Chapter 89: My Deity
Perhaps because she had acquired a new furry companion, Ying’s obsession with Bai Jingxue and Lü Qingyan had diminished. She had even generously taught them how to transform back and forth between their human and animal forms.
They decided to postpone their return to the Ejian Sect. The events in the secret realm had left them feeling unsettled, and life at the Ejian Sect was rather dull. Bai Jingxue wanted to travel, to explore the world.
It was a journey without a destination, a chance to clear their minds and heal their hearts.
Lü Qingyan, since leaving the secret realm, had become unusually quiet, her thoughts seemingly troubled. Ying, however, was now the loudest one, her constant chatter filling the silence.
She was still amazed by their rapid progress in cultivation. Her questions were endless.
“That’s strange,” she said. “It wasn’t like that when I went in.”
Bai Jingxue discreetly observed her, confirming that Ying’s confusion was genuine. She decided to keep her suspicions to herself for now.
She had initially suspected Ying of deliberately trapping them in that secret realm, but now, it seemed unlikely. The dragon was simply too straightforward, her personality bordering on clueless.
When they had first described their experience, Ying had been shocked, then, without hesitation, she had jumped into the rift, emerging a while later with several injuries.
She had encountered countless enemies, but she hadn’t experienced the same story.
Bai Jingxue, listening to her, wondered if that secret realm had been specifically designed for them, but that seemed too coincidental.
Regardless, the outcome had been favorable.
The white fox, which had been clinging to Ying’s neck like a furry scarf, yawned, its eyes drooping.
Bai Jingxue stared at the excessively plump fox. Its fur was nearly covering Ying’s entire face. At this rate, Ying would develop neck problems.
Did dragons even get neck problems?
She was once again lost in her thoughts, a hint of disdain in her heart. If she were Ying, she wouldn’t spoil the fox so much.
She suddenly felt a weight on her shoulder and turned to see Lü Qingyan leaning against her, her eyes drooping. She felt a pang of sympathy.
“Are you tired?” she asked softly.
Lü Qingyan nodded, her voice slurred with sleepiness. “Mmm, so tired.”
She had overused her teleportation ability in that secret realm. It was understandable that she was exhausted. But they were in the middle of nowhere. There was no comfortable place to rest.
As Bai Jingxue contemplated taking a break, she felt a pair of arms wrap around her neck. She looked up to see Lü Qingyan clinging to her.
In their past life, she would have collapsed under Lü Qingyan’s weight, but this life was different.
Lü Qingyan loved using this tactic. Whenever they fell, Lü Qingyan would end up on top of her.
She would blush, her heart pounding, demanding that Lü Qingyan let go, but Lü Qingyan would simply laugh, her arms tightening around Bai Jingxue’s waist.
Lü Qingyan, in her sleepy daze, had assumed this was their past life, that her childish trick would still work. But seeing that Bai Jingxue was standing firm, her gaze fixed on Lü Qingyan, she finally realized something was different. “Oh,” she mumbled. “Things have changed.”
Bai Jingxue sighed, patting Lü Qingyan’s head, her voice soothing. “Let go of me,” she said. “You need to rest.”
“No, hold me, Jingxue. I’m so tired.”
This wasn’t appropriate. The dragon and the fox were watching.
Bai Jingxue felt trapped. Pushing Lü Qingyan away would be cruel, but carrying her felt too intimate.
She decided to simply endure it. Her neck was strong enough.
But she had underestimated Lü Qingyan’s determination. Seeing that Bai Jingxue wasn’t reacting, Lü Qingyan leaped, her legs wrapping around Bai Jingxue’s waist, like a koala clinging to a tree trunk.
“If Jingxue won’t hold me, then I’ll hold Jingxue~”
Bai Jingxue, though proud of her ability to resist temptation, found this rather embarrassing.
But she was resourceful. She quickly devised a solution. “Transform back into your original form,” she said, “and I’ll hold you.”
Lü Qingyan’s eyes flew open, her tail wagging excitedly. “Really?”
Bai Jingxue nodded.
A soft white light enveloped Lü Qingyan, her body shrinking, changing shape, then the light dissipated, revealing the adorable little dog.
Bai Jingxue, as promised, scooped her up, her lips curving into a small smile as she watched Lü Qingyan curl up in her arms.
She looked up to see Ying and the fox staring at her, and her cheeks flushed. She coughed, her voice regaining its usual calmness. “Let’s continue our journey,” she said.
She then walked past Ying, her pace quick, almost as if she were fleeing.
Ying, since they were traveling through the mortal realm, had concealed her horns.
She had become accustomed to mortal cities and no longer found them particularly interesting.
Her curiosity, however, had shifted to Bai Jingxue. Her constant chatter gave Bai Jingxue a headache.
“You two are so close,” she said. “Not like my philandering father. I can’t even count how many concubines he has.”
Dragons were known for their promiscuity. It was a common trait in this world. But Ying, in the original story, had simply been a magical bracelet, her personality unexplored.
But her current personality, so straightforward and innocent, didn’t seem capable of such behavior.
Bai Jingxue wasn’t sure if she should trust She Yuwei’s stories or her own judgment.
She remained silent, but Lü Qingyan, disturbed by Ying’s chatter, raised a paw, covering her ear, her brow furrowed.
