CH 21.1

Nan Yaoquan looked at the young cultivator on the ground, furrowing his brows.

Peeping and then demanding compensation for the fruits, acting so unrepentant; this guy really needed to be taught a lesson.

“Is this how the disciples of Qingling behave?” He waved his hand, and the scattered rotten fruits on the ground started trembling.

In the blink of an eye, they gathered in front of Shen Liuxiang.

Not only did all the fruits restore to their original state, but they were also neatly categorized—apples, grapes, and oranges lined up in rows, perfectly organized.

Shen Liuxiang was dumbfounded.

This spell was too incredible. Although the novel had repeatedly described Nan Yaoquan as possessing extraordinary talents, capable of using some unheard-of powerful spells, only now, seeing it with his own eyes, did he truly realize its magnificence.

He casually grabbed an orange, pinched it with his slender white fingers, and looked at Nan Yaoquan with confusion.

Wait… since when did he have such a good temper?

As he was contemplating this, he suddenly realized something. He threw the orange he was holding toward Nan Yaoquan and, at the same time, agilely moved away from the pile of fruits.

Almost in the instant of his movement, explosions sounded in the pavilion.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

All the fruits exploded. If Shen Liuxiang hadn’t avoided them in time, he would have been covered in fruit juices of various colors.

Nan Yaoquan lowered his gaze, looking at the orange juice stains on his robe. His face turned iron-blue as he turned to Ling Ye and asked, “If I killed this person, what would you do?”

Ling Ye smiled faintly, “Even if you wanted to kill him, you wouldn’t be able to.”

Feeling the fierce murderous intent in the vicious gaze, Shen Liuxiang’s heart pounded. After all, the Demon Lord was a ruthless killer. He quickly took three steps and stood by his  Senior Brother’s side.

Nan Yaoquan used a cleansing spell to remove the stains from his robe, withdrew his unkind gaze, and said in a low voice, “I’m not here to cause trouble for Qingling Sect. I’ve come to take someone away.”

“Who?” Lingye frowned.

“Su Baiche.”

Ling Ye shook his head, “That’s not possible.”

Nan Yaoquan turned around, his gaze falling on the calm lake surface, “I’m just here to inform you.”

Shen Liuxiang’s eyes flickered.

In the original story, the Demon Lord discovered that Su Baiche looked exactly like his deceased brother. He placed all his affection on Su Baiche and brought him to the Demon Realm, showing him endless favor.

Now, it was time to take Su Baiche away.

As for why he didn’t take him quietly and instead boldly announced it to Ling Ye, it was purely because Nan Yaoquan was too arrogant, doing things that were beyond human comprehension, and he had the habit of notifying his opponents beforehand.

In his words and actions, there was an overbearing message—If I want to do this, dare to stop me?

Ling Ye’s face turned slightly serious, “He is a member of Qingling Sect.”

Nan Yaoquan sneered, “Soon, he will be a member of the Demon Realm.”

A chilly night wind swept through the pavilion, filling the air with a scent of gunpowder.

Shen Liuxiang sighed in his heart.

Ling Ye and Nan Yaoquan were once best friends during their youth, and even later, after one became the sect master of an Immortal sect and the other became the Demon Realm’s sovereign, they still showed consideration for each other.

However, in the later stages, they tore their faces apart because of Su Baiche, becoming enemies.

While reading the novel, he felt sour and sweet, and now, he could experience firsthand the tense atmosphere surrounding the protagonist. He couldn’t help but laugh out loud, thoroughly enjoying the moment.

The two gazes simultaneously swept over him.

Shen Liuxiang quickly covered his mouth and blinked dryly.

Nan Yaoquan stared at him for a while, becoming even more displeased. He frowned and said, “Ling Ye, you are too mild-mannered, allowing the disciples in the sect to act so recklessly. If you let me discipline him for a few days, he will become an obedient person.”

Shen Liuxiang: “…”

He remembered it now. Nan Yaoquan was arrogant and would try to correct anything that displeased him. If he couldn’t correct it, he would destroy it.

After bringing Su Baiche to the Demon Realm, although he treated him with utmost favor and found various rare treasures for him, Nan Yaoquan was especially annoyed by Su Baiche’s soft-heartedness. Once, he even controlled him to kill people for several days and nights to make him toughen up emotionally.

As a result, Su Baiche developed a psychological shadow toward blood and both respected and feared Nan Yaoquan.

Ling Ye smiled gently, “My Junior Brother is straightforward, and I find it quite pleasing.”

“He is your Junior Brother?” Nan Yaoquan squinted, showing disgust. “I don’t find him that appealing. If Su Baiche is anything like him, I’m afraid I’ll be utterly disappointed.”

Shen Liuxiang gritted his teeth.

The topic shifted back to Su Baiche, and the harmonious atmosphere disappeared. Nan Yaoquan took the lead, saying, “Tomorrow at the hour of Chen(1), I will take him away.”

Ling Ye remained calm, “We have fought several times, and you’ve never won.”

