A Cunning Pervert in the Cultivation World Chapter 342: Despair of the Past, Present and... Future.

In a quiet courtyard,

Beautiful blossoms drifted gently in the breeze, falling like pale snowflakes.

A small girl could be seen sitting beneath the trees, her golden eyes staring blankly at the clear blue sky, seemingly lost in thought.

"..."

Yue Lan hugged her knees to her chest.

Her long black hair was tied into neat twin braids, and her plain robe looked tidy and well-kept.

"Lan’er..."

Just then, a soft, gentle voice called out as a graceful woman, bearing a striking resemblance to Yue Lan, walked over with a warm smile.

She had kind eyes as she gazed at her daughter sitting there absentmindedly.

"You’ve been out here all morning. Aren’t you cold?"

Yue Lan slowly looked up at her mother.

After a moment, she murmured softly,

"...Mother, I feel like I forgot something important."

"Oh? What is it?"

Her mother crouched down and gently brushed the fallen petals from Yue Lan’s hair.

Yue Lan didn’t answer right away and remained deep in thought.

"...I don’t remember."

Hearing this, her mother blinked, then let out a soft laugh.

"Haha, if you can’t remember it, then it probably wasn’t anything important."

She gave her daughter a teasing smile.

"Could it be that you’re waiting for Father?"

"...No." Yue Lan’s voice was small and flat. "...It’s definitely something else."

Just then, a tall man with a tired but warm face walked over.

He put on an exaggeratedly sad expression.

"Ah, that really hurts! To think our Lan’er would say something so cruel!"

He crouched down and gently pinched her soft cheek.

"It seems our little girl has grown up astray~"

Yue Lan didn’t struggle.

Her eyes still looked distant, lost in thought.

Seeing this, both parents exchanged a worried glance and sighed softly.

"You’re always like this... so quiet and still," her mother said gently, placing a hand on Yue Lan’s back.

"Sometimes your father worries that... you might be lonely."

At those words, Yue Lan remained silent.

’Again... What is this feeling?’

She felt as though there was something important she was supposed to do, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t remember what it was.

After a while, seeing the worried looks on her parents’ faces, she finally let out a small sigh.

’Maybe Mother is right. If I can’t remember it, then it must not be important.’

Wanting to ease their concern, she tried to smile softly.

"I’m not lonely. I just don’t like noisy things."

Her mother let out a soft sigh.

"See? This is what I’m worried about. You’re a bit too mature for your age."

Her father gently patted his wife’s shoulder and smiled.

"Well, maybe our daughter is just special. Even the elders say she has an extraordinary fate."

At those words, her mother puffed up her chest with pride.

"Hehe, of course Lan’er is special! After all, she’s my daughter!"

"You mean daughter... right?"

Her mother didn’t reply.

Soon, the courtyard was filled with her father’s worried complaints and her mother’s bright laughter.

Yue Lan simply watched them with a soft smile.

’...I wish time could stay this peaceful forever.’

[...]

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A few years had passed, and Yue Lan had blossomed into a graceful teenager.

She had become even more beautiful, possessing an elegance that drew countless marriage proposals from powerful clans and families eager to arrange unions once she came of age.

Her parents, however, had firmly refused every single one.

They believed their daughter should choose her own partner when the time came.

Today, they had just returned from an outing to a nearby city where they’d purchased cultivation resources.

The moment they stepped back into the clan mansion, a luxurious golden carriage, pulled by spirit beasts, rolled up to their gates.

Yue Lan, who had just finished her cultivation lesson, watched as a tall, well-dressed youth stepped out, followed by several disciples.

His robe was intricately embroidered with thundercloud patterns, and his smile was handsome yet cold.

"Is this the girl?" he inquired, his eyes sweeping over Yue Lan as if she were a rare treasure, and he couldn’t help but let out an admiring sigh.

One of his subordinates answered respectfully, "Yes, Young Master Gong. See? Didn’t I tell you she is an extremely rare find?"

Young Master Gong’s expression seemed pleased.

"Indeed. She is even more splendid than all the women I’ve trifled with before..."

His gaze lingered on her beautiful golden eyes as he smiled.

"...and she appears a bit special too."

Yue Lan stood still, blinking in confusion at his words.

But then, a strange sense of déjà vu washed over her again.

’...What?’

Just as that odd feeling surfaced once more after so many years, her father hurriedly stepped in front of her protectively.

"We are honored by your visit, Young Master Gong. May I know the purpose of your esteemed visit?"

"I want this child to come with me. Name your price," Young Master Gong stated directly, a seemingly benevolent smile on his face as he gestured towards Yue Lan.

However, her father's brow furrowed.

"But Young Master, she is still merely a child... Perhaps you might reconsider..."

Young Master Gong's smile broadened.

