He pointed straight at his suspicions, his purple eyes narrowing deeply. The girl gazed at his chilling profile and countered with a question instead of an answer. “In our previous life… were we really that much in love?”
She hesitated. “Your tone is so rude. Were our feelings really that good?”
The girl widened her clear black-and-white eyes, revealing a hint of doubt.
Ci Yuan fell silent for a moment, his expression turning cold, but not directed at her. He simply said, “Our relationship was certainly very good. It was just that a schemer interfered and sabotaged us from the shadows…”
“A schemer interfered and sabotaged us from the shadows.” What did that refer to? Could it be her support for Medical Poison Valley opening its gates to recruit disciples, using the chance to select handsome ones?
Li Yin carefully recalled the events from the save files and suddenly remembered the times he had killed.
Before she could find an answer, the man looked at her again. “You still haven’t answered my question.”
Li Yin touched her wrist. “The Pill Assembly was lively, so of course I went to Pill Cauldron Sect. As for this bracelet… I bought it at the Pill Assembly too. I’m an independent cultivator who travels the world using disguise art. It’s safer that way.”
She didn’t mention that she was from Joyous Union Sect. Otherwise, with this man’s sharp personality, he would definitely go looking for Joyous Union Sect—or worse, associate it with supplementation techniques and uncover her identity as a demonic cultivator.
The player chose to impersonate an independent cultivator. Her gaming experience was too rich; the lies flowed one after another seamlessly.
Her expression unchanged, she said, “Now it’s your turn to answer me. What did you mean by that schemer? Was there someone trying to sow discord between us?”
Ci Yuan’s purple eyes shifted slightly as he glanced at her. “Someone was simply unhappy with me taking the position of Valley Master.”
His gaze made Li Yin feel inexplicably puzzled, as if there was resentment in his eyes. The answer left her confused.
Players always rushed straight for certain content in the game and never paid attention to subtle internal struggles.
As they spoke, the two of them walked out of the forest mist. Before them stretched a bountiful stream, with orderly woods and houses in the distance. Medicine fields, medicine huts, and medical halls dotted the landscape unevenly within view.
Compared to the eerie and ominous feeling of the mist, the atmosphere inside Medical Poison Valley was surprisingly peaceful and orderly.
Li Yin glanced into the distance. Seeing the man continue along the stream without any intention of showing her around the valley, she hurried to catch up.
The bell sounds at his waist mingled with the stream’s flow. His steps were light, the mountain spring rushed onward, and the purple butterfly danced up and down amid the splashing water droplets.
“You were the one who saved me in this stream back then,” Ci Yuan suddenly said.
He turned his head sideways, lowering his gaze to watch the stream flow past, rushing away never to return.
The girl’s voice beside him rang out clear and bright. “And for saving your life, you promised yourself to me in return?”
After Li Yin spoke, the poisonous beauty glared at her for no reason.
The girl felt not the slightest bit guilty and looked back at him quite innocently.
They followed the stream upstream. Soon, a small earthen house came into view, surrounded by a fenced yard. The layout looked extremely familiar.
Li Yin then realized that the current territory of Medical Poison Valley must have expanded. In the save files, the player’s residence was outside Medical Poison Valley. The injured target of her affections had floated downstream along the stream out of the valley before she picked him up.
The door of the small yard opened on its own without wind, controlled by the cultivator. The man spoke again. “Back then, I was a gu person used for drug testing, gravely injured with my appearance completely ruined. After you saved me, you took care of me day by day. When my injuries improved and my looks mostly recovered…”
He candidly recounted his past, then paused abruptly. “You fell in love with me at first sight.”
Those few short words came from his lips with a hint of gritted teeth, turning a perfectly romantic love at first sight into something that sounded like lust at first sight. “You proposed marriage to me, and I agreed.”
A multitude of gu insects hung at his waist, including the Beauty Retaining Gu.
“You just agreed like that?” Li Yin recalled her confusion as a player and the favorability that had gotten stuck. “So you still promised yourself to me. Did you like me… the me from our previous life?”
The beauty coldly snorted without answering. After a moment of silence, Li Yin finally heard him say something that seemed utterly indifferent—
“Love that grew over time, that’s all…”
Then why did you lock my favorability?
The player was at a loss for words.
As she grumbled inwardly, the beauty ahead of her stopped. “It’s right here.”
He led her into his old residence. The small earthen house wasn’t large. The yard held some poultry that clucked noisily at the sight of people. Beside the house was a small plot of farmland.
The pastoral atmosphere was thick. In an instant, it awakened the player’s memories.
She had too many save files. Sometimes, she only recalled things when she saw them with her own eyes.
