Communication Talisman
Qi Xianqing’s voice wasn’t loud, but it landed on Yan Jue like a thunderclap.
Yan Jue’s eyes flew wide open at once; the three big tails she had been flailing about froze mid-swish.
Who was it? Chu Fu?
Qi Xianqing was lying on the desk, murmuring, “That day in the cave, she protected me while I regulated my breathing. But only dual-cultivation partners protect one another during cultivation; I thought she...”
“But it seems she didn’t know.”
Yan Jue: “...”
“And after I was hurt so badly that day, she didn’t even ask about my injuries. After returning to the mountain, she didn’t even contact me. What was that supposed to mean?”
Qi Xianqing kept her voice very low.
The candle flame on the desk flickered, casting the girl’s fair face in a faint blush.
Beautiful and alluring.
Qi Xianqing frowned slightly. “Could she be the kind of person who likes to toy with people’s hearts?”
Something in Yan Jue’s chest thudded.
Her heart started pounding wildly; she lowered her head and curled into a ball. Her whole body began to burn. Fortunately, her fur was thick enough that nothing showed.
Thump... thump...
“At first, she came to provoke me every day, and I thought she was rather boring. But I don’t know when it happened; she seemed like a different person.”
“I can see something in her that really attracts me.”
The night was quiet, and the faint chirring of insects drifted in from outside the window.
Qi Xianqing: “I think it’s strange. She’s clearly also a woman; there’s no way I could like her. There has never been any precedent in this world for women cultivating together.”
Even if there had been, she had devoted herself to the Dao from the beginning and never deliberately looked into such things.
Qi Xianqing: “...Maybe this junior sister is especially special, so my feelings toward her are different from how I feel about the other junior sisters.”
The little fox kept its head down, its whole body itching with awkwardness.
And yet.
What kind of straight-girl statement was that?!
She’d gone on and on, only for Qi Xianqing’s liking of her to turn out to be the sort of liking a Senior Sister had for a Junior Sister?!
The little fox’s head was a whirl of turmoil.
Qi Xianqing’s gentle breathing drifted over intermittently, brushing through its fur, and its belly started itching again.
Not only from the fleas she’d brought back from Suyang Immortal Mansion that day, but also from being frightened by Qi Xianqing.
Yan Jue lifted one hind leg and scratched furiously at her stomach. In an instant, the quiet room was filled with the rapid patter of “da-da-da-da” as she scratched.
Qi Xianqing suddenly noticed something. “What’s wrong? I’ve seen you scratching ever since we met today.”
Yan Jue: “...”
Wouldn’t you be scared too?
Qi Xianqing reached out and touched her belly; Yan Jue immediately stiffened all over and instinctively tried to back away.
Qi Xianqing: “It’s fine. Don’t move.”
She took hold of the little fox’s two soft paws, flipped her over lightly, and the fox ended up lying on her back with all four paws in the air.
Yan Jue had no choice but to submit to Qi Xianqing’s overwhelming force and expose her most vulnerable spot. She turned her head aside and stared warily at her.
Qi Xianqing parted the fur and frowned. “Wait a moment.”
Then she got up, walked to the other side, and squatted down to rummage through a box.
Yan Jue lay on the floor, trying to calm her too-fast heartbeat while stealing curious side-glances at Qi Xianqing.
Qi Xianqing came back carrying the immortal sword Zhuying.
Under the dim light, Zhuying slowly slid from its scabbard, revealing an indigo-gray blade.
Yan Jue: “?!”
She was badly startled this time, pressing herself flat against the table and staring with her amber phoenix eyes.
Qi Xianqing crouched in front of her. Zhuying’s blade flashed through the air as she frowned and carefully shaved away the fur beside the little fox’s belly.
It was clearly an immortal sword that could kill people, yet in Qi Xianqing’s hands it showed no aggression at all; the blade moved deftly through the air.
Qi Xianqing was actually helping her shave.
Tufts of red fur fell one after another.
Yan Jue was a mess inside; frightened, but also oddly comforted, and on top of that, nervous.
She struggled a little in fear, and Qi Xianqing gently patted her chest. Yan Jue settled down. She narrowed her eyes and, before she knew it, started kicking her legs, feeling a cool sensation spread across her belly.
The Northern Sea black iron circlet was locked tightly around her neck, absorbing all the demonic qi in her body, so even Zhuying failed to notice anything strange about her.
Qi Xianqing inspected the skin underneath carefully. “Look, you’ve scratched this whole layer raw.”
Beneath the red fur, the fox’s skin was snowy white, with several clear scratch marks already bleeding a little.
Qi Xianqing took out several small boxes from her Qiankun bag and sorted through them for a while before selecting a tiny yellow wooden box.
She opened it, scooped out some ointment with a spoon, and slowly, carefully applied it to the wounds bit by bit.
Yan Jue clenched her teeth tightly, her chin resting on Qi Xianqing’s shoulder.
“Where did you go and pick up a skin disease? We’ll leave it like this for the next few days.”
The moment Qi Xianqing let go of Yan Jue, Yan Jue rolled upright in one smooth motion.
