Chapte18

There was a moment when Yu Xizhi felt an urge to take out the Beibao and throw it at Cheng Luocen’s face, so that he would forget everything about today, thinking he had simply found a valuable treasure, and continue wandering the world with his grandpa’s lingering spirit, seeking fortunes.

He would pursue his path to becoming Long Aotian, while she would walk her path of villainy, each going their separate ways.

Yu Xizhi took a deep breath to calm herself.

Indeed, Cheng Luocen did have such a treasure to guide him. Upon reflection, wasn’t it after he achieved  after introducing Qi into his body?

When Cheng Luocen obtained Beibao, he was merely at the stage of enlightenment, so his experience wasn’t as smooth as Yu Xizhi’s.

She vaguely recalled that in the original story, no one from the Kunwu Mountain Sect came. After Old Cao suffered a backlash, the Beibao was implanted into the flesh of other members of the Cao family. By the time Huang Li and others identified the source of the demonic aura and hurried over, the entire Cao family village had turned into a hellish scene.

The Beibao, having devoured so much flesh, was even harder to deal with. Under the guidance of his grandpa’s spirit, Cheng Luocen struggled bitterly with the treasure. The process was extremely thrilling, full of twists and turns. When Cheng Luocen finally lured the treasure out with a piece of oil cake and captured it alive, Yu Xizhi laughed at the absurdity of the dough bait.

… And now, in a blink of an eye, she had thrown out a meat pie.

What a case of the pot calling the kettle black!

At least an oil cake costs two copper coins less than a meat pie.

She felt at a loss.

Quickly thinking through the situation, Yu Xizhi recalled that in the original story, after obtaining the Beibao, Cheng Luocen was supposed to refine it into an immortal treasure.

He would feel enraged at the Kunwu Mountain Sect for refusing to help in such a dire situation, which would lead to his resentment and questioning of the great sects, setting the stage for him to challenge these sects in the future.

But now she had taken the task card, captured Beibao, and ruined Cheng Luocen’s awakening path.

If she were the original female protagonist, she might be feeling guilty enough to cry at this moment.

Unfortunately, she was just a cannon fodder destined to die once Cheng Luocen became powerful and rebellious.

She had no interest in taking Cheng Luocen’s life or ruining his future. Male protagonists in novels are usually favored by fate. Even if the process changes, the outcome will likely remain the same. And if she really tried to harm him, she might face some backlash.

So, she just wanted to pretend she knew nothing and quietly nudge the timeline.

For example, letting Cheng Luocen join the sect so he wouldn’t have time to explore various secret realms and delaying the time he obtains the Owl Feather Sword.

She didn’t want her little junior sister to suffer for so long either.

But once her junior sister recovered, her own demise would be near.

…Or, to put it another way, who made her take the malicious female supporting script?

She wanted to participate in the sect’s sword competition, to see the secret realms of this vast world, to encounter more demons, to meet more people from various sects, and to attend the decennial sword competition.

She didn’t want to die. She wanted to escape her fate and didn’t want to get involved in the path of Long Aotian enlightenment, nor did she want to be a part of the melodramatic story of Long Aotian and Mary Sue.

So, after a brief moment of surprise, she blinked, quickly putting on a friendly smile, and looked at Cheng Luocen.

“Wow, did this fellow cultivator manage to achieve enlightenment and successfully draw Qi into his body all on his own? That’s incredible! Do you want to join the Kunwu Mountain Sect?”

Cheng Luocen was momentarily dazed.

He was naturally perceptive, so he instinctively sensed a change in Yu Xizhi’s emotions towards him in that instant. However, before he could figure out the reason behind it, the change softened and dissipated.

The girl in the pale yellow dress smiled with her eyes, her dimples deepening, as she tilted her head and asked if he wanted to join the same sect as her.

The old man’s nagging voice sounded in his ear. “Tsk, what’s this little girl up to? Don’t go! What’s there to do in that place? I know everything; it’s much better than some rundown mountain sect! What’s so good about the Kunwu Mountain Sect? I can take you on grand adventures, just like when I was at the peak of my power, the founding master of the Kunwu Mountain Sect was still just a kid!”

“Can you be discovered?” Cheng Luocen suddenly asked in his mind.

“No one can discover me unless we’re on a carefree journey! I’m confident in that!” The old man snorted, then sensed something was wrong.

“Why are you asking this? What are you planning to do? Wait a minute… if you join the sect, you won’t be as free! To explore those secret realms, you’ll need to compete for qualifications. Don’t limit yourself, you foolish boy!”

