The Demon Lord and I: Frenemies - Chapter 4

She was practically a slippery little fish, darting out of his grasp if he so much as blinked, her mouth full of clever excuses.

Fei Wanghuai listened to her endless evasions and sighed lightly, “Senior Brother Chu told me about your situation. I know cultivation is difficult for you, but just come and listen to the lectures-it’s better than wandering outside. There are other disciples in the Lecture Hall; isn’t that more interesting than being alone?”

“What’s wrong with being alone?” Chu Zaishuang’s lashes trembled, and she pouted in defiance. “Besides, I’m not alone.”

She was clearly with Xiao Shi; it was just that others couldn’t see him.

“Isn’t there a difference between running off to Mortal Dust Marsh and staying in the Lecture Hall? You can play chess in the Lecture Hall, and we can even have a match now and then. Senior Brother Chu wouldn’t have to worry so much.”

In any case, he couldn’t let her run around unchecked and disappear; at the very least, she had to stay within his control.

Chu Zaishuang was taken aback. “Was it my brother who asked you to find me yesterday?”

“Yes.” He answered without batting an eye, watching her subtle expressions closely, coaxing her gently, “Senior Brother Chu is busy teaching and doesn’t have time to check on you, but he’s always worried. He asked me to come down the mountain to look for you. He’s been working hard lately, but you’re always on his mind. He’s afraid you’ll be lonely out there by yourself.”

Scheming is nothing but understanding people’s hearts; dealing with the world is nothing but human nature. In reality, Fei Wanghuai and Chu Bingxiao were not close, but he couldn’t persuade Chu Zaishuang directly, so he borrowed Senior Brother Chu’s name to play the sibling affection card.

Chu Zaishuang fell silent, her eyes flickering with indecision, torn by conflicting emotions. She was usually carefree and lively, but she knew her brother still couldn’t let go of her Soul Separation Syndrome, always wanting to make it up to her.

Fei Wanghuai saw her wavering and patiently asked, “Well?”

Just as he thought victory was in hand, Chu Zaishuang suddenly collected herself, waved her hand with abandon, and said, “It’s fine, my brother is strong. As an elder brother, he’s supposed to worry. He’s long used to being concerned about me, so I’m still not going!”

Fei Wanghuai: “?”

No wonder Chu Bingxiao told him to be patient-being her brother really required patience, or you’d be driven mad!

If the soft approach didn’t work, he had to be firm. Fei Wanghuai dropped his smile, walked straight up to Chu Zaishuang, and said expressionlessly, “Come with me to the Lecture Hall. There’s class this afternoon.”

Seeing his change of face, Chu Zaishuang darted behind a tree to escape, but he caught up in two strides. She shouted, “I’m not going! I’m useless, just kill me with your sword-”

Fei Wanghuai watched her scurry around, and his brows twitched at her words, feeling even more that she was deliberately provoking him.

Did he not want to? He simply couldn’t!

“Forgive me.”

The next second, Fei Wanghuai imitated Aunt Sun and grabbed her, pinching the back of her collar and taking her away without question.

*

At Lotus Flower Sect, all new disciples had to undergo a year of introductory courses. Only after they were thoroughly familiar with the sect would they be assigned to different Elders. The introductory lessons were usually taught by senior brothers and sisters, focusing on sect rules, swordsmanship, and basic breathing techniques-not advanced spells, but fundamental cultivation skills.

Chu Zaishuang had grown up on Lotus Peak Mountain, and by rights should have been attending the introductory classes this year, but she had never appeared in the Lecture Hall. Fortunately, the instructor was her own brother, so no one pursued the matter-except for her new desk mate, Fei Wanghuai.

Chu Zaishuang communicated with Xiao Shi in her mind: “A miscalculation-I didn’t expect him to double back. I thought he’d given up yesterday.”

Given her new desk mate’s personality, he shouldn’t be interested in a useless person. Was she not useless enough?

[Your desk mate is pretty persistent. Anyway, you’re lying around wherever you are, so you might as well lie around in the Lecture Hall!] Xiao Shi comforted her.

In the corridor, disciples in white robes hurried by, each heading to their own Training Ground.

Amidst the sea of white, only a spot of pale yellow stood out-Chu Zaishuang, who wasn’t wearing the sect uniform. Her gaze darted about, her steps dragging, escorted by Fei Wanghuai as she searched for a chance to escape.

Fei Wanghuai noticed the glances from passersby and suddenly slowed his pace, looking her up and down. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you wear the Cloud Water Robe.”

The first thing new disciples did upon entering was receive their sect uniform, called the Cloud Water Robe. On Qionglian Twelve Islands, no one failed to recognize this garment. When Fei Wanghuai went to Mortal Dust Marsh yesterday to fetch her, Aunt Sun immediately saw through his identity.