Qi Xianqing patted her head. “Don’t lick the wounds.”
The unbearable itch that had just been tormenting her belly had actually eased a lot, replaced by a very comfortable icy coolness.
Yan Jue kept her head down, too afraid to look at her.
-
After returning from Qi Xianqing’s place, Yan Jue did not immediately transform back into human form.
Instead, she kept her little fox shape and sat on the bed in a daze.
According to the plot, the date of the Five-Dragon Summit was already drawing near.
In just two months, Qi Xianqing would pierce through her chest.
Leaving the mountain at this time was the safest option.
But...
If protecting someone during cultivation really was a sign of goodwill, then from Qi Xianqing’s perspective, Yan Jue had clearly shown her favor, yet afterward she had gone quiet without saying a word.
That was a bit scummy, wasn’t it.
So annoying.
Yan Jue rolled around on the bed; the leg where Qi Xianqing had applied medicine felt cool and refreshing.
Even if Qi Xianqing really did have some fondness for her, it might only be the kind of fondness a Senior Sister had for a Junior Sister.
And that was based on the assumption that she was human.
If Qi Xianqing found out she was a demon, would she still think that way?
She’d probably just stab the little fox demon straight through...
-
That day, the weather was gloomy.
Cold gusts swept over one after another, bending the bamboo beside the mountain path to one side.
Yan Jue slung a Qiankun bag over her back and carried the standard-issue iron sword of outer disciples as she walked down the mountain with heavy thoughts.
The wind grew stronger and stronger.
Perhaps because of the weather, unease suddenly stirred faintly in Yan Jue’s heart.
Before long, she reached the foot of Five Dragons Mountain.
As always, a restriction shrouded the base of the mountain.
Yan Jue narrowed her eyes slightly and could see a hidden wash of pale golden light at the mountain gate.
This was the restriction that had once blocked her a year ago.
Yan Jue walked to the gate of the restriction, closed her eyes, and passed through quickly.
This time, the restriction did not stop her.
Yan Jue’s heartbeat suddenly quickened; the instant she crossed the barrier, a wave of stabbing pain exploded in her chest.
She frowned and abruptly stopped in her tracks.
The agony crashed down at once, as if it would tear her apart and swallow her whole.
Something was wrong.
Yan Jue stopped and pressed a hand to her chest.
No, that wasn’t right.
Her heart was hurting again.
Cold sweat slid down Yan Jue’s cheeks. She staggered forward two steps and reached out to steady herself on the railing nearby.
No good.
Every step she took forward made the pain in her chest intensify. After only three steps, Yan Jue had exhausted all her strength; she dropped to her knees and fell to the ground.
Her vision blurred little by little.
Dark clouds thickened overhead, and gust after gust of cold wind swept past her ears.
Yan Jue lay in the soft grass, opening and closing her eyes.
She had never considered this possibility.
She simply could not escape.
The Heavenly Dao would not let her leave.
Although on the surface this world didn’t seem to have anything restricting her, once she interfered with the male and female leads’ feelings, the Heavenly Dao would punish her.
The female lead liking the male lead was built on the premise of the male lead growing stronger.
But this fox demon of hers was an important stepping stone for the male and female leads’ relationship to undergo a qualitative leap.
Without her yin essence, the male lead would not have made such a brilliant display at the Five-Dragon Summit, and he would not have won Qi Xianqing’s favor.
Yan Jue used all her strength to crawl back. Only when her body re-entered Five Dragons Mountain did the pain in her chest slowly ease.
The wind above her head grew stronger and stronger; dark clouds gathered gradually, and the bamboo all around her swayed wildly in the gusts.
It looked like rain was coming.
Yan Jue slowly stood up and walked back while frowning and thinking of a countermeasure.
In fact, she had already considered this situation long ago; today was only a test run.
So she wasn’t too panicked.
Maybe confronting the male lead head-on was a hurdle she had no choice but to face.
If she wanted to run, she would first have to face him directly.
Since the problem was right there in front of her, she could just meet it head-on.
Life was beautiful; she didn’t want to die.
And of course, she wouldn’t sit and wait to be slaughtered.
But the male lead wasn’t the one who would directly kill her.
The one who would kill her outright was Qi Xianqing.
Yan Jue walked slowly back; by the time she noticed, a fine rain had already begun to fall from the sky.
-
In the bamboo grove, Qi Xianqing stood with her hands behind her back.
The aura of a mid-Fusion Realm cultivator was already terrifying; how much more so when she was using Red Lotus karmic fire as the material for her advancement. Her power was even greater than that of others in her realm.
Zhuying flew through the air like a dragon, darting left and right.
Indigo-gray sword qi rippled outward in circles like water waves, settling lightly on the bamboo leaves.
In the next instant, the whole bamboo stalk split cleanly in two.
Qi Xianqing: “Not bad. You’ve improved.”
Zhuying darted around in the sky, looking rather pleased.
Its master always told it that whether an immortal sword was powerful didn’t depend on how explosive its burst force was, but on how deep its internal power was.
