Chapter 30: Another Foundling?
Luo Nianshang, known throughout the realm as the Sword Saint, wielded a sword named Nianxue, its fame as formidable as its owner.
Nianxue wasn’t a legendary sword. It had been a simple gift from Luo Nianshang’s master when she had first begun her cultivation journey. Over time, it had become a weapon feared by all demon cultivators.
It was a sword that always drew blood. And now, Luo Nianshang was using this infamous weapon to cut grass.
Well, not ordinary grass. She was harvesting spirit herbs.
In addition to studying the hundred-plus cultivation manuals, Luo Nianshang had also been researching ways to enhance the cat and dog’s physiques. She had spent days in the library, poring over texts on spirit herbs and alchemy, combining her newfound knowledge with her years of experience to refine existing formulas.
However, the required spirit herbs were rare and difficult to harvest. The one she was currently gathering, for example, required a blood-imbued weapon to sever its roots.
Luo Nianshang diligently harvested a large patch of the herb, carefully storing it in a specially crafted jade box before placing it in her spatial ring.
Calling it a “box,” however, was a bit of an understatement. It was more like a jade chest.
Any knowledgeable cultivator, seeing Luo Nianshang using such a large piece of Cold Ice Jade to store what resembled ordinary weeds, would have been horrified.
Luo Nianshang sheathed her sword, preparing to leave, when she detected a faint demonic aura. She concealed herself, her senses alert, and cautiously approached the source.
This area was under the jurisdiction of the righteous realm, far from the Demon Realm. The presence of a demon cultivator here was cause for concern.
She soon located the source of the demonic aura, but what she saw surprised her. It was indeed a demon cultivator, but he was behaving strangely, as if he were incubating an egg.
She frowned, her gaze fixed on the egg. Upon closer inspection, she realized it was a vessel for a dark ritual.
Humans, driven by their desires, often resorted to extreme measures. The infant sacrifice ritual was one example. This egg ritual was another.
Using a lifeless demon beast egg as a vessel, a soul could be transferred into it, allowing for a physical transformation or resurrection.
The resurrected individual would possess the robust physique of a demon beast and the advantage of the heavens’ favor towards human cultivators.
But forbidden techniques were forbidden for a reason. The body retained its own consciousness. A demon beast’s body would influence the mind, twisting the personality, ultimately leading to a conflict between the human and demonic natures, resulting in a monstrous abomination.
Such creatures craved human flesh and blood to suppress their demonic instincts and maintain their sanity.
Luo Nianshang’s eyes narrowed, her hand reaching for her sword. But before she could strike, the demon cultivator collapsed, his body slumping against the egg. He lay still.
Luo Nianshang paused, her sword hovering above its sheath. She sensed no life force emanating from the demon cultivator. He was dead.
She approached cautiously, but in the short time it had taken her to reach him, his flesh had already dissolved, leaving behind only his clothes and a pile of ashes.
“Thump-thump.”
The sound of a heartbeat, strong and steady, emanated from within the giant egg, its rhythm unsettling in the silence of the forest.
Luo Nianshang, however, was undeterred. She stared at the egg.
A thin crack appeared on its surface, as if something was struggling to break free. The creature inside pecked and clawed, finally creating a small hole.
A small, bald head emerged, covered in egg yolk.
Luo Nianshang drew her sword, ready to strike, but the newborn creature, its eyes blinking open, simply stared at her and spoke.
“Mama!”
“Mama, carry me!”
Fu Yuan stared at the adorable little girl, her arms outstretched, demanding to be picked up and carried, her mind reeling.
She had put the baby to sleep the previous night and had fallen asleep herself. When she woke up, the infant had transformed into a toddler, capable of walking and talking.
But she had only slept for a single night. She wasn’t a hibernating animal. Spring hadn’t magically arrived while she slumbered.
She pinched herself, the pain confirming that she wasn’t dreaming.
Had the child been switched? Or was she under some kind of illusion?
She stared at the child, its chubby cheeks and bare bottom on full display, her voice laced with suspicion. “Who are you?”
The child’s lower lip trembled, and it burst into tears. “Mama doesn’t want me anymore!”
Fu Yuan quickly crouched down, her voice soothing. “There, there, don’t cry. But are you really my child?”
The fact that this child could express itself so eloquently was rather terrifying.
But her doubts seemed to wound the child further. Its cries intensified.
Fu Yuan had no choice but to pick up the child and comfort it. “There, there, it’s okay.”
As she rocked the child, a wave of resentment washed over her. Due to her unique physique, she had always avoided romantic entanglements. But a single trip to the secret realm with her ancestor had resulted in unexpected motherhood.
And the child’s parentage was rather complicated.
Its mother was a disciple who had accompanied them to the secret realm.
Fu Yuan, kind and observant, paid attention to all her fellow disciples.
The child’s mother, Lin Xiaoqin, had been different from the other Inner Sect disciples. She had been withdrawn and melancholic, her brow always furrowed with worry.
