The Abused-Novel Female Lead Holds a Mad Brush - Chapter 10
Chapter 10: Beep Beep Beep Beep
Things had to be told from the very beginning.
On that day, after Yu Yinglian revealed his identity and transformed into his true form—a Honghu Jade Crane—to carry Yu Jiaxue away from the Wushang Sect, they encountered zero obstacles along the way and arrived safely at the Xihe Sect.
As luck would have it, the Xihe Sect’s entrance trial was just about to begin.
Taking advantage of the situation, Yu Jiaxue bid farewell to Yu Yinglian—who, for some reason, had been sporting an indecipherable look on his face ever since leaving the Sword Sect—and slipped right into the queue.
It didn’t take long before she was getting along with everyone in the crowd like old friends.
Everything worked out perfectly.
Yu Yinglian watched her walk away with a deadpan expression, his mouth twitching as he turned to look beside him, gritting his teeth.
“Did you know all along?”
“Know what all along?” Shen Xuezhu withdrew his gaze from Yu Jiaxue and let out a gentle sigh.
“Junior Brother misjudged me. That miraculous food was a first for me as well.”
His tone was soft, warm, and utterly accommodating.
No one could find a single fault in it.
Yet Yu Yinglian reacted as if ignited by those words. The moment he heard the title “Junior Brother,” his adorable, jade-carved face instantly flushed bright red, and his feathers ruffled in fury.
“Shen Xuezhu, drop the act in front of me! Others might be fooled by that gentle, generous face of yours, but do you honestly think I’m going to fall for it?!”
Yu Yinglian ground his teeth.
“If it weren’t for that fight with you a hundred years ago, I wouldn’t have ended up in a state like this!”
“True.”
Shen Xuezhu nodded, still wearing a soft, faint smile that made him look like the most good-tempered person alive. He drawled leisurely, “If not for me, you would have died at the edge of the Nine Nether Primordial Chaos long ago.”
Yu Yinglian: “…”
Well… he wasn’t wrong.
Yu Yinglian wasn’t just “Yu Yinglian.”
His true identity was the former Lord of Chaos Demons.
A hundred years ago, he was betrayed by his own kind. Demonic qi invaded his heart and meridians, obliterating his sanity. He almost became a pawn in someone else’s game, set to break through the border defenses and slaughter the mortal realm to ignite a war between humans and demons. It was the last generation’s “Nine Nether Lord,” who was guarding the border at the time, that managed to stop him.
Only later did Yu Yinglian learn that this generation’s Nine Nether Lord wasn’t named Ye, but Shen.
Shen Xuezhu.
Carrying the dual bloodlines of the demon tribe and the Ye family, he wasn’t fully demonized, but he was never acknowledged by the Ye family of that era. Through a twist of fate, he was sent to the edge of the Nine Nether Chaos to wait for death.
Who could have guessed that Shen Xuezhu possessed extraordinary, peerless talent? He guarded the Nine Nether Realm impeccably, upholding the glorious name of the Ye family all on his own.
Unfortunately, during that final battle, divine calculations couldn’t overcome the whims of fate.
In the last second before demonic qi completely seized his mind, Yu Yinglian thought to himself: I’d rather die once and for all than become a puppet in those people’s hands—a blade used to stab my own friends.
Holding onto such righteous self-sacrifice, Yu Yinglian’s tragic moment was even tinged with a hint of smugness.
He thought to himself: A death this glorious should be enough to leave a heavy, colorful stroke in the history of the cultivation world, right? Just like what mortals always called a “white moonlight” or a “cinnabar mole.”
After a sacrifice like this, my ranking on the cultivation realm’s “Radiant Beauty Chart” might even surpass Shen Xuezhu’s and claim the number one spot! Who knows? Thousands of years from now, when the young mortal and demon girls read storybooks, maybe the male protagonist’s true form would be modeled after me! Heh, the more I think about it, the more worth it it feels!
Holding onto those thoughts, Yu Yinglian closed his eyes and passed away peacefully.
Then, he opened his eyes and woke up again.
To a certain extent, he was literally reawakened by a foul smell.
“I’m serious. Fine, so you forged the title of a long-lost illegitimate child of the Yu family for me, and it’s only natural that I lost my demonic power and shrank in size… But seeing me agonizing over that whole ‘soul mark’ thing back there, couldn’t you have given me a heads-up?”
It made him look so embarrassing.
Yu Yinglian muttered under his breath.
After all, as the former Lord of All Demons, he possessed his own unique methods of cultivation.
Obtaining a soul mark was a stroke of good fortune, but failing to get one was truly no big deal.
Shen Xuezhu shook his head.
“I couldn’t have warned you.”
Seeing Yu Yinglian about to argue, Shen Xuezhu glanced at him, let out a soft laugh, and said unhurriedly, “I was afraid that if I did, you’d throw out lines like, ‘If we believed in fate, what hope would there be for us cultivators?’ on one hand, and ‘Senior Brother has been in secluded cultivation for so long, not only has his cultivation surged, but he can even divine heavenly secrets now!’ on the other.”
