Chapter 23: The Bells
If Bai Jingxue hadn’t witnessed it with her own eyes, she would never have believed that the demon cultivators in this world were so bored that they resorted to stealing cats and dogs.
She tried to burn through the net trapping them with her fire breath, but it was no use. It only piqued the interest of the demon cultivator who had captured them.
A beautiful face suddenly appeared before them, but Bai Jingxue was in no mood to appreciate its beauty. This was the demon cultivator who had caught them. And there was something familiar about her.
As Bai Jingxue pondered this, Lü Qingyan began to bark furiously. “Left Envoy? Why did you capture me?”
The Demon Lord rarely handled matters personally. She delegated most tasks to her left and right envoys. The left envoy was responsible for gathering intelligence and making decisions, while the right envoy commanded the demon soldiers.
Bai Jingxue finally remembered. This was the woman who had been lying injured on the ground in the Demon Realm, her appearance identical to the one before them. But she had fled before Luo Nianshang could see her.
Had the Demon Lord discovered something? Was that why she had ordered their capture? But if that were the case, why would she have her envoy waiting at the foot of the mountain?
The demon cultivator holding the net was sweating, his arms straining under the weight of the struggling dog. The net was becoming increasingly heavy, almost too heavy for him to hold.
“Left Envoy,” he said, his voice strained, “should we dispose of them here?”
Lü Qingyan, hearing those words, quickly expanded her body, shielding Bai Jingxue beneath her belly. She snarled, baring her teeth, her normally adorable face transformed into a menacing mask.
Bai Jingxue, touched by the dog’s protective instincts, poked her head out from beneath Lü Qingyan’s belly, only to be pushed back down.
She gave up, whispering, “Can you still teleport?”
Lü Qingyan’s ears drooped. “No,” she said sadly. “This net is special. It’s designed to block my powers.”
The bell around Bai Jingxue’s neck vibrated, and she felt a surge of relief. She had forgotten about the bell. But would it be enough?
The demon cultivator’s attire adhered to the tradition of revealing clothing favored by her kind. Even in this snowy weather, she was dressed in what resembled a bikini. A scar marred her brow, and her lips were painted a bright red.
She stood in the snow, staring at the two creatures trapped in the net, her eyes narrowing with jealousy.
Lü Qingyan recognized that look. In their past life, she had been pursued by countless admirers. After she had announced her relationship with Bai Jingxue, many had directed that same jealous gaze at Bai Jingxue.
But surely, that wasn’t possible now. She was a dog! What kind of person would be jealous of a dog? That would be insane.
Having convinced herself that it was impossible, Lü Qingyan stared back at the left envoy, her expression a mixture of confusion and amusement.
The left envoy chuckled. “Captured so easily? These pathetic creatures can’t possibly be the chosen ones. That Ouyang fellow is a liar.”
Lü Qingyan had no idea what she was talking about. She nudged Bai Jingxue further beneath her belly.
The demon cultivator holding the net, hearing those words, offered a suggestion. “I never trusted that boy,” he said. “Perhaps we should release them. That dog belongs to our Lord. What if she finds out?”
Lü Qingyan’s tail wagged excitedly. “That’s right!” she barked. “Qiu Yingxi is right here on the mountain! She’ll break your legs!”
Unfortunately, the left envoy’s face contorted with rage, her voice laced with bitterness.
“I’m not afraid of her!” she spat. “She’s just a nobody with a mysterious past. I was the left envoy before she was even born!”
A gust of wind swept through the area, and Lü Qingyan realized something was wrong. This envoy wasn’t loyal.
The demon cultivator holding the net was stunned by her words, but he didn’t have time to react.
A sweet, cloying scent filled the air. “Hold your breath!” Bai Jingxue hissed, her warning coming just in time.
The demon cultivator collapsed, blood trickling from his eyes and ears. He convulsed for a moment, then lay still.
Bai Jingxue and Lü Qingyan were free, but the net still trapped them.
Seeing Lü Qingyan about to bite at the net, Bai Jingxue quickly said, “Run! Don’t try to remove the net!”
Lü Qingyan understood. She grabbed Bai Jingxue’s collar with her teeth and took off running, her powerful legs carrying them through the snow.
The left envoy, twirling a strand of hair around her finger, followed at a leisurely pace.
The familiar sensation of being dragged along by the neck filled Bai Jingxue with annoyance, but the situation was too urgent to dwell on such trivialities.
They headed towards the mountain, towards the safety of the Ejian Sect, its disciples and protective barriers. Surely, a single demon cultivator wouldn’t dare to attack the sect directly.
Well, that wasn’t entirely true. The most powerful being in the sect was currently sharing her chamber with a demon cultivator who had infiltrated the sect without any resistance.
The familiar hum of the Ejian Sect’s protective barrier reached Bai Jingxue’s ears, and she felt a surge of relief. But her relief was short-lived. Her vision tilted, the ground rushing towards her.
Lü Qingyan, sensing the shift in weight, used her front paws to shield Bai Jingxue from the impact.
The net trapping them had suddenly become incredibly heavy, dragging them down. Lü Qingyan struggled to stand, but it was no use.
Footsteps approached, and despair washed over Lü Qingyan. She nudged Bai Jingxue further beneath her belly, her voice hushed. “She’ll kill me first,” she whispered. “You’re the smart one. Find a way to escape and get help.”
Bai Jingxue couldn’t see what was happening, but she could feel Lü Qingyan trembling, her heart pounding with fear.
The bell around her neck glowed faintly. She hadn’t figured out how to use it before, but the Demon Lord had provided a demonstration. The problem was, she had removed the bell from her neck, and Lü Qingyan was pinning her down.
