A Burden of Favor and a Peculiar Revelation

Before He Suosi’s transmigration, his friends universally recognized him as a notorious playboy. After arriving in this new world, he became the envy of his fellow cultivators for his abundant female companions.

To He Suosi, women were like water—the very source of all existence. Just as a human could never truly be separated from water, even in the most desolate desert, he believed water would always be found. He merely happened to be exceptionally skilled at finding it.

In short, as a master of seduction, he had always worn his reputation with pride, never shame.

However, too much water could drown a person, and He Suosi was about to experience this firsthand.

His small courtyard was crammed with over a dozen female cultivators, each exquisitely adorned and possessing a distinct aura. He Suosi’s vision blurred; he couldn’t even recall if a particular girl was Fairy Wei or Fairy Li. Amidst the suffocatingly thick scent of floral perfume, He Suosi felt himself on the verge of choking.

In a state of near-deafening tinnitus, he heard someone whisper beside him, “Yu Jiaren, has Pei Jiaren still not come to visit you?”

‘Who is Pei Jiaren? Haven’t I heard that name somewhere before?’

“Pei Nishang probably never imagined she’d fall out of favor. How could she possibly show her face to Anlin now?”

‘Hold on, why are you calling me by name? I don’t even know you.’ He Suosi winced, still not used to being addressed as Yu Anlin.

“Pei Jiaren has never held us in her regard; it’s likely she doesn’t think much of Yu Jiaren either!”

He Suosi belatedly recalled that Pei Jiaren was the current de facto head of the inner residence, a name Lan Jun had mentioned. He focused his gaze on the speaker, vaguely discerning a beauty with apricot eyes and peachy cheeks. His mind blank, he could only stammer out a few vague phrases like, “Not at all, not at all,” and “I wouldn’t dare.”

He Suosi’s humble demeanor seemed to satisfy them. Soon after, the beauties filed out, leaving only a loose-haired maiden in a goose-yellow jacket and skirt. He Suosi was momentarily dazed before recognizing her as Wang Zhongge.

‘Damn it, I’m going face-blind!’

He Suosi flashed a friendly smile and nodded at Wang Zhongge. However, she haughtily rolled her eyes at him, sweeping past with her long skirt trailing, leaving behind a wisp of subtle sweetness and an indistinct murmur that was barely audible:

“Be careful of Pei Nishang.”

She spoke those words as she departed.

Then, on the third day, the fourth day, and countless days thereafter, Yuan Zhigong would visit Yu Anlin—or rather, He Suosi inhabiting Yu Anlin’s body—each evening, departing before deep nightfall. To He Suosi, this solidified his suspicion that Yuan Zhigong was impotent, but to outsiders, it undoubtedly appeared as a sign of exclusive favor.

Even Lan Jun, setting aside others, wore a joyous expression during the day. He Suosi had no idea what the girl was so happy about.

Yet, this ‘exclusive favor’ was nothing but a burden to He Suosi. All eyes were suddenly fixed upon him. In the evenings, he faced Yuan Zhigong, and during the day, he faced a constant stream of Yuan Zhigong’s concubines from the vicinity, whose faces he couldn’t even remember.

He Suosi had no time to investigate why he was in Yu Anlin’s body. It wasn’t until Yuan Zhigong left to attend to sect matters a month later that he finally found some peace.

Still, the reason for his presence here remained a complete mystery. As for leaving, he discovered that with Yu Anlin’s current cultivation, it was harder than ascending to the heavens. Yet, improving her cultivation was complicated; their cultivation methods and styles differed entirely.

Given Yu Anlin’s innate talent, even if He Suosi considered his own comprehension unparalleled, it would likely take a thousand years—maybe eight hundred—to make any progress. Even as He Suosi repeatedly tried to calm himself, he couldn’t help but grow anxious.

‘I must leave. My top priority is to get out of here.’

The very next day after making this resolute decision, the small courtyard, which had been quiet for many days, welcomed another guest.

And this guest was none other than Pei Nishang, whose name he had long heard but whose person he had yet to meet.

Compared to He Suosi, who was a relative newcomer, Pei Nishang was the true “evergreen” of the inner residence, a conclusion easily drawn from Lan Jun’s accounts.

Indeed, even without Lan Jun’s words, He Suosi had already reached this conclusion during the numerous visits from other concubines. It was said that Pei Jiaren had been in the manor for over a hundred years, and though she lacked the formal title of mistress, she had long exercised the mistress’s authority.

Although Yuan Zhigong showed no particular interest in his harem, he would still visit the residence. During these limited visits, Pei Nishang occupied nearly ninety percent of his time.

Observing Pei Nishang’s appearance, He Suosi could only think, ‘Ah, one truly shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. I never would have thought that the seemingly upright and distinguished Yuan Zhigong was actually a lolicon…’

She appeared to be a girl no older than fifteen or sixteen, with slightly downturned eyes that gave her a naturally delicate and pitiful look. When she smiled, two deep dimples appeared on her cheeks, making her sweet and endearing. Her figure was petite, her chest almost entirely flat—a rare sight in this inner residence.

She instructed her maidservant, named Zhuyu, to open the carved bamboo food box they had brought. “An old servant at home brought me some sweet fruit wine,” she said. “They say it has the effect of purifying spiritual energy, so please accept it as a gift for my presumptuous intrusion.”

He Suosi looked at the soft-spoken, delicate girl and couldn’t help but remark, “Minors shouldn’t drink alcohol, you know?”

Pei Nishang blinked. “Ah?”

