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

In the height of summer in July, the chirping of cicadas echoed across the fields, and the blazing sun hung high in the sky, its scorching rays pouring down on the entire land of Beizhou.

A figure in green robes treads on clouds, her slender figure riding the flowing clouds alongside the blazing sun.

In an instant, the woman in green lowered her eyes to look at the ground, her figure suddenly stopped, and then she rode the wind and swooped down.

In a clearing in the woods, a child stared at the scene before him, a look of bewilderment flashing across his face.

That expression vanished in an instant, and he quickly regained a calmness beyond his years.

He squatted down, picked up a leaf that had turned yellow from the sun, and gently rubbed the edge of the leaf with his fingertips.

The scorching sun overhead made his forehead bead with sweat, and his whole body felt unbearably hot.

Just as I was about to find a shady spot to cool off, the scorching air around me suddenly cooled down.

A cool, gentle, and bone-chilling aura slowly wafted out in front of him. The child looked up and saw a figure in green blocking his way.

The two, one big and one small, looked at each other.

The air around them was still scorching hot at midday in midsummer, and the cicadas were still chirping noisily, but there seemed to be an invisible barrier between the two of them, with a refreshing coolness flowing between them.

Looking at the child before her, a faint ripple flickered in her eyes, like a gentle breeze rippling across a calm lake.

The child blinked, staring at the woman in green before him, unable to fathom her intentions.

"Little brother, are you alone? Where are you going?"

The next second, the woman in green gently squatted down, her voice as gentle as the wind in the forest, carrying a soothing power.

Upon hearing this, the child's eyes twitched slightly, and his little brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.

He subtly re-examined the woman before him, his heart pounding with anxiety.

Could he be a human trafficker from the local demonic sect, the Hehuan Sect? Those people specifically target young boys and girls like him to be used as furnaces (for some kind of alchemical process).

The woman in green was unaware of his thoughts until she noticed the child quietly take a half step back. She quickly added, "Little brother, don't be afraid. I'm not a bad person."

Upon hearing this, the child secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness, judging from their tone, they shouldn't be from the Joyful Union Sect. It would be too unlucky to be captured and used as a cultivation vessel as soon as I arrived.

Unexpectedly, the woman in green spoke again, her tone earnest: "Little brother, if it's alright, I'd like to take you in, is that alright?"

Child: "..."

Are you sure this isn't from the Hehuan Sect?

The woman in green seemed to think that wasn't enough, and added with a smile, "If you agree, just nod; if you disagree, you can also nod, or shake your head."

The child couldn't help but wonder to himself: What's the difference between nodding and shaking your head?

The woman in green slowly extended a hand to him, her smile gentle: "My name is Si Anhe, and from now on I will be your elder sister."

The child stared at her outstretched hand, hesitated for a moment, and finally slowly raised his warm little hand, gently placing it in her palm. His soft, sweet voice rang out: "Shen Shuchou."

The cicadas still chirped incessantly, and the scorching sun still baked the earth, but between the hands of the two people, one big and one small, it was as if a gentle breeze was blowing, bringing a touch of just the right amount of coolness.

The cicadas' chirping suddenly ceased, and the hot wind vanished without a trace in an instant.

"grandmother!"

A tender voice pierced the air, tearing apart the heavy old memories in the sunlit courtyard and pulling Si Anhe, who was lost in thought on the rocking chair, back to reality.

The old man with a full head of white hair slowly came to his senses. His eyes were cloudy but clear. He looked up at the little child running towards him.

"What's wrong?"

Si Anhe's eyebrows curved upwards, and a gentle and kind expression spread across her eyes.

"Grandma, you only told half of the story last time, I want to hear more."

The child rushed to her side, his little hands gripping the rocking chair armrests tightly, his eyes filled with eager anticipation.

Si Anhe raised her hand, her thin yet gentle fingertips lightly stroking the top of his soft hair, and softly replied, "Okay."