Fu Yuan had initially tried to offer assistance, but Lin Xiaoqin had refused. Concerned by her unusual behavior, Fu Yuan had followed her, only to witness a rather scandalous scene.
She had fled back to her room, her mind a jumbled mess. She had eventually decided to keep the secret, but she had discreetly investigated the demon beast involved, only to discover that it had vanished.
Lin Xiaoqin was now under sect confinement. She had confessed to her involvement with the demon beast, but she had refused to reveal any further details.
Fu Yuan stared at the child’s face. Its features were strikingly similar to Lin Xiaoqin’s. Could it be that children born from unions between humans and demon beasts had a different growth rate?
She finally managed to soothe the child, putting it to sleep on her own bed, the cradle no longer suitable.
She watched the child sleep, a sigh escaping her lips. “Ancestor Luo is truly irresponsible,” she muttered. “She finds a child, then dumps it on me.”
Despite her complaints, she retrieved two bolts of fabric from her storage pouch, holding them against the child, comparing the colors. She finally settled on a pale blue fabric.
As she began to sew, she remembered the two creatures residing in her ancestor’s chamber. Perhaps they needed clothes too. She retrieved two more bolts of fabric.
By the time Bai Jingxue came to visit, Fu Yuan had finished sewing the clothes.
Seeing the cat and dog peering curiously through the doorway, she smiled. “Come in,” she said. “I have something for you.”
Bai Jingxue flinched, the memory of the red lipstick incident still fresh in her mind.
Lü Qingyan, however, hearing the word “gift,” dashed into the room and settled beside Fu Yuan, her tail wagging eagerly.
Fu Yuan dressed her in a black dog coat, then grabbed Bai Jingxue, who was attempting to flee.
Bai Jingxue, her face a mask of resignation, was adorned with a white cat coat.
A black cat in white, a white dog in black. They resembled a pair of miniature pandas.
Lü Qingyan’s description, however, was far more dramatic. She spun in circles, her voice filled with excitement. “Jingxue, we look like the Black and White Impermanence!”
Bai Jingxue covered her ears with her paws, her head bowed. “This world is insane,” she thought. “Let it burn.”
Fu Yuan, delighted that the dog loved her gift, patted Lü Qingyan’s head, her voice gentle. “You must have suffered so much with the Demon Lord,” she said. “But it’s okay now. You’re safe here.”
The Demon Lord, who had followed Lü Qingyan, perched on the roof, listening to Fu Yuan’s words, nearly burst into the room and shook Fu Yuan by the collar.
“What’s wrong with the Demon Lord? What did she ever do to you? Don’t slander her without evidence!”
But she restrained herself.
Lü Qingyan, sensing the Demon Lord’s presence, glanced nervously at the roof, then shook her head rapidly.
To be fair, the Demon Lord might be a bit eccentric, but she had always provided Lü Qingyan with an abundance of delicious food.
Fu Yuan, assuming the dog had fleas, picked her up and began to inspect her fur.
Bai Jingxue, watching Lü Qingyan enjoying the attention, felt her mood lighten.
She had come to check on the child. She was curious about the offspring of a human and a demon beast. But the child wasn’t in the cradle. It was on the bed.
She leaped onto the bed, her eyes widening.
The child was huge. And its spiritual energy was incredibly pure and potent.
It seemed to be exceptionally gifted. And it was quite beautiful. No wonder the sect hadn’t dealt with it. Or perhaps it was simply Luo Nianshang’s inherent kindness.
The fact that children born from unions between humans and demon beasts were born in human form was something Bai Jingxue envied.
She longed to cultivate, to be able to communicate with Luo Nianshang and the others, to freely access the library without resorting to begging, to finally expose the Demon Lord’s true intentions.
That woman was clearly up to something.
As she silently plotted the Demon Lord’s downfall, she felt a tug on her tail. She looked down to see the sleeping child clutching it tightly in its small hand.
Bai Jingxue’s heart skipped a beat. Children had no concept of strength control. She gently tugged her tail, but the child’s grip only tightened.
She froze, meowing towards Fu Yuan, who came to her rescue.
Once her tail was free, she leaped off the bed, just in time to hear Fu Yuan’s exasperated sigh.
“She wet the bed.”
Fu Yuan quickly dressed the child in clean clothes and changed the sheets.
There was a distinct air of resentment surrounding her, and Bai Jingxue, observing the scene, decided to keep her distance.
“Please, Ancestor Luo, no more foundlings,” Fu Yuan muttered, wiping the sweat from her brow. “This is too much.”
She turned, clapping her hands together, only to find Luo Nianshang standing in the doorway.
Fu Yuan’s heart sank. She wanted to kick herself.
“Greetings, Master,” she said, forcing a smile.
Luo Nianshang nodded, then pulled a small girl from behind her. “Can you stay with Aunt Fu for a while?” she asked the child.
The girl glanced timidly at Fu Yuan, her small hand clutching Luo Nianshang’s robe. “Okay, Mama,” she said softly.
Silence descended upon the room. Only the Demon Lord, hidden in the shadows, gritted her teeth in frustration.
Leave a Reply