Mundane Saint

Chapter 38 – Qin Yiyao

Gu Heng carried the freshly boiled water up to the second floor, where he had prepared a bath barrel filled with cold water but not yet with hot water. As he entered, the young boy lay in the tub with his back to him, eyes closed, breathing evenly.

He walked over slowly and noticed bruises on the boy's face, with bloodstains at the corner of his mouth. Despite the disheveled appearance, the boy's handsome features and rebellious aura were undeniable.

"This water is so cold; it's not good for your body," Gu Heng sighed. But his voice startled the boy in the tub.

"Ah!"

A hoarse scream echoed as the boy suddenly panicked, shrinking against the side of the tub. Gu Heng suddenly realized something.

This... this wasn't a boy.

It was a girl!

Gu Heng hadn't noticed that the "boy" was actually a girl. She was too thin, hadn't eaten properly for a long time, her clothes were tattered, and she was covered in dirt. Without a closer look, her gender was hard to discern.

But now, upon closer inspection, she was indeed quite beautiful.

He didn't know much about other things, but he could tell that compared to the beautiful women he had seen, she was a budding beauty. With proper grooming and nice clothes, she would be stunning.

The girl was soaking in the cold bath. Seeing Gu Heng enter, she submerged herself in the water, leaving only her head above, her arms crossed tightly over her chest, eyes wide as she stared at Gu Heng, her eyes red as if about to cry.

She was already delicate and pretty, and her current teary appearance made her even more endearing, stirring a protective instinct in others.

"Uh... I'll add some hot water for you," Gu Heng said, trying not to feel too awkward, though her wary gaze made him quite uncomfortable.

He really hadn't intended to be a peeping tom.

"Ah... go ahead," the girl continued to stare at him as Gu Heng slowly poured the steaming hot water along the edge of the tub, then tested the temperature with his hand, finding it just right.

"Ahem, alright, you finish your bath, I'll go make some food and prepare some... suitable clothes for you," Gu Heng coughed lightly, picked up the pot, and turned to leave.

"Bang!"

The door closed behind him.

After he left, the person in the water finally relaxed, exhaling softly, looking up at the ceiling with eyes filled with confusion and struggle.

"Heh, seeing him like that, it seems I've really not looked like a girl all these years..."

Qin Yiyao had been reborn in this world for sixteen years.

She had once conquered half of the Mysterious Heaven Realm under the name "Saint Yao Emperor," establishing the Great Qin Empire. But at the peak of her power, she was betrayed and poisoned with the deadly Immortal Slayer poison, which was so potent that even at her peak, she couldn't resist it.

Fortunately, Qin Yiyao stumbled upon the "Medicine Immortal Fragmented Records" by chance!

The "Medicine Immortal Fragmented Records" contained an immortal-level formation that could save her.

To save herself, she constructed a tomb. Since the immortal-level formation couldn't be set up, she laid down 999 ancient formations from the Great Void Era to compensate for the power of the immortal-level formation in the Medicine Immortal Fragmented Records. She also had thousands of loyal ministers and her twelve most elite Qin generals accompany her in guarding the tomb, with the "Infinite Sword Domain" she comprehended after ascending the throne as an additional defense.

After completing all this, she entered the coffin and died.

Then, she was reborn.

She didn't know how much time had passed.

But when she emerged from the coffin, she found her body had become so frail and young.

The tomb had become a ruin, and even a mountain had risen from its foundation, becoming Solitary Mountain.

All the preparations Qin Yiyao made before her death, including the spiritual pills, magical artifacts, and spirit stones she left for herself, and even the ministers who accompanied her in guarding the tomb, had their power drained by the formations. Her cultivation was neutralized by the Immortal Slayer poison, and she was reborn as a mortal.

A mortal with nothing.

She didn't know how long it had been since her era, but the Great Qin Empire she once built had long turned to dust in the river of time. The world was in chaos, and the strict laws she left behind had become a pile of waste paper. For sixteen years, she lived a humiliating and lowly life as a "mortal" or rather, an ant, with no relatives and suffering constant bullying!

Yet, there was a glimmer of hope, though the chance was slim.

She possessed the bloodline of the Ascended Immortal Legacy, allowing her to leap across major realms in battle even during the Qi Refining stage, making it the most defiant bloodline in the world!

She practiced "The Emperor's Heart Technique," a Great Void treasure that could refine the Emperor's Purple Qi and ascend to sainthood with the power of the people!

But Qin Yiyao's early memories were lost, and she had no idea how to awaken the Ascended Immortal Legacy bloodline within her.

Unable to cultivate, possessing a heaven-defying technique was useless.

