Be The Icy Beauty: A Xianxia/Cultivation Tale

"Granddaughter, I think you have a lot to explain."

"What do you mean by that, Grandfather?" Bing Meilu asked airily.

"You know what I mean," Ying Lan replied, frowning. "A little slip of a girl like you who has never fought before shouldn't be so skilled in the art of war. How did you strategize and command the villagers? How did you throw that spear so well?"

"My natural inborn talent," Bing Meilu shrugged. "As the saying goes 'a sharp stick protrudes'. Perhaps this was simply heaven's way of allowing my ability to shine."

Ying Lan simply raised an eyebrow skeptically.

"Furthermore, It was not some great achievement. All I did was remind the people of Jiang that they did, in fact, have pointy spears with which they could use to fight. The rest was they did themselves," Bing Meilu continued, deflecting.

In truth, her battle formation was the only reason the village was still standing, but placing the credit on the villagers would make her appear far less suspicious, much as it irked her pride to allow others to steal her glory.

"I see..." Ying Lan said, but the suspicious look in his eye implied otherwise. "It's a shame you weren't born a son. Then, you may have one day become a great general."

Bing Meilu scoffed internally but nodded.

When she conquered this pitiful realm, then her grandfather would see a 'great general'.

"Yes, Grandfather," Bing Meilu said impassively. "Now, I do believe it is time I head to bed-"

"Nonsense. We've all just survived a Demon attack! This warrants some celebration. We'll roast the Demon's meat and break out some wine. After that, we'll have to hold a funeral for those who died. You fought with us, so you have to celebrate with us!" Ying Lan said, cracking a smile.

"Yes, however, I am but a frail little girl with a weak constitution," Bing Meilu alleged. "I'm afraid if I stay up late drinking wine and roast meat, I'll keel over dead."

In truth, Bing Meilu simply didn't want to stay around and party with a crowd of filthy, sweaty mortals, but she couldn't exactly tell that to her grandfather. He seemed rather excited by the prospect of a celebration, afterall.

"Nonsense," the man said, repeating his earlier words. "After stabbing a spear straight through the skull of a raging Demon, you qualify to have a little wine. I don't think you'll find anyone willing to believe you have a 'weak constitution' anymore."

"...Yes, grandfather," Bing Meilu sighed.

'When one stands under low eaves they must bow their head' Bing Meilu thought. With her current status, she couldn't refuse her grandfather's orders. Bing Meilu could tolerate attending a party, she supposed. In her ascent to Celestialhood, she had been forced to attend many functions and banquets she did not want to.

"Great! Brothers, I'll go fetch some wine, someone get some cups and plates, and some grilling tools. This will be a great feast. Let's have a great celebration," Ying Lan laughed.

He, along with a few others left, presumably to grab wine, food and inform the other villagers that danger was gone.

The rest of the village men, many of whom were still knocked on the floor, cheered loudly. They lifted themselves off the ground, shouting and laughing. It was only natural they would be excited, having just barely survived a brush with death.

For a mortal that only lived a short life of less than a century, each year they continued living was something to treasure. When you had little of something it was only natural to value it.

Bing Meilu had a very different perspective, having touched upon greater truths. Life was not limited, it was an eternal cycle governed by a higher law. If she died, at most she would reincarnate once more, and life would continue.

Bing Meilu shook her head, stretching slightly to relieve the tension that had invaded her back. It was pathetic that she had actually been forced to use a formation to deal with a Demon in Qi Condensation. Once more, Bing Meilu lamented her current lack of cultivation.

However, suddenly a cold smile stretched across Bing Meilu's face, and she immediately discarded the idea of giving up credit for the Demon's death.

Bing Meilu did not cultivate because she was still too young. At age ten, if she awoke her Dantian, it would permanently damager her foundation, and she lacked the reagents necessary to remedy that problem.

Now, that had changed.

Bing Meilu strode towards the corpse of the Demon, stabbing her spear into its head. When Demons cultivated, Qi would collect into a solid crystal core in the center of their brains. There were certain expectations to this, but nearly, a always core would be present. By harvesting the Core, she could enact a special awakening method. It would allow her to begin cultivating immediately without harming herself.

