Devilish Disciple [Transmigration] 89

Chapter 89: Side Story I

Li Yu felt like she had been asleep for a long time.

As her consciousness slowly returned, her head throbbed, a dull ache that made her feel disoriented.

Her body felt heavy, leaden, as if it didn’t belong to her, every movement a struggle.

But she opened her eyes.

The first thing she saw was the familiar garden outside the window, bursting with colorful flowers.

Her respawn point, she thought. Everything was as she remembered.

【Ding——】

Why the ding…?

Get to the point.

【Since the host was unconscious and unable to make any decisions, the hundred-day countdown for your return trip officially begins now.】

Understood…

Li Yu stared at the bed curtains, lost in thought, then couldn’t help but ask, “What if…I don’t want to go back?”

【That is also an option. The host has two choices: remain in this world without the rewards or return to the real world with them.】

【These hundred days are for you to consider your options.】

Fine, she’d think about it.

No need to disturb her unless it was important.

【Okay!】

Li Yu lay motionless, her eyes unfocused.

The system said her mission was complete, but she hadn’t done anything, just woke up in this familiar “recovery room,” just like after every injury.

Her mind was blank, everything felt like a dream.

The eternal night, the sea, the stars, the moon, all gone upon waking.

She vaguely remembered being pulled into the Jinxu Gui by the original owner, who then chose a path of no return. After that, everything was a blur.

She hadn’t seen what happened, only sensed the original owner’s demise.

Logically, the original owner, having endured the Heavenly Demon’s power with her weakened body and soul, should have completely dissipated, so why was she, Li Yu, still here, in this body?

What happened in the North Sea then?

Was Mu Tao alright…?

And what about Weisheng Xuanzhu and Si Qinglan?

…

At least Si Qinglan must be fine; she wouldn’t have woken up in Qianlizhu otherwise.

A sudden thought struck Li Yu.

—Was she…a plant created by Si Qinglan?

This thought startled her.

But as her mind cleared, her body felt less heavy, and she sat up, trying to circulate her spiritual energy.

It was still her body, not a plant.

Her meridians were damaged, the faint flow of spiritual energy like icy water over unhealed wounds, a mixture of pain and itching.

Usually, Si Qinglan would rush over at the slightest sound after she woke up from an injury, but not this time. It seemed Mount Chao Yao had someone more important to attend to.

Li Yu closed her eyes, her consciousness entering her sea of consciousness.

And she froze, stunned by what she saw.

An unprecedented brightness.

The boundless blue sea, the towering tree still standing.

The old leaves had withered, falling onto the surface of the sea, carried away by the waves.

New leaves were sprouting, a soft blue, not yet lush enough to block the sky.

This place had changed.

The sea of consciousness reflected one’s state of mind.

The original owner, upon leaving, had taken with her the coldness and loneliness of that eternal night, leaving this sea empty.

Perhaps Li Yu, the Exalted Immortal of Mount Chao Yao, wasn’t a good master, but she was undoubtedly the best protector of the human realm in four thousand years.

Li Yu, her mind filled with worry, couldn’t stay in this room.

She stepped outside, the fragrance of flowers filling the air, and wandered aimlessly through the garden.

She couldn’t summon her protective aura, and the air was chilly, perhaps winter had arrived.

She encountered a Qianlizhu disciple, asked for directions, and then slowly made her way towards Si Qinglan’s residence.

It wasn’t exactly a quick journey; her pace was slower than an elderly person’s after-dinner stroll.

Si Qinglan, sensing her approach, hurried out to meet her before she even reached the gate.

“You’re finally awake!” Si Qinglan’s eyes lit up with joy, then a hint of annoyance and concern appeared. “You’re still weak, why are you wandering around?”

A pale green light flowed from her fingertips into Li Yu.

Li Yu shook her head. “I’m fine.”

Si Qinglan: “You better be!”

Li Yu: “Where’s Mu Tao?”

Si Qinglan withdrew her hand. “…That’s the first thing you ask.”

Li Yu smiled faintly, not explaining.

“Forget it, I’m not surprised.” Si Qinglan turned and walked towards the house. “Come inside.”

Li Yu quickly followed.

Before even entering, just glancing through a window, she saw Mu Tao.

The girl seemed…well, at least healthier than Li Yu, who was still feeling weak.

