Chapter 11: Disorientation
Lü Qingyan jumped to her feet, her voice filled with indignation. “That counts?”
Bai Jingxue slowly retracted her claws, her emerald eyes twinkling with amusement. “What do you think?”
Lü Qingyan, momentarily mesmerized, found herself nodding. “I guess so,” she conceded.
But she couldn’t imagine Luo Nianshang’s reaction if she were to receive the inheritance. It would be hilarious.
The idea of the stoic, aloof female lead practicing dual cultivation techniques was simply too absurd.
Bai Jingxue settled beside Luo Nianshang, observing her closely. Her face was flushed, her skin radiating an unnatural heat.
The spiritual energy surrounding her was chaotic and unstable. Bai Jingxue couldn’t help but worry.
Lü Qingyan, never one to filter her thoughts, sat beside Bai Jingxue, her eyes widening as she took in the scene. “They look like they’ve been drugged!” she exclaimed.
Bai Jingxue shot her a withering glance and shook her head.
She tried to recall the relevant passage from the novel, but all that came to mind was a barrage of steamy imagery. She grimaced, pushing those thoughts away.
As she stewed in her frustration, the color returned to Luo Nianshang and the Demon Lord’s faces. Their breathing evened out, but the air grew thick with a palpable sense of anger.
Suddenly, their eyes snapped open. They stared at each other for a moment, then scrambled to their feet, putting as much distance between them as possible.
Luo Nianshang’s ears were bright red, but the temperature in the chamber plummeted as her anger intensified. Frost crept across the walls.
The Demon Lord clutched her chest, gagging, but she had long since surpassed the need for food. There was nothing to expel.
The cat and dog, caught in the crossfire, exchanged confused looks.
What on earth had happened?
Luo Nianshang, seeing the Demon Lord’s distress, gripped her sword, her knuckles white. Her rage unleashed a blizzard within the chamber, icy winds swirling around them.
Bai Jingxue dug her claws into the ground to avoid being swept away. Lü Qingyan, however, wasn’t so lucky.
Unable to bear it, Bai Jingxue extended a paw, hooking it onto Lü Qingyan’s collar. She was grateful for her enhanced strength. Otherwise, her paw would have been ripped off.
The Demon Lord, ignoring the chaos, continued to gag, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. Seeing Luo Nianshang’s fury brought a perverse sense of satisfaction.
The icy winds whipped at her clothes, clinging to her body, revealing her curves. The sight of Luo Nianshang’s anger only fueled her amusement.
“It was just a dream, Venerable One,” she chuckled. “Surely, you’re not going to hold me accountable for that?”
A gust of wind, sharp as a blade, sliced through the air, severing a lock of the Demon Lord’s hair. The black strands landed on the frost-covered ground, then scattered in the wind.
The Demon Lord wiped at the cut on her cheek, her laughter fading. She stared at Luo Nianshang’s flushed ears, a knowing smile playing on her lips.
Finally, the blizzard subsided. The cat and dog settled down, their black and white fur a stark contrast against the snow-covered ground.
Lü Qingyan, her concern outweighing her bewilderment, inspected Bai Jingxue’s paw. “Are you hurt?” she asked anxiously. “Does it hurt?”
Bai Jingxue tucked her paws beneath her body, her voice flat. “I’m fine.”
Lü Qingyan didn’t believe her. She knew Bai Jingxue well enough to recognize her stubborn refusal to admit weakness.
Before she could press further, the Demon Lord scooped her up and, in a blink, they were airborne.
The secret realm was collapsing. The Demon Lord was fleeing, her parting words echoing in their ears.
“Until next time, Venerable One. Don’t forget about me!”
Bai Jingxue stared at Luo Nianshang, her eyes narrowed. She was dying to know what had happened, but it was clear that the two women were now even more at odds.
Perhaps it was for the best. It would make it harder for Lü Qingyan to pester her.
She was suddenly lifted into the air, enveloped in a cool embrace.
“I’m sorry,” Luo Nianshang said, her voice filled with remorse. “I almost got you killed.”
Bai Jingxue meowed, but her words were lost on Luo Nianshang.
Luo Nianshang patted her head and flew towards the designated meeting point.
But they were too late. The exit had been sealed by a chaotic surge of spiritual energy. The disciples, recognizing the danger, had resigned themselves to their fate.
But when they saw a white figure approaching from the sky, a flicker of hope ignited in their eyes.
“Ancestor!”
“Ancestor, the secret realm is collapsing!”
Luo Nianshang surveyed the chaotic scene. Without the inheritance, the laws governing this pocket dimension were unraveling.
Bai Jingxue peeked out from Luo Nianshang’s arms, studying her expression.
Something was off. Luo Nianshang was still angry.
As if to confirm her suspicions, Luo Nianshang raised her sword, cleaving the collapsing secret realm in two. The space around them shattered, dissolving into dust.
The remnants of the secret realm crumbled away, revealing the desolate landscape beyond. Standing amidst the ruins, her robes billowing in the wind, was the Demon Lord.
She stood before a group of demon cultivators, her gaze fixed on Luo Nianshang.
Lü Qingyan, spotting the black cat in Luo Nianshang’s arms, struggled to break free from the Demon Lord’s grasp, but her efforts were futile.
