The Journey of Immortal Cultivation-Chapter 8 Too Much Deception

On this day, Ning Xiaoxian returned from the mountain. Mid-July is the hottest time of the year, when wildflowers are vying to bloom, and it is also the season when pheasant vegetables and amaranth taste the most delightful.

Erhu had been nagging these past two days, wanting to eat them, so she freshly picked a couple of handfuls, planning to properly feed this little glutton at noon; perhaps she could even persuade Mrs. Song to contribute a couple of eggs laid by her clumsy hens. At 9 years old, it was time for a boy to eat nutritious food.

She wiped the sweat from her forehead and picked up her pace. Living in a small village, it is impossible to maintain the clear and clean skin she had before the age of 16, as the scorching sun had already tanned her skin to a light wheat color. Whenever she thought of this, she would dearly miss the sunscreen from Earth, wishing even for a cheap bottle costing 20 yuan to protect her delicate skin somewhat.

The village was just in sight, and she seemed almost able to smell the fragrance wafting from the farmhouse meals being cooked for lunch. Today's lunch was prepared by Mrs. Song; her family must be displeased with it. Uncle Fu, who lived next door, was approaching, and she greeted the elderly man with a radiant smile.

Although Uncle Fu was up in years, his eyesight was still sharp; from afar, he saw her, but the customary smile on his face was gone.

The old man hurried forward a few steps, nearly stumbling. Xiao Xian reached out to help him, but Uncle Fu's expression was grim: "Hurry back to Mrs. Song's house. Dahu has been carried back!"

Dahu had an accident! Her heart sank, nearly unable to steady Uncle Fu. She quickly apologized to the old man and ran towards Mrs. Song's house.

Dahu, you are Mrs. Song's hope, please don't let anything serious happen! She silently prayed in her heart.

She had just rushed through the doorway when Mrs. Song, with tearful eyes, was coming out to pour water. Seeing Xiao Xian, she choked up and couldn't utter a complete sentence. Being close to each other, Xiao Xian gently patted her shoulder and hurried into the inner room.

This was the room Dahu had lived in before he joined the Chi Xiao Sect, left vacant now for over three months. Yet now, there lay a man covered in blood on the bed. When he saw someone enter, he struggled to turn his head, and their eyes met. Despite the bloodstained face, the look in his eyes was familiar enough to warm her eyes and stir her Qi-Blood in her chest.

It was indeed Dahu! His left leg was already broken, fixed in place with two wooden boards, and there were several bloody wounds on his body. Although the bleeding seemed to have stopped, the bedsheets were stained with blood.

Mrs. Song's husband was sitting by the bed, whispering, "The doctor found several more fractures on his body, and they've just been set," his voice trailing off hoarsely toward the end. How could he go on talking about the situation when his lively, promising son had suddenly ended up like this?

Dahu looked at her, his eyes bright. Ning Xiaoxian suppressed her anxiety, leaned gently beside the bed, and disregarding the propriety of male and female contact, took hold of his hand and said word by word, "Dahu, tell me, who hurt you?" Dahu didn't utter a word but turned his head to glance at his father.

This son, there are some things he doesn't tell his dad, nor his mom, but only wishes to confide in Xiao Xian. Now facing such a calamity, he still did the same. Mrs. Song's husband shook his head and stepped out of the room.

"I've taken the elixir and my life is no longer in danger, don't worry." Dahu's first words almost brought her to tears.

Dahu, full name Hao Hu, is 13 years old this year, meeting the age requirement for the Chi Xiao Sect to recruit disciples. He also showed remarkable talent, both his root bones and Immortal Root were outstanding, and he was immediately taken in as an outer disciple by the elders. When the good news reached the village, villagers came to congratulate him one after another, and Mrs. Song's family glowed with pride, slaughtering the pig they had raised for six years to feast the entire village. For the people of Shallow Water Village, this was like a carp leaping through the Dragon Gate; no matter how Dahu would fare in the Chi Xiao Sect, from that day on, Mrs. Song's family would hold their heads high, regarded as relatives of an immortal in the village, and even the village chief couldn't afford not to give them respect.