"I know you lot are all celebrating, but I have an important announcement to make!" Bing Meilu shouted.

The various villagers quieted down to look at her.

"What is it?" one asked.

"Since I was the one who killed it," Bing Meilu said. "This Demon corpse belongs to me."

Immediately shouting and booing broke out.

"We all fought for it, so why the hell is the whole thing yours?" one man disputed

"Yeah, what he said. If it weren't for us, you wouldn't have been able to kill it!" another, a spear-wielding short man argued, shouting.

"If it weren't for me, you'd all be dead, giving that none of you even had the balls to fight it," Bing Meilu sneered. "Quit the bragging coward. You have less guts than a small child! In what way are you entitled to the Demon? Show me where you cut it!"

The spear wielder's face turned red, but he didn't reply. Any further response would just embarrass him more.

Nevertheless, Bing Meilu did not actually want or need the entire corpse. However, by claiming the whole thing, she could negotiate down to what she actually needed. Namely the Core, which was located in the head of the Demon.

"But, since Benevolence is a virtue, and out of filial respect for my elders, I won't take the whole thing. I'll be taking the head, bones and hide. The rest of it, the flesh, blood and organs can be used for this feast. After all, eating Demon flesh is great for health!" Bing Meilu continued coldly.

While eating the Qi saturated flesh, organs and blood of a demon did indeed have immense benefits, it wasn't suitable for Bing Meilu's particular path of cultivation, as it was addled with impurities and bloodlust.

"That's ridiculous!" another cried. "That distribution isn't fair at all! Even if you did more than most, you don't deserve that much. We all fought. Plus, compensation should be given to the families of those who died. Remember, there's no greater calamity than being consumed by greed."

"I disagree," Bing Meilu said, eyebrow rising. "I was the one who killed the Demon, and the one who organized you lot. As far as I'm concerned, I'm already being overly generous by giving up on the flesh and organs. If I sold those I could live conformably for the rest of my life. Why don't you stop being greedy?"

By this point, Bing Meilu's grandfather and the other villagers had returned, returned, carrying large buckets of rice wine and utensils.

"Granddaughter, being overly miserly is not the behaviour of a proper lady," he called out. "You may keep the head, to commiserate your kill, but the rest should be distributed between all of the men."

"...Yes, grandfather," Bing Meilu sighed, rolling her eyes.

The head and the Core within was really the only part she cared about, but being able to sell the corpse for some spending money would have been nice. Yet, she couldn't disobey the head of her family. At least not until she had begun to cultivate, so Bing Meilu acquiesced.

"Brother Ying is benevolent," one of the men laughed. "Why don't you have the first taste of the meat?"

"Not until we've all had some wine to wash our throats," Ying Lan laughed, opening a barrel.

The extremely strong smell of fermented wine flowed out of the container. Bing Meilu wrinkled her nose, turning away. However, perhaps noticing that, Bing Meilu's grandfather called her over.

"Granddaughter, come here and have some wine," he ordered.

Bing Meilu sighed, sharply walking towards him. He handed her a cup of the strong-smelling liquid. Bing Meilu gulped it down, immediately bursting into a fit of coughing. Her throat burnt as if liquid flame had scalded her esophagus.

Ying Lan downed his own glass before bursting out laughing.

"Can't handle your wine, eh?" he said, shoulders shaking with amusement.

"Of course I can!" Bing Meilu scoffed, pouring herself another cup of the wine.

She tipped her glass down her throat swallowing the liquid flame and suppressing her coughs.

As Bing Meilu drank, some of the villagers began to start a large fire, while others began to skin the Demon. Soon, the pleasant smell of cooking meat filled the air.

The rest of the villagers, mainly women and children began to pour out of their homes, making their way over the battlefield.

One, in particular, strode forward, a well clothed rather chubby man draped in fineries. It was none other than Lord Jiang, the ruler of the city. Clearly having been informed of the Demon attack, he immediately walked towards Ying Lan.

"Ying Lan," Lord Jiang started. "How bad was it?"

Although Ying Lan was only a poor farmer, he was also a former soldier who commanded great respect. When it came to combat and the defence of the village, even Lord Jiang would defer to him.

