Chapter 64: Speechless
“If you put these bones together, it looks like the incomplete skeleton of a whale demon.”
The accompanying disciple sounded surprised as she spoke. This was Que City, far from the ocean. Sea demons rarely ventured onto land, except under special circumstances.
The ocean depths were their natural habitat, especially for large demons like whale demons. Land weakened them.
Zhu Chi also found this strange, but she didn’t dwell on it. She had examined the bones. Their demonic aura was incredibly faint, either because they were ancient or because someone had deliberately cleansed them.
She rubbed her aching eyes, sighing. She touched the guqin in her lap, her voice filled with a weary longing. “How long will it take to find the answer?”
The Demon Lord, passing by her room, paused, then entered. “When are you returning to your sect, Senior?”
The Demon Realm was on the brink of civil war, and the city lord’s manor wasn’t a safe place. Ouyang Ba had been trying to drug Zhu Chi every other day. The Demon Lord had discreetly thwarted his attempts.
That lecherous fool was at it again. The Demon Lord, with a flick of her wrist, summoned a gust of wind, knocking over the wine jug. Some of the wine splashed into Ouyang Ba’s mouth.
He was now too preoccupied with his own survival to bother with Zhu Chi.
After several experiments, the Demon Lord had concluded that Ouyang Ba did indeed possess destiny’s favor, but it didn’t prevent him from experiencing misfortune. It simply ensured his survival.
This meant his destiny wasn’t particularly strong. She just needed to find someone with a stronger destiny to eliminate him.
Having successfully sabotaged Ouyang Ba, she was feeling rather pleased with herself, but she had to return to the Demon Palace soon. She wouldn’t be able to protect Zhu Chi then.
She wanted to take Zhu Chi with her. After all, Zhu Chi was Luo Nianshang’s friend. She couldn’t resist meddling in anything related to Luo Nianshang.
She was truly the kindest person in the world.
She reveled in her self-proclaimed benevolence.
Zhu Chi, startled, frowned slightly. This girl lacked manners, but for some reason, she couldn’t bring herself to be angry. It felt… natural.
She dismissed the strange thought, her voice gentle. “I’m not leaving yet. I still need to search.”
The Demon Lord’s smile faltered. She was tired of persuading Zhu Chi. She decided she would simply knock her unconscious tonight, stuff her into a sack, and discreetly transport her back to the Spring Snow Sect.
Problem solved. No need to argue with a stubborn mule.
Zhu Chi, oblivious to the danger she was in, and unaware that she had been labeled a mule, was determined to continue her search. Perhaps she would find a clue, a hint of her beloved’s whereabouts.
A small bird flew into the room, settling on Zhu Chi’s shoulder. It chirped twice, its head cocked, its appearance adorable.
The Spring Snow Sect specialized in sound-based cultivation techniques. Their methods of communication were rather unique.
The accompanying disciple’s eyes widened. “It’s a messenger bird from the sect.”
Zhu Chi, receiving the message, hesitated. The sect elders were summoning her back. They had found the person who had blinded her.
She couldn’t deny her hatred, but she longed for news of her beloved, even the smallest hint. It had become her obsession.
The Demon Lord, seeing her troubled expression, asked, “What’s wrong, Senior?”
“It’s an old matter,” Zhu Chi replied, her voice evasive.
But a moment later, the messenger bird chirped again, its sounds urgent and frantic.
Zhu Chi, unable to contain her shock, jumped to her feet, then collapsed back onto her chair.
She stared into the distance, her mind blank, then, her voice trembling, she turned to her disciple. “Did you say those bones… they belonged to a whale demon? Are you sure?”
The disciple, startled by her master’s demeanor, stammered, “Y-yes, Master. The assembled skeleton… it’s definitely a whale demon.”
The Demon Lord, confused, sensed the chaotic surge of spiritual energy emanating from Zhu Chi. It was almost as if she were about to succumb to demonic influence.
What kind of news could elicit such a reaction?
She didn’t know, but she understood the depth of the righteous realm’s hatred for demon cultivators. If Zhu Chi, a sect leader, fell to demonic influence, it would bring shame upon the entire Spring Snow Sect.
Not everyone could live a life of freedom and unrestrained desires. Most were bound by rules and expectations, their choices limited.
The Demon Lord smiled, her gaze meeting Zhu Chi’s. “What are you thinking about, Senior?” she asked, her voice soft.
Zhu Chi, startled, her hand clutching her chest, her body trembling, hugged her guqin, trying to suppress her emotions, but the more she suppressed them, the more intense they became.
But she didn’t succumb to despair. She called out to her disciple, her voice firm. “We’re leaving.”
***
Bai Jingxue had handed over the items she had found to the Spring Snow Sect elders, and the unconscious Yi Tian had been confined.
Bai Jingxue’s status as a demon was awkward, but with Luo Nianshang’s support, the Spring Snow Sect couldn’t say anything. However, the disciples now regarded her with a mixture of fear and suspicion.
Yi Tian’s injuries were severe. Her cultivation had plummeted from the peak of the Nascent Soul stage to the early Golden Core stage, while the cat, initially at the early Golden Core stage, had reached the Nascent Soul stage.
