Chapter 73
Yu Ling’er reacted the fastest, immediately running to the nearby pond, scooping some water with a large lotus leaf, and splashing it onto Wei Jie’s face.
When the chilly water hit Wei Jie’s face, his body froze for a moment and the redness in his eyes faded slightly.
Cui Xiaoxiao saw this and realized her guess was correct – Wei Jie was not truly possessed, but had been affected by some kind of aphrodisiac powder!
She directly sheathed the Heaven-Smiting(Defying the Heavens) Sword and actively pounced towards Wei Jie.
Seeing Cui Xiaoxiao leap at him, Wei Jie didn’t dodge, instead extending his long arms to catch her.
Cui Xiaoxiao took the opportunity to embrace him tightly, locking her arms around his sturdy waist. At the same time, she chanted a water spell, summoning the pond water to rise up like a snake and coil around the two of them, lifting them into the air before dropping them straight into the pond.
After entering the pond water, Cui Xiaoxiao opened her eyes with effort and looked at the Wei Jie she was clinging to.
Surrounded by the chilly pond, the redness finally left Wei Jie’s eyes. However, the drawback of depleting his inner energy while injured also became apparent.
Now that his senses had returned, he didn’t even have the strength to swim in the water, relying entirely on Cui Xiaoxiao to support him.
Seeing that Wei Jie had just regained consciousness and seemed unable to catch his breath, Cui Xiaoxiao urgently sealed her lips over his to share her inner energy.
Amidst the rippling waves, their loose robes drifted and their long hair intertwined like swaying aquatic plants. Strings of bubbles like white pearls occasionally emerged from their tightly pressed lips. The tall man took the lead, tightly embracing the girl, like a black and white fish pair frolicking in the water…
Before they knew it, their fingers were intertwined as they swam through the depths of the pond, stirring up layers of ripples…
At this moment, Qin Lingxiao rushed to the edge of the pond and saw the rising bubbles and stirring ripples, his heart pounding anxiously.
He wanted to dive in to investigate, but as a renowned sword cultivator, he couldn’t swim, so he was unable to enter the water for now.
Fortunately, the two didn’t stay underwater for too long. When Cui Xiaoxiao realized Wei Jie had fully regained his senses, she chanted another water spell, coiling the water around them both to bring them back to shore.
By now, the consequences of Wei Jie’s reckless use of inner energy were fully apparent – despite Cui Xiaoxiao’s support, he could not even stand up.
Qin Lingxiao seized the opportunity to draw his qi sword again, intending to attack Wei Jie, but Cui Xiaoxiao waved her long sleeve to deflect his sword, angrily saying, “Can’t you see he was the victim of a sneak attack that caused him to lose his senses? Would you kill an innocent?”
However, Qin Lingxiao remained convinced of his previous suspicion and said angrily, “The demon bead is possessing Wei Jie! Even if this isn’t demonic possession, how can we be sure it won’t happen again? You should know best what atrocities Wei Jie will commit when his demonic nature erupts!”
Wei Jie slowly raised his head upon hearing this. He did not appear weak now, only coldly asking, “Oh? So you know what I’m like when demonically possessed?”
Qin Lingxiao froze, for of course he could not admit knowing the details.
In his past life, Wei Jie did suffer tremendous injustice, but Qin Lingxiao believed that after Wei Jie’s human nature was crushed by numerous blows, the demonic nature that erupted was terribly real!
Back then, even if his own father Qin Hezhen had made some mistakes, it did not warrant slaughtering the other disciples. Yet Wei Jie annihilated all four major sects in a rage, leaving no other survivors besides Qin Lingxiao and Ling Zhanshan.
Even at the risk of Cui Xiaoxiao’s resentment, Qin Lingxiao had to take preventive measures. He needed to strike Wei Jie’s Spiritual Platform while the demon bead had just possessed him, severing the root of the problem!
Of course, the deeper reason was that his father was still waiting for the life-prolonging effects of the wrathful demon bead. Qin Lingxiao had come to retrieve it.
If Wei Jie didn’t die, how could his father be saved?
Seeing Qin Lingxiao glaring but saying nothing, Wei Jie let out a cold snort and leaned weakly against Cui Xiaoxiao’s embrace.
