CHAPTER 525
The Parting of Mortals and Immortals
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Dongfang Jue witnessed it all with her own eyes. From the moment that all-consuming white light descended, nothing remained but suffering and wails…
"Cui'er, has your brother gone out?"
This was Dongfang Jue's new name—Zhao Cuicui. Truthfully, she disliked this name and didn't particularly care for the people in this household either.
But this was the task her Master had given her. Though she didn't understand its meaning, she didn't disobey in the slightest.
She had assumed the identity of Zhao Cuicui. With her cultivation at the early stage of the Transformation Spirit Realm, 23rd tier, deceiving her master and sisters was impossible. Yet, fooling these ordinary people was as easy as turning her hand.
These days, she lived the life of an ordinary person—washing clothes by the river, gathering firewood in the mountains, and cooking meals over an open flame. With her current physical and spiritual strength, learning these tasks was effortless; she could grasp them with a single glance.
Thus, she had revealed little that gave her away. Her "family" seemed to notice her unusual behavior, but appeared understanding. Dongfang Jue found this satisfactory; she had no intention of cultivating close bonds with these people anyway.
She only needed to follow her master's instructions. These household chores wouldn't interfere with her cultivation.
Dongfang Jue carried a wooden basin toward the riverbank. Though her cultivation and physical strength remained unaffected by the restriction her master had placed upon her, she could no longer wield immortal arts. Thus, walking this distance was unavoidable.
"Sister Cuicui, are you going to wash clothes too? Let's walk together!"
This was the youngest daughter of the Li family, named Li Ying. She seemed to have a decent relationship with Li Cuicui?
It had been over a month since Dongfang Jue had been sent here by her master, and she had mostly gotten to know the people around her.
Dongfang Jue didn't dislike this Li Ying, even if she seemed a bit clingy.
"Mhm, let's walk together." Washing clothes required going to the riverbank—something Dongfang Jue had only learned in recent days.
Not only her family, but the entire village lacked a single well.
As for drinking water, it was all fetched by her "big brother" who rose early to carry it from outside the village. Though her brothers and father occasionally helped out, Dongfang Jue had gone once herself. But with her frail frame, it seemed she'd have to make several trips.
Was it to remember hardship and appreciate the good times? Dongfang Jue didn't know how this life of poverty could possibly help her cultivation.
Perhaps Master wished for her to witness the hardships of ordinary people?
Gradually, Dongfang Jue came to regard this as a trial or a test to temper her Mental State.
Stripped of her Immortal Emperor's robes and long weapon, the Nine Radiance Heavenly Seal clutched to her chest was her sole remaining treasure. Dongfang Jue often found herself staring blankly at it, lost in thought—so lost that she only snapped back to awareness when she realized she'd been zoning out.
"Sister, look! Brother Wang Er and the others are all staring at you!"
Dongfang Jue knew he couldn't be considered handsome now. Compared to his original appearance, his current face was barely ordinary—skin rough, complexion sallow from poor blood circulation.
Even though she now possessed the pair of small peaks she had once dreamed of, it felt utterly meaningless at this moment.
Frankly, Dongfang Jue thought these guys hadn't eaten much in their lives either. What was there to look at on a face like hers?
Wang Er wore a filthy rag of a shirt—calling it a shirt was generous. It was essentially a torn piece of cloth with two holes cut out for his arms.
Wang Er pulled a flatbed cart, which was the most valuable possession in his entire household.
Dongfang Jue didn't think he was particularly noteworthy, and neither did Wang Er. Frankly, being fat and ugly, Dongfang Jue couldn't be bothered to spare such a man a second glance.
Beside Wang Er stood several men of similar age. Now that they'd reached the roadside, they all eyed Dongfang Jue and Li Ying, whose ages seemed "just right."
Had it been Ye Qinghan, such stares would likely have sealed her fate in their eyes. Dongfang Jue, however, paid little heed to such trivial matters and wouldn't harbor murderous intent over them.
After all, she was still human.
"Heh, let them stare."
Dongfang Jue merely glanced their way, honestly not giving it a second thought. Even without her immortal arts now, mortals were still no match for her.
In this world, no man could compare to her master, and she would never fall for another.
Even if it were a charade—a so-called matchmaking and marriage—she wouldn't acknowledge it.
Even if it were her master's mission, she would refuse. For she knew that if her purity were tainted, she would lose her master forever.
Moreover, as a cultivator, the mortals before her were nothing but fleeting clouds in the sky.
"Don't you like Wang Er, Sister?"
"Should I like him?" Dongfang Jue thought the question was downright vulgar…
Li Ying appeared deep in thought, but Dongfang Jue saw right through her.
"If you like him, sister, you should take the initiative."
"Sis! You're so mean! I never said I liked him!"
"It's written all over your face~" Dongfang Jue sighed helplessly.
This was Dongfang Jue's daily life. For over half a year now, she had lived like this.
Her family treated her with warmth. While she occasionally faced scolding, more often than not, she sensed a gaze from her father that mirrored her master's.
This gaze was entirely different from the one Dongfang Shuo directed at her. It took Dongfang Jue a long time to realize that Dongfang Shuo's gaze seemed to pass right through her.
In her father's eyes, she was never Dongfang Jue. She was his late wife's daughter—a flesh-and-blood resemblance to her mother, a reincarnation of her mother.
Occasionally, after drinking, her father would fly into a rage, taking it out on her eldest and second brothers, or quarreling with her mother—experiences Dongfang Jue had never known.
Her parents would occasionally discipline her, and her father's words were absolute. As women, she and her mother had no right to argue back.
Her father was far from perfect. Even when drunk, he would still get rowdy, yet he would rise early the next morning to work and earn money.
Her two brothers treated her fairly well. Aside from her second brother, who seemed to harbor unusual feelings toward her, everything appeared normal.
That was until Dongfang Jue sensed the approach of spiritual energy. It was a group of cultivators, seemingly from the Immortal Alliance under the Heavenly Dao Pavilion.
However, the highest cultivation level among them was only mid-Foundation Establishment. They couldn't detect Dongfang Jue's peculiarity at all, not even glancing her way.
This was hardly surprising. Dongfang Jue's current appearance wasn't even considered beautiful among mortals, let alone catch the eye of immortals.
According to the cultivators, the black mist was closing in on this area, and they needed to evacuate.
Relocate?
Where to?
These people didn't know, but Dongfang Jue understood all too well. In this world, safe places were becoming scarce.
If they left, they would become displaced people, refugees—no different from beggars.
But who dared disobey the cultivators' orders? When the black mist descended, even immortals would struggle to withstand it—let alone mere mortals like them. Staying in the village meant certain death.
Were it not for her master, Dongfang Jue could have saved this family. She possessed many methods, but her master had made it clear: she must not interfere with their actions. She was merely a powerless youngest daughter.
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