The cold wind, like a knife, scraped against the leaky walls, emitting a mournful 'woo-woo' sound.
The thin girl curled up on the cold wooden bed.
The thin quilt, full of patches, seemed to be merely psychological comfort, unable to retain any warmth.
Several large holes in the roof allowed a pale moonlight to fall diagonally, illuminating her pale and slender profile.
Her name was Gu Han, a Transmigrator from another world.
Back then, 'he' was still a man.
An accident brought him to this unfamiliar Cultivation world, where he was trapped in a young girl's body.
With no memories of the original owner, she didn't know where to go.
Until that old man appeared.
"Little girl, I see you have excellent bone structure, a good seedling for Cultivating Immortals."
The old man looked like an immortal, and he conjured a flower out of thin air right in front of her.
At that time, Gu Han, having just Transmigrated, had never seen anything like it and was so excited she nearly jumped up:
"Really? Daoist Priest, are you going to accept me as your Disciple?"
"No rush. First, come back to the temple with me. This humble Daoist will observe you first."
The old man stroked his beard, a hint of a smile flashing in his eyes.
Gu Han believed him without a second thought and followed him to this dilapidated Heavenly Maiden Temple.
And so, she stayed for three whole years.
During those three years, the old man taught her nothing, only making her chop wood, carry water, and clean day after day.
"Master, can you teach me some Spells today?"
In the first year, she still asked with anticipation.
"What's the hurry? To Cultivate Immortals, one must first Cultivate the Heart-Nature. These chores are for tempering your Heart-Nature!"
The old man always kept a straight face, dropping an ambiguous remark.
"Master, when can I finally begin Cultivating?"
In the second year, her tone began to carry confusion and a hint of impatience.
"The time is not yet ripe. Just do what I tell you to do!"
The old man's tone grew increasingly impatient.
She initially thought the old man was testing her, as this was a common trope in those storybooks.
But as time passed day by day, Gu Han gradually lost her patience.
She had also tried to secretly run away a few times.
But each time, as soon as she went down the mountain, the old man would appear like a ghost and drag her back.
"You lass, just stay on the mountain obediently. Want to run? I'm telling you, no way!"
The old man's voice was indescribably stern.
Until two days ago, the old man said he was going out for a trip and left.
Gu Han secretly rejoiced, her heart stirring.
She calculated when the old man might return, planning her escape routes over and over in her mind.
Just as she picked up her pack that evening, ready to go down the mountain.
She saw it—
The old man, whom she once thought unfathomable, lay like a pile of mud halfway up the mountain, completely lifeless.
Gu Han froze in place, her hands and feet icy cold.
She didn't know how the old man died, but looking at his wrinkled face, she couldn't describe the feeling in her heart.
Hate? Naturally, there was a little.
The root of her three years of toil was him.
But... there was also a hint of sadness and disappointment.
Sadness because the old man was gone, and now she was alone.
Disappointment because the old man was gone before he could teach her how to Cultivate Immortals.
In the end, she still dug a pit, hastily buried the old man, and erected a wooden tablet.
After doing all this, she returned to the Daoist temple and lay there for two days.
The small wish named 'Cultivating Immortals' that had sustained her for three years vanished with the old man's death!
She was free now.
But this freedom came too suddenly; she wasn't prepared.
She lay on the bed, staring at the pale moon outside the window, her eyes vacant.
"Damn this Transmigration..."
"Even a Hell-level start should come with a beginner's gift pack, right?"
"System? Old man?"
"Anything will do, it's been three years, at least make a sound!"
However, what responded to her... was only the colder wind pouring in through the roof's holes and her stomach rumbling louder and louder.
She struggled to get up, searching every corner of the old man's room, only to find a few taels of broken silver and some coarse grain cakes as hard as stones.
With cold water, she slowly gnawed on the cakes.
The next day, she went down the mountain to the small village with only a few households at its foot.
"Oh, isn't this the little girl from the temple on the mountain?"
Old Man Li, sunbathing at the village entrance, squinted at her.
"A rare guest."
Gu Han forced a smile, clutching the small piece of broken silver in her hand:
"Grandpa Li, I... I want to exchange for some food."
Several women gathered around, curiously looking at her delicate but haggard face.
"Girl, where's your Master? Why didn't he come down with you?"
One of the women asked.
"He... passed away a few days ago."
Gu Han whispered, her voice trembling slightly.
"Alas, that old man was also a person of hardship."
Auntie Wang sighed, took the broken silver,
"Wait, Auntie will get you some freshly ground millet and some dried vegetables from our home."
Gu Han took the small bag of grain and thanked her softly:
"Thank you, Auntie Wang."
"Girl, what are your plans for the future?"
Old Man Li tapped his pipe,
"A young girl living alone in that broken Daoist temple isn't a long-term solution."
Although our village is poor, the young men here are honest."
"If you don't mind, then..."
"Thank you for your kindness, Grandpa Li,"
Gu Han interrupted him, lowering her eyes to avoid his scrutinizing gaze,
"I... haven't thought about it yet."
She almost fled the village.
Getting married? Impossible in this lifetime.
Returning to the Daoist temple, she looked at the blurry Heavenly Maiden statue.
She suddenly felt that this place, which she had once desperately tried to escape, had become her only refuge now.
"Forget it,"
She said to herself, her voice as light as a sigh,
"I'll just make do here for now..."
And so, she stayed for another seven whole years.
Seven years are enough to smooth over many things.
The thin and delicate girl from back then was long gone.
Now, her figure was somewhat taller, with the contours of a mature woman, though hidden by coarse linen clothing.
Only her hands, with their thick knuckles and calloused palms, spoke of ten years of hardship.
Her eyes were as still as stagnant water.
Only when she looked down and saw the full curve of her chest would a hint of indescribable complex emotion flash in her eyes.
She was silent most of the time, only showing a nearly numb smile when interacting with the few villagers down the mountain.
"Girl, here to exchange for millet again?"
"Yes, Uncle Zhang, these are wild mushrooms I dried myself, do you want some?"
"Yes, of course, your vegetables are even better than ours!"
"Girl, it's cold, wear more clothes."
"Thank you, Auntie, I'm doing quite well."
In these past few years, she had repaired the holes in the roof, cleared the weeds in the courtyard, and opened a small vegetable patch.
She also learned to identify non-toxic mushrooms in the mountains, and her simple traps occasionally caught a wild chicken or rabbit.
The money the old man left was used up in the first year.
For the next six years, she relied entirely on herself.
Life, like a dull knife, slowly ground away all her edges and fiery spirit, and also made her almost accustomed to this body.
Even the initial unwillingness and anger towards Transmigration and gender change became blurred under the daily pressure of survival.
The old man, whom she once hated and feared, also became a blurry impression.
She only remembered his gaunt figure, his cloudy yet sharp eyes, and that nonsense about 'excellent bone structure'.
Cultivating Immortals?
Cultivate my foot!
In seven years, she had searched every corner of the temple.
But besides one or two faded old Daoist robes and a few comic books, there was nothing else.
No Secret Manuals, no Medicinal Pills.
The so-called Heavenly Maiden Temple, apart from its grand name, had nothing to do with Cultivating Immortals.
That old man probably just tricked her into coming back to take care of him until his death.
Once she understood this, her last unrealistic hope also vanished.
Life went on day by day... until the last day of her ten years in this world.