Chapter 3: A Reunion
The Demon Palace and Ejian Sect were separated by a vast distance, but such trivialities meant little to Luo Nianshang.
The relationship between the two realms was akin to fire and water, so this visit was kept strictly confidential.
Bai Jingxue nestled deep within the female lead’s sleeve, reluctant to emerge. She didn’t want to face Lü Qingyan, yet she couldn’t help but worry. She decided to steal a glance at her ex-girlfriend’s situation.
They flew over a seemingly endless expanse of withered forest until they reached a majestic palace, encircled by a river of blood. The Demon Realm wasn’t entirely composed of such gloomy landscapes, but this particular location, situated at the highest peak, offered a commanding view of the entire demon realm.
Luo Nianshang paused at the edge of the blood river, her thoughts a jumbled mess.
Peeking out from within the sleeve, Bai Jingxue began to recall the events of the novel.
A month after the female lead’s memory loss, the male lead would get involved with the Demon Lord. Consumed by jealousy, the female lead would confront the Demon Lord, sword in hand, only to be outsmarted by the male lead once again. The result? An unsavory scene involving all three of them in bed.
Bai Jingxue raised a paw to her forehead, wondering why she had ever subjected herself to such a novel.
Then, a memory surfaced. Lü Qingyan’s voice, laced with disgust and indignation, echoed in her mind. “I should have known better than to trust those recommendations. This is torture!”
Bai Jingxue, pushing her rimless glasses up her nose, replied nonchalantly, “Must you be so dramatic? You’re acting so immature.”
Those words had set Lü Qingyan off. “Oh, I’m immature, am I?” she retorted, glaring. “Fine, then you finish reading this trash and tell me how mature you feel!”
The memory faded, leaving Bai Jingxue with a feeling of weary resignation. She cursed her own competitive nature, which had forced her to endure that soul-crushing novel.
Composing herself, she peeked out at the barriers surrounding the Demon Palace. What she saw made her heart skip a beat. The barriers were so dense they completely obscured the palace from view.
No wonder the female lead in the novel had been at a loss. Even now, Luo Nianshang’s expression was a mixture of frustration and uncertainty.
Suddenly, Luo Nianshang crouched down and lifted the cat from her sleeve, placing her on the ground. Then, she began to talk, her usually stoic face etched with worry, her brow furrowed.
Unfortunately, Bai Jingxue was a cat. She couldn’t offer words of comfort or advice.
The Demon Lord was actually quite approachable. The poison pearl could be used to contact her directly. They could easily arrange a discreet meeting, eliminating the need to break through these barriers.
But such thoughts were useless. The only sound Bai Jingxue could produce was a series of pathetic meows.
Acknowledging her limitations, she rubbed her head against the female lead’s leg in a gesture of comfort.
Luo Nianshang, soothed by the soft fur, seemed to relax slightly. Perhaps because she knew the cat couldn’t understand her, she began to confide her worries.
The blood river before them was too thick to reflect their images. Looking at the layers upon layers of barriers, she sighed deeply.
Bai Jingxue turned to follow her gaze. The person she cared about most in her past life was right there, beyond those barriers.
She wondered if Lü Qingyan was eating well, if she was sleeping soundly.
As these thoughts swirled in her mind, a wave of sadness washed over her, and she let out a soft sigh, echoing the female lead’s despondency.
Luo Nianshang paused, then resumed her one-sided conversation, pouring out her heart to a cat.
“The barriers are getting stronger,” she murmured. “There weren’t nearly as many the last two times I came here.”
Bai Jingxue looked up at her, her expression unreadable.
“The current Demon Lord is not to be underestimated,” Luo Nianshang continued. “Her barriers are far more formidable than the previous two. Perhaps I should have spared their lives.”
Bai Jingxue’s ears twitched. She blinked slowly, her tail giving a single, hesitant wag.
What did she mean by “spared their lives?” Had she killed the previous two Demon Lords?
“Meow?” she questioned softly.
This time, Luo Nianshang seemed to understand. She began to explain, her voice calm and even, but her words were shocking.
She spoke of single-handedly storming eighty-four demon cities, cleaving the Demon Palace in two, and ultimately beheading the then-Demon Lord, scattering their soul.
The Demon Realm had fallen into disarray. Wounded, she had gone into seclusion. Upon emerging, she discovered that the Demon Realm had regrouped under a new Demon Lord who had been ruthlessly expanding her territory, destroying sects and slaughtering cultivators.
Once again, Luo Nianshang had taken up her sword, sweeping through the Demon Realm, invading the Demon Palace, and shattering the new Demon Lord’s soul. But the battle had taken its toll, planting a seed of darkness within her heart, forcing her back into seclusion.
When she finally emerged, she was met with an even more powerful Demon Lord. However, this one was surprisingly diplomatic. Despite minor skirmishes, the two realms had maintained a relatively peaceful coexistence.
Luo Nianshang’s frustration was palpable. “I don’t know how to deal with this… subtlety,” she admitted.
Bai Jingxue listened intently. She understood the source of Luo Nianshang’s frustration. The deaths of the previous two Demon Lords had cost the Demon Realm a third of its territory. The current Demon Lord, however, fought with honor, giving Luo Nianshang no justification to unleash her full power. And their cultivation levels were too close for comfort.
Looking at the troubled Luo Nianshang, Bai Jingxue realized that the female lead was accustomed to shouldering burdens alone. It had never occurred to her to seek assistance from other cultivators.
She also couldn’t help but think that the novel was utterly ridiculous. How could someone as formidable as Luo Nianshang transform into the lovesick fool portrayed in the book?
Licking her paw in bewilderment, Bai Jingxue was speechless.
Before she could dwell on it further, she was scooped back into Luo Nianshang’s sleeve.
