Chapter 32: Zhu Chi
Under the dual pressure of Luo Nianshang and the Demon Lord’s tutelage, the cat and dog’s cultivation progressed rapidly.
Lü Qingyan, always a cheerful creature, was even more delighted now. She had struggled academically in her past life, often receiving scoldings from her teachers and being sent to stand outside the classroom as punishment.
But now, Luo Nianshang frequently praised her, her hand resting gently on Lü Qingyan’s head. Lü Qingyan had been fixated on transforming back into a human, and this encouragement only fueled her determination.
Fu Yuan hadn’t visited the mountain to cook for several days. The two children in her care had come down with a fever, leaving her exhausted and sleep-deprived. Dark circles now adorned her usually bright eyes.
Bai Jingxue, observing Fu Yuan’s depleted state, couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy.
Raising children was clearly a tiring endeavor.
She missed Fu Yuan’s cooking. Although they had bigu pills, which suppressed hunger, they weren’t exactly delicious.
Lü Qingyan, her tail wagging happily, dashed over to Fu Yuan.
Fu Yuan, seeing the adorable dog, seemed to regain some of her energy. She crouched down, petting Lü Qingyan’s head, her brow furrowing as she noticed the tangles forming in her fur.
“I’ll brush your fur after I finish cooking,” she promised.
Lü Qingyan’s tail wagged even faster.
Fu Yuan set the dog down and entered the makeshift kitchen. The rhythmic sound of chopping vegetables soon filled the air.
Luo Nianshang, startled awake by the noise, opened her eyes, then turned to the Demon Lord, who was still lounging in bed. “You’ve been lying down for too long,” she said. “You should get up and walk around.”
The Demon Lord, a mischievous glint in her eyes, readily agreed.
But the moment she got out of bed, she swayed, pretending to faint, hoping to fall gracefully into Luo Nianshang’s arms. Luo Nianshang, however, caught her with one hand, steadying her.
The Demon Lord, disappointed but undeterred, said, her voice filled with remorse, “I’m sorry, Master.”
Luo Nianshang frowned. “It’s fine.”
Inwardly, however, she was puzzled. Were young disciples so frail these days?
Although many of her memories had faded, she remembered a mission early in her cultivation journey where she had broken both her legs and arms, as well as several ribs. But she had fully recovered within a week.
Well, everyone was different.
Luo Nianshang, seeing her disciple’s apparent weakness, gently guided her back to bed.
She then went to check on the cat and dog’s cultivation progress. Seeing how quickly they were advancing, she nodded in approval.
A spring breeze swept through the valley, the snow melting, the air turning even colder.
Green shoots were beginning to emerge beneath the thinning layer of snow. Luo Nianshang stared at them for a long time, lost in thought.
Her life had slowed down, allowing her to appreciate the small details.
But this newfound chaos wasn’t unpleasant. She had come to realize that she preferred being surrounded by others.
She made a decision that would have made the Demon Lord jump for joy.
She was going to recruit two more disciples, companions for her beloved Hong Ying.
She was convinced this was the perfect solution. Her disciple would be thrilled.
Fu Yuan soon finished cooking, preparing three dishes and a soup, with two different flavor profiles.
The Demon Lord loved spicy food, while Luo Nianshang preferred blander flavors. The cat favored fish, while the dog loved chicken legs.
Worried that the bones might choke the cat and dog, Fu Yuan, after serving Luo Nianshang and her disciple, sat at the table, diligently removing the bones from the fish and chicken.
When she finished, she noticed Luo Nianshang watching her. She felt a surge of anxiety. “Is there anything else I can do for you, Master?” she asked.
Luo Nianshang looked away. “No,” she said, her voice flat.
Fu Yuan chuckled nervously. “Then I’ll go feed them.”
Luo Nianshang nodded.
Fu Yuan placed the prepared food before the cat and dog, watching them eat with a smile, then collected the bowls.
As she left, Lü Qingyan sighed dramatically. “Such a kind soul, destined to be ruined by the male lead,” she lamented. “What a tragedy.”
Bai Jingxue agreed, but the events of the novel hadn’t transpired yet.
Speaking of the male lead, he had been suspiciously absent. She wondered if he was dead. She hoped he was dead.
If he wasn’t dead, then she would settle for castration.
She silently prayed, offering her most beloved dried fish as a sacrifice.
A woman, clad in black, her hair white as snow, a white veil covering her eyes, a red mole adorning her forehead, approached the mountain path.
Luo Nianshang, who had been trying to convince Fu Yuan to deliver a meal to the “bedridden” Demon Lord, saw the blind woman and seized the opportunity to delegate the task.
“Why are you here?” she asked, approaching the woman.
The blind woman smiled. “I heard you had taken on a disciple,” she said. “I wanted to see for myself. And I have some news for you.”
Luo Nianshang couldn’t help but scold her. “The journey here is long and arduous,” she said. “You’re not well. Why didn’t you bring a disciple to escort you?”
The woman chuckled. “I might be blind, but I’m not helpless.”
Bai Jingxue, seeing the woman, instantly recognized her from the novel.
She was another member of the male lead’s harem. She and Luo Nianshang had become acquainted through a rather unpleasant encounter, but the woman had still had her sight back then.
Not far from the Ejian Sect was a sect specializing in sound cultivation, known as the Spring Snow Sect. This woman was its current leader, Zhu Chi.
