Chapter 22.1

If there were only a White-robed Footless Ghost and a Black-faced Xie Zhaixing left in the world, and Xiao Xihe had to choose between them, she would have picked Xie Zhaixing a quarter-hour ago, but now she’d choose the Footless Ghost instead.  

Meeting Xie Zhaixing’s gaze, Xiao Xihe immediately straightened up. “Apologies, Demon Lord. This disciple has acted improperly. I shall take my leave now.”  

With that, she turned and walked away.  

“Xiao Xihe.”  

A cold, mocking voice came from behind her. Xiao Xihe pretended not to hear and kept walking.  

“Xiao Xihe.”  

Xie Zhaixing called her name again. Xiao Xihe continued to feign deafness, but the moment she took her next step, she found herself back in front of him.  

…Cultivation novels really had no regard for basic logic—what kind of nonsense was this?! She was starting to dislike this world! Furious internally, Xiao Xihe maintained a calm expression, only allowing a hint of confusion to show. “Demon Lord?”  

Xie Zhaixing stared at her for a long time before suddenly curling his lips into a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Running away so fast—were you scared by the firecrackers?”  

“…I don’t understand what you’re talking about. What firecrackers?” Xiao Xihe put on an innocent face.  

“What are you doing at the Sword Mastery Sect? Looking for another man?” Xie Zhaixing’s eyes darkened with killing intent. “Xiao Xihe, you’ve really grown bold…”  

“…Demon Lord, please calm down. My name is A Si, not Xiao Xihe,” Xiao Xihe said, trembling but still stubbornly acting the part. “You’ve really, truly mistaken me for someone else.”  

Xie Zhaixing narrowed his eyes, studying her for a long moment before speaking slowly. “Is that so? Then let’s verify it.”  

Xiao Xihe’s heart skipped a beat. “How do you plan to verify it?”  

“You don’t know?” Xie Zhaixing countered.  

Xiao Xihe couldn’t even force a smile anymore. “Y-you can’t forcibly invade my Sea of Consciousness! My master once did your father a favor—you can’t hurt…”  

Before she could finish, Xie Zhaixing raised his hand. She flinched, squeezing her eyes shut in fear.  

…Huh? No pain? She cautiously cracked one eye open and saw Xie Zhaixing standing before her, expressionless.  

“Ahem… Demon Lord, if there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave now.” Xiao Xihe turned to leave again.  

“The Gu Poison in your body has less than two months left.”  

Xie Zhaixing’s icy voice came from behind her, forcing Xiao Xihe to turn back. “Are you… talking to me?”  

“The remaining poison isn’t enough to kill you instantly,” Xie Zhaixing said with a mocking smile. “But once it flares up, you’ll suffer ten days of torment—watching as your limbs slowly dissolve, your organs rot, until you’re nothing but a pile of bones.”  

Xiao Xihe’s skin crawled, but she forced herself to stay composed. “I don’t understand what you’re saying.”  

“You could always ask Zhao Shaoqing to cure you,” Xie Zhaixing said, his voice dripping with scorn and murderous intent at the mention of Zhao Shaoqing. “If you dare.”  

Xiao Xihe: “…” After a threat like that, how could she possibly dare?!  

“Xiao Xihe, I’ll be waiting for you to beg me.” Xie Zhaixing’s sinister words lingered in the air as he vanished the next instant.  

The empty road was now deserted except for Xiao Xihe. She blinked, then suddenly realized—  

Wait, don’t leave! What am I supposed to do now?!  

“Little Junior Sister…”  

“AHHH!!!”  

Xiao Xihe spun around in terror, startling the newcomer into screaming as well.  

The two stared at each other in shock. Three seconds later, Xiao Xihe let out a huge sigh of relief and threw herself at the other person with a sob. “Second Senior Sister!”

“What’s wrong? What’s wrong?” Liu An’an asked in confusion as she hugged her.

“I saw a ghost!”

Liu An’an froze, then quickly led her back to their room. On the way, they encountered several Sword Mastery Sect disciples and asked them to accompany them. After returning, they sent the remaining medicinal soup to Zhao Shaoqing.

Once the Sword Mastery Sect disciples left, Liu An’an securely closed all the doors and windows before turning to ask Xiao Xihe what had happened.

Xiao Xihe sniffled, climbed onto the bed, and wrapped herself tightly in the blanket before looking at Liu An’an: “Want to join me?”

“No need, just tell me,” Liu An’an chuckled.

Xiao Xihe hesitated for a moment before recounting the incident.

As she spoke, the smile gradually faded from Liu An’an’s face. When she heard about Xiao Xihe being chased by a footless ghostly figure, she silently climbed onto the bed and wrapped herself in the blanket too.

The two stared at each other wide-eyed for a long time before Xiao Xihe finally managed to ask, “Second Senior Sister, you’re scared too?” She had thought only someone like her, who came from another world, would be so easily frightened.

