Chapter 49
When the Punishing Sword(“Defying the Heavens” Sword or “Heaven Punisher” Sword) slashed powerfully, Wanlian Master(Wan Lianshi) clearly felt an irresistible piercing aura rushing towards his face. In high-level combat, the victor is often determined when the powerful qi arrives. Wanlian inwardly cried out in distress!
He did not know what kind of weapon Cui Xiaoxiao wielded, but it carried an overbearing might that could cleave mountains and hills. As a member of the Ghost Sect, he was not skilled in direct close combat and dared not confront her head-on.
Thus, before the sword even arrived, Wanlian hastily retreated. The Punishing Sword’s deadliest aspect was its sword qi. Despite Wanlian’s swift evasion, the sword’s radiance still slashed across his cheek.
The Punishing Sword struck like thunder – how could an ordinary person withstand it? Someone like Wanlian, whose hands were stained with fresh blood from countless killings, was instantly struck with excruciating pain to the marrow when hit by the sword qi. The agony caused him to let out a miserable scream as he heavily fell to the ground.
Knowing the situation was dire, he could not even consider his fellow disciple Qin He. He seized the opportunity to ignite the Armor-Piercing Earth-Escaping Talisman in his hand, transforming into a wisp of blue smoke and vanishing before everyone’s eyes.
At this moment, Qin Lingxiao also saw his severely injured father Qin He lying on the ground. He rushed over, supported his father, and checked his wounds while angrily asking in a tight voice, “Father, was it that bastard Wei Jie who injured you?”
It was all due to the passage of too much time that Qin Lingxiao could barely recall some events from two hundred years ago.
However, upon seeing the wound on his father’s shoulder where sharp claws had pierced through his spirit bones, Qin Lingxiao’s memory suddenly returned!
In the trajectory from over two hundred years ago, after Wei Jie’s mother passed away and he fled from Luoyi City, it seemed his father had led people to pursue him, only to be injured by Wei Jie himself.
If he remembered correctly, it was precisely the location of the shoulder blade, and the appearance of the claw marks was very similar. This wound had prevented his father from fully recovering for a long time, delaying his cultivation and also laying the hidden danger for their subsequent annihilation.
Upon hearing his son’s question, Qin He endured the pain of his shattered spirit bones and tremblingly pointed at Cui Xiaoxiao, saying, “The one who injured me… was her! She has already been demonized. You are no match for her. Let us retreat first!”
In reality, Qin He’s greatest resentment was not towards Cui Xiaoxiao, but rather towards his senior martial brother Wan Lianshi, who had used him as a shield!
However, this was not the time for recriminations. His spirit bones needed to be reconnected immediately, or else his cultivation would be ruined in an instant!
Yet upon hearing these words, Qin Lingxiao was once again greatly shocked – this time, the one who had harmed his father was not Wei Jie, but Cui Xiaoxiao instead?
Recalling the situation just now, with Xiaoxiao’s disheveled hair and her entire being exuding an indescribable demonic aura, she had clearly become demonized!
Carefully recollecting, Qin Lingxiao suddenly realized that Cui Xiaoxiao had already taken over and completed the greater part of Wei Jie’s path to demonization.
At this thought, Qin Lingxiao was both shocked and enraged.
If it had been Wei Jie who injured his father, then it would naturally be a case of blood debt to be repaid in blood. He would pursue Wei Jie to the ends of the earth and make him pay the price!
But now, the one who had become demonized was precisely Cui Xiaoxiao!
Although this woman was full of flaws and stubborn by nature, her essence was not evil, which was vastly different from Wei Jie… Yet just now, she had actually embraced and kissed Wei Jie… Recalling that scene, Qin Lingxiao felt like his heart was about to explode.
It was clearly Cui Xiaoxiao who had injured his father, yet now he felt an even greater urge to tear Wei Jie apart with his bare hands…
After Qin He finished speaking, he noticed that his son was still staring blankly at Cui Xiaoxiao, a clear sign that his feelings ran deep. This infuriated him even more!
He could only call out to his son again. But just as Qin Lingxiao was dazed, Yu Ling’er suddenly threw back her head and let out a long fox howl.
In an instant, many foxes came running from the surrounding forest.
It turned out that when Xiaoxiao saw Qin Lingxiao had brought many people from Soaring Cloud Pavilion, she had no intention of prolonging the battle and had Yu Ling’er summon her tribesmen. She quickly helped the fallen Wei Jie up and had him mount one of the enormous fox demons, as big as a mule.
