[The first half of this chapter is Shuang Yue's personal monologue, describing Xiaoyao as she sees her through the eyes of a little girl.]
I—Shuang Yue.
The junior sister of Bright Moon Peak.
I had been Bright Moon Venerable's disciple for thirty-six years.
Bright Moon Venerable had countless disciples, and I was definitely not the most special among them.
But.
I was certainly the junior sister Senior Sister doted on most.
Thinking back carefully.
When had I first met Ye Xiaoyao?
It must have been nearly ten years ago.
An accident brought me to Heavenly Sword Peak. With the help of my bloodline's source, I spotted a distinctive splash of color in the crowd at a glance.
I had seen all kinds of people over the years, but it was the first time I'd ever seen such a clean, powdery white. It was as though her soul were so pure it didn't have a single flaw.
Wait—
As I continued looking her over, I let out a startled cry.
Wasn't this a cat?
So Ye Xiaoyao, Junior Sister Xiaoyao, was a cat?
And not just any cat, but a little cat wearing a crystal crown?
Ye Xiaoyao was so tiny back then, not even 1.1 meters tall. All she did every day was farm.
My heart ached for her. I wanted to help.
But she wouldn't let me get close at all.
I tried giving her lots of spirit stones.
But she stared at me with a complicated look, filled with all kinds of tangled emotions.
In the depths of those red eyes, I saw the last shred of a little girl's dignity.
So I hastily put the spirit stones away in my space and chose to give her only two at a time.
At that moment, I already knew.