In that save file, the player had drawn an utterly ordinary identity card—seemingly just that of a mortal girl. But she had a house and fields, chickens and ducks—perfect conditions for farming. In short, the player had been somewhat addicted to farming in the early game.
Li Yin reflected on her past farming endeavors. The little chickens and ducks in the yard all clucked and waddled over.
Perplexed, she watched as the icy man beside her extended his pale hand. Fine bits of food spilled from between his fingers. In a casual yet eerily practiced manner, he scattered it before the little chickens and ducks, clearly feeding them.
His lifebound gu, that little purple butterfly, also flapped its wings and flew over, fluttering around to tease the chickens and ducks.
The plump little chickens and ducks eagerly gobbled up what he fed them.
Li Yin was shocked.
Whether chickens or ducks, none of them keeled over poisoned after eating.
Li Yin was shocked twice.
The girl widened her eyes in surprise, unsure whether to look at the well-cared-for chickens and ducks or at the cold poison cultivator scattering the food.
The latter glanced at her. “What are you looking at?”
As if losing patience, he flicked his hand and dumped all the food down.
Li Yin found her voice. “These… aren’t all descendants of the ones from back then, are they?” Spiritual chickens and ducks from hundreds of years ago?
The sharp-tempered beauty’s brows furrowed in impatience. “They’re the descendants’ descendants. Brainless things that do nothing but cluck all day.”
The little chickens and ducks tilted their heads at the two people, not understanding what the man was saying.
Among the plump flock, one little chicken lay listlessly in the corner, standing out.
Li Yin spotted it at once. “Isn’t that one sick?”
“Someone will come treat it.” Ci Yuan’s fingertip moved slightly, sending out a spirit message.
After feeding them, he cast a spell to clean his hands with meticulous cleanliness, leaving no crumbs or scent between his fingers.
The small earthen house had side rooms serving as kitchen and storage, plus a modest bedroom. After being unoccupied for some time, it had gathered dust. The man raised his hand to cast a cleaning spell. His silver ornaments jingled crisply, and soon the interior was spotless.
Li Yin was full of curiosity. She stood inside, looking around, and felt it was exactly the same as in the game.
It hadn’t changed in centuries. She asked knowingly, “This is the place we lived back then?”
“It was our home before I became Valley Master. After I inherited the position, this place was left empty. You and I moved to the heart of the valley.” Ci Yuan leaned casually against the table edge, watching her movements.
He was telling the truth. Li Yin touched and poked around everywhere. In one corner of the bedroom hung a curtain for privacy, and behind it sat a bathtub just as it had been.
Li Yin’s fingertip rested on the edge of the bathtub, her expression indescribable. She heard him say unhurriedly, “It’s been so long; these things have been replaced a few times, but always kept in their original style.”
“Back then, this place was still outside Medical Poison Valley. You were a mortal girl, and I was a gu person who had escaped.”
“You used those things, gathered all sorts of random herbs and put them in the water, stripped off all my clothes every time under the guise of giving me a medicinal bath.” The man’s voice turned icy at the end.
The player felt guilty at having her cheap thrills exposed.
But what bad intentions could a player have? At most, thanking Mother Nature’s gifts.
“I must have done it out of kindness, to help you…” Li Yin mumbled vaguely, unable to resist glancing at him.
The man’s current figure was as impressive as ever, accentuated by his ornate robes and silver accessories. A glimpse of his slender, taut waist peeked through the deep purple, tucked into black garments.
Noticing where her gaze had landed, the strikingly handsome man said nothing. His purple eyes turned away, as if giving a silent huff.
“Before my severe injuries fully healed, the two of us depended on each other. You often went out to gather herbs, and I waited at home for you to return.” He continued.
“Though I was injured, I was still a cultivator. At first, you and I agreed: you’d gather herbs to save me, and I’d stay in your home to help with household chores.”
Li Yin remembered now. That was pretty much how they had divided the work.
Spells were so convenient for watering fields, harvesting, cleaning, tidying rooms… things a cultivator could do with a flick of the finger.
But on the surface, she looked at him in surprise. After all, a mighty cultivator doing housework was truly unexpected.
“You don’t believe me?” His purple eyes glanced sideways at her.
He had just fed the chickens and ducks, after all.
Li Yin said, “…I believe you.”
As they reminisced, a clear voice suddenly rang out from outside. Someone had arrived.
“Valley Master, you’re back? Which chicken or duck is sick this time? I told you earlier, you should feed them less. Eating too much and not digesting it properly can make them sick too…”
The clear voice carried some non-offensive nagging, mixed with faint bell sounds. The newcomer was clearly from the valley.
Li Yin hadn’t noticed, but Ci Yuan’s expression cooled slightly. He turned and went out, and she followed.
