The wind stopped.
The silence after the battle was more suffocating than the sounds of slaughter.
Wu Yan (Yan) knelt on one knee, supporting her body with her long sword.
The wound on her back was deep enough to see bone. It was the lethal strike of a Golden Core Stage Demonic Cultivator, and the Blood Poison was eroding her wound like a maggot on a bone, slowly rotting her body.
“Hey, hey, hey! Your bone is showing! It’s really showing!”
Wu Yan (Inner) floated in front of her, covering her eyes in an exaggerated manner, though her fingers were spread wide apart.
“Little Wu Yan (Yan), this body is my masterpiece. It won’t look good if it leaves a scar. Quick, hurry up and search that dead bald head’s storage bag to see if there’s an antidote!”
Wu Yan (Yan) ignored the noise in her head. Enduring the intense pain, she fumbled a bottle of Rejuvenation Pills from her robes and swallowed two.
The wound on her back improved slightly; at least it stopped bleeding. However, the Blood Poison continued to corrode her body, causing her unbearable pain.
“Sen… Senior Sister.”
Footsteps approached from behind.
Yu Qingyao stood three paces away, her expression complicated to the extreme.
She held a storage bag in her hand.
“This is for you…”
Wu Yan (Yan) turned her head and gave her a weary look. “Are the Demonic Cultivators cleared out?”
“They are basically dealt with. Aside from one fish that escaped the net through some unknown method, the other Demonic Cultivators have been completely annihilated.”
She stepped forward and handed over the storage bag, her movements somewhat hesitant.
“This is the storage bag of the Blood Scorpion Old Monster. Inside are the jade plates of the guarding disciples, some demonic artifacts, and demonic techniques. I didn’t see an antidote.”
Wu Yan (Yan) took the storage bag from Yu Qingyao’s hand. Her Divine Sense did a brief sweep; there were no particularly precious treasures. Even if there were, they were things only those on the demonic path would need.
“Wait, Little Wu Yan (Yan), take that bead in the corner.”
The figure of Wu Yan (Inner) suddenly appeared beside Wu Yan (Yan). Her eyes were wide, staring fixedly at a dim, lusterless bead in the corner.
Wu Yan (Yan) curiously retrieved the bead from the storage bag and examined it in her hand.
The bead was about the size of a glass marble used by mortal children, but its surface had three extra strands of patterns compared to a normal marble.
A faint scent of blood wafted from the patterns, making Wu Yan (Inner) beside her look somewhat excited.
“Is this the Blood Coagulation Bead?”
Sniffing the bloody scent from the bead, Wu Yan (Yan) suddenly remembered the words of the Blood Scorpion Old Monster.
“Of course, this is a top-tier Blood Coagulation Bead. There are three blood-lines on the body of the bead, which means this bead has already absorbed the blood of many elderly, young, and children. If it absorbs the blood of a few more cultivators, it will be a perfect Blood Coagulation Bead.”
“Take it, take it! This is a huge supplement! With the Blood Coagulation Bead, that little wound on your back will heal in minutes! If you can completely absorb the blood chi inside, reaching the late Golden Core Stage directly wouldn’t be a dream.”
As she spoke, Wu Yan (Inner) was almost salivating.
A flash of disgust crossed Wu Yan (Yan)’s eyes.
She put the Blood Coagulation Bead back into the storage bag and then threw the bag back to Yu Qingyao.
The movement was fluid, without a hint of hesitation.
“Sen… Senior Sister?” Yu Qingyao froze, catching it in a fluster.
“Keep it safe.”
Wu Yan (Yan) took a handkerchief from her sleeve and slowly wiped the fingers that had just touched the storage bag.
Her movements were extremely slow, carrying a nearly obsessive cleanliness, as if the storage bag was contaminated with some intolerable filth.
“Take all demonic items back to the sect and hand them over to the Sect Master to handle.”
“Everyone, clean up the battlefield. Those with heavier injuries should take pills and rest on the spot. In half an hour, we return to the sect.”
After speaking, she didn’t even spare a glance at the potentially priceless loot and turned toward the spirit boat.
“You spendthrift! You idiot who doesn’t know the value of goods!! You just handed over so many good things? Get it back for me right now!”
Losing her composure, Wu Yan (Inner) hugged Wu Yan (Yan)’s waist and screamed into her ear.
Was she really not interested in these demonic artifacts?
Watching her departing back, Yu Qingyao held the heavy storage bag, feeling a bit dazed.
In her memory, this person was supposed to be a female devil who committed every imaginable evil.
Could she really have… changed?
No!
Yu Qingyao shook her head; this was surely just her disguise.
In her previous life, she and Master had been deceived exactly like this.
Acting as if she cared for Master, brewing medicine for Master, and looking after Master day and night.
But in reality, she secretly used demonic techniques to suck away Master’s cultivation, eventually leading directly to the destruction of the sect.
Even the mysterious Sect Master had tragically perished in that disaster.
Yu Qingyao’s gaze grew increasingly wary. She absolutely did not believe that a former devil would suddenly become a model of the righteous path.
—
Half an hour later, when Yu Qingyao boarded the spirit boat and saw Wu Yan (Yan) again, the latter had already changed into a brand-new, moon-white daoist robe with cloud patterns.
Her hair was combed meticulously and tied high with a jade crown.
Furthermore, to cover the scent of blood that couldn’t be washed away, she had specifically worn a sachet with a faint fruitwood fragrance.
