The Demon Lord and I: Frenemies - chapter 38

Chapter 38

“It’s mainly because I happened to bring them. I’ve collected a lot of things over the years-see if you need any of these.” Chu Zaishuang took out a variety of items, then put away the torn little fishnet. “This one was made by my brother, so it’s not really appropriate to give it to you. The rest, feel free to choose.”

The Female Cultivator swept her gaze over the items spread on the ground. She picked up the little shadow puppet figure and said nostalgically, “I’ll take this one. I remember one year, the villagers watched a play together, and Qiao’er liked it very much.”

Moments later, in front of the wooden grave marker beneath the tree, they placed osmanthus sugar, with a shadow puppet figure stuck in it, dispelling the earlier loneliness and adding a touch of childlike fun.

After arranging the offerings and burning incense for Qiao’er, the two finally had time to chat.

The Female Cultivator glanced at the torn little fishnet, curious: “Your brother made this net?”

Chu Zaishuang nodded. “Yes, but it was from when we were little. He used to take me out to play and would sometimes make things for me.”

“That’s wonderful, you have a good brother.” The Female Cultivator sighed. “My brother was only good if he didn’t snatch things from us. One year, our family bought some food for the festival, and Qiao’er just took a piece-he flew into a rage, shouting and threatening to beat her.”

“You have a brother too?”

“Yes, but he died long ago. Don’t be fooled by my low cultivation; I should be older than you.” The Female Cultivator smiled. “The Lotus Flower Sect recruits new disciples every year, but only those of suitable age who have reached the Three Leaves Mid Stage. When I was your age, I hadn’t reached that level.”

The Lotus Flower Sect selects disciples from the whole island. Even someone from a poor family like Su Hongli, though her cultivation isn’t outstanding within the sect, is still exceptional compared to outsiders.

“Actually, my cultivation isn’t very high either…” Chu Zaishuang hesitated, scratching her face, reluctant to speak the truth.

“But I’m already content. Even if my talent is average, with this bit of cultivation, I was chosen by a cultivator and could leave the village. Qiao’er was more unfortunate-she couldn’t cultivate at all and had nothing.”

“But she had a good sister.”

The Female Cultivator shook her head. “I wasn’t a good sister. Before I started cultivating, I couldn’t take care of her. After I started, I came back to the village to find her, only to discover she had died of illness long ago. My brother forced her to become a concubine for a wealthy family. Those years were hard for her, and being sick, she was considered unlucky. In the end, she didn’t even have a grave marker.”

Chu Zaishuang was stunned.

“Actually, there’s a custom with graves in the village-each plot corresponds to a household. Qiao’er couldn’t be buried here anymore, but I took it upon myself to set up a grave marker under the tree and bring her back. I know the villagers treated her poorly, but she was even less familiar with the wealthy family, so I simply moved her here, not too close or too far from the village.”

“How fragile mortals are-a year or two is too much for them, but for cultivators, that time is just the beginning of the path.” She spoke softly. “By the time I returned, it was all too late. So you were wrong-I’m not a good sister, just a coward who abandoned her to save myself.”

A gentle breeze swept through the forest leaves, the mountain grasses rustling like ethereal waves, or faint, sorrowful music.

Chu Zaishuang listened quietly, suddenly unsure what to say. She handed over a thin paper-wrapped sugar, speaking softly: “Maybe you need one too.”

This story was too bitter, so bitter that only sugar could ease it; any words of comfort seemed pale and powerless.

The Female Cultivator took the osmanthus sugar, put it in her mouth, and took a deep breath. With the lingering sweetness and light fragrance of osmanthus, the heaviness in her chest finally eased a little.

The two stood before the grave for a long time before it was time to part.

“Thank you for tending Qiao’er’s grave. But I’m truly sorry-even though I was born in the village, I don’t wish to return, so I can’t help you bury them.” The Female Cultivator gazed at the burned village. “I thought I was over it, but maybe I still hold some resentment.”

“It’s alright, it’s our task anyway. I’ll head back to the village now-someone’s waiting for me.”

The Female Cultivator watched Chu Zaishuang leave. The girl in white jumped off the mound, skirted the stone grave markers at her feet, and gradually disappeared at the end of the path.

She made sure Chu Zaishuang wouldn’t return, then slowly walked into the forest, heading in the opposite direction from the village.

The sky was growing dark, even the sunset blocked by leaves. Not far away, a Male Cultivator in black robes appeared, a strange mask hanging around his neck. Seeing the Female Cultivator, his gaze was sharp as he reproached, “Lu Ge, you always say I take risks, but aren’t you even bolder, chatting with a Lotus Flower Sect disciple!”