No one knew better than him how comfortable Cui Xiaoxiao’s soft bosom was to lean on…
At this moment, Cui Xiaoxiao only felt distressed. As she wiped the water from Wei Jie’s cheeks, she insisted firmly, “You’re mistaken, the demon bead is really not on him!”
Qin Lingxiao felt she was making excuses for Wei Jie and said coldly, “If not on him, then where is it?”
Cui Xiaoxiao said slowly, “Whoever ambushed Wei Jie… that’s the one possessed by the demon bead…”
At this moment, Wei Jie also seemed to have caught his breath. Covering his chest, he recounted in a low voice what happened before the ambush, “A black-robed masked man secretly went to the back mountain. I discovered him and followed his trail here. We fought, but he suddenly threw some powder at me, causing me to lose my senses somehow and fall under his technique…”
Hearing this, Cui Xiaoxiao pondered for a moment, then slowly turned her head to look at the footprints leading towards the mountain cave, sighing regretfully, “Damn! We may have been tricked!”
Earlier, when following the footprints into the cave, she had been puzzled – why did the footprints only linger outside while there were none inside?
It turned out there was a sealed formation like the one in the Phoenix Secret Valley at the cave entrance, preventing anyone from casually entering except the resident bats and insects.
However, the five phoenix seals on her body just happened to be the key to unlocking the seal, so she had unknowingly done the mysterious person’s work of opening the cave lock!
Realizing this, she had a few fox tribesmen look after the fallen Wei Jie before re-entering the cave herself.
When Cui Xiaoxiao rushed into the cave this time, she found it seemed much dimmer than before, and the blue gemstone embedded in the phoenix statue at the top of the stone pillar had disappeared, leaving only an empty socket!
Cui Xiaoxiao’s suspicions were correct – although discovered by Wei Jie, that mysterious person had turned the situation around with a small ploy to steal what he really wanted!
Cui Xiaoxiao didn’t know what that blue gemstone was, but if the demon bead-possessed person had carefully planned to obtain it, it must be extremely important.
At this moment, there were more shocked cries from outside the cave. It turned out Wei Jie’s injuries were too severe and he had coughed up a large amount of blood!
It was clear that using his inner energy recklessly despite his injuries had caused further damage.
Seeing this, a look of delight appeared on Qin Lingxiao’s face. If Wei Jie’s Spiritual Platform was damaged beyond repair, he would be reduced to an ordinary person. Such an outcome might be even more satisfying than killing Wei Jie!
On the other hand, Tang Youshu’s eyes were red from panic, tears flowing as he wanted to rush back to the mountain to retrieve the hemostatic medicine he usually prepared for his master.
But if it was truly a severe depletion of inner energy, could a few handfuls of medicinal herbs really help?
Cui Xiaoxiao regretted her own lax cultivation, lamenting that at such a critical moment, she couldn’t even produce a Pill Core to save Wei Jie’s life.
Wei Jie forcibly suppressed the gushing blood flow and said to Cui Xiaoxiao, “First… find a secluded place for me. I need you to stabilize my meridians. No one can disturb us during that time… Let’s go to that cave over there.”
Cui Xiaoxiao knew she needed to quickly treat Wei Jie’s injuries. That cave would work, since it was where Master Tang Youshu would later lead them all into seclusion two hundred years from now.
Wei Jie was probably avoiding Qin Lingxiao as well as the new disciples on the mountain, so apart from two fox tribesmen guarding the entrance, no one else was allowed near.
According to Master Tang Youshu, this place gathered the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, making it ideal for building one’s foundation.
Cui Xiaoxiao had never treated anyone’s injuries before. When the two of them sat facing each other on the round boulder in the center of the cave, she didn’t know how to proceed in channeling her energy to heal him.
When she asked Wei Jie nervously, he leaned weakly against her and said faintly, “Just hold me for a bit first, let me stabilize my inner energy…”
So Cui Xiaoxiao obediently rested her chin on Wei Jie’s broad shoulder, allowing him to embrace her.
At this point of life and death, as long as he didn’t go too far, she could let him hold her for as long as needed.
However, this man who should have been frail took some… rather unrestrained liberties with his hands.
