Chapter 2

He told me his name was Shangqing.

The mystic tortoise clan had few members, each wandering the western lands in pursuit of medical knowledge.

They didn’t even have anyone willing to be clan leader.

That day, I unilaterally declared Shangqing their leader.

With a face like that, why shouldn’t he be?

When I returned to the Ninth Heaven, everyone crowded around me, looking solemn as they waited to hear the results of my consultation.

I said the good news was that once my divine power grew strong enough, my skin might finally achieve unification.

Still solemn, they asked for the bad news.

I said there wasn’t any.

They didn’t believe me. They were sure I’d suffered and simply refused to say so.

Ha. They thought I was that noble?

I was starting to sweat.

After struggling for ages, I finally came up with some “bad news.” I put on a grave expression. “Fine. I’ll tell you the truth. The mystic tortoise clan leader fell for my looks. He said that if my skin never changes, I absolutely must marry him. He likes me just the way I am.”

I’d added a little personal interpretation. Surely it wasn’t too far from the truth.

They thought it over for a while, then abruptly sighed in relief. “Sounds as though there really isn’t any bad news.”

“Thank goodness.”

Excuse me? You’d rather believe there was no bad news than believe someone lusted after me for my looks?

My fists clenched.

After that, I abandoned my old lazy ways and began cultivating seriously.

Everyone looked delighted. Everyone except Chi Zhen, who was desperately worried.

Five days later, I couldn’t stand it anymore. “What is wrong?”

He looked torn. After a long struggle, he finally spoke. “Yaoyao, your skin can never become normal, can it?”

The question stunned me. Chi Zhen took my surprise as proof he’d guessed right and continued, “That’s why you’re working so hard. You’re turning grief into strength to hide your pain.”

Fuck. He made it sound so convincing.

Without changing my expression, I said, “You’re only half right. I’m working this hard to become powerful.”

“Then I’ll steal every handsome man in the Four Seas and Eight Wilds.”

I looked Chi Zhen up and down and gave him a wicked smile. “You’ve still got a little charm left yourself. Quite easy on the eyes.”

To my surprise, his expression turned serious. He said each word distinctly. “You wouldn’t have to steal me.”

I froze in shock.

Out of nowhere, I remembered a young immortal who’d rejected me years ago saying that only a blind man could ever like me.

Damn him. Why did he have to be right?

I firmly believed Chi Zhen was making this catastrophic mistake only because his eyesight hadn’t recovered.

Blur a face enough and even the ugliest one acquires a certain beauty.

So after a few stunned moments, I came straight back to my senses and stopped worrying about it.

Chi Zhen, however, thought his feelings couldn’t be clearer, and that I was making light of them.

“Sure, sure. Yes, yes. Whatever you say,” I told him.

All nine of his red tails stood up in indignation. “Your appearance is only skin deep. It’s your soul I love.”

That was even sadder.

All these years, not only had no one loved my face, no one had ever loved my soul either.

I sighed. “Go get your eyes treated first.”

“Until they’re better, I won’t believe a word you say.”

Chi Zhen pressed his lips together. He watched me for a long time before asking, “And if I still like you then?”

I gave a dry laugh. “Have them check your head too.”

Chi Zhen: “?”