After Being Cursed, My Cold Senior Sister Fell in Love with Me - Chapter 5

The private dining room where they were eating had no surveillance cameras. Jiang Rulian locked the door and climbed out the window.

In those mere seconds, Qing Qian nearly collided with the massive Gudiao.

Compared to the Gudiao, with its five-meter wingspan and razor-sharp horn, Qing Qian seemed too frail, barely enough for a single claw.

The man she was protecting behind her felt his heart seize, cold sweat mixing with water droplets as they dripped down his face. “No!”

Clang!

He heard the resonant sound of a sword, like jade striking stone.

Qing Qian drew her sword with a flick of her wrist. A black hilt suddenly appeared in her hand, adorned with a crimson tassel as vibrant as blood.

With a swift thrust, the sword’s aura clashed with the river water, sending waves crashing and spray flying.

The sword’s momentum carried for meters, splitting water droplets—and the Gudiao’s horn—in two.

The Gudiao wasn’t foolish. Dealing with the person before it was already a challenge, let alone the terrifyingly powerful Great Demon lurking nearby.

It changed direction, wings vibrating as it prepared to fly away.

The man shouted urgently, “This Gudiao has killed people before!”

Qing Qian struck again with her sword.

A gust of wind swept across the land, and spiritual energy trembled as the Gudiao’s neck was severed.

The massive demon plummeted from the sky, its blood splattering across the ground—a death as absolute as it could be.

The man blurted out, “Holy shit!”

He had only wanted to prevent the Gudiao’s escape, never expecting Qing Qian to deliver a fatal blow.

Qing Qian stood motionless, her sword held aloft. Not a single drop of blood marred its blade, which only reflected the shimmering waters of the river.

As the wind subsided, the sword gradually dissolved into nothingness. She lowered her gaze, a droplet of water clinging to her eyelashes.

With another blink, the droplet slid down her pale cheek, drawing attention to the beauty mark at the corner of her eye.

Seeing her in this state, Jiang Rulian’s heart shattered like waves crashing against jagged rocks.

She raised her hand, and a flame kindled in her palm. Wrapped in invisible spiritual energy, it formed a glowing orb that emitted a steady, warm light.

Pressing this makeshift hand warmer into Qing Qian’s hand, Jiang Rulian urged softly, “It’s too cold. Senior Sister, please go back and rest. I’ll handle things here.”

Qing Qian shook her head, clutching the hand warmer tighter, her gaze shifting to the man who had approached.

Jiang Rulian finally remembered her unlucky teammate. She sized him up. “Liu Qi?”

She remembered that this man was one of the few members of the Human Race on the team. He wasn’t good in a fair fight, but he was skilled at ambushes.

“Ah—choo!” Liu Qi sneezed, shivering as he rubbed his hands together. “Thanks for offering to dry my clothes, Captain. Even though you haven’t done anything yet, I appreciate it in advance.”

He had accidentally fallen into the river after being struck by the Gudiao, leaving him completely soaked.

Jiang Rulian scoffed. “Hmph, a little water won’t kill you.”

Liu Qi wanted to protest. He had clearly seen the captain start a fire to warm the others nearby!

But Jiang Rulian’s accumulated authority over the years left him afraid to anger or speak out. He could only hug himself tighter and slowly circulate his spiritual energy to warm himself.

Jiang Rulian glared at the Gudiao’s corpse. “What happened?”

“I was on my way home from work when I intercepted the Monster Bureau’s wanted notice. By the time I caught up, the Gudiao had already killed a young woman,” Liu Qi sighed. “I gave all the Concealment Talismans I had to the other person, and then the Gudiao locked onto me.”

He didn’t even bother trying to dry his clothes anymore, instead running his fingers through his hair in frustration.

“Captain, you know I’m no good at facing demons head-on.”

Jiang Rulian nodded and stepped toward the Gudiao. But just as she moved, something tugged at the hem of her robes.

She froze, then turned around in disbelief.

