Chapter 5: A Gift Given
The commotion disrupted Luo Nianshang’s meditation. Listening to the panicked cries of her disciples, she emerged from her chamber and cast a cold gaze at the two uninvited guests at the foot of the mountain.
The disciples of Ejian Peak, who had been bracing themselves for an attack, relaxed slightly upon seeing their ancestor. Their grip on their weapons loosened.
However, decorum dictated that they remain silent in their ancestor’s presence. The indignant shouts and cries of alarm died down, leaving only the excited barks of a certain oblivious dog.
Bai Jingxue padded over to Luo Nianshang’s side. Her feline senses were incredibly acute. She could see both the tangible and intangible, her vision extending far beyond the limits of ordinary sight.
She saw the Demon Lord’s disheveled appearance and couldn’t reconcile it with the image from the novel.
The Demon Lord of the novel was ruthless and alluring, always maintaining an air of haughty indifference, even in the face of adversity. She had cared little for the lives of others, including her own. She was, for lack of a better word, unhinged.
But the Demon Lord standing before her now seemed devoid of her usual arrogance. Her face was contorted in frustration, her knuckles white as she gripped the dog leash. And then, Bai Jingxue noticed it. The Demon Lord was missing a shoe.
She had to bite back a laugh. The Demon Lord was notoriously petty. What if she interpreted Bai Jingxue’s amusement as mockery?
And how on earth had Lü Qingyan managed to drag the Demon Lord all the way here?
Bai Jingxue edged closer to Luo Nianshang, hiding behind her and covering her ears with her paws. She had no desire to hear whatever Lü Qingyan was barking about.
The standoff between the Demon Lord and the disciples of Ejian Sect stretched on, the air thick with tension.
Finally, the Demon Lord made a move. With an elegant gesture, she smoothed back her wind-blown hair, tucking the stray strands behind her ears.
Then, with a swift motion, she knocked the source of the commotion unconscious and cradled the limp dog in her arms.
Each movement sent a ripple of apprehension through the ranks of the Ejian Sect disciples. Some even broke out in a cold sweat.
The current Demon Lord might have been relatively subdued, but her rise to power had been just as brutal as Luo Nianshang’s legendary demon-slaying campaigns.
After the second campaign, the Demon Realm had descended into chaos, various factions vying for power. Demons, being notoriously difficult to eradicate, had continued to plague the realm. The righteous sects, content with reclaiming the most valuable territories, had chosen not to intervene.
They had assumed this power struggle would continue indefinitely. Then, the current Demon Lord had emerged, cutting a bloody path through the Demon Realm. She had captured the leaders of thirty-five demon factions and, on the highest peak of the Demon Realm, had erected a cauldron, where she had refined them alive, leaving no trace of their souls or bones.
The torment had lasted for a month, the screams of the damned echoing throughout the land.
Luo Nianshang might have been a swift and merciful executioner, but the Demon Lord turned death into an art form.
Fear warred with righteousness within the hearts of the disciples. They swallowed their fear, reminding themselves that their ancestor was there to protect them. Chests puffed out, they stood their ground.
The Demon Lord saw their apprehension, a flicker of amusement crossing her eyes. She looked up at Luo Nianshang, her expression unreadable.
The amusement faded, replaced by a charming smile. “Such a unique way to greet a guest,” she purred.
Then, feigning familiarity, she addressed Luo Nianshang directly. “We meet again, Venerable One. It seems fate has brought us together once more.”
Before Luo Nianshang could respond, the disciples erupted in a chorus of indignant shouts.
“As if we’d be fated to cross paths with a demon like you!”
“The audacity! Our Ancestor is a paragon of virtue! You wouldn’t recognize righteousness if it slapped you across your wicked face!”
“Oh no! Our Ancestor has been tainted!”
Bai Jingxue, who had been enjoying the drama, flinched at that last comment. She glanced at the disciple who had spoken, his face pale, his expression one of utter devastation, as if his entire world had just crumbled.
She couldn’t help but wonder how Luo Nianshang would react.
To her surprise, the female lead’s expression remained unchanged. However, Bai Jingxue noticed her gaze flicker downwards, as if inspecting her own attire.
A look of bewilderment crossed her face.
As the commotion escalated, the unconscious dog in the Demon Lord’s arms stirred. The moment its eyes fluttered open, the Demon Lord swiftly knocked it out again.
Lü Qingyan slumped back into blissful unconsciousness.
Bai Jingxue extended a paw, then thought better of it, retreating behind Luo Nianshang once more.
Their past was just that: the past. Rekindling their relationship now seemed pointless, especially given their current circumstances. They weren’t even the same species anymore.
The Demon Lord’s gaze swept over the crowd, her patience wearing thin. She had endured enough for one day. First, the humiliating paralysis, then the dog’s escape, followed by the unexpected display of spatial magic that had landed her here.
She knew who to blame for this mess. The mark in her sea of consciousness, a miniature replica of Luo Nianshang’s sword, was a constant reminder. If Luo Nianshang hadn’t tampered with her poison pearl, she wouldn’t be in this situation.
A wicked thought took root in her mind. She would kill one of Luo Nianshang’s precious disciples right before her eyes. It would be the perfect revenge.
“Luo Nianshang, oh, Luo Nianshang,” she thought, her smile turning predatory. “You claim to care for all living things. Let’s see you utter those hypocritical words when you can’t even protect those closest to you.”
The anticipation of the chaos to come made her smile widen. She licked her lips, her tongue darting out like a viper tasting the air.