Shen Xuezhu sighed, his voice light and gentle at the end.
“Since no matter how I advise you, the result remains the same, it would be better to give up early and return to dust. At least that brings peace and freedom.”
Yu Yinglian: “…”
Okay, okay, that’s enough! It’s just a bit of dark history, do you really need to bring it up over and over again?!
And…
“Can you stop speaking in that mortal girl’s tone?”
After holding it in for a long time, Yu Yinglian couldn’t resist calling him out.
Shen Xuezhu raised an eyebrow slightly.
“Why?”
Yu Yinglian pondered for a second and answered honestly, “It’s too infuriating.”
He genuinely wanted to place that girl in front of Yu Guanghao and Yu Lin’an just to infuriate them.
Setting aside the fact that Yu Yinglian wasn’t actually an eleven or twelve-year-old child like he appeared and shouldn’t be so childish, the truth was, he really was this eternally youthful.
However, that didn’t mean Yu Yinglian wouldn’t feel disgusted when hearing someone imitate Yu Jiaxue’s distinctively flat, robotic reading tone.
It was way too infuriating. It made an uncontrollable rage surge in his heart that couldn’t be doused no matter what.
Because there wasn’t a single flaw to pick out in what he said.
“So that’s how it is.” Shen Xuezhu nodded gently, his tone calm and mild. “There’s no helping it then. I’ll keep using it.”
Yu Yinglian’s lip twitched, and he asked instinctively, “Why?”
Shen Xuezhu raised his eyebrows slightly, looking a bit surprised that he would even ask.
His gentle expression carried a hint of pity that made Yu Yinglian’s skin crawl.
He had a gut feeling that nothing good was about to come out of this guy’s mouth—
“Why? Because I like it, of course.”
Like? Like what? Liking her tone, or liking her as a person?
A vague question crossed Yu Yinglian’s mind, but before he could figure it out, he heard Shen Xuezhu sigh, his voice growing even warmer and more pitiless.
“To ask such a simple question… Since Junior Brother has remembered everything now, once we return to the peak, go find some immortal pills and Lingzhi mushrooms to eat, lest—”
“—Shen Xuezhu, shut your mouth!”
What were immortal pills and Lingzhi mushrooms used for? To boost brainpower, obviously.
Hearing this, Yu Yinglian couldn’t hold back anymore. He lifted his chin, looking utterly arrogant.
“Heh, I am the grand, ancient Honghu Jade Crane, a legendary name in the demon realm! What haven’t I eaten? What haven’t I seen? A few mundane Lingzhi mushrooms aren’t worthy of touching my lips.”
Shen Xuezhu nodded, speaking peacefully, “I understand. Back when I sent you to the Yu family to gloss over your identity, I heard Yu Guanghao say something very similar.”
“…”
“Oh, and Yu Lin’an seemed to say it as well—”
“Fine, that’s enough, I get it,” Yu Yinglian said numbly.
“Thanks for the reminder, Senior Brother. I will definitely take my medicine.”
Shen Xuezhu: “…”
Yu Yinglian didn’t realize he had accidentally spoken his mind. He was frantically convincing himself internally.
Forget it, forget it. Shen Xuezhu is older than him anyway, and he taught (beat) him many times back then. Calling him ‘Senior Brother’ isn’t a loss.
Just as Yu Yinglian began brainwashing himself, Shen Xuezhu suddenly let out a soft laugh. As if reminiscing, he cast a glance at Yu Yinglian and remarked with some emotion, “Thinking about it now, your Honghu Jade Crane clan really does share a lot of common traits.”
Yu Yinglian: “…”
He really wanted to pretend he didn’t understand, but he caught the underlying meaning all too well.
The Honghu Jade Crane clan had stretched on for thousands of years. Though their bloodline had thinned out by now, certain traits remained unchanged: for example, being ostentatious and obsessed with beauty; having subtle similarities in their appearances; and sharing a very specific, unique sense of aesthetics.
Yu Yinglian felt utterly suffocated.
In his aesthetic judgment, Yu Guanghao and Yu Lin’an should either be smashed to death by a flying bird while walking, choked to death by the wind while breathing, or beat themselves to death with their own wings during transformation—any death would do, as long as those two fools didn’t exist in this world. One was arrogant and foolish, while the other was a hypocritical actor.
Lumping Yu Yinglian together with those two felt infinitely worse than cursing at him directly.
Yu Yinglian took a deep breath.
Infuriating people without raising a finger—it really has to be you, Shen Xuezhu.
Appearing gentle and tolerant of all things on the surface, while in reality, nothing is worthy of entering his eyes.
In that moment, Yu Yinglian even felt like he had never lost his memory in the first place. If he hadn’t lost it, maybe he wouldn’t have had to face his dark history head-on.
The past was too painful to look back on, so Yu Yinglian decided to change the subject.
“That girl we brought out—I heard those people call her ‘Yu Xue’? But I remember her telling us her name was ‘Yu Jiaxue.’ Hmm, I think the latter sounds much better.”
