After Cultivating the Wrong Strong, Pitiful, and Beautiful Demonic Lord - Chapter 6

After dusk, the people crowding around the entrance of the Qi family residence watched servants running back and forth inside the rooms. Everyone carried plates of fragrant dishes, rushing to serve tea or bring pastries in a panic. They were busy and overwhelmed, terrified of neglecting that immortal elder.

Li Jian was not picky either. He only said he wanted extra dishes, and no matter what the kitchen served, he accepted it with utter joy.

If he were an ordinary guest, the cooks would praise him for being easy to host. But the important point was that he was an immortal cultivator, and everyone was still counting on him to find the divine statue.

Patty Patriarch Qi stood at the entrance waiting, watching eagerly as dishes were carried inside without a single empty plate coming back out, save for the attendants walking back and forth.

“Can this person really pull this off? Could he just be here to freeload food and drink?” Qi Jingyao followed closely behind, peeking around.

It was not that he wanted to doubt him, but this person just did not seem very reliable.

His appearance was decent enough, but he had never touched physical labor and looked even more pampered than Qi Jingyao himself. Could he really be a seasoned martial artist? Furthermore, he had actually been blind enough to fall for Xuan Lang—wasn’t that even less reliable?

The others nodded along, harboring quite a bit of suspicion toward Li Jian.

Only Song Zhiyuan stood with his hands behind his back, saying calmly, “Whether it succeeds or not, we will only know once the immortal elder comes out.”

Hearing this, Patriarch Qi turned back to look at the bustling crowd of onlookers and could only respond, “Everyone, do not be impatient. The truth will be revealed tomorrow morning.”

After Patriarch Qi’s words fell, no more sound came from the front courtyard. Even the few candles placed by the windows were blown out, clearly indicating that the people inside intended to retire for the night.

The crowd, who had expected to witness an epic battle: “…”

Li Jian remained seated in his own spot. Leftover dinner plates were laid out before him on the table, but he was too lazy to call anyone to clear them. He just left them there, weighing down a few pieces of yellow paper.

Li Jian had not actually eaten much of the food that the Qi family servants had brought in and out. This body of his belonged to an enlightened person who practiced penance and abstained from grain, meaning he could go either with or without food. He simply felt hungry and always felt like something was missing if he did not eat.

Most of the dishes on the table had been given to Xuan Lang. When Xuan Lang refused them, Li Jian forcefully placed food on his plate and stared at him until he finished it.

The young immortal lord was still far too thin at this point. One could tell at a glance that he had not been living well here; his figure was too frail, and he was reticent, making him look quite pitiful.

As the candlelight flickered out, the front courtyard instantly grew quiet. Xuan Lang sat anxiously on the other side, occasionally opening his eyes to glance sideways at Li Jian. Seeing that Li Jian made no movement, Xuan Lang lowered his head once more, not daring to look at him again.

However, Xuan Lang did not know that while Li Jian maintained a serene and gentle expression on the outside, he was actually cursing inwardly with his eyes closed.

Damn it, what absolute nonsense? I can’t summon the system no matter how I call it, so how am I supposed to complete the mission?

Ever since Li Jian closed his eyes just a moment ago, he had been calling out to System 301 in his mind. He had only transmigrated here for a single day and knew nothing at all. Expecting him to find the divine statue was practically no different from letting him lie down right now and wait to be transmigrated back.

Yet who would have thought that this unreliable system would actually play dead and remain out of contact?

Wonderful, truly well done. This was the first time he had ever seen a system slack off to such an extreme degree!

Fine then. Let’s see who can slack off better.

In a side compartment of the front courtyard, there was a soft couch separated from the main hall by only a single window, just wide enough for one person to lie down. Out of pity for the young immortal lord, Li Jian had told Xuan Lang to go sleep there while he himself meditated right here.

