Chapter 24: Borrow Again?
With Luo Nianshang away from the Ejian Sect, the pile of mangled cutting boards outside her chamber had ceased to grow. Fu Yuan had even repurposed some of them as firewood for her cooking.
Bai Jingxue sat atop the pile, diligently grooming herself. Lü Qingyan soon joined her.
Fu Yuan was absent today. Ever since she had revealed the truth about the infant’s parentage, she had been frequently summoned by the sect leader and the Elders.
The absence of the two humans who could speak delighted the Demon Lord. She intended to milk her “illness” for a while longer, but being confined to bed was getting tiresome.
She tossed aside the medicinal concoction Fu Yuan had brewed, then sauntered out of the chamber, her gaze falling upon the cat.
“Little kitty,” she purred, “why are you staring at me?”
Bai Jingxue, pausing in her grooming session, wondered if her ears were malfunctioning or if the Demon Lord had finally lost her mind.
She stared at the Demon Lord for a moment, then resumed her grooming, treating her as if she were invisible.
Despite being ignored, the Demon Lord wasn’t offended. She knew this cat was intelligent. She was simply looking for a distraction.
However, no matter what she said, the cat continued to groom itself with an air of aloof indifference. After a few attempts, she pouted, finding the game rather dull. She stretched and settled down where Luo Nianshang usually practiced her disastrous knife skills.
Seeing that the Demon Lord was a safe distance away, Lü Qingyan whispered, “She has too much free time. Shouldn’t she have a job or something?”
Bai Jingxue paused in her grooming, her emerald eyes narrowed. “You have even more free time,” she retorted. “It’s snowing. Why don’t you go pull a sled? Maybe it’ll stop you from clinging to me all the time.”
Lü Qingyan slumped to the ground, her ears drooping. “There are no sleds in this world,” she mumbled.
The Demon Lord, observing the close bond between the cat and dog, finally understood why the dog kept running away. But the sight of a cat and dog getting along was rather peculiar.
It would be even more entertaining if they could talk.
Intrigued, she crossed her legs, a mischievous smile spreading across her lips. “Do you want to cultivate?” she asked.
Bai Jingxue, who had been pretending to sleep, opened her eyes, her gaze fixed on the Demon Lord.
Seeing her interest, the Demon Lord pressed her advantage. “I have some connections in the Demon Realm,” she said. “How about a little trip?”
Bai Jingxue’s tail twitched, but then she remembered that Luo Nianshang had already promised to find a cultivation method for her. There was no need to risk another adventure with the Demon Lord.
And she was a lazy cat.
She closed her eyes again, feigning sleep.
The Demon Lord’s smile vanished.
Lü Qingyan, observing the scene, glanced nervously between the seemingly sleeping cat and the Demon Lord’s darkening expression. She quickly moved, shielding Bai Jingxue with her body.
The Demon Lord chuckled, amused by the dog’s loyalty. She wouldn’t harm the cat, not when Luo Nianshang was so fond of it.
But being stuck here, staring at a cat and a dog, was incredibly boring. She needed an outing.
She reached out, grabbing the cat with one hand and the dog with the other, her face splitting into a bright, cheerful smile. “Let’s go!” she declared.
Before they could protest, the scenery blurred, and they were elsewhere.
Bai Jingxue recognized the location. It was the grassy plains at the edge of the Demon Realm where they had encountered the rabbit demons.
Resistance was futile. Bai Jingxue relaxed, her body going limp.
The Demon Lord, no longer needing to maintain her disguise, resumed her true appearance.
She took a deep breath, her voice laced with boredom. “I don’t understand how Luo Nianshang can stand being cooped up in one place all the time.”
Seeing that the cat and dog were behaving, she cradled them in her arms.
Unlike Luo Nianshang, the Demon Lord’s scent was strong, a blend of medicinal herbs and something uniquely her own. It wasn’t unpleasant.
Bai Jingxue, noticing Lü Qingyan whimpering softly, assumed she had an upset stomach. “What’s wrong?” she asked, her voice laced with concern.
Lü Qingyan looked up at her, her eyes filled with sadness. “Every time I tried to come find you, she would drag me back here,” she said.
So she was reminiscing about her past traumas. Bai Jingxue, seeing that she wasn’t physically ill, ignored her.
Perhaps because she knew the cat and dog couldn’t understand her, the Demon Lord talked incessantly.
“If you could transform,” she said, “I’d make you my left envoy.”
Lü Qingyan barked twice, indicating her refusal. She had no desire for a job.
The Demon Lord, unable to understand her, but sensing her displeasure, chuckled. “What? You think the position of left envoy isn’t good enough for you? How about becoming the Demon Lord?”
She actually considered this for a moment, then laughed. “I’ve been wanting to quit for a while now,” she said. “You can have the job.”
Lü Qingyan was starting to think the Demon Lord had gone mad from her confinement. She stared at her, her expression a mixture of fear and bewilderment, then whispered to Bai Jingxue, “Jingxue, look at her.”
Bai Jingxue closed her eyes, refusing to look.
But she couldn’t help but imagine Lü Qingyan as the Demon Lord.
Considering the dog’s past exploits, she would probably transform the Demon Realm into a place even more righteous than the righteous realm.
The image was too beautiful. She quickly banished it from her mind.
The Demon Lord, her attempts at conversation failing, fell silent. They had reached the location where the Snake King had been slain.
