The Demon Lord and I: Frenemies - chapter 42

Chapter 42

Lotus Flower Sect, Wangyue Marsh.

The corpse of the Taohuo Wolf lay flat on the stones, the blood on its gray fur dried and congealed, leaving only a faint dark red.

After Chu Chenyue and Yao Wensheng examined it, both wore grave expressions for a moment.

“Cultivating Beast Cultivators to create chaos, then using them as a pretext for further trouble-the scheme is quite elaborate,” Chu Chenyue said coldly. “We must act within these two days.”

Yao Wensheng sighed in distress. “I never expected that the mastermind behind this would resemble me so closely.”

Earlier, the disciples in white had come to report. They found it difficult to speak up upon seeing the Medicine Elder present. Chu Chenyue asked Yao Wensheng to step aside, and only then did she learn that another Evil Cultivator had provided clues, suggesting that the mastermind behind the scenes was suspected to be an Alchemist from Thousand-Gold Peak, and bore a striking resemblance to the Medicine Elder.

“Of course I trust you, but you should be more cautious. For someone to imitate you so perfectly, they must be extremely close to you.”

Chu Chenyue continued, “Now that the Heart-Clearing Pills are ready, losing Qiandu Island for the time being won’t affect us much, but this is not a long-term solution. In the next couple of days, I will announce that you are being detained. You should go search the other islands to see if there are any other places suitable for cultivating Spiritual Herbs.”

“Alright, I’ll return to my peak, pack up, and set out immediately.” Yao Wensheng hunched his figure, scratched his head, and asked, “Wait, if I come back, won’t everything be over by then?”

Given his understanding of the Sect Leader’s decisive style, things would probably be settled in a day or two.

“Yes.”

Yao Wensheng shook his head and sighed, “Ah, what a pity. In the end, I still didn’t set foot on Qiandu Island…”

*

On the other side, a group of four returned to the sect. After Fei Wanghuai and Li Jingjie handed in their tasks, they each returned to their own divisions. Chu Zaishuang and Su Hongli, however, made a trip to Tingyun Lake, bringing along the Twin Spirit Heart Flower and some Elixirs, intending to report the situation to Chu Chenyue.

Lu Ge had been ordered to test the medicine, but said that due to the lack of one ingredient, she couldn’t prepare the proper dosage-perhaps it was the missing Twin Spirit Heart Flower. They had originally thought the Twin Spirit Heart Flower was wild, but now suspected it was closely related to the destroyed Minor Paradise. Naturally, they dared not make this public and wanted to quietly inform the Sect Leader.

On the way, the two had just arrived at Wangyue Marsh when they heard another piece of news.

Su Hongli was at a loss. “What? Master is being detained?”

“Yes, the Medicine Elder volunteered to be detained in order to clear his name, and the Sect Leader has agreed to this.”

“Don’t be in such a hurry to detain him. Let him help us first,” Chu Zaishuang said, taking three steps at a time as she hurried toward the small building in Wangyue Marsh. “After we’ve consulted him, he can be detained for as long as he likes.”

Su Hongli got up to chase after her, worrying, “But now that Master is under suspicion, can we still ask him? What if he really is…”

“He absolutely isn’t. Trust me, it’s impossible.”

“But…”

“The Medicine Elder’s relationship with my parents is just like yours with me-it’s been tested and proven!” Chu Zaishuang looked back at her, enunciating each word. “There were many High-Level Cultivators who survived the great war back then, but those who stayed together afterward were not just friends, but also shared the same ideals!”

Seeing the brightness in Chu Zaishuang’s eyes, Su Hongli was momentarily stunned.

“He truly recognized the value of the Qionglian Twelve Islands, which is why he chose to help establish them. So it can’t be him.”

Although most cultivators no longer cared about the history of the islands, Chu Zaishuang had heard her father mention it in passing. Even back then, after everyone fought side by side to defeat the Demon Cultivators, they hadn’t fully agreed with each other. Because of differing views on governance, the High-Level Cultivators split into three factions, each establishing their own domain.

If Yao Wensheng had harbored ulterior motives, he could have joined another faction from the start. There was no need for him to endure for so long, unlike the Island Lords who joined the Qionglian Twelve Islands later.

Hearing Chu Zaishuang’s certainty, Su Hongli relaxed a little. “If Master truly isn’t involved, that’s a relief…”

“He isn’t, he definitely isn’t.”