Li Jian had no idea what kind of constitution he possessed, but he grew extraordinarily accustomed to this new body. It felt almost like muscle memory. He glanced at Xuan Lang, who was lying down obediently, and after confirming that the boy was asleep, Li Jian crossed his legs, closed his eyes, and breathed steadily.

Li Jian tested the waters, wanting to see if he could control the spiritual energy within this body. Otherwise, if something genuinely happened, he wouldn’t even be able to run away, which would be truly embarrassing.

To his surprise, however, his cultivation was remarkably obedient. It flowed continuously from his inner core like a clear mountain spring very quiet, yet profoundly deep.

So this body of his was actually this powerful?

No wonder it had been chosen to replace the descending immortal lord in undergoing the tribulation; it was truly extraordinary. If he could swagger around using a body like this, it wouldn’t be bad at all. This trip could not be considered a loss.

As the night grew deeper, Li Jian adjusted his inner breath and gradually drifted off to sleep.

Reflecting the deep, thick night, Li Jian had a strange dream for the very first time. In the dream, he and an immortal lord dressed in white stood side by side. One held a cold sword, while the other cradled a seven-stringed zither.

Beneath a massive pear blossom tree, he played the zither with his clothes draped over him, while the white-clad immortal lord danced with his sword, harmonizing with the zither’s resonance.

The lingering mountain wind blew gently against the hems of their robes, and a faint fragrance of pear blossoms lingered at the tip of his nose. He smiled faintly, his eyes filled with intense focus as he looked at that person.

Li Jian could not clearly see the other person’s face, but he felt an overwhelming sense of familiarity. A strong impulse in his mind urged him to grab that person, as if letting go would lead to a profound and lasting regret.

He tried his best to draw closer, but with a single gust of wind, that figure dissolved into the breeze.

Outside the window, the sky grew brightly lit, and faint noises drifted in from outside—like many people chattering and discussing something.

Li Jian rubbed his brow as he rose, a pure white thin blanket slipping from his shoulders. He was surprised to discover that he had actually woken up on the soft couch.

If his memory served him correctly, last night he had explicitly told Xuan Lang to sleep on the soft couch while he meditated in the grand armchair. How was it that after a single night, he was the one sleeping on the couch instead?

Anyone unaware might think he had deliberately stolen the bed from the young immortal lord.

The soft couch was separated from the main hall by only a single window. Li Jian raised his eyes and saw a slender figure silhouetted against the hazy papered window, standing with their back against the windowsill.

Li Jian stared in a daze. That silhouette seemed somewhat familiar, reminiscent of the person in his dream—both fluttering gracefully in white robes.

He got up and walked over. Xuan Lang was tilting his head, seemingly listening to something outside, his brow slightly furrowed. Hearing soft footsteps approach, Xuan Lang turned around and bowed his head.

“Immortal Elder.”

“What’s all that chattering about outside?” Li Jian smoothed down his sleeves to straighten his clothes.

The moment Xuan Lang turned around, he met Li Jian’s upturned outer eye corners, which carried a hint of languid warmth.

Having just woken up, his ink-black hair was casually tied up in a half-updo, with a few strands falling gracefully across his forehead. It was quite obvious that his hair-tying skills were not particularly good.

Being looked at with that gaze made Xuan Lang visibly stiffen for a moment before he lowered his eyelids. “It’s Patriarch Qi and the group of people who attended yesterday’s banquet. They want to ask if the Immortal Elder has found the divine statue yet.”

Xuan Lang spoke softer and softer, eventually swallowing the rest of his words entirely, fearing that they might displease Li Jian.

The people outside had no way of knowing, but how could he not know? Last night, Li Jian had gone straight to sleep after eating; when had he ever looked for the divine statue?

When Xuan Lang woke up in the middle of the night, he saw Li Jian slumped crookedly in the grand armchair, looking as though he was sleeping quite uncomfortably. That was why he had carried Li Jian over to the soft couch and spent the entire night guarding him while sitting on the chair in the courtyard.

