Chapter 14

Chapter 14

That day, Little Junior Sister left in a daze, forgetting even to say goodbye to me.

Afterward, she began coming to my place often to feed the chickens and ducks, and occasionally to pull weeds.

Crop after crop grew in the vegetable patches, and day after day passed by.

One day, Little Junior Sister suddenly asked me, “Senior Sister, isn’t it lonely being here all by yourself?”

I shook my head and answered calmly, “I don’t like inviting too many people into my life. I prefer seeking fulfillment from within. Of course, you and Eldest Senior Sister are exceptions.”

Fubao tugged at my sleeve with his teeth, clearly dissatisfied.

“Woof! Woof!”

I gave him a reluctant, perfunctory nod. “Fine, fine. Senior Brother Cui is an exception too.”

Fubao snorted twice in satisfaction, his dog face full of pride.

Little Junior Sister looked thoughtful.

That day, after she finished helping me with the poultry and the vegetables, she left quite early.

As she was leaving, she said to me seriously, “Second Senior Sister, I won’t be coming back for a while. I’m going to seek my own Dao. When I return, I’ll show you how much I’ve changed. I’m off!”

She waved at me, her smile bright and radiant.

I waved back at her.

Safe travels, Little Junior Sister.

She is still young and loves the hustle and bustle of the world.

But one day, she will understand: the number of spots for friends in one’s life is just like the space in a Storage Bag-it is fixed, and it requires constant updating and streamlining.

Just as when I was in the Foundation Establishment stage, I would only keep Spirit Grass and elixirs relevant to Foundation Establishment; I wouldn’t keep things from the Qi Refinement stage. I might have wanted things from the Golden Core stage, but I couldn’t get them.

Once I reached the Golden Core stage, I cleared out the items from Qi Refinement and Foundation Establishment, leaving only a few sentimental pieces with special meaning. The rest were still valuable, but they were no longer suitable for me.

It wasn’t that they were bad; they just didn’t fit anymore.

It was as simple as that.

People are always growing. Only friends who grow at the same pace can walk together for a longer stretch of the journey. But even then, it is only a longer stretch; after all, everyone’s ultimate destination is different.

Little Junior Sister left the Bixiao Sect.

Before leaving, she bid farewell to all the Senior Brothers and gave each of them a gift.

The Senior Brothers wanted to accompany her.

She refused them with a solemn expression. “Senior Brothers, you can’t keep treating me like a child. I’ve grown up; I can’t live under your protection forever.”

“I must walk the path of cultivation myself. I won’t just wait for my Senior Brothers to attain the Dao and then ride your coattails to heaven.”

“Thank you for your kindness toward me. I will remember it forever. We part today to meet again in the future, and I hope I can make you proud then.”

Under the watchful eyes of her Senior Brothers, she departed with grace.

Word reached us that she was braving Secret Realms, slaying ferocious beasts, and seizing Spirit Grass. She was no longer that poor little thing who needed to be shielded by others.

She was learning to make herself strong, practicing Cultivation Methods she once found difficult and repeating those tedious movements over and over.

Some said she had become cold and detached.

Some said she was being foolish-that she clearly had powerful backers to rely on, yet chose to go out and suffer on her own.

Others even wondered if she had been possessed; she used to be a soft, cute little fairy, but now she lived like a ferocious beast.

Opinions varied, but it didn’t matter.

Only the strong are talked about; the weak only elicit sighs of pity.

I hoped she would be the one people talked about, rather than the one people pitied.