Chapter Thirty-Six: Though Calamity, Yet Destiny
Master, I am innocent.
I lifted my head, my eyes brimming with tears as I gazed at Violet Lotus. His brows were tightly knit, as though he were troubled by matters concerning me.
After a long silence, he spoke, “The spiritual energy atop Lingyun Mountain is exceptionally dense, suffused with celestial aura. Ordinary demons cannot withstand it—the mountain’s divine atmosphere would overwhelm them. If she truly hails from the demon realm or the underworld, she could never remain here for two days and still appear unaffected.”
“This demon’s powers must be formidable indeed, to evade the mountain’s celestial aura. If I slay her with this sword, her true form will be revealed, and then we can discern if she is truly a demon.”
Yuanxu finished his words and made to draw his sword and advance toward me. The gesture startled me so much that my legs gave way and I collapsed to my knees.
“If you kill her, and she is not a demon, what then?”
A gentle breeze brushed my face. A flash of violet robes crossed my vision—Violet Lotus had stepped before me, shielding me from Yuanxu.
“This…”
For once, Yuanxu hesitated, though his sword remained unsheathed. He glanced coldly at me and said, “I will transfer a century’s cultivation to her, so she may reincarnate sooner and find a good family in her next life.”
“No, please, Master—”
Even if his sword would grant me a celestial existence in the next life, I would never accept such a bargain. Clutching at Violet Lotus’s robes, I tugged desperately, fearing his resolve might falter and cost me my life.
“What you say, I understand, Master. Yet since I have taken her as my disciple, I cannot go back on this decision,” Violet Lotus said firmly.
“Why are you so stubborn, brother?” Yuanxu shouted angrily.
“Whether fate or calamity, since it has arrived, why avoid it? Yuanxu, you worry too much.”
At that moment, the white-bearded Third Master stepped forward, smiling as he shook his whisk. “Her presence is not merely ‘calamity’ for Violet Lotus—there is more. Since he has agreed to take her as his disciple, we need not say any more.”
Hearing Third Master’s words, something stirred within me.
Calamity? I wondered what sort of calamity he spoke of—was it the pleasant kind, like a romance, or something akin to the curse of a femme fatale?
This, I could not predict. Calamity is calamity, I thought, just as Third Master said—where there is calamity, there is fate. It seemed my life would henceforth be entwined with Violet Lotus. I could only hope that, before I revealed myself as a woman, Violet Lotus would not fall for me. If he did, I would have turned my beloved into one who loves his fellow man.
Still, I felt dissatisfied. In all my future interactions with him, I would bear the guise of a man. He would always remain my master in this lifetime.
Ah, such contradictions!
“I was reckless,” I said.
Though Yuanxu’s face showed displeasure, he could only swallow his anger and agree, since Third Master had spoken. He cast me another fierce glare.
Could he truly have discovered my origins in the demon realm? Surely not. The thought unsettled me, and I looked to Violet Lotus, whose expression remained tranquil and unchanged.
Thus, the uproar over my apprenticeship was resolved. As Violet Lotus’s first disciple, and since he and Yuanxu were brothers, I became peers with Yunxiang Moryu, Lan Duo’er, and Sanshi. The three hundred disciples of Lingyun Mountain, meeting me, would bow respectfully and address me as “Little Master Uncle.”
In the demon realm, save for Chixiao, all others called me “Princess,” bowing deeply or prostrating themselves with reverence. Though their ceremonies were far grander than those of my fellow disciples, I found myself far more content here.
I believe it is because I am fond of Violet Lotus; he influences me in ways I cannot see. I love to follow behind him as he walks ahead, love to catch the fleeting, gentle smile at the corner of his lips. That smile, faint as if it never existed, nevertheless fills me with boundless joy.