Chapter 41: Cultivation
After deliberately letting the dog escape, the Demon Lord felt a profound sense of emptiness. She had always lived this way, alone and isolated, yet now, she felt a strange loneliness.
She scoffed, her thoughts echoing in the silence of the chamber. “How pathetic,” she muttered.
The left envoy, hearing her unexpected utterance, cautiously reminded her, “Your Excellency, Lin’an and Fu Yue have rejected Que City’s invitation.”
The memory of the Demon Lord’s ascension was still fresh in their minds. Those who harbored resentment towards her wouldn’t dare to act rashly.
Especially Lin’an City. It was the place where the Demon Lord had risen to power, capturing the then-city lord and immersing him in a vat of poison, carefully controlling the dosage, forcing him to endure the agonizing sensation of his flesh dissolving, inch by inch, unable to die.
That brutal act had instilled a deep fear in the hearts of Lin’an City’s residents. They wouldn’t dare to defy her.
But the Demon Lord wanted them to rebel.
“How is the Sword Saint’s disciple recruitment progressing?” she asked, her voice laced with a hint of amusement.
The left envoy had noticed her lord’s unusual interest in Luo Nianshang’s disciple recruitment. But it was understandable. The Sword Saint was the most powerful figure in the righteous realm. It was only natural to keep tabs on her activities.
“The final stage is tomorrow, Your Excellency,” the left envoy reported. “The chosen disciples will be officially announced.”
The Demon Lord twirled the two bells in her hand, their pure, untainted aura a stark contrast to the heavy demonic energy pervading the Demon Palace. She smiled, her gaze fixed on the bells.
“Then I shall pay the Sword Saint a visit tomorrow,” she said.
Luo Nianshang, unaware of the Demon Lord’s impending visit, was engrossed in her cultivation practice.
Lü Qingyan, lying on the floor, stared at the Sword Saint’s beautiful face, her brow furrowed in thought.
How do you make an iron tree bloom? That was the question plaguing her.
If only this world had internet access. She would have posted her dilemma on a forum, seeking advice.
She knew Jingxue had given her an impossible task, but she refused to give up.
In their past life, she had managed to get into the same university as Bai Jingxue within a year. She had barely scraped by, but she had made it.
The power of love was undeniable. Jingxue had said she wanted the Demon Lord and the Sword Saint to get along, to become at least casual friends.
The Demon Lord’s actions were always driven by hidden motives. If she revealed the Demon Lord’s tragic past to Luo Nianshang, the Sword Saint would surely feel sympathy. Problem solved!
Lü Qingyan’s excitement grew as she imagined Luo Nianshang and the Demon Lord setting aside their differences, becoming friends, and then, she, Lü Qingyan, would finally win Bai Jingxue’s heart.
She giggled to herself, lost in her fantasy.
Luo Nianshang opened her eyes, her gaze falling upon the dog’s face, contorted in a rather unsettling grin. She blinked, then rubbed her eyes, looking again.
Yep, still creepy.
She had been happy to see Lü Qingyan return, assuming her disciple would be with her. But the dog had arrived alone.
Although Lü Qingyan couldn’t speak, she clearly understood human language.
Luo Nianshang would ask a question, and the dog would nod or shake her head. Through this method, she had learned about her disciple’s recent activities.
She was relieved to hear that Hong Ying’s cultivation was progressing smoothly, but she also missed her.
She couldn’t help but confide in the dog.
“When do you think she’ll be back?”
Lü Qingyan, remembering the Demon Lord’s words, barked.
Luo Nianshang, unable to understand, assumed the dog was trying to comfort her. She felt a surge of warmth.
She patted Lü Qingyan’s head, then her brow furrowed, her expression turning serious. “Have you practiced your cultivation today?”
Lü Qingyan’s cheerful demeanor vanished. She nudged Luo Nianshang’s hand with her nose, hoping to charm her way out of trouble.
She had no time for cultivation. Ever since Jingxue had given her that ridiculous condition, she had been obsessed with finding a way to make those two sworn enemies fall in love.
Cultivation had been relegated to the bottom of her priority list.
Luo Nianshang knew the dog was slacking off, but she didn’t know what to do. She couldn’t exactly punish a dog.
She stared at Lü Qingyan’s pitiful, apologetic face, then sighed, unable to be harsh.
“What am I going to do with you?” she muttered, patting Lü Qingyan’s head.
Lü Qingyan wagged her tail, then dashed out of the chamber.
She followed Bai Jingxue’s scent, finding her practicing her cultivation. Seeing the cat open her eyes, she wagged her tail excitedly.
Bai Jingxue noticed that Lü Qingyan’s cultivation hadn’t progressed much. She wanted to ignore her, but if this continued, Lü Qingyan would be stuck as a dog forever.
“Aren’t you supposed to be cultivating?” she asked.
Lü Qingyan, surprised that the topic of conversation hadn’t changed, mumbled, “I’ll practice later.”
Those words were all too familiar. Bai Jingxue had heard them countless times when she had first started tutoring Lü Qingyan.
What had she done back then? She had refused to sleep until Lü Qingyan finished her homework.
It had been a surprisingly effective method. After three sleepless nights, Lü Qingyan had never forgotten her homework again.
Bai Jingxue had initially assumed Lü Qingyan had simply given in to exhaustion, but she had gradually realized that it was because Lü Qingyan cared about her well-being.
