Reborn as the Crown Prince's Little Ancestor - Chapter 6

Chu Yao spluttered in fury. “And whose fault is that? Without you, His Highness would have been generous enough to give me the credit and help me!”

“I’m very sorry.”

I put on a child’s apologetic face. “I never meant to hurt you, Big Sister. I’ve always looked up to you as our Divine Maiden.

“I only wanted to remind you how hard it is for a mortal to become an immortal. Even someone as gifted as His Highness has barely managed to form one immortal bone.

“A mortal like you could spend her whole life as a celebrated, respected Divine Maiden, Chu Yao. In the end, you’d still grow old and die.”

She was as lovely as a flower, and nothing mattered more to a beauty than her young, pretty face.

She cupped her cheeks in both hands, frightened.

She might once have accepted aging and death. But after seeing ageless immortals and a prince with an immortal bone, she had begun wanting what she should not. She wanted immortality too. She wanted eternal life and unfading youth.

“Have you heard that legend about the God of War?”

I sat on the prison floor and told her the story.

“Father brought it back from the Jiangzhou border. They say that centuries ago, High God Mingjue fell to earth wounded, just like this. A woman saved him then too—a lotus spirit called Lianhe, I think.

“To repay her, he defied all objections and took her up to Heaven. He made her his cultivation partner and helped her transform from a spirit into an immortal.”

“I’ve admired him for ages. Of course I know!” she cried. “That lotus monster became an immortal with his help, then secretly conceived a demon’s child. She forced him to kill his own wife and child to attain godhood. That creature doesn’t even count as his wife, and she certainly doesn’t deserve pity!”

My gaze darkened. Hiding my feelings, I rose.

“You’re not even involved with him yet. There’s no need to squabble with a woman in a story over who gets to be the wife and who the concubine.

“I’m only saying that even a female spirit could ascend after saving him. You’ve been Divine Maiden for fifteen years and earned plenty of merit. If you saved him, he’d surely take you to Heaven and make you an immortal too.”

Just as she began to look tempted, I changed tack.

“Oh, but you’re afraid of pain and growing old. The brave ones always get the best things first.”

I sighed. “What a pity. Such good fortune, yet you don’t dare stake it all.

“You’ll be exiled in three days. You might die on the road at any moment. It all ends the same way.”

I looked terribly regretful. “Too bad I’m just a child and don’t know how to give up my lifespan. Otherwise, I’d be the second woman to follow the God of War to Heaven!”

I could see desire and greed flare in Chu Yao’s eyes at my words.