She had become the sect leader at a young age, her talent undeniable. However, her youth and inexperience had made her somewhat arrogant.
There had been a conflict between disciples of the Ejian Sect and the Spring Snow Sect. Zhu Chi, fiercely protective of her disciples, had stormed the Ejian Sect, seeking retribution. The Ejian Sect leader would have dealt with her swiftly, but unfortunately for her, Luo Nianshang had just emerged from seclusion.
Zhu Chi had been severely injured by a single strike from Luo Nianshang’s sword. The incident had become a running joke in the cultivation world.
Zhu Chi had returned to the Ejian Sect on multiple occasions, seeking to redeem herself, but Luo Nianshang had been in seclusion. She had eventually come to the painful realization that she couldn’t even defeat the Ejian Sect leader.
So she had transformed herself into Luo Nianshang’s biggest fan.
In the original story, when Zhu Chi had learned of Luo Nianshang’s devotion to the male lead, she had confronted him, only to fall victim to his manipulations.
Lü Qingyan, recognizing Zhu Chi, sighed. “Another victim of the male lead’s charm,” she said.
Bai Jingxue disagreed. She believed that fate was already changing.
Lü Qingyan, sensing a new topic of conversation, continued, her voice filled with excitement. “I’d love to have a guqin duel with her,” she said. “But I can’t play right now.”
Bai Jingxue appreciated such refined pursuits, but she couldn’t participate. She watched as Luo Nianshang and Zhu Chi vanished, a sense of foreboding washing over her.
“Jingxue, do you think her eyes can be healed?”
Bai Jingxue, snapping out of her thoughts, shook her head. “The novel didn’t offer a solution,” she said. “It’ll be difficult.”
Speaking of the novel, Lü Qingyan’s voice filled with indignation. “That stupid novel! The male lead took advantage of her blindness. He never even tried to help her.”
Bai Jingxue closed her eyes.
Zhu Chi had a lover, but he had gone missing. The male lead had impersonated him, deceiving her.
Her head throbbed. “You asked me what I wanted to do most if I transformed back into a human,” she said.
Lü Qingyan tilted her head. “Didn’t you say you wanted to walk on two legs?”
That had been a flippant response. Bai Jingxue had a true goal, though she wasn’t sure if it was achievable.
She opened her eyes, her voice calm but firm. “I want to see if the so-called ‘Child of Destiny’ can be killed.”
Luo Nianshang and Zhu Chi stood by the lake behind the mountain.
“Tell me,” Luo Nianshang said, her voice sharp. “What news do you bring?”
Zhu Chi, her hand resting on the veil covering her eyes, chuckled. “You’re still as impatient as ever,” she said. “You struck me down without a word back then.”
Luo Nianshang’s hand tightened around her sword hilt. She hadn’t intended to injure Zhu Chi. She had just returned from slaying demons, her senses still on high alert. When a figure clad in black had flown towards her, she had reacted instinctively, striking without thinking.
She had realized her mistake too late. Zhu Chi had been sent flying.
It had been as effortless as swatting a fly.
Eager to change the subject, Luo Nianshang asked, “Do your eyes still hurt?”
“I’ve grown accustomed to the pain,” Zhu Chi replied. “A cultivator must endure hardships.”
Her words struck a chord with Luo Nianshang, who thought of her frail, delicate disciple. She fell silent.
Zhu Chi, sensing her discomfort, decided to get straight to the point. “Remember that mortal you issued a warrant for?” she asked. “I heard something about him while I was in the Demon Realm.”
Luo Nianshang was intrigued. That man had been unsettling, his presence leaving her with a sense of unease.
“Where is he?” she asked, her voice serious.
Zhu Chi sighed. “He’s taken over Que City in the southwestern corner of the Demon Realm,” she said. “He’s the city lord now. My companions recognized him when we passed through, but I couldn’t intervene. It’s the Demon Realm.”
Luo Nianshang acknowledged this with a nod. “You were in the Demon Realm?” she asked. “Did you find any news about him?”
“No,” Zhu Chi replied, her voice laced with a hint of sadness. “It’s been so many years. Whether I find him or not doesn’t really matter anymore. If I did find him, I wouldn’t know what to do.”
Despite her words, Luo Nianshang could see the pain hidden in her eyes.
Love truly was a torturous emotion. Her master had been right about that.
Unwilling to dwell on the past, Zhu Chi changed the subject. “Let’s go see your disciple,” she said.
Luo Nianshang hesitated. She retrieved a bell from her spatial ring.
Remembering that Zhu Chi couldn’t see, she used her spiritual energy to fasten the bell around Zhu Chi’s neck. “This will help with the pain,” she said. “Consider it an apology for what happened.”
Zhu Chi, feeling the pain in her eyes lessen, accepted the gift gracefully.
“Let’s go see your disciple,” she said. “Although I can’t actually see her.”
Despite her blindness, the moment she entered the chamber, she sensed a wave of intense hostility.
Luo Nianshang introduced them. “This is Zhu Chi, the sect leader of the Spring Snow Sect.”
The Demon Lord forced a smile. “Greetings, Sect Leader Zhu.”
Her gaze, however, was fixed on the bell around Zhu Chi’s neck. The other bells Luo Nianshang had given out were white. This one was pink!
The Demon Lord seethed with jealousy, but she couldn’t reveal her true emotions. “Zhu Chi?” she thought. “More like Zhu Nobody!”
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