Perhaps hearing Chen Jinshu's voice, the Shadowpeak Finch let out a weak chirp, its eyes still closed.
"Daoyou, how should I treat its injuries?"
Though she had no medical training, the finch's condition was clearly dire.
"It's severely wounded. But low-bloodline spirit birds like this only need a basic Healing Pill to survive. Full recovery, though, will require careful nurturing." The Beast Taming Sect disciple glanced at the finch and shrugged.
"Thank you." Nodding, Chen Jinshu retrieved a Healing Pill from her storage pouch and fed it to the bird.
Within moments, its breathing steadied.
"Fairy, why bother with this crippled Shadowpeak Finch? A Flame Sparrow would be far more useful in battle." The young merchant flashed a persuasive smile.
"No need. This one is enough."
Her refusal was firm. Once she decided to raise something, she wouldn't waver.
Loyalty mattered.
"What about Spirit Nourishment Pills? Specially formulated for spirit beasts—our sect's own recipe!"
She shook her head and turned away, ignoring his disappointed frown. Rumors claimed those pills dulled a beast's intelligence. True or not, she wouldn't risk it.
At a teahouse, she sipped spirit tea while examining the finch. As the pill's effects took hold, she cast Revitalization her beginner-level healing art. Though rudimentary, it eased the pain.
Tendrils of emerald energy seeped into the wounds, and the half-dead bird gradually relaxed, slipping into sleep on her palm. A faint smile touched her lips. A few Cleansing Arts later, the last traces of red berry dye vanished from its feathers.
"Black suits you just fine." She stroked its ruffled plumage before taking another sip of tea.
~
By the time she reached the market's entrance, Chen Huaiyang and the others were already assembled.
"Two more to go. We'll wait." Her uncle's gaze sharpened as he added, "Jinshu, did you hear about the commotion in the stalls?"
After a pause, she summarized: "A Chen woman attacked someone, then falsely claimed to be the Lin heir's betrothed. The market's overseer—a Foundation Establishment expert—handled it."
Naturally, she omitted her own involvement. The fewer who knew about her changed appearance, the better.
"Good. Assisting her would've brought the family disgrace." Chen Huaiyang exhaled, relieved.
He'd heard of Chen Jinli being dragged out, battered and disgraced. But without full context, he wouldn't risk the clan's reputation. Gossip from passing farmers had reached him, yet only verified facts held weight.
Chen Jinshu nodded silently.
Rejecting a marriage alliance had made her a cautionary tale. The patriarch's public shaming still stung. Though her mother never spoke of it, the fallout was clear—their family's standing had plummeted further.
Now Chen Jinli, stripped of cultivation and abandoned by the Lins, was worthless. A stray dog with no home.
Her fate would be far worse than Chen Jinshu's. And she earned every bit of it.
Blinded by the Lin heir's empty promises, Chen Jinli forgot the truth: "To noble clans, women like them were just bargaining chips."
~
Twenty minutes later, the last farmers arrived. As they exited the market, raucous shouts erupted ahead. A bloodied, disheveled woman—Chen Jinli—lay sprawled on the ground, fighting off scavengers tearing at her storage bag.
"Give it back!" Her voice was raw, throat torn from screaming.
"Worthless cripple! What use is a pouch to you now?" A casual cultivator kicked her ribs.
"I still have my spirit roots! I can rebuild—"
"Hah! A shattered dantian, cultivating again? Keep dreaming!"
"Elder, should we…?" A Chen farmer winced, glancing at Chen Huaiyang. One icy glare silenced him. The group tensed, eyes averted. Chen Huaiyang scanned Chen Jinli's broken form—then summoned the flying vessel without a word.
"Board. Now."
Chen Jinshu leapt aboard without hesitation.
She had no power to spare for sympathy. Helping Chen Jinli? Unthinkable.
"Karma's just collecting its due."
Were it not for clan laws forbidding kinslaying, she might've ended Chen Jinli herself.
~
By dusk, they reached Vulture Mountain. Thanks to Chen Huaiyang's late-stage Qi Refining aura, no bandits dared intercept them. Chen Jinshu retreated to Plum Blossom Courtyard, settling the finch in its new home before entering her spiritual planting space. With a flick of her wrist, a bamboo cottage materialized, expanding to fill half an acre.
"Now my sanctuary has a proper abode."
The simple structure—bought for twenty spirit stones—blended seamlessly with the verdant expanse. Next, she planted the Snowlotus sprouts along the field's edges. A drizzle of spiritual rain revived their wilted leaves—yet their earlier decay puzzled her.
"The Wang orchards had fertile soil. Why were these so sickly?"
She isolated them from other herbs, casting Spring Renewal in hopes of revival. Near the cottage, she buried the Woodspirit Peach saplings.
Three days later, a spirit pigeon delivered a letter from her mother. Over thousands of li, ordinary messaging talismans failed—hence the avian couriers, swift enough to cross continents in hours.
But as Jinshu read, her brows furrowed. Two warnings stood out:
—The Lins' Wrath – Chen Jinli's disgrace had infuriated them. They demanded a more beautiful, talented bride as compensation.
—The Fallout – The Chen elders exiled Chen Jinli's entire branch overnight. Her father, Chen Wenshan—now childless and clanless—would struggle to survive.
"Beware," her mother wrote. "Before joining Xuanming Sect, do not leave the mountain alone."
Chen Jinshu's fists clenched.
"Jinli dug her own grave. Why must I suffer the backlash?"
From now on, she'd only travel with Chen Huaiyang's procurement team.