The Demon Lord and I: Frenemies - Chapter 3

Night thickens, the moonlight flows like water.

Fei Wanghuai stood by the window, cautiously surveying his surroundings. The corridor was utterly silent, with no one else in sight. With a creak, the carved wooden window was shut, and the lamp inside the room went out in response, leaving behind boundless darkness.

The room had long been set with an array; outsiders assumed Fei Wanghuai was resting, unaware that a candle still burned. In the pitch black, the lamp flickered back to life, but the flame was a ghostly blue, unlike any ordinary fire.

The cold flame wavered gently, casting his face in shifting light and shadow, eerily reminiscent of the sinister ghost fire that illuminates the path to the underworld.

Suddenly, the blue flame leapt, and an aged male voice emerged from within: “Your Highness, you are hours late. You truly frightened me-I thought the Lotus Flower Sect had…”

“How is the situation?” Fei Wanghuai cut him off crisply. He always used this method to communicate with his kin: training with the new disciples by day, and plotting the restoration of his clan from afar by night.

“Everything is proceeding according to your plan. They’ve searched everywhere inside and out, still unaware that you’ve left and are hiding on the Qionglian Twelve Islands. If you can’t find that demon girl for now, you can remain at the Lotus Flower Sect.”

“I’ve found her.”

“Really? No wonder you returned late. You weren’t injured, were you!?”

“My body is unharmed. My spirit is wounded.”

“That demon girl can already harm your soul? No wonder she will one day become your rival!”

“…”

More than that.

She was only at the early Three Leaves stage, yet with her masterful swordsmanship, she nearly drove him to death by sheer frustration.

Fei Wanghuai said coolly, “Bone Elder, Soul Transmission Dream never errs, does it?”

Bone Elder paused: “What do you mean by that?”

“Is it possible that the dream and reality are opposites? For example, in the dream she has remarkable cultivation, but in reality she’s a…” Fei Wanghuai’s lashes trembled, “…good-for-nothing.”

After a day of contact with Chu Zaishuang, he had come to understand her somewhat. Innocent and slow to react, easygoing and slovenly, without airs; even mortals from the Mortal Dust Marsh could tease her for fun. She knew nothing of cultivation and busied herself with useless tasks.

She was just like a snow-white Osmanthus Bun-soft and harmless in appearance, but squeeze her and she sticks to you, syrup and osmanthus filling oozing everywhere.

He disliked all things sweet and useless, and could not accept that she was to be his future opponent.

Perhaps the dream was mistaken.

“Soul Transmission Dream is the innate talent of the Charm Royal Family. In all my years, I’ve only seen your mother use it, and it has never been wrong.” Bone Elder hesitated. “In theory, the dream captures moments of intense emotion, all things you will personally experience in the future. It’s like your future self sending a message to your present self-there shouldn’t be any mistakes, right?”

Fei Wanghuai frowned: “But she’s too weak. Her appearance matches the dream, but her cultivation is worlds apart. Could there be someone in the Lotus Flower Sect who looks like her?”

“That I don’t know. But since it’s a future event, isn’t it normal for her cultivation to be low now?” Bone Elder said. “Cultivation depends on opportunity. It’s said that Su Tingyun started as a nobody, but now he’s renowned everywhere-a rare Nine Leaves expert.”

Fei Wanghuai’s gaze grew deep: “She is Su Tingyun’s daughter.”

“What? That’s troublesome.” Bone Elder exclaimed. “How will Your Highness make a move?”

Chu Zaishuang had an extraordinary background. To kill her within the Lotus Flower Sect would be like poking a hornet’s nest-he’d be stung to death by the swarming disciples.

“If all goes according to plan, I will remain in the Lotus Flower Sect for a long time. If I gain their trust, I will surely find the right moment.” Fei Wanghuai said unhurriedly. “Even if I can’t act on Lotus Peak Mountain, as long as I know her trump card, if the prophecy ever comes true, I will be prepared.”

The current problem was: when would she find her opportunity? Would she reveal her trump card?

He didn’t even know what her Primordial Spirit Flower was.

Bone Elder, hearing his meticulous reasoning, sighed: “Very well. Please, Your Highness, be careful and put your own safety first.”

Moments later, the ghostly blue flame extinguished with a pop, and the room was plunged into darkness once more.

Moonlight poured in gently.

On the bed, Fei Wanghuai lay down fully clothed and, unknowingly, fell asleep. Cultivators could rest simply by meditating; for him to feel sleepy, there was only one reason.

In the haze, a familiar sensation swept over him. His body felt impossibly heavy, unable even to move a finger, and then suddenly light, like a drifting soul blown by the wind into the clouds.

Once again, Soul Transmission Dream-repeated countless times.

Now, he was not “him,” and yet he was “him,” watching it all unfold.

“Evil demons and heretics-everyone must kill them!” A shrill voice pierced the sky, grating on the nerves.
All kinds of immortal and demonic treasures soared into the sky, colliding and shattering in the vast darkness of night. The debris, like sparks, splattered onto intricately patterned banners, burning holes into the fabric.