“…Ghosts—how could anyone not be scared?” Liu An’an shivered. “I’ve never seen one in all my years.”

Xiao Xihe gulped. “Why would there be ghosts in Sword Mastery Sect?”

“Who knows? Maybe they escaped from the Netherworld,” Liu An’an said, lying down while still wrapped in the blanket. “Let’s tell Sect Leader Zhao tomorrow. He should be able to handle it.”

Xiao Xihe nodded silently.

The room fell into brief silence before Xiao Xihe spoke again: “Let’s share a bed tonight.”

“…Okay.”

With permission granted, Xiao Xihe immediately scooted closer to her senior sister. Liu An’an made room for her, but Xiao Xihe still wasn’t satisfied and insisted on sharing the same blanket.

“You’re acting like a child,” Liu An’an laughed but still hugged her.

Xiao Xihe let out a long sigh of relief, finally feeling somewhat at ease.

Although cultivators didn’t need sleep, the two had grown accustomed to regular meals and sleep schedules during their time at Medicine God Valley. Now that they were lying down, despite the lingering chill down their spines, they soon fell asleep—though restlessly, startling awake whenever a foot accidentally slipped out from under the blanket.

After barely making it through the night, the two sat up simultaneously at the distant sound of a rooster crowing, exhaustion written all over their faces as they looked at each other.

“Might as well not have slept,” Liu An’an sighed.

Xiao Xihe agreed and then glanced out the window.

Dawn had just broken, and the courtyard was still dimly lit, but the darkness that brought fear had already dissipated.

Since they were already awake, the two decided to get up and prepare the medicine.

Zhao Shaoqing’s body was too weak to handle strong tonics, so they halved the original prescription before starting to brew it. To save time, Xiao Xihe carefully chopped the larger medicinal ingredients into smaller pieces before adding them to the pot, while Liu An’an crouched by the stove, keeping an eye on the fire.

Working methodically, they didn’t notice the sun rising until its light shifted across the courtyard, brightening everything around them.

“Let’s roast some sweet potatoes,” Liu An’an suggested.

Xiao Xihe agreed and had just pulled sweet potatoes from her Cosmos Sack when her vision suddenly darkened.

“Little Junior Sister!”

Liu An’an’s alarmed cry reached her ears. Xiao Xihe’s lips moved slightly, but it took her a long moment to force her eyes open. She realized she had collapsed onto the floor at some point, the sweet potatoes she had just taken out lying beside her feet.

“Little Junior Sister, what’s wrong?” Liu An’an asked urgently while channeling spiritual power into the crown of Xiao Xihe’s head.

Xiao Xihe felt a sudden chill seep into her Sea of Consciousness, and within moments, she was fully awake.

“…It must be the Gu Poison acting up,” she answered with a frown.

Liu An’an channeled a wisp of Spiritual Power to circulate around her body. After finishing, her expression turned grave: “The poison has penetrated the marrow. There’s no cure.”

Xiao Xihe smiled faintly. “The Joy Union Gu was incurable from the start. The only way out is dual cultivation with someone of the opposite constitution.” Otherwise, she would have sought her master’s help long ago.

“Who could be so cruel as to inflict this kind of Gu Poison on you?” Liu An’an fumed.

Xiao Xihe thought of that supporting male character’s persona and couldn’t help but curl her lips. “Just a madman.”

“If I ever meet him, I’ll make him pay for what he did to you!” Liu An’an grew angrier the more she thought about it.

Xiao Xihe comfortingly patted her head. “Thank you, Second Senior Sister.”

Liu An’an looked at her again, her eyes filled with concern. “Do you often feel unwell?”

“Not really. When the Gu Poison isn’t acting up, there’s no sensation. Even now, it’s just brief fainting spells—no other side effects yet.” Mentioning the Gu Poison made Xiao Xihe sigh. “I only need two more cultivation sessions to completely purge the residual poison. I thought it would take at least ten years before it flared up again, but it’s only been a little over a year.”

“It’s alright, it’s alright. We’ll heal the young sect leader as soon as possible and restore his body to peak condition. Then you can detoxify,” Liu An’an hurriedly reassured her.

Xiao Xihe’s lips twitched as she suddenly recalled Xie Zhaixing’s threat from yesterday.

She sighed again. “Check the medicine. It should be almost ready.”

Reminded, Liu An’an rushed over to monitor the decoction. After waiting a while longer, the liquid turned a deep black, and they ladled it out before heading out.

The two followed the only narrow path forward. When they reached the spot where they’d encountered the ghost the day before, Xiao Xihe hesitated. “This place—”

“Shh!” Liu An’an cut her off, pulling her quickly through the path until they reached a sunlit area before speaking. “That area is all shade—who knows if it’s still lurking there? What if it hears us talking about it and decides to target us?”