“Nothing.” He Suosi gestured for Lan Jun to take the wine pot. “Immortal Fairy, you are too kind. I have nothing good to offer in return, only some spirit fruits…”

“Oh, wonderful! Then I’ll sit down and chat with Older Sister.”

He Suosi swallowed the words “you can take them with you” that had been on the tip of his tongue.

After wiping clean a stone table in the courtyard, He Suosi and Pei Nishang sat down. Although the ground was swept every morning, a few fallen petals lay scattered, while many more fresh blossoms adorned the branches. A faint, sweet fragrance drifted through the warm air.

He Suosi, already well-versed in the intricacies of harem drama, subtly observed Pei Nishang. He noticed her right hand holding a teacup, while her left hand tightly clenched the silk cuff of her sleeve—a clear sign of feigned composure.

“The—the weather is truly lovely,” she finally managed to blurt out after a long silence.

‘A bit cute.’

He Suosi, having been tormented by so many women lately that he almost questioned his own sexuality, felt this thought surface for the first time in a long while.

She certainly didn’t possess the arrogant, dismissive demeanor that the other concubines had described. Her innocent purity was so disarming that it stirred a sense of pity within him.

The urge to silently force her away significantly dwindled. He propped his chin on his hand, watching her cheeks gradually flush crimson under his gaze, and chuckled.

“Indeed, the weather is beautiful. I heard that immortal sects have barriers that control the weather. Is it the same here?”

“Oh, yes,” Pei Nishang replied, a shy expression on her face. “How silly of me. The inner residence is also covered by the barrier. We won’t have bad weather until next month.”

Her slightly naive demeanor instantly struck a chord with He Suosi’s moe sensibilities. At this moment, he completely forgot the previous slanders from the other concubines against Pei Nishang—yes, he now considered them slanders—and couldn’t help but think: ‘No wonder people say that talented men pity other talented men, but beautiful women never pity other beautiful women. It’s completely understandable that Guangyu Immortal Monarch would prefer Pei Nishang. Ah, women…’

Following Pei Nishang’s lead, He Suosi asked, “Besides controlling the weather, the barrier can also defend against external enemies. I heard that from the outside, only a Dao Integration cultivator could force their way in. But I wonder, would it be easier to break through from the inside?”

“No, not at all,” Pei Nishang waved her hand. “Those inside are trapped, and those outside cannot enter. The Immortal Sect’s barrier, in mortal terms, is even more secure than a wall of bronze and iron.”

He Suosi flashed a look of amazed admiration, but inwardly, he smiled bitterly. ‘So, breaking through from the inside is also very difficult, it seems.’

“Although the Immortal Monarch is very kind, there are always some petty villains outside who slander him, attempting to harm him. But, but, the Immortal Monarch certainly isn’t afraid of them! The barrier is just to protect us!”

Perhaps because she mentioned the person she admired, Pei Nishang revealed a relaxed and sweet smile.

He Suosi felt a pang of discomfort hearing his “rival” praised. “The Guangyu Immortal Sect is the largest sect in the cultivation world, so they aren’t afraid of any petty villains. But even with such a distinguished status, having so many fairies in the residence, isn’t it a bit excessive?”

To prevent his dissatisfaction from becoming too obvious, He Suosi quickly added, “However, the Immortal Monarch doesn’t seem to like most of us much anyway.”

Pei Nishang probably didn’t detect He Suosi’s underlying bitterness, maintaining her optimistic and cheerful demeanor. “The Immortal Monarch never wanted us in the first place; it couldn’t be helped. We were all presented by subordinate sects seeking favor. Naturally, if they presented someone and he didn’t accept, wouldn’t the relationship seem distant?”

“It’s all because of such thoughts that the back garden keeps getting more crowded. Moreover, the Immortal Sect’s benefits are excellent. In the inner residence, there’s no shortage of cultivation resources, and spiritual energy is abundant. Compared to the outside, it’s immeasurably better. If one can cultivate to ascension, I presume the Immortal Monarch wouldn’t obstruct it.”

“…If it weren’t for these reasons, the Immortal Monarch would probably dismiss all of us, or perhaps this inner residence would have been empty from the very beginning.”

He Suosi inwardly scoffed at this idealistic statement but outwardly nodded as if he had been enlightened.

At this moment, Pei Nishang’s expression suddenly stiffened. She said, “However, I think it’s wrong to say the Immortal Monarch doesn’t like us. The Immortal Monarch must like you very much, seeing as he’s been at your courtyard every night this past month.”

He Suosi immediately sensed a major crisis. “Wh-what are you talking about? He likes you very much too! Wasn’t he always with you before?”

The moment these words left his mouth, He Suosi realized his mistake.

‘Damn it, I’m still too green. I actually blurted out “before”—that’s practically what a mistress says to the legal wife.’

Sure enough, Pei Nishang forced a smile. “Y-yes, that’s right.”

He Suosi quickly interjected, “But the Immortal Monarch never stays overnight! In fact, he’s never even touched me.”

Pei Nishang’s face instantly flushed crimson all the way to her neck. Her gaze fixed on her toes, and after a long while, as if having made a difficult decision, she finally spoke. “This is something I’ve actually wanted to talk to someone about for a long time.”

“But… thinking this way seems, perhaps, a bit too wanton, but I still want to say—”

Pei Nishang took a deep breath, looking at He Suosi with determination. “The Immortal Monarch has never touched me either. My mother always asks about these things, and though I’m embarrassed to say, I’ve also wondered… isn’t the Immortal Monarch’s behavior a bit… abnormal?”

In his shock, He Suosi firmly declared, “Absolutely abnormal.”