After Cultivating To Immortality, I Became the Demon Venerable's White Moonlight - Chapter 2

“Che… Cheers!”

The room was completely unlit, pitch-black to the point where one could not see their own hand in front of their face. From time to time, the wind dispersed the clouds, allowing a sliver of snow-white moonlight to filter through the window. It faintly cast the clear and beautiful silhouette of a woman raising a cup onto the screen inside the door.

Draped in black robes, the woman leaned against the couch, a wine flask resting by her side. Faint, intricate, dark red patterns gleamed softly on her black attire, accentuating the exceptional magnificence of the red sash around her waist. Her ink-black long hair fell loosely, melting into the night. Above her left ear, a silver iris insignia was embedded, glinting with a cold, peculiar luster.

The hand with which she held the wine cup had not yet lowered, looking as though she were inviting someone to drink with her.

“Hmph.” A trace of a disdainful smile surfaced at the corner of her mouth. With a flip of her wrist, she splashed the liquid onto the ground, it turned out to be bright red blood.

“Where did this lackey come from? You’ve dirtied my cup.”

Though her cup was soiled, the woman did not seem annoyed. She lightly tossed it out the window, eliciting a crisp clinking sound.

The person by the door was half-paralyzed on the ground, semi-conscious and breathing heavily, sounding as though they were in immense agony.

The woman lounged lazily on the couch for another half-day before she leisurely pulled another cup from her waist and toyed with it in her hand.

She murmured to herself, “This cup is chiseled from the finest, most supreme jade…”

“Don’t you dare look down on it.” As the woman spoke, a trace of a self-mocking smile appeared on her face.

She seemed thoroughly intoxicated.

The person by the door stirred slightly, struggling as if unable to bear the torment.

“With this wine… it’s a perfect match.”

The person by the door was trembling violently all over.

Hearing the persistent, unceasing noise coming from the door, the woman on the couch finally seemed to lose her patience.

“Don’t… Stop making noise.”

She waved her hand angrily, and Yi Qinglan’s body was hoisted into the air as if gripped by a giant invisible hand. Swept cleanly through the air, her outer robes were completely stripped away by a gust of wind and thrown to the ground. In an instant, with her hair partially disheveled and her clothing in disarray, she rolled onto the bed. The woman suddenly pressed down on top of her, her hot breath spilling across Yi Qinglan’s face.

“Heh, I knew it,” she closed her eyes, her gaze hazy with intoxication as her hand traced the contours of Yi Qinglan’s face. “So it’s a thirsty little beauty.”

Yi Qinglan was feeling terribly miserable at this moment. She felt as though her internal organs were ablaze, and her skin was burning like fire. To make matters worse, she was being pinned down by a scorching body. Unable to bear it, she cried out. She had intended to scream and vent her frustration, but when she opened her mouth, it turned into a soft, delicate, and coquettish murmur. She tried to push back with her hand, but her bones felt weak, making her look as though she were playing hard to get.

The person on top of her couldn’t help but chuckle.

“To think you could withstand my Samadhi True Fire without a single strand of hair being singed…”

“Fine then, let me take a good look at you and see… just what kind of character you are.”

With a casual wave of the woman’s hand, candles flared up throughout the room, illuminating the spacious and magnificent chamber as bright as day.

The woman lazily closed her eyes, frowning as if unable to adapt to the sudden brightness. Only after a good while did she slowly open them. Squinting, she casually glanced at the clothing on the floor. The drunken daze from moments ago vanished, replaced by a freezing cold tone:

“So, you are a cultivator.”

The woman’s face turned cold, her lips puckered, and the fingers stroking Yi Qinglan’s neck slowly tightened.

Amidst her intense discomfort, Yi Qinglan found it increasingly difficult to breathe. Her face flushed crimson, and she couldn’t help but lightly kick the woman’s leg with the tip of her foot.

Suddenly offended by this frivolous action, the woman gasped in surprise and abruptly turned to glare at Yi Qinglan.

But upon looking closer, it felt as though she had been drenched in ice water during the dead of winter. The woman’s eyes widened, and in an instant, all her intoxication evaporated. She hurriedly released her grip, leaned down closer to Yi Qinglan, and gently cradped her face with both hands.

“Excuse me, have you seen a tall, slender, and handsome female cultivator?”

A petite young girl gestured to a passerby, “She… she wears the attire of the Jingyun Sect and carries a treasured sword on her back.”

The passerby shook his head. The girl couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed. After thanking him, she tried to ask another passerby.

“Shuyue, come over here.” A woman wearing a similar uniform waved at her, holding a dharma artifact in her hand.