Cui Xiaoxiao suppressed her urge again and again until finally snatching back her loosened sash. Looking at him with seductive eyes, she said in a low voice, “This… is this some intimate healing technique from the Joyous Unity Sect? Where exactly is your blood flowing to?”
Wei Jie’s voice was now fading, showing no trace of the dexterity from before when undoing her sash, “You know I was affected by an aphrodisiac. Even after being immersed in water, some of the effects haven’t worn off yet… Perhaps if you help me fully dispel it, my qi depletion will be cured.”
Cui Xiaoxiao squinted at him, then suddenly pinched his cheeks and peered into his mouth – apart from a row of white teeth, his tongue bore fresh bite marks and traces of blood.
Just as she suspected, this Wei fellow had deliberately bitten his own tongue to cough up that frightening mouthful of blood!
Seeing through his trick, Cui Xiaoxiao was so angered she nearly condensed a water blade to chop him, “Were you trying to scare me to death? Don’t you know how worried I was, thinking you were really going to die! Or… was your ambush faked too?”
Wei Jie smiled and grasped her flailing fists, then showed her the bruise on the back of his head, “A bump this big, how could I have hit myself?… But the one who ambushed me earlier was really strange!”
Cui Xiaoxiao didn’t understand, “What was so strange about it?”
Wei Jie narrowed his purple eyes and said softly, “It was like encountering a doppelganger in the Illusion Mirror City of Luoyi. That person’s build was clearly shorter than me, yet his techniques and moves were exactly the same as mine, as if from the same lineage…”
Hearing this, Cui Xiaoxiao couldn’t help but furrow her brow.
Wei Jie’s skills incorporated the strengths of various schools with his own adaptations and refinements. Perhaps many techniques in the world were similar to his, but aside from the illusory doppelganger in the Mirror City, who else could perfectly mimic him?
As Cui Xiaoxiao sank into contemplation, Wei Jie stood up and squinted at the murals, also pausing when he saw the one depicting the Phoenix Tree from the Secret Realm.
However, what he really wanted to say wasn’t about those murals. The reason he had faked coughing up blood was to get this private moment with Cui Xiaoxiao, the only time he could voice his innermost doubts.
It was just that… what he wanted to say might not be something Cui Xiaoxiao wanted to hear…
Thinking of this, he looked at Cui Xiaoxiao, hesitated for a moment, and finally spoke, “Xiaoxiao, don’t you find someone rather strange?”
…
While the two conversed intimately in the cave, the people at the front mountain had been anxiously waiting.
Fortunately, their seclusion didn’t last too long. As the sky brightened, they emerged from the cave.
Yu Ling’er and Tang Youshu had been waiting at the entrance early on.
Qin Lingxiao had also stayed, wanting to see the extent of Wei Jie’s injuries now that the Talisman Sect’s disciples had gathered at the back mountain.
To Qin Lingxiao’s disappointment, Wei Jie’s condition seemed much improved – at the very least, he could walk out of the cave on his own.
Instead, it was Cui Xiaoxiao who appeared to have fallen seriously ill, her complexion slightly haggard. It seemed she had expended tremendous spiritual energy in treating Wei Jie’s injuries.
When they emerged from the cave, Cui Xiaoxiao’s eyes were reddened, perhaps from crying over her worries for Wei Jie until they became swollen.
Now, changes were afoot at the front mountain.
After this night, those disciples who had been vomiting and suffering diarrhea had recovered.
However, some of the disciples had quietly left the mountain once their bodies recovered, without a word.
After all, with the entire group of disciples falling violently ill after a single meal, it certainly seemed someone had poisoned the food. Most suspiciously, apart from Tang Youshu, including Cui Xiaoxiao, none of the Talisman Sect members showed any symptoms.
Some of the more perceptive individuals couldn’t help but become suspicious, feeling that Cui Xiaoxiao’s actions were too sinister! If she didn’t want to accept them, she could have just chased them away directly. Why resort to such underhanded means as laxatives?
No wonder the elders of the four major sects called her a demon – her thoughts and actions were truly devious and vicious!
When Cui Xiaoxiao heard from Tang Youshu about the departing disciples, she only absentmindedly nodded her head.
The Talisman Sect allowed freedom of coming and going. Since they hadn’t formally taken oaths as disciples, if they didn’t want to stay, they could just leave.
