Chapter 98: A Gift
The Demon Lord’s worries soon materialized. It was time for the next unbinding session, and she was forced to create a body double to replace Cai Lian.
But the body double, unlike her original self, wasn’t as skilled at deception. She had inherited the Demon Lord’s fiery temper. The two of them, facing each other, the body double, Cai Lian, glared at her original self, her eyes filled with a disdain that surprised the Demon Lord.
She had never realized how annoying her own personality was. She grabbed Cai Lian, spanking her hard.
But in her anger, she had forgotten that she shared a connection with her body double. She dropped Cai Lian, clutching her own backside, her face pale.
Cai Lian, rubbing her bruised bottom, her voice filled with a childish rage, shouted, “Damn you! How dare you hit me?!”
The Demon Lord, her anger intensifying, grabbed Cai Lian’s shoulders, shaking her. “Damn you!” she mimicked. “Didn’t anyone teach you that children shouldn’t curse?!”
The body double was newly created. Of course, no one had taught her such things. She was simply afraid that Luo Nianshang would notice Cai Lian’s unusual behavior.
This Cai Lian body double was supposed to be a sweet and obedient child. She couldn’t be cursing like a sailor.
Cai Lian, her head spinning, collapsed onto the floor, then, her composure returning, she retorted, her voice defiant, “I’m you! If you curse, then I curse too!”
The Demon Lord’s face contorted in anger, but she couldn’t argue with that logic. She silenced Cai Lian.
Cai Lian, realizing she could no longer speak, clutched her throat, coughing, then, seeing that no sound emerged, she began to curse silently, her lips moving.
The Demon Lord, reading her lips, her smile smug, said, “Speak up, I can’t hear you~”
Cai Lian, enraged, lunged at the Demon Lord, her teeth bared, but the Demon Lord dodged, grabbing Cai Lian by the collar, tossing her out of the room.
She slammed the door shut, satisfied, her anger spent. Then, resuming her true form, she walked out into the courtyard.
Luo Nianshang was out. Ying had taken the fox to the Demon Realm. And Fu Yuan, her work ethic improving, was out on a mission with He Rong and Jwan Jwan.
Only the cat and dog remained. Bai Jingxue was in seclusion, her focus on her cultivation, oblivious to the outside world. Lü Qingyan was sitting at the table in the courtyard, reading.
The Demon Lord grabbed Cai Lian, who was charging towards her, and tossed her back into the room, locking the door.
The sound of pounding echoed from within, but the Demon Lord, with a snap of her fingers, silenced it, leaving only the image of the red door shaking violently.
Lü Qingyan, looking up from her book, her brow furrowed, said, “Your body doubles seem to have their own consciousness. Aren’t you afraid they’ll rebel?”
The Demon Lord, her arms crossed, scoffed. “They’re my creations,” she said. “They can’t harm me.”
She then settled across from Lü Qingyan, her chin resting on her hand, her other hand idly flipping through a book on the table.
The Flora and Fauna of the Demon Realm
She was intimately familiar with the Demon Realm, having lived there for most of her life, but compared to the scenery of the righteous realm, the Demon Realm was a desolate and terrifying place. It was a land of exile.
She tossed the book aside, her voice laced with a hint of bitterness. “Don’t bother reading that,” she said. “There’s nothing beautiful in the Demon Realm.”
Lü Qingyan, her eyes tired from reading, closed her book, nodding in agreement.
She suddenly remembered something. The left envoy was the Demon Lord’s most trusted subordinate. “Ying went to the Demon Realm to find the left envoy,” she said.
Ying hadn’t hidden her intentions, but the Demon Lord hadn’t realized she was going to see her left envoy. But she wasn’t surprised. She had heard Ying’s voice that day.
Although she was a rather irresponsible leader, she appreciated her subordinates’ loyalty. It seemed her trusted envoy was in trouble. She felt obligated to intervene.
Seeing that Lü Qingyan seemed to know a lot about the situation, she asked, “What happened?”
Lü Qingyan sighed. “It’s like this…”
She recounted Ying’s story, then explained Ying’s reason for seeking out the left envoy. “She’s going to take responsibility.”
The mask had been a clear clue. Ying had simply asked around and had learned that the Demon Realm’s left envoy always wore a mask. She had then set off on her journey.
The Demon Lord couldn’t believe her ears. “Say that again,” she said, her brow furrowed.
Lü Qingyan, assuming she hadn’t spoken loudly enough, repeated herself. “I said Ying is going to find your left envoy and take responsibility!”
The Demon Lord, hearing the same words again, scoffed. “That pink dragon has none of her father’s flaws,” she said. “Don’t dragons care about such things?”
Not only did dragons not care, but demon cultivators also didn’t care. And the left envoy was solely focused on serving the Demon Lord, on restoring the Demon Realm to its former glory.
But the Demon Realm’s glory had always been short-lived. Whenever it seemed like they were gaining power, Luo Nianshang would appear, crushing the current Demon Lord.
She pitied her left envoy for being born in the same era as Luo Nianshang.
She didn’t agree with Lü Qingyan’s assessment of Ying. After all, there was that Seven Girlfriends book. But that book, despite its harem setup, was actually a “choose one” story.
Lü Qingyan didn’t want to get involved in that drama. She didn’t want to get caught in the crossfire.
