Chapter 70
Qin Lingxiao did not come here to engage in a major confrontation with Xiao Xiao.
During their previous urgent situation, he had resorted to drastic measures out of desperation, betraying Xiao Xiao.
After returning from that incident, he had naturally interrogated his father in private, demanding to know the truth about his relationship with the Prince Can.
Pushed to the wall by his son, Qin He finally revealed the secret that he had once been at death’s door and extended his life using the Prince Can’s blood.
Once one used the Prince Can’s blood, there was no way to break free. Qin He admitted he had been forced to become the Prince Can’s subordinate.
Of course, Qin He’s words contained half-truths and half-lies, but his reliance on the Prince Can’s blood to prolong his life was true.
Now that the Bright Prince Can “suddenly perished,” Qin He’s inner turmoil was even greater than his son’s. For he had not received any news, uncertain whether the Prince Can’s death was real or feigned.
However, his senior martial brother’s brutal demise was undoubtedly real, as evidenced by the severed hand remaining from the Prince Can’s mansion. This left Qin He apprehensive, suspecting that he, like his senior brother, had become one of the Prince Can’s discarded sons.
With no choice, he could only confide in his son about his current predicament. If he could not receive the Prince Can’s blood in time to extend his life, what should he do?
Although Qin Lingxiao despised his father’s collusion with the Prince Can, he was still his father. How could he watch him die from blood deprivation?
With the Prince Can’s whereabouts unknown, there was only one solution – using the demon bead to sustain life.
Although being possessed by the demon bead might ultimately result in being controlled by it, his father’s cultivation level could resist it for a period.
This would buy time for Qin Lingxiao to find a way to completely save his father.
He had been reborn into this lifetime, so what meaning would it hold if he simply watched his father die before his eyes again?
He knew of two demon beads in existence – one was attached to Xiao Xiao, and could not be separated from her for now. The other’s whereabouts were unknown, having possessed someone else.
Originally, Qin Lingxiao had no intention of searching for it. But now, he had no choice but to find the demon bead to sustain his father’s life.
Two hundred years later, in his quest to locate the demon bead, he had sought the assistance of the Southern Emperor’s bronze compass.
This time, after much effort, he had finally obtained this ancient Southern Emperor’s compass once more. With the bronze relic passed down from the Yellow Emperor, pinpointing the demon bead’s location would be much easier.
Following the compass’s guidance, Qin Lingxiao had traced his way to this very mountain where he had studied under his master in the past.
Gazing upon Demon Rock Cliff, he felt a whirlwind of emotions. For the compass’s signals had waxed and waned, causing him to linger aimlessly in these mountains until he chanced upon the scene of Xiao Xiao’s battle with the five phoenixes on the rear mountain.
At that time, Qin Lingxiao had been desperate to investigate the rear mountain, but found the entire area around Demon Rock Cliff seemed enveloped by a formation, preventing him from entering no matter how he tried.
After two days, when the rear mountain’s barrier finally dispersed, he entered only to discover that Xiao Xiao had already led the Talisman Sect disciples to the front mountain.
As Qin Lingxiao stood before the familiar premises of the demonic sect, watching Xiao Xiao completely replace Wei Jie as the new master of Demon Rock Cliff, a part of him felt disheartened.
For some inexplicable reason, whenever Qin Lingxiao considered how Xiao Xiao had repeatedly, inadvertently taken Wei Jie’s place in enduring his fated tribulations, a sense of trepidation would arise within him. If this continued, what fate ultimately awaited Xiao Xiao?
So this time, apart from explaining his previous transgressions against her, he also wanted to persuade her to cease involving herself with Wei Jie.
Although Qin Lingxiao now knew that Wei Jie’s sins from his past life had not actually been his own doing, this did not completely absolve the demon lord.
The chilling darkness within Wei Jie’s heart was far more terrifying than any crime he had committed. Remaining by such a person’s side was akin to colluding with a tiger.
Of course, while mentioning his search for the demon bead, he had concealed his intention to use it to prolong his father’s life, only revealing the more palatable aspects.
Xiao Xiao impatiently interrupted Qin Lingxiao’s rambling apology and explanation, directly asking, “You say you’ve come to search for the other demon bead, but what evidence do you have?”
Qin Lingxiao then took out the ancient Southern Emperor’s compass.
