My Golden Core is a Star, do you call this cultivating?

Chapter 230: The Foodless Holy Mother

Thunder rumbled, and dark clouds obscured the sun.

In the Xiaojiang Mountains, the air was filled with curses and angry shouts.

Streaks of light flashed across the sky, and a great fire broke out, engulfing the entire mountain range. Even the torrential rain couldn't extinguish the blazing inferno, which raged for ten days straight, leaving the once verdant Xiaojiang Mountains a desolate wasteland.

Several streaks of light hovered over the mountain, searching for something.

“Did you find it?”

“No.”

“Useless! A group of Purple Mansion-level cultivators couldn't even catch a mere mortal?”

“She was in the Xiaojiang Mountains before the fire. Her fate is special, and she isn't even a Qi Refining stage cultivator. She should have perished in the flames.”

“The Xiaojiang Mountains span three hundred miles. She should be... dead.”

“Damn it, our time here is limited, and this world has too many powerful beings. Otherwise…”

“The Primordial Body and the Devouring Body, two of the most powerful physiques, are both in one person. If we could obtain even one of them...”

“No matter, if she's dead, then our mission is complete.”

“Even if she isn't dead, she'll either starve or overeat to death.”

“We wasted a precious Descent Talisman just to kill this little brat.”

As their voices faded, the streaks of light disappeared as well.

The Xiaojiang Mountains, stretching three hundred miles, were now a wasteland, with only the remnants of the great fire left behind.

After a long time, a small figure crawled out from beneath the ground.

It was a little girl, looking no older than eleven or twelve. Her hair was burnt and yellowed, the tips singed by flames. Her clothes were tattered and torn, resembling a beggar's rags. However, if one looked closely, they could see that these clothes were once finely made, like a princess's dress.

She raised her head and looked up at the sky. She saw countless stars but none that she recognized. A deep sense of loneliness welled up inside her.

Since birth, she had been frail and sickly, nearly dying shortly after she was born. However, her parents had discovered that she possessed the Primordial Body, one of the ten most powerful physiques known.

This physique was pure and unblemished, as if made of celestial glass, free from any worldly taint. Because of this, her family had showered her with love and care. However, alongside the Primordial Body, her body also harbored the Devouring Body, another of the top ten physiques.

If the Primordial Body represented purity and detachment from the world, the Devouring Body was its antithesis, designed to consume everything in its path. These two physiques clashed within her, making her frail like a mere mortal, despite being twelve years old. Every day, her family spent enormous resources to buy unappetizing nutritional fluids to sustain her.

She was grateful, especially to her mother, the only one who truly cared for her and could tolerate her spoiled nature. Even though she knew her parents were raising her to sell her in a grand transaction, she still felt a sense of gratitude. Her parents had always hidden the truth from her, as had all her relatives.

In the family, everyone pretended to treat her well, doting on her as if she were a princess. She acted spoiled, indulging in their affection, even though she knew it was all an illusion. She could hear their thoughts.

Her father looked at her with affection but also with the greed of someone eyeing valuable goods. Her mother was conflicted, often coming to hold her at night, filled with guilt, repeatedly asking for her forgiveness. But the little girl didn’t feel that her mother was in the wrong. Her mother owed her nothing, giving her food, clothing, and enduring her tantrums. Even if she were sold off, it seemed fair enough to her.

The little girl had encountered all kinds of people and heard all kinds of dirty thoughts in their minds.

The holy and virtuous priest, who secretly had a fondness for elderly men. The high-ranking official, ambitious and eager to start a rebellion. This was her life until she turned eleven.

One day, her father excitedly came to her, saying he had found a way to cure her and was taking her to seek treatment. But she had heard his thoughts; she knew her father had found a buyer.

She happily boarded the flying ship with her mother. Those days, her mother seemed troubled. The little girl was happy because she had heard three times that her mother had considered running away with her, although ultimately, the buyer's offer was too tempting.

On their way to treatment, an accident happened. A group of mysterious people attacked their flying ship. It crashed, and at that moment, her Primordial Body suddenly activated, transporting her to the nearest primordial world.

