Volume 1, Chapter 19: Do You Like Him?

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Bai Zhi’s face was extremely pale, her expression filled with pain. Bright red blood trickled down from the corner of her mouth, staining her white dress a deep crimson.

“Hey! You old witch!”

Jiu Ze’s heart tightened. He rose quickly and caught her trembling, collapsing body.

“Old witch, wake up! Hey! Bai Zhi...”

Seeing her lose consciousness in his arms, Jiu Ze’s cold demeanor shattered, replaced entirely by panic. He lightly tapped her face, but his hand was stained with blood.

His cultivation was not high, and he had no idea what had happened to Bai Zhi. Agitated, he grit his teeth and, cradling her sideways, leapt out of the cave.

“Where’s the old fox? Old Mu, old fox, where is he?”

Spotting Old Mu standing guard at the cave entrance, Jiu Ze grabbed him impatiently and asked.

“Bai Zhenren, she…”

Old Mu was startled at the sight of Bai Zhi’s condition but quickly composed himself.

“Young master, don’t worry. Return and wait here; I’ll immediately notify Elder Fox.”

After placing Bai Zhi on a stone bed, Jiu Ze folded his arms and paced anxiously, his eyes constantly flickering over her face, each glance stirring more frustration.

“Old witch, I only asked you to treat a minor injury, and you’ve ended up like this—useless!”

“Wake up... Didn’t you want to be my master? You’re faking death, trying to abandon me?”

“What exactly happened to you...”

Jiu Ze sat down irritably beside the bed, tracing the contours of her side profile, his hand resting limply by his side.

He couldn’t understand—she was only supposed to heal his wound, so how had she suddenly become so gravely injured?

Suddenly, a fiery red fox leapt into the cave, then spun around, transforming into a middle-aged man with red hair and beard.

“Young master.”

Upon seeing the man, Jiu Ze’s eyes brightened. He sprang to his feet and dragged the man to the bedside.

“Old Fox, quickly examine her! What’s wrong with her?”

“Don’t be anxious, young master.”

Chi Huai pressed two fingers to Bai Zhi’s brow.

After sensing her condition, he furrowed his brow and withdrew his hand.

“She… seems to have just been struck by heavenly thunder. There’s residual power from a thunder tribulation in her body.”

“Heavenly thunder?! The old witch was just struck by lightning?!”

Jiu Ze exclaimed, “Is she okay?”

Chi Huai shook his head.

“It’s nothing serious, not a big problem. She was recently struck by heavenly thunder and forcefully circulated her energy earlier…”

Hearing she was fine, Jiu Ze stopped listening and plopped down on a nearby chair, crossing his legs with a cold expression, though his gaze remained fixed on Bai Zhi’s face.

“As long as she’s not dead. That old witch deserves to be struck by lightning!”

“Young master...”

“Enough. If there’s nothing wrong, you may leave.”

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Chi Huai knew well of Jiu Ze’s impatient temper and smiled wryly.

“Though she’s not seriously injured, she still needs proper treatment, otherwise…”

Jiu Ze, still leisurely swinging his leg, suddenly halted.

“Otherwise what?”

“There might be hidden injuries left behind. If she wants to further her cultivation later, there could be complications.”

Chi Huai smiled bitterly as Jiu Ze’s face flickered with changing emotions, then added, “All she needs is to go to Canglang Mountain to fetch the Divine Wild Water. After drinking it and resting for a while, she should recover…”

Before he finished, a gust of wind swept through, and Jiu Ze vanished from the cave.

“Young master... sigh!” Chi Huai pressed a hand to his forehead, muttering, “This boy really is troublesome…”

Suddenly, he snapped upright and chased after him.

“Young master! Wait! Canglang Mountain is on the verge of a beast surge, with many ferocious spiritual beasts gathered there! It’s dangerous!”

Upon hearing that Jiu Ze had gone to Canglang Mountain to fetch the Divine Wild Water, the Demon Empress nearly fainted.

