Chapter 15: Birth (Part 10)

The flickering flames illuminated the skirt of Lady Wang, revealing the undulating dark patterns woven into the fabric.

The leading demon hunter (Witchers) found it difficult to focus on her face and could only gaze at the skirt, pondering. Lady Wang’s mother had passed away less than a year ago, and here she was still in mourning—truly a dutiful daughter-in-law. Otherwise, in this dynasty, dark colors were supposed to be favored.

Lady Wang sat alone on one side, while the others crowded together on the other side. With a woman present, they avoided any coarse jokes, and the demon hunters exchanged a few dull remarks that lacked interest. Gradually, the temple fell silent, leaving only the sound of the flames dancing.

Lady Wang was very quiet; since sitting down, she had not spoken a word or moved at all. It seemed she felt quite restrained sitting among a group of unfamiliar men.

After waiting for about half an hour, the leading demon hunter cleared his throat and said, “It’s getting late. We might as well extinguish the fire. Those who want to sleep can rest; I will keep watch here. What do you say, Madam?”

Lady Wang slowly nodded in agreement.

The demon hunter then raised his hand and extinguished all the flames in the temple. In an instant, the temple was plunged into darkness, with only the moonlight remaining. Since there were many people and light in the temple, it wouldn’t attract demons; it was easier in darker places.

The demon hunters had been busy all day and were already tired. Before long, someone really leaned against a pillar and began to snore.

Xu Qianyu also felt a bit drowsy, but her eyelashes fluttered, and she forced her eyes open. She was the temporary bodhisattva today and needed to protect the people in this temple, so how could she doze off? She immediately perked up and quietly peered outside through the curtain’s gap.

The demon hunters and that lady were silent, and it was unclear whether they were asleep. If the lady had indeed fallen asleep while sitting upright and hadn’t even removed her veil, could this be what Guan Niang referred to as a proper lady?

Xu Qianyu felt a pang of discomfort for her, and even her own body began to feel sore. She couldn’t help but cautiously move her elbows, trying to break open some of the white clay more. She moved gently and slowly, hoping she wouldn’t be noticed.

Suddenly, a shadow swept past the window, rattling the window frame, startling Xu Qianyu.

The white clay on Xu Qianyu was soaked in sweet rosewater, which was the very thing that the demon craved most. It was also the mark that the fox had made for its offerings. This clay applied to the girl’s neck was like the fragrant, crispy outer skin of food, enticing the great demon, which paced anxiously outside the temple, unable to enter easily due to the many people inside.

The shadow flitted past the window like a bat. Lady Wang turned her head and silently gazed outside.

The leading demon hunter quickly shushed her and, with his sharp hawk-like eyes glinting in the darkness, whispered to her to stay calm: “Madam, don’t be afraid; don’t make a sound. I’m alert. When that thing can’t resist coming in, I will catch it.”

Upon hearing this, Lady Wang seemed to let out a soft laugh and suddenly flicked her sleeve at him.

That movement was subtle and untraceable, and the hawk-like eyes in front of her closed. In an instant, all the demon hunters naturally shut their eyes and fell into a deep sleep. But in the darkness, there remained a pair of shining eyes.

Lady Wang turned her head, searching for the source of that gaze.

Xie Yuzhen was immediately startled, unsure of her background. Though he couldn’t see her face, he felt as if there was a cold gaze piercing through the white gauze, scrutinizing him. When he turned around, he saw that the mortals beside him had their eyes closed, some already having fallen to the ground in sleep. A layer of sweat broke out on his forehead, and he pretended to imitate the others by collapsing onto the floor.

He merely pricked up his ears to see what tricks this woman was playing.

In the midst of the silence, something suddenly broke through the window!

But it wasn’t the demon; it was a person.

The wooden window frame splintered as he stepped through. The man wore a fitted black outfit that hugged his long legs, the hem fluttering with intricate embroidery swirling with spiritual energy, unlike ordinary clothing.

