Chapter 110

"What?"

The demoness's eyes widened, then narrowed with suspicion, before curling into a faint sneer. "Not to mention your immortal arts are far too pure to be of my kind—I've known since childhood which sisters my mother had. How could I suddenly have an extra aunt?"

She turned her head away, as if resigned to her fate, yet her form trembled slightly, betraying an instinctive fear of death.

Yun Shuchen didn't take offense. "Believe it or not, it hardly matters."

From her storage ring, she retrieved a rattan chair and sat before her, looking down at her from above.

"It's been a long while since I last set foot in the nine heavens of the Demon Realm," Yun Shuchen said, pressing two fingers together and giving a slight hook. A thread of water passed through the wound, binding her tightly and pulling her closer. "There are a few things I'd like to ask you."

"Who sent you?"

The torn flesh pulled at the wound. The demoness winced; the vivid lotus pattern on her forehead grew even redder. When she raised her eyes, her gaze was steeped in murderous intent.

She gave a cold snort, refusing to answer.

"Not talking?" Yun Shuchen lowered her eyes. "I'd wager that Jialuo Palace has seen a change of dynasty. What, did your mother, Tang Wuyue, inherit the throne after all?"

The demoness was momentarily stunned; her pupils contracted. "How do you know her name?"

Yun Shuchen reached out and brushed the exquisite lotus tattoo on her forehead. Though the demoness tried to recoil, her chin was forcibly gripped and turned back.

The woman traced the lotus pattern, seeming dissatisfied, pressing heavily enough that each stroke left red marks.

Yet her voice remained gentle. "The nine heavens of the Demon Realm refer to directions. The northwest is the Nether Heaven, where earth-fire blazes and the goddess Wa fell. A clan there, borrowing the name of the Demon God, called themselves the Nüxi clan and in recent years took over the Demon Realm's Jialuo Palace. Other tribes all obey your commands."

"The mark on your body is usually inherited from one of your mothers. Of course, there are occasional exceptions; the placement on the skin may vary. I recognize your mother's lotus—six petals, very beautiful."

Yun Shuchen withdrew her hand and smiled at her.

Such secret knowledge—no outsider could possibly know it. The demoness herself was young, having heard little of her elders' affairs. The previous female sovereign had many daughters; perhaps one had indeed been left outside.

Coming to her senses, the demoness shot her a glance, her eyes rolling. "If we're kin, then why are you still holding me?"

"You know quite a lot, and nothing you've said is wrong. The previous sovereign has passed. My mother, as the eldest daughter, naturally inherits the new throne. This little Lingxu Sect, though shabby, will be cleaned out soon—consider it a congratulatory gift to her."

She lifted her chin, a hint of pride coloring her expression. "Those cultivators are all in cahoots. If Liuyun Sect dares to show up, I'll use their blood to honor the dead, won't I?"

That pride was the spitting image of her mother. And the same foolishness, too. Yun Shuchen noted it, her gaze gradually cooling.

"Understood."

Yun Shuchen released the water threads and, as an afterthought, tossed her a bottle of medicine. Smiling, she said, "Good child. Next time, be more careful—don't be so rash. If you run into a true cultivator, you'll be in mortal danger."

The demoness opened the bottle, sniffed it carefully, and confirmed she wasn't being duped. A weight lifted from her chest; she swallowed one pill, and the superficial wounds quickly healed.

Fully reassured, with the arrogance of youth, she stood up, feeling quite pleased with herself, and turned to leave.

What she didn't know was that as soon as she took a single step, she felt a dense web of water rapidly burrow into her dantian, envelop it, and then constrict.

Her dantian was obliterated.

She didn't even have time to make a sound.

She collapsed limply, lifeless.

*

Back at the Lingxu Sect side.

Qing Zhouxue quietly watched the two desiccated corpses being carried away. A layer of lingering demonic aura on them clashed with her own cultivation path; even the slightest contact made her deeply uncomfortable.

At that moment, they also realized Yun Shuchen was missing and were about to go look for her—

Unexpectedly, Yun Shuchen returned faster than they'd imagined. Mist dissipated at her feet as she stepped onto solid ground, her robes' hem nimbly avoiding the six-petal blood lotus.

She glanced down at the lotus, then suddenly smiled. In her hand, she clutched a dark, qi-wreathed inner core, and she suspended it before the elders.

They all rejoiced. "This is the demon that's been causing trouble lately!"

Xuanchengzi's expression was one of relief. "Lately, disciples have been disappearing or being harmed, and the blood lotus pattern was always left behind. Now that we've finally slain this demon, I—this old fool—am grateful for your assistance, Immortal Yun."

"There should be more than just this one." Yun Shuchen nodded. "The coming days won't be peaceful. Be careful."

Xuanchengzi ordered some disciples to clean up the bloodstains. It was still the dead of night, the sky pitch black. The disciples quickly dispersed to rest. The elders were just moving toward the main hall when Yun Shuchen said she was a bit tired. Xuanchengzi hastily replied, "Elder Yun has indeed worked hard; please rest early."

Yue Changge walked past Yun Shuchen, deliberately slowing down. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched the group of outer sect people until they were well out of earshot, then fixed her gaze on the blackened inner core in Yun's hand. Raising an eyebrow, she asked, "Who was that?"

