Dahu gave a bitter smile: "The head of Precepts Peak is too busy to deal with this matter, so it was other masters who came to investigate. They really found Senior Brother Huo's belongings in my room and said it was all my own fault. Considering that I was already bitten and had my leg broken, they decided not to pursue it further."
It truly is excessive bullying!
Dahu is naturally introverted and honest, modest in his interactions with his peers. After joining the Chi Xiao Sect, he worked hard and diligently, and the praise he received from the masters was high, all seeing him as a promising candidate for cultivation, someone worthy of focused nurturing. Yet, now he's still just an outer disciple, without any background or support. It seems that the master from Precepts Peak doesn't want to offend the Second Elder Chuan Gong over such a trivial matter.
Ning Xiaoxian said angrily, "This is outrageous! How can the people of Precepts Peak be so muddled and still dare to administer justice! No, I must report this matter to the Great Elder!" The Teaching Elder was quite fond of the vegetarian food she prepared and had gifted her many things, including a very sharp dagger.
Dahu was startled and stretched out his hand to grab her sleeve in a feeble attempt, persuading her: "Xiao Xian, don't stir up trouble. The master from our peak has already provided me with medicine and has also said to return once I'm healed. In at most two or three months, I'll be able to run and jump again." Although he is loyal and honest, he is not stupid and has long seen through Senior Brother Huo's scheme. But now, he just wants to smoothen things over. What can he and Sister Xiao Xian possibly do about it even if it is unfair?
After listening to him, the anger in her chest did not subside, but instead burned even brighter. Dahu's character was well-known within three months of joining, and the master did not impose further punishment but gave him medicine, allowing Dahu to return to Chi Xiao Sect after recovering from his injuries. This had already indicated that he knew very well that the incident was more than likely Huo Zhenghua's doing. However, he neither cleared Dahu's name nor demanded punishment for Huo Zhenghua, clearly intending to turn a blind eye and let the matter fade away.
She suppressed her anger and soothed Dahu the best she could. However, upon returning to the hall, she saw Mrs. Song sitting in a chair wiping her tears, and her husband smoking his dry pipe in silence without a word. "What are your plans?" she asked softly.
Mrs. Song convulsed for a good while before answering with tearful eyes, "The immortals who brought Dahu said his injury, though severe, could be healed with Immortal Elixirs, and they even gave us several Silver Coins, saying that such incidents happen during sparring among sect members and we shouldn't take it too seriously."
She was stunned, and it took her a few seconds to realize that Mrs. Song and her family had also decided not to pursue the matter. She suddenly felt a tightness in her chest and rushed out of the wooden house.
She walked faster and faster until she stopped at the edge of the Shallow River. The peasant women washing clothes hadn't come yet, and the riverbank was quiet.
Anger, injustice, and guilt stirred in her chest for a long time, making Ning Xiaoxian feel as if her heart was scorching hot, ready to explode, but her mind felt as if it were soaked in ice water, extremely calm. She paced back and forth along the riverbank, her steps slowing down with each pass until finally, she came to a standstill and slowly sat down.
She didn't blame Dahu and Mrs. Song for their weakness. After all, Mrs. Song's family were just ordinary peasants. And she herself was even less, an orphan girl with no roots to speak of, what revenge, relief, not being despised, not being bullied could she talk about?
"I had just fallen near the edge of the Shallow River, and Dahu was the first to find me, bringing me back to his home." She spoke faintly, as if talking to herself, "Mrs. Song, feeling sorry for me being all alone in the world, had her husband build a small hut behind their house for me, where I ate and lived with them, and they never asked me for Silver Coins; after I went to Chi Xiao Sect for the test, Erhu always came home bruised and swollen, because the kids in the village would laugh at me behind my back, mocking me as an idiot without a Spirit Root, and Erhu would rush to fight them whenever he heard it, no matter how much we scolded him."
"I have yet to repay their kindness, yet I've brought such trouble upon Dahu, almost cutting off his path to cultivation. Doing this, am I returning kindness with ingratitude?" If Mrs. Song knew that Dahu got hurt while defending her, would she still be so good to her?
She waited earnestly for quite some time before Changtian's cold voice finally rang out, "Though his injury was due to being framed, this matter indeed originated from you. If you truly intend to pursue cultivation and Asking the Dao, you must resolve this karmic retribution; otherwise, it will surely become a Heart Demon in the future!"
She gave a wry smile and murmured, "You're really good at offering comfort."
"I am not accustomed to comforting others," Changtian said, "Only the weak need comfort."
She opened her mouth but found herself unable to speak.
Mrs. Song and her family instinctively knew they couldn't obtain justice, for they had no power—that was the realization of the powerless. As for herself, what should she do?
She had been too naive, thinking it was enough to live quietly in one corner and keep herself safe. But now it seemed that even if she wanted to stay out of trouble, trouble would come looking for her. Today it was Dahu who got hurt; tomorrow it might be her turn.
In Huaxia, there had been ancients who said, "Cultivate oneself, put one's family in order, govern the country, and then bring peace to all under heaven." If she didn't even have the power to "cultivate herself," then sooner or later she would be erased by this world of God Demons running amok, leaving not a speck of dust, just like many mortals in this world.
Here, living was never an easy matter.
She plucked a blade of grass from the ground, put it in her mouth, and chewed hard, slowly savoring the sour and slightly bitter and spicy taste.
After a long while, she finally called out softly to Changtian:
"Fierce Beasts are also a kind of demon, right?"
"I have not heard of such a thing. Perhaps it is a new demon species that appeared after I was sealed. Describe it to me."
"It looks like a tiger. Its body is yellow with black vertical stripes, its ears are like fish fins, its two canine teeth are sharp and long, extending past the lower lip, but its tail is very short, somewhat like a rabbit's tail."
Changtian pondered, "I have not witnessed it with my own eyes, but perhaps it's a mixed breed of demon. Does it possess any cultivation?"
"It does. Huo Zhenghua goes around boasting that the Fierce Beast has three hundred years of cultivation."
He sneered, "Is that so? Then let's calculate it based on two hundred years of cultivation. That's barely sufficient for the soil of God Demon Prison to grow, to cultivate the most low-level crops." Even though she was still feeling downcast, she couldn't help but curl the corners of her mouth upward. Changtian apparently knew that men loved to exaggerate; was he applying the same logic to himself?
"A gentleman does not stand under a wall that's about to collapse. So, let's capture the Fierce Beast. We'll avenge Dahu and use it as nourishment for you and me—a triple win." That damned demon had been making trouble in the sect repeatedly, biting whoever Huo Zhenghua pointed at, and everyone was too afraid to speak out. She wouldn't feel any psychological burden using it as fertilizer for God Demon Prison.
"What's your plan?"
"To get the upper hand on the enemy, we must know both ourselves and the enemy. Tomorrow I will head up Chixiao Mountain to scout out the enemy!" Ning Xiaoxian took a deep breath, casting all her messy emotions aside. Having made her decision, she knew she needed a well-thought-out plan; the greater the disparity in strength, the more one needed to face the enemy with composure.