Volume 1, Chapter 6 – An Immortal Embryo Emerges

[Ding! Special energy source detected!]

[Scanning target: Heavenly Maiden Stone Statue!]

[Analysis result: A fragmentary immortal soul is sealed inside the statue. It is in a state of deep dormancy and memory loss!]

[Aptitude assessment: Potential exceeds conventional rating standards, breaking past the upper limit of a ten-star genius!]

[Status evaluation: Meets the standards for disciple recruitment!]

[System suggestion: Host, you’ve struck gold! Hurry up and crack open the statue for a look!]

The string of system notifications rang through Gu Han’s mind like a violent storm, leaving her completely stunned.

A statue?

A fragment of an immortal’s soul?

A genius above ten stars?

Her gaze snapped toward the blurred stone statue she had looked at for ten years, so familiar with it that she had long since gone numb to its existence.

That worthless lump of rock actually had something like this hidden inside it?

Did that dead old man know?

Or had he tricked her into coming here in the first place because of this statue?

Countless questions flashed through her mind in an instant, but all of them were suppressed by a fierce curiosity.

She strode to the statue in a few quick steps and carefully reached out to touch its cold, rough stone surface.

With her current Immortal Ascension cultivation and divine sense, a closer inspection did indeed allow her to detect a faint fluctuation of extremely high quality!

That fluctuation was buried deep in the statue’s core. Without the system’s prompt and her present realm, there was no way it could ever have been discovered.

“So there really is something hidden inside…”

Gu Han did not hesitate any longer. She raised two fingers like a sword, and a thread of magical power, refined to the utmost extreme, shot out from her fingertips.

Like the most precise surgical blade, it carefully began peeling away the surface of the statue.

Stone chips flew everywhere, yet not a single one fell to the ground. They were restrained by an invisible force and floated in midair.

Her movements were gentle and focused, for fear of harming the fragile remnant soul within.

As the outer stone shell was gradually peeled away, the statue’s outline slowly shrank.

Bit by bit, it revealed a soft, pure energy core radiating a halo of light.

Within that halo, there was vaguely visible a tiny, curled-up figure.

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When the last bit of stone shell was removed and the glowing mass was fully exposed to the air, it illuminated the entire temple.

The light gradually drew inward.

And when the final trace of golden radiance faded and she finally saw what was in front of her—

Gu Han’s eyes widened at once, and she went completely blank.

Inside was not some immortal remnant soul of an old sage with transcendent bearing.

Nor was it the phantom of some peerless immortal beauty.

It was a… little girl who looked only four or five years old!

She wore a tiny immortal dress that seemed to have been woven from starlight itself, its hem stirring though there was no wind.

Her little face was pink and round, still carrying baby fat, and her features were so exquisitely delicate that they looked like Heaven’s most perfect creation.

Her long eyelashes were like two tiny fans, casting faint shadows beneath her eyelids.

At that moment, she was rubbing her sleepy eyes with one soft, white little hand, while the other was still curled into a fist near her mouth as she let out a tiny yawn.

[Ding! Target has manifested into physical form!]

[Name: Unknown]

[Form: Manifestation of immortal soul origin (juvenile form)]

[Status: Deep sleep, memory fragmentation rate 99.9%]

[Aptitude: ??? (Exceeds ten stars. Precise rating cannot be evaluated)]

[Cultivation: None (Extremely weak, requires nourishment)]

[Loyalty: None (Blank state)]

[System evaluation: A legendary uncut jade! A peerless immortal seedling seen once in a million years! Host, what are you waiting for? Hurry up and kidna… no, take her as a disciple!]

Gu Han: “…”

She stared at the tiny little thing that looked delicate enough to break with a touch.

Then, listening to the system’s prompt practically urging her to “abduct” the child, the corner of her mouth twitched violently several times.

What happened to the immortal remnant soul?

What happened to the peerless immortal maiden?

This isn’t what I signed up for!

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She had imagined her disciple as a youth at the very youngest, at least a teenage boy or girl.

What was with getting a milk-scented toddler right out of the gate?

Was this what a peerless genius beyond ten stars looked like?

She had a feeling the whole vibe of her freshly minted role as Palace Master of Yaochi Immortal Palace was about to veer in the direction of “single dad”… no, “single mom.”

“Mmm…”

Just then, the little one let out a soft, sticky murmur full of sleepiness.

Then those big eyes, as pure as the finest black gemstones, slowly opened.

At first, her gaze was still a little dazed and misty, as though veiled by a layer of watery fog.

