“Shizun?” Wen Jiayin felt the atmosphere grow a little tense at Xin Yun’s silence.
Was Shizun angry? She promised not to get mad!
Wen Jiayin’s voice pulled Xin Yun out of her memories.
She glanced at the little Zhi Chang’an standing nervously in front of her, nothing like the annoying person she’d become in the future, and felt a bellyful of anger with nowhere to go.
She’s just a kid right now, Xin Yun couldn’t even bring herself to scold her.
But it was a good thing she was still a child, not yet full of those tricks she’d have later.
Xin Yun hugged Wen Jiayin tightly and asked, pretending not to know, “Who is she?”
“She’s Zhi Chang’an, Shizun.
She was being bullied in the sect, and I couldn’t help but step in for her.
I beat up the kid who was leading the bullying.” Wen Jiayin made sure to add more details to make herself look innocent: “Shizun, I didn’t start the fight, it was all Li Youxi.
Just because I sat with Zhi Chang’an, she slammed the table and yelled at me, and after class she forced me to spar with her.
I couldn’t help it, but I won! She ended up way worse than me!”
“Li Youxi? If I remember right, she’s Shixiong’s little disciple.” Xin Yun knew about this kid—she’d heard that her Shixiong had a real headache with her, a little troublemaker.
But no matter how wild she was, she shouldn’t be bullying A-Yin.
“Yes, yes, that’s her!” Wen Jiayin nodded like crazy.
“I’ll go talk to the sect leader.
I won’t let Jiayin get bullied for nothing.” With Xin Yun stepping in, Li Youxi was in for a rough time, though Wen Jiayin didn’t know that yet.
She just loved how her Shizun always stood up for her.
“Thank you, Shizun!”
Xin Yun smiled, but when she looked at Zhi Chang’an, who was sneaking glances their way, her smile instantly dropped below zero.
Zhi Chang’an flinched in fear and immediately lowered her head.
If it weren’t for her, A-Yin wouldn’t have gotten dragged into this mess.
Xin Yun just couldn’t stand her old love rival, even if she was just a kid now.
“It’s getting late.
You should go back.” Xin Yun’s voice was icy.
“Yes.” Zhi Chang’an’s voice trembled as she answered.
This was the legendary Lingjian Peak master she’d heard about—cold and ruthless.
That gentle tone from before must have been her imagination, right?
“Wait, wait! Shizun, put me down first! I have something to give her!”
Once Xin Yun set her down, Wen Jiayin hurried over to Zhi Chang’an, pulled a small gourd from her storage pouch, and handed it to her.
Xin Yun recognized it as the very same Bigu Dan A-Yin had just asked her for.
“This is the Bigu Dan I promised you last time.
Keep it safe!” Wen Jiayin grabbed Zhi Chang’an’s left hand and put the little gourd in her palm.
“All disciples below the Golden Core stage get enough Bigu Dan from the sect every six months.
Why do you need this?” Bigu Dan wasn’t valuable, and Jingdao Sect was always generous with its disciples.
There was no way they’d skimp on something like this.
Why did A-Yin ask for it? When it came to this love rival, Xin Yun was always extra cautious—she’d suffered plenty of hidden losses to her in her past life.
“The sect gives these out?” Wen Jiayin had never heard of such benefits.
“Not just Bigu Dan.
The sect also gives out spirit stones and some basic cultivation materials regularly.
Of course, it’s not a lot.
If you want more or better stuff, you have to buy it with spirit stones or do tasks to exchange for it.” Zhi Chang’an kept her head down.
“But… the shishu in charge of distributing supplies on our peak said I’m a half-demon and don’t deserve so many resources from the sect, so he only gives me a little… I’m always hungry, and the dining hall doesn’t welcome me either, so I have to find my own food…”
“This…” Zhi Chang’an’s tough situation left Wen Jiayin at a loss for words.
“Shizun, it’s not allowed to withhold supplies from disciples for reasons like this, right?”
“Of course not.
I’ll talk to the Yuling Peak master about this.
Disciples with that kind of conduct should be kicked out of the sect.