There were stools and chairs nearby, the bed just a few feet away, but Mu Tao sat on the floor, not meditating, but curled up almost like a baby,

Her hands tearing at scraps of cloth, a strange, unfamiliar petulance in her light brown eyes.

Li Yu’s eyes widened slightly in surprise.

Si Qinglan: “Perhaps it’s the Heavenly Demon’s influence, or perhaps…there’s something she doesn’t want to face, her physical injuries aren’t serious, but her mental state…isn’t good.”

Li Yu: “…”

Si Qinglan said that Mu Tao had been like this since waking up.

Unresponsive, not recognizing anyone, unable to speak.

Although the Demon Bone was suppressed, and there was no demonic aura, she was still out of control, driven by primal instincts, a desire to destroy.

To prevent her from hurting the disciples, Si Qinglan had confined her to this room with a barrier.

The only consolation was that her mind seemed to have regressed to that of a child.

Like a child throwing a tantrum, easily subdued, her destructive urges limited to tearing apart the bedsheets and blankets.

Li Yu: “Will she…recover?”

Si Qinglan: “Who knows?”

So that was why. Even without the original owner, even if she, Li Yu, disappeared, Mu Tao’s heartbreak wouldn’t necessarily prevent her from doing something drastic.

She had thought Si Qinglan might use the Unasking Flower.

But it seemed she had overthought it.

There was no need for the Unasking Flower; in Mu Tao’s current state, she might not even recognize her…

Li Yu lowered her gaze, a wave of disappointment washing over her.

As they reached the door, Si Qinglan dispelled the barrier.

Hearing the sound, Mu Tao looked up, her eyes widening as she saw Li Yu.

A spark of recognition, a flicker of light.

Before Li Yu could react, the girl in red rushed towards her and threw herself into her arms.

“Mas…ter…” Mu Tao mumbled, her words slurred, as if she had just learned to speak.

She looked up at Li Yu, her light brown eyes shining with a childlike innocence and joy.

Li Yu’s vision blurred.

She instinctively hugged Mu Tao, her hands unconsciously wrinkling the fabric of her clothes.

Mu Tao caught a falling tear, tilted her head, and curiously examined the pearl, then, seemingly liking it, she tried to put it in her mouth.

“Hey, hey, you can’t eat that!” Si Qinglan snatched the pearl.

Mu Tao’s eyes widened, and she pulled away from Li Yu’s embrace, her nails suddenly lengthening, as if ready to attack.

Si Qinglan: “I, I mean, it’s a bit…hard to swallow… I’ll…grind it into powder for you?”

Mu Tao blinked and looked at Li Yu, confused.

Li Yu: “…It’s fine.”

After a moment of silence, Mu Tao returned to Li Yu’s side and gently wiped away the tearstains on her cheek.

Si Qinglan breathed a sigh of relief. “It seems she still recognizes you. That’s good. When you’ve recovered a bit, take her back to Chaoxi Pond…I can’t…deal with this.”

She sat down at the table, kicking aside the scattered scraps of cloth.

Li Yu thought for a moment, then led Mu Tao to the table and sat down opposite Si Qinglan. “How…how long have I been asleep?”

Si Qinglan: “Congratulations, you’ve broken the record for longest unconsciousness, besides Weisheng Xuanzhu, of course—A full two months!”

Li Yu was speechless. As she sat down, Mu Tao climbed into her lap, her head resting on Li Yu’s chest.

This clinginess reminded her of the little wolf in the North Sea.

But the little wolf cub had grown; she was surprisingly heavy.

Si Qinglan, seemingly unable to bear witnessing this, covered her eyes with her hand.

Li Yu stroked Mu Tao’s hair, embarrassed. “…So I’m quite impressive.”

Si Qinglan rolled her eyes, her expression screaming, I’m not even going to comment.

But she still couldn’t help herself. “You really have a death wish, using the Upper Spirit Lamp to draw the Heavenly Demon Soul Seed into yourself! You thought…if you could stop the Heavenly Demon, sacrificing yourself would be worth it, didn’t you?”

Li Yu asked, curious, “Then why am I still alive?”

“How would I know?!” Si Qinglan frowned and said, exasperated, “You were supposed to die, just like Qing Nü four thousand years ago, your soul scattering along with the resentment!”