“Kill-”

Amidst the sounds of battle, sharp demonic energy spread in all directions. He wielded his fan, weaving through the chaos, casually harvesting heads-none could stand in his way.

Yet he still felt unsatisfied, searching everywhere for something-perhaps flames, perhaps crimson banners, perhaps blood. His gaze always lingered on the color red.

“Shi’e Immortal Venerable-” someone suddenly shouted.

Immediately, snow-white spiritual energy tore a rift through the darkness, like a whistling arrow piercing the void. Time stopped in that instant, noise vanished, and blazing white light exploded before him, imprinting the vivid lotus pattern into his eyes.

Flower Realm, Transformation Realm. This was a space created by a high-level cultivator, able to isolate the outside world with their own spiritual energy.

In the brightness like daylight, her features were pure and elegant, as tender as a lotus bud. Only the lotus mark between her brows dazzled with its vividness.

“Is this the world you desire?”

Her voice was just as it was in the daytime-like spring water tinkling, innocent and pure.

In a flash, his heart twisted as if cut by knives, his chest burned with unbearable pain. Lowering his head, he realized his heart had been pierced by sword energy. It all happened so suddenly, yet it felt predestined, and he was not surprised.

Her face showed no emotion. This time, what she offered was not an Osmanthus Bun, but a clean, decisive sword strike.

Pain spread through his organs, choking him until he spat blood. His voice was muffled, perhaps with unwillingness, perhaps with relief, but his words remained clear as he called out the name of the person before him.

“…Chu Zaishuang.”

*

At dawn, fine rain veiled the green mountains, the air thick with moisture. Outside the corridor, lotus leaves brimmed with raindrops, like trays of dazzling pearls swaying and shedding their crystal beads in the curtain of rain.

Inside the house, after morning cultivation, it was a time of leisure. The disciples sat at their desks, casually flipping through scrolls.

“She didn’t come?”

Fei Wanghuai returned from the Training Ground, his black hair dampened by the morning mist, accentuating his handsome and upright features. He hadn’t seen a certain person during morning practice, and now, sweeping his gaze over the empty seat, his thick dark lashes fluttered as he asked those around him.

“No, didn’t see her.” Li Jingjie, sitting at the back table, asked curiously, “But you really care about Chu Zaishuang. Are you two that close?”

Fei Wanghuai was always gentle as jade, but there was an air of distance about him, as if separated by a hazy veil. Aside from cultivation, he rarely concerned himself with other matters. Recently, not only had he sought out Senior Brother Chu, but he also asked about the presence of his desk mate, which was certainly unusual.

Fei Wanghuai smiled, “Yes, we hit it off at first sight, and regret not meeting sooner.”

Last night, he dreamed again of her stabbing him with a sword-wasn’t it truly “a sword as old friends”? The thing he hated most was seeing her at night.

“I didn’t expect you two to be so close!”

“I’m going to find her, so I’ll head out first. Help me greet Senior Brother Chu.” Fei Wanghuai had infiltrated the Lotus Flower Sect for one person only; he couldn’t just sit and wait, letting her wander outside in search of cultivation opportunities. At the very least, she had to stay within his sight.

“Sure, no problem.”

Li Jingjie agreed readily, unaware that someone else had overheard.

In the corner, several disciples gathered together, all dressed in Cloud Water Robes and adorned with various exquisite jades, looking quite valuable. They surrounded one person like stars around the moon, watching Fei Wanghuai leave with unfriendly expressions.

“Hewei, he’s really not giving you any respect. First he snatched first place from you, and now he’s getting close to Chu Zaishuang. Everyone knows you two almost got engaged, right?”

The male cultivator in the center was the most well-dressed, with a jade pendant at his waist of deep, translucent green-clearly not an ordinary item. His name was Lu Hewei. Having lost to Fei Wanghuai and ranked second in the assessment, he had held a grudge ever since.

Lu Hewei sneered, “He looks all noble and virtuous, but he’s actually lowly. Knowing his own status is inferior, he wants to climb up by courting the Sect Leader’s Daughter. Too bad his wishful thinking is wrong-Chu Zaishuang is not Chu Bingxiao, and she has no authority in the Lotus Flower Sect.”

Outsiders might not know Chu Zaishuang’s background, but Lu Hewei’s father was one of the Island Lords. He had heard some old stories and knew she suffered from Soul Separation Syndrome, making it difficult for her cultivation to progress-she was just a figurehead.

*

“Achoo-” Chu Zaishuang suddenly sneezed, holding a chess piece and hesitating, “Who’s cursing me?”

[Hurry up, hurry up, don’t dawdle. I’ve waited so long the flowers are wilting.]

By the pond, under the tree, it was still the black-and-white game of Go. Chu Zaishuang and Xiao Shi were playing, their usual way of passing the time. She was replaying yesterday’s match, rolling up her sleeves to fight, determined to overwrite the mistakes made by giving handicap stones.