Cheng Luocen automatically blocked out the old man’s words. In his mind was the image of Yu Xizhi’s stunning sword strike—a seemingly ordinary move that, in her hands, was precise and deadly, as if capable of cutting through all obstacles in the world.

In his eyes, there was the unparalleled light of the sword and the smiling dimples of the girl.

“Yes, I do.” Cheng Luocen said it firmly.

He suddenly raised his eyes, meeting Yu Xizhi’s gaze, and repeated, “I want to join the Kunwu Mountain Sect.”

The old man’s lingering spirit was stunned, and he began to scold him even louder and more incessantly than before. Beside him, Huang Li’s eyes lit up with joy. “Ah Cen! Really? Have you changed your mind? Are you willing to go to Kunwu Mountain Sect with me?”

Cheng Luocen ignored him, his intense gaze fixed on Yu Xizhi.

“May I know, what is your cultivation level?”

—He wanted to know what level he needed to reach to wield such a sword strike.

The old man was almost furious enough to pass out. Hearing this question, he was even more exasperated. “You fool, why don’t you ask me if you want to know her cultivation level? This little girl…”

The nagging voice suddenly paused.

“Huh? Something’s wrong. This little girl… why can’t I see through her cultivation level?” The old man’s lingering spirit seemed utterly shocked.

“With the fall of the grandmasters, there’s no one who can roam freely in the world anymore. Even in my weakened state, I should be able to see through the cultivation of a little girl with a bone age of only more than ten years old. But why does she seem to have such strong spiritual energy? How could a teenage girl… am I seeing things?”

Cheng Luocen listened to the old man’s incredulous voice, silently staring at Yu Xizhi.

His gaze was so focused and intense that it made Yu Xizhi inexplicably uneasy. However, she maintained her composure and, with a smile, responded to his question, “When you join the Kunwu Mountain Sect and enter the mountain gates, you’ll naturally find out.”

She was warm and friendly, yet she left enough of a hook to entice Cheng Luocen into joining the sect.

Yu Xizhi felt her response was perfect, but she couldn’t quite withstand Cheng Luocen’s gaze. She took two steps back, intentionally or not, and hid behind Xie Junzhi. Then she quietly asked, “Um… do I have the authority to recommend someone?”

“What do you think makes him worth recommending?” Xie Junzhi asked with a faint smile.

“Uh…” Yu Xizhi couldn’t exactly say that this person would do great things in the future. After a moment of stammering, she finally found a reason: “Look, he managed to draw Qi into his body at such a young age without any guidance and in such a place with thin spiritual energy. Isn’t he already better than many of our outer disciples? Our Kunwu Mountain Sect needs talents like him!”

“Oh? Really?” Xie Junzhi looked at Cheng Luocen as if noticing him for the first time.

Cheng Luocen’s eyes were fixed on Yu Xizhi, and he naturally saw her standing next to a young man in white.

Even though Cheng Luocen prided himself on his own looks, he had to admit that the young man in white was extraordinarily striking. His features were sharp yet refined, and his demeanor was calm and composed, as if he observed everything in the world but cared for none of it.

The old man’s lingering spirit in Cheng Luocen’s mind paused his mumbling about Yu Xizhi and then gasped, “Huh—why can’t I see through this one either! His bone age is clearly in his teens; how could this be—!”

The old man’s fragmented soul was clearly shaken by his inability to see through two people in a row, sinking into self-doubt and repeatedly muttering, “Impossible, how could this be?” while Cheng Luocen met Xie Junzhi’s gaze.

That gaze was indifferent.

It really seemed like a casual glance.

But in that moment, Cheng Luocen felt as if he was swept by a razor-sharp sword wind, rendering him immobile. Meanwhile, the old man, who prided himself on knowing everything, seemed completely oblivious to this, still lost in his own emotions.

The next second, Xie Junzhi smiled warmly at him, and the ice melted, the tension dissipated, and Cheng Luocen could move his fingers again, as if everything just now had been an illusion.

He saw the young man in white turn his head and nod at the girl in the pale yellow dress.

“Since you wish it, give him a teleportation talisman.”

Yu Xizhi was about to take out the wooden token when a voice suddenly rang out.

“—Why?”

Ah Kou, who had been silent all this time, suddenly raised his head sharply. “Why do I work so hard in the outer sect for so long, and in the end, this guy who popped up from nowhere gets to draw Qi into his body and be taken straight to Kunwu Mountain Sect?!”

