Chapter 5

“I’m so mad, so mad!”

Ming Yan managed to rescue the book just before Zisu could throw it away.

Though calling it a “book” was generous—it was now a crumpled mess of paper, with only faint traces of ink revealing the eight large characters on the cover, most of which had lost their radicals and strokes.  

Yet Ming Yan recognized it at a glance: this tattered “Human-headed Waterless” was indeed the cultivation manual she had prepared for Chu Xuanqing.  

Who would have thought it had been swallowed by this demonic tiger?  

No wonder Chu Xuanqing had seemed completely unaffected, without even a flicker of emotion.  

So he hadn’t found anything in the Nightmare Forest after all?  

Ming Yan was so furious her liver ached, and even Daju seemed irritating now. “Why do you eat everything? Was this something you should be eating?”  

Truly, any cat with even a hint of orange in its fur was hopeless.  

Daju pretended not to understand, nuzzling against Ming Yan affectionately. “Aowu, aowu~”  

Ming Yan coldly pushed it away.  

“Stop trying to act cute. You’re grounded from meals for three days.”  

“Wuu?”  

Daju’s eyes welled up with tears.  

Ming Yan hardened her heart and deliberately avoided looking at it.  

That had been her meticulously prepared Plan B, nearly a month in the making—gone just like that.  

Who could she even complain to?  

Thankfully, she’d had the foresight to make a backup, or else tonight’s menu might have featured braised Daju.  

Still, after fuming for a while, Ming Yan gradually calmed down.  

Who was she, Ming Yan?  

Aside from her fear of heights, ghosts, pain, and bitterness… there was nothing she feared, least of all obstacles.  

The harder the challenge, the more determined she was to overcome it.  

So what if Plan B was ruined?  

No problem—she still had Plans C, D, and E.  

Plenty of backup options remained.  

But this time, she needed to think carefully, to devise a foolproof method to ensure Chu Xuanqing would get the manual without fail…  

*  

“Little Martial Aunt, Little Martial Aunt!”  

Someone called her persistently.  

Ming Yan snapped out of her thoughts and realized a young disciple in white robes stood before her, scholarly in demeanor but carrying a massive sword nearly as tall as a person on his back. Though she didn’t recognize his face, the sword was unmistakable.  

She recalled—wasn’t this “Chu Heaven Sword Bai Yang”?  

A decent guy, if occasionally a bit dense.  

“Disciple greets Little Martial Aunt.”  

Bai Yang bowed deeply.  

Ming Yan asked, “Did you need something from me?”  

“Disciple was entrusted by Martial Uncle to escort Little Martial Aunt to Jade Balance Peak for studies.”  

Bai Yang spoke with formal politeness.  

Ming Yan: “…”  

Oh no.  

She’d almost forgotten about this.  

She had promised Chu Xuanqing that if he went to the Nightmare Forest, she would attend classes at Jade Balance Peak.  

But back then, she’d only been looking for an excuse to trick him into going—she’d never actually intended to study there.  

Now, he had indeed returned from the Nightmare Forest, but the thing she wanted him to find hadn’t been retrieved. If she went to Jade Balance Peak now, wouldn’t that be a total loss?  

Ming Yan’s cat-like eyes darted shrewdly.  

“Your Martial Uncle just told me again—I can go if I want, or not if I don’t.”  

“This…” Bai Yang looked troubled.  

“Wait.” Ming Yan suddenly reconsidered.  

In the novel, the female lead Mu Qingqing was also studying at Jade Balance Peak.  

She’d been in this world for so long, always sticking close to Chu Xuanqing, that she’d lost track of time. Going to Jade Balance Peak wasn’t about studying—what mattered was assessing Mu Qingqing’s current cultivation level and where the plot stood, so she could plan accordingly.  

Not that she was worried Mu Qingqing could overpower her.

Times had changed, and Ming Yan was now at the Transformation Spirit Stage.  

Mu Qingqing, at most, was only at the Golden Core Stage.  

So she said, “I think I’d like to go now after all.”  

Bai Yang was delighted: “This disciple will guide you, Little Martial Aunt. Please—”  

“Meow~”  

A furry creature rubbed against Ming Yan.  

She turned and saw that Daju had already reverted to his original form—majestic and imposing.  

