Many righteous cultivators had seen the Demon Lord.
Yue Jin’s nature was originally unrestrained. If anyone made her unhappy, she would surely seek revenge. As time passed, rumors specifically designed to slander her began to spread widely – tales of the Demon Lord having a green face and fangs, devouring human flesh raw.
But in reality, these were just stories used to stop crying infants.
After all, she always showed her true face: a red robe, skin fairer than snow, and crimson lips that made her appear even more alluring and captivating.
Her portraits had once been popular in the cultivation tabloids for a time, but her cultivation was simply too powerful, and no information about her preferences had ever leaked out. So, even if someone wanted to try and court her, it would ultimately come to nothing.
Cultivators unanimously agreed that women like Fu Lingyi, who were gentle, beautiful, and very reliable, were more in line with the public’s aesthetic.
Song Yin, the expert authority on the gossip section of the cultivation tabloids, stated that this might also be the reason they became mortal enemies.
So, when that shout of “Demon Lord” rang out, everyone’s heart skipped a beat, and they looked towards Yue Jin.
Yue Jin hadn’t expected so many people at the mountain exit. There was a vast crowd, with some even yelling and pointing at her.
Looking closely, she saw quite a few cultivators who had previously been defeated by her.
What terrible luck.
She pursed her lips secretly. She knew that little disciple hadn’t had good intentions when pointing her towards this path. Now, with no one else around, no one could prove that she wasn’t the “Demon Lord.”
Restlessness rose among the crowd, and some had already begun spreading the rumor that “Disciplinary Hall Sword Sect is harboring members of the demonic path.”
“Passing by, don’t miss out! Heavenly secrets calculated, back and forth. Ah, this fellow cultivator seems a bit familiar?”
Song Yin squeezed through the crowd and walked over to Yue Jin, holding a violet astrolabe against her chest. She shook her head, examining Yue Jin’s face.
Just as Yue Jin was about to speak, someone beside her interrupted, “That is absolutely the Demon Lord! I would never mistake her! She killed my most prized disciple!”
The surrounding people gasped, nodding in agreement. Song Yin turned her head, looking confused. “Fellow cultivator Yuan, how does this lowly one recall that your obedient disciple studied demonic cultivation techniques, ultimately betrayed the sect, and committed suicide because he couldn’t bear the humiliation?”
The person who had spoken was exposed and immediately fell silent.
The noise quieted down. Everyone looked at each other, no one daring to step forward and point again.
Song Yin clicked her tongue twice. “In this lowly one’s opinion, this person’s appearance is extremely similar to the Demon Lord’s, but there are slight differences in the features. Look, the Demon Lord loves to smile; her eyes always curve when she smiles. But this person not only doesn’t smile, there’s a lot of worry and gloom between her brows… Furthermore.”
She suddenly reached out and patted Yue Jin.
“There isn’t the slightest bit of cultivation in her body. She’s just a mortal! How could she be the Demon Lord? You are all making a fuss over nothing.”
With Song Yin’s words offering an explanation, combined with Yue Jin’s completely different aura now, the rumors dissipated on their own.
Yue Jin let out a great sigh of relief.
“Thank you, fellow cultivator,” she said, cupping her hands in a salute like a righteous cultivator, wanting to quickly bypass these people and head to the wharf, lest Yun Lingyue discover she was gone and chase down the mountain. “I owe you a favor. I will repay it when we meet again.”
At most, I just won’t go looking for trouble with this person in the future.
“Hey, wait, wait.”
Seeing Yue Jin’s impatience to leave, Song Yin moved sideways to block her. “The matter of the demonic path has been resolved, but this lowly one hasn’t finished saying the important part yet.”
Not good, Yue Jin thought inwardly. She avoided Song Yin’s gaze, perfunctorily brushing her off, not wanting to hear what she would say next.
“…I’m truly sorry, I have an urgent matter. Let’s talk next time.”
