Hua Lian's Judgment Value Is Full

Xiao Yu looked at the endlessly weeping Hua Lian, without a shred of pity in his eyes.

In this world, he knew better than anyone how much a wicked woman's tears were worth.

He had no interest in whether she had truly fallen for someone, nor did he care whether she had some marriage contract.

From the moment she had tried to feed him a poisonous pill, her ending had already been decided.

Hua Lian wept until she choked.

Memories of her childhood surfaced, every single one as clear as if it had happened yesterday.

That year, famine had struck Hexi Province. She had only been a few years old. Human flesh was cheaper than pigs and dogs.

Bitter cold, severe drought, locust plagues, pestilence, soaring prices, war, great famine among the people—everyone devoured one another.

She clearly remembered that winter had arrived that day.

Goose-feather snow fell from the sky as she followed her parents in flight, barefoot.

Thousands upon thousands froze or starved to death by the roadside each day, their corpses strewn across the wilderness.

She clearly remembered her frostbitten, necrotic feet. Though they had gone numb, they still carried her through the snow.

Among the crowds, mothers ate their dead children, husbands ate their dead wives, and family members ate one another.

White bones lay heaped everywhere, while the stench of rot filled the mountains.

Her father froze to death and was eaten by her mother.

Then her mother froze to death as well...

And was seized and divided up for others to eat.

She had hidden in a heap of snow amid the freezing cold, expressionlessly watching those frenzied beasts of prey.

She did not know why she had come into this world.

Just as she was about to freeze to death in the snow, Bai Yue appeared.

Her master had been like a mystic maiden from the Ninth Heaven. Looking upon those refugees, she raised a hand and melted all the ice and snow covering the road.

However... when those mortals saw her master's face, wicked thoughts arose in all of them.

Those men felt that they would not live much longer anyway. Rather than dying just like that, they might as well indulge themselves once before death.

They swarmed forward, intending to subdue Bai Yue.

Bai Yue looked at the group with utter disgust and wiped them all out in a single move.

"Poor mountains, foul waters, shrewish women, unruly commoners... none of you deserve to live!"

There had naturally been innocent people caught up in it.

Yet Bai Yue had not been moved in the slightest. Instead, she reached into the snowdrift and pulled Hua Lian out.

That was the first warm thing Hua Lian had eaten in a month.

"A Supreme Ice Spirit Root? I am recruiting many disciples at present. From this day onward, I will be your master!"

From then on, Hua Lian became the Jade Maiden Sect's most decisive and swift-handed inner disciple.

Whenever she encountered evil and wickedness, regardless of age, once someone was at fault, she would execute them on the spot.

She had crawled out of a mountain of corpses. She believed only that the more vicious and impoverished someone was, the more treacherous they would be.

Even if she killed the wrong person, she would rather not let a single one go.

Yet even someone like her had fallen in love.

Lin Ce, the Profound Spirit Sect's chief inner disciple.

He had said she was beautiful, the foremost beauty in Hexi Province.

He had said he had admired her for a long time, and she had agreed. But then war had broken out again.

Her spirit roots had been utterly destroyed.

Hua Lian recalled all those childhood memories through uncontrollable sobs.

Though Xiao Yu had saved her life, her master had saved it too.

Lin Ce's subordinates had actually intended to violate her master...

She no longer wanted to verify whether it was true or false.

When she heard Bai Yue's scream, her tears burst through the dam once more. "Don't hurt her anymore... Please spare my master!"

"I... I am willing to swear upon my Dao heart!"

"I am willing..."

Tears flooding her face, Hua Lian raised two fingers. "I, Hua Lian, swear upon my Dao heart that for all my life, I will serve Master forever. I will never again have any entanglement with another man. Should I break this oath, may Heaven's five great thunderbolts strike me down! May my cultivation never advance again in this life!!!"

"I swear! I will absolutely, absolutely never betray Master again!!!"

