The improved female villains regained their memories.

Ling Tianxin was no longer in pain. Afraid of worrying her mother, she forced herself to stay in bed.

Father didn't come, but Mother did. She secretly slipped her a pastry from Chun Tea House.

She shook her head with a smile and said, "Father won't let me eat it. If he finds out, he'll get angry, so I won't eat it."

Her mother stroked her head tenderly, and she said nothing, only smiling shyly.

Later, her mother left, and she licked her fingers.

There were still some crumbs of pastry stuck there.

"It's so sweet," she thought.

---------

The wind blew against Ling Tianxin's sleeves.

Thick smoke billowed over the entire Nine Heavens City, turning the area below into what appeared to be hell on earth.

She closed her eyes, raised her hands like a conductor, and at the same time, murmured:

"The fire burns, its shape like a dragon, its flames devouring everything, dispelling darkness and cold, and infusing all things with the power of life."

Its heatwave swept over us, making us feel the power and passion of life; its light illuminated the dark night, giving us hope and a brighter future.

The fire burns, its sound like music, captivating people with its beauty; its smoke, like clouds, allows people to experience the mystery and beauty of nature.

In the moment the fire was burning, people felt the true meaning of life; in the moment the fire was burning, people felt their own existence and significance.

The fire burns, its meaning akin to life itself, brimming with hope and a future. Its radiance tears through the shadow of death, giving people the courage to change—the courage to change their own destiny, to change their own predicament, to change their own peril. Humanity is made possible by miracles of life, and so too does fire, burning fiercely until the change is complete, displaying its most brilliant power.

After reciting the poem, Ling Tianxin let out a long sigh and watched silently.

The fire started in his own home and then swept through the entire town.

The power of the immortal's killing move was so immense that it seemed capable of annihilating everything.

"Why?"

Ling Tianxin murmured something, as if asking the heavens, or perhaps herself.

Finally, she smiled and replied:

"Because destiny is in my hands."

The girl, in excruciating pain, stood up.

However, instead of heading out the door, she sat back down on the bed.

As if hypnotizing herself, she closed her eyes and silently chanted, "It doesn't hurt, it doesn't hurt, it doesn't hurt, it doesn't hurt at all..."

Sure enough, the pain was gone.

She opened her eyes in surprise.

The moonlight fell on her, casting a long shadow.

"It doesn't hurt anymore."

As if to encourage herself, she said:

"It doesn't hurt at all."

From that day on, five-year-old Ling Tianxin stopped feeling pain.

Perhaps because I made the decision, the pain stopped.

Chapter 337 Everyone Has Their Own Fate

The old Taoist priest stopped, pinched his fingers, and breathed a sigh of relief: "It's over, the situation is settled."

The girl following behind him looked at him strangely, but the old Taoist priest didn't explain anything, he just told her, "We can leave now."

He didn't say anything, but pointed upwards, and the girl looked up.

A magical artifact pierced through the mist and flew into the distance.

The old Taoist priest was kneading something in his palm, then walked to a collapsed area where a renowned weapon refiner lay, none other than Lin Xueyao, who had been beaten unconscious.

The magical artifacts on this person were indeed troublesome, but they were no match for the old Taoist priest. He simply waved them three times above her head and then said to the girl, "Let's go."

The girl responded and quickly followed. The old Taoist waved his hand, and a mist enveloped them, causing the two to disappear.

----------------

Not far from the dandelion field at Shenlong Lake, the magical artifact slowly descended.

Shi Guijia stood there impatiently waiting. After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, a certain genius boy finally emerged from behind the woods, his legs trembling.

Such a magical artifact was something he had never heard of before. From its shape and function to its speed, Shi Guijia perfectly demonstrated what a super-fast flying artifact was. Liu Shaoheng had only just mastered spiritual energy and had not yet reached the point where he could fly with it. This experience quickly turned his curiosity into fear.

Shi Guijia didn't care about his feelings. Seeing that he had calmed down, she threw her luggage at him and said, "Come with me."

The Lonely Garden no longer had the lively atmosphere it used to have. Shi Guijia pushed open the door and walked in. The children were all in their rooms, silent and lost, like wooden figures. The oldest girl, whom she had instructed yesterday, saw her and ran over, saying timidly, "Sister, we were all very good yesterday and didn't run around."

The little guy had pink hair and looked to be about eight or nine years old. His eyes were big and watery, making him look pitiful. When Shi Guijia looked at him, her heart softened, and her originally fierce tone became much gentler: "Have you had breakfast?"

The little girl shook her head: "Nobody ate."

Zhi Zixun prepares all the meals herself. The few well-behaved children at most help her. This place is different from a small town; it is far from the town center, so if you want to buy food, you have to walk quite a distance.

Liu Shaoheng, who was still catching his breath, soon heard his newly adopted godmother calling out: "Hey, come here for a second."

Liu Shaoheng dared not delay and, suppressing his nausea, ran over.

Shi Guijia asked him in a low voice, "Can you cook?"

Liu Shaoheng's eyes widened: "I'm only ten years old..."