Upon seeing it, Xiao Xiao felt a sense of familiarity. She recalled witnessing the sword sect’s disciples using this compass-like object to locate the demon bead when they had joined forces to subdue a demonic presence in Fei County’s mulberry fields.
She gave it a sidelong glance and coldly said, “Since you have official business, go about it then. Lingshan does not welcome you!”
Qin Lingxiao never expected his sincere apology to be rejected by Xiao Xiao.
The young master’s arrogance resurfaced, overriding his remorse as he coldly said, “You keep claiming your master taught you to subdue demons, yet when it matters, you only remember personal grievances? Will you simply ignore it and allow the tragedy of Madam Bai to repeat itself?”
Xiao Xiao raised an eyebrow at Qin Lingxiao, who had found his moral high ground once more. She suddenly could not help but laugh derisively, “Qin Lingxiao, your skills haven’t improved, but your silver tongue has become even smoother. Does Soaring Cloud Pavilion practice swordplay with their mouths?”
Whenever Xiao Xiao laughed, her sweet smile seemed to gather the radiance of the sun itself, effortlessly enrapturing those who witnessed it. Qin Lingxiao found himself momentarily mesmerized, staring at her face and inadvertently overlooking the mocking tone of her words.
As Xiao Xiao continued smiling while extending her hand towards the furious Qin Lingxiao, he hesitated slightly, unable to believe his eyes as he tentatively reached out and placed his large palm upon her slender hand…
Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, Xiao Xiao swatted his paw away and said coldly, “I was telling you to hand over that compass for me to see!”
Of all the words Qin Lingxiao had rambled on about, the one line that struck a chord with Xiao Xiao was his warning: “If you ignore this, you will allow the tragedy of Madam Bai to repeat itself.”
This Madam Bai referred to the woman who had previously transformed into the Silkworm Demon. Recalling the incident, Xiao Xiao could not help but feel immense pity for her.
So although Qin Lingxiao was a bastard, if he truly possessed a method to locate the demon bead, that would be ideal.
After all, returning to two hundred years in the future hinged upon finding those two demon beads.
Qin Lingxiao had misinterpreted her gesture, prompting Xiao Xiao to unapologetically slap his hand away. He now felt awkward, only able to coldly take out the Southern Emperor’s compass and hand it to Xiao Xiao.
Xiao Xiao carefully examined the square-shaped compass, smaller than an ordinary inkstone, adorned with intricate bronze inscriptions and a small bronze ladle.
Seeing Xiao Xiao repeatedly scrutinizing it, Qin Lingxiao knew she suspected some sort of deception.
Thus, he raised his finger and solemnly vowed, “If I have tampered with this object to harm you, may I be struck by heavenly punishment and forever unable to ascend to immortality!”
Ignoring his oath, Xiao Xiao meticulously inspected the compass, noticing inscriptions on the back related to the Yellow Emperor’s battle against Chiyou. The profound and weighty aura emanating from the compass also confirmed its ancient pedigree left behind by a sage.
However, the compass did not seem sensitive enough, with its detection abilities fluctuating erratically, which explained why Qin Lingxiao had been unable to locate the demon bead.
With her keen eyes, Xiao Xiao immediately noticed the floral script engraved on the compass face.
These characters were vastly different from the back inscriptions, yet shared an ingenious similarity with the Talisman Sect’s talisman patterns, allowing Xiao Xiao to decipher them.
Apparently, this Southern Emperor’s compass not only pointed north, but was also a demon-subjugating weapon used by the Yellow Emperor himself. By employing a specific method to enhance its sensitivity, one could fill the magnetic ladle with demonic blood, allowing the handle to then point towards the location of others possessing the same demonic aura. Only by utilizing this function could the compass rapidly pinpoint the demon bead’s whereabouts.
After studying the compass intently, Xiao Xiao suddenly asked, “Where did you obtain this object?”
Although Qin Lingxiao could read the back inscriptions, he had no idea Xiao Xiao could decipher the talisman script.
He honestly replied, “This object was entrusted to my father by Demon Master Wan Lianshi. It requires absorbing the yang energy of righteousness, and our Soaring Cloud Pavilion is located in the east, where the auspicious purple yang energy rises. Originally, it was meant to be kept in our pavilion for three more years before being returned to Wan Lianshi… However, in the previous timeline, this object remained at our Soaring Cloud Pavilion, and Wan Lianshi never came to retrieve it.”