Luo Nianshang, having vented her anger with that single, devastating strike, regarded the Demon Lord with a cold, calculating gaze.
Ignoring her disciples, she vanished.
The moment they returned to her chamber, Luo Nianshang collapsed, a trickle of blood, tinged with black, staining her lips.
Bai Jingxue, horrified, scrambled out from beneath her, meowing frantically.
Luo Nianshang wiped the blood away, her movements shaky as she struggled to her feet. “I’m sorry,” she said, forcing a smile. “Did I crush you?”
Bai Jingxue shook her head. Luo Nianshang had shielded her during their fall. She was unharmed.
She needed to know what had happened. Luo Nianshang hadn’t been injured in the secret realm. Could it have been the dream?
What had she seen?
Luo Nianshang massaged her temples, a wave of exhaustion washing over her. It had been so long, she had thought her inner demons were gone.
She let out a bitter laugh. “A fateful encounter,” she murmured, her voice laced with irony.
Back in the Demon Palace, the Demon Lord had locked herself and the dog in her chamber.
Lü Qingyan paced by the door, ready to bolt the moment it opened.
But the Demon Lord was acting strangely. She had always been prone to smiling, but those smiles had been a facade, a mask concealing her true emotions. Now, however, she sat before her mirror, brushing her hair, a genuine smile gracing her lips.
She seemed almost giddy.
Each time the Demon Lord smiled, Lü Qingyan flinched. She observed her owner cautiously, her instincts screaming that something was wrong.
Fear gnawed at her. She retreated to her bed.
Behind her luxurious dog bed stood a jade cabinet, its shelves adorned with trinkets. A small portrait hung on the wall above it.
The Demon Lord propped her chin on her hand, her gaze fixed on the portrait.
Lü Qingyan, eager to escape her owner’s line of sight, crept towards the other side of the room.
Curiosity got the better of her, and she glanced at the portrait. She gasped, covering her mouth with a paw.
The woman in the portrait looked exactly like Luo Nianshang.
Lü Qingyan’s mind reeled. She was starting to think she wasn’t smart enough to handle this situation. She decided to file this information away and ask Bai Jingxue to analyze it later.
The Demon Lord stared at the portrait, her smile fading as her giddiness subsided. A sense of emptiness washed over her, as if a part of her had been hollowed out.
Her gaze darted around the room, searching for the dog. Spotting Lü Qingyan cowering beneath the bed, she smiled again.
Lü Qingyan, feeling her gaze upon her, scrambled further under the bed, only to be yanked out, her yelps echoing through the chamber.
The Demon Lord stared at the struggling dog in her arms, her expression a mixture of sadness and self-pity. “Am I that repulsive?” she murmured.
She seemed fragile, like a broken doll.
Lü Qingyan stopped struggling, letting out a soft whimper. “What’s wrong?” she seemed to ask.
***
Back in Luo Nianshang’s chamber, the scent of blood had been cleansed with a purifying spell. Luo Nianshang stroked the cat’s head, forcing a smile. “Don’t worry, I’m fine.”
Unable to focus on her cultivation, she played with the cat for a while, then realized that her feline companion was rather aloof, content to observe her from the safety of the futon.
No matter how much she tried to engage her, the cat remained unresponsive, occasionally even shooting her a disdainful look.
Luo Nianshang chuckled, feeling a bit dejected. She scooped up the cat and resumed her petting session.
She coughed, a harsh, grating sound.
Bai Jingxue recoiled, repulsed by the scent that filled the air. She leaped from Luo Nianshang’s lap, her eyes wide with concern.
Luo Nianshang covered her face with a hand, then thought better of it. The cat wouldn’t be frightened. She lowered her hand.
Bai Jingxue’s pupils constricted. Luo Nianshang’s appearance was truly horrifying.
Her beautiful, ethereal face was covered in a network of red veins, like a spiderweb etched into her skin. Her eyes were wide, the whites stained black, as if a statue of a deity had been defiled with blood.
Luo Nianshang sat in meditation, her breathing slow and deep. Gradually, the redness faded from her face, her features returning to normal.
She opened her eyes and apologized, her voice strained. “I’m sorry,” she said, forcing a smile. “It’s not a pleasant sight.”
Bai Jingxue padded over and rubbed her head against Luo Nianshang’s knee, then leaped onto her lap and meowed softly.
“Are you comforting me?” Luo Nianshang asked, her voice filled with wonder.
“Meow.”
“Thank you.”
Luo Nianshang shook her head, her gaze drifting around the empty chamber.
She remembered the Demon Lord’s words, spoken in a moment of frustration.
No matter how powerful she was, she couldn’t save everyone.
Doubt, a feeling she hadn’t experienced in years, crept into her heart. And once again, there was no one to offer guidance or reassurance. But she had a cat, a silent companion who wouldn’t judge her.
“Meow?”
Luo Nianshang snapped out of her thoughts, forcing a smile. She wasn’t sure if she was addressing the cat or herself. “Do you think all demon cultivators are inherently evil?”
“Meow?”
What was wrong with the female lead? Why was she pondering such things?
Bai Jingxue didn’t understand.
But based on the limited information from the novel, she knew that not all demon cultivators were villains, and not all righteous cultivators were saints.
The male lead, despite his protagonist status, was a perfect example of this. He was a truly despicable person.
Some things were just too complex to categorize.
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