Chapter 40: Reunion
Ever since his last failure, the male lead had been holed up in Que City, nursing his wounds.
The mysterious demonic cultivator who had been aiding him was now in a deep slumber, leaving him to fend for himself. He couldn’t understand why a mere cat and dog were proving so difficult to kill.
But this only solidified his belief that they were obstacles hindering his destined rise to power. As he pondered this, the pain in his leg intensified.
He cried out, wanting to sever the limb.
Su Yunluo, entering the room with a bowl of medicine, witnessed his self-destructive impulse. She flicked her wrist, sending his sword clattering to the ground, her voice laced with annoyance. “What are you doing, my husband?”
Su Yunluo was the former city lord of Que City. Although the male lead was now the nominal ruler, she still held the true power.
He wanted to lash out, but he was a master of opportunism. He knew he still needed Su Yunluo. He forced a pained expression, his voice weak. “The wolf venom hasn’t been purged,” he said. “It’s spreading. It would be best to amputate the leg.”
He had no intention of sacrificing his leg. He was simply desperate for relief from the pain. He remembered Su Yunluo’s ability to regrow his severed arm, and a glimmer of hope sparked in his eyes.
Su Yunluo suppressed a sigh of disgust. She gently coaxed him, dissuading him from his self-destructive impulses.
Since his rebirth, nothing had gone according to plan. Now, lying in a luxurious bed, pampered by a beautiful woman, a flicker of genuine emotion, perhaps even gratitude, stirred within his villainous heart.
Of course, this sentiment was fleeting. He was, at his core, a despicable creature.
Seeing Su Yunluo about to leave, he grabbed her hand, his voice filled with false promises. “Yun’er, when I become the Demon Lord, you will be my queen.”
Su Yunluo discreetly withdrew her hand, her voice gentle. “Whether I’m your queen or not doesn’t matter, my husband,” she said. “As long as I’m by your side. Now, rest.”
The moment she left his room, her expression transformed, her gentle mask replaced by a cold fury. She scrubbed at her hand, as if trying to erase the feeling of his touch.
Finally, she composed herself, resuming her usual graceful demeanor.
She now resided in a side chamber on the east side of the city lord’s manor, far from the male lead’s main residence. He had initially questioned this arrangement, but she had easily deflected his inquiries.
She entered her chamber, closing the doors and windows. The room was poorly lit, shrouded in shadows even during the day.
Only in this darkness could she think clearly.
“City Lord.”
Su Yunluo looked up, her gaze fixed on the shadowy figure standing in the dim light.
She rubbed her temples, not bothering to correct the title. “What news from the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion?”
“They advise against it.”
Su Yunluo’s face contorted with rage, then smoothed into a mask of composure. “Tell them I intend to proceed, regardless of their counsel,” she said, her voice cold. “Let them reconsider their position.”
“Yes, City Lord.”
The figure vanished, leaving Su Yunluo alone in the silence.
Ever since she had learned of the male lead’s destiny as the Child of Destiny, she had plotted to steal his fortune. She had befriended him, showering him with kindness, even allowing him to become the nominal ruler of Que City.
But as she had gotten to know him, she had begun to doubt the accuracy of the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion’s divination. Could this pathetic excuse for a cultivator truly be the chosen one?
The doubt gnawed at her, but there was no one to answer her questions.
The male lead, however, had created a mess she couldn’t easily clean up. Even if she killed him now, it wouldn’t solve anything. The Demon Lord, that ruthless woman, wouldn’t let her escape.
“That lowly medicine slave,” she thought, her anger simmering. “I should have crushed her when I had the chance.”
She had encountered the Demon Lord during her time as a medicine slave. Qiu Yingxi had been unkempt, her body covered in bruises from the experimental drugs she had been forced to consume. Her true beauty had been hidden beneath layers of grime and pain.
There had been countless slaves like her. Qiu Yingxi had been unremarkable.
No one had imagined that this insignificant medicine slave would one day become the most feared being in the Demon Realm.
Su Yunluo cursed her fate, her anger slowly subsiding.
Meanwhile, the “feared” Demon Lord stared at her dog, her expression a mixture of amusement and exasperation.
If she had to describe her current emotional state, it would be “regret.” This damn dog, as if a switch had been flipped, was obsessed with spinning.
She pushed the enthusiastic dog away, sighing. “Why can’t you be as well-behaved as the Sword Saint’s cat?”
Lü Qingyan, hearing the mention of the cat, instantly deflated.
Her enthusiasm vanished as quickly as it had appeared. She retreated to her bed, her backside facing the Demon Lord, whimpering softly.
The Demon Lord, realizing her mistake, scratched her head. “Just be patient,” she said. “It’ll be soon. I promise.”
Lü Qingyan turned, her eyes narrowed, then turned away again.
The Demon Lord chuckled. She crouched beside the dog bed, poking Lü Qingyan’s back playfully. “Where did you get such a temper, you little dog?”
Lü Qingyan inched away, avoiding the Demon Lord’s touch, then snorted, her disdain evident.
The Demon Lord was surprised by her own patience. She hadn’t turned the dog into stew yet.
She shook her head, smiling, then summoned her left envoy and left to drown her sorrows in alcohol.
The left envoy, seeing the sulking dog, smiled. “Did you anger Her Excellency again?”
Lü Qingyan wagged her tail.
The left envoy, unsure how to describe her current emotions, deviated from their usual routine. She usually focused on teaching the dog cultivation techniques.
She glanced towards the door, her voice laced with a hint of melancholy. “But since you arrived, Her Excellency has been much happier.”
Lü Qingyan’s ears perked up. She finally faced the left envoy, her gaze curious.
