Fairy, Don't Be Afraid, I Am Blind

"Why do I detest men?"

The Third Elder was a little taken aback, her eyes flickering.

She looked at You Su’s flushed face, knowing he was a bit drunk.

The wine she gave You Su to drink was called ’Ice Melting Burn’, a special concoction she had developed herself. Its fieriness could be inferred from its name, capable of melting and even igniting ice.

But this fieriness was not the harshness of crude, rough liquor; it was a lingering, enduring fervor.

This was also one of the immortal wines the Third Elder often drank to inebriate herself, loving such fervor. The blandness of her life made her favor such stimulating drinks.

Even with You Su’s level of cultivation, just a few sips of such wine would make it impossible for him to remain sober.

"Is it... a bit presumptuous?"

You Su, seeing the Third Elder not responding for a long time, looked somewhat embarrassed.

He was on the verge of being drunk, feeling that indeed wine emboldens the cowardly, for if it were any other time, he would never have dared to ask the Third Elder such a question.

The Third Elder gave a gentle smile, her face under the influence of alcohol displaying a bright and captivating beauty.

It’s often said that a person’s character can be seen from their appearance. The Third Elder has some prejudice against men, but she is not inherently a bitter person.

"There’s nothing presumptuous about it, after all, it’s just drinking."

The Third Elder swirled her wine glass, smiling, "Rice, salt, tea, horses, wine—everything is delicate in its own way. If the drinking’s right, naturally everything can be talked about. I am willing to be forthright with you, young friend; it all depends on your sincerity. If you can’t handle the drink, it’s better not to force it."

The sincerity in drinking is, of course, the drink in the cup.

You Su weighed the wine glass, and spurred by the Third Elder’s last remark, took a large sip directly from the cup.

He intended to mimic the Third Elder by downing it in one go, but the burn at his throat made him put the cup down, coughing repeatedly.

The Third Elder’s smile widened, and she did not bother pouring herself more wine, simply lifting the wine jug with flair.

Smooth, sweet wine flowed down from the spout, entering the beautiful woman’s throat, with stray droplets running down the corners of her lips, seeping into her collar along her swan-like neck.

The stove still crackled warmly; she also seemed to feel a bit hot, gently loosening the first button on her collar, revealing a smooth and elegant collarbone.

After finishing her drink, the Third Elder gently shook her head, as if recalling past events, and after a long silence, she said:

"I am an orphan."

That’s like me... You Su thought silently.

"When I was very young, I was taken in by an old woman. I called her Old Madam, and she was the shopkeeper of a medicine store. I became the medicine boy there."

"Every morning, sunlight would pour through the window lattice onto the medicine cabinets, the golden light illuminating bottles of colorful medicinal herbs, a scene I shall never forget."

"Under the old lady’s guidance, I gradually learned the names and effects of various herbs, and gradually developed a sense of belonging. She was always kind, even though she was really old, whenever customers came, she would patiently inquire about their symptoms and put me in charge of carefully preparing prescriptions..."

The Third Elder, in recalling the ’Old Madam’, seemed somewhat unstoppable in her words, calmly narrating her happy childhood days in that medicine store.

You Su could tell that the Third Elder was filled with nostalgia for that place and that person.

But unsurprisingly, things were bound to take a turn for the worse.

"The most precious treasure of that medicine store was a seed called the Emperor’s House Tree, an ancient Divine Tree. The Old Madam had guarded this medicine store for generations, as well as this seed. Even though she knew the seed was useless to her as a mere mortal and she could not possibly grow the Emperor’s House Tree, she regarded it as a mission she had to protect steadfastly."

Only then did You Su realize the significance of the Emperor’s House Tree Seed that the Third Elder had casually given him—it must hold immense meaning for her, which fortified his resolve to grow it.

"Later, she gave it to me, which incited her son’s discontent. Her son, living off the money she had saved, bought a house in a big city and was unwilling to take over the old family medicine store, yet he was never able to forget this family Protective Talisman. But the old lady was resolute, and I was moved, determined to honorably inherit the medicine store."

"But at that time, the Divine Mountain had not yet enacted purification activities; many Evil Cultivators were still operating in the dark. That time, the old lady accidentally saved a cultivator, who appeared courteous, so she let him stay to recover. But we only found out before her death that he was an Evil Cultivator. That Evil Cultivator was a man whose gaze was always filled with greed when he looked at me."

"I quietly shared my unease with the old lady, and she decided to politely ask the cultivator to leave, refusing to accept his medical expenses. He appeared deeply grateful but harbored resentment against the old lady for making him leave before his recovery was complete. That night, his revenge on us arrived."

"His cruel methods were beyond anything I had ever known; he spared me temporarily, as I was too young, planning to raise me in a jar full of evil worms, to be fully enjoyed once matured. What I did not expect was that he wouldn’t even spare an old lady..."

"The Emperor’s House Tree Seed granted the old lady near-immortal Life Force, which was why she lived so long. Yet, that Evil Cultivator drained all the essence and energy from her body, using vile means of a man. In witnessing that scene, I felt nothing but disgust and sorrow."

"By coincidence, the old lady’s son arrived that night too. He didn’t come to visit her; he came to steal the Emperor’s House Tree Seed. Upon seeing his own mother, I assumed he would save us, but he was solely focused on retrieving the seed, even divulging this secret to the Evil Cultivator."