Then, with the Talisman Sect’s group riding the foxes, they swiftly vanished without a trace, leaving Qin Lingxiao embracing his father in the rain.
Watching the pair of men and women riding off together on a fox, Qin Lingxiao felt an indescribable surge of blood rushing through his chest. He could only let out an angry low growl towards the direction the Talisman Sect had departed…
As for Yu Ling’er, she was completely terrified by Cui Xiaoxiao’s earlier demonized state.
When they reached a safe place, she reverted to human form but dared not approach Cui Xiaoxiao. Instead, she could only tug on Tang Youshu’s robe and ask, “What happened to her just now? Was she… demonized?”
Tang Youshu’s protective instinct towards his master remained unchanged over the two hundred years. Whether it was his grand-master or master who became demonized, in his eyes, there must have been deep grievances and understandable reasons.
Thus, he solemnly told Yu Ling’er, “Indiscriminate killing and disregard for humanity – that is what it means to be demonized! My grand-master has merely fallen ill temporarily. She did not kill anyone, at most… at most…”
At most, she had kissed his master Wei Jie! However, the refined Tang Youshu found it somewhat difficult to voice those words.
Yu Ling’er then seemed to realize something and hesitantly asked, “You mean… Xiaoxiao has become a lust… demon?”
Tang Youshu quickly covered Yu Ling’er’s mouth.
What kind of talk was that? How unbecoming! Even if it were true, it should not be spoken aloud!
As for Cui Xiaoxiao, she had also mounted the fox’s back earlier, supporting the unconscious Wei Jie as they frantically ran.
During the journey, Wei Jie seemed to have sensed the jolting and briefly regained consciousness. When he saw Xiaoxiao behind him, he leaned his body heavily against his master’s soft embrace, slightly fluttering his long, curled eyelashes. His purple eyes rippled with a watery glow as he weakly asked, “Master… how are you? Do you remember what happened earlier?”
Xiaoxiao looked around to ensure there were no pursuers before setting him down from the fox’s back.
She now naturally understood Wei Jie’s true intention behind initially “kissing” her – her obedient disciple had no choice but to do so in order to nourish her inner dan and suppress her demonic nature.
However, in her dazed state, believing it was a dream, she had somewhat taken the initiative and forcefully taken advantage of her disciple…
Just thinking about their entangled lips and mingled breaths at that moment, the lingering sweet fragrance of wine seemed to still linger in her mouth, causing her toes to curl in embarrassment!
At this very moment, Yu Ling’er’s low murmur of “lust demon” came through, as if she was angrily berating Xiaoxiao, this shameless master…
Cui Xiaoxiao felt somewhat ashamed as she said, “That… due to the demonic backlash earlier, I don’t remember anything. If there were any improprieties, please do not hold it against me… As your master, I have always treated you like my own child, without any distinction between men and women…”
“Once a teacher, always a mother.” As a maternal figure to her disciple, it was just barely acceptable for her to kiss her own “son.”
Unfortunately, this “adopted son” of hers did not seem to see it that way. Upon hearing Cui Xiaoxiao compare him to a child, his originally weakened body slowly straightened up. He calmly looked her up and down and calmly said, “And where exactly do you think I am small?”
Cui Xiaoxiao inwardly spat. She didn’t know where he was big either! No, why was she even entertaining this conversation?
There were far more pressing matters at hand!
Earlier, when battling the Ghost Sect’s Wanlian Master, her spiritual power was insufficient, causing her to be pulled and backlashed into losing consciousness.
That feeling of losing control over her body was truly terrible.
As they spoke, she suddenly felt something strange about her arms. She rolled up her sleeves and discovered that the snake scales which had been suppressed after drinking the Spirit Spring were emerging once again, and they seemed even more severe compared to before…
Xiaoxiao bit her lip and tentatively asked, “Did my demonic nature flare up just now?”
Wei Jie did not attempt to hide the truth and bluntly stated, “You almost killed me.”
Xiaoxiao stared at the snake scales on her arms, helplessly covered her face, and let out a sigh…
Regarding the segment about Wei Jie’s demonization two hundred years ago, her master Tang Youshu had already used a subtle and understated approach in the secret manual. However, he still left behind the line, “When demonization occurs, even familiars will not be recognized.”
