Translator: 🍓SassyStrawberry | http://www.sassystrawberry.com
Thanks to happibess.
Project: Devil Venerable Wants to Know (魔尊也想知道) | Author: Cyan Wings (青色羽翼)
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Baili Qingmiao, the leader of the Shangqing Sect, was typically quiet and reserved, renowned for her unfeeling disposition. Her disciples rarely saw her express any sort of emotion.
Though beautiful as a fairy—her looks even surpassing those of the cultivation world’s foremost beauty—her demeanour was consistently aloof and distant.
The Shangqing disciples simply assumed that she was just cold by nature. However, one day, a black-robed disciple from the Xuanyuan Sect delivered an exquisite little box. When their sect leader opened it, a soft, warm smile lit up her face, captivating the young disciples of the Shangqing Sect. Their sect leader was so beautiful!
They knew that Baili Qingmiao’s shifu, Qingxue-zhenren, was once a ghost cultivator named Qiu Congxue of the Xuanyuan Sect.
Before ascending to immortality, that elder had sent Baili Qingmiao a gift, fulfilling their bond as teacher and disciple.
What was inside that box? The disciples were extremely curious!
Some guessed that the box contained immortal artefacts, maybe panaceas or even immortal elixirs. However, only Su Huai, the sect leader’s personal disciple, knew that they were all mistaken. The box held a pair of crystalline skeleton hairpins.
To understand this, we need to go back to when Baili Qingmiao, Zhongli Qian, Qiu Congxue, and their party were travelling the world to gain experience. It was nearly Baili Qingmiao’s birthday, and although she never spoke of it, Zhongli Qian sensed through their shared Heart-Linking Gu that she wanted a gift, specifically one from a senior. The only person in their group who might qualify as a senior was Qiu Congxue—but expecting her to give Baili Qingmiao a gift on her own was highly improbable.
Hence, Zhongli Qian did his best to drop all sorts of hints, saying things like, “When a birthday comes, a senior should offer their well-wishes,” “the value of a gift lies in the giver’s sincerity, not in quantity,” and “girls all like shiny, sparkly things,” and so forth.
It wasn’t clear what and how Qiu Congxue had understood, but on Baili Qingmiao’s birthday, she tossed her a box. “Actually,” she remarked casually. “I don’t like giving birthday presents. But one day, when you’re gone, I wouldn’t mind making sacrificial offerings to your soul.”
Despite Qiu Congxue’s somewhat disagreeable words, Baili Qingmiao was delighted with the surprise. She opened the box to find a crystalline skull nestled inside. “I refined this in the shape of your skull. What do you think? Do you like it?” Qiu Congxue asked.
This was the first time that Baili Qingmiao had received such a unique gift. Despite it being slightly over the top, it was incredibly thoughtful. She hadn’t realised her shifu knew her so well. It was also the first time that she’d seen the shape of her own skull.
Even now, Baili Qingmiao keeps this treasured crystal skull in her room. Her disciples believe it to be some extremely powerful magical artefact.
In the past, when Qiu Congxue readied to ascend, she still remembered to leave her disciple a gift. And this time, she was inspired enough to give Baili Qingmiao a pair of hairpins. Though the hairpins still reflected Qiu Congxue’s unique aesthetic, they were something that Baili Qingmiao could actually wear.
When Baili Qingmiao wore the skeleton hairpins the next day, her disciples gaped with astonishment. One of the braver ones finally asked, “Sect Leader, that thing on your esteemed head is…”
“It’s a new hair accessory,” Baili Qingmiao smiled warmly. “I like to dress up occasionally, too. Doesn’t it look nice?”
“Nice! It looks really nice! ” sputtered the disciple who’d been dazzled by her smile. He promptly started a secret group within the sect called “Guardians of the Sect Leader’s Smile.”
Since that day, a few of the Shangqing Sect’s disciples gather daily to learn how to carve skulls, a rather peculiar sight for the sect. pjgfjgfjgf