The two of them, panting, ran to the small building in Wangyue Marsh. After greeting Qin Huan, who was guarding the door, they headed straight for the Sect Leader’s room.

“Come in,” Chu Chenyue called when she heard the knock. Seeing the two enter, she was momentarily surprised. “Shuang’er, what brings you here? Is your father still not teaching you well enough, so you’re thinking of transferring to Wangyue Marsh?”

“Mother…” Chu Zaishuang was about to call out, but seeing the other dressed in the Sect Leader’s outer robe, she hesitated and immediately corrected herself, “Sect Leader, the Medicine Elder is not the mastermind-the real culprit is someone else.”

Chu Chenyue noticed their slightly disheveled hair from running. She gave Qin Huan at the door a subtle look, and Qin Huan quietly closed the door and cast a spell to prevent anyone outside from overhearing their conversation.

“Shuang’er, don’t worry. I know someone is trying to frame the Medicine Elder. Detaining him now is just a delaying tactic.” Chu Chenyue looked at the two gently. “I’ve heard about your exploits-you actually captured the Evil Cultivator from the Charred Corpse Case. That Taohuo Wolf had Five Leaves of cultivation. As new disciples, you’re even more impressive than Xiao’er was back in the day.”

“He wasn’t really killed by us-it was mainly thanks to the head brought by the Medicine Elder’s people…” Chu Zaishuang snapped back to her senses. “No, Mother, don’t keep praising us like children. There’s something else we need to show you!”
Mother is good at everything-except for telling the truth with a straight face. Back when she was roasting duck in Mortal Dust Marsh, she spun it as ‘experiencing the sentiments of the common people and comprehending cultivation in the midst of mortal joys and sorrows.’ It was pure fabrication, forced and far-fetched.

Yet because Mother always acted so serious, she was even more likely to fool others than my unreliable-looking father.

“Su Hongli, did you bring it out?”

Su Hongli nodded at the words, carefully taking out the Twin Spirit Heart Flower and placing it on the Sect Leader’s desk. Delicate petals, lush green leaves, flecks of gold and emerald-two kinds of spiritual energy intertwined. Just by drawing near, one could catch a rich herbal fragrance in the air.

“Is this a Spirit Heart Flower?” Chu Chenyue hesitated briefly. She stood up and touched a petal. “No, the number of petals is different, and the spiritual energy is much more abundant.”

“We found it outside a broken Minor Paradise. At first, we thought it was just wild Spiritual Herb, but now I wonder if someone cultivated it…”

Chu Zaishuang explained the situation from start to finish, even mentioning the elixir formula from Lu Ge, and the mysterious Elixir tested with the Heavenly Treasure Weasel, afraid to leave out any detail.

Chu Chenyue listened quietly. Fixing her gaze on the Twin Spirit Heart Flower, she suddenly said, “Shuang’er, you say you want to use this for alchemy, but I see there’s only one stalk. I’m afraid that won’t be enough material?”

Lu Hengzhou’s private experimentation with the Elixir had been confirmed. Yet Chu Chenyue had not expected her daughter to inadvertently dig up the most crucial Spiritual Herb. Back then, Li Qin, forced to give up the formula, was likely unwilling to reveal his results-so he tossed the Twin Spirit Heart Flower outside the Minor Paradise.

A group of schemers tried everything to research a Divine Elixir to boost cultivation, only for two naive young cultivators to actually create one. Truly, fate works in strange ways.

Chu Zaishuang was stunned. “We only brought back one. There were plenty left behind.”

“How many did you find in total?”

“One or two? But later Su Hongli cultivated them, and now there’s a whole patch.”

Chu Chenyue was astonished. “You mean it can be cultivated?”

Chu Zaishuang exchanged a look with Su Hongli, not understanding her mother’s surprise. She nodded, “Yes. We planted them in front of-Father’s… in front of the Vice Sect Leader’s cottage.”

“Such rare Spiritual Herbs, produced by grafting, shouldn’t be able to be cultivated further. The owner of that Minor Paradise was called Li Qin. He specially grafted Spiritual Herbs for his formula and only managed to grow one or two. He planned to save enough herbs to refine his elixir, but he was killed before he could.”

“You two haven’t even reached the Transformation Realm, and yet you managed to cultivate it-beyond what a Six Leaves cultivator could do?”