Don’t worry, everything they’ve withheld from you over the years will be returned.” Xin Yun saw the hope in Wen Jiayin’s eyes and couldn’t bear to let her down, so she had to stand up for Zhi Chang’an.
After she said this, Wen Jiayin gave her a happy hug, and Xin Yun sighed to herself.
Fine, as long as A-Yin is happy.
“Thank you, Shishu-zu, thank you… Shishu.” Zhi Chang’an snuck a look at Wen Jiayin, her eyes red, then quickly lowered her head.
Xin Yun saw tears falling to the ground.
In a situation where no one would help, it was no wonder she clung to A-Yin so much.
Maybe it wasn’t just about getting help, but two people in trouble finding comfort in each other… Xin Yun quickly stopped herself from thinking further.
If she kept going, she’d fall into a heart demon’s trap.
“Go get some rest.
See you tomorrow!” Wen Jiayin waved goodbye to Zhi Chang’an.
Back at Lingjian Peak, Wen Jiayin finally asked the question that had been bothering her for a long time.
“Shizun, is our sect really that prejudiced against half-demons?”
She really didn’t know.
The original novel never mentioned this little half-demon, or even any demon clans on Lingjian Peak.
In fact, in the male lead’s sect, humans and demons got along pretty well—there was even a demon elder.
Wen Jiayin thought Jingdao Sect would be similar.
“That’s not true.
The sect leader treats all disciples equally, or he wouldn’t have agreed to take in that… disciple.
There’s only one half-demon in the sect, maybe Shixiong just overlooked it.
I’ll talk to him, and this won’t happen again.”
Was Xin Yun really that kind? No, her main goal was to make sure Zhi Chang’an had no reason to win A-Yin’s sympathy in the future.
That molting bird had almost tricked A-Yin into living with her using this move before.
Every time Xin Yun thought about it, her heart demon screamed at her to kill the girl and be done with it.
Only her own self-control kept her in check.
So today, all the frustration Xin Yun had from dealing with her love rival got taken out on the main peak, and Li Youxi just happened to be the target.
It was the first time the sect leader saw his shimei angry, and he thought, this isn’t good.
If she took action, his little disciple would be crippled for sure.
No matter how much trouble his little demon was, he still felt a bit reluctant—better he do it himself than let his shimei do it.
“Shimei, this time it really was her fault.
I’ve already scolded her, and… according to sect rules, she’ll get one lash from the Xing Shen Whip in the Discipline Hall.” The Xing Shen Whip was a special weapon used to punish disciples in Jingdao Sect.
It hurt so much it could be called soul-crushing.
For a kid, even one lash was a heavy punishment.
“Three lashes.” Xin Yun said firmly.
“Three? That’s too much, shimei… According to the rules, one is enough…” Three lashes would have Li Youxi bedridden for a month or two.
“Shixiong, with what that little disciple did, even three lashes isn’t too much.
Do you really not know what she’s been up to behind your back?” Xin Yun only mentioned the Zhi Chang’an incident, and the sect leader’s face darkened.
“Forming cliques, bullying the weak, turning the school into a mess… You’re right, shimei, even three lashes isn’t enough!” Before, Li Youxi was just a troublemaker, but now it was a matter of character.
The sect leader couldn’t understand how she’d changed so much so quickly.
If he didn’t discipline her now, she’d be ruined!
Author’s note:
Mini-theater: The origin of the term “molting bird”:
In her past life, after Zhi Chang’an purified her bloodline and could transform into a phoenix, the first thing she did was go to Lingjian Peak to show her beloved.
Wen Jiayin had never seen a phoenix before.
She loved Zhi Chang’an’s true form and asked if she could have two feathers.
Zhi Chang’an landed in front of Wen Jiayin, preened a few beautiful feathers, and handed them over.
(This is a phoenix courtship ritual, but Wen Jiayin didn’t know that.)
Shizun, watching from behind the window, knocked over who knows how many vinegar jars.
From then on, whenever she and Zhi Chang’an traded barbs, she’d call her the “molting bird.”