That seemingly carefree, goofy girl had a surprisingly tender heart. It had taken Bai Jingxue an entire year to recognize the depth of Lü Qingyan’s quiet, unwavering love.
Memories softened the heart. Bai Jingxue couldn’t allow Lü Qingyan to be so lazy.
She placed a paw on Lü Qingyan’s head, her voice firm. “Remember how I made you do your homework in our past life?”
Lü Qingyan shuddered. She hadn’t cared about college, so she hadn’t bothered with homework.
But her new tutor had been incredibly serious. After two attempts at slacking off, Lü Qingyan had found herself facing a sleepless tutor, her own sleep deprived as a result. Lack of sleep had made it difficult to focus in class.
Lü Qingyan had simply slept through the lectures, but Bai Jingxue couldn’t do that. She had endured, her head heavy with exhaustion.
Although Lü Qingyan had struggled academically, she wasn’t a bad person. She knew how important education was to Bai Jingxue.
She hadn’t wanted to ruin Bai Jingxue’s future, especially not when Bai Jingxue was so brilliant.
And she couldn’t bear to see the exhaustion etched on Bai Jingxue’s pale, thin face.
The memory brought a grimace to Lü Qingyan’s face. “You’re not going to use yourself as a hostage again, are you?” she asked, her voice filled with dread.
Bai Jingxue shook her head, her smile gentle. “Of course not,” she said. “This is a different life. I’ve changed.”
Lü Qingyan sighed with relief. “That’s good.”
Bai Jingxue’s smile widened, her eyes gleaming with a strange intensity. Lü Qingyan suddenly felt a chill run down her spine.
“I’m not human anymore,” Bai Jingxue said, her voice soft and menacing. “I can be far more ruthless than I was in our past life. Are you going to cultivate, or not?”
Lü Qingyan, defeated, lowered her head. “Fine, I’ll cultivate,” she mumbled.
Bai Jingxue, pleased, settled down to supervise.
Seeing that the dog was finally focusing, she resumed her own cultivation practice.
When they opened their eyes again, the night sky was ablaze with stars.
Lü Qingyan, standing by the entrance, gazed at the stars, then turned to Bai Jingxue, her tail wagging. “Jingxue, let’s go stargazing!”
Bai Jingxue stretched, but before she could finish her yawn, Lü Qingyan grabbed the bell on her collar, dragging her outside.
Reaching the roof wasn’t difficult, but they discovered that the best stargazing spot was already occupied by Luo Nianshang.
It didn’t matter. They were just a cat and a dog. They could use the most powerful Sword Saint in the world as a footstool.
Lü Qingyan, however, seemed a bit too comfortable.
“Couldn’t you sit somewhere else?” Luo Nianshang asked the dog, who had settled on her head.
Lü Qingyan wagged her tail, ignoring her.
Luo Nianshang, seeing that they were alone, let it go. She remembered the dog perching on the Demon Lord’s head.
Why was she thinking about the Demon Lord on such a beautiful night?
She patted the cat, who was curled up on her lap, her voice filled with approval. “You’ve stabilized your cultivation at the Foundation Establishment stage so quickly,” she said. “Well done.”
Bai Jingxue meowed, then resumed her stargazing.
Cultivating in this cat body was surprisingly effortless. At this rate, she estimated she would reach the Golden Core stage within two months.
Progress would slow down after that, but she was still optimistic.
After Golden Core came Nascent Soul, and after Nascent Soul, she could finally transform back into a human.
She wagged her tail, her mood light, then glanced towards the neighboring courtyard.
Fu Yuan had moved next door after they had relocated to this palace.
However, Fu Yuan seemed to be absent tonight. Only the two children were there.
Bai Jingxue usually avoided those two little terrors, but without Fu Yuan’s supervision, they couldn’t possibly be this quiet.
She glanced at them, her curiosity piqued.
She immediately regretted it.
“Meow!” she shrieked, leaping from the roof and dashing into the courtyard.
Lü Qingyan, seeing the cat run, followed, barking. “Jingxue, wait for me!”
She caught up to Bai Jingxue, only to find two small heads sticking out of the ground.
It was a rather unsettling sight under the moonlight.
Luo Nianshang, arriving a moment later, struggled to maintain her composure. “He Rong, Jwan Jwan, what are you doing?”
He Rong sneezed, her voice muffled. “We’re having a contest,” she said. “We buried ourselves. I bet I’ll be taller tomorrow. Jwan Jwan doesn’t believe me.”
Luo Nianshang pulled them out of the ground. “Stop being silly,” she said. “Go to bed.”
Lü Qingyan, watching the scene unfold, rolled on the ground, laughing. “What was that about, Jingxue?”
Bai Jingxue sighed. He Rong had a strange obsession with burying things.
“She believes that anything you bury will grow into a tree,” Bai Jingxue explained. “Fu Yuan scolded her for burying things, so she started doing it when Fu Yuan wasn’t looking.”
“The last time, she buried a roasted chicken. She dug a really deep hole. Something ate the chicken, but Fu Yuan found the oiled paper and spanked her.”
Lü Qingyan, initially amused, suddenly froze.
“Where did they bury the chicken?” she asked, her paw resting on Bai Jingxue’s tail.
Bai Jingxue, oblivious to the dog’s sudden anxiety, replied, “At the foot of the mountain, near the protective formation.”
Lü Qingyan’s face fell. She wasn’t laughing anymore.
Leave a Reply