Xiao Xiao surmised that in the original timeline, Demon Master Wan Lianshi must have been slain by Wei Jie later on. After losing to Wei Jie in their mirror realm duel, Wan Lianshi was likely killed by him, thus unable to reclaim the object from his fellow disciple Qin He.
In this lifetime, many events had occurred prematurely, such as their experience in the mirror realm city happening much earlier outside Luoyi City.
However, despite the changes, Wan Lianshi’s demise seemed inevitable.
And with the Southern Emperor’s compass being used prematurely without fully absorbing three years of yang energy, it seemed demonic blood would be needed to enhance its powers…
As Xiao Xiao examined the compass for any other inscribed spells or traps potentially left by Wan Lianshi, Qin Lingxiao took a few steps forward. Lowering his gaze towards the focused girl, he suddenly noticed reddish marks on the side of Xiao Xiao’s neck…
Those were the marks left by Wei Jie when they had become intimate during Xiao Xiao’s nightmare that day.
Although Qin Lingxiao had remained celibate for over two centuries, he initially did not recognize what those marks signified and merely asked, “What happened to your neck? Were you stung by a venomous insect?”
However, Xiao Xiao realized he had noticed Wei Jie’s love bites on her neck. Instinctively covering the marks with her hand, her face flushed red as she glared at Qin Lingxiao, “It’s… none of your business!”
Even if Qin Lingxiao had not immediately identified those reddish marks, Xiao Xiao’s self-conscious attempt to conceal them made the truth dawn upon him.
The only rogue who could leave such marks on Xiao Xiao’s neck was none other than that bastard Wei Jie!
Realizing this, an inexplicable sense of bitterness welled up within Qin Lingxiao’s heart.
Unable to contain his anguished rage any longer, he coldly said, “Do you think Wei Jie is truly capable of feelings for a woman? To him, people are merely tools to be exploited! Although the current Wei Jie has not resorted to mass slaughter, do you think he will be any kinder than his previous self? As his disciple who served him for years, I know his innermost depths! His sole desire is to grow stronger, to make all those who once looked down upon him grovel at his feet. For this purpose, any who develop feelings for him are nothing but expendable pawns! Did you not see Yu Ling’er’s fate in the previous life? She wholeheartedly devoted herself to Wei Jie, but when she died, did he shed even a single tear for her? Cui Xiao Xiao, why are you so stubbornly blind, insisting on walking this path of no return for his sake?”
If Qin Lingxiao had said these words earlier, Xiao Xiao might have taken them to heart.
But now, although factual, his words only made her inwardly smile.
Because… Wei Jie had indeed shed tears for her, and they had been tears of blood from his very heart…
Seeing Xiao Xiao remain silent, yet with a faint, savoring smile on her lips, Qin Lingxiao struggled to suppress the bitterness within as he berated her, “It’s useless for me to say more. You’ve already been bewitched. But you must understand, you do not belong to this era two hundred years ago. If you insist on lingering and even forming ties with Wei Jie, it may disrupt the heavenly order. As cultivators, if we cannot even control petty desires, how can we achieve the Dao?”
Watching Qin Lingxiao’s lecturing demeanor full of exasperation, Xiao Xiao could only sigh helplessly. She had no wish to become overly entangled with this self-righteous person.
He was rather stubborn and dogmatic. Dealing with those who constantly placed themselves on a moral pedestal was truly exhausting.
Moreover, he had previously disgraced her before everyone.
However, since he could now locate the other demon bead, she could set aside their personal grievances for the time being.
If the demon bead possessed an inappropriate host, the consequences would be disastrous. Xiao Xiao did not want to witness a repeat of Madam Bai’s tragedy in Fei County.
Thus, she coldly said to Qin Lingxiao, “Shut up! Otherwise, hurry up and get off this mountain!”
Then she took out a dagger and cut her palm, allowing a drop of blood to fall onto the compass’s ladle.
The moment the blood made contact, the ladle-like portion of the Southern Emperor’s compass began whirring and spinning.
This object had been passed down for nearly two centuries in Qin Lingxiao’s possession, yet he had never known of this particular function.
Indeed, the two demon beads originated from the same source, both having separated from Wei Jie’s body. And with one currently attached to Xiao Xiao, her blood was naturally demonic in nature.
The ladle rapidly spun a full circle before unerringly pointing towards… Cui Xiao Xiao herself!
Xiao Xiao nearly rolled her eyes out of their sockets. She knew about the demon bead attached to her, so why was it pointing her out?
