"What are you thinking about?" Mi Yan asked, seeing Mu An Xiao's silent expression.
"Why was it resurrection?"
Mi Yan replied, "To be honest, I used to work as a maid for that old man. The day before his birthday, he died. But," she recalled the events of that day and swallowed, continuing, "the next day, as I passed by the mourning hall, he suddenly came back to life. Not only that, he seemed much more energetic. So I helped him out of the coffin, and he said I was suited for cultivation."
"Did you find your master yourself, or... did he help you find one?"
"At that time, before my master died, my master came to the old man's mansion. After the old man came back to life, he introduced me to my master, who readily agreed, and that's how I became his disciple."
"You were only with your master for a year in total."
"Yes."
"Is your master powerful?"
Hearing Mu An Xiao's question, Mi Yan's face turned cold. "If he were powerful, do you think I would have been able to do it?"
"..." Mu An Xiao felt Mi Yan's words made sense and fell silent.
Mi Yan continued, "Why aren't you speaking anymore?"
"If that's the case, why do you still call him master?"
"A teacher for a day is a father for a lifetime. Even if he's dead, he's still my master. However," Mi Yan said, "I didn't expect him to report me."
"..." Mu An Xiao looked at Mi Yan's slightly dejected expression and thought about what she had just said. She asked, "Speaking of which, you killed him just because he cooked a braised fish for you. That's not very nice."
"For a whole year, he scolded and ordered me around every day for various reasons. When I asked him when he would teach me spells, he always made excuses. That's not all, whenever someone invited him to their home, he'd bring me along. If I stayed quiet, he'd whip me with a bamboo stick, saying I had evil spirits on me. That's not all, he was also suspicious of everything. Most importantly," Mi Yan said seriously, "he also talked nonsense to people. I said it was just a minor illness, but he..."
"Wait."
Mi Yan asked, "What are you doing?"
Mu An Xiao frowned. "Wasn't he a cultivator?"
"I don't know. Every time I asked him if he was a cultivator, he always said he was. This time, I had a huge argument with him over that braised fish, and he splashed the braised fish all over me," Mi Yan said, lifting her sleeve to reveal a burned arm. "Fortunately, I blocked it with my arm, otherwise, I would have been finished."
Mu An Xiao looked down at the scar on Mi Yan's arm and asked, "Did he usually like to hit you?"
"Yes," Mi Yan nodded. "If it weren't for a moment of desperation, I wouldn't have resorted to such measures."
"How many people did your master deceive?"
"As far as I know," Mi Yan said as she put down her sleeve, "that ninety-year-old old man was one of them."
"What?"
"After he died, I searched his room, and there was a notebook with the names of people he had deceived. Those people," Mi Yan swallowed, "are all dead."
"What?"
"He had nothing to do with cultivation. He just loved money and going to people's homes. First, he'd diagnose them, then say some nonsensical things. I initially thought it was cultivation, so I obeyed. But after he died, I finally understood," Mi Yan said, "that it was all a scam."
"No wonder people here have such vivid imaginations. But it's strange, how did he know about me?"
"It's said that he used to be in a cultivation sect, and he heard about you there."
"Cultivation sect?"
"Yes."
"Not there again." Mu An Xiao's impression of that place was completely ruined.
"You know that place?"
"To be honest, I became an immortal there. Of course," Mu An Xiao corrected herself, "I have nothing to do with them. I was just lucky and met a foolish great god, and got something for nothing."
"Since you admit it."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Actually," Mi Yan said, having spoken so much to Mu An Xiao, she had no more reservations, "that swindler..."
"Stop, why aren't you calling him master anymore?"
"You are an immortal, and calling him master would be beneath me."
Mu An Xiao: "..." She turned her face away and smiled.
Mi Yan continued, "Actually, I always had doubts about that swindler's words, but now I have no doubts at all."
"That's right. Those brainwashing swindlers, all day long, they just spout nonsense to others. People like that deserve such an outcome."
"Yes," Mi Yan said, tears welling up in her eyes.
"What's wrong?"
"All the way here, I've been talking about my experiences, but those Yin-Yang messengers wouldn't listen. You," Mi Yan sobbed, "although you are here, you are the first person to truly listen to me. I'm so touched."
"No wonder you were acting erratically just now. You were stimulated on the way here."
"...." Mi Yan lowered her head and was silent for a moment. She took out the notebook from her懷 and handed it to Mu An Xiao.
Mu An Xiao stiffened. "What is this?" she asked as she reached out to take it.
Mi Yan explained, "This is an account book. It contains the names and birthdates of the people he harmed."
"What?" Mu An Xiao was shocked and quickly opened it. She swallowed. "These old people, and young people, were they all very dependent on him?"
"Yes, the old were dependent on him for life extension, and the young were dependent on him for wealth. In the end, after the old people took the medicine he concocted, they all died. The young people, although they didn't die, all became swindlers like him."
"So he was a quack doctor." Mu An Xiao said. A quick glance revealed, "Over thirty old people."
"Yes," Mi Yan nodded.
Mu An Xiao exclaimed, "That scoundrel, to use such methods to deceive people is beyond belief."
"It's precisely because of this that I couldn't stand him anymore."
"Doesn't anyone manage someone who deceives people like this?"
"This place is almost unmanaged. Moreover, those were all elderly people, and their children all thought they had died of illness..."
"Truly detestable. Such a person deserves to die a hundred times over, and it still wouldn't be enough to vent my anger."
"Yes, I think so too," Mi Yan said firmly.
Mu An Xiao then asked, "You think so too, then why did you keep calling him master?"
"Wasn't there no other way?"
"What do you mean by no other way?"
"Alas, to be honest, I felt a bit wronged by this, but the facts proved that I did it. If I didn't admit it, it would be useless, so I thought about pretending to be..." Mi Yan glanced outside the prison and said, "an obedient disciple. Perhaps this would move him and he would let me go."
"You have a very beautiful dream."
"...."
"Speaking of which, you were also imprisoned by the demon soul, weren't you?"
"Yes, it was at that time that I discovered he was actually useless."
"Adversity reveals one's true character!"
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Chapter 1 The Beginning