This new left envoy, Mo Li, was clearly loyal to the Demon Lord. In the original story, the Demon Lord had never had any truly loyal followers.
“Woof?”
The left envoy, seeing the curiosity in the dog’s eyes, smiled gently. The mask concealed her expression, but her eyes conveyed warmth and kindness.
“Are you curious about Her Excellency?”
No, Lü Qingyan knew the Demon Lord quite well. She was more interested in the characters who hadn’t appeared in the original story.
She shook her head, and they stared at each other for a long, awkward moment.
The left envoy suddenly remembered her purpose. She was here to teach the dog cultivation techniques. “Enough idle chatter,” she said, her voice still gentle, but the atmosphere had shifted, becoming more serious. “Time to practice.”
Meanwhile, at the Ejian Sect, Luo Nianshang was preparing to move.
She glanced around her chamber, her gaze lingering on the familiar surroundings, then, with a sigh, she left.
Bai Jingxue, perched on her shoulder, yawned.
Luo Nianshang, noticing the cat’s lethargy, said, “Even with cultivation, you need to rest.”
Bai Jingxue licked her paw, then jumped onto Luo Nianshang’s head, curling up there.
The Sword Saint, despite her obliviousness, realized this was rather undignified. She scooped up the cat, holding her close.
Bai Jingxue simply opened one eye, then closed it again.
Luo Nianshang squeezed the cat’s ear, and Bai Jingxue flicked it in response.
When they reached a more populated area, Luo Nianshang finally released Bai Jingxue, resuming her usual aloof expression.
Fu Yuan had already prepared their new residence. Calling it a “residence,” however, was an understatement. It was a palace.
Luo Nianshang was clearly stunned by the extravagant decor. She had specifically requested something simple. Was this the sect leader’s definition of “simple”?
“Disciple Fu Yuan greets Ancestor.”
Luo Nianshang, pushing aside her surprise, nodded curtly, then entered the palace.
Fu Yuan followed, acting as a tour guide, eagerly describing each room.
“This is the main hall.”
“This is the main bedroom. It’s for you, Ancestor.”
“This is the side bedroom. It’s for Junior Sister when she returns.”
“This is the cat’s room. And that room over there is for the dog.”
Bai Jingxue, who had been pretending to be asleep, opened her eyes at the mention of a “cat’s room,” then gasped.
This opulent, lavishly decorated room was for a cat?
She leaped from Luo Nianshang’s arms, staring at the spacious room, its furniture and decorations fit for royalty.
She felt a renewed appreciation for her decision to cling to Luo Nianshang’s thigh.
Luo Nianshang, who had been considering rejecting this extravagant gift, instantly changed her mind, seeing how much the cat loved it.
Bai Jingxue, her eyes gleaming with delight, rubbed against Luo Nianshang’s leg, purring loudly. If she could speak, she would have shouted “Sugar mama!”
“Wow, you little gold digger!”
Bai Jingxue’s fur bristled. She looked around, but there was no one there.
And that voice had clearly been Lü Qingyan’s.
She was hallucinating again.
“Jingxue! We’ll earn lots of money together and buy a big house!”
This was ridiculous. Why was her past life haunting her with surround sound?
Night fell, and Bai Jingxue, staring at her spacious room, felt a pang of loneliness. Something was missing.
She left the room, her mind restless, leaping onto the roof. She gazed at the moon, lost in thought.
“Jingxue! Jingxue! Open the door!”
Bai Jingxue sighed, rubbing her ears. “Not again,” she muttered.
“Jingxue! Jingxue! I’m at the foot of the mountain!”
Something was different this time. The phantom voice usually sounded as if someone was whispering directly into her ear, but this time, it was distant.
Lü Qingyan was really here!
Suddenly, the entire Ejian Sect was bathed in blinding light.
Disciples, their sleep and cultivation disrupted, stormed out of their chambers.
“Whose dog is this?!”
“Why is it barking in the middle of the night? I have early morning classes tomorrow!”
“I was about to reach the Nascent Soul stage in my dream! This dog ruined everything! Catch it!”
“Hey, doesn’t this dog look familiar?”
“All dogs look the same! Just catch it!”
Before Bai Jingxue could let Lü Qingyan in, the dog was captured by a group of angry disciples.
She had initially planned to teleport, but she realized that being caught was inevitable. She had given up.
The Ejian Sect, at least, was a righteous sect. The disciples, after capturing the dog, simply locked it in a room.
Once they were gone, Bai Jingxue leaped onto the windowsill, peering inside.
Lü Qingyan’s eyes lit up as she saw Bai Jingxue, her tail wagging furiously.
“Jingxue! I finally made it!”
Bai Jingxue, seeing the mud caked on her fur, felt a pang of sympathy. “Didn’t the Demon Lord forbid you from coming here?”
Lü Qingyan shook her head. “I missed you.”
Those three simple words were surprisingly powerful.
So powerful that Bai Jingxue almost said “I missed you too.”
She stared at the moon, unable to meet Lü Qingyan’s gaze. “Why are you doing this?” she asked, her voice soft. “We broke up.”
Lü Qingyan’s voice, cheerful and unwavering, echoed through the darkness. “I know,” she said. “That’s why I’m pursuing you.”
Bai Jingxue, after a long silence, leaped down from the windowsill, her voice firm. “If you can improve the relationship between the Demon Lord and the Sword Saint, I’ll agree to be with you.”
Lü Qingyan’s jaw dropped. She teleported out of the room, her voice filled with despair. “That’s impossible!”
She chased after Bai Jingxue, her tail wagging. “Can we renegotiate?”
…”Jingxue, wait for me!”
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