“Freak, stop sleeping, get up already!”
Early in the morning, Chu Ruo was shaken awake. She rubbed her eyes a few times before finally seeing that it was Xiao Guo’er. Lazily, she shrugged her off and flopped back down. “What are you doing? Go back to sleep.”
“You’re still sleeping?!” Xiao Guo’er, furious, yanked off her blanket and dragged her up. “It’s late already! Hurry up, wash up, and go practice! And you’re still sleeping—get up!”
“I’m sleepy!” Chu Ruo had never been someone who got up early. She always dawdled endlessly before getting out of bed. Now that she’d transmigrated, even the King of Heaven couldn’t do anything about her. “Go play by yourself. Let me sleep a bit more.”
“I’m telling you, if you anger the Young Palace Master later, it’s not something either of us can bear! If something happens to you, fine—but she ordered me to look after you. If you’re late, I’ll be punished too! Get up now!”
“It’s fine,” Chu Ruo said, wrapping herself tighter in the blanket and waving her hand. “If anything happens, I’ll take responsibility. Tell her to come find me herself. Bye-bye.”
“You!” Despite Xiao Guo’er’s loud voice and some martial arts training over the years, she was still under sixteen, small and slight. Chu Ruo was taller and sturdier. More importantly, when Chu Ruo refused to get up, even three or four people couldn’t drag her up. After struggling for a long time, Xiao Guo’er finally stomped her foot and left in frustration.
On Baihua Palace’s open grounds, countless female disciples stood in orderly rows practicing martial arts.
Their Young Palace Master stood atop the steps, hands clasped behind her back, overlooking everyone.
Nan Muxue.
Her beauty was unparalleled.
Her cold gaze swept across the disciples below—but she did not see the person who should have been there. Instead, Xiao Guo’er came running over nervously.
At Xiao Guo’er’s level, she normally wasn’t even qualified to approach the Young Palace Master directly. She barely even saw the Protectors. But yesterday, the Young Palace Master had ordered her to take care of that freak. If something went wrong…
She hesitated, not daring to step forward.
Nan Muxue gave a slight look to one of the Protectors. The Protector beckoned Xiao Guo’er over.
“G-Greetings, Young Palace Master,” Xiao Guo’er stammered. This was only the second time she had seen Nan Muxue up close. She was extremely nervous.
“Where is Chu Ruo?”
Xiao Guo’er immediately dropped to her knees.
“That freak… she’s still sleeping. I couldn’t wake her. Please forgive me, Young Palace Master! Please forgive me!”
Nan Muxue waved her hand. “You may go.”
“Yes.”
Second Protector Yin Liuli frowned.
“Young Palace Master, that person’s identity is unknown, and she has no regard for rules. Keeping her in Baihua Palace is too dangerous. It would be better to kill her—or expel her.”
“I have my own plans,” Nan Muxue said calmly. “There’s no need to say more.”
The four Protectors had grown up with Nan Muxue, close as sisters.
Yin Liuli stared at her. “Why must you keep her? And even break precedent to accept her as your personal disciple? What’s so special about her?”
Nan Muxue rarely took disciples personally. Most disciples were taught by other masters or Protectors.
Yet this time, she had taken someone her own age.
And cared about her.
This was unheard of.
“It was just a whim,” Nan Muxue said lightly. “Baihua Palace has been rather boring lately.”
Yin Liuli said nothing further.
Nan Muxue turned and walked away.
“She’ll come on her own.”
Back in her room, Chu Ruo slept peacefully.
Until suddenly—
Pain.
Unbearable pain.
Her entire body felt like it was being sliced apart. Her organs churned violently. She coughed up black blood.
She couldn’t even scream.
She writhed on the bed in agony, unable to faint.
Finally—
Crash.
She knocked over a lamp.
Footsteps approached.
Xiao Guo’er rushed in.
“Hey! Freak! What’s wrong?! Don’t scare me!”
Chu Ruo wanted to curse her.
Even now, she was still calling her a freak.
“…Pain…” she barely managed to whisper.
“You’re in pain?”
Chu Ruo nodded desperately.
Xiao Guo’er checked her pulse.
“Oh. Your poison is acting up. It’s fine. It’ll stop hurting soon. It’ll flare up again in an hour.”
Chu Ruo stared at her in disbelief.
Fine?!
“This is poison given by the Young Palace Master,” Xiao Guo’er explained casually. “It activates every hour, hurts for half an hour, and after three days, you’ll bleed from all seven orifices and die. All disciples have poison. As long as you obey, nothing happens.”
“You call this fine?!” Chu Ruo gasped.
“That crazy woman… call her here…”
Smack.
Xiao Guo’er hit her head.
“Are you insane?! The Young Palace Master isn’t someone you can summon!”
Chu Ruo rubbed her head angrily.
“You people are insane!”
“What does that mean?”
“Never mind!”
She grabbed Xiao Guo’er’s face and squeezed.
“Take me to her.”
After changing clothes, Xiao Guo’er brought her to Nan Muxue’s residence.
But—
“She refuses to see you,” the maid A-Yue said.
Chu Ruo froze.
Not see her?
She immediately tried to force her way inside.
“Master!”
The pain struck again.
She collapsed.
“Her poison is acting up again!” Xiao Guo’er cried.
A-Yue hesitated.
Finally—
“Carry her back.”
Nan Muxue did not come.
Inside, A-Yue asked carefully, “Young Palace Master… was this necessary?”
Nan Muxue calmly wrote with her brush.
“She’s too undisciplined.”
“You’re trying to temper her?”
“Yes.”
“And no.”
Chu Ruo suffered all day.
Every hour.
Pain.
Unrelenting.
Xiao Guo’er gave her medicine, but it barely helped.
Eventually, she fell into a heavy, drugged sleep.
At dawn—
She felt someone pulling her arm.
“Please… let me sleep…”
The pulling stopped.
She slept again.
Until—
Pain woke her once more.
She opened her eyes.
Nan Muxue was there.
Sitting elegantly.
Drinking tea.
Watching.
Waiting.
She didn’t help.
She simply waited until the pain ended.
Then spoke calmly:
“How long does my disciple plan to keep lying around?”
Chu Ruo nearly exploded with rage.
Damn you.