Chu Chenyue stood and approached the two girls, gazing at the downcast Su Hongli. Calmly, she asked, “Your name is Su Hongli, right? Look into my eyes and answer me carefully-did you really cultivate these yourself?”

Seeing the Sect Leader’s expressionless face, Su Hongli grew nervous. She shrank back, unable to meet Chu Chenyue’s gaze. “…Yes.”

Chu Zaishuang saw how stern her mother looked and, afraid she had done something wrong, quickly tried to defend her friend: “Mother, it’s mainly my fault. I didn’t realize it was a grafted plant and thought it was just wild Spiritual Herb, so we tried to cultivate it!”

Back then, there were countless ordinary Spirit Heart Flowers next to the Twin Spirit Heart Flower, so naturally, they assumed it was a wild variant-who would have guessed it was deliberately planted?

Everyone agreed: grafted Spiritual Herbs couldn’t be cultivated further. The most amazing thing was that Su Hongli managed to grow them, so of course they thought it was a wild Spiritual Herb!

“I dug up the herb, but the cultivation was done by me…” Su Hongli sensed things were going badly, her eyes trembling as she stammered, “If there’s any problem, punish me. It has nothing to do with her.”

“But you gave the Elixir to me and didn’t keep any for yourself. Clearly, the issue is mine!”

“But I took the formula…”

The atmosphere grew tense.

Noticing Chu Chenyue drawing closer, the two thought they were in deep trouble and began to argue over who was responsible. Unexpectedly, their cheeks were suddenly pinched, kneaded several times, leaving them frozen in place.

Turning their heads, they saw Chu Chenyue had dropped her stern façade. Her icy composure had melted, replaced by a gentle smile.

Seeing their dazed expressions, she pinched their cheeks again and praised, “Truly remarkable. Cultivating new Spiritual Herbs is far more impressive than concocting some strange Divine Elixir.”

Chu Zaishuang, her face squished, mumbled, “Mother, you…”

She realized she’d forgotten that her brother inherited their mother’s habit-sometimes putting on a cold, aloof act, apparently just to intimidate people!

“If this is real, then you two have helped immensely-solving the Spiritual Herb shortage on the island, something even I couldn’t do.” Chu Chenyue sighed softly. “It seems we made the right choice. Cultivation isn’t the only way to break through obstacles-this is one of the few things lately that’s truly heartening.”

If the Twin Spirit Heart Flower could be widely cultivated, even if Qiandu Island perished, it wouldn’t be an issue-they could make up for the lost Herb Field. They had hesitated to deal with Lu Hengzhou precisely because of worries about their Spiritual Herb reserves, but now, that problem was resolved.
“Hong Li, perhaps one day you will surpass Yao Wensheng and become an Alchemist even more outstanding than your master.”

Su Hongli was delighted by the Sect Leader’s praise, her face instantly flushing red with embarrassment, unable to speak for quite a while.

“He would surely be pleased to hear this. Since he is still at Thousand-Gold Peak, go and tell him,” said Chu Chenyue. “Medicine Elder has not been detained; I have other arrangements for him, but to avoid drawing attention, I announced otherwise to the public. Do not spread this matter, and for now, keep the news of the new Spiritual Herb quiet-just inform him.”

“Yes!”

Chu Zaishuang and Su Hongli, upon learning that Medicine Elder was unharmed, exchanged a glance and joyfully agreed, preparing to head to Thousand-Gold Peak.

*

At Thousand-Gold Peak, Medicine Elder had volunteered to be confined to clear his name, causing a stir within the sect. Alchemists’ classes were temporarily suspended; they could only resume their cultivation once Yao Wensheng was released, meaning they would not see their master for some time.

Chu Zaishuang and Su Hongli hurried along, hearing plenty of rumors on the way. However, knowing the Sect Leader and Elder had a plan, they felt much more at ease and decided to show Yao Wensheng the Twin Spirit Heart Flower while he was still in the sect.

Chu Zaishuang was unfamiliar with Thousand-Gold Peak, so she followed Su Hongli, still conversing with Xiao Shi in her mind: “Suddenly, I remembered something Mother mentioned earlier.”

[What is it?]

“She said there is a shortage of Spiritual Herbs on the island, but looking around the sect, I haven’t noticed any lack. Could it be a future shortage?”

Currently, everything was normal on Qionglian Twelve Islands, with no sign of scarcity, leaving her puzzled.