The girl immediately ran over, “Senior Sister Liao, the passersby all say they haven’t seen Senior Sister Yi.” Her brow furrowed with worry, “Could Senior Sister Yi have run into trouble? Can she handle it alone?”

“No, the Star-Seeking Compass shows that she is right here. Her spiritual energy hasn’t fluctuated much, which proves she is safe.” Liao Minshan put the compass away.

The two sisters simultaneously turned their gazes toward the grand, towering, and magnificent tavern behind them.

The black-clothed woman scooped Yi Qinglan up in her arms and turned toward the inner part of the room. It turned out this room had a multi-layered internal layout. After turning past two screens, an inner bath, about ten feet square, revealed itself. It was as white as snow, seemingly carved out of white jade. Steam billowed from the water source, though its origin was unknown, making this corner of the room hazy with mist.

The woman placed Yi Qinglan into the bath. Yi Qinglan instantly shivered, wrapping her arms tightly around her chest.

As it turned out, the bath was not filled with hot spring water, but with snow-water that was as cold as ice.

“Xianghe, bear with it. I will help you relieve it right now.” The black-clothed woman adjusted Yi Qinglan’s posture, letting her lean against her chest, and pressed two fingers against her wrist to examine her meridians.

Her meridians were not damaged, she had likely just been affected by a fox demon’s potent aphrodisiac incense. The moment the woman understood this, she immediately grabbed both of Yi Qinglan’s hands, pressing her palms flat against hers.

Ever since she was poisoned by the incense, Yi Qinglan had been sweating profusely, feeling as though her entire body had plunged into a sea of fire. Even though she was a fire cultivator, she could hardly tolerate this level of burning. Moreover, alongside the scorching sensation, there was a numbing tickle, as if tens of thousands of ants were crawling over her skin and inside her organs.

Yi Qinglan couldn’t help but groan in pain.

When the black-clothed woman placed her into the ice-cold snow water, it became an extreme ordeal of ice and fire. Yi Qinglan could no longer bear it. Supporting herself against the snow-white edge of the bath, she tried to force herself out of the water.

“Don’t move.” Seeing her struggle, the black-clothed woman wrapped her arms around her shoulders and gripped her hands even tighter.

“Focus and concentrate. I will assist you in circulating your Qi to force the incense out of your body.”

An endless stream of true Qi flowed from the cool, soft palms behind her. Inhaling the fragrant scent of the woman, Yi Qinglan felt a bit more comfortable, and her mind gradually cleared.

She realized she had encountered a master who was helping her. Feeling grateful, she obediently leaned into the woman’s embrace and began to circulate her power according to her instructions.

They circulated Qi for less than the time it takes to burn an incense stick when Yi Qinglan felt much more relieved. But in the next moment, an overwhelming rush of internal heat surged to her heart. With a wah sound, she spat out a large mouthful of blood. The scalding blood sprayed into the water, spreading out like blooming red stains.

How could this happen? The black-clothed woman immediately withdrew her palms. Yi Qinglan lost consciousness and slumped limply into her arms.

Ah, of course. The black-clothed woman’s gaze swept over the clothes on the floor, and her brows knitted slightly. She had been too anxious earlier. When she saw this woman’s face, which looked exactly like Gu Xianghe’s, she had experienced a momentary daze and actually mistook her for the deceased Xianghe.

Xianghe had passed away hundreds of years ago. The person before her was merely ninety percent similar. The woman smiled self-mockingly, thinking how foolish she was.

Besides, Xianghe was born with a large red lotus birthmark on her back, whereas this person’s back was completely pristine.

Moreover, she was a cultivator with pure spiritual Qi circulating in her body. By injecting demonic Qi to help her circulate power and expel poison, hadn’t she just made things worse?

After composing herself for a moment, the black-clothed woman lifted Yi Qinglan out of the water and laid her against the couch. Then, she pulled out a crimson medicinal pill and pinched Yi Qinglan’s jaw with two fingers.

Yi Qinglan’s lips parted slightly, and she smoothly swallowed the pill.

This pill could only alleviate her symptoms temporarily. If she wanted to thoroughly eradicate the poison… she would probably have to find another way.

The woman unfastened a beast-patterned jade pendant from her waist and tapped it with two fingers together. The pendant, which was originally a rich yellow, turned into a highly translucent and vibrant red after demonic Qi was infused into it.

With a slight stretch of her arm, the clothes on the floor flew over. After dressing Yi Qinglan, she hung the jade pendant from Yi Qinglan’s waist.

This jade pendant concentrated demonic Qi, it could help the wearer expel evil energy, rendering them immune to all poisons, and could temporarily suppress Yi Qinglan’s symptoms.