It seemed clear that the black cat had absorbed Yi Tian’s cultivation.
The Spring Snow Sect, though wary, had provided Bai Jingxue with a room.
Luo Nianshang sat across from the beautiful woman, who was holding Lü Qingyan in her arms. She rarely smiled, her ill-fitting clothes emphasizing her slender frame. She was stroking the dog’s head, her gaze downcast, her entire being radiating an aura of aloofness.
The atmosphere was thick with awkward silence.
Both Bai Jingxue and Luo Nianshang were introverts. Two quiet individuals in the same room resulted in an amplified silence, broken only by the dog’s happy barks.
But Bai Jingxue was slightly more outgoing than Luo Nianshang. She looked up, her voice soft. “Venerable One, my name is Bai Jingxue.”
Luo Nianshang nodded, her fists clenched. Then silence.
The awkwardness intensified.
Just as Bai Jingxue was trying to come up with a topic of conversation, Luo Nianshang spoke.
The Sword Saint, her voice hesitant, her cheeks flushed, said, “Could you… could you transform back into your original form?”
Bai Jingxue was surprised. She wasn’t sure if she could. Perhaps she could consult Ying in a dream.
She shook her head. “I’m sorry, Venerable One,” she said. “I don’t know how.”
Luo Nianshang nodded, then fell silent again.
She might have been silent, but her mind was racing. She needed to find a demon who could teach the cat and dog about… well, about things that demons knew.
As a responsible guardian, she decided to invite a dragon.
Bai Jingxue, oblivious to Luo Nianshang’s chaotic thoughts, but aware of her social awkwardness, decided to take the initiative.
The most pressing issue was the dead whale demon. Could she be revived?
She was about to ask, then realized it was pointless. Luo Nianshang hadn’t been able to save her own masters.
But the ending had changed. There had to be a solution. She Yuwei’s revised ending had been a happy reunion after reincarnation.
But perhaps She Yuwei’s abilities were too powerful, and the heavens, to maintain balance, had nerfed her. But she couldn’t explain this to Luo Nianshang.
If she did, She Yuwei would be useless.
But now that she could speak, perhaps she could convince Luo Nianshang to release She Yuwei from solitary confinement.
She glanced at Luo Nianshang, only to find her staring at a trail of ants on the floor.
She suddenly found this woman, the one who had beheaded two Demon Lords, rather adorable.
She must be insane. But setting aside Luo Nianshang’s power and age, she was indeed adorable.
Her anxiety lessened, and she decided to ask, even if there was no hope.
Luo Nianshang had already examined those three objects. There was no need to explain the story.
“Venerable One,” Bai Jingxue asked, her voice laced with a hint of hope, “is there any way to revive the whale demon?”
She hadn’t expected a positive response, but Luo Nianshang nodded. “Yes,” she said, “but it’s difficult.”
Bai Jingxue’s heart soared. The story was destined for a happy ending. This obstacle would be overcome.
“How?” she asked eagerly.
Luo Nianshang, her gaze still fixed on the floor, couldn’t maintain her usual aloofness. She had shared too much with this cat. She felt a surge of embarrassment.
She lowered her head even further. “Ascend to godhood, enter the underworld, find her reincarnated soul, wait for her to reincarnate again, then reunite. If she hasn’t reincarnated yet, then it’s even simpler. Just retrieve her soul.”
Such a violent and direct approach. As expected of the Sword Saint.
But ascending to godhood wasn’t easy. Even Luo Nianshang, after centuries of cultivation, hadn’t achieved it.
“I haven’t ascended yet, but I can enter the underworld,” Luo Nianshang said, her voice laced with confusion. “But it’s empty. There are no souls there.”
Her two masters were special cases. One was trapped in her own memories, the other waiting patiently. Neither had entered the underworld.
She couldn’t use force against souls with lingering attachments. It would damage their souls.
She could only wait for their attachments to fade.
Bai Jingxue’s eyes widened. This information was crucial.
Luo Nianshang finally looked up, her gaze meeting Bai Jingxue’s. “I want to help them,” she said, her voice soft. “Don’t worry. We’ll find a way.”
Her words were reassuring, and Bai Jingxue felt her anxiety lessen.
This was a matter for the Spring Snow Sect. They had already interfered too much, especially in such a scandalous affair.
Now that Bai Jingxue had transformed, there was no point in staying here. Luo Nianshang stood up, preparing to leave, then paused, turning to Bai Jingxue. “Shall we return?”
Bai Jingxue, scooping Lü Qingyan into her arms, nodded.
Luo Nianshang usually carried them both, but now that Bai Jingxue was human, they could no longer ride on the same sword.
And Bai Jingxue was still unfamiliar with her newfound abilities. She couldn’t fly yet, nor could she control a sword.
They slowly made their way back to the Ejian Sect.
As they left the Spring Snow Sect, Bai Jingxue noticed something approaching from the sky.
Luo Nianshang also looked up, her expression turning somber as she recognized the newcomer. “She used a Thousand-Mile Talisman,” she said. “She must be in a hurry.”
Bai Jingxue, staring at the blind woman in black, felt a pang of sympathy.
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