That person smiled like a cunning and sly merchant. She leaned closer and raised her voice so everyone could hear, “Ah, I see, my apologies. You must be rushing to see your dao companion. This lowly one has calculated that Fellow Cultivator Fu Lingyi is currently in Tongqiu City. Hurry along! Ah, young people are truly sweet.”
Now everyone present knew that Yue Jin was Fu Lingyi’s mysterious dao companion.
Yue Jin glared at Song Yin, who immediately stepped aside, separating herself from the pressure of the crowd, and gave her a sly smile.
She didn’t show her face again.
More and more people approached with questions, blocking her path completely.
“Fu Lingyi’s dao companion? A mortal? She’s actually a mortal?”
“And she looks so much like the Demon Lord! Quickly, write this down! Tomorrow’s gossip section will be full!”
“Fellow cultivator, how old are you? How did you and Fu Lingyi meet? Are you childhood sweethearts?”
Besides these jumbled questions, many people harbored ill intentions and snorted disdainfully at her.
“A mortal,” said the cultivator named Yuan, who had been the most vehement against the demonic path, his expression unfriendly. He whispered fawningly to a woman in pink beside him, “Has Fu Lingyi lost her mind? Not only is she breaking the restrictions of the Path of Emotionless Cultivation, but she’s also seeking out a mortal… She’s grubby and completely lacks the elegance of Miss Ye Yushuang. She doesn’t even measure up to one of your fingers.”
The woman called Ye Yushuang had a rosy complexion but was full of killing intent. A long whip with flowing colors was tied to her waist. She reprimanded, “Don’t speak ill of Sister Lingyi. She destroyed the demonic lair for our Yaoguang Pavilion and killed the demon leader. She is our benefactor.”
“Benefactor? She was just fulfilling her own selfish desires. If she were truly so righteous and awe-inspiring, she wouldn’t seek a dao companion who resembles the demon leader so much…”
“Yuan Pei!”
Ye Yushuang stopped him again. This Yuan Pei was an elder under her authority at Yaoguang Pavilion, but his reputation wasn’t high. Yaoguang Pavilion was famous for being rich and powerful, and as the sect leader’s daughter, everyone would curry favor with her. She could also scold others without restraint.
Since she was very young, she liked to read the cultivation tabloids and look at the beautiful women, thinking that when she grew up, she must choose one as her dao companion.
Until she was captivated by that person.
Her various conditions were perfect and irreproachable. She was also the sect’s number one senior sister disciple, gentle and harmonious like a spring breeze in March, and exceptionally capable, like she was chosen by the Heavenly Dao itself.
She was even the daughter of the previous sect leader.
She matched her perfectly!
Ye Yushuang had wanted to have her mother bring a huge amount of spirit stones to propose marriage, only to find out that Fu Lingyi actually cultivated the Path of Emotionless Cultivation.
She was heartbroken and sad for a long time, almost never recovering.
Later, the women she met were none as good as her.
Unexpectedly, during the alliance assembly, a reputable elder from Yaoguang Pavilion was killed by the demonic path. Fu Lingyi destroyed the demonic sect, achieving another great feat.
Ye Yushuang’s love for her deepened further.
With all her heart, she only wanted to silently protect her.
Who knew she would suddenly get a dao companion? What did all her persistence mean then?
She wanted to meet this person. Who was this important figure?
Ye Yushuang made Yuan Pei shut up, then walked forward herself, slightly cupping her hands in a salute, displaying the demeanor of a daughter from a prestigious family.
Yue Jin was surprised to see the crowd consciously part, clearing a path for the person before her.
Such a grand display. Her background is not small.
Ye Yushuang completed the full etiquette before speaking, “May I ask your name and where you reside? If you don’t mind, our Yaoguang Pavilion would like to invite you as a guest.”
Ah, someone from Yaoguang Pavilion.
Yue Jin remembered that while Yaoguang Pavilion didn’t have many strong fighters, they could hire plenty of desperadoes to cause her trouble.
She could afford to provoke anyone but Yaoguang Pavilion.
“No need. As I just said, I have an urgent matter…”
“Does your urgent matter refer to finding Sister Lingyi?”