Seeing her discomfort, Bai Jingxue cast a soundproofing spell. The moment the spell activated, Lü Qingyan lowered her paw, letting out a contented sigh.
She snuggled closer to Bai Jingxue, and Bai Jingxue, watching her, couldn’t help but chuckle.
Ying, cradling the fox, seeing that Bai Jingxue was ignoring her, pouted. “You’re such a boring cat,” she said.
Bai Jingxue, having not heard that particular insult in a while, didn’t argue. “Yes, I’m boring,” she said, her voice flat.
Her agreement, however, made the usually carefree dragon feel a bit awkward. “Well, not really,” she said, trying to make amends. “You’re actually quite nice, except for the whole not talking thing.”
Seeing that Bai Jingxue still seemed unhappy, she quickly added, “Not talking isn’t a bad thing. It’s called… what’s that word again? Oh, aloof. Like the Sword Saint.”
Bai Jingxue found Ying’s frantic attempts to appease her rather amusing. She wanted to prolong this act, to enjoy the dragon’s flustered demeanor.
And Luo Nianshang wasn’t aloof. She was simply socially awkward. It was hard to imagine someone so powerful being so socially inept. Perhaps “socially terrifying” was a more accurate description.
Night fell, and Bai Jingxue gazed up at the stars. One star, brighter than the others, was surrounded by a cluster of smaller stars.
Suddenly, the bright star began to dim, its light fading until it blended into the darkness, while the surrounding stars grew brighter, one in particular shining even brighter than the previous star.
Bai Jingxue’s heart skipped a beat. She was about to examine it more closely when Lü Qingyan, nestled in her arms, shivered, drawing her attention back to the dog.
She covered Lü Qingyan with her sleeve, and when the dog stopped trembling, she looked back at the sky, but it was too late. The stars had vanished.
Meanwhile, in the Demon Realm’s Demon Palace, the left envoy, staring at the Sword Saint, who was carrying a child, felt a surge of anger.
This was the Demon Palace, the most dangerous place in the Demon Realm. Show some respect! And why bring a child here?
She didn’t recognize the child as her lord, her gaze filled with disdain.
The Demon Lord, subjected to such disrespect, was bewildered.
Luo Nianshang was also surprised by the lack of resistance. The Demon Palace’s defenses were wide open. She assumed the Demon Lord had anticipated her arrival and had ordered her subordinates to disable them.
But if that were the case, why wasn’t the Demon Lord here to greet her? Perhaps she didn’t want to see her.
After all these years, the Sword Saint once again felt the sting of rejection.
She was mortified. Her embarrassment made her expression even colder, and the left envoy, sensing the shift in atmosphere, her heart pounding, took a step back, her head bowing slightly.
But she was the Demon Lord’s trusted subordinate. She couldn’t show weakness in front of an enemy. She straightened her back, forcing herself to meet Luo Nianshang’s gaze.
She suppressed her fear, her voice trembling slightly, as she asked, “What brings you here, Sword Saint?”
Luo Nianshang, mentally replacing the left envoy with a harmless cabbage, her anxiety lessening, stated her purpose. “I’m looking for the Demon Lord.”
The Demon Lord, nestled in Luo Nianshang’s arms, her ears perking up, was stunned. She hadn’t expected Luo Nianshang to be looking for her. Then, realization dawned, and her heart soared.
Luo Nianshang had called her beautiful!
Oh my god! She had called her beautiful!
“Hmph, she has good taste,” the Demon Lord thought, her jealousy vanishing, replaced by a smug satisfaction.
But while one was overjoyed, the other was confused. Luo Nianshang’s answer had left the left envoy speechless.
The Demon Lord had ordered her to capture the person Luo Nianshang was looking for. But Luo Nianshang was looking for the Demon Lord herself.
So the Demon Lord had ordered her to capture the Demon Lord?
Her head throbbed. Perhaps she had sustained some kind of brain damage while resisting Luo Nianshang’s aura. “Are you looking for the Demon Lord, Your Excellency?” she asked, her voice hesitant.
Luo Nianshang nodded, surprised by the left envoy’s question. Had the Demon Lord’s left envoy become deaf?
The left envoy’s headache intensified. She couldn’t capture the Demon Lord. And she had no idea where the Demon Lord was.
She couldn’t complete the first task, but she could still fulfill the second one.
She was disappointed, but she wouldn’t question her lord’s orders.
She composed herself, her voice regaining its usual calmness. “The Demon Lord is away,” she said, “but she left a gift for you. Please follow me.”
Luo Nianshang, confused, but sensing no hostility, and confident in her own power, followed.
The left envoy led her to a small room, then left. A moment later, Luo Nianshang sensed something was wrong.
She stood up, her voice laced with a hint of annoyance. “A formation.”
But then she realized that the formation wasn’t hostile. It seemed to be beneficial.
Ethereal threads of destiny materialized, their color a brilliant gold, and the Demon Lord, watching them, her lips curving into a smile, thought, “Such blessings belong to fools like Luo Nianshang.”
She glanced up at Luo Nianshang, her eyes wide with surprise, then she leaned against Luo Nianshang’s shoulder, seeking a moment of warmth.
“My deity,” she thought. “May the world be illuminated by your light.”
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