The Snake King’s remains were gone, and the snake demon clan had chosen a new leader. However, this new leader was significantly weaker.
A green snake slithered down from a tree, transforming into a beautiful woman. Green scales adorned her cheeks, and her vertical pupils were filled with fear as she addressed the Demon Lord.
“Forgive my lack of a proper welcome, Your Excellency,” she said, her voice trembling. “I was unaware of your arrival.”
The Demon Lord glanced at her, her voice casual. “Nascent Soul peak realm,” she observed. “What’s your name?”
The new Snake King flinched, her voice respectful. “Zhu Ye, Your Excellency.”
The Demon Lord had asked out of habit. She wasn’t really interested. “Oh,” she said, her tone dismissive.
Zhu Ye wiped the sweat from her brow, her gaze drawn to the cat and dog nestled in the Demon Lord’s arms.
Realizing she had been distracted, she quickly tried to distance herself and her clan from the previous Snake King. “We are grateful for your assistance in eliminating the previous Snake King, Your Excellency,” she said. “He hoarded power, hindering the growth of our clan. If it weren’t for you…”
The Demon Lord frowned, cutting her off. “Why thank me?” she asked, her voice laced with amusement. “It was the Sword Saint who killed him. You should be thanking her.”
Zhu Ye stammered, unsure of how to respond.
The Demon Lord, gazing at the clear blue sky, scoffed. “Don’t worry, I won’t hold you accountable for his actions,” she said. “It’s pointless to waste my time on insignificant creatures like you.”
She knew what the aspiring dragon had wanted. She reached for the object hanging from her neck, but the familiar weight of her poison pearl was missing.
In its place was a bell. She had stored the pearl in her spatial ring.
She sighed. The Snake King had attempted to trade his envoy’s life for the poison pearl, which could have helped him transform into a flood dragon. But the Demon Lord didn’t care about the lives of her subordinates. She wouldn’t hesitate to sacrifice them all if it benefited her.
But the bell still angered her. She had assumed it was a rare gift, bestowed only upon those closest to Luo Nianshang. But it seemed Luo Nianshang handed them out like candy.
She would normally have tossed the bell aside, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. She couldn’t even bear to remove it.
She snorted, startling Zhu Ye, who collapsed to the ground, her legs trembling.
The Demon Lord, snapping out of her thoughts, chuckled, amused by the demon beast’s fear. She extended a hand, pulling Zhu Ye to her feet. “What a scaredy-cat,” she said.
Zhu Ye stared at her, her cheeks flushing.
The cat and dog, nestled in the Demon Lord’s arms, exchanged a worried glance.
“Jingxue, something’s not right,” Lü Qingyan whispered.
Bai Jingxue nodded. She agreed. It felt like the second female lead was stealing the male lead’s harem.
Was Zhu Ye about to build her own harem?
The image was too beautiful to contemplate. Would this lead to world peace?
Bai Jingxue would gladly choose world peace over another harem for the male lead. This world was already upside down. She might as well embrace the chaos.
The Demon Lord departed, her movements swift, leaving Zhu Ye staring after her, her heart clearly smitten.
“I could have asked that little earthworm for a cultivation method,” the Demon Lord said, “but I’m going to get you the best.”
Lü Qingyan, unable to contain her indignation, shot the Demon Lord a withering glance. “She’s in love with her, and the Demon Lord just called her an earthworm,” she muttered. “What a jerk!”
Bai Jingxue, amused by the dog’s righteous anger, nudged her tail against Lü Qingyan’s, offering silent comfort.
A memory surfaced, and she said, her voice dry, “Aren’t you describing yourself?”
Lü Qingyan tilted her head, confused. “Huh?”
Bai Jingxue, seeing her bewilderment, looked away. “Never mind.”
The Demon Lord, using a teleportation technique, transported them from the forest to the seashore.
A palace, its white walls and golden roof gleaming in the sunlight, stood upon a giant clamshell, surrounded by an oppressive aura of demonic energy.
“Look, the Dragon Palace,” the Demon Lord said excitedly. “I’ll show you a real dragon.”
The dragon clan was the royal family of the Demon Realm. Their cultivation methods were undoubtedly the best. She was eager to “borrow” a few manuals from the Dragon King.
But her excitement faded as she noticed something amiss. Wasn’t the Dragon Palace usually submerged? Why was it above water?
Before she could ponder this further, the water beneath them churned, and a dragon head cautiously emerged.
The Demon Lord chuckled. “Well, this is convenient.”
She flew down, her voice carrying across the water. “Old Dragon King, I’m here to borrow something!”
The Dragon King, his head now fully emerged, wailed, “Borrow again? What have I done to deserve this?”
The Demon Lord frowned, confused. She was sure this was her first time borrowing from him.
Bai Jingxue stared at the distraught Dragon King, exchanging a puzzled look with Lü Qingyan.
“Jingxue,” Lü Qingyan whispered, her tail twitching nervously, “does he look injured to you?”
Bai Jingxue understood instantly. She shook her head, sighing. “The Dragon King’s personality seems to be consistent with the novel,” she said.
She glanced at the Dragon Palace nestled within the clamshell. A young woman, clad in silver armor, stood at the edge of the shell. Her pink hair and the horns protruding from her forehead marked her as a dragon.
She seemed to sense Bai Jingxue’s gaze. She turned, meeting the cat’s eyes, and smiled.
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