Zhuying was also going to be a formidable immortal sword! It was working hard every day to improve itself!
Suddenly, Zhuying noticed something.
On the mountain road not far away, there seemed to be a girl walking slowly along. That slender back looked very familiar.
Zhuying only froze for a moment before letting out a cheerful cry and charging that way.
Qi Xianqing was stunned. “You...”
Before she could finish, Zhuying had already flown off.
Qi Xianqing also saw that back; her motion paused.
Yan Jue.
...
Yan Jue was walking up the mountain with a heavy heart when something suddenly flew toward her and stopped in front of her, rubbing happily against her shoulder.
Zhuying.
Yan Jue froze and instinctively took a step back, but Zhuying immediately followed, the cool blade pressing against her back.
Snuggle.
“Why is Junior Sister here?” A familiar voice suddenly came from behind her.
Yan Jue whirled around and, caught off guard, met Qi Xianqing’s clear, water-like gaze.
Qi Xianqing wore a snow-white dress; her sleeves and hem flapped sharply in the fierce wind as she walked over.
Yan Jue looked at the girl’s fair face, and her heart gave a thump before starting to pound like an idiot.
She forced out a stiff smile, her side profile already flushed red: “Why are you here?”
Qi Xianqing’s expression showed no ripple at all. “This stretch of the descent gets few people. I come here occasionally to practice sword techniques.”
Yan Jue: “Oh.”
For some reason, Qi Xianqing felt that Yan Jue looked a little down.
It was raining in the sky, yet Yan Jue didn’t even open a protective barrier.
She was dressed in a jade-green Daoist robe, her narrow sleeves and bindings soaked through, her black hair damp with rain and plastered to her forehead, like an injured little animal.
Qi Xianqing frowned slightly and asked instinctively, “What’s wrong?”
Her tone was stern.
Yan Jue jumped in fright. She pressed her pale lips together. “Nothing.”
What was wrong with this person? Why was she suddenly being so serious? She was scaring people to death.
Qi Xianqing asked, “Is someone bullying you?”
Yan Jue: “...”
It’s you. It’s you bullying me!
Qi Xianqing looked at her, as if she would wait however long Yan Jue stayed silent until she answered.
No one knew where she found such patience.
...
Yan Jue stared at her for a long moment, swallowed, and slowly said, “Senior Sister, I was just thinking.”
Qi Xianqing blinked.
Yan Jue: “I was just thinking that this world is so cruel. No matter how high your cultivation is, there will always be someone stronger than you.”
She stepped back, her voice light. “Have you ever been afraid that one day, you’d be killed by someone stronger than you?”
Yan Jue’s tone was solemn, and Qi Xianqing’s brows faintly drew together as she listened.
Looking at Yan Jue’s downcast face, Qi Xianqing suddenly felt an impulse...
Yan Jue had her head lowered. She actually wasn’t really asking Qi Xianqing; she was speaking to herself too. She was truly afraid of death, and afraid that for some inexplicable reason—because of the male lead, because she was a demon—she would die under Qi Xianqing’s sword.
She had never seduced the male lead, and she had never harmed anyone.
Suddenly, her head felt heavier.
Yan Jue froze and looked up.
Qi Xianqing had raised a hand and placed her palm over the girl’s soft crown, lightly rubbing it the way one might pet a small animal.
Qi Xianqing looked at her, a little hesitant. “You needn’t worry like this.”
Yan Jue: “With Senior Sister being so strong, of course you wouldn’t worry.”
Qi Xianqing met Yan Jue’s gaze and suddenly froze.
For one instant, Qi Xianqing realized Yan Jue must be carrying some kind of burden; it had to be something she couldn’t speak of, something that concerned her life.
Qi Xianqing even felt that she was only one step away from some truth.
“But I’m different; I’m very weak—” Yan Jue had not finished when all the words she wanted to say suddenly caught in her throat.
Qi Xianqing had handed her a talisman card.
It was made of jade and carved with intricate inscriptions Yan Jue could not understand.
Of course Yan Jue recognized this kind of talisman card.
It was the standard communication talisman used throughout the cultivation world; when necessary, one only had to crush the card to create a simple means of communication.
At Xiaoxing Village’s Suyang Immortal Mansion, it had been exactly such a talisman card she crushed to summon Xue Shuangxing over.
“Junior Sister.” Qi Xianqing’s voice pulled her back to reality.
Qi Xianqing lowered her beautiful peach-blossom eyes slightly, her voice very soft. “You saved my life. I don’t know how I should repay you.”
Yan Jue blinked slightly.
Qi Xianqing: “If you run into danger in the future, or if anyone wants to kill you, then crush this talisman card.”
“No matter where I am, I will come to your side immediately.”
The rain was falling harder and harder, and her gaze was firm yet gentle.
Yan Jue held the talisman card in her hands, wanting to cry and laugh at the same time, with a feeling of indescribable emotion tangled through it all.
She lifted her eyes and met Qi Xianqing’s startled gaze. After holding it in for a long time, she finally said with equal parts laughter and tears, “Thank you... Senior Sister.”