Ye Yushuang’s tone was intimate. She showed off her status by saying, “Venerable Yi Qing is about to emerge from secluded cultivation, and Sister Lingyi will surely have to complete her master’s tasks. If Fellow Cultivator doesn’t mind, you can tell me your urgent matter. Yaoguang Pavilion will exert all our strength to resolve it for you.”
She was subtly hinting at her closeness with Fu Lingyi, even though many things she knew were bought from others with money.
Yue Jin was speechless. Why did everyone think that her urgent matter was related to Fu Lingyi?
But like finding a pillow when sleepy, this happened to solve her pressing need.
“Alright, fine, give me some money.” She held out her hand and even shook it twice in front of Ye Yushuang.
Ye Yushuang blinked.
“Money? Do you mean spirit stones? Or is it some new type of magic artifact I haven’t heard of…?”
No matter what, Disciplinary Hall Sword Sect was the number one sect; they would never lower themselves to ask her for money.
“Just money you can spend, money to buy things and ride boats,” Yue Jin rolled her eyes, asking with blunt assertiveness. “You definitely have some. Give it to me.”
She was shameless anyway. She figured she was just embarrassing Fu Lingyi; she didn’t care at all.
But Ye Yushuang’s expression was about to break. She desperately wanted to shout and ask how such a person could catch Sister Lingyi’s eye.
Yuan Pei spoke first, “Has your Disciplinary Hall Sword Sect gone mad from poverty? You have to come to Yaoguang Pavilion for money?”
She hasn’t even gotten that much from the sect leader herself!
“She herself said she would help me. What are you yelling about here?”
“I…”
“Yuan Pei, that’s enough,” Ye Yushuang opened her spatial storage bag, took out a high-grade spirit stone, and handed it to Yue Jin. “If you just need it to buy things or ride a boat, this should be enough.”
It wasn’t just enough; this could buy a whole boat.
Yuan Pei was stunned into silence, grinding her teeth in jealousy.
Yue Jin tucked the spirit stone into her robe, walked around Ye Yushuang, and slipped through the gap the people had made. “I won’t bother with thanks.”
“Are you still going to find Sister Lingyi?”
Ye Yushuang called out to her. Yue Jin turned her head. Her pink dress accentuated her pure and lovely appearance, but the emotions in her eyes were obscure and hard to discern.
“I didn’t know what kind of person you were before, but now that I’ve seen you, I still don’t understand why she would form a dao companionship with you.”
“A mortal is just a mortal. Your personality is also extremely crude. To still want to disturb Sister Lingyi’s cultivation path, don’t you feel ashamed?”
The sun was setting in the west; noon had passed long ago. Yue Jin had practiced her sword in the early morning and hadn’t even eaten lunch yet. Instead, she had continuously heard two of Fu Lingyi’s fanatical admirers deliver heavy blows against her.
This time, the blow struck even deeper into her soul.
Crude. How long had it been since she heard that descriptor?
It used to be commonplace.
She lowered her head, looking at her dress, soiled by the mountain path. There was even mud in the gaps under her fingernails.
Why was it that coming here always made her think of the past? Why were there always various people reminding her not to forget?
She was a wild dog who had turned into a human, who looked presentable.
But in her bones, she was still a petty thief who stole and robbed, a rat dragging food from the gutter.
Even the most patient person had limits.
Yue Jin was silent for a moment, then suddenly burst into loud laughter. She laughed freely, arrogantly, without holding back.
“Of course I won’t go look for her. And I will never, ever go. So what if I’m a mortal? So what if my leg is lame? If I don’t fancy something, I just don’t fancy it.”
Ye Yushuang was stunned. Everyone else instantly fell silent, listening intently to what she had to say.
“Did you hear that? The Fu Lingyi whom everyone pursues, whom everyone can’t catch no matter what – I tasted her and found her flavorless, like chewing wax. She lacks charm. So, I don’t want her anymore. Whoever wants to pick her up can go ahead.”
“However…”
She looked at Ye Yushuang and said mockingly, “I think, based on you, you probably can’t do it.”
Good chapter 😌