In the yard stood a youth in white and purple robes, the colors indicating he specialized in medicine. His cultivation level was unknown, but he had no air of superiority. At the moment, he was squatting on the ground, grabbing a listless little round chicken while muttering.
Medical Poison Valley’s outer robes were purple half-sleeved and wide-cuffed. Seeming to find it troublesome, he had tied them crossed with ropes on both sides, tucking up the sleeves and hem to reveal his toned forearms wrapped in an underlayer of white. He now lightened his grip, cradling the little chicken to examine it.
The youth finished preening the chicken’s feathers before turning to look at the people who had come out.
Upon seeing the unfamiliar female cultivator behind the Valley Master, surprise appeared on his face. “Valley Master, who is this?”
Li Yin was sizing him up.
The youth had his hair in a bun at the back of his head, unlike the Valley Master’s half-loose style. He had pinned it all up neatly with a silver clasp, leaving only one strand hanging down in front, draping over his neck.
The white and purple suited his beautiful face, like a sunlit pear blossom branch—pure white and sweetly refreshing.
Compared to the eerie and glamorous Ci Yuan, this man looked sunny and bright.
Beside her, the eerie and glamorous Ci Yuan Valley Master stated bluntly, “My wife’s reincarnation.”
His purple eyes fixed on the youth’s face, clearly displeased.
The youth repeated in surprise, “Your wife’s reincarnation!”
He looked at the girl, staring openly without any attempt to hide it.
Ci Yuan watched his behavior coldly, then ordered curtly, “There are matters in the valley waiting for me to handle. You take good care of the wife for now. Show her around, and when you’re done, send her directly to me.”
The youth agreed readily. The Valley Master vanished in a flash, all too straightforward.
Li Yin could only exchange awkward glances with the unfamiliar youth. He carried a strong medicinal fragrance, likely from refining herbs not long ago.
“Wife…” The youth called out, walking up to the girl for a closer look. Due to the height difference, he bent his knees slightly to meet her eyes levelly. “Are you really Madam Li Yin’s reincarnation? But you don’t look much like her… Oh, I get it. Are you using disguise art?”
Unsure of Ci Yuan’s intentions, Li Yin eyed him warily. “You’ve seen me before?”
The youth seemed oblivious to her guard. His eyes curved as he flashed a toothy smile. “Madam probably doesn’t remember me. I’m Wen Xunzhu. Back when Medical Poison Valley first opened for disciple recruitment, you were standing right at the front. You spotted me at a glance and even said I was good-looking…”
With that, Li Yin vaguely recalled something.
He might be… one of the handsome disciples she had eyed back then but hadn’t had time to build affection with?
Players didn’t remember the names of non-target characters. Hearing his name, her expression remained normal, showing no special reaction.
Though she didn’t understand Ci Yuan’s motives, Li Yin first removed the Disguise Treasure.
With the person gone, she quickly stowed away the item he had suspected. Thinking about it, this former potential target seemed too suspicious, so she simply put away all her other incriminating items as well.
Once the disguise was lifted, Wen Xunzhu smiled radiantly. “It really is you, Madam.”
He looked her up and down, unable to hide his curiosity.
Before Li Yin could ask, he volunteered, “Madam, would you mind if I take your pulse? Reincarnations are rare. I’ve only read about them in books; it’s not the same as seeing it firsthand.”
“Madam, may I take your pulse?” he asked straightforwardly. His dark eyes were clear, unlike the Valley Master’s demonic purple—utterly guileless.
Li Yin hesitated, then nodded.
The youth immediately broke into a happy smile. He temporarily set aside the little chicken in his hand, washed his hands clean, and only then placed his fingers on her wrist. His expression grew serious as well.
In the shadows, a Purple Butterfly fluttered its wings.
After a moment, having reached a conclusion, Wen Xunzhu couldn’t help but smile faintly. “So it’s the little madam.”
“Unexpectedly, the madam has already reached golden core realm cultivation before her bone age has even hit twenty.” He sighed with emotion, his brows and eyes full of sincerity. He didn’t doubt the origins of her cultivation in the slightest.
Li Yin noticed something. “Bone age? You can tell my bone age just by touching my hand?”
The youth answered honestly. “Yes. I’m at tribulation transcendence realm, so my cultivation is higher than yours. I can tell at a glance.”
His expression was even somewhat obedient. Li Yin’s mind stirred. “You… could you tell me about those reincarnation matters?”
“Is the little madam so curious?” The youth tilted his head slightly. He didn’t need her to make excuses—he curved his brows and eyes in agreement. “Of course. Just wait a moment while I go check on that sick little guy first. Sorry for the trouble, little madam.”
He seemed much easier to deal with than the Medical Poison Valley Lord.
Beautiful, gentle, kind.
The Purple Butterfly in the shadows fluttered.