This compass functioned well enough, but could it truly locate the other demon bead?
Just as she was about to voice her doubts, the compass trembled slightly twice before continuing to spin.
This time, after a rapid double-rotation, the ladle’s position shifted, now pointing towards the southeast.
Xiao Xiao and Qin Lingxiao exchanged glances.
Qin Lingxiao said in a hushed voice, “Only when the demon bead is nearby will it tremble so violently. It seems the other demon bead is truly located somewhere around Demon Rock Cliff?”
Without further comment, Xiao Xiao lifted the Southern Emperor’s compass and swiftly flashed towards the southeast direction.
Her swift, windlike movements once again caught Qin Lingxiao by surprise.
He was well aware that although Xiao Xiao had made remarkable progress in talisman techniques, she remained inept at wind-traveling movement skills.
While Cui Xiao Xiao could occasionally unleash bursts of speed by channeling the Heaven’s Defiance sword, she was still far from truly mastering the art of sword-gliding.
Yet in just these few short days, her movement speed… seemed to have surpassed even his own!
Unwilling to ponder further, Qin Lingxiao gathered his energy and followed, chasing after Xiao Xiao towards the southeast direction.
This southeastern path happened to be the mountain trail leading up Demon Rock Cliff.
At that moment, Wei Jie was descending the mountain with Tang Youshu and two male fox tribe members, having gone to purchase rice, flour, meat, and vegetables.
After shedding his heart’s blood during the Phoenix Ravine incident, Wei Jie had been unsuitable for circulating his internal energies these past few days.
With the nearest village quite distant from the mountain, Wei Jie and Tang Youshu had each ridden fox mounts to procure supplies before returning.
As they neared the mountain’s base, they discovered a large crowd gathered below.
Wei Jie could not help but furrow his brow, suspecting that Xiao Xiao, Yu Ling’er, and the others must have caused some incident, prompting this mob to seek vengeance.
However, Tang Youshu recognized the group and whispered, “Oh no, those people insisting on becoming disciples have actually tracked us down here. We should hurry and inform the Master Ancestor!”
From their words, Wei Jie finally realized that the Lingshan Talisman Sect had unexpectedly become a coveted prize in the cultivation world, attracting so many talents vying for discipleship.
However, Wei Jie did not wish for his little master to widely accept disciples.
As far as he was concerned, having him as her sole disciple would sufficiently uphold the Talisman Sect’s reputation. As for any other martial uncles and brothers, taking on too many would only hinder their path and prevent him from leisurely roaming the mountains with his master in the future…
So Wei Jie simply ignored these shameless people and led Tang Youshu and the others, laden with supplies, towards the mountain gate.
But just as he was about to step onto the stone steps, Ling Zhishan also began leading her group up the mountain.
That night when Cui Xiao Xiao and her disciples had slipped away unnoticed, it was only after daybreak that these people realized the Talisman Sect Leader and her followers had vanished without a trace.
Seeing this, some felt disheartened and prepared to abandon their pursuit of discipleship.
However, Ling Zhishan’s determination to join only grew stronger. Having previously learned from Yu Ling’er that they were headed to Demon Rock Cliff, she was confident she could find Xiao Xiao even if the sect leader had secretly fled.
With Ling Zhishan taking the lead, the others also felt that gaining a renowned master required overcoming significant trials. Thus, under her guidance, they stubbornly trailed like relentless leeches all the way to this mountain!
Earlier, while at the mountain’s base, Ling Zhishan had noticed the newly inscribed stone tablet renaming Demon Rock Cliff to Lingshan.
It seemed Cui Xiao Xiao had not been lying – this was indeed the Talisman Sect’s founding mountain range.
In fact, Ling Zhishan had encountered Wei Jie when he was returning from his supply run.
Upon seeing the tall man’s figure, Ling Zhishan’s eyes had lit up, and she hurriedly went to greet Wei Jie.
Unfortunately, Wei Jie remained as aloof towards her as before, not even acknowledging her existence as he headed directly up the mountain.
Seeing him continue without pause, Ling Zhishan rushed to catch up.
The newly repaired mountain path was uneven, causing Ling Zhishan to slip on some loose stones. Partially accidental, yet also partially intentional, she stumbled right into Wei Jie’s embrace.
Sensing someone colliding into him from behind, Wei Jie naturally attempted to evade sideways. However, his current inability to circulate his inner energies slowed his movements. By the time he turned, Ling Zhishan had conveniently stumbled into his broad chest.
