Banished from Home

"Do not look back."

The words looped in Xiao Lian's mind as she stood at the grand entrance of the Xiao family estate, the towering gates behind her sealing shut with a final, resounding clang.

Her fingers curled at her sides. It was over. She had been thrown out like discarded trash.

No servants to escort her. No farewells. Just a single, low-ranked steward pushing her toward the dirt path leading away from the estate, barely sparing her a glance.

"Be grateful the Patriarch was merciful enough to send you to the monastery instead of throwing you into the streets," the steward muttered, sneering. "Now move along. The Xiao family has no place for a talentless waste."

A lesser person might have crumbled beneath the humiliation. Might have begged, pleaded, or cursed the family that had cast them aside.

But Xiao Lian only lifted her chin, golden eyes unreadable.

"Let them believe I am nothing." She would make them regret it.

The wind carried the last remnants of her past away as she stepped forward, never once looking back.

.

.

The road to Qingshui Monastery was long, spanning days of travel through winding forests and isolated villages. Normally, a noble lady would have been provided a carriage, an escort, provisions.

Xiao Lian?

She was given a single bundle of dry bread and a flask of water. She scoffed, rolling her shoulders underneath the thin cloak barely shielding her from the morning chill. Petty to the very end.

[New Quest: Find a way to gain cultivation resources without brute force.]

The sudden chime of the SIS echoed in her mind.

"Resources, huh?" She smirked. "Challenge accepted."

She had nothing to her name. No gold, no allies. But she did have something more valuable, her mind. And people always underestimated the seemingly weak.

.

.

The servants mistake Is The first step? Acquiring supplies.

Xiao Lian approached a small pavilion near the estate's outer grounds, where low-ranked servants gathered to exchange duties.

One, a scrawny boy with dull brown robes, slouched near the supply cart, eyes darting nervously between his surroundings. Desperate. Anxious. Easy target.

Xiao Lian feigned a stagger, crashing into him with a startled gasp. He yelped, fumbling with the heavy sack of rations in his grip.

"I—I'm sorry, Miss!" He paled.

She swayed, clutching her forehead as if unsteady. "I… I feel faint…" Her voice was small, fragile.

Instantly, guilt flashed across his face. Hook.

"I shouldn't be here…" she whispered. "The Patriarch said I should leave quietly, but I have no food for the road…"

Line.

The boy glanced around, then hastily shoved a handful of dried provisions into her hands. "I—I shouldn't be doing this, but… here. Take it and go before anyone sees."

Sunk. Xiao Lian's lips curled as she turned away, tucking the supplies into her cloak.

One step closer to survival, but surviving in the Small Town, The journey led her to a small town nestled at the base of the mountains. A simple, bustling place...cobblestone streets lined with merchants, travelers haggling over goods, and an air of quiet desperation.

People here were not warriors or nobles. They were craftsmen, farmers, and struggling apprentices. And that meant they were ripe for opportunity.

Xiao Lian positioned herself near an apothecary stall, watching as villagers argued over low-tier medicinal herbs.

"She's trying to scam us! This ginseng is barely worth half its price!" a man shouted.

The merchant scoffed. "Then buy from someone else if you think you're so smart."

Opportunity knocked.

Xiao Lian stepped forward, tilting her head innocently. "Forgive me, sir, but you're mistaken," she said smoothly. "That ginseng is actually twice as potent as it appears. You see, the vein patterns indicate it grew in higher altitudes, meaning it absorbed richer Qi…"

She trailed off as the merchant's eyes narrowed. Silence fell.

"I'll pay for the girl's appraisal," a voice called.

An elderly cultivator stepped forward, stroking his beard. "Tell me, little miss, do you have knowledge of alchemy?"

Xiao Lian smiled, heart racing.

"SIS, provide me with basic alchemy knowledge."

[Processing… Upload Complete.]

A flood of information surged through her mind, herbal properties, pill refinement methods, alchemical reaction theories.

She turned to the old man, eyes gleaming.

"I do."

And with that, her survival had just begun.

Arrival at Qingshui first Monastery but it was supposed to be the second Qingshui Monastery.

By the time she reached the monastery, she had a small stash of silver coins, a pouch of herbs, and a keen understanding of how to manipulate the world around her.

She stepped through the worn wooden gates of the secluded monastery, stone courtyards stretching before her beneath the shadow of towering cliffs.

The monks who welcomed her were neutral, their gazes unreadable. But the other disciples? They were not so kind.

Laughter rippled through the courtyard. "So this is the Xiao family's discarded trash?"

A boy, tall and broad-shouldered, stepped forward, arms crossed. His uniform bore the insignia of a senior disciple.

"Qi Rong," one of the others whispered. "He doesn't like outsiders."

Qi Rong sneered. "A fragile little girl, abandoned by her own family… pathetic."

Xiao Lian met his gaze, golden eyes unwavering. She did not cower. She did not flinch. And that made Qi Rong very unhappy.

A cruel smirk tugged at his lips. "I wonder… how long will you last?"

He lunged. Xiao Lian twisted, barely dodging the strike aimed at her ribs. Pain flared as she hit the ground, dust billowing around her.

Xiao Lian clenched her fists, dirt grinding against her palms as she pushed herself off the cold stone floor. The courtyard echoed with laughter, the jeers of the disciples ringing in her ears.

"Pathetic," Qi Rong sneered, cracking his knuckles. "Is this all the Xiao family could spare?"

Another strike, another fall. The monks watched in silence, their expressions indifferent. Weakness had no place here. Xiao Lian understood that now.

The next days passed in a blur of torment. Every morning, she awoke to "accidental" spills on her bedding, spoiled rice in her meals. The disciples pushed her aside in training, took her rations, and made sport of knocking her to the ground. Yet she never retaliated. Not yet.

"They will underestimate me," she reminded herself, enduring each humiliation with a bowed head and quiet fury.

But the monastery had no patience for a weakling, even a clever one.

One evening, she was summoned to the head monk's chamber. He sat cross-legged before her, face unreadable.

"The Qingshui Monastery is a place for those who seek enlightenment," he said. "You seek something else."

Xiao Lian kept silent.

"You will be transferred to the Crimson Feather Sect." His tone was final.

She had heard of it. A sect of exiles, criminals, and failed disciples. A place where the unwanted were sent to rot.

Xiao Lian bowed, hiding the gleam in her golden eyes. Let them cast her away. She would rise, no matter where they sent her.