Chapter 72: Ouch!
The Demon Lord, observing the white-haired woman frolicking in the courtyard, chasing butterflies, felt a mix of emotions.
This was the dog she had picked up, but her transformed form was so beautiful that it made the Demon Lord feel strange. She was glad this dog and that cat were internally digesting, otherwise, she might have lost her mind.
Lü Qingyan was simply bored. She would intentionally miss the butterflies, then, tired of that game, she climbed a tree, plucking leaves.
Perhaps she had been born into the wrong species. She should have been a monkey, not a dog.
She plucked a spirit fruit from the tree, then jumped down, offering it to the Demon Lord. “Here you go, De- Mmmmph!”
The Demon Lord, her patience snapping, covered Lü Qingyan’s mouth, her voice a low growl. “My name is Hong Ying!”
Lü Qingyan, sensing the genuine threat in the Demon Lord’s tone, nodded quickly.
The Demon Lord released her, taking the spirit fruit and wiping it with her sleeve before taking a bite.
Lü Qingyan, confused, remembering her agreement with Bai Jingxue, wagged her tail. “What are you doing all this for?” she asked. “Are you trying to…”
She mimed slicing her neck, her voice a sinister whisper. “Kill her?”
The Demon Lord paused in her chewing. Well, the dog’s assumption wasn’t entirely wrong. She finished the fruit, tossing aside the core.
She then cleansed her hands with a spell, her voice casual. “Do I look like that kind of person?”
Lü Qingyan nodded seriously. “Yes.”
The Demon Lord chuckled, then her smile vanished as she realized she had to look up to meet Lü Qingyan’s gaze.
Why was this dog so tall?
Her childhood had been filled with poverty and hunger. She had missed her growth spurt.
She was only slightly shorter than Lü Qingyan, but that slight difference was enough to make her feel insignificant.
She was annoyed, but seeing Lü Qingyan’s innocent eyes, her anger dissipated.
She remained silent, but Lü Qingyan, ever the chatterbox, couldn’t help but offer her unsolicited advice. “She’s a good person,” she said. “You two don’t have any real grudges. Why don’t you just be friends? Maybe you’ll get along.”
The Demon Lord wanted to laugh. First, because Lü Qingyan had completely misunderstood her intentions. Second, because the dog was so naive.
She might not be particularly attached to the position of Demon Lord, but she had still been the Demon Lord.
Luo Nianshang would always regard her with suspicion, her every action scrutinized. But as a disciple, she could avoid such scrutiny.
And the dog’s blatant favoritism towards Luo Nianshang was rather hurtful.
She gritted her teeth, her frustration growing.
“Luo Nianshang, Luo Nianshang,” she thought. “Why does everyone, human or demon, fall for you?”
She felt a headache forming. It seemed her future would be filled with rivals. And there was another issue.
How was she going to get Luo Nianshang to the Demon Realm and transfer Ouyang Ba’s destiny to her?
“Ugh!”
Lü Qingyan, startled by the Demon Lord’s sudden grimace, took a step back, but she persisted. “What do you think?” she asked.
The Demon Lord, snapping out of her thoughts, forced a smile. “I don’t think much of it,” she said. “I don’t want to be her friend.”
Her smile widened, her voice taking on a suggestive tone. “I want to bully her.”
Her words, spoken with a hint of menace, seemed incongruous with Hong Ying’s ordinary face. Lü Qingyan’s lips twitched. “You can’t even beat her,” she muttered. “How are you going to bully her?”
The Demon Lord, her pride wounded, grabbed Lü Qingyan’s shoulders, shaking her. “Whose dog are you?!” she demanded.
Lü Qingyan felt like her brain was turning into scrambled eggs. When the shaking finally stopped, she collapsed onto the ground, her head spinning. She looked up at the Demon Lord, her voice firm. “I’m Jingxue’s dog.”
Bai Jingxue, returning to the mansion, overheard those words. She paused, then walked over to Lü Qingyan, helping her up.
Seeing the Demon Lord’s furious expression and Lü Qingyan’s pitiful demeanor, she instinctively shielded Lü Qingyan with her body.
“How did Qingyan offend you?” she asked.
She had almost said “Demon Lord,” but the Demon Lord’s murderous glare had silenced her.
The Demon Lord rolled her eyes. “Jingxue,” “Qingyan”… they were so close.
When would she be able to call Luo Nianshang “Nianshang”?
She ignored them. Luo Nianshang was nowhere to be found. She had been planning to pester Luo Nianshang into teaching her swordsmanship, hoping to accidentally fall into her arms.
But Luo Nianshang was gone. She couldn’t even take advantage of her absence.
Bai Jingxue, watching the Demon Lord sulk, couldn’t understand her behavior, but she didn’t care.
The Demon Lord wouldn’t die from anger.
She ignored her, retrieving a guqin from her spatial ring. It was black, its design simple, devoid of any embellishments.
She handed it to Lü Qingyan. “Here,” she said. “This is for you.”
Lü Qingyan’s ears perked up, her tail wagging excitedly. “For me?” she asked, her voice filled with delight.
“Of course.”