Chu Zaishuang played white, while Xiao Shi played black, taking the place of Fei Wanghuai from the previous day. Since Xiao Shi was only a voice without a physical form, it dictated the moves for black, and Chu Zaishuang placed the pieces on its behalf.
The two sides fought more and more fiercely, locked in a bloody battle over the chessboard. Chu Zaishuang gradually gained the upper hand.

[You didn’t play like this yesterday.] Xiao Shi protested, [You go easy on male cultivators, but when you play with me, you go all out. What a case of favoring beauty over friendship!]

Chu Zaishuang held a black piece, urging her opponent inwardly: “Hurry up, don’t dawdle. I’ve been waiting so long the flowers are about to wilt.”

Outsiders couldn’t hear Xiao Shi speak; they always communicated through heart voice.

Her sea of consciousness was quiet, suddenly without response.

“No way, are you really angry?” Chu Zaishuang was puzzled. “Fine, I’ll let you have one piece.”

[He’s behind you.]

These words startled Chu Zaishuang. She didn’t have time to turn and check before she heard the sound of a branch snapping behind her. A slender, well-defined hand reached past her shoulder, its nails rounded and translucent as jade. The snowy white sleeve was damp with post-rain mist, carrying the scent of early summer humidity.

Fei Wanghuai stood at her side. He took the black piece from her hand and placed it back on the board, his tone calm: “Yesterday, I played here.”

She looked up and saw his tall, upright figure, as straight as pine or bamboo. Fei Wanghuai held a silver-patterned folding fan, his hair bound with a hollowed silver crown, revealing a strikingly handsome and otherworldly face. Even though Chu Zaishuang was used to her brother’s exacting standards, she couldn’t help but marvel at his beauty in her heart.

He wore a sapphire silver chain, giving him a touch of exotic charm. As the clouds cleared and the rain stopped, sunlight broke through, making his ornaments stand out in the light.

In the sunlight, the flash of his silver accessories reminded her of something she’d read in miscellaneous books. It was said that in distant lands, unlike the customs of the Qionglian Twelve Islands, the noble families there valued silverware over jade to display their status.

Chu Zaishuang recognized who had arrived and was momentarily at a loss. She asked awkwardly, “Why are you here?”

Fei Wanghuai smiled, his eyes crinkling: “I reminded you there was morning cultivation today. Why didn’t you attend?”

“Do I need to attend?” She was bewildered by his words, having neglected cultivation for years; this was all new to her.

“We share a desk, so we should practice together. If you’re not present, it’s hard for me to practice swordsmanship.”

Chu Zaishuang heard him repeat this, but her mind was a muddle, not understanding why he was so insistent. They were just desk mates; morning cultivation wasn’t a marriage pact. Yet his earnest tone made her feel like she was the heartless one.

“Are you sure practicing swordsmanship with me won’t make you worse?” Chu Zaishuang mumbled. “Maybe my brother should switch your desk mate. I really don’t think we’re suited to partner up.”

“Why?” Fei Wanghuai glanced at the chessboard and immediately saw something, his tone light and breezy. “Are you dissatisfied with me? After all, you don’t even play with full strength.”

He hadn’t expected her to hide her skill behind feigned clumsiness, playing the fool to catch him off guard. This was a replay of yesterday’s game, but her chess skills had soared, clearly not the result of a single night’s enlightenment, but rather that she hadn’t played seriously when facing him.

This was truly a humiliation; since learning Go, he had never been so underestimated!

“No, no, I was playing with full strength yesterday.” Seeing his eyes dim, Chu Zaishuang sucked in a breath and hurriedly shielded the board. “It’s mainly that my schedule is chaotic, I’m not used to morning cultivation, and I’m afraid I’ll disrupt your rest. I prefer practicing swordsmanship at night!”

Fei Wanghuai nodded: “That’s fine, then let’s practice at night. It won’t affect our rest.”

She often practiced swordsmanship with him in her dreams; her sleep had already been disturbed.

She heard his quick agreement: “Well…”

“You set the time.”

“No, it’s just…” Chu Zaishuang awkwardly touched her face and confessed, “I told you yesterday, I actually don’t cultivate.”

She had never been interested in cultivation, but her new desk mate was so diligent that it made her, who preferred to take it easy, uncomfortable.

“Oh-” Fei Wanghuai mused, “You say you don’t cultivate, yet secretly work hard and then amaze everyone at the assessment.”

“Am I that kind of person? I’ve always been sincere.” Chu Zaishuang widened her eyes, looking rather hurt. “Is there not even basic trust between classmates?”

Fei Wanghuai teased: “We haven’t even been classmates yet, so naturally there’s no trust. Everyone else already has a desk mate; I only met you yesterday.”

“You shouldn’t compare yourself to others. Just because others have desk mates doesn’t mean you must have one.” Chu Zaishuang clutched her chest, earnestly advising him, then gave him a thumbs-up. “Cultivation is about defying fate. I believe you can do it alone!”

“…”

——————–

(This book is from: Longfeng Internet)