Stone Village, Days Later
Shi Yi had resigned himself to his fate, settling into life in Stone Village.
Here, there was no charming maidservant A'man to tease, no radiant mother to rouse him from sleep, and no pampered existence as a noble heir with every needs catered to. Everything required his own effort—cooking, sleeping, cultivating, washing clothes, and joining the village's hunting team every few days to procure food.
Though simple, this plain life was fulfilling in its own way. Shi Yi gradually adapted, finding a rhythm in its simplicity, even if his idea of "plain" differed from others.
Each morning, he'd visit Liu Shen to curry favor, engaging in awkward, often one-sided chatter. I'm just a kid, he reasoned. If I don't make use of my age now, I'll lose my chance later. His conversations lacked substance, and Liu Shen didn't always indulge him. Yet, over time, her divine sense transmissions grew noticeably gentler, subtly treating him as a junior.
The crying child gets the milk, Shi Yi thought, proving the old saying true.
While cultivating the Original True Solution, even with his Double Pupils, Shi Yi encountered countless obstacles, big and small. Whenever trouble arose, he'd promptly seek Liu Shen's guidance. Though she found him bothersome, her feminine nature harbored a maternal warmth. Had she not, she'd never have responded to him at all.
Since their fates were now intertwined, and she didn't entirely dislike him, Liu Shen provided solutions to his cultivation queries. Shi Yi, unlike the resilient Shi Hao, whose shoulders could bear the weight of the heavens, was a mere mortal—albeit one with extraordinary strength and talent. He knew his limits, never overestimating himself as some invincible protagonist. Humble and cautious, he avoided risking his life or future.
Perhaps this Shi Yi wasn't mature, but his reliance on her stirred an unexpected comfort in Liu Shen. Gradually, she began entertaining his nonsensical chatter.
___
Three Years Later
Great Wilderness, Stone Village, Center
"Liu Shen, your voice is so beautiful—you must be stunning!" Shi Yi said, grinning.
"Not at all. I'm hideous, charred black and broken," Liu Shen replied dryly.
"Really? I don't believe you unless you show me your human form," Shi Yi teased.
"Shi Yi, you're young. Don't obsess over superficial appearances."
"I'm not obsessing! Liu Shen, you said yourself that a human form aids cultivation, making it easier to comprehend the Great Dao. Why insist on staying a willow tree?"
"Shi Yi, I taught you to understand the human form and other races' forms, not to use my words to goad me," Liu Shen said, unfazed. Having lived for countless millennia, her heart was unshakable. A few taunts wouldn't sway her to reveal her true form.
"No goading here! I'm just saying, if you can manifest a human form, there's no need to stay a tree. Or is the idea that human forms aid enlightenment just a lie?" Shi Yi pressed, undeterred. Seeing his initial tactic fail, he resorted to the fifteenth stratagem of the Thirty-Six Stratagems: the art of provocation.
"A lie?" Liu Shen's voice echoed, soft yet pointed.
Shi Yi's provocation was both a triumph and a blunder.
The triumph: Liu Shen manifested her true human form.
Under Shi Yi's incredulous gaze, a breathtaking figure emerged from the void. Barefoot, her snow-white jade feet stepped lightly on empty air. She moved with an effortless grace, like a goddess descending from the ninth heaven. Her cyan-white robe clung to her exquisite form, accentuating her tall, slender frame—long, shapely legs, a gracefully curved chest, and a lithe, flexible waist.
She exuded an unparalleled elegance, compelling anyone, regardless of status, to look upon her with awe. Her clear, flawless eyes radiated a serene wisdom, as if she had witnessed the world's myriad vicissitudes, tempered by ages of experience.
But when those eyes fell on a certain indescribable pest—Shi Yi—they narrowed slightly, a dangerous aura spreading through Stone Village.
The blunder: While Shi Yi's provocation succeeded in revealing Liu Shen's form, he now faced the consequences of his audacity.
The art of provocation was a potent rhetorical tool, but it demanded precision—knowing the target, the setting, and the stakes. Overdo it, and haste backfires; underdo it, and it falls flat. Shi Yi had succeeded, but at a cost.
"Three years, Shi Yi. You've grown. You've opened six Heavenly Passages. It's time to venture out. Under my wings, you'll never truly mature," Liu Shen said, her bare feet hovering a centimeter above the ground, sacred and inviolable.
Three years had passed. Now nine, Shi Yi was no longer a child but a youth, his boyish charm giving way to a mature air. His striking features set the village girls' hearts aflutter. His face was chiseled—sword-like brows framing starry eyes, a noble nose carved like jade, and lips curved in a perfect bow. Too full, they'd seem rugged; too thin, they'd be delicate. They were just right, a balance of strength and refinement.
Standing about 1.6 meters tall, his physique was lean yet perfectly proportioned, with defined muscles and an ideal mermaid-line abdomen. His jet-black hair cascaded to his waist, and his resolute yet refined features lent him a scholarly air, tempered by an unyielding strength.
"Liu Shen, I—" Shi Yi began, but his words were cut short.
In a flash, Liu Shen appeared before him, her jade-like hand resting on his shoulder, instantly sealing his body. As his eyes darted in panic, a spatial vortex opened before him. Her hand pushed, and he tumbled into the swirling void.
"That annoying brat—three years of incessant chatter. Finally, some peace," Liu Shen muttered, brushing her hands. Her human form vanished, and the great willow at Stone Village's center stood unchanged, as if she'd never left. No one noticed her brief absence.