Yet Chu Zaishuang wore a yellow shirt embroidered with willow-like blue patterns, looking less like a cultivator and more like a mortal girl-no wonder she was always stared at by other disciples.
“I don’t want to wear it.”

“Why?” Fei Wanghuai asked. “All Lotus Flower Sect disciples have to wear the Cloud Water Robe.”

“People wear clothes, not the other way around. Just because someone puts on a Cloud Water Robe, does that automatically make them a Lotus Flower Sect disciple?” she replied casually. “So it doesn’t really matter whether I wear it or not.”

Fei Wanghuai’s heart skipped a beat. He couldn’t tell where her words were coming from, and wondered if she had noticed something. He was about to turn and study her expression when a nearby disciple interrupted.

“You actually found her!” Li Jingjie exclaimed, catching up from behind when he saw Fei Wanghuai walking side by side with someone. “Is this…”

Fei Wanghuai said, “This is Chu Zaishuang.”

Chu Zaishuang was always sociable. She greeted him openly, “Hello.”

“Hello, I’m Li Jingjie.” Li Jingjie noticed her attire didn’t conform to sect rules, and a hint of confusion flashed across his face. He hesitated, “Are you really Senior Brother Chu’s…”

Chu Bingxiao held high prestige among the disciples, but Chu Zaishuang’s style was completely different, leaving people puzzled. Everyone had heard of her, but no one had ever seen her. Some had even guessed she was just like Chu Bingxiao, always quoting sect rules since childhood-a stern, upright, and strict ice-cold female cultivator.

But the girl before them wore a yellow robe, fresh and vibrant like an orange, exuding a sweet and tangy aura.

Chu Zaishuang replied cheerfully, “Yes, I’m his good-for-nothing little sister.”

“Haha, how could that be?” Li Jingjie laughed. “Senior Brother Chu’s sister can’t possibly be good-for-nothing.”

Chu Zaishuang said, “Well, it looks like I’ll have to use my skills to break your stereotypes about him.”

Fei Wanghuai: “…Should Chu Bingxiao be thanking you for your thoughtfulness?”

The three of them arrived at the Lecture Hall together. The disciples inside were already settled, so Chu Zaishuang’s appearance was especially conspicuous. As soon as she entered, all kinds of gazes turned her way. She was like an outsider stepping into a snowy white forest, with the natives watching her curiously or warily, observing her without a word.

Chu Zaishuang wasn’t wearing the Cloud Water Robe, but she wasn’t intimidated by the strange looks. She followed Fei Wanghuai to her seat and quickly slumped softly over her desk, as if her bones had been taken out.

She didn’t unroll any scrolls, but instead lay on the table, curiously staring at the female cultivator diagonally in front of her. The girl had her hair braided with red crystal stones, the hairpiece resembling a string of fresh, dripping fruit-quite different from the other Lotus Flower Sect female disciples.

Fei Wanghuai glanced sideways and saw she was looking at Su Hongli. He didn’t have much impression of Su Hongli, only recalling that she was familiar with spirit herbs and usually kept a low profile in the Lecture Hall.

A moment later, Chu Bingxiao entered holding a scroll. His gaze paused briefly on Chu Zaishuang before his face returned to its usual icy, expressionless calm. He began teaching, “Today we will study the Rippling Water Technique. This is a water manipulation spell that can be used to practice gathering and condensing energy, helping everyone lay a solid foundation for cultivation.”

Everyone sat up straight and listened attentively, except for one grating male voice that interrupted.

“Senior Brother Chu, do we really need to learn the Rippling Water Technique?” Lu Hewei scoffed. “Isn’t this child’s play? Everyone already knows it. Why not teach us something more practical?”

“Yeah, yeah! Teach us something more challenging!”

As soon as Lu Hewei spoke, his close friends echoed him, drawing the attention of others. This group didn’t care at all, instead glaring back arrogantly.

Although the new disciples shared the same Lecture Hall, there were clear divisions within. Different backgrounds separated them into factions-noble families and grassroots each had their own camps.

Li Jingjie clicked his tongue. “Here we go again.”

Chu Zaishuang tilted her head, puzzled. “What is it?”

“These guys have always been arrogant. They’ve been exposed to cultivation longer and love to interrupt in class, just because they…” Li Jingjie met the girl’s bright, sparkling eyes and suddenly remembered her background, so he stopped himself.

However, Chu Zaishuang had already caught his meaning. She pointed her thumb at herself and said frankly, “Just because they have a good father? No one knows that better than me!”

Li Jingjie snorted with laughter, then looked at Fei Wanghuai and remarked, “Your desk mate is really interesting. No wonder you said you two hit it off right away and regretted not meeting sooner.”