Some of the mysterious attackers used Descent Talismans to follow her into this world, intent on killing her.

After the fire subsided, she crawled out of the ruins, not reborn from the flames, but simply waiting for death. She curled up on the ground, her gaze empty.

“So... hungry…”

A deep sense of hunger gnawed at her, but she endured it.

“Starving to death... doesn’t feel good.”

She looked at the dirt on the ground, wanting to take a bite. But she knew if she did, her Primordial Body would react with pain far worse than the hunger she felt. The Devouring Body devoured everything, while the Primordial Body rejected everything.

The conflict between these two opposing physiques had created her current state. All she could do was wait for death.

After an unknown amount of time, she suddenly heard a voice in her mind.

"Is that... the Foodless Holy Mother?"

“So, I’ve encountered her again. What a coincidence.”

The little girl remained motionless on the ground, as if she hadn't heard anything. After spending over ten years in her family, she had become very skilled at pretending and playing her part.

She was curious about the clear male voice but didn't show it.

“What’s your name?” The voice spoke again, this time addressing her directly.

She was startled.

A name?

She didn’t have a name. Perhaps because she was destined to be sold, her family hadn’t even bothered to give her one, not wanting her to be entered into the family records. Everyone else called her "Miss Ten," and her mother called her "Little Ten."

Recalling the man’s earlier words... Foodless Holy Mother.

She showed a curious expression and said, "My name is Wu Shi... Who are you?"

“Wu Shi?” The man fell silent, looking at the frail body of the Foodless Holy Mother before him.

He hadn’t expected that the once-overbearing Foodless Holy Mother had such a miserable childhood.

“Whoever set the mountain on fire has no morals and should be thrown in jail,” the man thought to himself.

Wu Shi, still bowing her head, suddenly felt a strange sense of amusement. This man’s thoughts were peculiar, unlike anything she had heard before.

"I’ll treat you to a meal. It looks like you haven’t eaten in days," the man said, breaking her thoughts.

Wu Shi heard his voice and then his thoughts.

“Unfortunately, I came from the future and can't interfere with this world. Otherwise, I’d kill someone and treat the Foodless Holy Mother to a feast. After all, she bonded with the Heaven Pillar, keeping it upright and helping me out.”

Wu Shi was stunned.

She was even more curious about this man now. She had once heard her father and grandfather discuss that while there was a past and present, there was no future. Yet here was someone claiming to be from the future.

Could it be true?

A person’s inner thoughts don’t lie.

Had he really seen her future self? And what about bonding with the Heaven Pillar?

She remained cautious, though her stomach growled loudly.

“I can’t eat anything,” she said, frowning.

She vividly remembered the nausea and discomfort she experienced when she tried to eat.

"Don't worry, you can eat what I’m offering. Just don't starve to death right now," the man said softly.

If the Foodless Holy Mother starved to death and he knocked down the Heaven Pillar, how could the game continue?

“Really?” Wu Shi was skeptical.

This world didn’t have any nutritional fluids.

What could she eat?

"Why would I lie to a little girl?" the man replied. "But it’s strange that you don’t seem to breathe air."

“You’re strange too,” Wu Shi whispered.

The man in front of her was indeed odd, and his thoughts were just as peculiar.

“Where’s the food?” Wu Shi asked.

She was really hungry.

The Devouring Body’s desire to consume everything was unbearable. If there was food she could eat, she might even consider bonding with the Heaven Pillar to help him.

“Follow me out of this wasteland,” the man said, sounding a bit exasperated.

The wasteland stretched for three hundred miles.

"Are you sure you won’t starve to death?" the man asked, worried.

“No,” Wu Shi replied.

She was hungry, but not to the point of death—yet.

“Good. If you die now, who will help me with the Heaven Pillar?” the man chuckled.

Wu Shi fell silent.

Shouldn’t he be keeping such thoughts to himself?

Speaking them out loud might ruin the image she had of him.

She kept quiet, not responding.