Su Hongli led the way, explaining, “No matter where Master goes, he always carries Elixirs. He should be in the Alchemy Room; let’s look for him there, maybe we’ll catch him.”

“Alright.”

The two made their way through the chaotic crowd, heading toward the secluded Alchemy Room.

Inside the Alchemy Room, countless massive metal furnaces stood tall, one wall lined with wooden drawers filled with alchemical ingredients. This was Medicine Elder’s private Alchemy Room; ordinary Alchemists could not enter, only his direct disciples had access.

Yao Wensheng, with his body bent and a Yellow Gourd at his waist, was busy to the point of exhaustion, counting the Elixirs he needed to take with him. Traveling was never easy for him; testing Elixirs was his daily routine, and even when leaving, he would chew new Elixirs, occasionally poisoning himself mute.

His Transformation Realm Technique was related to medicine, making him immune to all poisons, but to experience the effects, he always retained his senses. He would record states such as loss of voice, severe pain, and coma to effectively test Elixirs-after all, the Elixirs were meant for other cultivators, and it was useless if only Yao Wensheng was immune to their toxicity.

“Which one is this? Why isn’t there even a label?”

On the table, a lonely Elixir sat in a vessel. If he had tested it before, he would have marked its effects to avoid repeated trials.

Yao Wensheng, always a bit muddled, scratched his head in a daze, unable to recall when he had placed it there or what kind of Elixir it was. He picked it up and sniffed-no medicinal scent, so he couldn’t identify it, and instinctively popped it into his mouth.

He smacked his lips, “I think I’ve tried this one before, I remember it was…”

Before he finished, his vision went black. With a soft thud, the Alchemy Room fell silent.

Knock, knock, knock-

“Master, are you there?”

Shan He stood outside the Alchemy Room, patiently knocking for a long time. When no one answered, he wondered aloud, “Strange, I just saw Master, and now he’s gone in the blink of an eye. Did he already leave?”

Chu Zaishuang and Su Hongli, not being direct disciples, could not approach Medicine Elder’s private Alchemy Room. Su Hongli asked her senior brother for help, and Shan He brought them over.

Chu Zaishuang asked, “Maybe he didn’t hear you?”

“Usually, when I knock, Master always responds. Looks like he’s really not here.”

Su Hongli said, “If he’s not in the Alchemy Room, maybe he’s at the Lecture Hall?”

“Possibly. I can take you to check,” Shan He replied. “Actually, you could wait for Master to come out and find him then. I trust Master-he would never use people to test Elixirs. There must be a misunderstanding, and the truth will come out sooner or later.”

Su Hongli, unable to reveal the truth, replied timidly, “I trust Master too, but I don’t know when he’ll be released…”

Shan He said, “True. Let’s go to the Lecture Hall, then. Will your friend come along?”

Chu Zaishuang considered, “The Alchemy Room and Lecture Hall are far apart. Maybe I’ll wait here-I feel like he should return soon, so we don’t miss him.”

“…Alright.”

Su Hongli and Shan He hesitated for a moment but decided to let her stay by the Alchemy Room.

The Alchemy Room was secluded, with no one around. From the outside, it looked unremarkable, with only a plain wooden door. The seemingly casual arrangement was actually well-protected; the walls were covered with intricate Magic Arrays, preventing any spell from being cast on it, making it impossible to blast open or probe inside.

Her father had once said that Medicine Elder disliked anyone but Alchemists entering the Alchemy Room. Every time he went in, he was chased out, scolded for being an outsider who might break the Elixirs.”
“If he cares so much about the Alchemy Room, there’s no reason he wouldn’t come before leaving.” Chu Zaishuang leaned casually against the wooden door, glancing around as she waited for someone. Suddenly, she heard the door creak and stood up in surprise.

Xiao Shi watched her circling the door and asked suspiciously, [What’s wrong?]

“Didn’t you say there’s a Magic Array on the door and walls, so it can’t be attacked and is immune to all spells?” Chu Zaishuang pushed the door, and sure enough, it creaked. “It doesn’t feel that sturdy to me. Look, there are even gaps in the wood.”

[The immunity to attacks comes from Medicine Elder’s spell, but that doesn’t mean the wooden door itself is strong. See, he wears the Yellow Gourd that entry-level Alchemists use every day, but he still uses it. It’s not about the item, it’s all about his cultivation.]

It was Yao Wensheng’s spiritual power that blocked attacks and shielded against spells, not the ordinary walls and wooden door.