Now, she had inadvertently traversed the greater part of Wei Jie’s path to demonization, only experiencing her first demonization until now. In truth, she had already been quite fortunate.
However, at present, she indeed should return Wei Jie’s inner dan first. Otherwise, if Wei Jie remained without his inner dan for too long, there was a risk of him being unable to recover it.
And the demonic bead within her was greedy by nature. If it monopolized and refused to release Wei Jie’s inner dan, wouldn’t the danger be even greater when her demonic nature flared up again in the future?
It was just the method of returning it…
When she asked Wei Jie if there was any other way besides mouth-to-mouth transmission, Wei Jie gazed at her with an inscrutable expression for a long while before slowly saying, “I do not know… perhaps disemboweling and emptying the dantian would work…”
Xiaoxiao immediately shook her head. She still had her youthful prime ahead of her and did not wish to lose her life so early just for the sake of returning something.
At this moment, Wei Jie sat cross-legged and tapped Xiaoxiao’s hand with his long fingers, saying, “Did you not say that you view me as your own child? If that is the case, what difficulty is there? Go ahead and speak your mind.”
Xiaoxiao had just deceived him by saying that as master and disciple, they were like mother and son, without any need for propriety between men and women. If she were to now forcefully push away his wandering hand, it would be somewhat contradictory to her words.
She could only grit her teeth and look at her beloved disciple with a “loving” smile, “What difficulty could there be? Come, let me return your inner dan now!”
With that, she brought her face closer to his.
Seeing his master’s urgency, the inner dan-deprived Wei Jie was not in a hurry at all.
He glanced at the nearby little fox, whose eyes were bulging out like eggs as she eagerly watched the spectacle. He also saw the embarrassed Tang Youshu, who did not know where to look. Then he said, “No rush, you can return it to me later…”
After all, the Talisman Sect’s banner had not yet fallen, and it would not do to prematurely raise the flag of the Harmonious Union Sect.
Such an intimate “oral transmission” required a more secluded location.
Xiaoxiao’s biggest headache at the moment was not the returning of the inner dan. After all, during her demonization earlier, she had already failed to recognize even her closest relatives, so it was unavoidable that she would feel somewhat dejected.
However, in order to prevent herself from doing anything unforgivable, it would be better to have some contingency measures in place.
She looked at Wei Jie with tearful eyes and said, “You… don’t happen to have the coffin nail your grandmother gave you, do you?”
This little rascal was fortunate enough to have narrowly avoided the entire process of demonization and walking the evil path by sheer coincidence. He was now considered a promising young disciple by the Demon Suppressing Alliance.
But she had the misfortune of treading the path of demonization all the way. If she were to become uncontrollable in the future, his grandmother’s coffin nail might come in handy…
Wei Jie ignored her words and instead asked, “What else do you find unsatisfactory at the moment?”
Xiaoxiao frowned. Apart from accepting Wei Jie’s inner dan and the resulting fullness in her dantian, her biggest dissatisfaction at the moment was…
“Well… I’m really hungry!”
Yu Ling’er, who had been listening with some tension, couldn’t help but stumble at this.
However, the little fox had once devoured an entire barbecued chicken leg in the Illusory City, so she had no standing to criticize Cui Xiaoxiao for not getting any food.
Since the king’s manor had eyes and ears all over the city, they could not enter. However, as they were unable to find Siluan and could not depart either, they decided to stay in a nearby village for the time being.
Wei Jie had no shortage of silver, and after spending some of his silver ingots, he not only rented a spacious courtyard but also persuaded the farmer’s family to catch chickens and chop geese, resulting in an entire table full of wine and dishes.
Cui Xiaoxiao ate the stewed chicken with mushrooms and then a full bowl of handmade noodles with egg sauce and shepherd’s purse. Finally, she contentedly flopped down onto the warm kang bed.
After finishing the home-brewed rice wine, Wei Jie rose to fetch a basin of hot water from the kitchen, telling Xiaoxiao to soak her feet.
Despite having lost his inner dan and feeling weakened, he still served and attended to her.
Xiaoxiao felt a sense of guilt, but she was also touched in a way she could not suppress.
After all, even the usually unrestrained Yu Ling’er now regarded her with a wary expression, occasionally scrutinizing her movements for fear that she might lose control and become demonized again, harming others with a single misstep.
Yet Wei Jie seemed no different from before, and even more attentive and filial than ever.
This warmth amidst the cold melted the master’s heart.
