Cultivation Nerd

Young forever? What a strange way to phrase it. Either she was some kind of eldritch immortal horror, or she simply hadn't spoken to enough people and developed an odd manner of speech.

"Would you like to come with me? There's not much for you in this place," I said calmly, ensuring my tone was as sincere as possible.

I sometimes had a bleeding heart in certain situations, but I wasn't in the habit of adopting random kids. I wasn't a saint. But something about her condition piqued my curiosity like nothing else.

The faceless girl hesitated before nodding as if unsure of her own decision.

"Do you hate your parents?" I asked.

She shook her head, her answer immediate. No hesitation this time, I thought.

She was too young to know better. Well, her parents would live for now. If she ever wanted to, she could come back and kill them later. However, judging by her demeanor, I doubted that would happen.

I didn't waste any more time. With a glance over my shoulder, I leaped toward the side of the inn in one practiced motion. My fingers gripped the rough windowsill, and with a quick pull, I hoisted myself up. The wood creaked under my weight, but I swung my legs over and slipped inside before the sound could draw any attention.

I surveyed the room and smiled. Not bad for four copper coins. Even so, their business was struggling.

Well, no need to pretend anymore. I already learned what I needed to learn about this situation.

I stepped out of the room and descended the stairs. The wood didn't even creak. A well-built staircase meant I could easily sneak up on the owners.

"Excuse me, I hope I'm not being a bother," I said, announcing my presence.

The woman knelt on the floor, her hands moving in steady, circular motions as she scrubbed away at the dirt-streaked surface. Her brow was furrowed in concentration, each brush stroke methodical, as if she were determined to erase every trace of grime that clung to the worn wood. Nearby, the man moved from chair to chair, bending down to check for wobbling legs. He tested each one with a quick press of his hand, his sharp eyes scanning for any signs of weakness. Now and then, he muttered under his breath, adjusting a loose joint or shifting a chair to see if it would hold steady. Together, they worked in silence, the faint sounds of scrubbing and wood creaking filling the room, a quiet rhythm to their routine.

I approached the table with a smile. It was time to make them an offer they couldn't refuse.

"How much for the faceless girl?" I asked. "She seems to be causing you some trouble."

A direct approach, maybe too blunt. But I was willing to bend a bit to help a little girl from her father.

"We..." The woman started, but her freckled face froze mid-sentence. She hadn't expected me to figure it out. Her eyes wandered toward her husband as if looking at him for advice.

"She's not for sale," the man said, standing up from his chair inspection and locking eyes with me. "But if you want to see her, it'll be four copper coins."

He understood the situation better. I knew he was trying to squeeze as much profit from me as possible.

However, his approach was surprising. He was treating this like a freak show, charging people to gawk at the faceless girl.

I walked toward the table, fingers brushing against my chest as if reaching into an inner pocket that didn't exist. In truth, I used the gesture to summon two gold coins from my storage ring. I set them on the table, their soft clink breaking the silence.

The woman gasped, hand flying to her mouth. The man narrowed his eyes, suspicion flickering across his face. His gaze darted toward a hammer on the ground for a brief moment, then quickly to the kitchen door.

He was welcome to try. He probably thought I was loaded and might have enough wealth to make their lives easy.

If they tried anything, I'd slit their throats before they could blink. Maybe I'd let the woman live. She was pretty enough to remarry someone else, though that child growing in her belly would complicate things. But she should be able to give her other child an okay life.

"Make it five gold coins," the man said.

It seemed he'd given up on attacking me. A part of me almost wished they'd tried just to give me a reason to kill them. But that was just an impulsive part of me that wanted revenge for the little girl.

"Sure," I said, pulling out a small sack filled with gold coins and dropping it on the table. More than they'd see in a lifetime. The wealth gap between cultivators and mortals was ridiculous.

Their eyes widened as the coins spilled across the table.

"Here, take it all. As for why your daughter disappeared, just say something like she wandered into the forest," I shrugged and stood.

I left without a second glance, the door creaking shut behind me as I stepped into the cool air outside. To my surprise, the faceless girl stood there, waiting in the shadow of the doorway. The sight of her startled me for a brief moment.

But as quickly as the unease came, it faded, replaced by a mischievous idea. A grin crept onto my face as the thought formed, this girl was the perfect person to spook Song Song. I could already picture the look of confusion, maybe even fear on her face, and the thought made my grin widen. Whatever strangeness this girl brought with her, I could at least have a little fun with it. However, it was hard to imagine someone like Song Song being scared the way a normal person would have been.

"Do you want to take anything from the mill? I paid them enough, they won't miss it," I told her.

Of course, whether her parents would survive with that much gold was another matter. The man seemed clever enough in some respects, but reckless spending could attract the wrong kind of attention. They were uneducated farmers in the middle of nowhere, after all. Even someone educated could fall into ruin with newfound wealth, plenty of lottery winners had gone broke. So, it wasn't necessarily a subject of education. But this world didn't have free access to information to learn what to do with that level of wealth.

This was my punishment for them. Their survival now depended on their decisions.

The girl shook her head.

"Alright, then let's go for a little flight," I said, lifting her in a princess carry as a sword appeared from my storage ring, hovering at my feet.

With that, we shot off like a rocket, the faceless girl clinging to me for dear life.