Ignoring the cacophony, Luo Nianshang’s gaze settled on the Demon Lord’s bare foot.
She didn’t believe for a second that the Demon Lord had come here intentionally to provoke a conflict. A hunch began to form. This was probably just an elaborate dog-walking route.
To think that the fearsome Demon Lord was such a devoted pet owner, willing to travel such a distance to appease her furry companion. Perhaps there was hope for her yet.
“Silence!” she commanded, her voice cutting through the noise like a whip.
Silence descended upon the Ejian Sect. Heads bowed, the disciples knelt in unison.
“We apologize for our disrespect, Ancestor! Please punish us!”
Luo Nianshang ignored them. She leaped from the peak and landed gracefully before the Demon Lord. Bai Jingxue, who had been batting at the female lead’s wind-blown robes, let out a startled meow as her claws snagged on the fabric and she was carried along.
Luo Nianshang, noticing her predicament, scooped her up and settled her on her shoulder.
The Demon Lord tensed, expecting an attack. But Luo Nianshang merely studied her for a moment, then, to the Demon Lord’s astonishment, produced a pair of shoes.
“It’s not wise to walk around barefoot,” she said simply.
Unlike the Demon Lord, Luo Nianshang was a creature of habit. Her attire, from her shoes and robes to her hair ornaments, was always the same. The shoes she offered were identical to the ones on her own feet.
The Demon Lord stared at the shoes, their pristine whiteness offensive to her eyes.
“How utterly hypocritical,” she thought.
Maintaining her smile, she made no move to accept the gift. Instead, she lifted her foot and, right before Luo Nianshang’s eyes, removed the remaining shoe and tossed it aside.
“Age seems to have addled your mind, Venerable One,” she said, her voice laced with mockery.
Luo Nianshang, in all her years, had never offered a genuine gift, only to have it so blatantly rejected. Her expression flickered, a hint of hurt flashing in her eyes.
But she was nothing if not persistent. Gifts, once offered, were not meant to be retracted. She bent down and placed the shoes at the Demon Lord’s feet.
The Demon Lord’s eyes widened, the anger draining from her face, replaced by bewilderment.
She hated this feeling, this sense of not being in control. Her smile vanished as she transformed into a red mist and disappeared.
Luo Nianshang made no move to stop her. The shoes she had offered vanished along with their intended recipient.
Closing her eyes, Luo Nianshang, too, transformed into a wisp of icy mist and returned to her chamber.
Alone once more, she shed her stoicism, her gaze distant as she sat on the futon, lost in thought.
Bai Jingxue, meanwhile, was coming to terms with the fact that some feline instincts were just too strong to resist. She was currently obsessed with batting at yarn balls. Mid-bat, however, she was scooped up into the air.
Her head was subjected to a barrage of affectionate rubs. She was starting to worry about premature balding.
She braced herself for the inevitable outpouring of emotion. As expected, the female lead launched into a monologue.
“My clothes aren’t dirty,” she muttered. “Why would he say I’m unclean?”
Bai Jingxue couldn’t believe her ears. The female lead’s obliviousness was almost comical. For the first time in her life, she understood the concept of a generation gap.
“Well,” she thought, “I’m just a cat. My only responsibility is to be adorable.”
She let out a meow, which only earned her more head scratches.
Unable to take it anymore, she turned and chomped down on the nearest available target.
Her tooth popped out.
Staring at the tiny tooth lying on the floor, Bai Jingxue’s eyes welled up. “Luo Nianshang!” she wailed. “You monster!”
Her cries were so pitiful that Luo Nianshang relented. Gently tilting the cat’s chin up, she popped the tooth back into place.
Once the cat had calmed down, Luo Nianshang resumed her musings.
“Do you think the Demon Lord can be redeemed?” she wondered aloud.
Bai Jingxue was skeptical. The Demon Lord of the novel had been deeply cynical, her worldview shaped by the horrors she had endured.
But the Demon Lord did seem rather attached to her belongings. Lü Qingyan was probably safe. Still, the fact that her ex-girlfriend had risked so much to see her left Bai Jingxue with a strange feeling in her chest.
Back in the Demon Palace, the Demon Lord was tempted to toss the dog aside, but the sight of a few bloodstains on its paws made her relent. She gently placed Lü Qingyan on her bed.
She was still convinced that the dog had run off to find Luo Nianshang. “Such terrible taste,” she muttered. “Obsessed with such a hypocrite.”
She picked up the shoes Luo Nianshang had given her, examining them for a moment before tossing them carelessly into a corner.
Exhaustion tugged at her. She sank onto her bed, her mind adrift. Ever since she had achieved her revenge, she had been plagued by a strange emptiness. She had no idea what to do with herself.
The sound of hurried footsteps broke through her thoughts. A moment later, a demon cultivator knelt before her. “Your Excellency!” he exclaimed. “The Qiankun Secret Realm has appeared!”
The Demon Lord snapped out of her stupor. “Assemble all elite disciples below the Nascent Soul realm,” she commanded, her voice sharp. “We will claim this secret realm for ourselves!”
“Yes, Your Excellency!”
Lü Qingyan, startled awake, vaguely registered the words “Qiankun Secret Realm.” She bolted upright, her eyes wide.
Seeing that the Demon Lord was preparing to leave, she whined and shook her head vigorously.
The Demon Lord, misinterpreting her actions, assumed she was planning another escape attempt. With a flick of her wrist, she cast a sleeping spell.
As darkness closed in, a single line from the novel flashed through Lü Qingyan’s mind:
“The Qiankun Secret Realm. A death trap for those not chosen by fate.”
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