Chapter Three: The Peony Fairy (Part One)

“Ah!” A scream, harrowing and piercing, reached Ji Mo’s ears. Just as she was about to step over the threshold, her legs trembled in fright, and her heel caught on the step. With a thud, she tumbled headlong into the temple. At the moment of landing, Ji Mo managed to turn her head aside, allowing only her chest and arms to greet the ground, thus averting the tragedy of a broken nose.

Once she hit the floor, Ji Mo ignored the pain in her chest, arms, and palms. She quickly rolled over, scrambling to face the temple entrance. What she saw stunned her, her eyes growing wide in shock. There, outside the temple, appeared—who knew when—a figure clad in black, masked, clutching his own head, writhing and convulsing on the ground with a hoarse, agonized scream.

The man kept rolling on the ground. Though Ji Mo could not see his expression, the shifting patterns on his mask hinted at the contorted, twisted look his face must have worn. What startled Ji Mo most was that, despite his agony, his eyes locked onto her with a gaze full of hatred and venom.

Ji Mo shrank further inside, involuntarily furrowing her brow. She could not fathom why this person so despised her. After a few moments of rolling, the man suddenly leaped up, as if intent on pouncing at Ji Mo. But he had barely risen half a meter when, with a bang, his body exploded in midair, dissolving into a mist of blood and vanishing without a trace. Ji Mo gaped in astonishment, her mouth agape enough to fit a whole egg.

“Hmph. What are you staring at? If you hadn’t been lucky enough to encounter me, the immortal, you’d have already met your end in the underworld.” As Ji Mo stood dazed, staring at the scene that had just unfolded before her eyes, a cold snort reached her ears—a woman’s voice, icy yet melodious.

“Who…who’s speaking?” Ji Mo scrambled to her feet, looking around in every direction, but saw not a single soul nearby.

“What a foolish girl. I am in your sea of consciousness.” That voice sounded again.

In her sea of consciousness? Ji Mo was startled. She had heard her parents speak of the world of cultivation when she was young, and she knew tales of soul possession. Now this mysterious voice claimed to dwell in her sea of consciousness—was it here to seize her body? Ji Mo wished she could crawl into her own mind to see what kind of being had suddenly appeared there, but she was only a mortal, lacking the ability to probe her soul. All she could do was worry helplessly.

“What are you thinking? If I wanted to possess you, I would have acted long ago, back when you were still a silly child, without you ever knowing. Why would I wait until now?” As soon as her thought arose, the voice sounded again in her mind.

“Uh… Senior—no, Immortal—may I ask who you are and what brings you to my sea of consciousness?” Ji Mo’s heart stirred at these words; she knew the speaker was telling the truth. Though she couldn’t guess what this mysterious soul wanted, if it meant her harm, her spirit would have long since been scattered. Since worry was useless, she might as well take things as they came. With her mind made up, Ji Mo spoke candidly.

“Hmph. So young, yet already full of scheming. Humans truly are strange creatures.” The voice responded with a dissatisfied snort.

“Ahem. Judging by your tone, you’re not human?” Ji Mo pursed her lips, thinking, If you’d simply tell me who you are and why you’re here, I wouldn’t have to ask so cautiously.

After Ji Mo finished speaking, there was no response for a while. The Mountain God Temple fell silent. Just as Ji Mo thought the soul in her mind would not answer again, the voice echoed once more: “Listen well. I am the one and only King of Flowers, the Peony Immortal, bestowed the title by the Heavenly Emperor himself.”

“Oh, so you’re the Peony Immortal. I’ve heard much about you!” Ji Mo replied, her words polite but her heart unimpressed. With such an arrogant tone, she’d expected someone far more important, not just a flower spirit.

“Hey, foolish girl! What nonsense are you thinking? I am the Peony Immortal, personally named by the Heavenly Emperor of the Celestial Realm. I am an immortal, not a flower demon—do you understand?” The self-proclaimed Peony Immortal, feeling slighted by a mortal girl, became furious and shouted in Ji Mo’s mind.

Ji Mo jumped at the sudden outburst in her head. This woman, who for some reason had taken up residence in her consciousness and called herself the Peony Immortal, not only had a bad temper but seemed able to read Ji Mo’s thoughts. Would everything she thought be clear to this intruder from now on? Ji Mo felt troubled.

“Hey, foolish girl, what’s with that look? For me to reside in your sea of consciousness is a blessing earned over nine lifetimes—others could only dream of it. Don’t be blind to your own good fortune!” Seeing Ji Mo’s unhappy face, the Peony Immortal couldn’t help but scold her again.

I certainly didn’t invite you here. Anyone would be displeased to learn a volatile soul had invaded their consciousness for unknown reasons. Ji Mo grumbled internally, but outwardly she could only speak in accordance with the Peony Immortal’s wishes: “Uh, esteemed Peony Immortal, since you are an immortal of the Celestial Court, why have you come to our lower realm?”

“That’s not for you to ask. If I’m not mistaken, this is a mid-level cultivation world, and you have good aptitude—a promising candidate for cultivation. How about I bestow upon you a great opportunity?” Though the Peony Immortal sensed Ji Mo’s displeasure, she could not refute the facts. After a moment’s silence, she suddenly dangled a tempting bait.

“What do you need me to do?” Ji Mo was taken aback. Far from showing the excitement the Peony Immortal expected, her expression was guarded.

“Are you really only eight years old?” The Peony Immortal was at a loss, unable to understand how this eight-year-old child could be so wary. She did not realize that Ji Mo’s parents had drilled into her from a young age the principle of not accepting unearned gifts.

“Though my memory has a three-year gap, I can confirm I am indeed eight years old.” Ji Mo replied earnestly.

“You are a most uninteresting child.” The Peony Immortal rolled her eyes, casting Ji Mo an annoyed glare.

“If you find me so dull, perhaps you’d prefer to reside elsewhere?” Ji Mo’s eyes darted as she cautiously suggested to the Peony Immortal.