“She doesn’t know my identity, so why can’t I talk to her? If she noticed me and I deliberately avoided her, wouldn’t that be even more suspicious?” Lu Ge took out a black robe from her Storage Bag, and in the blink of an eye, she was wrapped up tightly, no trace of her blue clothes to be seen.
“She has a scent that irritates people.”

Lu Ge was about to put on her mask when she paused at these words and warned, “Shi Yalie, I must have reminded you countless times already-the master is growing dissatisfied with you. Last time you acted on your own, you nearly exposed yourself.”

“You’re really loyal, aren’t you? As if that guy is some saint. I do things my own way, I don’t care if he’s satisfied or not, so stop bossing me around!” Shi Yalie sniffed like a wild beast. “Don’t think I don’t know what you’re worried about. That Female Cultivator can be spared, but the Male Cultivator with her must die.”

“Why?”

“You all can’t sense it, but I can smell it. He’s the same kind as me,” Shi Yalie said hatefully. “The kind least welcome among cultivators.”

*

At the front of the village, when Chu Zaishuang hurried back, her companions had already finished resting. They stood beside a leveled patch of ground, having completed the graves ahead and even made simple wooden markers-plain but orderly.

Chu Zaishuang waved, calling to her companions, “I just went to check the back-there’s a large burial ground we can use!”

Li Jingjie sighed, “You finally made it back. Wanghuai was just about to go look for you, worried you might have run into danger alone.”

“Sorry, something held me up,” Chu Zaishuang glanced at someone in surprise. “So you care that much about my safety? You were going to look for me?”

Fei Wanghuai replied slowly, “It’s not really about caring for your life. I only have one life myself.”

“What do you mean?”

“If you get into trouble again, I’ll have to risk my life to save you. I don’t have many lives to waste on you.”

“…”

Chu Zaishuang led her companions to the back of the village, where they finished burying the remaining charred corpses. Night had already fallen, making it unsuitable to continue traveling.

The group simply chose an empty house that hadn’t been burned down, planning to stay the night and return to the Lotus Flower Sect at dawn. Inside, Su Hongli took out her alchemy furnace to refine Elixirs, even sharing some with Chu Zaishuang. Fei Wanghuai said he hadn’t cultivated yet today and went outside to meditate, not staying in the room.

Li Jingjie and the Heavenly Treasure Weasel lay snoring loudly on a pile of grass, their snores echoing through the room.

Su Hongli sat before the alchemy furnace and sighed, “I’ve never seen a cultivator snore so loudly-he’s even worse than my father.”

Chu Zaishuang said, “I admit defeat. Even lying flat, I can’t sleep that deeply.”

“By the way, here’s this Elixir back to you. After all, it used so many Spiritual Herbs, can’t just toss it aside.” Su Hongli handed over the gold-green pill refined from the Twin Spirit Heart Flower. “Let me adjust the recipe and see if I can make something else. This Elixir is too potent.”

The Heavenly Treasure Weasel would get hyperactive for ages after eating just a little, so maybe the ratio of Spiritual Herbs needed to be changed to make a more suitable Elixir.

Chu Zaishuang wanted to say there was no need to be so formal, but seeing her friend’s insistence, she accepted the remaining Elixir. “Alright, if you need any ingredients, just let me know.”

“Mm, we still have plenty left from what we got on Qiandu Island.”

Since they started researching the Twin Spirit Heart Flower together, their division had been clear-Spiritual Herbs and Elixirs went to Chu Zaishuang, while the recipes Su Hongli developed were hers. Each got what they needed.

Actually, Chu Zaishuang had suggested before that Su Hongli could freely refine Elixirs, since she was the one cultivating the Spiritual Herbs. But considering the rarity of the Twin Spirit Heart Flower, Su Hongli always meticulously reported her usage and never treated it as her own property.

The vast difference in their backgrounds made Su Hongli careful to maintain the balance of their friendship. She was willing to give more, but reluctant to take more. Sometimes this left Chu Zaishuang feeling helpless, unable to refuse her kindness for fear of hurting her sincerity.

After tinkering with the alchemy furnace, the two chatted briefly before closing their eyes to rest.

Su Hongli sat quietly against the wall, meditating, but Chu Zaishuang felt restless, tossing and turning. Afraid of disturbing her friend, she slipped outside to find a place to practice Qi Gathering.

Outdoors, Chu Zaishuang stood beneath the starlight, rubbing her arms as she suspiciously scanned her surroundings. “Do you feel something too?”

Since nightfall, she had felt uneasy, as if being watched.