Cui Xiaoxiao knew that after leaving, these disciples would likely spread more rumors outside defaming her reputation, pushing her further towards being labeled as an evil demonic sect leader.
However, having taken on Wei Jie’s predetermined fate, it was inevitable that she would bear the title of Demon Lord and be slandered by others. Moreover, she did cause them to suffer diarrhea, so these insults weren’t exactly undeserved.
It was just a pity that enduring such slander still didn’t reveal who was possessed by the demon bead.
Therefore, Cui Xiaoxiao issued another order to depart, telling Qin Lingxiao, “Since none of these new disciples are possessed, I won’t keep you here any longer either. Please go elsewhere to continue your search.”
Of course, Qin Lingxiao was unwilling to leave. For some reason, he had a feeling the demon bead was still somewhere on Guistone Cliff.
Moreover, in the original timeline two hundred years ago, he had never entered that sealed cave in the back mountain before.
He clearly remembered that even Wei Jie had never gone into that formation-sealed cave.
Later, Wei Jie had even designated the back mountain as a forbidden area, and there was never any incident of someone breaking in to steal anything from the cave.
Yet in this lifetime, Cui Xiaoxiao had effortlessly broken through the cave’s formation, an unprecedented event compared to his past life…
Thinking of this, Qin Lingxiao was even more reluctant to leave. He felt that by staying, he could better assist Cui Xiaoxiao in dealing with any upcoming accidents.
However, Cui Xiaoxiao wasn’t consulting with him. After politely asking him to leave, she realized Qin Lingxiao didn’t seem to understand her meaning, so she could only bluntly say, “You’ve stayed here long enough. Please leave, or else Wei Jie may not be too pleased!”
Hearing this, Qin Lingxiao felt as if he had swallowed a fly. Just imagining Cui Xiaoxiao and Wei Jie alone together in that cave overnight left a bitter taste in his mouth.
Sometimes, he really wished he could immediately find the Flaming Underworld Deity statue and return to when he first met Cui Xiaoxiao. He would definitely not act so arrogant and leave such a poor impression in the young lady’s heart…
Seeing Cui Xiaoxiao’s weary appearance, Qin Lingxiao decided not to argue with her further. He also needed to return to Soaring Cloud Pavilion to check on his father, and find another way to search for the demon bead.
After driving away Qin Lingxiao, Cui Xiaoxiao was equally blunt in “advising” the other disciples who came to take oaths to leave as well.
The excuse was readily available – just eating a single meal caused them to violently vomit and suffer diarrhea, clearly showing their shallow foundations were unsuitable for inheriting the Talisman Sect’s legacy.
Failing to take them as disciples, these people immediately started cursing and scolding, bringing up Cui Xiaoxiao’s past demonic possession once more.
It seemed that when attempting to join, they didn’t care about Cui Xiaoxiao’s past as a demoness. But after failing, they immediately became righteous warriors again, hurling insults without fear of her demonic nature erupting.
Tang Youshu felt sorry for his master, while Wei Jie found it puzzling. After leaving the cave, he slept without waking, seemingly recovering his injuries through dreaming.
Now with everyone else gone from the mountain, cooking duties naturally fell back to Tang Youshu.
After asking Cui Xiaoxiao if she wanted beef soup, Tang Youshu cooked a pot and brought a small stone bowl to her study.
When he entered with the stone bowl, Cui Xiaoxiao was flipping through the cultivation legends she had borrowed from him, searching for any clues about the black phoenix and Flame Emperor.
However, she didn’t seem to be making much progress, with books scattered all over the floor.
Tang Youshu set down the beef soup and squatted to pick up the books Cui Xiaoxiao had thrown around, stacking them neatly.
Cui Xiaoxiao slouched over the table, lacking any patriarchal dignity as she dejectedly asked, “They’ve all left?”
Tang Youshu knew she was referring to the prospective disciples, so he hurriedly replied, “Most of them have gone. However, that Miss Ling Zhanshan insists on staying and seems determined to linger on the mountain. Seeing that you and Master appeared to have depleted your inner energies and not yet recovered, I didn’t mention it to you. She’ll probably leave once she gets bored of waiting around.”