As Yu Yinglian spoke, he perked up again, looking so proud that every feather on his body seemed ready to unfurl.
“Don’t laugh, but that girl has pretty good taste. She wasn’t fooled by Yu Lin’an in the slightest. And the moment I mentioned bringing her to the Xihe Sect, she followed without a second thought.”
Shen Xuezhu cast a glance at him, lowered his eyes, and remained silent.
“Speaking of which, I shouldn’t have remembered all of this, right? Don’t bother denying it. Back then, it was already incredibly difficult for you and that old guy to save me, let alone grant me a new life while preserving my memories… Where in the world does such a bargain exist?”
There was hardly a spring in the world that flowed upstream, nor was there a gray-haired elder who turned back into a child.
To pluck him out of his predetermined fate back then, Shen Xuezhu and Old Daoist Qingyun must have expended immense effort.
Memory was merely the cherry on top—something he shouldn’t have possessed.
Demons were never favored by heaven, and under the deliberate instigation of certain individuals, some human cultivators harbored deep resentment toward the demon race. The long-standing grudges between the two races had sparked countless conflicts, big and small. With manipulators stirring trouble behind the scenes, another war was bound to break out in the future.
Had Yu Yinglian never recovered his memories, then in that upcoming war, as a former Demon Lord who didn’t even possess a soul mark, he would undoubtedly face endless perils and meet a tragic end.
Yu Yinglian had never learned the art of divination, but even he could guess that the catalyst behind all these variables was simply that young girl who called herself “Yu Jiaxue.”
Shen Xuezhu didn’t play coy either, responding warmly, “Indeed. After all, I originally hadn’t planned on going to the Wushang Sect.”
Yu Yinglian’s tragic mood instantly vanished. He pinched his throat, speaking with sarcastic eccentricity.
“I am your junior brother after all, First Senior Brother. Refusing to save someone from dying isn’t very nice, is it?”
Shen Xuezhu paused, speaking with unruffled composure.
“Precisely because you are my junior brother, as your senior brother, I ought to let go and allow you to hone yourself through trials alone.”
Ugh! How sickening!
Yu Yinglian’s face twisted for a moment.
“Even though I just recovered my memories, I still have enough strength for a fight.”
The corners of Shen Xuezhu’s lips curved upward into a perfect arc. His expression was neither joyful nor somber, peaceful like a Buddha statue in a temple.
“You’ve said so much, turns out you just wanted to fight? That works too.”
After saying that, Shen Xuezhu let out a sigh and stood in place, neither dodging nor avoiding.
As the breeze blew past, a subtle swirl of spiritual energy lingered around him, making him look like a deity descending upon the mortal realm. Anyone looking at his serene composure would praise him as a true gentleman refined like jade.
Gentleman my foot!
Yu Yinglian ground his teeth in frustration.
After waiting for a long time and seeing that Yu Yinglian still hadn’t made a move, Shen Xuezhu turned his head slightly to look at him, asking in surprise, “Why haven’t you struck yet?”
His tone carried a hint of disappointment, looking every bit like he was accusing a friend who had broken a promise.
Yu Yinglian’s expression grew even more twisted.
Fight what?!
If the real Shen Xuezhu were here, that would be one thing. But the entity beside him was merely a phantom incarnation of Shen Xuezhu.
The phantom was ethereal and formless—capable of shifting into any appearance, yet lacking physical substance entirely.
How was he supposed to fight that? Was he supposed to shadowbox the air like a madman, yelling “Hyah! Ho!” at nothing?!
If someone happened to see him, Shen Xuezhu could simply dissipate on the spot and walk away clean, while Yu Yinglian’s already disastrous reputation would suffer a total avalanche!
Yu Yinglian was so enraged he didn’t want to say another word.
After years of not seeing each other, this dog Shen Xuezhu had gotten better and better at infuriating people.
Yet the worst part was that he never did it intentionally; it was simply his nature.
Recalling their earlier topic of conversation, Yu Yinglian felt even more dead inside.
Damn it, Shen Xuezhu alone is infuriating enough. If we add Yu Jiaxue into the mix—
If we add Yu Jiaxue into the mix—
When these two join forces, won’t they end up infuriating the other peaks to death?!
Even if they can’t, watching them infuriate each other half to death would still be a joyous occasion!
A plot twist! This was an absolute plot twist!
Yu Yinglian instantly stood up straight, his entire bird persona perking right back up. Clapping his hands, he burst out laughing.
“It’s a deal then!”
Shen Xuezhu looked slightly puzzled.
“Hmm?”
Seeing that Shen Xuezhu didn’t understand, Yu Yinglian grew even more triumphant.
In that moment, he felt like he had returned to the old days.
He was still that Lord of All Demons who dominated the demon realm and blew up all four directions!
Meeting Shen Xuezhu’s gaze, Yu Yinglian narrowed his eyes slightly, stroking his chin with an air of profound mystery.
“That disciple named ‘Yu Jiaxue’ MUST join our Wangshu Peak! As long as she comes, from this day forth, I will willingly call you ‘First Senior Brother’!”
