Chapter 1: Disciple, Descend the Mountain
Lush, verdant mountains shrouded in mist. Occasionally, a mighty eagle would soar into the sky. The call of insects and birds echoed through the mountains, where wildflowers bloomed in abundance.
"Huff"
Master Wang Ye of the Cloud Terrace Temple rushed to the mountain peak, relieved to find nobody had followed him.
Just as he was about to exhale completely, a shiny little head suddenly popped out from beside a large tree up ahead.
Little Jiu blinked his large, round eyes innocently at his master.
"Master, did Beautiful Mistress come to chase after you again?"
"What mistress? I'm a cultivator, how could I have a wife? Disciple, you must watch your words."
Wang Ye's stubble-rough face was red, extending all the way to his ears. Despite this, his little disciple hopped and skipped to stand in front of him, looking him over as if he intended to see right through the master.
“Master, your face is red. Little Fuzi says that when a man’s face turns red in the presence of a woman, it means the man likes that woman.”
Little Jiu looked at his master seriously, his innocent little face making Wang Ye unable to look straight at him.
Little Fuzi, the youngest disciple in the temple, was always teaching the children such nonsense. But when he thought about the woman in the temple, his scalp itched. This wouldn't stand; if things continued like this, it would certainly be a disgrace to his masters.
He ran a hand through his unruly hair and sighed deeply. Looking at Little Jiu, he said, “Disciple, you are now three and a half years old and I have imparted all of my knowledge and skills to you. You have already surpassed me in many aspects, and there is nothing more I can teach you.”
Listening to his master's words, Little Jiu's shiny head was filled with question marks.
Something didn't sound right about Master's words.
She pouted, with a wronged expression on her face, and asked, "Master, are you going to abandon Xiao Jiu?"
Wang Ye touched Xiao Jiu's bald head. He had shaved her head because he didn't know how to comb a child's hair. He sighed and said, "What are you talking about? A teacher for a day, a father for a lifetime, how could I abandon my disciple? I have been upholding the Taoist temple for most of my life, and now I want to travel the world. As a simple man, it's really inconvenient to take a child with me on the road, so I decided to send you down the mountain to reunite with your family."
"What is a family?" Xiao Jiu asked with a puzzled face.
"Ah! On the day you were born, something unexpected happened at home. Your mother passed away after giving birth to you. Your father entrusted you to me for your safety. Now I know that your family is safe and sound, your father and your brothers are looking for you everywhere, you should go down the mountain to reunite with them."
Xiao Jiu didn't fully understand Master's words, but she obediently nodded. However, she was reluctant to leave her little friends on the mountain, little Bai, little Qing, little Hei, and those grandpa and grandma, uncles and aunts.
The grandpas, grandmas, uncles, and aunts Xiao Jiu referred to were actually the lonely ghosts on the mountain. She was born with the ability to see these beings. But the little child was not afraid of them at all, and she affectionately called them.
These lonely ghosts had been wandering in the human world for a long time, and they were more than happy to meet such a sweet child.
Wang Ye, this stinky Taoist, didn't know how to take care of children. When Xiao Jiu couldn't even walk or talk, these lonely ghosts were looking after her.
One could say that Xiao Jiu was brought up by a group of lonely ghosts.
That night, Wang Ye secretly took Xiao Jiu down the mountain. He stopped a car on the road, and stuffed his little disciple into it.
"My disciple, with your abilities, these ordinary people can't harm you at all, so I won't accompany you home." He handed her a bundle, and continued, "This contains everything you've always wanted, so I'm giving it all to you now. Take care of yourself in the future, and you can contact your brothers if something comes up. Hurry on now!"
At this moment, Xiao Jiu was half-asleep, and she only took in the main idea of what her master was saying. She only knew that there were good things in the bundle, so she held it tightly in her arms.
The driver who was stopped was dumbfounded. Did this old Taoist mean to let the child ride their car alone?
Before he could react and ask, Wang Ye's figure was already gone outside the car.
"My lady? This..."
Beside Little Jiu, a lady of distinctive elegance wearing golden glasses sat; her skin was pale and her face showed signs of extreme fatigue.
Initially, the old lady's sympathy arose when she saw the two, especially a young child in the late hours, fearing that the child may fall ill. Thus, she thought about offering them a ride.
Unexpectedly, the old Taoist monk directly handed over the child to them, clearly abandoning the child.
"Grandma, do you feel a tightness in chest, accompanied by headaches and difficulty sleeping?"
Little Jiu tilted her round head and looked at the old lady. Her childlike innocence directly sparked a wave of pity within their hearts.
Hearing her words, both the old lady and the driver looked at her in astonishment. This child seemed to be out of the ordinary.
Suppressing her physical discomfort, the old lady showed a gentle smile and asked, "How did you know?"
"I just saw it!" Little Jiu reached into her small cloth bag, rummaged for a while, took out a small white porcelain bottle, poured out a black pill, and handed it to the old lady.
"Grandma, this is for you. After you take it, you'll feel better."
The old lady, looking at the black pill in Little Jiu's chubby hand, couldn't help but smile and said, "Thank you, little one."
Although she knew this thing wouldn't work, she couldn't refuse the goodwill of the child and reached out to accept it.
"Swallow it with water, you will feel better soon."
Little Jiu, with her round and large eyes, gazed straight at the old lady. Seeing that she had no intention of taking it, Little Jiu did not insist.
She yawned, as by this time, she would usually be asleep.
"Little one, what is your name?"
The old lady was holding the medicine pill from Xiaojiu, with no intention of taking it. It's normal for children to enjoy role-playing games, and this black pill must be something she made up while pretending to be a doctor.
"I'm Xiaojiu. Kindly drop me off at the Jiang residence in Jiangcheng, please, beautiful Grandmother."
Xiaojiu took out a crumpled piece of paper, which was the address her master had given her.
Beautiful Grandma?
The old lady smiled at this adressment. She liked it. She took the paper and looked at it, her brow furrowing slightly. This address seems very familiar.
Handing the note to the driver, the driver looked at it as well, surprised, "Madam, we are headed to this very place."
Now, the old lady had to take this child seriously and quickly asked, "Xiaojiu, why are you going to this place?"
"My master said that the Jiang family are my kin, and asked me to go home."
"Kin? A member of the Jiang family?"
The old lady's emotions surged instantly, she hurriedly grabbed Xiaojiu and asked, "How old are you this year?"
Seeing the the old lady's rapid breathing, Xiaojiu couldn't help but worry. Always watching the old lady's expression, she responded, "Xiaojiu is three and a half years old now."
"Three and a half?" The old woman quickly took out her phone and opened a message. Looking from the text on the screen to Xiaojiu, she wondered...
Could it be...?
Due to her overwhelming emotions, the old lady's breath became rapid and she passed out, her face turning pale, frighteningly so.
Seeing her in this state, Xiaojiu quickly went over to take her pulse. The driver, noticing that the old lady was having a crisis, hurriedly got off the car and fetched a bottle of pills.
"Madam, are you alright? Please take the medicine quickly."
Xiaojiu stared at the medicine in the driver's hand, she pushed him away and sternly said, "Uncle, this medicine won't do any good for Grandmother."
Then, carefully opening the old lady's hand, she took out the pill she'd given her and stuffed it immediately into the old lady's mouth.