The glory of that time is still often brought up at the dining table in Mrs. Song's home, always triggering bouts of laughter and jubilation.

But how could Dahu be so grievously injured just three months later?

"It was Huo Zhenghua, Senior Brother Huo. I overheard him discussing with several brothers, saying you took the chance for his distant relative to work in the kitchen and that they would set up some obstacles to force you out," Dahu whispered. "Their words were incredibly lewd and malicious when they spoke about you... I couldn't help but stand up for you. Afraid that I would report them to Elder Shan, they falsely accused me of stealing Senior Brother Huo's belongings and had the Fierce Beast brutally break my legs."

He continued: "My stumbling upon their secret discussion should mean they wouldn't dare... dare set up obstacles against you anymore. Don't worry, I've written a note to Elder Shan, he will definitely take care of you." He always showed utmost respect to his senior brothers, but how could he tolerate others maligning his dearly beloved Sister Xiao Xian with such filthy language?

Boys from rural areas mature early; he had grown deeply fond of Xiao Xian long ago. On the day he was selected to be an outer disciple, his first thought was, "I will be capable of protecting Sister Xiao Xian in the future, I wonder if she'll be pleased?"

The perpetrator, Huo Zhenghua, is the only son of the Second Elder Chuan Gong of the Chi Xiao Sect. The old man lived past 60 and finally had a son, naturally treating him as a treasured child, which led to Huo Zhenghua's arrogant and domineering behavior. The Second Elder even gifted his spirit beast to him, a three hundred years experienced Fierce Beast. Otherwise, Huo Zhenghua himself wouldn't have been able to subdue such a powerful spirit beast.

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With the Fierce Beast, Young Master Huo bullied his fellow disciples even more unrestrainedly, and there were quite a few like Dahu who were beaten and gravely injured. He had his own cunning calculations, only picking on outer disciples and newcomers, not touching those with backers, and still showing considerable respect to his superiors. With his father supporting him behind the scenes, he had quite a comfortable life among the third generation disciples of the Chi Xiao Sect.

As soon as Ning Xiaoxian heard this, she understood. In two days, another esteemed sect, the Chaoyun Sect, will send people to negotiate important matters with the Chi Xiao Sect. The visitors will be from a much grander and reputable sect compared to Chi Xiao Sect's small cultivation circle, and the Sect Leader is placing great importance on it. A multitude of tasks was assigned, with specific demands that the vegetarian banquet in two days must be impeccably prepared. Elder Shan personally named Ning Xiaoxian to take charge of the cooking.

Elder Shan used to be one of the Preaching Elders but was so indulgent in gourmet food that the Sect Leader had reassigned him to manage the kitchen, thus jokingly referred to as "Elder Shan." Although amiable to people, he was very strict with kitchen management. Ning Xiaoxian, with her excellent culinary skills, had won his favor. The position of head chef was initially assigned to a cousin of Huo Zhenghua's, but Elder Shan disagreed, replacing him with Ning Xiaoxian. Since he was the authority in the kitchen and because the Immortals of the Chi Xiao Sect didn't care much for culinary matters, Xiao Xian's position was therefore firmly established, shutting off the path for others' relatives to make money or gain reputation.

Xiao Xian originally didn't want to take on this hot potato, but Elder Shan offered a high salary and pleaded so earnestly that she didn't have the heart to disappoint the good intentions of the elder and thus accepted the offer. She never thought it would almost bring a deadly disaster upon Dahu.

In face of major issues, one needs to be even more calm. She suppressed her anger and asked softly, "What did the head of Precepts Peak say?" Precepts Peak is in charge of adjudication and punishment within the sect and couldn't possibly ignore this matter.