Thus, she did not rush to soak her feet. Instead, she prepared a basin of hot water for Wei Jie to wash his face, heated a towel, and handed it to him, saying, “Since you have lost your inner dan, you must be feeling quite unwell. Sit down and wipe your face. I will return your inner dan to you later…”
Wei Jie glanced at the hot towel but offered his face instead, saying, “I am indeed feeling rather drained. Why don’t you wipe it for me, Master?”
Xiaoxiao looked at his handsome face and, after holding back for a while, finally did not push him away. She used the towel to wipe his face.
When wiping near his lips, there were some dried bloodstains. It was the blood Wei Jie had shed when using his body as a shield to protect Xiaoxiao from the Blood Dragon’s attack…
As she wiped away the blood from the corner of his mouth, Xiaoxiao vaguely recalled something. It seemed that during her dazed and unconscious state, someone had tightly embraced her with their body, continuously calling out her name…
She became lost in her recollections, her large eyes unblinkingly fixed on Wei Jie’s lips.
She was unaware that for a man and woman alone together, it was quite bold for her to stare at a man’s lips in such an unguarded manner. She also failed to notice that Wei Jie’s purple eyes were becoming increasingly smoldering…
By the time Xiaoxiao suddenly realized that the exceptionally handsome face was too close to her own, it seemed somewhat too late.
His lips carried an intoxicating fragrance of wine as they met hers once again…
Xiaoxiao was still in a demonized state during the previous inner dan transmission, so she could not recall the process at all.
But this time, she felt it vividly – the usually casual and unrestrained man was like a fierce beast possessing him, dominating and leaving no room for refusal as he enveloped her in the turbulent waves…
When this kiss finally ended, Xiaoxiao could hardly catch her breath, feeling a sense of weakness throughout her body. But if the inner dan had just been transmitted, it was understandable to feel so drained, right?
She leaned against the man’s sturdy embrace, her legs too weak to stand. She did not dare raise her head again, lest Wei Jie see her face flushed red like peach blossoms in March.
After finally steadying her breathing, she quickly lowered her head to push the man away, then feigned composure and said, “Well… it’s getting late, you just recovered your inner dan, you should go into meditation to stabilize it!”
The man remained silent for a moment, then said in a low voice, “The inner dan has not been returned yet…”
“Oh…wh…what?” Xiaoxiao blinked her large eyes, only then understanding the implication of his words. She abruptly raised her head and glared at Wei Jie in anger, “What do you mean by that?”
Wei Jie innocently blinked his purple eyes, looking upwards as if pondering before saying, “I forgot about needing to recover my inner dan.”
This time, the egg was firmly lodged in Xiaoxiao’s mouth. She was so angry that her cherry lips parted as she pointed a trembling finger at Wei Jie, “Forgot? Then what exactly were you doing just now?”
Scoundrel! If it wasn’t for transmitting the inner dan, why did he kiss her for so long?
No! If it wasn’t for transmitting the inner dan, why did he kiss her at all?
In her rage, she almost took out the coffin nail given by Wei Jie’s grandmother and nailed this rascal to the door first.
Wei Jie allowed her to beat and punch him, his thin lips curling into a smile. Then he continued to use Xiaoxiao’s own words to provoke her, “You were staring at me so intently earlier. If I didn’t kiss you, I would have felt disrespectful. Just as you said, as a master, you are like a mother to me, so what need is there to talk about propriety between men and women…”
Xiaoxiao was so angry that smoke was about to come out of her ears. She forcefully shoved this shameless rascal out with all her might, eventually driving Wei Jie out of the inner room.
When Xiaoxiao was alone, she finally flopped down angrily on the bed, picking up a pillow to see if she could smother herself with it.
The person had been driven out, but the strange feeling of their entangled lips could not be driven from her mind…
Xiaoxiao was extremely flustered – it seemed she had inadvertently done something improper with Wei Jie.
But the two of them were people separated by two hundred years, who were never meant to meet, let alone have any tangled romantic feelings.
At this moment, Xiaoxiao decided to see if her sect had any mind-cleansing talismans. If need be, she would cast one and forget all these messy feelings first.
After finally calming down and soaking her feet, Xiaoxiao was about to take the water basin out of the room when she noticed Wei Jie reading a sheet of paper by the lamp in the outer room…
At first, Xiaoxiao did not want to bother with him. But then she felt the paper in his hand looked somewhat familiar, so she craned her neck to take a look. When she realized it was the letter she had previously asked Tang Youshu to deliver, she hurriedly put on her shoes to try to snatch it back, but it was too late!