“That was a long time ago,” Nan Yaoquan’s voice grew low, tinged with self-ridicule and regret. “If I had the power  that I have now, my brother wouldn’t have died so tragically.”

Ling Ye remained silent.

Nan Yaoquan clenched his fist, and the surrounding spiritual energy trembled faintly. “Some hypocrites in the cultivation world are even more disgusting than demons. You can tolerate being around them, but I can’t!”

With the pavilion at its center, the lake surface churned with enormous waves.

The sudden release of pressure made Shen Liuxiang uncomfortable. Seeing that Nan Yaoquan’s anger was still rising, he casually interrupted, “Why is it the hour of Chen? Wouldn’t nighttime be better?”

Nan Yaoquan paused, “What grievances do you have with Su Baiche?”

As fellow sect members, he should be concerned about Su Baiche’s safety. But instead, Shen Liuxiang was encouraging him to take the person away as soon as possible. What was his intention?

Nan Yaoquan’s dangerous gaze locked onto Shen Liuxiang, “I heard that he is being bullied by someone in Qingling Sect. Is that person you?”

Shen Liuxiang froze.

Even though Su Baiche was a substitute for the ultimate younger brother of Nan Yaoquan, if Shen Liuxiang dared to nod at this moment, it wouldn’t be long before he’d have his disciple come to collect his body.

Shen Liuxiang fell silent for a moment before calmly saying, “I have a close relationship with Su Baiche. I take care of him the most within the sect. Not long ago, in the middle of the night, I even brought him a bowl of his favorite lotus seed soup. Everyone in the sect knows about it.”

Ling Ye smiled quietly.

Nan Yaoquan coldly snorted, “That’s better.”

So, Su Baiche liked lotus seed soup, and once they were in the Demon Realm, people would prepare it for him every day.

Looking at the night sky, Nan Yaoquan said, “Su Baiche is still resting. When he wakes at the hour of Chen, I’ll take him back to the Demon Realm.”

Shen Liuxiang marveled at this.

Seeing that the Demon Lord and his Senior Brother showed no intention of leaving and seemed to be planning to maintain this stalemate until morning, he quietly slipped away and returned to Chaoyun Peak. In the excitement of the late night, he couldn’t sleep and knocked on Zhou Xuanlan’s door.

Soon, the door creaked open.

The young man’s eyebrows showed a hint of sleepiness as his voice mixed with morning hoarseness said, “Master.”

Shen Liuxiang said, “I couldn’t sleep because of the Sect Master.”

Zhou Xuanlan’s sleepiness vanished, and he looked a bit uneasy, “Master, do you want to… have a serious talk with your disciple?”

Shen Liuxiang quickly shook his head, “No, just accompany me to Wanshui Town.”

Zhou Xuanlan asked, “Does Master have some important matters?”

Shen Liuxiang’s lips curled slightly, his eyes brightening, “Buy some melon seeds. We’ll watch a play tomorrow.”

In the late night, not many shops were open. Shen Liuxiang used his spiritual sense to search for a while and found a small shop where he bought the melon seeds and two strings of candied haws.

Handing one string to his disciple, he instructed, “Don’t practice by the river tomorrow.”

Zhou Xuanlan looked puzzled.

Shen Liuxiang peeled off the outer layer of the hawthorn, took a bite of the bright red fruit, and mumbled, “There might be danger. Remember to stay by my side at all times tomorrow.”

Zhou Xuanlan was startled and tightened his grip on the candied haws.

The next day, the first rays of sunlight appeared.

Shen Liuxiang was awakened by the commotion outside. Even at Chaoyun Peak, he could hear bursts of noise.

Zhou Xuanlan stood outside the door and hesitated for a moment before knocking.

Shen Liuxiang casually grabbed a robe and draped it over himself. With sleepy eyes, he opened the door, “What’s going on? Why is there so much noise in the sect?”

Zhou Xuanlan said, “The Demon Lord has come and captured Su Baiche.”

Shen Liuxiang’s eyes widened, and all traces of sleepiness vanished.

Already captured?!

It wasn’t even the hour of Chen yet. Moreover, in the original story, Nan Yaoquan fought with his senior brother for a whole day before successfully capturing him.

How could it be so smooth now? Could it be that Su Baiche walked right into the trap himself?

Shen Liuxiang’s guess was almost spot on.

After hearing Tong Xi’s words last night, Su Baiche immediately decided to go with Nan Yaoquan. He couldn’t wait to join the Demon Realm.

With the appearance of the all-powerful Demon Lord, what was there to hesitate about? Once he reached the Demon Realm, he would have the Demon Lord find all the spiritual treasures and rare treasures in the world to help him break through to the Nascent Soul realm.

He would no longer have to pretend to be a good person in Qingling Sect!

T/N: Su Baiche is tired of pretending to be a good person LMAO

(1) The hour of Chen refers to the time period between 7:00 AM and 9:00 AM in modern timekeeping, which corresponds to the Earthly Branch “Chen” (辰) in the traditional Chinese calendar.