Chu Zaishuang was surprised. “He said that?”

“Of course! He said he enjoyed talking with you and praised your abilities, complimenting you a lot!” Li Jingjie winked. “Isn’t that right, Wanghuai?”
Fei Wanghuai did not deny it. He chuckled softly, “She does have skills.” For example, the skill of being infuriating.

Chu Zaishuang was stunned, not expecting her new deskmate to rate her so highly, and her expression became subtly complicated. She glanced at Fei Wanghuai, then at Li Jingjie, and said tactfully, “My deskmate is good at everything except judging people. I suggest you don’t listen to him too much in the future.” She was clearly only skilled at being useless.

Li Jingjie: “?”

Fei Wanghuai: “…”

Chu Bingxiao, acting as the instructor, listened to Lu Hewei’s words with no particular expression on his face. “I know some of you have learned this before, but everyone’s experiences are different, and your cultivation keeps changing. Today we can review it; perhaps you’ll gain new insights.”

He picked up a kettle and poured water, filling a porcelain cup with clear water, the full surface trembling on the verge of spilling.

In the next moment, Chu Bingxiao pointed with his finger, and the water rose into the air, floating into his palm, instantly condensing into a half-transparent green lotus. The lotus was formed from golden-green spiritual energy, its tender petals seemingly touched by dew, with the veins and stamen clearly visible, vivid and lifelike.

“If anyone doesn’t wish to learn, as long as you can reach this standard, you may leave the Lecture Hall now and need not continue with this lesson.”

Below the stage, someone saw the green lotus in his hand and exclaimed, “Golden Lotus Condensing Emerald!”

The path of cultivation is like the growth of a plant: One Leaf prepares the materials, Two Leaves sows the seed, Three Leaves breaks through the earth and blooms. After Three Leaves, a cultivator will give birth to the Primordial Spirit Flower in their sea of consciousness-this is the foundation of cultivation, akin to the cultivator’s Dao heart.

The finer the flower’s appearance, the greater the cultivator’s potential, and the techniques that follow will differ as well. The lotus is already the gentleman among flowers, but the one before them was even rarer-a Golden Lotus Condensing Emerald, further highlighting Chu Bingxiao’s uniqueness!

With the appearance of the green lotus, the whole hall was in an uproar!

“I’ve never seen anyone use the Rippling Water Technique to sculpt a Primordial Spirit Flower so intricately…” someone muttered in a daze, “Maybe what I learned before was a fake Rippling Water Technique.”

“Ha, just look at who he is and who you are. Why embarrass yourself?”

Lu Hewei’s face turned from green to white in an instant. He had indeed learned the Rippling Water Technique, but compared to Chu Bingxiao, his skill was far inferior.

Chu Bingxiao glanced around and said indifferently, “Does anyone want to come up and try?”

The crowd instantly fell silent, even holding their breath.

He nodded. “Good, then let’s begin the lesson. There are tea sets on your desks for everyone to use.”

The Rippling Water Technique uses water to condense the Primordial Spirit Flower, training the gathering of spiritual energy and deepening one’s understanding of the Dao heart-a fundamental exercise. Only by fully comprehending the Primordial Spirit Flower can one better study advanced techniques, or even create one’s own unique techniques and Flower Realm.

After explaining the key points, Chu Bingxiao let everyone begin practicing, planning to guide them one by one.

Fei Wanghuai had long wanted to find out what Chu Zaishuang’s Primordial Spirit Flower was. Now, as soon as he thought about it, the opportunity presented itself. He filled two empty teacups with water and pushed one toward her. “This is your cup.”

Chu Zaishuang replied cheerfully, “Alright, thank you.”

“If there’s anything you didn’t understand just now, you can ask me or Senior Brother Chu.”

“Alright, thank you.”

“Today we’re learning the Rippling Water Technique. You can start practicing now.”

“Alright, thank you.”

Fei Wanghuai listened to her parrot-like responses and silently waved his hand in front of her eyes.

“Alright, thank you.”

“…”

Alright.

Thank you for your perfunctory replies.

Chu Zaishuang maintained her well-behaved posture, her crystal-clear apricot eyes blinking, but her thoughts had clearly drifted far away. She showed no intention of touching the teacup, like a soulless, dazed bird, only able to repeat the same phrase!

Fei Wanghuai gradually understood Aunt Sun’s words. Interacting with Chu Zaishuang daily truly felt like a mortal teaching a child-she only moved when given a direct order, and often didn’t respond at all, her mind wandering, leaving one both frustrated and exasperated.

Perhaps the deepest divide between people is that he wants to fight her to the death, while she just replies with “Abba Abba.”