People who die with lingering obsessions turn into ghosts. Those fortunate enough to step onto the path of cultivation become Ghost Cultivators. But Ghost Cultivators are very fragile, and once they leave their physical body, there is no distinction between the Innate and Acquired Realms. Thus, only powerful Ghost Cultivators can manifest a visible form, but people can’t deduce their true strength from this.
The black-robed skeleton shook her head. “I am not.”
“Ridiculous! If you’re not, then who is?” The boy didn’t feel like conversing with a sinister, eerie Ghost Cultivator. Even if he was a Devil Cultivator, at least he was a living person. Rumor had it Ghost Cultivators could increase their cultivation by consuming living souls. He had to run!
Thinking this, the boy immediately turned, a disk-shaped object flashing into his hand. That was his magical treasure, specifically for escaping.
But before he could jump onto the treasure, a skeletal hand reached out, five finger bones grabbing the disk. A gentle squeeze, and the treasure shattered to the ground.
“Flying Swallow Capital, which direction?” The black-robed figure bent down, facing the boy. The black mist beneath the hood gradually dispersed, revealing a skull with pitch-black eye sockets burning with two clusters of faint blue Soul Fire.
Tensely, the boy stretched out a finger. “Th—that way…” After speaking, he closed his eyes, waiting for his living soul to be sucked out.
But all he got was a “thank you.” When the oppressive presence before him vanished, the boy opened his eyes, shocked to find that the mysterious skeleton figure had already gone far.
“Gone, that’s good, gone is good… No, wait!” Earlier, thinking he was going to die, he had deliberately pointed in the wrong direction as revenge.
The boy’s expression froze. He turned and ran for his life.
A day later, the skeleton person, silently hurrying on her way, overheard a sentence from passing Devil Cultivators that struck like a bolt from the blue. “Flying Swallow Capital is big, but it’s just too far.”
“Exactly, it’s too far south. If it weren’t for most of the refining masters being over there, who’d want to go!”
“Alright, stop complaining. Let’s hurry.”
The skeleton person swooshed after them and hesitated, blocking their path. The two Devil Cultivators were startled and subconsciously took defensive and counter-attack stances.
One Devil Cultivator asked with an unfriendly expression, “Friend, blocking the road for no reason—are you planning to rob us?”
No, she just wanted to confirm where exactly Flying Swallow Capital was.
She was silent for a moment, organizing her words. “You’re going to Flying Swallow Capital?”
“That’s right, what of it?” The Devil Cultivator was already prepared for a counter-robbery.
“Where is Flying Swallow Capital?”
The Devil Cultivator pointed ahead impatiently. “Straight in this direction, one thousand four hundred li ahead.”
The skeleton person looked in that direction and couldn’t help but freeze. It seems I was tricked.
“Anything else? If not…” The Devil Cultivator’s lips curled into a cold sneer. “Then let’s settle how you’ll compensate for our wasted time!”
The two Devil Cultivators charged together. Moments later, both were kneeling on the ground, obediently handing over their storage bags.
“Senior, you are magnanimous. Please spare us!”
The skeleton person vibrated the air to produce her ethereal voice. “If you’ve lied to me, I will return and kill you.”
“No, no, absolutely not!” The Devil Cultivators raised their palms and swore. “We swear on our Heart Devils: Flying Swallow Capital is in that direction!”
“That will do.” The skeleton person nodded and turned, flying off in the correct direction.
Late at night, Li Jiangying woke up hungry. She rubbed her stomach and first went to check on Li Yueying.
Li Yueying was still coiled in the center of the training room, her head slightly drooping, brows tightly furrowed. Pure Wood element Devil Qi surrounded her, almost forming a thick, ink-green fog.
Li Jiangying didn’t disturb her. She quietly got up and went to the bedchamber downstairs. On the table was a plate of fruit and a pot of tea. There was no proper food. Li Jiangying uncharitably suspected Zhu Yue had done this on purpose.
She picked up an apple, wiped it, and stood by the table to take a bite. Crunch, crunch. The sound was crisp, but gradually, a strange noise mixed in with the crisp crunching.
Li Jiangying stopped and followed the sound to the window. She saw half a full moon hanging in the sky and Zhu Yue, sitting desolately on the windowsill, playing a flute.
Li Jiangying: Crunch! She finished the last bite of the apple and looked speechlessly at Zhu Yue. “City Lord, coming to play the flute outside someone’s window in the middle of the night, you certainly have refined taste.”
Zhu Yue leisurely finished the entire phrase of the melody before gracefully lowering her flute. With a sweep of her wide sleeve, she flipped lightly into the room and landed on her feet.
“Daoist Ying, you still haven’t answered this Venerable One’s question?”
“Huh?” Li Jiangying was baffled. “What question?”
She tried hard to recall. Before she could remember, the woman in the light blue dress suddenly appeared before her. Raising an arm, she leaned into Li Jiangying’s embrace in an exceedingly forward manner.
She looped an arm around Li Jiangying’s neck, leaning weakly against her, and laughed. “In terms of cultivation, is this Venerable One now not stronger than that madwoman Li Yueying? In terms of wealth, Chasing Moon City is far richer than the Moon Shadow Devil Palace. In terms of temperament, am I not also better? Even in terms of looks, this Venerable One is not far behind her. So, Daoist Ying, if you agree to yield to this Venerable One now, tomorrow I will order a grand procession with eight palanquin bearers for a proper, open wedding. What do you say?”
Li Jiangying was stunned. Now I believe it. You Devil Cultivators really aren’t normal people. To break up Li Jiangying and Li Yueying, you’re laying it on way too thick!