Oh no, after leaving the Illusory City, how could she have forgotten about this matter? She had even forgotten to retrieve the letter.
With Wei Jie’s tall stature, he held the letter up high as he squinted his eyes and read, “After this parting, I hope you can take care of yourself. Although your nature is not evil, you are like a cesspit stone – whoever slights you, you will immediately fly into a rage and splash them with hot broth. Conducting yourself this way may provide temporary satisfaction, but you will needlessly offend countless people. Know that when the wall falls, everyone will push it down. You must not offend others recklessly, lest you find yourself isolated with no aid when you reach your wits’ end, abandoned by all. Also, you must not think that just because you have outstanding looks, you can go around toying with young ladies’ hearts. Who knows if you will one day become as ugly as a snake? In any case, our master-disciple destiny has ended. Take care of yourself and do not sully the name of my Talisman Sect by walking the path of demons and evil…”
Wei Jie had a faint smile initially, but as he read on, the smile on his face gradually faded. Finally, he put down the letter expressionlessly, looked down at Xiaoxiao’s forcedly composed face, and arched an eyebrow, “Were you cursing me?”
Xiaoxiao thought to herself: Those were words of heartfelt advice from a master, but how many unworthy disciples could understand the pain in her heart?
However, at this moment, she had just experienced a demonic outburst. Looking back at the letter scolding Wei Jie for not walking the “path of demons and evil”, it seemed like the pot calling the kettle black…
Disciple, you are too unaccomplished! Your master has already taken the first step into demonization before you.
Seeing Wei Jie turn to leave without a word, Xiaoxiao suddenly felt a twinge of guilt.
Throughout his life until now, his words and actions had been unremarkable, and his temperament was actually quite mild. When she was in danger, he had wholeheartedly devoted himself, even giving her his inner dan.
Yet for such devotion, he was berated and scolded by his master without rhyme or reason. How could his heart not be hurt?
Xiaoxiao could no longer remain cold towards him. She could only tug on his robe sleeve, “Hey, what did I say that was wrong? Why are you getting all huffy and trying to leave again? With that foul temper of yours, shouldn’t you… try to improve it a bit?”
But this unruly disciple became more defiant the more she spoke, constantly trying to shake off her hand. Xiaoxiao ended up embracing his waist and said, “Alright, alright, I was wrong. I shouldn’t have written that letter, isn’t that enough? It’s so dark out, who knows if there are people from the Prince Can Manor or Ghost Sect around this village. You’ve lost your inner dan and are weakened, where could you go?”
Wei Jie allowed Xiaoxiao to tightly embrace his waist for a long while without speaking. Only after enjoying the supple warmth in his arms for long enough did he look at his master, who stubbornly refused to let go, and slowly said, “Where could I go? Of course, to fetch another basin of water for you! Look, you’ve already soaked your feet enough.”
Xiaoxiao looked down and indeed, her earlier agitation had caused her to kick off her shoes, and her bare feet were directly on the ground.
At this moment, Wei Jie suddenly picked Xiaoxiao up and carried her back to the bed in the inner room. Then he playfully flicked her nose and said, “Wait here!”
Xiaoxiao was dazed by his indulgent actions and could only watch as the tall man, with a faint smile on his face, carried the basin out in big strides.
Scoundrel, she was his master, yet he treated her in such an impudent manner!
It was at this moment that Yu Ling’er, who had been avoiding her, took the opportunity to come in. As usual, she first confirmed that Xiaoxiao was of sound mind before hurriedly approaching and whispering, “So, what are your plans going forward?”
Xiaoxiao pondered for a moment before honestly replying, “I don’t know… and I may become demonized again. If you’re afraid, you can take the tribe and leave first.”
However, Yu Ling’er shook her head, “My mother said that you are a benefactor of the fox tribe. How could the fox tribe abandon you in times of danger? Moreover, my mother is worried that the Demon Suppressing Alliance might pressure Wei Jie into subduing you. With us here, at the very least we can protect your life.”
The fox tribe truly valued gratitude and righteousness! The old Fox King’s considerations were indeed thorough.
So she brought over a basin of freshly washed red dates from the table to share with Yu Ling’er.
The days two hundred years ago had truly become increasingly bitter. She would have to eat some sweet foods to endure it.