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

"Master, I don't want to go to school."

In front of the courtyard gate, the woman in red gently shook the hem of the person beside her, her voice soft and coquettish.

"No, there's no reason for children not to go to school."

The person next to me smiled, but their tone remained firm.

"But the woman in red doesn't want to go."

She shrank into the shadows of the trees, sunlight filtering through her hair and tinging it with a faint blush.

"The woman in red just wants to stay by her master's side."

The little hand was still stubbornly shaking the sleeve, her voice as soft as cotton: "Master, can't the girl in red be one of the special children who doesn't have to go to school?"

The person next to her was amused by her appearance and smiled even more, lightly tapping her forehead with their fingertip: "The red dress is certainly special, but you still have to go to school."

The little girl in red instantly fell silent, her chubby fingers twisting the hem of her clothes in a pitiful manner, her nose slightly reddening: "Master lied to me..."

She tilted her head back, her eyelashes glistening with dappled sunlight like fallen stars: "The teacher said that Master loves Hongyi the most. If Hongyi is bullied in school, will Master fly over to protect me?"

The adult bent down and ruffled her hair, his fingertips touching the warm, slightly reddish area: "Yes."

"What if the teacher punishes me by making me copy books?"

"Then punish."

The little girl in red pouted, then suddenly tiptoed and whispered in the adult's ear, "Then I'll hide the teacher's inkstone, but Master, you mustn't tell anyone."

The shadows of the trees swayed, and the adult chuckled softly, taking her soft hand and leading her out of the alley: "Let's go first and talk about it later."

The woman in red kept turning back to look at the adult, her fingers secretly hooking between the adult's fingers, like holding onto a piece of candy she wouldn't let go of.

.......

.......

The small figure gradually faded into the distance, and the scene before my eyes suddenly cracked open like ice, spreading out like a spider web.

Consciousness once again drifted out of control, and in a daze, the white-clad figure in the receding scene seemed to sense something and suddenly turned around to look back.

The moment their eyes met, a sharp sound of tearing apart the screen suddenly rang out, and cracks spread like wildly growing vines across the entire field of vision.

In just a few breaths, those vivid images shattered into dust in Qin Hongyi's mind.

"Why...?"

Why did this happen...?

She suddenly knelt down, her nails digging deep into her palms, broken sobs rolling from her throat, her eyes already bloodshot.

It's always the same; every time I catch a glimpse of those two figures, one big and one small, these fragmented images forcefully intrude into my mind.

But every time the image ended, it was followed by a complete tearing apart, dragging her consciousness into boundless darkness.

After drifting in the chaos for an unknown amount of time, when Qin Hongyi struggled to open her eyes from the darkness again, an overwhelming pain instantly swept over her entire body.

The pain was so sharp it felt like it was crushing her bones inch by inch, a thousand times worse than being torn apart.

Tearing at her by the darkness, Qin Hongyi's consciousness was ultimately dragged into the darkness once more. Before stepping into the darkness, her red lips still murmured, "Why?"

Just as Qin Hongyi's figure was completely swallowed by darkness, the figure in white in the distance slowly withdrew his gaze.

His brow furrowed slightly, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the corner of his sleeve, a low, questioning voice carrying on the breeze: "Who is spying on us?"

Before the words were finished, another extremely faint, cold laugh rippled through the shadows, like a soliloquy chilled to the bone, or a declaration to the void: "Qin Hongyi, this is only the beginning."

The wind rustled through the treetops, creating a soft, whispering sound, as if some invisible net was quietly tightening.

.......

.......

The autumn wind grew increasingly fierce, swirling the fallen leaves from the corner of the courtyard and howling as it swept through the house.

The clear, innocent voice of a child carried on the wind reached Shen Shuchou, who was dressed in a blue Taoist robe.

A whole month passed quietly after that day.

The courtyard was calm and peaceful, a rare moment of leisure for Shen Shuchou.

Every day, he would teach Tantai Chigu a few characters, and spend most of the rest of the time lying in a rocking chair, letting the autumn wind brush against his clothes and basking in the gentle sun.

Occasionally, he would take the little girl out to buy some snacks, but every time he went out, he could sense the subtle, almost imperceptible gazes cast from the shadows.

Shen Shuchou didn't care at all, after all, such peaceful days were numbered.

Su Chacha has not made any public appearances during this month.

Shen Shuchou could roughly guess what she was facing, but he didn't intend to interfere.

Perhaps he just wanted to steal a few moments of peace and quiet during this rare free time, and temporarily avoid getting involved in those disturbances.

As dusk settled into the courtyard, the soft, golden light of the sunset gently enveloped the two figures, one large and one small.

Tantai Chi sat alone at his desk, his brows furrowed, muttering something to himself, exuding a sullen, resentful air.

Shen Shuchou was resting with his eyes closed on a rocking chair, only occasionally letting out a faint smile, clearly having heard the little girl's movements.

"Alright, that's enough for today."

Shen Shuchou suddenly opened his eyes, looked at the little girl by the table, and spoke with a smile in his voice.