Li Yu: “…”

Si Qinglan: “But…”

Li Yu: “But?”

Si Qinglan: “At that moment…I couldn’t see clearly, your soul seemed to dissipate, but also…not…”

She said that when the resentment converged, the Heavenly Demon was revived, its body, burning with black flames, rapidly regenerating amidst the swirling resentment.

And the stars in the sky transformed into a demon-slaying formation, just like the one Qing Nü had created four thousand years ago.

But the sea of resentment seemed to swallow everything, the starlight barely visible.

After a moment of silence, a blinding light erupted from the resentment-filled North Sea, illuminating the world.

She couldn’t see anything clearly, just a sense of…something disappearing.

The resentment gradually dissipated, the Heavenly Demon Soul Seed returning to the Upper Spirit Lamp.

And the moon in the sky absorbed the icy blue light.

When her vision cleared, countless stars swirled around Li Yu, a delicate dance, maintaining her fragile, almost translucent body.

Although surprised by this unexpected turn of events, she didn’t hesitate, immediately sending forth her spiritual energy to help.

“I don’t know how he managed to destroy the Heavenly Demon while protecting your soul, but it’s a good thing…” Si Qinglan said, a hint of relief in her voice. “You were in a bad state then, but thankfully, Qing Nü’s divine power helped.”

“Then…what happened?” Li Yu asked.

“Then…” Si Qinglan repeated softly, then sighed after a long moment.

The incident in the North Sea alerted the immortal sects.

They arrived late, only to find a quiet, empty night.

The truth of what happened four thousand years ago, revealed by the Heavenly Mirror, was finally known.

As the stars faded, the moon still hung in the sky.

Si Qinglan could sense that Weisheng Xuanzhu was incredibly weak.

He stared at the moon for a long time, the exhaustion in his eyes deeper than the dark sea.

Then, using his last bit of strength, he suppressed the Demon Bone within Mu Tao, transformed into his true form, and sank into the ocean, defenseless.

Miles of ice shattered, the waves churning, before finally calming down.

The immortals exchanged glances, unsure who to blame.

As the formation dissipated, only emptiness remained.

Si Qinglan couldn’t find any trace of Mo Yichu.

She had thought that Weisheng Xuanzhu, in his pursuit of reviving the Heavenly Demon, no longer cared about anything, but soon after she returned to Mount Chao Yao, Mo Yichu reappeared.

Weisheng Xuanzhu had indeed intended to use him for the formation, but at the last moment, a flicker of compassion stopped him.

To prevent his disciple from interfering, he sealed Mo Yichu’s meridians and left him somewhere in the human realm, near the North Sea.

“It was a huge blow to him; he’ll need time to recover,” Si Qinglan said calmly. “But he’s young, he’ll be fine.”

Li Yu fell into deep thought.

Her mission was complete, the Heavenly Demon sealed again, the human realm safe for another few millennia.

But was this truth, this outcome…what Weisheng Xuanzhu wanted?

When the Heavenly Mirror reappeared in the North Sea, had he felt relief, or regret?

He had returned to his slumber, his thoughts unknown, but he had clearly left his fate to the world’s judgment.

That day, the full moon, like a bright mirror in the sky, reflected the deepest darkness of the world.

He had committed the very sins Qing Nü didn’t want him to commit, finally proving her innocence.

But after four thousand years, how many truly cared?

Si Qinglan said that the immortals eventually dispersed, they didn’t punish him.

Not out of compassion or understanding, but perhaps because if the Heavenly Demon was ever revived again, they still needed him, his power.

He would wake up in a few hundred years,

And she wondered, upon finding himself still alive, how would he face this world?

Hearing Li Yu’s soft sigh, Si Qinglan said, not unkindly, “If he wants to return to Mount Chao Yao, we can…let him keep Qingke Hua.”

“But not for free,” she added, resting her chin on her hands. “He’ll have to help us guard the Upper Spirit Lamp and the Heavenly Mirror.”

Li Yu chuckled.

Mu Tao, not understanding their conversation, just nuzzled Li Yu’s neck impatiently.

The soft hair tickled her skin, like a puppy’s fur.

She gently stroked Mu Tao, feeling her clinginess,

And suddenly realized that her decision didn’t require a hundred days.