chapter 1

After our spiritual roots were tested, my legitimate elder sister and I were sent to the Wuji Sect to become disciples.

The difference was that she had a single spiritual root, while I had mixed roots.

I had spent my childhood confined to a little courtyard and knew nothing about the distinction. But one look at Perfected Yuanchen’s satisfaction with my sister told me she had beaten me yet again.

Hatred covered my face. Hatred filled my eyes. Hatred consumed my heart.

Unfortunately, I had less courage than a mouse. Even at the height of my hatred, all I dared do was crawl around gloomily in the middle of the night.

Perfected Yuanchen said to my sister in a kindly voice, “You possess an unworldly bearing and great fortune. I shall pass the Carefree Art on to you. Cultivate diligently, and one day you may achieve Spirit Transformation, as I have.”

Even my worldly, well-bred sister could not contain her delight. For once, she looked like an excited young girl.

While a crowd of senior brothers surrounded her with congratulations, I quietly squeezed beneath their arms and wriggled up to Perfected Yuanchen.

“Master,” I whispered, “what about me?”

Perfected Yuanchen jumped.

“Where did this monkey spirit come from?”

I felt terribly wronged. It was not my fault I was so small and skinny.

Eldest Senior Brother, who had escorted us here, rubbed his nose. “She is another descendant of the Shen family.”

Years ago, Perfected Yuanchen had owed the Shen family a favor and promised to accept any Shen descendant with spiritual roots as a disciple. Thanks to that promise, even someone with mixed roots like me was admitted beneath his tutelage.

I gathered my courage and copied my sister. “Master.”

Then I asked, “What am I supposed to learn?”

Master looked at me, then looked up at the sky.

Not a single human-sounding sentence came out of his mouth. “Your clothes are ragged and your conduct is furtive. You are unsuited to the arts of my school. Come find me after you have found your own Dao.”

With that, he entrusted us to Eldest Senior Brother and went into seclusion.

I did not understand him. I wanted to cry.

Fortunately, Eldest Senior Brother was responsible enough to assign me a cave dwelling and tell me I could attend lessons in the training hall every day.

That night, after watching my sister bask in everyone’s attention, I crawled darkly around my cave eight hundred times.

A month later, my sister succeeded in drawing qi into her body during a lesson.

The other disciples were green with envy.

“That is a single spiritual root for you. Her progress is incredible.”

“I heard Perfected Yuanchen gave Junior Sister Shen Yuening the Carefree Art. That technique can take a cultivator all the way to immortality.”

An unfamiliar disciple approached me. “You are also Perfected Yuanchen’s disciple. What technique did he give you?”

I was too embarrassed to answer.

The truth was, when Master told me to pursue the Dao that day, I had not understood him.

So I began sticking to him like glue.

My concubine mother had once said that when a woman pursued a man, only a thin veil stood between them.

I was certain Master would eventually be moved by my devotion.

Years of lurking miserably around the estate had left me with a very particular set of skills. My finest was the ability to erase my presence and drift into the kitchen like a ghost to steal steamed buns.

If I wanted to go somewhere, no one could stop me.

Wherever Master went, I followed.

After I tailed him to the privy yet again, he finally snapped. Through clenched teeth, he said, “There are so many people in this sect. Follow them and learn each day, and eventually you will find the Dao.”

So many people. Follow them. The Dao.

The word sounded exactly like theft.

Master looked so upright and noble, yet he was telling me to become a thief!

Admittedly, I had stolen a few steamed buns from the main kitchen when my family refused to feed me. But that kitchen belonged to my own family. Taking things from your own home could hardly be called stealing.

After I pestered him one time too many, Eldest Senior Brother declared with absolute certainty, “Master did tell you to pursue the Dao. You must find your own path and practice it until it becomes second nature. Do you understand now?”

I understood.

Simply stealing was not enough. I had to practice until it became a habit.

In other words, I had to become a habitual thief.

But my conscience could not bear it.

That night, I hugged the hairpins, earrings, bracelets, and bright red undergarments I had stolen from my sister and wept.

Heaven was my witness. Master had ordered me to do this!