The previously dormant demon-hunting compass suddenly shook violently, and the sky, already dim, darkened even more, shrouding everything in darkness. The moon was mostly obscured by clouds, leaving only a faint outline visible. Ah Kou’s eyes turned red, and his exposed fingers transformed into charred, claw-like shapes!

“Ah Kou?!” Huang Li stepped back in shock, unable to comprehend why Ah Kou would say such things or understand why the person who slept beside him every night suddenly turned into this: “You… why do you think that way! Didn’t you say before that life in Lengbei Town was good, with food to eat, a place to sleep, money every month, and family around…?”

“If I had a choice, who would want to spend their life in a mortal body? Once you’ve seen immortality, who would want to live a mediocre life and die again?!” Ah Kou raised his head, the charred color spreading from his arms up to his neck, transforming his jaw into a sharp, beast-like shape. In an instant, Ah Kou’s body had grown more than twice its original size.

“I want to become immortal too, to be an inner disciple of the sect, not to suffer in this wretched place, living a meaningless life—!”

He took a step forward, and the ground shook as his foot smashed the stone pavement!

Though it was late, a few people still lingered at the dock.

If before, when Yu Xizhi’s sword pierced the ground, the passersby thought it was just a skillful cultivator passing by, now they were utterly terrified at the sight of such a huge monster rising by the river, and screams erupted everywhere!

Xie Junzhi bent down and pressed his hand to the ground. A barrier quickly expanded from his hand, enveloping the entire area and isolating the mortals outside.

Yu Xizhi gripped her sword, already assuming a ready stance. However, Ah Kou did not attack Huang Li or Yu Xizhi; instead, he charged straight at Cheng Luocen!

Cheng Luocen barely dodged Ah Kou’s first attack. Subsequent dodges became easier. After all, Ah Kou had just become a demon, and all his attacks seemed like slow motion to the old man in Cheng Luocen’s sea of consciousness, who naturally guided Cheng Luocen on where to evade in advance.

“Is this… Jealousy Demon?” Yu Xizhi tightened her grip on her sword, Yanxiao. Such a monstrous figure, over two meters tall, was enough to instill fear. She twirled the sword handle and made small, unconscious adjustments to the tip, clearly considering which move from the Qingfeng Liuyun Sword technique would be most effective.

Jealousy demons thrive on feelings of envy and resentment and are among the most common types of demons. Human nature is prone to jealousy, making such demons thrive in these environments.

Jealousy demons also tend to live in groups. In a city, if one jealousy demon infiltrates, it quickly attracts others. There was even a case where the jealousy demons took over an entire city, devouring all its inhabitants. When the cultivators finally arrived, they had to weep as they slaughtered the entire city to exterminate the demons.

Recalling the descriptions from the Demon Encyclopedia, Yu Xizhi took a deep breath.

She looked down at the constantly trembling, demon-hunting compass in her hand and finally realized something.

The source of the compass’s relentless reaction in Lengbei Town wasn’t the Beibao, but this jealousy demon, which had been lurking here for who knows how long!

Unlike Beibao, which leaves its host human maimed but still human, a person possessed by a jealousy demon has only one fate.

—They become a mindless half-demon driven by jealousy, eventually consumed entirely by the demon, turning into the perfect nourishment for a greater jealousy demon.

“How many jealousy demons are in this town?” Yu Xizhi asked softly, her face pale.

As if in response, the demon-seeking compass in her hand began to spin rapidly, the red needle almost flying out. Yu Xizhi opened her spiritual vision as she looked back at Lengbei Town.

Under the cold moonlight, the entire town was suffused with demonic energy, nearly pitch black, blending into the already dark night. Low houses crowded together; something seemed to be stirring within the town.

Though there were no other enormous figures like Ah Kou appearing yet, the extreme stillness was a strange backdrop to the chaotic screams at the port.

“The Qingfeng Liuyun Sword may still be too simple.” Xie Junzhi stood up slowly after setting up the barrier.

He extended his hand toward Yu Xizhi.

“May I borrow your sword?”

Stunned, Yu Xizhi handed Yanxiao to him.

Not far away, the destined hero, Cheng Luocen, was being chased around the barrier by Ah Kou. He wanted to fight back, but he didn’t even have his own sword.

Whether this scene happened in the original story, Yu Xizhi couldn’t remember, nor did she want to.

She watched as the young man in white lightly took her sword, stepped forward two paces, and slightly turned his face. “Watch closely; this is how you kill a demon.”

With one swift, cold stroke of the sword.