“If that’s the case, then maybe if we don’t attack directly or use spells, but try something else, we might be able to get in?” Chu Zaishuang touched the gap, and thinking of her father’s actions, a sudden inspiration struck. “I remember Father once said that the Wuwo Sword isn’t a spell and doesn’t require a Primordial Spirit Flower…”

Although Su Tingyun couldn’t clearly explain the Wuwo Sword, he was certain she could use it back then, and he hadn’t seemed to be lying.

Moreover, Medicine Elder had once accused her father, clearly because he had broken into the Alchemy Room before. That meant this place wasn’t truly impregnable.

Xiao Shi watched as she released the Wuwo Sword with her left hand, the supple blade slipping into the gap in the wooden door. [Wait, what are you trying to do? Don’t tell me you’re…]

With a click, the mechanism inside the wooden door moved. Chu Zaishuang pushed it open a crack, exclaiming in shock, “It really was this simple!”

The wooden door was impervious to brute force and spells, but with a traditional mortal method, you could just pry it open from the inside when the opportunity arose. The Wuwo Sword was a flowing energy-it could become a sharp weapon or flow invisibly, so it wouldn’t trigger the Magic Array and naturally wouldn’t be affected.

“I have to say, Father really has some skills. No wonder he became one of the top three in the Immortal Sect!” Chu Zaishuang sighed. “Just this method of bypassing the defensive Magic Array-he could make a fortune as a thief!”

[Our ambitions should be loftier. Shouldn’t we be marveling at how the Wuwo Sword doesn’t need to be paired with other spells and is already so complete?]

Chu Bingxiao had once said that practicing the Wuwo Sword wasn’t suitable alongside too many other spells, or else there wouldn’t be enough spiritual energy to bring out its wonders. He probably sensed its advantages. It was just that he himself couldn’t tolerate slow progress-just the Wuwo Sword alone could replace many spells.

Chu Zaishuang poked her head around the door. “Would it be rude to go in? Should I lock the door again?”

She had only tried it on a whim and hadn’t expected it to work, but stepping inside seemed inappropriate.

[There was a Magic Array on the wall earlier and I didn’t feel anything, but now I think there’s someone inside.]

Chu Zaishuang paused, closed the wooden door, and tiptoed inside. Behind the tall alchemy furnace, she found a hunched figure collapsed on the ground. Yao Wensheng was unconscious, but still breathing, completely unresponsive to her calls.

“He must have taken the wrong medicine. I knew it, he’s not that smart.” Chu Zaishuang quickly stood up. “Let’s get someone to deal with this. Alchemists who randomly eat things really are hopeless.”

She strode toward the door, about to open it and leave, when she heard a click-the mechanism activated before she could react!

But she had clearly locked the door behind her when she came in, just in case she was caught on the spot!

Yao Wensheng was lying not far away. Chu Zaishuang didn’t know who was opening the door. She was about to activate the Green Butterfly she carried, but suddenly her internal organs went numb, her spiritual energy stopped flowing, her vision blurred, and her consciousness grew hazy. She collapsed helplessly to the ground.

The next second, the wooden door creaked open. The person who entered saw Chu Zaishuang and froze in shock.

*

Ripples shimmered on the water, and the boat rocked gently.

In a haze, it seemed as if someone was pacing back and forth, and voices murmured in low conversation.

[Wake up! If we don’t expel this medicinal power, we really will be poisoned to death!]

Chu Zaishuang felt as if a great force was crushing her. She was limp and couldn’t lift her hand. She struggled to open her eyes, but saw only endless darkness. At her ear, Xiao Shi chattered anxiously, urging her to wake up, afraid she’d lose consciousness again.

“Why did you bring her too? Weren’t we only supposed to capture Yao Wensheng?”

“I opened the door and she was there too. Luckily, I played it safe and used the anesthetic first. I was worried Yao Wensheng might not go down-he’s immune to all poisons. Who would’ve thought we’d catch another one.”

“Yao Wensheng being detained is normal if he goes missing, but if she disappears, our cover will be blown soon.”

“Don’t worry, the Island Lord has already made up his mind. We’ll act tonight, so there’s no need to be nervous.” Shan He glanced at the white-robed Female Cultivator in the cell. “This medicinal power targets High-Level Cultivators. She might not be able to withstand it-she could lose her life at any moment.”