“I’m curious. If I see you in the future, will you recognize me?” the man asked.

“Probably.”

“But the Foodless Holy Mother always seems like she’s meeting me for the first time. Little one, what secrets are hidden in your body?” the man wondered aloud, his gaze fixed on Wu Shi.

“Maybe... she has the memory of a fish, only a few seconds long,” Wu Shi mumbled as her small frame trudged across the wasteland.

Her tiny feet were covered in ash, with burns from the fire.

“If you keep walking like that, it’ll take forever. It’s like Sun Wukong taking Tang Sanzang to the Western Heaven. Let me teach you some magic.”

“Magic?” Wu Shi asked, intrigued. She looked in the direction of the man's voice and said seriously, “If I learn magic, I won’t be valuable anymore.”

With her physique, once she started practicing magic, she would lose her value. Her family hadn’t allowed her to cultivate for this reason.

"You're a person, not a commodity. What does value have to do with it?" the man said nonchalantly.

In his mind, he thought, “The Foodless Holy Mother must have had a rough childhood. She’s a bit odd. I can’t let her learn my 'Qi Yuan Sutra.' She doesn’t have my sharp mind. If she practiced it, she might become even more confused.”

Hearing his thoughts, Wu Shi was silent for a moment. She memorized the flying spell called "Princess Riding a Broom" and began practicing it.

After a few moments, the man watched in surprise. “As expected of the Mortal Heart Realm’s number one. She learned it so quickly! Find a stick, sit on it, and follow my instructions.”

Wu Shi hesitated, glanced at the man’s direction, and found a stick. She straddled it, activating the spell. Her body wobbled as she lifted off the ground.

"You look like a witch now. Oh, by the way, are you afraid of heights? It’d be pretty funny if you fell from the sky," the man said as he led the way, occasionally making odd remarks.

Wu Shi followed behind, not knowing how long they traveled.

Eventually, they stopped by a small pond. It seemed a battle had taken place there, and half of the pond’s water had drained away. The ground was littered with dead fish.

“Cook the fish, and you’ll be able to eat,” the man said, clapping his hands as if excited.

Wu Shi froze. She was starving, but looking at the fish made her feel nauseous.

“I... don’t eat fish.”

The man’s thoughts flashed quickly.

He said, “Just try cooking it. You’ll see this fish is different from what you’ve had before.”

Wu Shi hesitated but decided to trust the man. After all, he had taught her to cultivate.

If her family knew, they’d probably tear him apart.

But that was just a thought. Her family... would never come here.

For the first time, she prepared fish, roasting it over a fire.

She sensed the man approaching, and her curiosity grew. Then she heard him say, “Go ahead, try it.”

Wu Shi stared at the fish, her gaze filled with fear.

She didn’t want to experience that pain again.

Even with the Devouring Body, eating anything made her want to end her own life.

Only nutritional fluids were bearable.

She hesitated but took a small bite of the burnt fish, chewing slowly.

A warm sensation spread through her limbs, as if she were basking in sunlight.

She felt warmth she had never known before.

“It’s... delicious.” It was the first time she had tasted something so good.

The nutritional fluids she used to drink couldn’t compare to this. They were like the depths of the abyss in comparison.

She felt that even if she died after eating this fish, it would be worth it.

The man smiled, “You look like a cat eating a treat.”

He looked at Wu Shi as if she were a pet in a movie.

Wu Shi continued eating the fish, savoring the taste she had never experienced before. She turned to the man and asked, “Why does it taste so good?”

“That’s a secret,” the man replied.

Wu Shi was disappointed.

When he said it was a secret, he didn’t even think of the real answer.

“I want to eat another fish. I’ll grant you a wish in return,” Wu Shi said, her voice soft and hesitant.

She really wanted to eat more.

The man just smiled.

He didn’t respond to Wu Shi’s offer, but his thoughts ran deep.

“What’s the point of meeting her? Maybe there’s no point at all.”

“It’s just... a glimpse into history.”

History is buried by the sands of time, and stories are concealed. Uncovering even a small part of it might reveal the life of a single being.