But Tantai Chigu seemed not to hear, still keeping his head down and mechanically repeating what he had just said.

Upon seeing this, Shen Shuchou laughed again.

This little girl is clearly being difficult with me.

He got up and walked to the desk, raising his hand to pat her head, but Tantai Chigu suddenly turned his head away, dodging the warm hand.

"What's wrong? Are you unhappy?"

Shen Shuchou's voice held a deeper smile, as if he knew the answer already.

Tantai Chigu pursed his lips and didn't speak, but he also stopped muttering, his little face still showing a bit of stubbornness.

Seeing her expression, Shen Shuchou smiled again: "Alright, how about the Daoist Master tells you another story tonight?"

Upon hearing this, Tantai Chigu slowly raised his eyes, a curious glint instantly appearing in his dark pupils: "Are there any other stories?"

Shen Shuchou nodded with a faint smile: "Yes."

"What story is that? Is it also the story of the little fox?"

The little girl leaned forward and pressed on, her sullenness lessening somewhat.

"no."

Shen Shuchou shook his head, paused, and then said, "It's the story of an abandoned child."

Upon hearing this, Tantai Chigu's small eyebrows twitched slightly. She suddenly looked up at him and asked softly, "Then... like me? Were you also found?"

Shen Shuchou looked at her, remaining silent.

The next second, Tantai Chigu spoke again, with a hint of bewilderment and confusion: "Why does everyone else have parents, but I don't? Even the little fox has family."

In the past, Tantai Chigu had no concept of parents at all, and perhaps she didn't even know her own appearance.

A month ago, she wouldn't have been curious about any of these things.

All these changes began that night. In the days that followed, Shen Shuchou would take her out of the courtyard, and the bits and pieces of information she learned from her textbooks gradually led her to have such questions.

Shen Shuchou listened, slightly taken aback. He had actually noticed all the subtle changes in her over the past month.

It can be said that Tantai Chigu has now stepped into the mundane world, but he is still far from truly integrating.

Faced with this question, Shen Shuchou paused for a moment, then smiled slightly: "Because my little girl is special."

"Special?"

Tantai Chigu repeated softly, his eyes full of confusion, "What's so special about it?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Shuchou raised his hand and patted her head.

This time, the little girl didn't dodge and obediently let that hand gently rub her hair.

"Isn't having me special enough?"

He asked, his tone carrying a gentle smile, and added, "Because I am the only adult of Tantai Chigu."

The afterglow of the setting sun flowed into the little girl's dark pupils. Whether it was because of the warm light or the words she had just heard, it was hard to tell.

A faint glimmer of light quietly appeared in his eyes, which had been as dark as ink, like a crushed star gently dispelling the darkness.

"Really?"

Tantai Chigu's voice was very soft, with a hint of uncertainty and timidity.

"Of course it's true."

Shen Shuchou replied with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Tantai Chigu's face showed little joy; instead, a faint sorrow settled over her, like a flower drooping listlessly after being touched by cold rain in late spring.

"What's wrong now?"

Shen Shuchou watched, but he couldn't help but wonder. It's really hard to guess what a child is thinking.

Tantai Chigu did not respond, but simply lowered his head, his fingers darting hurriedly across the pages of the book, as if searching for something between the lines.

Shen Shuchou wasn't in a hurry; he just watched quietly, wanting to know what the little girl was looking for.

A moment later, she seemed to turn to a certain page, and hurriedly pointed to a line of text with her little finger, handing it to Shen Shuchou.

Shen Shuchou stared intently at the paper, where an old saying was etched in ink: "When we meet in this mortal world, we will eventually part ways, like duckweed gathering on water, scattered by the wind."

Upon seeing this sentence, he instantly understood the source of her sorrow.

Before he could speak, Tantai Chigu raised his small face, his eyes filled with a stubbornness: "I don't want to be like what's written in the book."

Upon hearing this, Shen Shuchou gently closed the book in her hands, raised his hand to stroke the top of her head, and said with certainty, "The words in the book are all for deceiving children."

As soon as he finished speaking, the sorrow on Tantai Chigu's face vanished instantly, like clouds swept away by the wind.

Her eyes lit up, and she quickly looked up and asked, "If it's a lie, then... does that mean I don't have to study?"

"Can't."

The only response she received was three words, each one resounding and powerful.

Her face, which had just lit up with joy, suddenly froze. Then, she slid off the chair angrily, turned around, and walked into the house with quick, heavy steps.

"Liars, they're all liars!"

He muttered to himself as he walked, his little voice full of indignation.

Looking at that stubborn little figure, Shen Shuchou called out helplessly, "Aren't you going to eat?"

The little girl ignored him and rushed into her room like a gust of wind.

The door slammed shut with a loud bang, clearly indicating that the person was determined to sulk.

Shen Shuchou stared at the closed door and called out again, "If you're not going to eat, will you still want to hear the story tonight?"

After a long silence, a single word drifted out from inside the room, tinged with a barely perceptible hint of grievance: "Listen."

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