Bai Jingxue smiled. She had gone to the Spring Snow Sect to see Zhu Chi.
Her knowledge of guqins stemmed from Lü Qingyan, but she wasn’t familiar with the instruments in this world. Zhu Chi, however, was an expert.
When she had explained her request, Zhu Chi had readily agreed, offering her best guqin. But that wasn’t all. She had even offered her personal cultivation technique.
Bai Jingxue had quickly stopped her, seeing that Zhu Chi was still rummaging through her spatial ring.
If she hadn’t intervened, Zhu Chi would have emptied her entire treasury.
Lü Qingyan tested the guqin, her eyes widening. She seemed pleased.
She stored the guqin away, then hugged Bai Jingxue, her body clinging to Bai Jingxue’s.
“You’re the best, Jingxue!”
The Demon Lord, watching this display of affection, couldn’t help but interject, her voice laced with sarcasm. “Ooh, you’re so good to me, Jingxue~”
Bai Jingxue had almost forgotten about the Demon Lord’s presence. She peeled Lü Qingyan off her, her cheeks flushing.
It had been the same in their past life. Lü Qingyan had always been clingy, regardless of the situation. It seemed some things never changed.
The air was thick with awkwardness. Bai Jingxue was about to retreat to her room when she spotted She Yuwei lurking at the entrance.
Seeing Bai Jingxue, She Yuwei waved excitedly. “Cat Master!”
Then she noticed the beautiful white-haired woman standing beside Bai Jingxue.
If it weren’t for the Sword Saint’s aloof and austere demeanor, she would have suspected that Luo Nianshang had abandoned her secluded chamber to build a harem.
Remembering the Sword Saint, she glanced around nervously, then approached Bai Jingxue, her voice hushed. “Is the Sword Saint here?”
Bai Jingxue, seeing her cautious behavior, guessed that Ying’s pre-ordered story was ready.
Unfortunately, Ying wasn’t here today.
“Neither the Sword Saint nor Ying are here,” Bai Jingxue said. “If it’s about that matter, you can give it to me. I’ll pass it on.”
She Yuwei, though hesitant, didn’t want to risk another encounter with the Sword Saint.
She retrieved a thick stack of books from her new spatial pouch, each book carefully wrapped in layers of silk, the outermost layer a vibrant gold.
Well, it was certainly appropriate for the theme.
Bai Jingxue accepted the books, impressed by She Yuwei’s efficiency.
She had written so many books in such a short time.
She noticed the dark circles under She Yuwei’s eyes and the swelling on her wrists.
What a dedicated author.
She felt a surge of gratitude. She handed the books to Lü Qingyan, then retrieved a jar of ointment from her spatial ring.
“Apply this to your wrists,” she said. “You’ll be fine by tomorrow.”
She Yuwei, overwhelmed, took the ointment and quickly left, not wanting to risk another encounter with the Sword Saint.
The Demon Lord, unfamiliar with She Yuwei, stared at the silk-wrapped bundles, her curiosity piqued.
She was about to reach for them when Luo Nianshang appeared in the sky.
Bai Jingxue quickly stored the books in her spatial ring. Her movements were so swift that Luo Nianshang didn’t notice.
The Demon Lord’s attention, however, was no longer on the books. She rushed over to Luo Nianshang. “Master, where did you go?”
Luo Nianshang didn’t answer. She muttered a few words, and a slender, crimson sword materialized before the Demon Lord.
Her voice was still cold, but there was a hint of affection in her tone. “I had this sword forged for you,” she said.
The Demon Lord, staring at the sword, its surface radiating a faint heat, was delighted.
She accepted the sword, but she sensed a resistance, a hostility emanating from it.
A dangerous glint flashed in her eyes, and the sword instantly submitted.
She tested it, swinging it a few times, realizing that it was perfectly suited for a fire spiritual root. Luo Nianshang had clearly put a lot of thought into this gift.
She was overjoyed, but the sword was sensitive to demonic energy. Simply holding it caused a burning sensation in her hand.
But she was the Demon Lord. She suppressed it with her own power.
Luo Nianshang, seeing her delight, relaxed. She hadn’t told her disciple about the sword, worried that she might not like it.
But it seemed she had chosen well.
However, the sword’s materials included a phoenix feather, making it incredibly powerful and unpredictable. “It’s a fierce sword,” she warned. “Don’t try to force it.”
The Demon Lord, after performing a few flourishes, sheathed the sword, her smile bright. “I understand, Master,” she said. “Thank you.”
Her frustration vanished. She noticed that Luo Nianshang’s right sleeve was singed. “Master, what happened?” she asked.
Luo Nianshang, realizing that her sleeve was damaged, quickly hid her hand behind her back. “It was an accident during the forging process,” she said. “It’s nothing serious.”
So Luo Nianshang had forged the sword herself.
The Demon Lord’s joy intensified. She hugged Luo Nianshang, her smile widening as she felt Luo Nianshang’s body stiffen. “You’re so good to me, Master,” she murmured.
Lü Qingyan, watching this exchange, couldn’t help but interject, her voice laced with sarcasm. “Ooh, Master is so good to me~”
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