"You bad baldie! You're so unreasonable!"
Xiruan pattered up to Guanyin, her tiny body trembling with anger.
"I was talking to you, and you ignored me! Then you went and bullied an injured old auntie!"
"Look, she's coughing up blood and can barely walk, and you still had the nerve to stand there, going on and on at her!"
"Don't you have any compassion at all? Doesn't your conscience hurt?!"
A string of questions slammed into Guanyin Bodhisattva.
Doesn't your conscience hurt?
Doesn't it?
Hurt?
Guanyin's vision swam.
She wanted to explain that she was guiding the woman toward enlightenment, urging her to do good, and showing her the path to a brighter future.
Could a toddler understand such profound Buddhist teachings?
Looking into those clear, earnest eyes, brimming with a sense of justice, Guanyin Bodhisattva found herself questioning the path she had cultivated for the first time.
Had she... really done something wrong?
Holy Mother Wudang was already on the verge of breaking down. Hearing Xiruan's words, she felt a warm current sweep through her body.
How many years had it been?
Ever since the Investiture of the Gods, Interception Sect disciples had been treated like rats everyone wanted to beat. They had been slandered as lowborn creatures born of wetness or eggs, covered in fur and bearing horns, and looked down on wherever they went.
She had lost count of how many years it had been since she'd heard such simple, heartfelt words of support.
And they had come from her Master's descendant.
In an instant, Holy Mother Wudang's eyes reddened.
As she looked at the little figure standing in front of her, a wave of pride surged through her heart.
Master! Do you see?
The Interception Sect... has someone to carry on its legacy!
"Young Female Bodhisattva, this matter has nothing to do with you. Please step aside."
Guanyin Bodhisattva finally snapped out of her self-doubt. She forced down the absurd feeling in her heart, and her expression turned stern once more.
No matter what, she had to capture this Interception Sect remnant today. Otherwise, she wouldn't be able to answer to her sect leader.
"Nothing to do with me? How could it not?"
Xiruan puffed out her little chest, her voice clear and bright.
"When you see someone being wronged, you help them! That's the rule in our village!"
She glanced at the poor auntie and aimed the Milk Bottle at Guanyin Bodhisattva.
"I'm telling you, as long as I'm here, you're not bullying her!"
"Oh?" Guanyin's gaze turned cold.
She could see that this child was determined to oppose her.
Since gentle persuasion had failed, she would have to use Buddhism's thunderous methods and teach the child a lesson in humility.
"Since Young Benefactor insists on interfering in the affairs of the Western Religious Sect, I have no choice but to offend you."
Guanyin Bodhisattva drew the Willow Branch from the Jade Pure Bottle with her slender fingers. With a flick of her wrist, profound Daoist energy swept down toward Xiruan.
She hadn't intended to strike a deadly blow. She only wanted to bind the child with the Willow Branch and reason with her.
"You're still trying to hit me!"
Seeing the green branch whip toward her, Xiruan shouted and swung the Milk Bottle straight at it!
"Boom—!"
The Milk Bottle and the Willow Branch collided in midair with a deafening crash!
Guanyin Bodhisattva felt an indescribably terrifying force surge back along the Willow Branch.
The lotus throne beneath her shuddered violently several times before she managed to steady herself.
Even more shocking, a crack had appeared on the Willow Branch!
"Hmph! That's all the strength you've got, and you think you can hit me?"
Xiruan raised an eyebrow and looked at Guanyin with disdain.
Guanyin Bodhisattva was utterly speechless.
W-what kind of monster was this?!
Holy Mother Wudang, standing behind them, was even more astonished. Her mouth hung open at the sight.
One strike!
Just one strike!
It had sent Guanyin Bodhisattva, a mid-stage Quasi-Saint, reeling along with her magical treasure?!
And she seemed to have done it without breaking a sweat!
Holy Mother Wudang rubbed her eyes hard, wondering if her injuries were making her hallucinate.
Could a three-and-a-half-year-old really have this kind of strength?
This domineering, overwhelming power, as if it could crush anything... Could it be that this child wasn't merely a descendant of her Master?
Could she... could she be...
Had her Master used some heaven-defying divine ability to reincarnate and cultivate anew?!
Countless thoughts flashed through Holy Mother Wudang's mind, each one setting her blood ablaze.
The look she gave Xiruan shifted from shock to fervor, then became one of boundless reverence and devotion.
It was as if she could already see the grand scene of the Interception Sect's ten thousand immortals gathering at court once more!
"You... who are you, exactly?"
Guanyin Bodhisattva's voice trembled slightly. Suspicion and apprehension filled her gaze as she stared at Xiruan.
"I'm your great-aunt!"
Xiruan had no time to explain. After landing a successful blow, she prepared to charge forward again and beat the bad baldie into submission.
Just then, an excited voice came from behind her.
"P-please forgive this disciple's poor judgment. May I... may I ask if you are a senior of the Interception Sect?"
Xiruan stopped and turned to look at the old auntie in black, puzzled.
Senior?
Interception Sect?
What did any of that mean?
She scratched her head and answered in a childish voice, "My name isn't Interception Sect. My name is Xiruan."
"My dad is Tongtian."
The name "Tongtian" exploded in the minds of Holy Mother Wudang and Guanyin Bodhisattva like Chaos Divine Thunder.
Though they had already suspected as much, hearing the name come from the child's own mouth still left both Quasi-Saints stunned.
Guanyin Bodhisattva's face turned horribly grim.
Tongtian!
So it really was that madman's doing!
No wonder! No wonder the child was so bizarre and unreasonable!
It was rotten right from the root!
Holy Mother Wudang, meanwhile, was so overcome that tears streamed down her face.
With a thud, she fell to her knees before Xiruan, her voice choked with emotion. "This disciple Wudang pays her respects to Junior Sister!"
Since Xiruan was her Master's daughter, she was naturally Wudang's junior sister.
No! That wasn't right!
Given the heaven-spanning power she had just displayed, and that pure, peerless Daoist energy, how could she be merely a junior sister?
She had to be her Master's incarnation, or perhaps some long-hidden ancestor of the Interception Sect!
Yes! That had to be it!
"Hey, hey, hey! What are you doing?"
Xiruan was startled by the bow.
"Old auntie, get up! The ground is cold!"
She hated seeing people kneel to her. It reminded her of the poor people in her village who couldn't repay their debts. They would kneel on the ground and beg the landlord to give them a few more days.
It was so pitiful.
"If Senior won't acknowledge me, this disciple dares not rise!"
Holy Mother Wudang gazed at Xiruan with unwavering determination.
"Please rest assured, Senior. Just say the word, and I, Wudang, will risk my life to carve a path through the enemy ranks and help you restore the Interception Sect!"
Xiruan: "..."
The old auntie had completely confused her.
What senior? What restoring the Interception Sect?
What kind of nonsense was all this?
She just wanted to rescue a poor person who was being bullied by a bad baldie!
While the two of them talked at cross-purposes, Guanyin Bodhisattva made up her mind.
She had to run. Now!
(I saw all your comments. I've fixed the parts I got wrong.)
(Thanks~ Thanks to Tongsheng of the Pentagon for the paid support! Thanks, everyone, for the reminders to update and for your comments. Sending love~~~)
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