The Demon Lord and I: Frenemies - chapter 34

Chapter 34

Cultivators do not fear water. Even novice disciples with no swimming experience can remain underwater for a long time, as long as they breathe properly and have enough stamina. Large patches of Wandering Zero Flower floated on the surface, while the uneven roots of Spiritual Herbs covered the riverbed, conveniently concealing the four who had fallen into the water.

High above, cultivators flew on swords, constantly monitoring the ground with spells, but only the underwater area was shielded by the flower leaves. Qin Huan parted the aquatic plants, hiding in the shadows, and while the Lu Family servants were busy rescuing the boat, she cast her spell in the dim depths.

Sound Array Technique!

In the silence, delicate ripples spread out, pushing waves through the rivers crisscrossing Qiandu Island, extending far and wide.

The Sound Array Technique could not transmit far on land, but underwater it reverberated into a dense net, eager to capture every waterway on the island. Mountains, herb fields, buildings, birds, beasts, cultivators-everything was swept over one by one, weaving a complete image of the island.

Qin Huan finished her spell, not daring to linger, and quickly swam toward the boat.

The small boat had capsized on the river, trapping the four inside beneath it, like a floating island. Large swathes of aquatic Spiritual Herbs spread around the boat, forcing the servants who came to rescue them to part the green leaves and search diligently for the four in the herb field.

The light was dim. Chu Zaishuang and Su Hongli did not immediately surface. Instead, they collected seeds of the Wandering Zero Flower underwater, stowing them into their Storage Bags. Seeing Qin Huan return, they slowly swam upward; soaking too long in the herb field would also arouse suspicion.

Soon, Chu Zaishuang was the first to poke her head above water, shaking the wet hair clinging to her face, and casually plucking two Wandering Zero Flowers to put in her bag. Qin Huan and Su Hongli followed closely, surfacing among the flower leaves and swimming toward the nearby boats.

“Where is the Young Master?” someone exclaimed on the boat, “Did anyone see the Young Master!?”

Chu Zaishuang had been swimming freely, but upon hearing this, she asked in confusion, “Lu Hewei hasn’t come up yet? He’s already at Three Leaves Late Stage-if he puts in a little effort, he should be able to float up.”

[Anyway, I feel he’s still underwater. No idea what he’s doing.]

“You should get on the boat too, don’t stay in the water,” a servant on the boat noticed the apricot-eyed girl was soaked through but hadn’t boarded, and quickly called out to remind her.

Su Hongli had already boarded and advised, “There might be medicinal properties in the Spiritual Herbs here; it’s best not to stay too long.”

“I’ll go join the fun and be right back.”

With that, Chu Zaishuang dove back into the water, guided by Xiao Shi, and swam to the bottom again. She saw two or three servants searching, likely looking for Lu Hewei who hadn’t surfaced. Unfortunately, visibility underwater was poor, and she had to push aside various Spiritual Herbs to barely see around, making progress slow.

Xiao Shi’s sensory abilities came in handy here, and Chu Zaishuang actually found Lu Hewei before the servants did. He was entangled by aquatic plants, struggling to rise. For some reason, his movements were sluggish, even worse than an ordinary person, bobbing up and down in the water.

[There’s a scent of blood.]

“That can’t be,” Chu Zaishuang said. “There shouldn’t be any Spirit Beasts in Qiandu Island’s herb fields, so there’s no reason to be injured.”

[He wasn’t hurt by a Spirit Beast. He was already wounded.]

Beside the aquatic plants, several thin vines coiled upward, repeatedly reaching for Lu Hewei and hindering his ascent. Beads of red blood dispersed and faded in the water. The Blood-Healing Grass, though not sentient, had a strange nature-it was attracted to fresh blood and had hemostatic properties, widely used in many Elixirs.

Not long ago, Lu Hewei had been kicked by Lu Hengzhou. That kick was infused with his father’s spiritual energy. When the island’s Alchemist treated him, they had to use bloodletting, cutting a small wound to release stagnant blood. Before falling into the water, he had tried to punch Chu Zaishuang, but was instead thrown directly into the river; half the force rebounded onto himself, causing the wound on his shoulder to split open.