Unaware that Wei Jie’s internal energies were currently depleted, Ling Zhishan assumed he had deliberately avoided dodging her. As she fell against his sturdy frame, she could not help feeling a secret thrill, her face flushing red as she gazed up at Wei Jie.
At such close proximity, this celestial-like man’s handsomeness could truly captivate one’s heart and soul…
Just as Wei Jie frowned, about to push her away, a familiar and utterly vexing male voice came from above on the stone steps, “Xiao Xiao, look, I didn’t misspeak. He is indeed the sort to shamelessly trifle with women’s hearts…”
Wei Jie looked up to see his master, Cui Xiao Xiao, her slender waist standing ramrod straight, the long skirt billowing around her in the wind while she held some object resembling an inkstone in one hand. With her other hand propped on her hip, she gazed down at them with a curiously murderous aura.
And standing beside Xiao Xiao was none other than the ever-lingering Qin Lingxiao, whose slanderous words had just been spoken!
Seeing Xiao Xiao’s intense gaze fixated on him, Wei Jie sensed she seemed angered, so he forcefully shoved Ling Zhishan away before turning to face Xiao Xiao.
However, the unprepared Ling Zhishan lost her balance and tumbled down the steps, scraping her elbow until it bled.
This caused her surrounding martial uncles and brothers to rush over in concern, glaring at Wei Jie as they snapped, “Our junior martial sister merely stumbled and fell against you accidentally. Why did you have to shove her away so forcefully? Where are your gentleman’s graces?”
Before Wei Jie could respond, Cui Xiao Xiao had already descended the steps, roughly shoving him aside with her shoulder before standing in front of Ling Zhishan, defending her disciple, “As a cultivator, Miss Ling is not some sheltered noble lady. Why are your footing and balance so unsteady that you keep tripping? These stone steps were just laid and don’t even have moss growing yet. Your fundamental skills… maybe you should reconsider cultivation entirely. Allow me to apologize on my disciple’s behalf. With such a severe injury, your elbow scraped raw and bleeding profusely… Tsk tsk, would you prefer silver for medicine, or shall I prepare an ointment to stop the bleeding myself?”
Indeed, Ling Zhishan’s stumble had been partially intentional, but being so bluntly exposed by Cui Xiao Xiao left her feeling rather awkward.
She could only clutch her injured arm and stubbornly persist, “Perhaps the long journey has left me momentarily lightheaded and unable to properly circulate my inner energies. Sect Leader Cui, we have faithfully followed you here. Please take our sincere intentions into consideration and accept us as disciples!”
However, Xiao Xiao’s purpose here was not to catch anyone’s indiscretions or recruit disciples. Lowering her gaze to the Southern Emperor’s compass in her hand, she noticed it trembling more violently the closer she approached this group of would-be disciples.
She circled among them while the compass ladle constantly shuddered and wavered, alternately pointing towards Xiao Xiao and then the crowd.
In the next moment, a sharp crack resounded as the ladle-like handle abruptly shattered into pieces, completely rendered unusable!
Xiao Xiao had not expected the treasured relic of Soaring Cloud Pavilion to be so fragile, unable to withstand use. Turning in astonishment towards Qin Lingxiao, she could not help but exclaim in surprise.
Qin Lingxiao also never imagined this ancient artifact, passed down for two centuries, would meet such an untimely demise after just entering his possession.
Unable to restrain himself, he looked up at Xiao Xiao and asked in a low voice, “How… how did you use it?”
Xiao Xiao softly replied, “I just followed the compass’s instructions! But let me remind you first, we of the Talisman Sect are a poor sect. If you demand compensation, at most… I can only pay you five taels of silver!”
However, this hushed interaction between Xiao Xiao and Qin Lingxiao carried an undeniable air of intimacy when observed by Wei Jie, causing his purple eyes to darken and his expression to grow coldly aloof.
Qin Lingxiao truly did not expect this long-inherited treasure to shatter so quickly after only just acquiring it.
It seemed the Southern Emperor’s compass, having not fully absorbed three years of yang energy, was simply too fragile for practical use!
But one thing was now certain – the person possessed by the demon bead was among these would-be disciples insisting on joining the sect. It seemed “he” was attempting to infiltrate Demon Rock Cliff, though for what nefarious purposes, Qin Lingxiao did not know!