"One of the demon lord's daughters." Yun Shuchen's lips curved. "Could even be an only daughter."

"That's exactly what I'm worried about!" Yue Changge rolled her eyes. "You come in and kill a notable demon figure right off the bat. I thought at first this wasn't a full-scale demon assault—just a small group coveting Lingxu Sect. Kill a few small fry, and their momentum would fade. But now? You've chopped down their own daughter—this fight won't easily die down."

"Lingxu Sect's power has waned in recent years; its strongest elder doesn't even exceed the Void Training stage. Yun Yun, we'll eventually have to return to Taichu. Once we leave, Lingxu won't have it easy."

Yun Shuchen gave a noncommittal, "Mm."

She sized up Yue Changge for a moment, then laughed softly. "For someone who usually plays around, you haven't managed to rot your brain yet."

Yue Changge gave her a sidelong glare. "What's your next move? Out with it."

"You're right," Yun Shuchen said, rubbing the inner core between her fingers. In moments, it crumbled to dust in her palm.

"The demon lord will only know her daughter died on Lingxu's territory. And she's vengeful—she won't spare Lingxu."

She opened her hand, letting black sand-like ash sift through the cracks.

"Once, these small sects, including Lingxu, were close with Liuyun Sect, paying tribute every year. But that foremost immortal sect changed its leader recently and has grown increasingly cold toward them. Yet Xuanchengzi and the others still cling to hope."

Yun Shuchen's words were pointed. "Only after taking this harsh lesson will these sects realize who it's better to serve, wouldn't you say?"

Yue Changge sighed. "You..."

"Hm?"

But Yue Changge turned and walked away, muttering, "Still the same as back then."

Yun Shuchen didn't know what she meant for a moment. Watching her retreating back, she turned her head and met a pair of eyes.

"Master."

Qing Zhouxue had been watching from the side for a long time. Her fellow disciples had already gone back to rest, but she remained standing quietly.

As Qing Zhouxue drew closer, she caught the residual demonic qi clinging to Yun Shuchen, likely accidentally stained during the earlier fight.

Her brow furrowed slightly. "Was that one hard to deal with?"

"Not really." Yun Shuchen's voice was gentle. "If you ever encounter one alone, be careful. And don't run about these next few days—there may be trouble."

"Better not go out at all."

Yun Shuchen herself didn't fear that woman, but looking at Qing Zhouxue now, an unexpected worry stirred in her heart—she feared it might involve her.

So she frowned and repeated, "Qing'er, there's going to be unrest these days—different from usual. If you meet strangers, no matter how they're dressed, keep your distance."

Ever since leaving, her master had been fretting over her, as if no matter where she hid her, she feared someone would snatch her away.

Though Qing Zhouxue didn't understand why Yun Shuchen worried to such an extent, reminding her almost daily to be wary of others, she always listened patiently to each warning and then nodded.

And then she'd watch the frown on the woman's brow ease bit by bit, a hint of a smile in her eyes, though tinged with resignation.

"Are you really listening to me?"

Today, Qing Zhouxue was rare in having let her mind wander. She blinked slowly, but because she knew it all by heart, she recited back fluently what her master had just said.

There—that should pass.

Yun Shuchen gave a cold huff, though not out of anger. Her gaze fell to the white jade bracelet. "Going to sleep?"

"Let me tell senior sister first—she didn't meditate today, so she'd worry I'd stayed out all night."

Qing Zhouxue was about to leave when Yun Shuchen caught her by the wrist. "And what were you planning to say these past few days?"

"For the past few days, she meditated all night, and I walked quietly, so she didn't know I left."

"And today?" Yun Shuchen seemed to let out a breath of relief.

"With Master," she thought for a moment, "training."

Yun Shuchen was quite satisfied—at least she hadn't brazenly said 'sleeping with Master.' She released her hand, clasping it behind her back. "Mm, go on, then."

Tonight in the small world, inexplicably, the lush grassy courtyard outside was covered in a blanket of small white flowers, laying over the ground like a soft fall of fresh snow.

Yun Shuchen appeared not yet sleepy. Her gaze drifted toward the distance beyond the window, resting on that expanse of snow-white blossoms, and softened.

"These flowers remind me of you." She turned back to tease her disciple.

"How so?"

"From afar they look cold, like ice and snow, but up close they're gentle and soft, and... they have warmth." She closed her eyes, then said, "I also quite like your name—the last character."

Qing Zhouxue asked, "That meaning is a bit cold and lonely. Why does Master like it?"

"Cold is good." Yun Shuchen seemed to be lost in nostalgia. "When I was a child, I'd never seen snow. The first time I came to Taichu, after staying a few months, I was completely captivated by that fluttering white in the sky."

Drifting, layer upon layer—thousands of flakes, myriad threads.

Riding the long winds above the peaks of Taichu, they swirled and danced freely between heaven and earth, rising pure and untainted, soaring up past the sky—as if there were nowhere in the world they couldn't go, no place beyond their reach—

Yun Shuchen still remembered her longing then. She never knew if it was the snow itself she loved, or if she instinctively yearned for such cleanliness and freedom.

The Demon Realm's earth-fire burned fierce; it could never hold on to that fleeting white.