As we raced across the land, the world blurred beneath us, a swirl of muted colors. The dull, barren landscape stretched for miles, but a glimmer of change appeared on the horizon as we pressed on. The air grew crisper and cooler as the distant snow-capped mountains slowly came into view, their white peaks catching the faint light of the sun.

Winter was fast approaching, and it wasn't wise to wander around when beast waves were on the move. If I encountered a monstrous beast, there was no doubt a beast wave wouldn't be far behind. Most beasts had a better sense of smell than cultivators, meaning they'd likely notice me before I sensed them.

"It slipped my mind to ask earlier, but do you have a name?" I asked the girl as we flew.

She shook her head. No surprise, given how her family had treated her.

"Alright, how about Wu Yan? Not the most creative, I know, but I'm terrible with names," I offered.

She nodded but didn't show much emotion beyond that.

Did she like it? Hate it?

It was hard to tell, her lack of a face made her impossible to read, so I let it slide.

...

We reached the edge of a muddy road, the surface cracking and hardening under the relentless heat of the noon sun. What had once been soft, sticky earth had baked into rough ridges, forming a jagged, uneven path. Amidst this dusty landscape, Speedy's bright green turtle shell stood out like a beacon, impossible to miss even from a distance.

As we descended, the stench of blood hit me; sharp, metallic, thick in the air. Scattered around Speedy were the half-eaten remains of a wolf pack, their bodies torn apart in a gruesome display. Something about the scene seemed off, though each carcass was partially covered by dry, brown leaves as if someone had tried to hide them hastily.

Why the hell did he bother covering them? I wondered.

I landed beside Speedy, who was dozing off as usual. I might've been more weirded out by him if he wasn't such a good companion.

"Hey, Speedy, no need to hide this from me," I said as his large eyes fluttered open. He snorted, stood, and glanced at the faceless girl, snorting again before yawning.

With that, he grunted and offered me his back. I climbed atop his shell, pulling the girl up beside me. Her clothes were nothing but rags, so I pulled out a spare jacket and wrapped it around her.

As soon as we found a stream, I planned to use a warming array and make a pool so we could wash up.

...

Weeks flew by as we journeyed through vast, uninhabited regions, each day blending into the next. The further we traveled, the colder it became. Frost clung to the morning mist, and the nights turned bitterly cold, forcing me to constantly keep a warming array active atop Speedy's shell.

Today felt like any other day as I meticulously dissected a squirrel-like creature atop Speedy's back, explaining each step to the girl as I worked. She "watched" with quiet curiosity. She was never the type to flinch; by now, she was used to these lessons.

Gone were the rags she once wore, replaced by a simple jacket and pants I had resized to fit her small frame. They hung loosely in places but offered far more warmth than her old tattered clothes. She stood beside me, steadying herself by holding on to the shell as she leaned in to observe. Despite the dead animal, the scene had an odd sense of peace.

"As you can see, eyes need to be connected to a nervous system to function. Mouths need to be connected to the stomach. Once you understand these basics, even if you can't change your face, you can still morph the rest of your body," I explained as I carefully cut away parts of the squirrel's anatomy.

I was hoping that understanding basic anatomy might help her with her metamorphosis.

She could already create eyes or mouths on her hands, but they were purely for appearance, they didn't function.

"Here, touch the eyes. Feel and understand them," I said, placing the squirrel's eyes in her hands.

This wasn't how a normal child should be taught, but her nonchalant demeanor was far from ordinary. Her time for a typical childhood had long passed.

"Touch the nerves behind the eyeballs. Do you have a clearer sense of them now?" I asked.

She nodded.

Wu Yan was an attentive student, but we worked with limited resources. Books or blackboards wouldn't help her since she couldn't read like others. While she could "see" through a personalized form of Qi sensing, it wasn't the same as reading text. I considered trying Qi-infused writing, but since her spirit roots were still damaged, we had to wait for them to heal before her sensing became more precise.

If she could grow proper eyes, teaching her would be much easier. Teaching someone blind wasn't something I ever thought I'd be doing.

Dissecting humans would have been more effective, but we hadn't yet encountered any lowlifes deserving that fate. Contrary to popular belief, most bandits were more interested in robbery than killing. Whether it was for moral or practical reasons didn't matter. They knew that killing some random merchant was just asking for trouble in a world where anyone could be related to a cultivator.

Dumb bandits existed, but they didn't last long. Besides, traveling on a giant turtle tended to deter confrontation. Most bandits were just poor farmers, not professional criminals.

"Well, we're getting closer to civilization now, near a region my clan rules," I said, glancing at the dry grass fields around us. The road was empty.

I pulled a white porcelain mask from my storage ring and handed it to her. "Here, so people don't get scared when they see your face."

She nodded and took it without a word. Even though she could speak telepathically, she rarely did. A simple nod or shake of her head was usually enough.

"Now, about that theory we discussed," I continued. "Once you get the hang of it, try growing a mouth on your throat. It'll make speaking while wearing a mask easier and more natural."

She nodded again, and a mouth with teeth and thick lips appeared on her throat. It wasn't new, she'd done it before, but the challenge was coordinating the tongue and vocal cords.

Hopefully, her spiritual roots would recover soon. If she could use Qi, we could do so much more.