Chapter Three: Reborn as the Eldest Daughter of the Immortal Sect

For several days in a row, Bai Ruo had not run into Shen Miao and her companion, as if they had vanished from the world. Bai Ruo suspected that her eye disease was nearly cured. Yet Little Rascal told her that the two were secretly plotting something big and were deliberately avoiding her. Well, speechless.

The day she’d been “anticipating” for half a month finally arrived. Shen Miao and Bai Li Ce barged into Bai Ruo’s small courtyard with the steward elder in tow, said nothing, and simply escorted her to the main hall for tea.

Presiding there was Bai Ruo’s father, the Sect Master himself.

“Disciple Shen Miao is guilty,” Shen Miao announced without preamble, dropping to her knees with a thud. Had Bai Ruo not known the plot, she might have been startled. Seeing Shen Miao kneel, Bai Li Ce followed suit.

“And what crime have you committed?” the Sect Master asked.

A massive black carcass was thrown into the hall—it was the dark serpent Bai Ruo had slain.

“This is the corpse of the dark serpent from Dark Moon Forest—the very one from which I retrieved the serpent gall. Yesterday, Senior Brother Bai Li, the steward elder, and I brought it back. On the day I took the gall…”

Shen Miao paused, her gaze landing squarely on Bai Ruo before she turned to the Sect Master.

“That day, I clearly saw Senior Sister Bai Ruo lying inside the cave entrance, already lifeless. I thought she must have fought the serpent desperately and perished. Anxious about Senior Brother Bai Li’s injuries, I took the gall first to save him, intending to report my sister’s death afterward. But I am forgetful and foolish—after Senior Brother recovered, I completely forgot about it. I am guilty and beg Sect Master for punishment!”

The steward elder hurried to echo Shen Miao’s words. “But Bai Ruo returned safe and sound a few days ago—she doesn’t seem at all like someone who…”

Bai Ruo sneered inwardly. A few high-grade pills had bought this elder’s loyalty; such people were unworthy of the immortal sect, polluting the very air.

“That’s exactly my point! I suspect that the current Bai Ruo is an impostor—her body has likely been seized by another, someone with malicious intent who poses a great threat to our sect! My ability is limited; I beg Sect Master to investigate thoroughly, so I can be at ease!”

Shen Miao spoke righteously, as if she were sacrificing herself for the good of the sect. Bai Ruo was genuinely “impressed”—this was a classic case of harming the enemy a thousand times, at the cost of eight hundred wounds to oneself. If the occasion were different, Bai Ruo might have applauded her.

What a sharp tongue this little one has!

Everyone present frowned.

One elder, with a notoriously explosive temper, immediately stepped forward.

“If there’s doubt about a soul being seized, we can use the Soul-Capturing Technique to find out!”

Another elder objected. “That must not be done! The Soul-Capturing Technique could severely damage Bai Ruo’s divine consciousness!”

Indeed, Bai Ruo was gifted, and with the truth uncertain, they could not act recklessly.

Then, a man seated quietly at the back of the elders’ seats stood up and smiled.

“Perhaps I could try the Soul-Illuminating Flute?”

Bai Ruo looked at the man, her brow furrowing slightly, and quickly communicated with Little Rascal in her mind.

[Who is this person? Why can’t I see through him?]

[Eh? Strange, I don’t have any records of him. It only says he’s on good terms with your father, but his cultivation is… unknown?! How is it possible that there’s someone I, Little Rascal, know nothing about!!]

The script that Bai Ruo thought she controlled seemed to veer off course: she didn’t know if this man was friend or foe, and now there was an unpredictable variable.

[Little Rascal, is there a way for you to help me lock my soul?]

[Doing that would expose you, and they might lock you up! Master, this man has a kind face—how about we gamble on him? If we lose, I’ll just take you to the next world!]

Bai Ruo was astonished. She thought she had to complete every mission in each world to escape, but it turned out that now Little Rascal could manipulate the system at will—impressive!

[All right! Let’s bet. With my two hundred years of experience, I wager this man will help me keep the secret!]

[Master, you’re actually two hundred years old! …]

She immediately blocked out Little Rascal’s rambling.

The man approached slowly, stopping before Bai Ruo. A jade flute materialized in his hand and he smiled at her.

“I’ll begin now…”

Bai Ruo’s consciousness blurred; her entire being felt soft and weightless, like a tuft of cotton. As the last note of the flute faded, clarity returned in an instant.

His flute was formidable—her soul had already neared a divine state, her spiritual sense was naturally strong, and yet she had been hypnotized!

The man put away his flute and gently shook his head at the watching elders.

Relief swept through the room.

On the other side, Shen Miao was frantic.

She truly believed this Bai Ruo was a fake. If she weren’t so sure, she wouldn’t have risked such a confrontation.

“Sect Master! If playing a flute is enough to determine if someone’s soul has been seized, then forgive my presumptuousness—but can I kill a great cultivator with a single pluck of the zither!?”

“Insolence!” barked the hot-tempered elder again.

Shen Miao fell silent, but continued to glare at Bai Ruo.

At that moment, Bai Ruo was studying the man. He had hypnotized her; logically, he should know she was not the original Bai Ruo. So why choose to cover for her?

At last, the Sect Master broke his silence, slapping the arm of his chair. The hall instantly quieted.

“Bai Ruo is my daughter—would I not know if her soul had been seized? Furthermore, Elder Chong Li has personally examined her; could there be any mistake?”

“Yes, yes! How could Elder Chong Li possibly lie? Besides, he doesn’t even know Bai Ruo—why would he cover for her?”

“That’s enough. Today’s matter ends here. Shen Miao, you have slandered the Sect Master’s daughter—a crime punishable by expulsion. But, in light of your loyalty to the sect, the punishment is waived. You will spend three months in seclusion.”

Bai Ruo thought everything had gone unusually smoothly today. She had planned to send her father a secret message revealing the truth, but then a divine helper had appeared.

But who exactly was this Chong Li, who commanded such respect?

Shen Miao looked as though she wanted to devour Bai Ruo, leaving Bai Li Ce awkward and uncomfortable. When Shen Miao had prepared all this, she’d only mentioned discovering something significant and had lied to him about the serpent’s death. Now he wasn’t sure how much of her story could be believed.

Faintly, he sensed that Bai Ruo had changed—she didn’t seem to like him anymore…

Meanwhile, the steward elder, seeing things turning sour, immediately shifted the blame to Shen Miao, patching up the situation for long enough to keep his position among the elders.

Unaware, Shen Miao found herself with an additional two months in seclusion.

As the drama ended, Bai Ruo, who had barely spoken a word throughout, prepared to slip away, but was detained by the Sect Master—accompanied by Chong Li.