Cui Xiaoxiao paid no mind to such trifling matters. She simply took the soup Tang Youshu poured for her, blew on it to cool it down, and drank a big mouthful.
But after the soup entered her mouth, Cui Xiaoxiao frowned tightly, swallowing it with difficulty before saying softly, “Lord Tang, this beef soup is bitter again…”
Tang Youshu was puzzled, “Bitter? It shouldn’t be. Ling’er had a bowl in the kitchen and said it tasted great!”
Cui Xiaoxiao scooped another bowl and handed it to him, “Here, don’t believe me? Try it yourself.”
Tang Youshu took the bowl suspiciously and drank a sip, immediately furrowing his brow as well – amidst the fresh taste of the beef soup was indeed an indescribable bitter flavor. It seemed Yu Ling’er had actually learned to flatter and lie, able to drink an entire bitter bowl while praising its taste…
Tang Youshu was used to his own cooking, so he apologized, “Ancestor, I’ve failed again. Should I make you another pot?”
Cui Xiaoxiao shook her head lazily, thinking for a moment before drawing the flame pattern from the gemstone in the cave onto a piece of paper. She asked, “You’ve read the most cultivation legends. Have you ever seen this pattern before?”
Tang Youshu studied it carefully for a while before shaking his head, “I’ve never seen it before. But… isn’t this the pattern from that missing gemstone in the cave?”
Cui Xiaoxiao nodded slowly, “I checked the local records of Guistone Cliff again. Apparently there’s a reason why it’s called Guistone Cliff. Legend says there’s a spirit stone within the mountain, an ancient divine artifact that can communicate with ghosts and spirits, which is why this place is named Guistone Cliff. Could that stolen gemstone be the legendary spirit stone?”
Tang Youshu replied, “Your conjecture makes sense, Ancestor. It’s quite possible.”
Cui Xiaoxiao poured herself a cup of tea to wash away the bitterness in her mouth, downing it in one gulp before drinking several more cups, looking more like guzzling fine wine than drinking tea.
Seeing the teapot was almost empty, Tang Youshu picked it up to go refill it with hot water from the kitchen.
However, Cui Xiaoxiao firmly pressed his hand down, her large eyes seeming to reminisce about the past as she looked through Tang Youshu towards someone in the distant unknown.
She said calmly, “Since we first met, time has passed without me realizing how long it’s been. But I still clearly remember the circumstances of our first encounter.”
Tang Youshu froze slightly before withdrawing his hand from under Cui Xiaoxiao’s and smiling faintly, “I also remember meeting you and Master. If not for you both, I would have died in the jaws of that Corpse-Eating Beast.”
Cui Xiaoxiao sighed, “Actually, on that day when you were rescued from the Corpse-Eating Beast, you had two choices before you – take me or Wei Jie as your master. I was Wei Jie’s master, and my performance that day was quite impressive. I treated you better too, yet you wholeheartedly chose to follow that cold and indifferent Wei Jie as your master…”
Tang Youshu seemed not to have expected his Ancestor to bring up such old history now, so he hastily apologized, “If possible, I would have taken you both as masters. But you looked so young then, Ancestor… I felt it would be improper to follow a lady master, please forgive your grandDisciple’s disrespect…”
Cui Xiaoxiao nodded again, seeming lost in her memories, “Later, as we traveled, why did we end up going to the Fox Tribe’s Mount Tuyun? Ah yes, I originally wanted to go to Soaring Cloud Pavilion to have Qin Lingxiao remove the shackles binding Wei Jie and me. Since I wasn’t good with maps, you were the guide who led us all the way to Mount Tuyun…”
Tang Youshu lowered his head in embarrassment and said softly, “It was my foolishness that nearly harmed you and Master…”
Cui Xiaoxiao gave a self-deprecating laugh, “How was it harmful? If we hadn’t gone to Mount Tuyun, how could Wei Jie and I have accidentally drunk the Celestial Spring water and greatly increased our cultivation bases? Speaking of that, it reminds me of the events in Luoyi City. At that time, not wanting to make trouble, I decided to leave the city with all of you. But you slipped up in front of your master and mentioned Prince Can’s invitation to his birthday banquet. So Wei Jie secretly went ahead to attend, staying behind to eventually expose Prince Can’s misdeeds.”