[I’m not sure. It’s always vague-I can’t tell if it’s there or not. It feels like killing intent, but maybe not.] Xiao Shi sighed. [Mainly, too many people just died here. The spiritual energy is tainted, so it’s impossible to distinguish anything clearly.]
Chu Zaishuang cast a glance at the Mustard Seed Ring on her hand, silently recited an incantation in her heart, mobilized the spiritual energy within her, and probed the nearby area. When she reached the two-hundredth floor of the Tongtian Tower, she instantly obtained spiritual energy as she cleared it, making a leap straight to the Three Leaves Late Stage. Only then could she see the Yin-Yang Taiji Sphere and leave her name on the Tongtian Ranking.

She didn’t know whether others who reached the two-hundredth floor could also gain spiritual energy, but Fei Wanghuai, who was ranked second, probably didn’t receive as much as she did; otherwise, he wouldn’t have avoided mentioning it entirely.

Ever since seeing the Yin-Yang Taiji Sphere, Chu Zaishuang finally understood why her previous cultivation was so slow: both immortals and demons needed Gathering Qi and Condensing Essence. It was as if she had another Dao Heart, so naturally she needed to absorb two or three times the usual amount of spiritual energy. The drawback was always being a bit slower than her peers, and without the rewards from the Tongtian Tower, her cultivation crawled along like a turtle. The advantage was that her foundation was extremely solid, and when facing cultivators of the same stage, she had a greater chance of winning.

Chu Zaishuang was not a combative person. She had never competed against cultivators of the same stage at the Training Ground, but she vaguely sensed she was stronger than most in the Three Leaves Late Stage. Maybe it was because she absorbed more spiritual energy than usual; ordinary cultivators only comprehended Insight at the Four Leaves stage, but she was already beginning to touch upon it now, sometimes getting a vague feeling.

Insight was an unconscious reaction: in a bloody battle, cultivators could not think, and in a split second, they would act on instinct. Even outside of combat, it could help sense danger and allow one to escape disaster in advance.

Now at the Three Leaves Late Stage, she didn’t know if her Insight was accurate, which was why she hesitated in front of the house.

“What are you doing?” A familiar, clear, and gentle male voice rang out, piercing the thick darkness of the wild forest.

Chu Zaishuang turned to look and saw Fei Wanghuai emerge from the woods. She replied, “Just walking around, getting some fresh air.”

Fei Wanghuai frowned at her words and said, “Go back inside and stay there. Why are you wandering around in the middle of the night?”

“You were just wandering around yourself, so why are you sending me back?” Chu Zaishuang protested, eyes wide, pointing at the path he had just taken. “I saw you come out of the woods with my own eyes.”

“I’m not like you. I have the strength to protect myself, but you’re a useless person who doesn’t cultivate. I don’t have time to keep an eye on you tonight. Go back inside now.” Fei Wanghuai shot her a sidelong glance and said coldly, “Don’t really act like a three-year-old who needs to be coaxed to sleep at night.”

“……”

He’s the one who needs coaxing like a three-year-old. His whole family are children who cry for their mothers when they’re seriously injured!

Seeing how forceful he was, Chu Zaishuang didn’t lose her temper outwardly, but privately she was fuming: “Damn it, sooner or later I’m going to beat him up. I can call myself useless, but no one else can say that about me.”

She had racked her brains to make him believe she was useless, but now that he said it so bluntly, it was actually somewhat annoying. Clearly, she surpassed him in climbing the tower-so why was he still so arrogant?

[Congratulations, you’re finally no longer blinded by his looks. But I should remind you, he’s at the Four Leaves Mid Stage. Beating him up would easily expose you.]

“Just wait. If I really am the one who will destroy the world, the first person I’ll destroy is him.”

[I don’t even know if I should say you have ambition or not. Can’t your aspirations be a little broader? Destroying the world just to beat him up?]

Driven back to her room by Fei Wanghuai, Chu Zaishuang was indignant the whole way.

Only after confirming she hadn’t come out again did Fei Wanghuai return to the dense forest, making a slightly longer detour to avoid being followed. Now at the Four Leaves Mid Stage, he was already skilled at using Insight. He had noticed something during the day, but since he was with others, it wasn’t convenient to reveal that a cultivator was tailing him.

The main issue was that the other party’s identity was unclear, and their target was not a Lotus Flower Sect disciple, but him alone.

Could it be a cultivator from outside the island, who discovered he was hiding in the Qionglian Twelve Islands?

Especially since there was a trace of Beast Cultivator aura-it seemed even more like someone from Four-Symbols Jiuzhou.

The forest was pitch-black, the night wind cool, dry branches disturbed his feet, and the deeper he went, the quieter it became.

“Come out. You’ve been following me for so long-aren’t you tired?”

Fei Wanghuai unfolded his Silver Fan, the fan radiating a biting chill, and a ring of ghostly blue soul fire flared up. He stopped, looked up at the treetops, and said, “Do you really think you’re hiding well?”

Atop a tree trunk, a shadow flickered. The person crouched high above, revealing golden beast-like eyes, staring down with predatory intent.