Misfortune never comes alone. After falling in, he was entangled by the Blood-Healing Grass. Normally, these would be nothing to him, but with old wounds compounded by new ones, he was struggling.

Lu Hewei knew the servants would come to rescue him, but he hadn’t expected Chu Zaishuang instead.

The girl dove in, backlit, her features indistinct, only the pure white Cloud Water Robe swirling in the water, appearing almost translucent like jade in the dim light.

Lu Hewei was about to suspect she had come down to kick him, when he felt something wrap around his right arm, forcefully pulling him upward.

Moments later, both surfaced, and everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief, quickly hauling them onto the boat.

“Young Master, are you alright!?”

On the boat, Lu Hewei’s chest ached where he had been struck before. He coughed violently, glared at the girl who had stood up, and said viciously, “I won’t thank you.”

Although she had helped pull him up, it was her provocation that had led to the fight at the stern in the first place.

Chu Zaishuang wrung out her soaked sleeve lazily and said, “I never expected you to thank me. My brother saved you and got nothing for it. If I waited for your gratitude, I’d look foolish.”

“Then why did you come down?”

“You’re certainly no good, but you haven’t done anything worth dying for. We took your family’s Spiritual Herbs, which cancels out your past mistakes. Falling into the herb field for a bath evens out your attempt to hit me-the punishment should be fair.” Chu Zaishuang said, “Don’t worry, if you keep causing trouble, I’ll watch you drown next time.”
Su Hongli and Qin Huan hurried over and handed a woolen blanket to Chu Zaishuang.

Su Hongli caught sight of the spreading pale red stain, stared blankly at Lu Hewei’s chest, and asked in confusion, “This…”

Qin Huan also noticed something was off. She fixed her gaze on his wound and whispered, “It looks like he was injured by a cultivator, and not a weak one.”

Lu Hewei was clearly the Young Master of Qiandu Island, and there were only a handful of High-Level Cultivators in the Lotus Flower Sect-most of whom probably knew Lu Hengzhou. Who would dare to attack him?

Besides, he hadn’t gone to Lotus Peak Mountain since taking a master. Where did this wound come from?

The answer was obvious.

For a moment, everyone exchanged glances, not knowing what to say.

After hearing Chu Zaishuang’s words and meeting their complicated looks, Lu Hewei said angrily, “Why are you looking at me like that? Are you pitying me?”

Why should a destitute farm girl show him that kind of expression? His status was a hundred times higher than hers-utterly absurd and laughable.

He was always arrogant and domineering in the Lecture Hall, and had never encountered such looks before.

“What is there to pity about you? I just think you’re not quite right.” Chu Zaishuang glanced at the wound beneath his white robe and said, puzzled, “I thought that someone who has suffered would know how much it hurts and wouldn’t want to inflict it on others. But you seem to be the opposite.”

Since he had experienced pain firsthand, he should be even less willing to inflict it on innocent people. Yet, he was indifferent to the real perpetrator and instead vented all his resentment on those weaker than himself, like Su Hongli and the others, who had no background.

That’s why she had thought he wasn’t normal for a long time.

Lu Hewei was stunned.

News of the incident spread quickly. Chu Bingxiao and Lu Hengzhou arrived upon hearing it, clearly not expecting the pleasure boat to capsize.

The household servants dared not say outright that it was Lu Hewei and Chu Zaishuang fighting that caused the boat to overturn. After all, both had extraordinary backgrounds, and offending either would bring trouble. They stammered and couldn’t give a straight answer.

Su Hongli and Qin Huan followed the siblings onto the island. It wasn’t their place to speak, so they remained silent as well.

“Hewei, go change your clothes and tidy yourself up,” Lu Hengzhou said, glancing at the red mark on his son’s shoulder. “Zaishuang must have been frightened too. Who would have thought the boat was so flimsy? Everyone, change clothes and let’s talk inside.”

Chu Bingxiao, hearing his gentle attempt to smooth things over, had no objections.

Everyone lifted their feet and took the boat back.

As Chu Bingxiao and the others left, Lu Hengzhou saw his son passing by and said coolly, “We’ll settle this later.”

Lu Hewei shivered at his words, feeling a chill run down his spine, and hurried his steps.

