Mistaken Era – Chapter 9
Sect Leader Qin seemed to have never considered what to do if Cui Xiaoxiao refused.
This was not out of arrogance on Qin Lingxiao’s part. Whether it was inner cultivation or outward reputation, Qin Lingxiao was impeccable.
In the whole world, it was not just his fellow disciple Ling Zhushan who wished to become his cultivation partner and ascend together. If he wished to take a wife, perhaps all the female cultivators in the world would happily let him choose.
And now, for him to voluntarily favor and take a liking to the pathetic female leader of a small, unorthodox sect, how could Cui Xiaoxiao not feel immensely honored and tearfully accept?
It was precisely for this reason that when Qin Lingxiao heard Cui Xiaoxiao refuse without hesitation, in a rather blunt manner, he finally looked at her in astonishment.
“…I do not have much patience, so you need not put on an act. If you are dissatisfied with my low-key marriage proposal and wish to broadcast it openly, I’m afraid your scheming would be wasted effort. I have no interest in mundane affairs and no time to play house with you.”
Qin Lingxiao instinctively assumed Cui Xiaoxiao was trying to negotiate for more benefits.
Cui Xiaoxiao resisted the urge to roll her eyes and bluntly said, “Sect Leader Qin, you seem to have misunderstood. I have absolutely no intention of marrying you. Nor do I wish to waste your time in cultivation.” You are overthinking this…”
Seeing that she showed no signs of coyly playing hard to get, Qin Lingxiao’s brow furrowed tighter, but he patiently explained, “Since you have absorbed the demonic bead, even if you are not demonically possessed, you will still suffer its malign effects. To quickly expel it from your body, there are only two methods: either kill you, or join me in secluded dual cultivation in the Cold Pool. Expelling the demonic bead requires seven days, during which you must focus all your efforts to assist me. Marrying you protects your reputation and avoids disgracing my Nine Profundities Sword Sect’s name. It is an inevitable compromise.”
What? She was afflicted by the demonic bead’s vile effects? And needed to share an intimate bath with this man to fully cleanse herself?
Was this really a proper method upheld by the righteous path?
Cui Xiaoxiao looked down at her wrist, suppressing her inner anxiety, before raising her head, “Thank you for the reminder, Sect Leader Qin. However, my Talisman Sect also has methods to exorcise demons and dispel toxins. Allow me to discuss with my fellow disciples upon return and see if we can resolve this ourselves. If the demonic bead is expelled, I will certainly hand it over to you voluntarily. What do you think?”
Cui Xiaoxiao knew that Qin Lingxiao’s urgency to “save” her could not simply be due to a desire to help others.
It seemed this Sect Leader Qin was determined to obtain the demonic bead, even at the cost of his marital ties, in order to fully acquire it as soon as possible.
Fortunately, this Qin person greatly valued his reputation in the righteous path, and she had not been demonically possessed yet. Otherwise, he would undoubtedly choose the first method without hesitation – killing the chicken to get the egg, cleaving her in half…
However, this did not mean that she would be cowed by his intimidation into obediently following his every order!
As Cui Xiaoxiao frowned in contemplation, Qin Lingxiao gradually realized that this woman did not seem to be deliberately scheming to marry him, nor did she understand the benefits of marrying him or the severity of the demonic bead’s malign effects.
Thinking this, he finally lowered his gaze and coldly stated, “You appear to have not cultivated for very long, so of course you would not understand what I just told you. I will give you some time to consider it properly before you respond. Of course, the prerequisite is that you do not become demonically possessed, for if that happens, it would actually make things easier for me.”
After speaking, he saw Cui Xiaoxiao cupping her fists to take her leave, showing no signs of changing her mind to accept his marriage proposal, which caused him some displeasure.
Although Qin Lingxiao usually immersed himself in cultivation, never sparing a glance at his admiring female pursuers, for an unorthodox female sect leader to disdainfully reject his overtures left him rather unhappy.
Thinking this, he could not resist adding a mocking remark, “Without a renowned master to guide one’s cultivation, it is like a woman marrying into the wrong family, wasting her entire life. However, if one can marry a diligently cultivating husband, it is akin to gaining a new master. You have already joined the wrong sect, do not miss this opportunity as well.”
For this Cui Xiaoxiao to pursue cultivation, yet join the tutelage of an incompetent like Tang Youshu, her efforts would ultimately amount to nothing more than a mortal life. If she were not so foolish, she should seize this marital opportunity and give herself a chance to change her destiny.
Regrettably, no matter how plainly he spoke, this girl with a fox-tail braid remained unmoved.
When he derided her for joining the wrong sect, Cui Xiaoxiao’s large eyes narrowed slightly, and a mocking smile appeared on her lips as she said, “Although I am ignorant of cultivation, I understand quite a bit about human affairs. I have never heard of powerful cultivators from various sects having the habit of taking lowly wives. If you look down on me so much, yet wish to marry me, Sect Leader Qin, you are quite contradictory. Moreover, you said I have a grievously ill-fated destiny, are you not afraid that by marrying me, I might suppress and kill you?”
As she spoke, she tilted her head slightly, a mischievous light flickering in her large eyes, her fox-tail-like long hair swaying behind her head in a vexing manner.
Qin Lingxiao realized this unorthodox female sect leader truly held grudges, simply because he had mentioned her ill-fated destiny, and she was now getting back at him.
Cui Xiaoxiao looked at Qin Lingxiao’s frosty expression and continued probing, “Your sect, from top to bottom, clearly looks down on my Mount Ling Talisman Sect. Why would you debase yourself by marrying someone from my unorthodox, deviant path? Is there really no benefit for you? Why would you make such a sacrifice? Sect Leader Qin, if you are unwilling to speak the truth, then we have no need to continue this discussion.”