He crouched down, clearly offering himself as her mount.  

“So you’ve even thought of this for me.”  

Ming Yan climbed onto Daju’s back, raising an eyebrow in surprise, unsure whether she was annoyed or genuinely praising him: “Truly worthy of being my dear husband.”  

Bai Yang didn’t understand the context but felt that the rumors outside were indeed true—Little Martial Uncle and Little Martial Aunt were as inseparable as glue and lacquer.  

Once Ming Yan was settled, Daju set off immediately.  

Bai Yang flew alongside on his sword as an escort.  

The speed of a Transformation Spirit Stage demon tiger was no match for ordinary spirit beasts.  

Though it couldn’t fly, its pace was no slower than a Celestial Crane’s.  

From Celestial Pivot Peak to Jade Balance Peak, the journey took less than a quarter of an hour.  

Most importantly, though Ming Yan was afraid of heights, she didn’t get motion sickness.  

The trip was rather leisurely.  

Soon, the trio—one person, one tiger, and one sword—arrived at Jade Balance Peak.  

This time, they arrived early. Ming Yan noticed that Jade Balance Peak was far livelier than Celestial Pivot Peak, which was perpetually blanketed in snow. All newly enrolled disciples, or those who hadn’t been in the sect for long, studied here.  

When classes ended, the scene was dazzling—students practicing sword flight filled the mountain.  

Moreover, just like the schools in Ming Yan’s modern world, cultivation sects also had elite and regular classes.  

The regular classes were for outer disciples with mediocre talent and humble backgrounds.  

Disciples like Zisu earned class credits by completing sect missions.  

The elite class, on the other hand, was for people like Mu Qingqing and the male lead—those with exceptional Spirit Roots or descendants of demon-hunting families.  

These were the inner disciples.  

As for Ming Yan, she was naturally placed in the elite class.  

In fact, she was even a priority within the elite class—  

She overheard Bai Yang specifically briefing the teacher about her.  

However, her new classmates didn’t seem to welcome her.  

The moment she stepped inside, hushed but unmistakable whispers reached her ears:  

“Who’s this, putting on such airs that the teacher has to greet her personally?”  

“Looks like another pampered young lady who can’t do anything. Just here to drag us down.”  

“Tsk, this kind of delicate flower will probably cry to go home in three or four days, just like last time.”  

Having read the novel five times, Ming Yan immediately understood their attitude when she glimpsed the attire of the male and female leads in the classroom.  

In the early stages of the novel, the female lead Mu Qingqing had a classmate—a young lady from a prestigious family, well-versed in her lineage’s teachings. Unfortunately, this young lady was cast as the villainess, disdainful of Mu Qingqing and even mocking her.  

Mu Qingqing was a good person, with almost no flaws except for her extreme hatred of demons.  

So she paid no mind to the villainess’s antics.  

But while she didn’t care, the male lead did.  

She was kind—he was not.  

The novel *Catching Demons and Seeking the Dao* followed the currently popular trope of a righteous maiden paired with a gloomy, obsessive antagonist.  

The righteous maiden was Mu Qingqing.  

The gloomy, obsessive one was Wen Nie.

Wen Nie was the young master of the demon race, concealing his identity to follow Mu Qingqing. Anyone who offended Mu Qingqing, even if it was just a slight verbal provocation, would face his ‘retribution.’

The villainous noble lady was naturally no exception.

Ming Yan remembered that by the time this character dropped out of school, her Spirit Root had been destroyed.

In the Cultivation world, if your appearance was ruined, there was still hope. Countless elixirs could restore your beauty.

But if your Spirit Root was destroyed… unless you encountered a great opportunity, your life was essentially over.

Upon reading the story a second time, Ming Yan had realized how twisted the male lead’s moral compass was. The noble lady had indeed been at fault, but not to such an extreme degree.

Yet now, as a mere cannon-fodder little monster struggling to survive, Ming Yan couldn’t afford to worry about such matters. She stole another glance at the pale-faced youth in black standing in the corner before suppressing her compassion.

*

“Strange.”

Just as Ming Yan entered the classroom, Mu Qingqing—the female lead dressed in striking red with a high ponytail—sniffed the air suspiciously. “Why do I smell a demon’s aura?”