"Children grow. I will bring her back to the sect and personally guide her upbringing. In a few years, she will serve as an excellent cauldron."

Her mother, who had just arrived, turned a deathly shade of pale upon hearing these words.

Yue Lan stood rooted, utterly dumbfounded.

"This guy wants to make me his cauldron? Scoundrel-"

Abruptly, a frown creased her brow.

... How did she even grasp the meaning of the word "cauldron"?

She couldn't recall ever hearing the term before this moment.

Just then, her father offered a slight bow, yet his response was firm with resolve.

"I appreciate the offer, Young Master Gong, but our clan cannot accept it."

Yue Lan turned to face her father, a dreadful premonition slowly stirring within her chest.

Young Master Gong tilted his head, his smile unwavering.

"Do you presume I am seeking your consent?"

A heavy, oppressive silence descended upon the courtyard, the very air thickening with palpable tension.

Yue Lan's mother quietly took her daughter's hand, gently guiding her back towards the main hall.

"Young Master Gong, please depart," her father stated sternly.

"Hmph? How dare you, lowly people, reject our Young Master? This child should count herself fortunate to have attracted his favor!" one of the accompanying followers sneered.

Young Master Gong, however, remained completely unperturbed.

His smile intensified, as if this precise reaction was precisely what he had anticipated.

"I trust you will not come to regret this decision..." he murmured, his voice imbued with a sinister undertone.

With that, he turned and made his exit.

Observing the carriage finally departing, her father exhaled a profound sigh of relief.

But Yue Lan’s gaze kept drifting backward, a persistent unease in her heart that she couldn't dismiss.

Then, she suddenly stopped, paralyzed.

A chilling voice resonated directly within her mind.

[...You should accept his offer... or your parents will die.]

"What!?"

Yue Lan gasped in shock and snapped her head around, desperately seeking the source of the voice.

Her mother regarded her with profound concern.

"What troubles you, Lan’er?"

Yue Lan's voice quivered slightly.

"Mother... did you just say something?"

Her mother blinked, a clear expression of confusion on her face.

"No, I did not utter a word."

Yue Lan’s brow furrowed.

Soon, she abandoned her search, unable to find any other individuals nearby, and attempted to rationalize it as a mere figment of her imagination.

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After relaying the unsettling voice and her burgeoning fears to her parents, they simply offered reassurances that all would be well and that they would manage the situation.

Under their constant words of comfort and gentle persuasion, Yue Lan eventually conceded, letting go of her apprehensive feelings.

Nightfall arrived swiftly.

She resolved to retire early, intending to be well-rested for her morning cultivation practice.

Just as she was preparing to lie down, a faint aroma of smoke wafted into her room.

"Huh? Did someone start cooking?"

Yue Lan muttered, puzzled, wondering who would be engaged in cooking in the dead of night.

Then, once more, that icy voice echoed within her mind.

[...This is the consequence... of not heeding advice.]

"What?"

She sat up, bewildered.

Suddenly, piercing screams reverberated through the darkness of the night.

Yue Lan’s gaze darted towards the door just as it was violently flung open with a resounding bang.

Her mother burst in, her face ashen.

"Mother? What is happening?!"

"No time for explanations, Lan’er! Come with me! Hurry!"

Her mother grasped her hand, pulling her swiftly out of the room.

As they fled through the corridor, Yue Lan’s eyes widened in sheer horror.

The family estate was engulfed in raging infernos and utter pandemonium.

Structures were collapsing, and crimson stains marred the polished floors.

She was completely disoriented by the sudden, nightmarish turn of events unfolding around her.

Yet, her mind couldn't escape the chilling echo of the voice's earlier pronouncement.

They soon reached the ancestral hall, where her father stood, visibly wounded, beside a resplendent formation etched into the stone floor.

His garments were soaked in blood.

Yue Lan looked at him with palpable concern, but before she could utter a word, the voice resonated once more.

[...This is your final opportunity... Do not oppose him, or your parents will perish.]

Her eyes swam with confusion, but gradually... understanding began to dawn.

"Is Lan’er safe?" her father inquired urgently.

"Yes," her mother responded, drawing Yue Lan towards the luminous formation.

But then—

The imposing doors of the ancestral hall were violently blasted open.

Young Master Gong entered with an unnervingly calm smile, several formidable cultivators trailing in his wake.

"Tsk, tsk. All this calamity simply because you refused to relinquish a precious little girl."

He advanced deliberately, casually flicking a speck of ash from his shoulder.

"Old man, none of this destruction would have transpired if you had merely handed the girl over to me."

He tilted his head, a smile playing on his lips.

"Instead, you are granted the grim spectacle of watching your entire clan immolate."

Her father moved protectively, positioning himself between them.