After nine lifetimes of reincarnation, the yandere villainous heroine descends.

The sudden sound of swords echoing between heaven and earth shook the forbidden land like thunder tearing silk.

That perfectly refined sword blade swept across the sky, splitting the vast天地 (heaven and earth) in two.

Along the spine of the sword, a torrent of raging power surged, its violent aura almost tearing the air apart.

On the other side, gently enveloped by the sword's shadow, two figures, one large and one small, were walking step by step into the distance, bathed in the afterglow of the sword's shattered gold light!

The figure gradually lengthened in the wind, eventually becoming a silent silhouette under the vast sky.

......

......

Three days later, the two figures finally stopped in front of a town.

As the morning mist lingered in the streets and alleys, people began to gather. A man and a woman, one big and one small, slowly merged into the city gate along with the bustling crowd.

This town, named Purple Smoke, is situated on a plain on the eastern side of the world.

It wasn't bustling, but it was still filled with the warmth of daily life, and the gray roof tiles gleamed with a gentle luster in the morning light.

Ten years ago, when Shen Shuchou first arrived in this world, the first piece of land he set foot on was this Purple Smoke City.

He already knew that the town was actually controlled by the sect "Purple Smoke Cloud Pavilion".

The city's rules were so strict as to be almost harsh. Private fights were strictly prohibited during the day, and after nightfall, the entire area was under curfew, with no one allowed to make a sound in the streets and alleys.

Although the city did not completely shut out migrants, the expulsion and clearing of people from outside the city never stopped. Those who could truly establish themselves here were all people who had made contributions.

These so-called contributions, to put it bluntly, are nothing more than those of young children whose bloodlines are still relatively pure.

On certain days, the cultivators of the Purple Smoke Cloud Pavilion who practice forbidden techniques would appear, kidnap the children, and use special secret methods to refine them in the furnace deep within the sect.

The essence blood extracted from the furnace is the very medicine they use to suppress the backlash from forbidden cultivation techniques.

This scene is so similar to that of Changming Village, which was devoured by forbidden power.

It's nothing more than a hidden rural village, a shell wrapped in the skin of a town, but inside lies a bloody path of cultivation paved with the lives of children.

The moment Shen Shuchou stepped into Ziyan City, he keenly noticed several gazes cast from the shadows. Even the street vendors hawking their wares seemed to glance over at him.

These gazes were less directed at him and more like iron hooks tightly wrapped around Tantai Chigu, whom he was leading.

He knew perfectly well that these were all spies planted by the Purple Smoke Cloud Pavilion, specifically targeting children with pure bloodlines in this area.

Fortunately, before entering the city, he had used special powers to cover up the forbidden power in Tantai Chigu's body layer by layer; otherwise, with that aura, he would probably have been stopped by the sect's great cultivators as soon as he stepped into the city gate.

Despite being spied on from the shadows, Shen Shuchou remained calm and composed, his fingers steadily holding the little figure beside him.

On the contrary, Tantai Chigu was completely different from ordinary children. The sugar figurines on the street and the sweet-smelling pastries could not attract her attention at all.

Those clear yet somewhat precocious eyes were scanning the passing crowd without blinking.

As her gaze swept across the faces, a subtle, almost imperceptible change flickered across her small face.

Seeing her like this, Shen Shuchou's lips curled into a helpless smile.

He could easily guess what the little girl was thinking. In her eyes, everyone on the street was probably just choosing food that suited their taste.

He hadn't walked far with the little girl by the hand when he turned into a quiet alley, passed through the narrow lane and turned left, finally stopping in front of a slightly old-fashioned house.

This was his residence in Ziyan City in his early years, and now he can stay here temporarily with Tantai Chigu.

Shen Shuchou pushed open the mottled courtyard gate, and the summer heat, mixed with the fragrance of flowers, rushed towards him.

The crape myrtle tree in the courtyard, which he planted himself, was in full bloom, its branches covered in vibrant red blossoms.

But what first caught his eye was not the familiar flowering tree, but the figure of a girl resting peacefully on the rocking chair under the tree.

The girl looked no more than sixteen or seventeen years old. At that moment, her eyes were slightly closed, and her long eyelashes cast a light shadow under her eyelids.

Shen Shuchou frowned slightly and walked forward slowly.

The girl in the rocking chair seemed to be startled by the footsteps. Without even opening her eyes, she said with a hint of impatience, "Go away, someone lives here."

Upon hearing the voice, Shen Shuchou felt a strange stirring in his heart, sensing a certain familiarity, but he did not stop walking.

As the footsteps drew closer, the girl wrinkled her nose slightly, her impatience deepening.

She jolted awake, sat up abruptly, and shouted angrily, "Are you deaf or blind? Can't you see someone sleeping? Are you looking for death?"

The moment their eyes met, the anger on the girl's face suddenly froze, as if a pause button had been pressed.

"Huh?"

She blinked her clear eyes, her gaze sweeping over Shen Shuchou's face.

The anger from before quietly faded, replaced by a sense of confusion and inquiry.

"Su Cha Cha?"

Shen Shuchou looked at the girl's face and caught a glimpse of her long-lost innocence in her bright smile.

She was the little girl who used to follow him around, sweetly calling him "Brother Shen".

Su Chacha's face froze when she heard the precise call.

She stared intently at the handsome, ethereal face before her, and those vague, familiar memories of the past suddenly became clear.

The next second, her mouth opened slightly, her voice filled with disbelief: "You are... Brother Shen?"

Shen Shuchou nodded slightly.

Before she could finish speaking, Su Chacha was already like a startled yet overjoyed little animal.

She jumped up from the rocking chair with a "whoosh" and pounced on him without warning, as if she wanted to bury her head in his arms and inhale the scent hidden in his memories.

Shen Shuchou frowned slightly and subconsciously turned to the side to avoid it.

Su Chacha couldn't stop in time and fell to the ground with a "plop," raising a cloud of dust.

"Ouch! That hurts!"

Su Chacha let out a soft cry, but the brief pain was quickly overshadowed by the overwhelming joy of reunion.

She scrambled to her feet in a flurry, about to pounce again, when her gaze suddenly met a pair of clear and calm eyes beside her.

Tantai Chigu was looking up at her, their gazes meeting in the air, a subtle tension inexplicably rising in the atmosphere.

Su Chacha first stared intently at Tantai Chigu, then quickly turned her head to glance at Shen Shuchou.

Her gaze darted back and forth between the two of them, as if she had suddenly understood something. Her previously dazzlingly bright face instantly dimmed, and even the curve of her lips fell.

She pouted, her tone tinged with a mixture of grievance and sourness: "Brother Shen, you went out... and brought back a daughter?"

Hearing Su Chacha's startling words, Shen Shuchou calmly corrected her: "She is not my daughter."

"Oh? Really? That's great."

Su Chacha subconsciously replied, her voice so soft it was as if she was afraid of being overheard, barely audible.

But these words were crystal clear to Tantai Chigu—as a person with a forbidden body, her features were inherently more acute than those of ordinary people.

The little girl tilted her head slightly, blinked her bright black eyes, seemingly pondering the meaning hidden in the whisper, her little face full of innocent confusion.