He coldly surveyed his surroundings and immediately grabbed “Lady Wang” by the collar, lifting her up and pinning her against the wall. He scrutinized her attire, gritting his teeth as he said, “Suwei, you’re being rather unprincipled like this.”

The veil and white gauze billowed, and the person sighed slightly, “Second Senior Brother.”

“I wondered why only remnants of ruffians were left along the way.” The man was Xu Jiansu, the second inner disciple of the Penglai Immortal Sect. Although he appeared heroic, he was a smiling tiger. With a casual tone, he began to speak as if making small talk, “At this time, if I remember correctly, it shouldn’t be your turn to attend to the autumn gathering. Have you forgotten? This is my territory.”

By the end of his words, only a sinister tone remained.

Shen Suwei replied, “People of the immortal sect do not distinguish ‘territories.’ The common folk are caught in danger; it’s only right for senior brothers to look after their fellow disciples.”

Xu Jiansu seemed to find this amusing, grimacing in pain as he leaned closer, whispering in his ear, “Don’t act with me.”

“You’ve snatched the achievements that should belong to me. You have quite the audacity!” He spoke, then struck him hard in the dantian with the hilt of his sword. Shen Suwei remained silent and endured the blow.

In front of outsiders, they followed the hierarchy of age and rank, but privately, they had been at odds for a long time. Xu Jiansu targeted Shen Suwei specifically because this third junior brother was exceptionally clear-minded and had gained too much acclaim. In just a decade, Shen Suwei had accumulated the cultivation that would take others a hundred years. Along the way, he had obstructed others’ attempts to battle their red powder skeletons and inner demons of greed and anger, without a single thing being able to hinder him for even a moment.

For the Penglai Immortal Sect, having him was a fortune for the sect. But for disciples within the same sect, in a world where spiritual energy was becoming increasingly scarce, stagnation meant regression. Witnessing a fellow disciple become unstoppable naturally incited panic. Xu Jiansu was already domineering and jealous; even in front of their master and his elder brother, he wanted to overshadow them. How could he possibly tolerate someone like Shen Suwei, who was over a hundred years younger and had an unknown background?

Shen Suwei had leapt to become the first outsider disciple in the inner sect, gaining Xu Binglai’s favor. He was adept at handling various tasks assigned by the master impeccably, and within three years had become a sharp sword drawn from its sheath within the sect.

But if he were truly a sword to be commanded, it would be easier. A sword does not think.

Xu Jiansu believed that this third junior brother had a bit of an inscrutable madness beneath his calm surface. He often took action in a subtle manner, carrying out decisive acts with the sword. For example, in this autumn gathering, he had not missed a single opportunity to compete for fame. What exactly did he intend to do? Not being able to figure it out was the most annoying part.

However, Shen Suwei had one strength: he could remain calm. It was precisely this incredible composure that had allowed him to avoid making mistakes and losing his temper, enabling him to establish his foothold in the inner sect.

At this moment, Xu Jiansu had vented enough of his anger. With a glance, he saw that everyone in the temple was deep in slumber, with no extra eyes to witness their scuffle, even if those mortals didn’t recognize them. Even though he was the one making a scene, he couldn’t help but admire Shen Suwei’s thoroughness in handling matters.

When Shen Suwei urged him to let go, he heard Xu Jiansu coldly laugh, “I see you’re not worthy of Qianqian.”

Shen Suwei lowered his gaze, suddenly realizing.

So it turned out that this was the root of the matter. Xu Jiansu’s outburst today was merely a pretext.

Xu Qianqian was Xu Binglai’s youngest daughter, barely nineteen this year. Unfortunately, she had inherited no spiritual roots at all and had been weak and sickly since childhood, so she hadn’t joined the sect but had instead been raised delicately at home.

A few years ago, when Xu Qianqian was gravely ill, the inner disciples took turns visiting her, and he had gone to see her once. In truth, he rarely encountered Xu Qianqian. It was only when he saw the girl lying in bed that he remembered how she often rode the white crane-drawn sedan chair and watched quietly at the training grounds, lifting the curtain with her pale, thin hands.