“Mu Ye, Chi Huai, I’m entrusting you both. You must ensure Ze’er’s safety!”

The Demon Empress, restless, entered the cave.

Looking at the unconscious Bai Zhi, she slowly lifted a dagger.

For her only son’s sake, Bai Zhi... could not remain alive.

Her hand trembled, teeth clenched, and she stabbed toward Bai Zhi’s heart.

“Thump.”

A muffled sound came as a faint white light radiated from Bai Zhi’s body, blocking the dagger’s thrust.

“What is this...?”

The Demon Empress was stunned. Gathering all her strength again, she stabbed fiercely, but still could not come close to Bai Zhi.

The dagger fell to the ground. The Demon Empress’s eyes glazed over as she murmured.

“Could that ancient prophecy... be coming true?”

Only one day later, Bai Zhi slowly regained consciousness.

She looked around and realized she was lying in Jiu Ze’s mountain cave, with only the Demon Empress quietly sitting on a soft sedan chair nearby.

“Bai Zhenren, you’re awake?”

The Demon Empress’s expression was ambiguous and dark.

“Demon Empress,” Bai Zhi sat up, “Why are you here? Where’s Jiu Ze?”

“He went to Canglang Mountain.”

Bai Zhi was momentarily stunned but quickly realized.

“That place is dangerous now. Why would he go there?”

The Demon Empress looked at Bai Zhi directly, not answering her question.

“Did you just endure a thunder tribulation? Your cultivation hasn’t advanced—why would you suffer such a tribulation without cause?”

“I... have already severed ties with Sect Leader Yuan. The karmic bonds are broken.”

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Bai Zhi answered truthfully.

Since she practiced human cultivation, even if the Heavenly Dao’s divine sound was heard at the time of separation, the demon cultivators would not perceive it, so the Demon Empress’s ignorance was understandable.

The Demon Empress paused at the reply, clearly not expecting it, and a strange look deepened in her eyes, one Bai Zhi could not decipher.

“Demon Empress, what is it?”

The Demon Empress withdrew her gaze and shook her head.

“Jiu Ze went to Canglang Mountain to fetch the Divine Wild Water for you. Rest assured, I have already dispatched people to protect him.”

A warm feeling stirred in Bai Zhi’s heart, and she shook her head with a wry smile.

“As expected, that fellow’s just all talk…”

“Yes, this child…”

“I quite like his temperament.”

“You like him?”

The Demon Empress’s question left Bai Zhi somewhat bewildered, especially given the look in her eyes, as if hiding something.

Realizing the Demon Empress might have misunderstood, Bai Zhi smiled gently.

“He is my only disciple. I will protect Jiu Ze well in the future.”

“Bai Zhenren, I hope you mean that. After all, Jiu Ze is the future demon king, bearing heavy responsibilities for the demon race.”

The Demon Empress lowered her eyes, poured a cup of tea, and fell silent.

“All right, rest well. I won’t disturb you anymore.”

She cast Bai Zhi a deep glance before departing.

Watching her leave, Bai Zhi took a pill and began to regulate her breath and heal.

* * *

Morning.

Yunqing Sect.

The craftsmen they had hired busily repaired the buildings. Despite the bustling comings and goings, the atmosphere was heavy and oppressive.

Yuan Lingqing practiced swordplay silently in the training ground, as if venting the resentment trapped in his heart.

Fu Ming frowned and nudged Zhou Yan’s arm.

“Senior Brother, what’s wrong with Master?”

Zhou Yan looked tired around the eyes.

“I don’t know. Probably angry at the senior mistress.”

“The senior mistress is so willful. How did I never notice before? She really is like this.”

Fu Ming anxiously scratched his head just as Xie Liangyu approached with an icy expression.

“Hey! Sixth junior brother! Master... don’t go!”

Fu Ming and Zhou Yan watched helplessly as Xie Liangyu strode directly into the training ground, knelt down, and bowed deeply toward the building.