[Hua Lian's judgment value is full. Maidservant cultivation function activated! Maidservant Pavilion activated.]

[Maidservant Pavilion: Maidservants may reside and cultivate within. Currently unlocked maidservant-exclusive attire includes cheongsams, black stockings, and high heels.]

When Xiao Yu saw the system prompt, he was in excellent spirits.

With a raise of his hand, he pulled her into his arms. "Your master is not as obedient as you. She still does not know where she went wrong. If you want your master to receive Master's rewards just like you, then leave her alone!"

Hua Lian's eyes were slightly puzzled. After thinking for a moment, she unexpectedly wrapped her arms around Xiao Yu. "Everything shall be according to Master's wishes..."

Xiao Yu smiled faintly and raised his hand to open Hua Lian's cultivation panel.

After several days of body tempering, she had already reached the fifth layer.

He vaguely remembered that Hua Lian had previously been a second-grade alchemist.

If he first raised her cultivation to the Qi Refining First Layer, she could use spiritual power to refine pills.

Her pill-refining speed would increase greatly.

With that thought, Xiao Yu tapped the cultivation option.

[Hua Lian requires another 120 hours of Elysian Union Art body tempering to reach the Qi Refining First Layer. If Meridian-Opening Pills and Marrow-Cleansing Pills are used alongside body tempering, the time may be cut in half!]

[It is recommended that she cultivate a supreme ice-attribute cultivation art and a union art. This can increase her cultivation speed.]

[If she remains in the Maidservant Pavilion, her comprehension and cultivation speed can also be increased!]

Seeing this, Xiao Yu hurried to the alchemy room.

"Lian'er, refine a batch of Meridian-Opening Pills and Marrow-Cleansing Pills yourself. Master will accompany you into seclusion later!"

Hua Lian beamed. "Mm!! Thank you for your favor, Master! Lian'er will begin refining pills at once!"

"Oh, right, Master... the martial uncle from our Jade Maiden Sect branch may have already arrived near Jiangliu City. You should inform the Hehuan Sect disciples on the front line. What if they launch a surprise attack..."

Hearing this, Xiao Yu's lips curled upward slightly. It seemed she had truly joined him wholeheartedly.

"Mm... you cultivate the Five Elements Goddess Art, right? Write down every cultivation art you know for me, as well as all of Bai Yue's shameful deeds. Write down everything you know!"

Hua Lian hesitated for a moment. "Master's shameful deeds?"

Xiao Yu said, "Yes. You do not want your master suffering every day either, do you? If she realizes her mistakes sooner, she can come out sooner! What do you think?"

Hua Lian nodded repeatedly. "Mm, mm, Master speaks wisely! As for what Master said before about seeking revenge on Junior Sister Ye, we should wait. She is the daughter of our branch elder, a Foundation Establishment Middle Stage expert. Even if we trick her here now, we would not be able to defeat her..."

Xiao Yu smiled and walked away.

He first found Li Qingyun and the other three, then raised his hand and used the Blood-Forged Soul Restriction to refine them once more.

Li Qingyun looked nervously at the blood on his fingertip. After pondering for a moment, she still leaned her head forward.

After she swallowed the blood, something seemed to flash between her brows.

Xiao Yu spoke softly. "Mm, a few more days will do!"

Li Qingyun asked quietly, "Benefactor... what is this?"

Xiao Yu said, "It is nothing. Haven't you reached the Body Tempering Stage with my help as well? This thing can help raise your cultivation!"

After speaking, Xiao Yu looked toward Zhang Lan and Huang Xiang, who were washing clothes in the courtyard. Over the past few days, the mother and daughter seemed to have washed every piece of clothing in the alchemy room.

They had scrubbed the entire alchemy room until it gleamed.

Even the messy woods had become much tidier.

"Come here. It is your turn!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Lan and Huang Xiang hurried over. Huang Xiang stared wide-eyed with excitement and shouted, "Benefactor, will we... will we become as powerful as you later?"