In terms of cultivation, she was definitely no match for Qin Lingxiao. But when it came to the cunning to scheme against others…the despicable scoundrels and swindlers Xiaoxiao had encountered far outnumbered the demons this Qin had subjugated!
Qin Lingxiao was once again harshly rebuked by this sly girl’s words. Faced with such an untamed woman, he felt it was like casting pearls before swine and was too lazy to further persuade her, simply stating a final warning:
“Your bloodline is special, and you have also been afflicted by the demonic bead’s malign effects, which may manifest even more severely. When that happens, you may wish for death over life…Sect Leader Cui, take care…”
Cui Xiaoxiao was silenced for a moment by the description of the malign effects.
She recalled the demonic bead that had suddenly appeared in her pocket. Qin Lingxiao had said her bloodline was special – could the bead have been seeking her out?
If so, did the demonic bead intend to assimilate and possess her like the woman from the Bai family?
At this point, Qin Lingxiao could no longer be bothered to look at the sharp-tongued Cui Xiaoxiao.
He had made up his mind not to meddle further, letting Cui Xiaoxiao experience the torment of the demonic bead’s malign effects. Otherwise, the foolish girl might think she was an irresistible beauty who could bewitch any man into marrying her.
Thinking this, Qin Lingxiao waved his sleeve, summoning his sword-qi, and flew away gracefully on his sword.
Such a display of flying on one’s sword was not something ordinary people could witness.
Cui Xiaoxiao sensed the coolness in Qin Lingxiao’s tone just now, as if her unwise refusal had caused the Sword Sect Leader to view her as lacking discernment.
However, she had no time to dwell on the heavenly genius’ feelings, staring intently at the line on her arm instead.
Could what Qin Lingxiao said be true? Had she really been afflicted by the demonic bead’s malign effects?
When Cui Xiaoxiao returned and told her fellow disciples about the demonic bead’s ominous energy invading her body, they immediately jumped back in alarm.
Ayi was especially quick, slapping an exorcism talisman onto their Sect Leader’s forehead.
Cui Xiaoxiao peeled it off in annoyance, “I haven’t been demonically possessed yet!”
The second senior martial sister, Jiang Nanmu, awkwardly approached to examine Cui Xiaoxiao’s wrist, then seeming to recall something, instructed Cui Xiaoxiao to quickly reference their master’s secret manual for any solutions.
Cui Xiaoxiao flipped through it repeatedly, finding only this one relevant passage regarding toxins:
Their master Tang Youshu liked to meticulously record his daily cultivation life in an autobiographical secret manual. Around two hundred years ago, Tang Youshu had also visited the Soul-Shattering Serpent Cave that Wei Jie had breached, witnessing the might of the two-headed giant Soul-Shattering Serpent.
The Soul-Shattering Serpent dwelled in a deep valley beneath the Phoenix Pool of Lao Mountain. True to its name, once afflicted by its venom, even a great cultivator of a hundred years would suffer having their soul scattered.
Especially in the first three days of being poisoned, all the blood in one’s body would boil, preventing any focused effort to expel the venom. No matter one’s cultivation prowess, they would be boiled alive by their own blood in an excruciating death.
Back then at the Soul-Shattering Serpent Cave near the Phoenix Pool, Tang Youshu personally witnessed someone survive after being bitten.
That person was none other than his future master, the demonic Wei Jie!
At the time, Tang Youshu was very puzzled as to how his master had achieved this.
It was only later that he discovered Wei Jie had desperately captured the serpent after being poisoned, beheading it before slashing open his wrists to perform a blood transfusion, replacing his tainted blood with the serpent’s.
This unorthodox method allowed Wei Jie to survive by a thread, but also caused him to be covered in serpentine scales due to his blood being mostly replaced by the serpent’s, which drastically altered his temperament to be as vicious as a serpent’s.
However, Wei Jie did not seem to want to be permanently controlled by the serpent blood. So as his cultivation deepened, he devised a way to resolve it – refining the yin toxins within his body into a demonic bead to be expelled.
Unfortunately, this process greatly diminished his methods and cultivation level temporarily. It was precisely because of this that Qin Lingxiao had the opportunity to slay his master.
Upon reading this, Cui Xiaoxiao suddenly realized that the demonic bead within her had a profound connection to the Soul-Shattering Serpent, being the refined malign energies from Wei Jie’s demonic nature.
It seemed Qin Lingxiao’s words were not mere intimidation after all.
However, her master’s book also mentioned that there was a wondrous antidote grass within the Soul-Shattering Serpent Cave that had aided Wei Jie in surviving the venom.
Fortunately, their destination was indeed the Phoenix Pool of Lao Mountain, so perhaps they could find this unusual herb in the valley beneath.
With this thought, Cui Xiaoxiao felt slightly reassured.
Upon hearing that Cui Xiaoxiao had rejected Qin Lingxiao’s proposal, the second senior martial sister could not help but exclaim in amazement, “Oh heavens, Qin Lingxiao was willing to marry you in order to save you! And you actually refused!”
Her words were filled with endless regret. It seemed the exceptionally handsome and powerful cultivator Qin Lingxiao truly had a way of capturing women’s hearts. His pride was well-founded.
Even the eldest senior martial brother commented that if one could marry and jointly cultivate with Qin Lingxiao, one’s cultivation would soar rapidly. For Cui Xiaoxiao to reject without a second thought not only impeded her cultivation progress but also displayed muddled thinking.
However, he felt Qin Lingxiao’s thinking was also muddled for being willing to compromise his marital destinies to save a conniving woman. Could he have been bewitched by Cui Xiaoxiao’s pretty looks? If he truly lacked such determination, he might struggle to overcome the heavenly tribulation and ascend.