Ying would have a happy ending, so Lü Qingyan decided to simply observe from a safe distance.
Speaking of observing, her gaze drifted towards the Demon Lord.
This one also had a lot of drama in her life. She wanted to warn her, but revealing the truth would alter the story’s course. The original story, at least, had a happy ending.
But changing the story could lead to an unpredictable outcome.
The Demon Lord, feeling Lü Qingyan’s gaze, shifted uncomfortably. “What?” she asked, waving a hand in front of Lü Qingyan’s face.
Lü Qingyan, quickly averting her gaze, picked up her book, her voice nonchalant. “Nothing.”
Thankfully, no one dared to intrude upon Luo Nianshang’s residence. Otherwise, having such a powerful enemy within their midst would have caused chaos.
As she thought about this, she felt a sudden chill. She looked up to see Luo Nianshang approaching from the sky.
She landed gracefully, her gaze lingering on the Demon Lord, her expression a mixture of awkwardness and uncertainty.
Her feelings towards the Demon Lord were complex. Bai Jingxue’s words had prompted her to visit the village where the Demon Lord had been born, but there had been no trace of the past. She had returned empty-handed.
The Demon Lord, however, seemed unfazed. “Hey, Venerable One,” she said, her voice casual. “Long time no see.”
It hadn’t been that long. In the Demon Lord’s world, they were together every day.
But it was the same for Luo Nianshang. She couldn’t stop thinking about the Demon Lord, her thoughts filled with a mixture of curiosity and apprehension.
Lü Qingyan, sensing the awkward tension between them, quietly gathered her books and left, slipping into Bai Jingxue’s room.
Luo Nianshang, alone with the Demon Lord, her social anxiety intensifying, struggled to find the right words. She had mentally rehearsed countless opening lines, but they all seemed inadequate. Finally, she settled on a simple, “Have you eaten?”
The Demon Lord, staring at her, her serious expression making the question even more absurd, couldn’t help but laugh. “Venerable One, have you forgotten?” she asked, her voice filled with amusement. “We don’t need to eat.”
Luo Nianshang, realizing her mistake, simply hummed in acknowledgment.
Perhaps love truly was blind. The Demon Lord found Luo Nianshang’s awkwardness endearing.
She wanted to tease Luo Nianshang, but then she remembered their encounter at the spirit spring. Her previous attempts at teasing had ended badly.
Her face paled. She decided to be cautious. Luo Nianshang might seem aloof and restrained, but there was a hidden fire within her.
She abandoned her playful intentions, her voice regaining its usual calmness. “Alright, what do I have to do?”
Luo Nianshang, relieved to be discussing a serious matter, her anxiety lessening, stared at the Demon Lord’s modest attire, her words escaping before she could stop them. “Take off your clothes.”
The Demon Lord, clutching her collar, took a step back, her eyes narrowed with suspicion. Had she fallen into a trap?
Luo Nianshang, realizing her words had been inappropriate, quickly clarified. “Not all of them,” she said.
The Demon Lord, her hand releasing her collar, relaxed, then felt a pang of disappointment.
The courtyard wasn’t a suitable location. “It’s not convenient here,” Luo Nianshang said. “Come to my room.”
Now it was the Demon Lord’s turn to be nervous, but she was too proud to show it. “Lead the way, Venerable One,” she said, her voice smooth, her smile unwavering.
Luo Nianshang nodded. “Alright.”
She led the way, the Demon Lord following closely behind.
Lü Qingyan, watching them disappear from view through the crack in Bai Jingxue’s door, her heart sinking, couldn’t help but mutter, “That’s it?”
Bai Jingxue, emerging from her meditation, saw Lü Qingyan peeking through the doorway, her backside facing Bai Jingxue.
She put on her shoes, then walked over to Lü Qingyan, patting her shoulder. “What are you looking at?”
Lü Qingyan, startled by Bai Jingxue’s silent approach, jumped, her hand flying to her chest. “Jingxue, you scared me!”
Bai Jingxue, unrepentant, also peered through the doorway, but she didn’t see anything unusual.
She straightened up, noticing the pile of books on the floor. She picked one up, flipping through it.
It was a travel guide, its focus the Demon Realm.
She skimmed through it, her gaze drawn to a particular page: an illustration of the Land of Fallen Gods, its sea of flowers a breathtaking sight.
Millennia had passed. Many things had changed. The division between the human, demon, and spirit realms hadn’t existed then. But the location of the Ejian Sect remained the same.
She mentally calculated the location. The Land of Fallen Gods was most likely the former site of the Xuan Tian Sect.
Lü Qingyan, peering over her shoulder, also saw the illustration. They had seen the real thing. The illustration, lacking the vibrant colors of the actual location, wasn’t as impressive.
Seeing Bai Jingxue’s interest, she asked, “Do you want to go there again, Jingxue?”
Bai Jingxue shook her head. “No.”
She tapped Lü Qingyan on the head with the book, her voice laced with amusement. “Still not cultivating?”
Lü Qingyan, rubbing her head, stuck her tongue out. “I’m going now,” she said.
She was about to gather her books and return to her room when Bai Jingxue stopped her. “Come with me tomorrow,” she said.
“Where to?” Lü Qingyan asked.
Bai Jingxue smiled, a mischievous glint in her eyes. “You’ll see.”
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