Chapter 68: The Guest
After sleeping for two months, Bai Jingxue sat on the rooftop, listening to the Ejian Sect disciples gossiping about the end of the Demon Realm’s civil war.
Their conversations were rather dull, mostly criticizing the Demon Lord for her cunning and deceitful tactics, specifically her faked death.
A white blur, accompanied by a shriek, suddenly appeared. “Jingxue, help!”
Lü Qingyan leaped into Bai Jingxue’s arms, her body trembling. “Jingxue, your adorable ex-girlfriend was almost molested!”
Bai Jingxue couldn’t help but laugh. She patted Lü Qingyan’s head. “Was it Ying again?”
Lü Qingyan nodded miserably. “I’m so close to transforming and escaping her clutches!”
She was currently at the peak of the Golden Core stage. Her progress had been astonishingly fast. It was as if cultivation was as simple as eating and drinking.
This was largely due to Ying. The dragon girl, capable of understanding Lü Qingyan, had identified the dog’s weaknesses and had tailored her teaching methods accordingly.
Once her weaknesses had been addressed, Lü Qingyan’s progress had accelerated, fueled by her desire to become stronger.
Ying arrived a moment later, reaching out to grab Lü Qingyan, but Bai Jingxue gently intercepted her.
Bai Jingxue smiled. “Enjoying your time on land?” she asked.
Ying settled down beside them. Her cheeks were adorned with pink scales, and her horns gleamed in the sunlight. She was a striking figure, her presence impossible to ignore.
She had been enjoying her time on land. She had never left the ocean before, so everything was new and exciting.
The Ejian Sect’s servant disciples cultivated spirit herbs and raised spirit rabbits and spirit pigs.
Ying had never seen spirit rabbits or spirit pigs before. She had spent an entire day observing them from the fence, then had even tried feeding them herself.
The noble dragon princess had rolled up her sleeves, pouring buckets of cooked spirit herbs into their troughs. Then, concerned that they weren’t eating enough, she had prepared even more.
By the time the disciples in charge of those animals had returned, the spirit pigs were lying on their backs, their bellies bloated, dead from overeating.
Ying had become infamous after that incident, shattering the disciples’ idealized image of dragons.
Apparently, even noble dragons fed pigs.
But Ying, oblivious to her loss of face, was simply happy.
“It’s so much fun here!” she exclaimed. “There are so many furry creatures, so many new things to try, and the sweets are amazing! We don’t have anything this sweet in the ocean.”
Bai Jingxue, watching her, her lips curving into a small smile, thought that the phrase “innocent and carefree” perfectly described Ying. But it didn’t mean she was stupid.
If she hadn’t encountered the male lead, she wouldn’t have ripped out her own demon core. She would have inherited her father’s throne effortlessly. She was both powerful and of noble lineage.
Speaking of the male lead, wasn’t he the one who had instigated the rebellion in the Demon Realm? She wondered how he was doing.
Bai Jingxue had a theory. She was special. Perhaps she could actually eliminate the male lead.
Luo Nianshang, Qiu Yingxi, Fu Yuan, Zhu Chi, Ying… they had all been part of the male lead’s harem in the original story, but now, they were all following their own paths.
They were their own individuals, not someone’s possessions, trophies to be collected and displayed.
This was the ending Bai Jingxue desired.
Ying, seeing that Bai Jingxue was lost in thought, reached out, trying to grab Lü Qingyan, but the dog bit her finger.
Lü Qingyan, covering her mouth with her paws, realized she had lost a tooth. She whimpered, seeking comfort from Bai Jingxue.
Ying, withdrawing her hand, sighed. “Rejected again,” she said.
Bai Jingxue held Lü Qingyan closer. “Stop pinching her cheeks,” she said.
Ying, staring at the dog, who was now completely hidden from view, pouted. “But she’s so cute.”
Bai Jingxue couldn’t deny that, but she didn’t want to discuss it further. She still hadn’t figured out how to transform back into a cat. This was the perfect opportunity to ask Ying.
She shielded Lü Qingyan with her body. “Teach me how to turn back into a cat,” she said.
Ying was surprised. “You don’t know how?” she asked. “Just focus on your original form.”
It was that simple?
Bai Jingxue wanted to try it immediately, but then she remembered Ying was still there.
Ying had tried to pet her in her dreams. If she transformed back into a cat now, both she and Lü Qingyan would be at risk.
She was truly a genius. She scooped up Lü Qingyan, preparing to escape, but as she leaped from the rooftop, she spotted She Yuwei, who had been missing for a while.
The plot device had returned. This was excellent news.
But why did she look so distraught?
Bai Jingxue waited for She Yuwei to approach, then patted her shoulder. “She Yuwei, what’s wrong?”
She Yuwei, startled, her spirit returning to her body, stared at the woman who had suddenly appeared before her, her brow furrowed. “Who are you?”
“I’m the black cat.”
She Yuwei was confused. “Black cat?” she repeated.
Seeing her bewildered expression, Bai Jingxue flicked her forehead.
She Yuwei yelped, rubbing her forehead.
She remembered! That familiar sting! That brain-rattling sensation! It was you, Cat Master!