*

Soon, everyone had changed and followed Lu Hengzhou into the building for tea, but Lu Hewei was nowhere to be seen.

Inside, the building was adorned with carved beams and painted rafters, with light gauze curtains hanging on both sides. A gentle breeze made the place seem like a celestial realm. The servants carried delicate trays filled with all kinds of fresh Spiritual Herbs, arranged in dazzling abundance on the table.

Lu Hengzhou smiled wryly. “I didn’t expect an accident on the boat. Sorry to have interrupted your herb gathering, Zaishuang. I had them bring out the seasonal Spiritual Herbs. If you’re interested, feel free to pick some to take with you when you leave.”

Chu Zaishuang feigned shyness. “Uncle Lu, how could I accept this?”

“It’s nothing. Take whatever you like, and come again if you want more. No need to be polite with me.”

Chu Zaishuang truly wasn’t polite. She signaled to Su Hongli in private, then ran with her friend to the table to pick out Spiritual Herbs from the trays.

Qin Huan stood up, pretending she was going to join them, but her steps were slow, just in time to overhear the conversation behind her.

As the Female Cultivators went to select herbs, Lu Hengzhou, having finished his pleasantries, turned to Chu Bingxiao. “Bingxiao, you should come by often and tell the Sect Leader about the merits of Qiandu Island. Maybe then she’ll understand my dedication to Mortal Dust Marsh.”

Chu Bingxiao replied, “Matters within the sect are for the Sect Leader to decide. As disciples, I’m afraid we have little say.”

“Haha, others may have little say, but you? You’re her son-it’s different for you.” Lu Hengzhou laughed heartily, patting his hand with meaning. “You’re exceptionally talented. Even if they don’t consider themselves, they should consider you. Don’t waste too much time on mortals.”

“To be blunt, won’t the Qionglian Twelve Islands be handed over to you in the future?”

Lu Hengzhou didn’t believe that Chu Chenyue and Su Tingyun would truly hand over power to outsiders. Now they spoke of joint management, but when the time was right, it would still be passed to their children.

Chu Bingxiao fell silent at his words. He waited until the hand gripping his own loosened, then quietly withdrew his right hand and wiped the back of it with a cloth under the table.

At the table, Chu Zaishuang and Su Hongli made a round, taking some of each Spiritual Herb, nearly filling their Storage Bags. The herbs had all been processed and were not in their original state with roots and soil; they had even been thoroughly cleaned.

“Is there anything missing here?” Chu Zaishuang asked. “If there’s something they haven’t brought out, we can ask for it.”

“Nothing’s missing. All the unique Spiritual Herbs of Qiandu Island are here, but since they’ve been processed, we can’t take them out for cultivation,” Su Hongli said, scanning the table. “All the seeds have been removed.”

“I guess they were worried we’d keep the seeds, so they specially picked and sent them over,” Chu Zaishuang said. “I’ve heard even the Medicine Elder isn’t allowed on the island. Every time he needs something, they give him the finished Spiritual Herbs directly, never the seeds.”
Su Hongli was taken aback. “Then what about when we were just underwater picking…”

“Shh, what picking? Pick what? That was just some Wandering Zero Flower seeds that accidentally brushed onto us when we fell into the water.”

“…”

The Wandering Zero Flower was one of the unique Spiritual Herbs of Qiandu Island, but all its seeds were hidden underwater. If not for the boat capsizing and them falling in, they would never have had the chance to pick any. The other unique Spiritual Herbs were all hidden deep within Qiandu Island, only the Wandering Zero Flower, whose seeds were difficult to harvest, could be seen in large swathes by the public.

Earlier, the family servants were in a hurry to rescue them and hadn’t been watching closely, so they didn’t notice the girls’ little movements.

Chu Zaishuang and Su Hongli exchanged a glance and decided to keep their mouths shut about this matter until they left the island.

The trip to Qiandu Island ended not long after. Cultivators didn’t need to eat, so after a simple tea tasting and some idle conversation, they collected various Spiritual Herbs and it was time to bid farewell.

Lu Hengzhou escorted them to the boat dock, exchanging a few insincere pleasantries. Lu Hewei was still nowhere to be seen behind him.