“…Second Senior Sister is right,” Xiao Xihe agreed, shuddering at the thought.

Liu An’an exhaled lightly. “Later, let’s ask the Sword Mastery Sect disciples if there’s another route. I don’t want to take that path again.”

Xiao Xihe nodded in agreement.

They continued forward. Passing by an ethereal courtyard, Xiao Xihe glanced curiously. “No disciples practicing morning drills today?”

“Maybe it’s their day off?” Liu An’an wondered aloud.

Xiao Xihe found that plausible and kept walking.

Soon, they arrived at Zhao Shaoqing’s door. Just as they raised their hands to knock, the door swung open from inside.

“I knew it was you two,” A Yu said irritably.

Liu An’an stepped forward with the medicine, but A Yu blocked the doorway. “Just hand it over. You can leave now.”

“Are we your servants?” Liu An’an retorted, displeased. “We need to check the young sect leader’s pulse.”

“No need. He’s much better now,” A Yu dismissed arrogantly.

Liu An’an ignored her and called out loudly, “Young Sect Leader, I’m here to check your pulse—”

“What are you doing?!” A Yu snapped.

Liu An’an smirked. Soon, Zhao Shaoqing’s gentle voice came from inside. “Please, come in.”

Liu An’an gave A Yu a triumphant look before immediately pulling Xiao Xihe into the room together. A Yu’s face darkened, but she still followed them inside. Before she could even steady herself, Liu An’an spoke up: “Young Sect Master, could you please ask irrelevant people to leave first? They’re interfering with my treatment.”

“What do you mean by that?” A Yu glared.

Zhao Shaoqing looked at her helplessly: “A Yu.”

“You—!” A Yu fumed, then turned on her heel and stormed out.

Once she was gone, Zhao Shaoqing turned to Liu An’an: “A Yu has spent too long in the mountains and occasionally lacks manners. I hope Fellow Cultivator Liu won’t hold it against her.”

“Young Sect Master overestimates me. Whether she has manners or not is none of my concern, but distrusting physicians, disregarding medical advice, and obstructing treatment at every turn—it’s hard for me to be polite under such circumstances,” Liu An’an said while focusing her energy to examine his condition.

Zhao Shaoqing wisely remained silent. When his gaze met Xiao Xihe’s, he offered a gentle smile, his slightly reddened eyes curving downward with an air of harmlessness.

…Ah, so handsome. Xiao Xihe admired him sincerely for three seconds before smiling back.

“Hmm?” Liu An’an suddenly spoke up.

Zhao Shaoqing looked back at her: “What is it?”

“Your pulse has improved slightly,” Liu An’an’s brows relaxed, “and there’s no more internal blood stagnation.”

“After drinking the medicinal broth last night, I did feel much better,” Zhao Shaoqing admitted.

Liu An’an smiled for the first time since entering the room: “It seems the broth is effective. Young Sect Master must take it on schedule. After two or three more days, you can stop the medication.”

“Understood. Thank you, both Fellow Cultivators,” Zhao Shaoqing said politely.

Xiao Xihe took the opportunity to hand him the medicine: “Young Sect Master, here you go.”

Zhao Shaoqing accepted it, then hesitated as if wanting to say something else.

Noticing his hesitation, Xiao Xihe’s lips curved slightly: “Would the Young Sect Master like some preserved plums?”

“May I?” Zhao Shaoqing asked sheepishly, a faint blush appearing on his pale face.

“Of course.” Xiao Xihe retrieved a preserved plum from her Cosmos Sack and handed it to him.

Zhao Shaoqing thanked her and accepted it just as A Yu came rushing back in: “Is it over?”

“It’s over,” Zhao Shaoqing replied.

A Yu marched to the bedside with a stern expression and sat down: “Since it’s over, I can stay now, right?”

A hint of resignation flashed in Zhao Shaoqing’s eyes before he relented: “Fine.”

Pleased, A Yu immediately turned to provoke the other two: “Aren’t you leaving yet?”

Liu An’an rolled her eyes and dragged Xiao Xihe out.

“That A Yu is truly insufferable. As expected, the Demon Clan is hopeless,” Liu An’an continued her tirade on their way back.

Xiao Xihe chuckled: “She probably doesn’t represent the entire Demon Clan.”

“You don’t understand. Most of the Demon Clan are like this—they’d rather chew random herbs than listen to physicians when they’re sick. My father gets furious every time he treats a Demon Clan patient,” Liu An’an shook her head. As they passed Sword Mastery Sect’s training grounds, she suddenly remembered something else: “Oh, let’s ask someone for directions. We shouldn’t take that small path again.”

Xiao Xihe nodded, and they began searching for someone to ask.

Strangely, they didn’t encounter a single person along the way.

“…How odd. There’s not a soul around,” Liu An’an frowned.

Xiao Xihe pursed her lips: “Come to think of it, we didn’t see anyone on our way here earlier either.”