“What? A demon?” A female disciple in purple beside her gasped in alarm.

Coming from a demon-hunting family and trained since childhood by her father, Mu Qingqing possessed an exceptionally keen sense for detecting demons. Having already demonstrated her abilities to everyone, the disciples trusted her judgment completely. The moment she mentioned a demon, weapons were immediately drawn.

“Where is it?”

Mu Qingqing’s gaze locked onto Ming Yan standing at the doorway.

Ming Yan’s heart sank.

No way.

Was the protagonist’s halo really this overpowering? She had concealed her demonic aura for years without detection by anyone on Celestial Pivot Peak, yet Mu Qingqing had sniffed her out at first glance. And the female lead was only at the Golden Core stage—Ming Yan’s true cultivation was at the Transformation Spirit Stage!

Since when did this novel follow any logic?

“The moment this junior sister entered, I caught a faint whiff of demonic aura,” Mu Qingqing said calmly, subtly drawing her Demon-Slaying Whip from behind her back. “It was very faint, but it was there.”

Ming Yan forced herself to remain composed. “Perhaps you’re mistaken. How could I possibly be a demon?”

“How could you not? You look suspicious,” the purple-clad disciple retorted.

Ming Yan pouted pitifully. “I’m a legitimate disciple here at Jade Balance Peak to study. How is that suspicious?”

“You—you!” A male disciple pointed at her, his face flushing red. “You’re too beautiful—like a fox spirit!”

Ming Yan: “…So beauty is a crime now.” Well then, she supposed she was guilty of an unforgivable sin.

Mu Qingqing declared, “Whether you’re a demon or not, one test will reveal the truth.” She raised her whip, ready to strike.

“Wait!” Ming Yan wasn’t afraid of her, but she truly feared that Demon-Slaying Whip. Though she knew the whip hadn’t been upgraded yet and might not harm a great demon at the Transformation Spirit Stage, it was still a divine artifact from the upper realm, imbued with heavenly laws. What if a single strike forced her true form to emerge? All her years of careful planning would be ruined in an instant.

She absolutely couldn’t let that happen.

Thinking quickly, Ming Yan raised her voice defiantly. “Do you even know who I am to dare accuse me like this?”

The purple-clad disciple scoffed. “Who cares who you are? You can’t possibly be the sect leader’s daughter!”

“Quick, tell her who I am.” Ming Yan grabbed Bai Yang beside her.  

Bai Yang had just returned from speaking with their teacher and wasn’t entirely sure what had happened within the sect. Hearing Ming Yan ask him to introduce her, he cleared his throat. “Ahem, greetings, junior brothers and sisters. Allow me to introduce the new disciple standing beside me.”  

Ming Yan straightened her back, beaming.  

Having a husband really gave her confidence.  

Bai Yang continued, “Standing before you all is none other than the three-time consecutive winner of the Profound Sky Sect’s Most Popular Female Cultivator title, ranking first all three years; the second-place winner of the 33rd Profound Sky Sect Melon Seed Spitting Competition; the number one couple on the Profound Sky Sect’s Most Loving Dao Companion Rankings; and the top recipient of the Profound Sky Sect’s Spirit Beast Affinity Award. Also, the Profound Sky Sect’s—”  

Bai Yang finally finished reciting, pausing briefly before dutifully asking Ming Yan, “Little Shiniang, did I recite it all correctly?”  

Last time, he had introduced her to an outer sect disciple, but she had complained that his introduction was too brief—she insisted all her titles be included to make it grand and formal.  

After that, he had painstakingly memorized them all, frustrated that he never got the chance to showcase his efforts in front of her. Today, he had finally fulfilled his wish.  

Ming Yan: Right now, she was just embarrassed. Extremely embarrassed.  

So embarrassed she could dig out a two-bedroom apartment with her toes.  

“Pfft—”  

Sure enough, someone had already burst out laughing rudely.  

It was that purple-robed female disciple who had mocked her earlier.  

Bai Yang suddenly smacked his forehead. “Ah, I almost forgot the last one.”  

With that, he bowed deeply to Ming Yan in reverence.  

“At the same time, she is also the Dao Companion of the Peak Lord of Celestial Pivot Peak—Little Shishu.”