She stared at Bai Jingxue, her eyes wide with surprise. “You transformed?”
Bai Jingxue nodded. “Where have you been?”
She Yuwei’s shoulders slumped, her cheerful demeanor vanishing.
“The elders thought my thoughts were too impure,” she said, her voice filled with despair. “They sent me to a nunnery for purification.”
Lü Qingyan, unable to contain her laughter, burst out laughing.
“Jingxue, is she serious? Hahaha!”
Bai Jingxue, wanting to maintain her composure, tried to hold back her laughter, but a smile tugged at the corners of her lips.
She calmed herself, her voice neutral. “So you’re out now?”
She Yuwei’s already miserable expression intensified, then gradually transformed into excitement. She glanced around furtively, then pulled a bound book from her sleeve.
“Cat Master, new release! Want one?”
Bai Jingxue had never seen such a sleazy expression on a girl’s face. Even Lü Qingyan couldn’t help but comment, “She looks like that guy selling cereal.”
Bai Jingxue took the book, her eyes widening as she saw the title.
Lonely Night, Pretty Nun
Before she could even react, Ying’s voice echoed behind her. “Wow, that sounds interesting! Let me see!”
The book vanished from Bai Jingxue’s hand.
It reappeared in Ying’s hand. And to make matters worse, Ying flipped it open, her voice clear as she began to read aloud.
“She always spoke to me coldly, but I had overlooked her beauty. Now, those lips, incapable of uttering kind words, were silenced by my…”
Bai Jingxue snatched the book, tossing it aside, her breath catching in her throat, her ears burning.
She Yuwei shrieked. “My book!”
She scrambled over to retrieve it, dusting it off, her voice filled with indignation. “Even if you’re not buying it, don’t throw it!”
Bai Jingxue, turning to see several disciples staring at them, quickly covered her face with her sleeve.
Did these two have no shame?
“Qingyan, get on my shoulder,” Bai Jingxue said.
Lü Qingyan obeyed, then tilted her head, trying to cover Bai Jingxue’s face with her paw, but she was a small dog. Her paw was too small.
Her hands free, Bai Jingxue grabbed She Yuwei and Ying by their collars, dragging them away.
Seeing that they were approaching a less populated area, She Yuwei, her fear growing, quickly surrendered. “Cat Master, I don’t need any spirit stones!” she cried. “I’ll even give you two more books for free! Just don’t kill me!”
Bai Jingxue paused, her brow furrowed. “What are you even thinking?” she asked, her voice laced with disbelief.
She released them.
She rummaged through her spatial ring, retrieving a bag of spirit stones, which she placed in She Yuwei’s hand. “I’ll buy it,” she said. “Is this enough?”
The bag contained enough spirit stones to buy a hundred books. She Yuwei, staring at the heavy bag, was speechless.
Then she burst into tears, clutching Bai Jingxue’s leg. “Cat Master, you’re my savior!”
Lü Qingyan, leaping from Bai Jingxue’s shoulder, kicked She Yuwei, then barked furiously.
She Yuwei, a small bruise forming on her cheek, ignored the dog, her gaze fixed on the spirit stones, her eyes gleaming brighter than the precious gems.
Bai Jingxue had bought the book not because she was interested in its contents, but because it had been written by She Yuwei. If they encountered any characters from the story, she wanted to be prepared.
But writing this kind of story in a nunnery? Had She Yuwei been expelled? She wondered what would happen when the sect elders found out.
Ying, crouching beside She Yuwei, watched as she counted the spirit stones, her curiosity piqued.
She Yuwei, finished counting, looked up, her gaze meeting Ying’s.
She frowned, glancing around.
She tapped her chin, deep in thought, then stared at Ying, her eyes narrowed.
Ying, confused, but still interested in the book Bai Jingxue was holding, smiled. “Do you have any more books?” she asked. “I want one too.”
She retrieved a bag of spirit stones from her spatial ring, this one even heavier than Bai Jingxue’s.
She Yuwei’s eyes sparkled, but her books had been confiscated.
She swallowed, her voice choked with emotion. “I’m out,” she said. “But you can pre-order.”
Ying nodded. “Here’s a deposit,” she said. “Just let me know when it’s done.”
She Yuwei was ecstatic. “Of course, honored guest,” she said. “Please leave your name and address. I’ll deliver it personally.”
“My name is Ying,” Ying replied. “I live next door to the Sword Saint.”
Next door to the Sword Saint?! This was a death sentence!
She Yuwei glanced at the bag of spirit stones, her courage suddenly amplified. Who cared about her life? The customer was always right!
She puffed out her chest. “Don’t worry, honored guest,” she said. “I’ll deliver it personally.”
She happily accepted the bag of spirit stones, her fingers quickly counting them.
Ying, waiting patiently, then asked, “Why were you staring at me earlier?”
She Yuwei scratched her head. “You look a lot like one of the protagonists in my story,” she said. “She also has pink hair and beautiful horns.”
Bai Jingxue, who had been observing this exchange, was intrigued. “Which story?” she asked.
She Yuwei, assuming she had another customer, beamed. “Help! All Seven of My Girlfriends Are in Love with Me!”
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