“Many kids from poor families can cook by your age,” Shi Guijia asked matter-of-factly. “So, can you?”

"I know a little."

"Then it's up to you."

She patted Liu Shaoheng on the shoulder, pointed at the little kids and said to him, "You're the oldest here, so you have to take on the responsibility of being the older brother."

After saying that, she added to the little girl in pink, "Go find him if you need anything."

The little girl stared wide-eyed and nodded.

Liu Shaoheng's lips twitched: "Damn... Master, I'm going to cook, what are you going to do?"

Shi Guijia replied, "I'll go investigate the case."

"I'll come with you." After all, that's why he came.

Shi Guijia patted Liu Shaoheng on the shoulder and said, "We can do it together. After you finish making breakfast, make mine too."

Liu Shaoheng was speechless: "I can do it, but I need the materials, right?"

“Yes,” the little girl in pink immediately chimed in. “Sister Gardenia always stores a lot of food over there. I’ll take you to get it.”

At this point, Liu Shaoheng had nothing more to say.

The children went with Liu Shaoheng to prepare food, and Shi Guijia ignored them and went straight to the room where Zhi Zixun was murdered.

That was the study on the second floor. Inside the room, the desk and chairs faced the door, above which was the window. The bookshelves on the side and the floor were piled high with books. There were also many handwriting marks on the floor, which looked like they were written by Zhi Zixun.

Much of the handwriting had been erased, some by rubbing, and some by accident by government officials. Shi Guijia squatted down and tried to decipher it for a long time, but couldn't figure it out.

She placed the murder weapon on the table, sat in the spot where Zhi Zixun had once sat, and looked out the window.

The window faces Shenlong Lake, and looking into the distance, you can see fields of dandelions.

That chess-playing girl sat in a place like this at night, picked up a dagger, and plunged it into her own heart.

"...What's this all about?"

Shi Guijia looked at the scenery outside the window and said blankly, "I'm just a weapon refiner, yet you've given me such a big problem."

"You human chess players are all the same, you just love to give people difficult problems."

--------------------

In the bamboo forest, seeing that the group had gathered, Li Tianfei was finally able to speak.

However, before he could speak, Lin Xueyao, who was late and had a bruised and swollen face, spoke first: "Chen Ziyun, you coward, I was beaten up and you didn't even dare to fart."

Chen Ziyun, who was sitting to Li Tianfei's right, had been lost in thought. When his wife spoke to him, he sneered and replied, "You're just asking for trouble. You got beaten up and now you can't blame anyone else?"

He knew his wife's character; she liked to flirt with young boys all the time. Back when she got together with him, wasn't it because she was attracted to his boyish looks? Now that she's tired of him, she's been acting like a jerk everywhere. It's quite strange that she's only now getting beaten up.

However, he was also a little curious: in this small town, would anyone dare to challenge a renowned weapon-refining master?

Zhang Yijian, carrying a heavy greatsword, squatted down beside him without saying a word. This man was always taciturn, and Li Tianfei couldn't find anyone else to talk to, so he had to speak up himself: "Um, I wanted to say something..."

"Chen Ziyun, I'm [swearing]!!" Before Li Tianfei could even speak, Lin Xueyao started cursing, "You good-for-nothing who only knows how to steal food from beggars, what did I marry you for?"

As she cursed, her anger flared even more. She strode over to Chen Ziyun and kicked her.

Chen Ziyun, a mere cultivator of the Qi realm, was no match for someone who cultivated the body. Not to mention whether he could compare, he didn't even have many magical artifacts that could enhance his physical body. If he were to be hit by this kick, he would either die or be seriously injured. He could only jump back and pull away, relying on his physical advantage to keep dodging.

Lin Xueyao kicked and cursed, "You good-for-nothing coward, you're just like a beggar, all you do is refine some kind of frivolous magical artifacts all day long. You keep putting beggar stuff in the house all the time, making the house stink. You might as well marry a beggar wife. I think you didn't get enough of being a beggar in your past life, so you're going to keep this worthless life in this one."

Not to be outdone, Chen Ziyun dodged while cursing back: "You're so great, you're destined to be a slut. Other women are slutty because they like men, but you're the opposite, you like boys. And lately your tastes have become even more discerning, you're only interested in little kids. Next time you might as well crawl into a mother's belly and grab the embryo before it develops and play with it."

Unable to win the argument, Lin Xueyao became even angrier, and her stomping became even heavier.

If things continued like this, Li Tianfei would be unable to continue what he wanted to say, so he had no choice but to bring out his magic weapon—a drum with a human face on it—and strike it heavily.

The sound was so loud that the two people who were playfully fighting were jolted.

Li Tianfei coughed and said, "Let's get down to business."

He glanced at the three of them and emphasized again, "At least today, I would like to ask you all to rein in your perverted nature, because what I am about to say is very important."

"It concerns the whole world."

---------------

The daylight shone into the school, and the misty ground occasionally revealed traces of the stone path. Students sat in the school, reading in twos and threes. The teacher was not here today; it was the other teacher giving a lesson.

The teacher's lectures were always excellent, and the students loved them, including Yang Luoyi.