She was no longer the emperor who could change the world with a wave of her hand or make billions of subjects submit with a glance. Now she was just a mortal who barely survived reaching Cloud Spirit City, unable to even leave because of the many dangers outside the city.

Even within the city, she was bullied by those she wouldn't have even glanced at in the past!

The once mighty emperor had fallen to this.

But Qin Yiyao could accept it, as she had once risen step by step from nothing.

Tonight, she was prepared to endure another beating. Those people wouldn't dare to kill her, as the true rulers of Cloud Spirit City, the Nianling Sect, wouldn't tolerate the death of a mortal dirtying the city's ground.

They called it "The lives of mortals cannot be taken lightly."

Qin Yiyao sneered every time she heard such nonsense.

However, being saved was something she hadn't expected.

"But that guy doesn't seem like an ordinary mortal," Qin Yiyao thought, sneaking a glance behind her.

He hadn't come back up.

In the past, anyone who peeked at her bathing would be sentenced to death.

But she was no longer an emperor, and he was the one who saved her.

Qin Yiyao had no cultivation now, her bloodline unawakened, unable to cultivate, but her emperor's intuition remained. She could tell the difference between mortals and cultivators, and no matter how she looked, the young man seemed like a mortal.

Yet, even a mortal who trained martial arts to the extreme wouldn't handle someone like Hong Ba, a half-baked Foundation Establishment cultivator, so easily.

He was peculiar.

Perhaps he was a true mortal, or maybe he was a cultivator even she couldn't see through.

"...Why think so much? Better to figure out how to get by now..." Qin Yiyao thought, idly splashing the water, droplets sliding off her fingertips, creating small ripples.

...

Gu Heng found a tailor shop and bought a few ready-made dresses, then picked up some decent-looking pork, eggs, and vegetables from a vendor who hadn't closed yet, and returned to the new Medicine Hall.

Going upstairs, he saw she was still soaking in the tub. Gu Heng placed the clothes he bought beside her. "I don't know if these clothes will fit, but you can wear them after your bath."

Qin Yiyao nodded.

"Then you finish your bath, I'll... make some food for you, though I'm not very good at cooking..." Gu Heng scratched his head, smiling awkwardly. Just as he was about to leave, he heard her say, "Qin Yiyao."

He turned back.

"My name."

"Oh, oh, that's a nice name," Gu Heng smiled and went downstairs.

That's good. She wasn't willing to speak earlier, but now she was willing to tell him her name, which meant she was letting down her guard a bit.

He returned to the back room, started a fire, and cooked. After some time, he prepared a couple of dishes and set the table. At that moment, he heard footsteps from the stairs, and a delicate figure descended.

Qin Yiyao wore a light green long dress, her black, silky hair draped over her shoulders. With the dirt washed away, her skin was as smooth as jade, her features exquisite, her lips thin and teeth white, her face seemed like the finest artwork, every detail just right.

If there was any flaw...

It was that she was too thin.

She looked like she had little flesh, and the dress was one of the smallest sizes in the tailor shop, yet Qin Yiyao's body didn't even fill it out.

Gu Heng raised an eyebrow, thinking he had found a treasure tonight.

Qin Yiyao saw him standing by the door watching her, her face blushing slightly, biting her lower lip, looking down without speaking, her fair, tender hands twisting together, seemingly a bit nervous.

Gu Heng realized and knocked on the door frame. "Dinner's ready."

"Oh."

She responded, quickly following him in, slowly moving to sit down.

On the table were stir-fried vegetables, braised beef, and scrambled eggs. The presentation wasn't great, and she had once eaten delicacies and spiritual fruits and birds raised in spiritually rich lands, but that was long ago.

Since her rebirth, Qin Yiyao couldn't remember the last time she had a proper meal.

So she didn't hesitate, devouring the food on the table like a whirlwind.

Gu Heng watched her eat ravenously, his mouth twitching slightly.

Hmm, it seems he picked up a little glutton.

A moment later...

"I'm done," Qin Yiyao said, burping, looking at Gu Heng with a bright smile.

Her smile was infectious. At that moment, she seemed to brighten up, and it affected Gu Heng, who smiled back, his gentle, handsome face lighting up with a smile.

"Now that you're full and warmed up, let's talk business."

Qin Yiyao was taken aback. "Business?"

"Why is the Black Forest Gang after a young girl like you?"

Gu Heng liked secrets, though he never sought them out, but a secret delivered to his doorstep piqued his curiosity.

"...Why do you want to know?"

"I see you're alone and have no one to rely on. I want to help you a bit."

"But if you don't tell the truth, I won't know how to help."

It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from bit.ly/3iBfjkV.

He spoke with such honesty and sincerity.