Mistaken for a Sage! 2
It took quite a while to clear up the misunderstanding. Or at least, it was questionable whether it had truly been cleared. In the end, after trying—and failing—to convince them that she wasn't an immortal, Lin gave up first, worn out by the effort.
Well, yeah... From the perspective of ordinary folks, even if she's not a true celestial fairy descended from the heavens, a cultivator would look pretty much the same.
A fairy who had actually ascended to become a divine immortal, or a cultivator training in the cultivation world to achieve ascension—they'd both appear identical to mortal eyes.
But come to think of it...
There was no real need to go out of her way to dispel the misunderstanding if they insisted on seeing her as an immortal. Being treated like one had its perks, after all. Obviously.
The gallery users seemed to agree with her.
Still, her efforts to dispel the misunderstanding weren't entirely in vain. At least the villagers' attitudes had softened compared to when she first arrived.
"Immortal Lady... We're so sorry. Normally, we'd hold a grand festival in your honor, but with the village in such dire straits, we can only offer this meager welcome..."
The village chief—the oldest resident, leaning on his crooked staff—spoke with deep regret. Indeed, something serious must have plagued the village lately; no one, not even the chief, could feign brightness.
"No no, it's fine! I didn't come here for any festival anyway! I just happened to pass by! Don't worry about it!"
"Aigoo... Your heart is as noble as your appearance, Immortal Lady... We're endlessly grateful..."
"By the way, what's this danger threatening the village? I heard Seorin's father was badly hurt because of it..."
"It's nothing for you to concern yourself with, Immortal Lady. A while back, a yosu took up residence in the deep marshes by the lower village stream..."
The chief hesitated at first but, once prompted, poured out the tale like a flood.
Even in that short time, the yosu had caused no end of trouble.
"It's so swift and cunning—hiding in the stream until someone passes, then snatching them with its long tongue and fleeing. And when it's bored, it spews a poisonous mist from its skin. Plenty of men have fallen victim..."
"It spews poisonous mist too?"
"Yes, Immortal Lady... It's mist, but strangely, just touching it makes the body stiffen like it's frozen solid, then slowly wither from the poison. Without that, more people could have escaped..."
"Hmm..."
Ice and poison. A perfect match, especially for a water-dwelling demon beast.
Fortunately, she was a fire-attribute dragon—its natural counter. Thanks to her Myriad Spirit Devouring Art, which let her steal any trait by eating it, she could wield any attribute. But right now, fire was her specialty.
I've got the Extreme Yang Heavenly Flame from that spirit grass... and the Phoenix Flame that Strongest Fire Chicken 123 taught me...
If she fought smart, she had a solid shot against it. It might withstand basic Extreme Yang Heavenly Flame from the grass, but not the advanced Phoenix Flame too. Strongest Fire Chicken 123 seemed like a veteran from the forums, after all.
I wonder what realm she's at? No way she's just some early Avatar Transformation cultivator, right?
The lower realms were vast, teeming with countless cultivators. But even so, Avatar Transformation experts were rare elites.
For Lin, just starting out in Qi Condensation Mid, the term was still dizzyingly distant.
Anyway. After listening to the chief's story, Lin tilted her head, pretending to ponder deeply.
After some deep contemplation (or so she pretended), Lin concluded the fight was winnable. Nothing beat the wisdom of the crowd, after all. And in the cultivation world, the forums were the ultimate hive mind.
Forums forever! Hehe.
"Hmm... First, I need to check out that toad. If it's something I can handle, I'll take care of it!"
"Aigoo...! You needn't trouble yourself, Immortal Lady...! We're truly, deeply grateful...!"
"Before that, though—can I see Seorin's father first? I might be able to heal his wounds."
"Of course! This way, please...! Right this way...!"
If the toad wasn't too high-realm, as the gallery said, she could probably heal the wounds too. Plus, checking the injuries might reveal the toad's exact power level.
Those were the excuses, anyway. Truth was, she just wanted to help this cute little girl.
"Here it is. It's a humble place to receive an Immortal Lady..."
"That's not important right now! The patient comes first!"
Seorin's father lay collapsed on a bed at the far end of the room, groaning in pain. Bandages wrapped his body tightly—clearly severe injuries at a glance.
"Ugh..."
"Father! I'm here!"
"Ugh... Seorin? Who are these...?"
Before the wary chief could introduce her, Lin strode forward and gently placed her hand on his wounds.
"Immortal Lady? What...?"
"Shh."
Whoosh—!
Warm flames bloomed from her hand, slowly melting the frost from his body.
As a fire cultivator, this was well within her abilities.
"Gasp...!"
"The frost poison... it's fading!"
"Immortal Lady...! A miracle from the Immortal Lady!"
Beaming at the sight, Lin quickly posted to the gallery again.