Chu Bingxiao and the others didn’t ask, politely said their goodbyes, and boarded the boat to leave the island.

On the river, a small boat drifted, sailing out of the spiritual energy barrier. This was the edge of Qiandu Island; ahead was the Magic Array for teleportation, outside Lu Hengzhou’s jurisdiction.

After disembarking, Chu Zaishuang and Su Hongli couldn’t wait to go plant herbs, while Chu Bingxiao and Qin Huan needed to report back to the Sect Leader, so they had to part ways.

The two groups waved goodbye in front of the Magic Array. Chu Zaishuang and Su Hongli left first, leaving only the two from Wangyue Marsh.

Chu Bingxiao waited for them to leave, then looked at his companion and asked, “How did it go?”

“The island map has been drawn, but there’s still a problem: the areas without water aren’t clear.” Qin Huan said helplessly, “The Sound Array Technique works best in water, so I basically couldn’t probe inside the buildings.”

“No matter, I took a walk inside the buildings while he wasn’t paying attention. Combined, the map is complete.” Chu Bingxiao said. “Now, once we hand the map to the Sect Leader, our mission is done.”

Qin Huan nodded.

*

At Tingyun Lake, the newly cultivated Herb Field was lush and green, with tender shoots gradually budding.

This area was Su Tingyun’s resting place at Tingyun Lake. Although there was nothing inside the small hut, outsiders didn’t dare wander around. Only Chu Zaishuang was bold enough to reclaim the wasteland in front of the hut and transplant the Twin Spirit Heart Flower there.

Anyway, her father was busy with affairs, and she had taken over the place without him noticing. Who knew when he’d return and discover the Herb Field?

The trip to Qiandu Island had been fruitful. Chu Zaishuang and Su Hongli soaked the Wandering Zero Flower seeds in water, then began sorting the Spiritual Herbs they had collected, preparing to use the Twin Spirit Heart Flower to formulate a new Elixir recipe.

Recently, the two had no time for anything else, always discussing new recipes and gathering by the small hut at Tingyun Lake. Chu Zaishuang had to get her father’s permission to let Su Hongli come up; otherwise, she couldn’t pass through the barrier.

Although Su Hongli had tasted the petals of the Twin Spirit Heart Flower and judged it only to be more spiritually potent than the ordinary Spirit Heart Flower, since it was a Spiritual Herb unrecorded in any book, neither of them was sure what kind of Elixir it could produce.

“Powdered Wandering Zero Flower, a suitable amount of Baihui Grass root, and a bit of Qin Zhenzi.”

Su Hongli flipped through a book while adding the ingredients. “If we go by your theory, the ordinary Spirit Heart Flower’s spiritual energy is only yellow or green, representing a single element. The Twin Spirit Heart Flower has both yellow and green, so it might have two elements. The amount of ingredients should change accordingly…”

Chu Zaishuang hurriedly said, “But that’s just my wild guess. I’ve never actually refined an Elixir before-I’m just making things up!”

“Let’s try it. I think it makes sense. After all, we’ve already failed twice, and it’s not easy to succeed with a new recipe.” Su Hongli glanced at the pile of blackened dregs beside her. “Even if the ingredients are right, if the proportions are off, it won’t work. We’ll probably have to experiment for a long time.”

Su Hongli had come up with a new recipe, but something was wrong with the proportions. Twice in a row, all they got was dregs, unable to condense an Elixir.

The metal pill furnace began to shake again, making strange noises in the roaring flames, far more alarming than when refining the Heart-Clearing Pill. The buzzing grew louder, as if it wanted to blow off the lid, like a wild beast panting to break free.

The two watched expectantly, eyes fixed on the small pill furnace.

After a moment, the furnace quieted down, but there was no medicinal fragrance, nor any burnt smell.

Chu Zaishuang was confused. “No smell? Did we ruin it?”

If the Elixir had formed, there should be a rush of spiritual energy, just like when they refined the Heart-Clearing Pill before.

Su Hongli held her breath and braced herself to lift the lid. “Better to get it over with-let’s see how badly it burned.”

Under the metal lid, there were no blackened dregs. Instead, a single Elixir lay in the furnace, all alone. Out of all the ingredients, only one pill had formed.