Chapter 427
I heard that I was born on a heavily snowing day .
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Due to the sheer coldness of the weather, my mother didn’t survive that winter .
And because I was born prematurely, without my mother’s milk to nourish me, I was sickly .
The first time I saw her was when I followed my father to Medicine Granny’s place . The Medicine Granny that had always been called a godly physician by the people of jianghu .
She was squatting in Medicine Granny’s yard . I saw her the moment I entered . She was fair and tender . Though she wore clothes of coarse linen, it couldn’t hide her vivaciousness .
Father and Medicine Granny entered the house to discuss while I stood in the yard .
She’d been squatting ever since I entered . I was curious as to what she was looking at, so I slowly made my way over .
“What’re you looking at?” At the time I was 8 years old . I was pretty tall for my age, so I blocked out the light by standing in front of her .
She lifted her head and puffed out her cheeks, huffily shoving me away . “What’re you doing?! You’re stepping on my bug!”
‘Bug?’
I lowered my head . How was that a bug?! It was clearly a scorpion that was preparing to sting me!
“Ah!” I shouted and jerked back, my back drenched in cold sweat .
Having heard the commotion from inside the house, Medicine Granny came rushing out and pulled her by the ear . “Damn girl! This is a guest! Have you been scaring people again? Put that little fellow of yours away right now! Don’t be scaring this little brother . ”
She had an aggrieved expression as she spoke, “I wasn’t bullying him . ”
Although Medicine Granny appeared angry, she didn’t use that much force . My father later came out and smoothed things over by saying that kids were just kids .
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After they entered the house, the little girl immediately got to her feet . She lifted her head and walked past me, stomping on my feet on the way .
I was still frozen from the previous shock, so this caused me to nearly yelp in pain . At the time, I was wondering why this girl was so detestable .
But I didn’t realise that her meanness wouldn’t stop there .
My father let me stay at Medicine Granny’s to nurse my body . And that was the start of my nightmare .
Finding snakes in my sheets when I was about to go to bed, getting stung by scorpions when I was wearing my shoes, finding insects in my meals when I was eating…
Stuff like these happened too often to count .
I found out later on that none of these critters were poisonous—I would’ve been fine even if I had been bitten .
Perhaps having noticed that I’d discovered this, she didn’t use these methods anymore, instead finding other ways to prank me .
One day, another boy around my age was sent to Medicine Granny .
Ever since he came, I found that her focus was no longer on me . She had instead switched to tormenting that other boy .
Back then, I didn’t understand how she could be so nasty .
It was only after a long, long time that I remembered how she suddenly became nice to me when I was about to leave, as if she couldn’t wait for me to go .
She probably thought I was planning on fighting her for Medicine Granny’s love .
She was just 5 back then, the time when kids are most reliant on adults, so it’s normal if she had thought that way .
We didn’t see each other again for 7 years .
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While I was away from her, I’d occasionally remember how she pranked me . I always thought that I detested her . She’d bullied me, after all .
When I heard that Medicine Granny had passed away, that was around the time where I led the Demon Sect to escape from our old location .
As the Young Master of the Demon Sect, I had to shoulder the burden of supporting it . I couldn’t just leave then, so I don’t know what she had experienced during that period .
When we finally met again, it was at Jadewater Village .
Oh, that’s not entirely true . I saw her a few times before then, but it seemed like she didn’t recognise me, as if I had been just another stranger to her .
I didn’t know why, but I lost my temper and we fought . Afterwards, I realised that I must’ve been upset because she didn’t remember me .
When I noticed that she wanted to kill me, I was very angry, so I became more unpleasant towards her .
I’d heard some of the rumours about her, but I never believed them . She wasn’t that kind of person .
No one else could tolerate her, so I gave her a safe harbour to return to . That was the only thing I could do for her .
On the trip to Mt . Di, it was completely out of my expectations that she would follow along .
In the end, I was even rescued by her .
My father once said that those things would bring the Demon Sect misfortune . He’d been planning to destroy them back then, but the Demon Sect came under attack before he could do so .
I hadn’t been planning to survive the moment I entered Mt . Di . I didn’t know whether the feeling I felt when I saw the sun again was ecstasy or something else .
I only knew that I liked her .
But it seemed that she didn’t like me .
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No matter what I did, she always looked very apathetic .
I thought that it must’ve been because I was too weak, so I chose to go into seclusion to break through the Nether Mantra’s ninth level .
If I succeeded, there’d be no one in all of jianghu who could defeat me .
If I failed…
Then I didn’t have any qualification to stand by her side .
She was so strong, so dazzling .
Before I went into seclusion, I told her that I’d marry her if I came out .
I didn’t even dare to look at her expression back then .
The things I gave her were her old toys which I’d snuck away from Medicine Granny’s place .
But I think she probably doesn’t remember them, because she looked confused when she saw them again .
It’d be lying to say I wasn’t disappointed .
Those memories clearly belonged to the two of us, yet I was the only one who remembered .
To make myself feel better, I comforted myself, thinking that she was too young back then, so it was normal for her to forget .
Breaking through the Nether Mantra wasn’t smooth sailing—I nearly failed several times . But every time, I remembered what I said to her, so I gritted my teeth and persevered .
In the end, I succeeded .
I saw her waiting outside when I left the chamber . But before I could feel happy, she wanted to take my blood .
I knew in my heart that she didn’t like me, but I still couldn’t help but lose my temper .
She wasn’t waiting outside because she was worried about me, but because she wanted my blood .
I guessed it had something to do with her sword, but I didn’t give it to her . I didn’t know whether she’d leave once I did . So I didn’t dare to give her any .
Even if she didn’t like me, I still wanted her to be around .
When I learned that she had someone she liked, I felt complicated .
I had been missing for the greater part of her life . In the end, I wasn’t able to become her most important person .
When she left the Demon Sect, I went to look for her with great fanfare . But I knew…that even if I found her, she still wouldn’t like me .
I don’t know why I was so certain either . An instinct perhaps .
Although the Nether Mantra is strong, it shortens the lifespans of those who practise it . Though I wasn’t really afraid of death, since I couldn’t have the person I liked . I just feared that she’d suffer by herself .
So I asked Ting Feng to invite her back . I’ve always known where she’s been .
I’m very happy that I could see her again before I die .
My only regret is that I was never a part of the most bloody periods of her life, that I didn’t give her someone to rely on when she needed it most, that I never held any weight in her heart .
Wu Zheng, I like you .
—Jiang Zhan .