The left envoy noticed the dog’s protective gesture, and she chuckled. “Touchingly loyal, aren’t they?” she said, her voice laced with mockery. “But don’t worry, you’ll both die together.”
Lü Qingyan glared at her, longing to bite her, but she was trapped, helpless.
The novel had offered little information about this left envoy. She had been a minor character, another insignificant member of the male lead’s harem. But even if Bai Jingxue had known more about her, it wouldn’t have mattered. The left envoy had clearly come prepared.
And they were just pets.
“Qingyan, lift your body slightly.”
Lü Qingyan’s menacing expression softened, and she blinked, confused. Then, her face lit up with joy. “Jingxue, you said my name!” she exclaimed. “I can die happy now!”
Facing imminent death, Lü Qingyan’s priorities were still baffling. Bai Jingxue, struggling to reach the bell, nearly choked on her own frustration.
She was both exasperated and amused. “Alright, alright,” she said, her voice calm. “Just lift your body a bit. I need to call for help.”
Lü Qingyan, glancing nervously at the left envoy, who was now radiating a manic energy, cautiously shifted her weight, the simple movement draining her strength.
The threat posed by a cat and a dog seemed insignificant now. The left envoy was no longer in a hurry to kill them.
She stared at the dog’s white fur, a strange smile curving her lips. “Do you want to know why I’m going to kill you?” she asked.
Lü Qingyan glared at her. “Because you’re crazy!” she barked.
Unfortunately, the left envoy didn’t understand. She seemed to have found an outlet for her pent-up frustration, launching into a rambling monologue.
She had been twirling a strand of hair around her finger, but suddenly, she yanked it out, her expression filled with self-loathing.
Lü Qingyan flinched, horrified by the self-inflicted pain. But what she said next was even more shocking.
“You’re just a useless dog,” she spat, her voice laced with bitterness. “Yet, she went out of her way to find you when you ran away. But me? I’m her left envoy! She doesn’t care if I live or die! What am I to her?”
Lü Qingyan, stunned by her outburst, tilted her head. “A simp?” she suggested.
Bai Jingxue, meanwhile, was still struggling with the bell. She was strong, but she couldn’t crush it. How had the Demon Lord done it so easily?
Perhaps she needed to grip it?
She tried using her claws, but they were too blunt. Maybe two paws?
She tried again, but the bell remained unscathed.
Should she test its defensive capabilities? But this woman was the Demon Lord’s left envoy. What if the bell wasn’t strong enough?
She sighed, resuming her attempts to crush the bell.
The left envoy continued her rant, as if she had been afflicted by the “villain monologue” curse.
“Why? Why doesn’t she even look at me? What does Qiu Yingxi have that I don’t?”
Lü Qingyan swallowed nervously, whispering to Bai Jingxue, “This sounds like a bad romance drama. Isn’t she supposed to be obsessed with the male lead?”
Bai Jingxue, focused on the task at hand, ignored her. Lü Qingyan, undeterred, continued her analysis. “So she’s not a dog-loving pervert,” she muttered. “She’s jealous of me because she’s in love with the Demon Lord.”
Bai Jingxue, her paws raw from her efforts, the bell still intact, gave up. She took the bell in her mouth and bit down hard.
It shattered.
Luo Nianshang, who had been diligently practicing her culinary skills, vanished from her chamber, the cleaver still clutched in her hand. The next moment, she appeared behind the left envoy.
Lü Qingyan, her savior having arrived, wagged her tail excitedly, but the left envoy, lost in her own emotional turmoil, was oblivious to the danger.
“Qiu Yingxi! Qiu Yingxi!” she screamed, her voice laced with rage. “She betrayed me! I’ll take away everything she cares about!”
She paused, her gaze fixing on the dog trapped in the net. “Starting with you,” she hissed.
Luo Nianshang, seeing the cat’s head peeking out from beneath the dog’s belly, her eyes narrowed. She tapped the left envoy’s shoulder, and the woman instantly transformed into a statue of ice, her menacing expression frozen in time.
With a swift chop of her cleaver, Luo Nianshang sliced through the net, freeing the cat and dog. She scooped them up into her arms.
Lü Qingyan quickly shrunk her body, not wanting to burden Luo Nianshang.
Staring at the frozen left envoy, Lü Qingyan couldn’t contain her excitement. “You’re amazing, Luo Nianshang!” she exclaimed.
Luo Nianshang, however, had overheard the left envoy’s rant. Her expression was grim. “That shameless woman,” she muttered under her breath.
Meanwhile, back in her chamber, the Demon Lord was enjoying a bowl of ginseng soup, a smug smile on her face. “Luo Nianshang must be thinking about me,” she thought.
She picked up the bell Luo Nianshang had given her, admiring it for a moment before tucking it safely into her sleeve.
A moment later, Luo Nianshang returned, the cat and dog in her arms.
The Demon Lord’s eyes lit up. “Mas… huh?”
Her confusion was understandable. Both the cat and the dog now had bells hanging from their collars.
Lü Qingyan, fascinated by her new accessory, batted at it playfully. “Jingxue,” she said, “doesn’t this look like a smartwatch?”
Bai Jingxue stared at her for a moment, then replied dryly, “Have you ever seen a smartwatch that requires a blood sacrifice to activate?”
And apparently, these things were mass-produced.
***
左使 (Zuo shi) – Left Envoy:
- “左” (zuo) means “left”
- “使” (shi) means “envoy” or “emissary”
右使 (You shi) – Right Envoy:
- “右” (you) means “right”
- “使” (shi) means “envoy” or “emissary”
I’ve chosen to translate 左使 (Zuo shi) and 右使 (You shi) as ‘Left Envoy’ and ‘Right Envoy’ respectively. These terms are used in the original text in a way that makes it unclear whether they are personal names or titles, at least for now.
Leave a Reply