He was naturally reticent, and with Xu Qianqian being gravely ill, he quietly sat beside her for the time it took to burn a stick of incense before getting up to leave.

But Xu Qianqian suddenly gasped, calling out to him, asking him to pick a purple flower at the door and bring it to her.

This small effort, he walked to the door, just as he was about to pick a flower, he noticed that the flower’s petals were a deep purple, fading outward to a light pink, vibrant and dew-laden, resembling a young girl’s face when she looked at him, pale with a flush of red.

Shen Suwei’s eyelashes fluttered slightly.

Even though the flower was only a few steps away from Xu Qianqian’s bed, he withdrew his hand, turned his back to Xu Qianqian, and said, “The purple flower’s pollen is toxic; it’s not good to hold in your hands. If you like flowers, you can come to the inner gate in spring; we can take you to enjoy the flowers.”

Having said that, he walked away. He thought Xu Qianqian should understand.

But half a month ago, he overheard Xu Binglai talking in the inner chamber with the elder, mixing his name with Xu Qianqian’s marriage arrangement.

“…Years ago, the elder agreed to find that child to save Qianqian’s life. But after Senior Brother Shen visited Qianqian once, unexpectedly pulling her back from the gates of death, as she improved day by day, this matter was put aside. It’s been nearly fifteen years; the elder said if that child can’t be found again, it’s fate. Now that they are older, it’s best to let her fend for herself. What is the sect master’s opinion?”

Xu Binglai said, “I think we should still try our best to find him. Even if we can only find him as a cleaning servant outside, he should be kept under my watch. Otherwise, I can’t sleep at night, and I feel like I’m committing a sin.”

“What about Senior Brother Shen? The wet nurse mentioned the marriage to the young lady, but she didn’t say anything. She only mentioned wanting new dresses when her health improves, to go flower-viewing with Senior Brother Shen in spring…”

Xu Binglai replied irritably, “This matter cannot be decided by one person; we must also consider Suwei’s feelings.”

As soon as Xu Binglai opened the curtain, he knelt.

Seeing him kneel so decisively, Xu Binglai understood the unrequited feelings and patted his shoulder silently.

After being rejected by him, Xu Qianqian immediately lost her blush and fell ill again that day.

Shen Suwei was cold and indifferent, unaffected by it.

In fact, in Xu Binglai’s heart, he was not a suitable groom at all, but after all, Xu Qianqian was hurt because of him, and the master harbored a slight emotional knot; every time he saw Shen Suwei, he thought of his delicate daughter’s pale, sorrowful face.

He only knew that to erase this emotional knot, he needed some merit, using a new joy to cover up an old grievance.

This year, he had already squeezed into the top three of the autumn rankings, pushing out Second Senior Brother Xu Jiansu. But his name continued to rise; he ventured north to slay demons, intentionally putting Nanling at the end.

Because Nanling was indeed Second Senior Brother Xu Jiansu’s “territory.”

The area was a natural gathering place for energy, rich in spiritual energy, which easily led to the growth of great demons. Every year, Xu Jiansu relied on the autumn harvest from Nanling to gather merit, and he acted domineeringly, with no one daring to challenge him.

But there was no other way. This year, he wanted to be the champion.

In Nanling, he finally confronted Xu Jiansu head-on. Xu Jiansu doted on Xu Qianqian; just thinking about Qianqian’s serious illness in Penglai made him furious, wanting to take revenge for his sister.

Shen Suwei was a bit puzzled.

If he agreed to Xu Qianqian, Xu Jiansu would likely go even crazier.

Seeing him silent, Xu Jiansu couldn’t see his face and didn’t know what expression he wore. But the more he looked at the hazy white gauze, the more it seemed to conceal a cold smile, so he yanked his collar. Little did he know, Shen Suwei’s response was like lightning, grabbing his wrist in return.