Suddenly, a loud commotion and shouting arose downstairs. The arguing voices of women could faintly be heard.

“The compass shows that my Eldest Senior Sister is clearly right here, yet you insist she isn’t and won’t let us in to search for her. What kind of logic is that?”

The woman gently laid Yi Qinglan down on the couch. She splashed the wine from her cup onto the table, and the clear liquid instantly reflected the scene downstairs of the two female cultivators arguing with the staff of the Mingyue Building.

“Senior Sister?” Looking at Yi Qinglan’s peaceful sleeping face, the black-clothed woman pondered. Young cultivators training and gaining experience nearby… could they be from the Jingyun Sect?

Looking closely at the two women, one had a fiery temper with a soft whip coiled around her waist as she confronted the crowd. The other hid behind her, carrying a medicine pouch commonly seen on medical cultivators. She was undoubtedly a medical cultivator, and perhaps she could cure Yi Qinglan’s poison.

Mortals, after all, could not stop cultivators. Soon, the hurried footsteps of several people chasing each other up the stairs echoed from outside.

The wine on the table returned to reflecting the room’s interior. With a wave of her hand, the candles went out. The woman dissolved her silhouette into the night and vanished without a trace.

The room fell into absolute silence, leaving only the sound of Yi Qinglan’s steady breathing on the couch.

The door was quickly burst open.

“Senior Sister?!” The startled cries of the two girls rang out simultaneously. The candles were lit, illuminating the room once again.

Yi Qinglan was jolted awake by the noise. Since the poison had not been fully cleared, her head throbbed painfully. She forced herself to sit up from the bed.

Her two junior sisters flanked her, supporting her from both sides.

The manager of the Mingyue Building, who had followed them up, initially thought the two girls were just looking for trouble. She never expected them to actually find someone here and found it incredibly strange.

Seeing Yi Qinglan’s sickly appearance, Liao Minshan couldn’t help but complain, “My Senior Sister really is here! What on earth did you do to her?!”

Knowing that this junior sister was prone to losing her temper and easily provoked, Yi Qinglan quickly said, “It wasn’t them, it was…” She leaned close to Liao Minshan’s ear. “…a fox demon.”

The manager was a plump, middle-aged woman. Seeing the situation, she squinted and offered a apologetic smile, “Young ladies, you have wronged us. You should know that this room isn’t for ordinary guests, it’s exclusively reserved for a distinguished VIP. We are also baffled as to how this young lady ended up here. Look how pale her face is, should we call a doctor to look at her?”

“No need.” Liao Minshan was only venting her frustration and didn’t actually intend to make a scene with the manager.

The moment Fang Shuyue had entered, seeing Yi Qinglan’s poor complexion, she immediately checked her pulse.

Liao Minshan asked anxiously, “Is Qinglan alright?”

Fang Shuyue shook her head, “Senior Sister Yi is fine, but she seems to have been afflicted with a poison that disrupts the mind, causing her Qi to be somewhat unstable. It would be better to return to the sect for a proper diagnosis.”

Liao Minshan breathed a sigh of relief, “Alright, let’s return to the sect first.”

Seeing this, the manager realized these young girls were no ordinary individuals. Seeing that the commotion had finally settled, she quickly said, “Where are you ladies heading? It’s getting late, why not rest here for the night before leaving?”

Feeling much better now, Yi Qinglan politely declined the manager’s offer. After speaking, she left with her two junior sisters.

However, no one noticed that a transparent, black-patterned butterfly, no larger than a fingernail, fluttered gently with the breeze. It firmly attached itself to Yi Qinglan’s hair, swaying with her steps, completely hidden within her dark locks.

The room door closed once again. The dark clouds parted, and moonlight flooded the chamber. Two dark silhouettes slowly coalesced into solid forms against the wall, emerging from the darkness.

The black-clothed woman from earlier sat casually by the table, looking thoughtfully at the silhouettes of the group flying away on their swords.

“Demon Venerable, there are unusual movements among the demon race at the southwestern border.” The other shadow remained faintly dissolved in the darkness.

“Demons?” A trace of impatience flashed across the woman’s face, though it quickly returned to indifference. “That bunch of trash stirs up trouble every now and then, it’s not the first or second time. They’re just a bunch of fools, what kind of impact could they possibly make?”

On every night of the full moon, she used wine to pay tribute to the deceased, yet she still couldn’t escape these trivial matters.

But running into an interesting beauty tonight made it worthwhile.

So be it.

With a sweep of her long sleeve, the woman dissolved into the night. Afterward, there was no more sound in the room, leaving only the snow-white moonlight filling the entire chamber.