Expecting Li Jian to be angry, Xuan Lang hastily added, “It’s still early before the agreed time. If the Immortal Elder doesn’t want to be disturbed, I’ll go tell them to leave right now.”

From the bottom of his heart, Xuan Lang did not want to see Li Jian’s brow furrowed. The Immortal Elder was so breathtaking, a person like a cool breeze and a bright moon he ought not to frown.

Who would have thought that Li Jian would lean back against the nearby grand armchair, sitting upright as he raised his eyes to look at Xuan Lang.

“Let them wait if they want to. We don’t need to mind them. By the way, do you know how to tie hair?”

He himself was truly terrible at it.

Li Jian considered himself a rough modern man who was used to short hair. Suddenly being handed a head of waist-length hair without even a small hair tie left him completely clueless about what to do.

Thinking back to his past life, he neither had a girlfriend nor a daughter to practice on. How was he supposed to tie his own hair?

Li Jian pondered this for a long time before deciding to seek help from Xuan Lang.

Xuan Lang was slightly bewildered. “Immortal Elder… wants me to help tie your hair?”

Li Jian replied, “Otherwise, is there a second person here who can help me?”

Yet…

He hesitated. Although Xuan Lang did not understand much, he knew that in the mortal world, a man only tied hair for his own wife. He still vaguely remembered that when his father was alive, he often helped his mother comb and coil her hair.

However, asking him to tie the hair of Li Jian, who was also a man wouldn’t that feel a bit too abrupt and offensive to the Immortal Elder?

Li Jian noticed Xuan Lang’s hesitation, but he assumed the boy was merely lacking in confidence and felt too timid. He waved his hand to comfort him: “Don’t worry, I don’t have high requirements. Just style it the way it was when I arrived yesterday will do. I’m visiting here after all, so I can’t just go out looking all disheveled and unkempt, can I?”

He himself wouldn’t mind, but he couldn’t afford to ruin the original owner’s reputation. No matter what, he was still a member of an immortal sect. If his identity were exposed in the future, others might think he was always this unkempt.

That would not only lose him his own face, but also disgrace the immortal sect. That simply would not do.

“It’s fine, I’ll leave it to you.”

With that, Li Jian simply leaned back against the grand armchair, assuming a posture of calm anticipation, leaving Xuan Lang to do whatever he pleased. In any case, it would definitely turn out better than whatever he could manage himself.

There were no combs in the front courtyard, and Li Jian was not the type to carry one around. Therefore, after pondering for a long time, Xuan Lang could only use his hands to gather the dark hair.

Slender fingertips brushed through the strands, little by little, carefully cradling Li Jian’s long hair. Holding a bright, glossy handful of it in his palm, his fingers clumsily began to gather and coil the locks.

His movements were exceedingly careful, as if he were terrified of pulling Li Jian too hard, or afraid that he might profane the Immortal Elder. Xuan Lang kept his back rigidly straight throughout, his gaze filled with intense concentration.

Li Jian raised his fair, slender hand and handed him a silver hairpin. Beneath the smooth skin, faint blue veins could be seen. His fingers were long and attractive, resembling pale green jade.

Xuan Lang took the hairpin from him. His outstretched hand made Li Jian’s fingers appear much smaller by comparison slender and as white as a maiden’s from a boudoir.

The silver hairpin pierced into the crown, securing the hair bun in place. Li Jian reached up to touch it, accidentally brushing against the fingers Xuan Lang was using to adjust his hair crown. Startled as if frightened, the boy instantly pulled his hand back, which in turn startled Li Jian.

What was wrong? Was his hand poisonous?

Disregarding Xuan Lang’s unusual behavior and chalking it up to excessive low self-esteem and sensitivity, Li Jian figured he would just show a bit more care and make allowances for him in the future.

Li Jian patted his backside as he stood up, glanced at the table piled high with plates that appeared to have been touched, and said:

“Let’s go. Let’s go take a look at our crime scene.”