Qing Qian, holding her hand warmer, met her gaze calmly, as if she hadn’t just yanked Jiang Rulian’s clothes.

Jiang Rulian wondered if she was hallucinating. “Senior Sister?”

“Mm,” Qing Qian replied, perfectly composed. “Most Gu Insects are highly elusive and impossible to guard against. Are you really going over there like that?”

Her words confirmed her earlier actions.

Jiang Rulian smiled faintly, taking in Qing Qian’s appearance. “The Phoenix Fire within me is more than enough to deal with these insects. Even if I get bitten, I won’t be harmed.”

Despite her words, she didn’t step forward again. Instead, she formed a hand seal and tossed it onto the Gudiao’s corpse.

This was a diagnostic seal, designed to reveal any abnormalities within a body.

After a moment, Jiang Rulian tilted her head. “Nothing. Humans are naturally part of the Gudiao’s diet. This might just be a coincidence.”

“But it has a tracking ring. That’s why the Monster Bureau was able to issue the arrest warrant so quickly,” Liu Qi pointed out.

Only then did Jiang Rulian notice the black electronic device on the Gudiao’s leg.

It was a tracker. Any members of the Demon Race hostile to humans who wished to enter human society were required to wear one, ensuring they remained constantly under the Monster Bureau’s surveillance.

The presence of the Gudiao proved that it had been recognized by the Monster Bureau.

“Who knows?” Jiang Rulian shrugged, her hands spread wide. “If it suddenly snaps, that wouldn’t be surprising at all.” She had no intention of trying to understand its motives.

“What about the survivor?” Qing Qian suddenly interjected.

“Oh, he’s this way!” Liu Qi hurried forward, leading the way as he thought of that unfortunate soul.

The site of the incident wasn’t far, another desolate, rarely visited place. The rocky shore was stained with shocking bloodstains.

From a distance, they spotted a figure crouched beneath a large boulder.

He clutched his head, trembling violently, muttering incoherently.

Liu Qi waved a hand in front of the man’s face. “Hey?”

The man’s head snapped up, as if startled. He lunged forward, his eyes wild. “You saw it too, right?”

His emotions were unstable. He clung to Liu Qi’s leg, refusing to let go, his bloodshot eyes twisting into a sickly frenzy.

“Those things aren’t human!”

Liu Qi helplessly exchanged glances with Jiang Rulian, seeking guidance on how to handle the situation.

The man was completely mad; who knew what he might do? Jiang Rulian silently moved to shield Qing Qian, only to be shoved back by a surge of spiritual energy.

Qing Qian’s face remained expressionless, but her meaning was clear: Don’t block my view.

Jiang Rulian: …

She seemed to have forgotten again that her Senior Sister wasn’t some fragile little animal, but a Sword Immortal who had once razed a demon lair with a single sword strike.

Jiang Rulian automatically tuned out the man’s wailing. “What about the dead one?”

“Over there,” Liu Qi pointed, then his eyes widened. “Ai ai, where did the corpse go?”

Jiang Rulian looked where he was pointing. The bloodstains were more prominent among the sand and rubble, but apart from that, only a fluffy tail remained.

“A fox,” Qing Qian stated with certainty.

The corpse they’d been looking for had vanished, replaced by a fox tail. This “person’s” identity was now highly suspect.

“Who did you come here with?” Jiang Rulian asked.

She didn’t expect an answer, just asking out of habit. But the man mechanically turned his head, staring blankly at the bloodstain.

His lips trembled. Suddenly, he began crawling backward on all fours. “My girlfriend… No, she wasn’t my girlfriend. She wasn’t even human!”

“It’s all her fault! She turned me into this!”

He struggled desperately to escape, forcing Liu Qi to grab his clothes. “What should we do? We can’t get any information out of him.”

Jiang Rulian grew impatient.

The wind, carrying moisture, howled through their clothes. Beside her, Qing Qian clutched the fire, her face still as pale as paper.