“Senior Brother.” Shen Suwei, with his face covered by the gauze, spoke in a cool, soft voice like Lady Wang’s, “That’s enough; if you continue, it’ll be embarrassing.”

As he applied his spiritual power, Xu Jiansu was momentarily blank, and then suddenly sensed his spiritual energy, even more surprised.

“You’ve formed your golden core.”

Shen Suwei had no idea when he had reached the level of “real person,” leaving the other disciples far behind. If he refined his spiritual essence further, he would be on par with him and the eldest senior brother; however, he concealed his strength and did not proclaim it, appearing wounded and weak, so Xu Jiansu hadn’t noticed at first.

How many years had it been? How old was he? Xu Jiansu felt jealousy buzzing in his head, wanting to use the sword hilt to strike at Shen Suwei’s injury fiercely.

On the lotus platform, Xu Qianyu finally broke through the clay cocoon on her shoulder.

With a loud crash, followed by continuous rustling sounds, she wanted to see what had happened, but Lady Wang had exited her line of sight. She was trapped in the clay cocoon, feeling desperate.

Now that she could stretch her neck, she immediately poked her head out from the gap in the gauze curtain.

To her shock, she saw a man in black pressing Lady Wang against the wall; the two were closely intertwined, and Lady Wang turned her head to dodge.

It seemed that the man, seeing Lady Wang in a weak position, secretly intended to do something improper. Lady Wang, afraid of ruining her reputation, dared not make a fuss.

Qianyu took another look; those useless demon hunters were sprawled across the ground, sleeping like dead pigs, snoring thunderously, and no one intervened!

As the temporary Bodhisattva, how could such a thing happen right under her nose? The Bodhi fruit in her left hand felt soft as she squeezed it, already annoyed, and she raised her arm to throw it at the man’s head, wanting to give him a lesson befitting a Bodhisattva.

Having practiced slingshot skills in the courtyard, Xu Qianyu was accurate and strong; one pellet could knock over a sparrow. The Bodhi fruit flew with a fierce wind. Although Xu Jiansu, as a cultivator, had keen senses and turned his head to avoid the attack, the fruit whizzed past his ear, startling him and causing him to let go of Shen Suwei.

He had long known this temple was a place for women, but he had not regarded the little demons and spirits inside, showing them courtesy by not killing them. However, he did not expect that this wild creature would take advantage of him.

Furious, he flicked his sleeve.

That immense force directly knocked the stone Bodhisattva, who was sitting cross-legged on the lotus platform, down. Before Qianyu could call out, she fell straight down, rolling onto the table and knocking down the red candle offerings, which scattered all over the ground, and then fell to the floor, the clay shell shattering all over, pieces falling down.

Wrapped in clay, Xu Qianyu didn’t feel pain from the fall but was stunned. She lay on the ground for a moment, shook her head, and then came face to face with someone on the ground, staring wide-eyed at each other.

Xie Yuzhen lay beneath her, his pitch-black eyes slightly surprised, widening. His pupils looked somewhat dim in the dark, both focused and containing a flicker of excitement: “Miss?”

However, the great demon lingering outside the temple could no longer wait.

As the clay shattered, the spiritual power within Xu Qianyu burst forth through the cracks. This great demon had ordered the fox to wrap the offering in clay to suppress her spiritual power, making it easier for it to swallow her whole. Now that the clay was broken, fortunately, a large part of it still clung to her. If it all fell off, the juicy prey would become difficult to consume!

In an instant, the demon broke through the window like an arrow, heading straight for the girl crouched on the ground, aiming for the snowy white nape of her neck.

Although the system had remained silent all this time, watching Xu Qianyu walk into the trap and hoping to hasten the world’s doom, at this critical moment of life and death, it couldn’t help but scream, causing Xu Qianyu’s eardrums to tremble: “Ahhh! Little Qian, it’s dangerous! Quickly dodge!!!”