Aside from her complexion being slightly pale, she still looked like that unattainable, flawless Eldest Senior Sister.
Wu Yan (Inner) floated behind her with a pout, constantly poking at the wound on Wu Yan (Yan)’s back. “Suffering for the sake of appearances. The wound on your back still hasn’t healed, yet you actually tightened your belt so much. It hurts me to death! If it were me, I’d go back looking as miserable as possible, just to let that old woman and that ice-cold Peak Master see exactly how much I suffered.”
Wu Yan (Yan) remained expressionless.
She didn’t need pity, nor did she need sympathy.
This was what Wu Yan (Inner) owed them, and therefore, it was what she owed them.
“After all, we are one, aren’t we?” Wu Yan (Inner) suddenly wrapped her hands around her slender neck and laughed softly.
An ethereal fragrance drifted into Wu Yan (Yan)’s nose.
Clearly, Wu Yan (Inner) wasn’t even in the form of a soul, yet for some reason, Wu Yan (Yan) could smell the scent on her.
Perhaps she herself was a bit abnormal.
…
In the hall of the Main Peak, the atmosphere was solemn and dignified.
Xia Lingshuang sat beside the Sect Master, her expression weary but her majesty undiminished.
She was also listening to Yu Qingyao’s report regarding the mission at the Red Sand Canyon.
“…Fortunately, Eldest Senior Sister turned the tide. At the critical moment, she blocked a strike for this disciple and slew the Golden Core demonic cultivator Blood Scorpion Old Monster and his disciples, allowing us to be saved,” Yu Qingyao said respectfully.
Xia Lingshuang nodded slightly, but her gaze bypassed Yu Qingyao and landed directly on Wu Yan (Yan), who stood at the very end of the group in the hall.
She was too perfect.
Perfect to the point that Xia Lingshuang felt she was a stranger.
Her Taoist robes were spotless, without a single bloodstain, and not a hair was out of place.
Though her face was pale, she didn’t show a hint of fatigue. Instead, she carried a cold, aloof pride.
It was as if she hadn’t gone out to fight a bloody battle, but had instead attended an insignificant procession.
The sachet at her waist still emitted that special fruitwood scent, attempting to cover any possible lingering odors.
What exactly was she hiding?
Xia Lingshuang sneered in her heart.
In the previous life, after winning glory, this wicked disciple would always appear in a weak posture, enjoying the praise and sympathy of the crowd.
In this life?
Why had this change occurred?
“The mission was well done,” the Sect Master said calmly from behind the curtain. “Once the mission is officially turned in, Wu Yan (Inner), you may go to the Sutra Library to select a technique you like. Alright, dismissed.”
After speaking, the Sect Master sent everyone away.
—
Inside the hall of Zhuqu Peak.
“Wu Yan (Inner),” Xia Lingshuang spoke, her voice so calm that no emotion could be heard.
“Disciple is here.” Wu Yan (Yan) stepped forward. Her salute was so standard and respectful that no fault could be found.
“The mission was completed well.” Xia Lingshuang’s tone was indifferent, carrying a hint of detachment. “However, since you are back, there are some things you should do.”
“Please give your instructions, Master.”
“At the Sword Washing Pool in the back mountain, the Sword Chi has been rioting recently, and quite a bit of residual malice has accumulated. I am worried that this residual malice might affect the disciples’ cultivation. You are the Eldest Senior Sister of this peak; your cultivation is the highest, and your strength is undoubtedly the strongest. Tomorrow, you shall go to the Sword Washing Pool and tidy it up properly. How does that sound?”
As soon as these words were spoken, the hall fell into silence.
The Sword Washing Pool. It wasn’t as simple as the name suggested.
Although it was called the Sword Washing Pool, in reality, it was a grave of swords.
Countless abandoned broken swords wailed day and night at the bottom of the pool, forming an extremely violent and chaotic flow of Sword Chi and malice.
The coldness and violent Sword Chi there could cause a Foundation Establishment Stage disciple to collapse instantly.
Tidying the Sword Washing Pool required using one’s own spiritual power to guide and suppress that Sword Chi.
For Wu Yan (Yan) in her peak condition, this was a form of tempering.
But for someone who had just been seriously injured and still had demonic chi remaining in her body, it was a slow execution.
Once the biting Sword Chi entered the body, it would clash violently with the demonic chi at her wound, resulting in a dual torment of both the physical body and the soul.
Yu Qingyao looked up sharply, her eyes filled with shock and a hint of pity that she hadn’t even noticed herself.
Did Master want her to die in there?
Even though she knew Wu Yan (Inner) was a devil, her injury was caused because of her.
Just as she opened her mouth, preparing to plead for Wu Yan (Inner)…
“Disciple accepts the command.”
Wu Yan (Yan) didn’t offer a single word of excuse, nor did she beg for mercy. She didn’t even knit her brows. She performed a standard cupped-fist salute and resolutely turned to withdraw.
Xia Lingshuang watched her turning back, and waves rose in her originally calm heart.
Why?
Why didn’t she resist? Why didn’t she complain?
What exactly was she enduring? Was this obedience her new scheme?
Xia Lingshuang couldn’t understand. She could only attribute this abnormal behavior to a much larger conspiracy being plotted by Wu Yan (Inner).
“Aaaaah! Are you sick! Are you sick! Why didn’t you just give that old woman a stab!!!”
Only Wu Yan (Inner) knew that this person who shared a body with her in this life was a complete fool.