Li Jiangying awkwardly took a step back, trying to dislodge Zhu Yue. She raised both hands high to show she absolutely had no intention of embracing her. But Zhu Yue stuck to her like glue; as she stepped back, Zhu Yue softly pressed forward against her.
“City Lord, what you say is very true. You are beautiful, wealthy, strong, and gentle—cough—but are you sure you can feel attracted to this face?” It wasn’t that Li Jiangying was self-deprecating, but with the mask on, she did look quite plain.
Zhu Yue used her flute instead of a finger to gently tap the tip of Li Jiangying’s nose. She smiled coquettishly. “If Little Ying Suanli is willing, you can take off the mask before marrying me.”
“That won’t be necessary.” Li Jiangying was moved, but firmly declined.
“Skin and flesh are but red-powdered skeletons. This Venerable One is not so shallow. Don’t be afraid, Little Ying Suanli. This Venerable One will certainly treat you well.”
Before Li Jiangying could utter the word “no,” a dark light flashed in Zhu Yue’s eyes. She reached out, pinched Li Jiangying’s chin, tilted her face up, and leaned in for a kiss.
Li Jiangying was utterly shocked. A curse nearly flew out. Subconsciously, she leaned her head, neck, and whole torso backward, but Zhu Yue pursued just as persistently, laughing playfully, determined to make contact. In desperation, Li Jiangying performed a backbend.
Click.
Li Jiangying’s expression went dazed.
Zhu Yue lay draped over her upward-thrust abdomen, looking at Li Jiangying’s terrified expression with her hands braced on the ground. She couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
But in the next second, she was sent flying away from Li Jiangying. A figure, rushing in like a howling gale, struck her with a single palm and blasted her away!
“Scram!” A fierce shout shook the tower. The leftover apple core rolled to a stop beside Li Jiangying’s head.
Li Jiangying craned her neck with difficulty and saw a bright pink, long tail beside her. Looking up, she saw familiar hems and hair tips. The figure stood proud and erect, her aura vast and terrifying.
The one who came was Li Yueying, but not the Li Yueying Li Jiangying was familiar with.
She cast a light glance down. When she saw Li Jiangying in her backbend, her cold expression froze for a moment. She then turned her head to look at Zhu Yue, who had been knocked flying and was now standing on the lake.
Li Yueying strolled unhurriedly to the destroyed window and said coldly, “Whether she lives or dies, where she goes or where she lives, only this Venerable One can decide! How dare you lot act so wildly?!”
Zhu Yue clutched her injured shoulder, gazing up yearningly at the woman standing by the Chasing Moon Star-Picking Tower. Bathed in moonlight, she was peerlessly elegant. She urgently cried, “Li Yueying, you’re awake? Take a good look! The person beside you is just a mortal! She’s not the one you’re looking for. The one you’re looking for is already gone!”
“Enough!”
A heaven-covering baleful aura surged from Li Yueying’s body. Caught off guard, Li Jiangying nearly wet herself from tension. Fortunately, she managed to hold it in and only broke out in a cold sweat.
As if her reverse scale had been touched, Li Yueying leaped down from the tower. A long trail of water streaked across the dark lake’s surface. The two Devil Venerables clashed in a fleeting instant. The lake’s surface exploded in a burst of water spray. Crackle, pop! Water droplets shot everywhere, and even Li Jiangying inevitably got her clothes wet.
After a brief, fierce struggle that Li Jiangying couldn’t see clearly, Li Yueying said to Zhu Yue, “If you dare lay a hand on her again, this Venerable One will kill you!”
Zhu Yue coughed lightly, smiling bitterly. “I was just teasing her. Do you really distrust me so?”
Under the full moon and the dark red sky, the light, always carrying a faint, pale red tint, shone on the Snake Demon, making her look like a descended demon god. Li Yueying slowly frowned. “Why should I trust you?”
Zhu Yue said quietly, “You once saved me. I would not harm you.”
Li Yueying’s frown deepened. She remained silent, silent for a long moment before finally asking, “Is that so? Who are you?”
Zhu Yue: “…”
Disinterested, Li Yueying flicked her sleeve and turned around, looking dissatisfied at the unfamiliar environment. “No matter who you are, as long as this Venerable One lives, Li Jiangying, in her entirety, can only be dealt with by this Venerable One!”
With that, she went back into the Star-Picking Tower. She walked past the mess and stood by Li Jiangying’s head, leaving behind Zhu Yue’s desolate and unwilling scream: “Li Yueying, go die!!!”
Li Jiangying was still reeling from her overbearing declaration. Following her tail upwards, she saw a face with a terrifying expression.
Li Yueying was looking at her, full of anger, resentment, and incomprehension. Li Jiangying even suspected that in the next second, her head would turn into a snake’s head and take a huge bite, snapping her in two.
Li Jiangying forced a smile at her.
Li Yueying was truly baffled. She wanted to just throttle her and be done with it, but she quickly pursed her lips and decided to humiliate her first before strangling her.
“What kind of posture is this?” Li Yueying mocked her with proud coldness. “Did seeing this Venerable One scare you so stiff you couldn’t move? Or are you trying to please this Venerable One this way?”
She would tell her coldly and ruthlessly: don’t even think about it; she would absolutely not soften!
Li Jiangying’s body trembled slightly. The blood rushing in reverse made her head feel swollen. She closed her eyes and said quietly, “This kind of thing… I don’t know how to tell you.”
“Speak.”
Li Jiangying slowly sighed. “To be honest… I pulled a muscle in my back.”
??? AHAHAHA