"It went far better than it could have," Ying Lan said, his voice serious. "Luckily we managed to stave it off with only a few casualties. In fact, my own granddaughter managed to kill it with a spear throw!"

"Really?" Lord Jiang said, raising an eyebrow.

He turned to look at the thin, waifish Bing Meilu, becoming even more skeptical. Bing Meilu froze nervously. After all, Lord Jiang was the one man she had wanted to avoid.

During her previous life, Lord Jiang had noticed her beauty and assigned her to be a maid for his daughter. Bing Meilu would definitely not accept working under a mortal, so she had made sure to avoid ever meeting him the way she did in her first childhood.

"Yes," Ying Lan said, a proud smile covering his face. "I don't know where she learnt to throw a spear so well, but she did it."

"Interesting," the city lord said, inspecting Bing Meilu much more strongly. "You must be very proud of her. Killing a demon is no small feat!"

"Of course!" Ying Lan laughed. "Sadly spear skills don't a good wife make. Her grandmother keeps nagging me to marry her off but my little Meilu is too cold to attract any men!"

"I have a son around her age," Lord Jiang smiled. "Why don't we engage them!"

Bing Meilu's jaw dropped slightly. Somehow that was even worse than what had happened in her first life!

"My son doesn't take his martial arts seriously, so maybe having a wife who knows how to fight will motivate him to be less lazy," Lord Jiang laughed. "And I'm always happy to strengthen the blood of my family with talented people."

"Wonderful!" Ying Lan smiled. "We can draft up the marriage agreement immediately!"

"Wait a moment!" Bing Meilu cried. "I can't get married!"

"What are you doing, granddaughter?" Ying Lan frowned angrily. "Lord Jiang's son is a respectable husband for you. In fact, we're lucky the Lord is giving us this chance!"

At the moment, Bing Meilu was more than a little drunk, and her decision-making skills were not at the sharpest. Nevertheless, even in her intoxicated state, she could recognize that she didn't want to marry Lord Jiang's son. Bing Meilu quickly attempted to come up with a good excuse, only for her mind to blank.

"Uh... You see... " Bing Meilu said, failing to think of anything. "... I've actually decided to become a Buddhist nun! Life is ephemeral and to overcome the Sea of Bitterness, one must throw away all connections and possessions. I simply cannot marry. It would be against the Dharma."

"You just killed a demon!' Ying Lan pointed out. "Buddhists are pacifists. Throw away possessions? Didn't you just try and claim that Demon corpse?"

"It's a recent development!" Bing Meilu countered. "The Buddha is merciful!"

"Ridiculous! You'll marry Lord Jiang's son, and that's final!" Ying Lan said angrily. "Besides, our family isn't even Buddhist, nor are there any temples in the city. Where the hell would you have met a Buddhist?!"

"Buddha is everywhere!" Bing Meilu said, trying to convince her grandfather. "He came to me while I was meditating."

"I know enough about Buddhism to know that's not how it works," Ying Lan said, frowning. "This conversation is over."

"Don't worry about her," Lord Jiang smiled. "Every child goes through a rebellious phase. So long as you firmly discipline her, she will still end up becoming a virtuous adult."

"Of course, my lord," Ying Lan said, nodding. "Grandaughter, apologize to Lord Jiang for insulting him!"

Bing Meilu bit her lips angrily but nodded, bowing her head in the direction of the mortal man.

"I . . . am . . . s- ... I am s-" Bing Meilu said, eyebrow twitching.

This was too much! Following the orders of her elders was one thing, but apologizing to a random mortal?

"I... I challenge your son to a duel! if I win I don't have to marry him!" Bing Meilu suddenly shouted, glaring at Lord Jiang drunkenly

"What do you think you're doing!" Shouted Yin Lan. "That's it! Clearly, your mother hasn't been disciplining you enough-"

"No, wait," Lord Jiang said, raising his palm to forestall Ying Lan. "What does my son get if he wins?"

"I'll... agree to the marriage and apologize to you," Bing Meilu replied.

"Hah! Fine then. I've always been a betting man. We'll do it."