I wasn’t this extravagant! This is simply letting precious pearls gather dust!
A room full of treasures, just casually tossed into corners.
Luo Tangtang looked at a purple clay jar on a table. She gently twisted it open, and a musty smell emerged. Only the light, frost-like tips of the leaves within told her it was “Misty Peak Spire,” a top-quality tea.
Clang. Luo Tangtang’s toe accidentally kicked something. She looked down—the floor was covered in magic artifacts!!!
Are they always this careless?
Hiss! Luo Tangtang’s head throbbed.
“You look around. I remember there are many medicinal herbs and things in here,” Luo Er said, rummaging through a medicine cabinet several times her height.
Luo Tangtang took a few steps forward and opened one of the drawers. Inside, a plant lay quietly. It was entirely a lustrous white, with a hollowed-out center revealing red, blood-like threads within.
This… isn’t this a White Jade Bodhi? An ancient immortal plant, long since extinct!
An absurd thought flooded her mind.
Luo Tangtang frantically grabbed Luo Er. “What era is it now?”
“Era? What era?” Luo Er pulled her hand free from Luo Tangtang’s grip, an expression on her face as if looking at someone who had gone mad.
They don’t even have eras? Luo Tangtang’s eyes slowly widened.
“Then… what about the Supreme Immortal Sect?” Luo Tangtang’s voice trembled uncontrollably.
“Supreme Immortal Sect?” Luo Er suddenly frowned.
“The last time I went out, I think I heard… that brat Ye Siwen was planning to establish some sect. I think it was this one. Luo Yi was even thinking of going to check out the commotion.”
It’s over. Luo Tangtang felt as if she had been struck by lightning. A loud roar echoed in her mind, and her vision went black.
Ye Siwen—the founding Immortal Venerable of the Supreme Immortal Sect.
She had landed in the wrong time period.