She blinked her big eyes and curiously looked around at her surroundings.

At last, her gaze landed on Gu Han, who stood before her with the expression of someone turned to stone.

Their eyes met.

The little girl tilted her tiny head, her pink lips pouting slightly as if she were trying very hard to think of something.

A few seconds later, bright light suddenly bloomed in those big eyes, as though she had recognized something.

She spread open her little lotus-root-like arms and, wearing a bright smile of pure innocence, happily called out to Gu Han in her soft, babyish voice:

“Mommy~”

Crack!

Gu Han felt as though a bolt of heavenly lightning had struck her right on the crown of her head, frying her inside and out and turning her to stone.

Mo… Mommy?!!

What the hell…

Gu Han looked down at her own body, which might be lovely and feminine, but absolutely had nothing whatsoever to do with childbirth.

Then she looked back up at that little bean sprout, all pink and jade-like.

An indescribable sense of absurdity shot straight to the top of her head.

“W-wait! You little thing, don’t just call people that!”

Gu Han nearly jumped off the ground, her tongue almost twisting itself into knots.

“Who are you calling Mommy? Take a good look!”

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“I… I’m still a virgin! Where would I get a daughter as big as you from?!”

Startled by her suddenly raised voice, the little girl shrank back. A layer of tears instantly welled up in her big eyes.

Her small mouth flattened as she looked at Gu Han in grievance, her voice carrying a sob:

“Mommy… so mean… don’t want A-Yao anymore?”

She looked so pitiful, as if she had been abandoned by the whole world.

Gu Han: “…”

She felt like her CPU was overheating.

[System, what the hell is going on here?!]

[The target has memory loss, and her intelligence has regressed to the level of a young child. She has recognized you as the person closest to her. Host, my condolences.]

The system’s electronic voice seemed to carry a trace of barely concealed… schadenfreude?

“My condolences, my ass!”

Gu Han roared inwardly.

She looked at the little girl calling herself “A-Yao,” with those tearful eyes.

Headache. An unprecedented headache.

She could not hit her, could not scold her, and certainly could not throw her away…

This was a super genius certified by the system, with potential beyond ten stars… even if she currently looked more like dead weight.

And she was supposedly the remnant soul of an immortal… even if at the moment she was just a tiny crybaby.

“Sigh…”

Gu Han let out a long sigh, heavy with helplessness.

As if resigned to her fate, she reached out somewhat awkwardly and took the floating little A-Yao into her arms.

She was light in the hand and carried a faint fragrance, like a newly blossomed lotus.

The moment little A-Yao landed in her embrace, she immediately broke into a smile through her tears.

Her two little arms wrapped tightly around Gu Han’s neck, and her soft little face nuzzled dependently into the hollow of her neck.

“Mommy~ so nice and fragrant~”

The babyish voice was full of complete trust and satisfaction.

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Gu Han’s body stiffened again.

This feeling of being relied on without reservation… was unfamiliar, and somehow… strange.

She lowered her head and looked at the soft little thing in her arms.

Fine.

Immortal remnant soul or amnesiac little waif, whatever.

Now that she had awakened her, she could not very well ignore her.

Wasn’t it just being a bargain-bin mom… uh, a bargain-bin master?

Raising a child, that’s all. It couldn’t possibly be harder than being worked like a beast of burden for ten years, right?

“Listen, A-Yao, right?”

Gu Han did her best to make her voice sound stern.

“I’m not your mommy. From now on, you have to call me… Master.”

Little A-Yao lifted her head, her big eyes full of confusion.

“Mas… ter?”

“That’s right. Master.”

Gu Han nodded. “That means someone who teaches you things and protects you.”

Little A-Yao tilted her head and digested the new word for a moment. It seemed she thought “Master” was a pretty nice form of address too.

She gave a sweet smile, revealing a few tiny baby teeth, and then crisply called out again:

“Master~ Mommy~”

Gu Han: “…Not Mommy! Master!”

“Okay, Mommy Master~”

“…”

Holding this freshly hatched founding disciple in her arms, a peerless genius with potential beyond ten stars, suspected reincarnation of an immortal, and a child who called her “Mommy Master” every other sentence, Gu Han walked out of the shabby Heavenly Maiden Temple and stepped into the Yaochi Immortal Palace that belonged to her.

Sunlight spilled down, stretching the shadows of her and the little bean sprout in her arms.

One of them expressionless, with all will to live gone.

The other smiling brightly, carefree and utterly unbothered.