She desperately wanted to knock the man unconscious with a palm strike and take her Senior Sister back somewhere warm.

But the Monster Bureau strictly prohibited members of the Demon Race from harming ordinary humans without cause.

If even a single bruise appeared on his body, she would face endless questioning.

Jiang Rulian said sternly, “Can’t you see? The one beside you isn’t even human.”

Liu Qi: “Why the sudden personal attack?”

The man stopped muttering and abruptly released his grip, his eyes blazing with fury.

“I’m not human either,” she grinned, her dark golden eyes shimmering in the night.

Thud!

The man’s heart raced, his brain overloading. His head snapped back, striking the stone behind him, and he collapsed into unconsciousness.

One could only imagine the psychological scars this incident would leave on him.

Liu Qi’s lips twitched. “Captain, threatening humans is against the rules.”

Jiang Rulian secretly glanced at Qing Qian’s expression, still trying to justify herself. “I was clearly using special methods to stabilize his emotions.”

Fortunately, Senior Sister seemed to have no objections to her behavior.

Qing Qian stepped forward, examining the man’s condition by the firelight. “There is indeed a fox’s demonic aura on him, but his forehead isn’t darkened. That fox hasn’t harmed him.”

“Unknown, unimportant, unimportant,” Jiang Rulian declared firmly, listing her three “un” words. Then, she secretly tugged at Qing Qian’s sleeve. “Let’s go back, Senior Sister. The cheesecake is still waiting.”

Qing Qian yanked her sleeve free, her voice cool. “No need. We’re returning directly to Tingyun Mountain.”

Liu Qi watched helplessly as a smile curled Jiang Rulian’s lips. Though she was agreeing so gently, he found the sight unsettling.

What kind of person is this? A single word from her leaves the Captain both furious and powerless.

The two quickly disappeared, Jiang Rulian paying him no further attention.

Liu Qi stared after them, his mind frantically scrambling through everything he knew about Qing Qian.

His phone buzzed repeatedly, and he hastily stopped thinking to check it, only to discover a string of urgent commands.

“Take the suspect to the Monster Bureau and erase their memory of tonight.”

“Search the surveillance footage. If anything incriminating is recorded, delete it immediately.”

“Pull up the Gudiao’s file and have Dog track it down.”

The final message, in bold red: “If you can’t last three moves against me in the next assessment, you’re going back to the forge to be remade.”

Liu Qi stiffened, wanting to protest his innocence: He hadn’t provoked anyone!

While he scrambled to contact his colleagues and clean up the scene, Jiang Rulian had already gotten into the car with Qing Qian.

Qing Qian had returned the hand warmer she’d borrowed earlier. She reached for a blanket but instead grabbed the book she’d found that day.

In the back seat, Qing Qian half-closed her eyes. “Investigate on your own. Make sure you memorize all the unique gu insects.”

Jiang Rulian shook the book, its pages rustling loudly. It was heavy and thick.

Then Qing Qian added, “You’re too confident. If you don’t rein it in, you’ll pay the price sooner or later.”

It was well-intentioned advice, but Jiang Rulian’s face turned as pale as a vegetable as she stubbornly repeated, “All of it?”

“Mm-hmm. I’m tired.”

Qing Qian closed her eyes, utterly unyielding.

Jiang Rulian had never really had to memorize anything before. Hearing Qing Qian’s demand, the terror of studying flooded her mind.

She pressed her lips together, her voice dripping with feigned hurt. “Qingqing…”

Qing Qian, who had already closed her eyes to rest, opened them and fixed Jiang Rulian with an unwavering stare.

“What did you call me?”

Jiang Rulian, adaptable and quick to yield, immediately corrected herself. “Senior Sister.”

The car fell silent, neither speaking again.

Jiang Rulian tossed the book aside, already forgetting the earlier interruption.

She had been calling her “Senior Sister” for centuries. A little longer wouldn’t hurt.

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