Peeking out cautiously, she saw a figure emerge from the heavily guarded Demon Palace.
The newcomer was a vision of elegance. She wore a long, flowing gown that accentuated her graceful figure. Her eyes sparkled with intelligence, and a veil concealed the lower half of her face, revealing only a hint of a playful smile.
She was undeniably beautiful, but something about her felt off to Bai Jingxue.
Her high collar covered her neck, and her hands, she noticed, were covered by gloves. Her attire was surprisingly conservative.
Then it hit Bai Jingxue. This was why she seemed so different.
If even Bai Jingxue had noticed, then Luo Nianshang, a veteran of countless battles against the Demon Lord, would have picked up on it immediately.
She seemed about to comment but then hesitated, ultimately deciding against questioning the Demon Lord’s sudden change in style.
Personally, Luo Nianshang found the revealing attire favored by demons distasteful. The Demon Lord’s current outfit was far more agreeable.
However, her momentary surprise didn’t escape the Demon Lord’s notice. She had sensed the approach of the poison pearl and had come to greet them, her heart still heavy with resentment.
The wound on her chest ached, and the strange mark in her sea of consciousness remained a mystery.
But there was nothing she could do. Luo Nianshang was not someone she could afford to antagonize.
With a sigh, she plastered a charming smile on her face and greeted them warmly, “Venerable Luo, you should have sent word of your arrival. I would have prepared a proper welcome.”
“There’s no need for such formalities,” Luo Nianshang replied politely. “I came to apologize for the events of the other day. I was too hasty in my judgment.”
Their exchange was surprisingly civil, giving Bai Jingxue a strange sense of unreality. In the original story, their encounters were always filled with either thinly veiled barbs or outright hostility.
She decided it was pointless to dwell on the original plot and retreated further into the safety of the sleeve.
Due to their sensitive positions, they chose a secluded corner for their discussion.
Luo Nianshang’s gaze fell upon a strange, clothed creature huddled in the corner. Upon closer inspection, she realized it was a dog… a completely shaved dog.
Startled by their entrance, the dog looked up, its large eyes filled with misery.
But upon recognizing Luo Nianshang, its demeanor changed instantly. It wagged its hairless tail and let out a series of excited whimpers. Luo Nianshang, however, couldn’t bring herself to pet the poor, bald creature.
Only Bai Jingxue understood what the dog was trying to convey. She was now certain that this was her ex-girlfriend, Lü Qingyan, but she wasn’t quite ready to acknowledge it.
A dog’s sense of smell was incredibly acute. Lü Qingyan knew Bai Jingxue was there.
“Jingxue! Come out here and see me!” she barked.
Unable to ignore her any longer, Bai Jingxue poked her head out of the sleeve. “Lü Qingyan? What happened to you?”
Lü Qingyan’s tail stopped wagging. “The Demon Lord is allergic to dog fur,” she said dejectedly. “She shaved it all off.”
Bai Jingxue suppressed a twitch of her whiskers and sighed. At least the Demon Lord hadn’t decided to turn her into dog stew. That was surprisingly kind.
Sensing a connection between the cat and the dog, Luo Nianshang suggested they play together. Once she confirmed that the dog wasn’t going to attack, she turned her attention back to the Demon Lord.
In a corner of the room sat two guqin, traditional stringed instruments. The cat and the dog settled beneath one of the instruments.
Bai Jingxue remained quiet, her demeanor as reserved as it had been in her past life. Lü Qingyan, on the other hand, was a whirlwind of energy, circling Bai Jingxue incessantly.
Her cheerful voice filled the air. “Jingxue, you wouldn’t believe it! The day those red bumps appeared on the Demon Lord, I thought I was going to be dog stew! I would never have seen you again!”
Bai Jingxue twitched an ear and shot her a sideways glance. The sight of her hairless body was almost too much to bear. She closed her eyes.
Oblivious to her own appearance, Lü Qingyan, in her excitement, suddenly grabbed Bai Jingxue by the scruff of her neck and leaped onto the guqin platform.
Gently depositing Bai Jingxue onto the platform, she leaped onto the opposite platform.
“Jingxue, watch this! I’ll play you a song!” she declared, her voice filled with pride.
The words were so familiar, so reminiscent of their time together. In their past life, Lü Qingyan would often try to cheer her up with a song.
She had been playing the guqin since childhood. Her music had a way of soothing even the most troubled soul.
Thankfully, the design of the guqin hadn’t changed in this world. Lü Qingyan placed her paws on the strings and paused dramatically.
Bai Jingxue hid a smile. She couldn’t wait to see how she planned to play the instrument with her paws.
The realization dawned on Lü Qingyan a moment later. Her face fell, and she began to swipe at the strings in frustration, creating a cacophony of discordant sounds.
The Demon Lord and Luo Nianshang, in the midst of their polite conversation, turned towards the source of the noise.
Lü Qingyan, consumed by her musical failure, remained oblivious to the Demon Lord’s increasingly dangerous expression.
Finally, she realized she was being watched. But instead of cowering, her frustration seemed to fuel her boldness. She barked at the Demon Lord, her voice sharp.
“What are you looking at? Haven’t you ever seen two birds enjoying a melody together?”
Unfortunately, the Demon Lord only heard a string of angry barks.
Sensing that dog stew was back on the menu, Luo Nianshang quickly produced the poison pearl, hoping to distract the Demon Lord.
“Here is your pearl,” she said calmly. “It sustained some damage when that thief used it to block my attack. I’ve done my best to repair it.”
She pushed the box containing the pearl towards the Demon Lord.
The Demon Lord stared at her impassive face for a moment before accepting the pearl. “Why don’t you stay for a few days, Venerable Luo?” she suggested, a sly smile playing on her lips.
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