Zhang Lan awkwardly tugged at Huang Xiang and scolded her, "Xiang'er, do not be rude... Do not disturb Benefactor!"

Xiao Yu waved his hand. "It is fine. Come over!"

When Zhao Hongye, who had been regulating her breath and cultivating inside the room, saw Xiao Yu refining the others again, she lowered her head and walked over.

Xiao Yu glanced at her, then slowly raised his hand before her. "What? You are being so cooperative today. No more making trouble?"

Zhao Hongye's gaze was mournful. "I... you saved me. I know you lust after women, and I am willing to let you place a restriction on me. But can you allow me to keep my primal yin until the Golden Core Stage... The cultivation art I practice is rather special. I must remain a virgin!"

When Zhao Hongye said this, Zhang Lan and Huang Xiang both turned their heads away.

They were embarrassed beyond measure.

Xiao Yu stroked his chin. "Mm, so long as you harbor no disloyal thoughts toward me, I will naturally give you the respect you deserve."

Zhao Hongye subconsciously clenched her sleeve. Looking at Xiao Yu's raised finger, she considered for a moment before finally speaking.

"Mm... I... I am actually from the Profound Spirit Sect. Elder Zhao of the Profound Spirit Sect is my father. I said before that I was a rogue cultivator because I was afraid you would treat me as a hostage and hand me over..."

"You saved my life, and I will remember it in my heart. No matter whether we win or lose this battle, I will not forget that you saved me from the gourd!"

Xiao Yu had long known that she was hiding something from him.

He had not expected to catch such a big fish!

The daughter of a Profound Spirit Sect elder—this woman might perhaps become his escape route from the Hehuan Sect later.

After all, there were far fewer women in the demonic path than in the righteous path, and the chance of encountering wicked women was far too low.

He had to take the initiative and judge all those wicked women outside.

Xiao Yu smiled and raised his hand, blood-forging her at once.

After finishing today's matters, Xiao Yu looked beyond the formation.

If what Hua Lian had said earlier was true, then he truly needed to send Zhang Ziling a warning.

The Jade Maiden Sect branch elder seemed to be a Golden Core Stage cultivator, while Zhang Ziling was only in the Foundation Establishment Realm. It would be troublesome if they encountered each other.

The appearance of a single Golden Core Stage cultivator would be enough to turn the entire battle around. To be safe, he should still go tell her.

With that thought, Xiao Yu summoned the Puppet Eagle and rode it out beyond the formation.

The instant he flew out, Mei Chunlan, hiding in the distant woods, spoke to the old woman behind her with a dark expression. "I told you he has secrets. Elder Zhang even gave him a bonded Puppet Eagle!"

Another elderly woman grinned mockingly, her protruding teeth especially glaring. "He is an alchemist now. Aren't you afraid the higher-ups will discover this?"

Mei Chunlan sneered coldly. "Ma Cuihong, do you think the demonic path sent our Hehuan Sect out here to conquer the world? We are nothing but cannon fodder. The Profound Spirit Sect is far stronger than the Jade Maiden Sect. How could our Hehuan Sect Master possibly be a match for the Profound Spirit Three Elders!"

"Their sect has three Golden Core Stage experts. Wouldn't they crush us beneath them?"

"Our sect master and his wife have had no news for days. I do not think they can hold on for many more days!"

Ma Cuihong rubbed her wrinkled chin with a half-smile. "Mm, that is true. You mean... we should flee, then dig out the secrets on Xiao Yu?"

Mei Chunlan said, "Zhang Ziling is only at the Foundation Establishment Realm. If our sect master cannot hold the eastern front, there is a high chance she will flee too!"

"People die for wealth, birds die for food... If I, Mei Chunlan, cannot have it, then I will destroy it no matter what!"

"When the time comes, we sisters will split the benefits equally! Go make preparations!"