When Lu Wanheng became emperor, after that earth-shattering war, less than one in ten cultivators from the five continents survived, leaving only a handful of survivors clinging to life in this vast world.

Si Anhe was unwilling to set foot on that blood-stained battlefield again, so she returned alone to her old courtyard in Beizhou and went into seclusion there.

Over the long years that followed, she exhausted her remaining cultivation and condensed into the youthful and vibrant phantom of Shen Shuchou, just like when they first met.

A small Taoist temple confined her year after year, decade after decade, until she could no longer remember how many years she had sat there in vain.

The child before my eyes remains forever young and innocent, and the memories in my heart are frozen in time with her unwavering conviction, untouched by the vicissitudes of life.

Beyond the story, the land not far away has long been a forbidden place for centuries.

No one dared to approach easily, and no one could say for sure what was hidden there.

Only occasionally, in the quiet of the night, soft whispers would drift from that mist-shrouded place, like someone gently calling a name, or like someone quietly telling an unfinished story.

Perhaps this is for the best.

At least, in this little world she protects, there is warmth, there is waiting, there is a boy who will never grow up, and a past that can be told again and again.

......

......

When Shen Shuchou opened his eyes again, he found himself in an unfamiliar room.

My muscles felt sore and stiff all over, and it felt like there was something heavy pressing down on me.

He moved slightly and met a pair of eyes that were inches away from his own.

When Shen Luoning saw that he was awake, her eyes instantly lit up with joy, but her voice was somewhat hesitant: "You're awake?"

Shen Shuchou frowned slightly as he looked at her lying on his chest, and said calmly, "Could you get off me first?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Luoning's cheeks instantly flushed crimson. She hurriedly supported herself and stepped aside, apologizing in a barely audible whisper, "I'm sorry."

Shen Shuchou did not respond. He propped himself up on the edge of the bed and sat up, stretching his sore and stiff limbs.

"Where is this?" He rubbed his throbbing temples, his gaze sweeping over the exquisite yet unfamiliar furnishings in the room.

"This is my room."

Shen Luoning's gaze remained fixed on him, never looking away.

"Did you bring me here?" Shen Shuchou stood up by the bed.

"It is me, but it is not entirely me."

Shen Luoning paused, then added, "The one who actually made the move was that person."

Shen Shuchou knew exactly who she was referring to, and immediately took a step to leave the room.

"They can't get out."

Shen Luoning's voice came from behind him, "There's a barrier set up outside. I've tried countless methods before, but I can neither break through nor send out a single message."

As soon as he finished speaking, Shen Shuchou clearly sensed the invisible barrier outside the house. He raised his hand and touched it lightly, and sure enough, the barrier was impenetrable.

He simply turned back and sat back on the edge of the bed.

Shen Luoning walked slowly to him, her delicate eyes fixed on him, and tentatively asked in a soft voice, "Should I call you brother?"

Shen Shuchou glanced at her indifferently, his tone aloof: "I have no connection with the Su family and cannot be considered your brother."

The light in Shen Luoning's eyes suddenly dimmed, and her eyelids drooped.

Meanwhile, in another place, Mingyouju.

Pei Rou stared wide-eyed at the woman before her, Yu Linghuan, in disbelief: "Are you really Hu Baibai's mother?"

Yu Linghuan smiled faintly and calmly replied, "Absolutely true."

"I don't believe it!" Pei Rou pouted, her face full of doubt. "Hu Baibai is a demon, but you don't have a trace of demonic energy on you. How could you be her birth mother?"

Yu Linghuan chuckled softly, a hint of allure spreading across her eyes: "I've never said Bai Bai is my biological daughter. Doesn't your godmother count as your mother?"

Pei Rou paused for a moment, then muttered softly, "That makes sense, doesn't it?"

Luo Shisan watched quietly from the side, a cold sneer always on his lips, and no disbelief in his eyes.

Only Pei Rou would believe such lies meant for children!