After Cutting Off Love And Emotions, I Was Pestered By The Demon Sect’s Enchantress - Chapter 5

Yellow sand filled the sky. Zhu Shengxi stood atop a dune, but as far as her eyes could reach, there was nothing but billowing dust.

A-Xu coughed a few times, looked around, and frowned. “Where… where is this?”

Zhu Shengxi gave her a cool look. “As you said before, the West Mysterious Realm.”

The teleportation array had indeed sent them to the West Mysterious Realm.

“Weren’t there still five days before we could leave The Heaven’s Dry Realm? Why were we teleported out now?” A-Xu asked.

Zhu Shengxi leaped down from the dune and shook her head. “I don’t know the reason.”

She looked at A-Xu, her eyes filled with blatant suspicion. “I’d like to ask you instead—how did you complete the array?”

A-Xu shrugged. “I don’t know. I just drew a few strokes at random, and who knew the array would activate?”

Zhu Shengxi stared at her for several seconds, but her expression was utterly innocent, showing no flaws.

Forget it. Everyone has their secrets. Since they were about to go their separate ways anyway, there was no need to probe into A-Xu’s background.

Zhu Shengxi withdrew her gaze and said indifferently, “I’ve brought you out. We part ways here.”

“No way!” A-Xu said immediately upon seeing her turn to leave.

Zhu Shengxi acted as if she hadn’t heard, taking out a compass to determine her direction and walking away.

Seeing this, A-Xu followed her silently.

Aware of the presence behind her, Zhu Shengxi suddenly stopped, turned around, and frowned at her. “Why are you still following me?”

A-Xu feigned surprise. “There is only one path to survival in this desert. I am merely seeking life; how does that constitute following Fellow Daoist Zhu?”

Zhu Shengxi gave her a cold look and continued walking. She stopped and started, and the person behind her stopped and started. She deliberately changed directions, and the person behind her changed directions accordingly.

Zhu Shengxi: “…”

She had never seen someone so much like a piece of “dog-skin plaster” (an adhesive bandage). Cold rebukes were useless; trying her best to clear the relationship was also useless.

“You…”

“Fellow Daoist Zhu, this desert is full of dust and sand, and there’s not a soul in sight. I have lived in the East Mysterious Realm since I was a child and have never entered a desert. If I am left here alone, I fear my life would be in danger,” A-Xu said urgently. Those bright, clear black eyes were watery, as if pleading for mercy.

Zhu Shengxi closed her eyes to avoid looking at her, but she didn’t say words like “don’t follow me” again.

The corners of A-Xu’s lips curled up. She quickened her pace to walk side-by-side with her.

Zhu Shengxi caught a glimpse of her from the corner of her eye; the girl had a smile on her face and was humming a light tune. She didn’t look the least bit pitiful anymore.

Those eyes were simply too good at deceiving people.

“Why do you keep following me?” For the past few days, she had been wanting to ask this question.

A-Xu replied casually, “Because Fellow Daoist Zhu is beautiful. I just like being with beautiful older sisters.”

Hearing this, Zhu Shengxi instantly lost any intention of asking further.

After an unknown amount of time, A-Xu rubbed her aching legs and asked, “Are you sure it’s this direction?”

Zhu Shengxi said calmly, “The direction shown on the compass is this way.”

A-Xu pointed at the compass, her eyes widening. “This compass has already failed once, yet you are still using it to judge direction? You really are a blockhead.”

Being called a blockhead for the first time, Zhu Shengxi opened her mouth, unable to find the words to retort for a moment.

A-Xu had originally been dissatisfied, but seeing her stunned expression, she “pfft” -ed and burst out laughing.

Zhu Shengxi put away the compass and said coldly, “Then you identify the direction.”

A-Xu’s smile froze, and she guiltily rubbed her nose. “Fellow Daoist Zhu, I don’t know directions.”

Zhu Shengxi’s eyebrows arched slightly. She stared at her and said word by word, “Then. Shut. Up.”

At this moment, her face lacked its usual coldness. Her beautiful eyebrows were slightly raised, looking like a competitive child who had just won a round in a hidden contest.

Compared to the cold and unfeeling appearance she had when they first met, she seemed much more human.

A-Xu suppressed a laugh and replied, “Mhm, okay.”

The surrounding wind and sand gathered secretly, and soon, a massive sandstorm formed in the distance.

Zhu Shengxi’s face changed. She said urgently, “Get to the back of the dune!”

They dashed to the side of a dune. Zhu Shengxi condensed a hand seal to cast a protective barrier, while A-Xu held a wide black robe. The robe was shaken open, perfectly covering the two of them.

The wind and sand howled past. Zhu Shengxi could even hear the sound of sand hitting the black robe with a huala noise. In the dim light, A-Xu gripped the black robe tightly, her expression rare in its seriousness.

Zhu Shengxi’s gaze fell upon her. Under the shelter of the wide black robe, she actually felt a brief moment of peace.

About fifteen minutes later, the sandstorm finally subsided. A-Xu threw off the black robe, and the swirling dust made her cough several times.

Her white boots were also covered in sand. Zhu Shengxi cast a Cleansing Technique, and her entire person returned to her original pristine state.

Turning her head, she saw a certain someone looking at her pitifully.

Zhu Shengxi gave her a Cleansing Talisman and asked, “Do you not know the Cleansing Technique?”

A-Xu activated the talisman and replied, “No, I never learned it.”

Zhu Shengxi gave her a deep look but didn’t speak.

After using the Cleansing Talisman and carefully shaking the sand off her clothes, A-Xu finally showed a satisfied expression.

Zhu Shengxi asked nonchalantly, “Does that black robe have the function of blocking wind and sand?”

A-Xu: “I was just desperate. I pulled it out of my storage bag at random.”

Hearing her explanation, Zhu Shengxi said no more and continued advancing in the previous direction.

The sun shone brightly, and waves of heat surged through the desert.

A young girl tightly protected the item in her arms, running without stopping. It wasn’t until she had run several miles that she dared to steal a glance behind her.

There was no one behind her. Just as she was about to breathe a sigh of relief, she suddenly heard a coarse laugh from ahead.

The girl looked at the several large men in front of her in horror, subconsciously backing away.

“Hand over the thing in your hands!” the leading man shouted, wielding a long saber.

The cold white surface of the blade reflected the girl’s fearful yet determined eyes. She gritted her teeth and said, “No…”

As soon as she spoke, the blade swung directly toward her. The girl nimbly rolled away, narrowly dodging the strike.

The leader gave a meaningful look, and the next moment, several long sabers fell simultaneously. The girl had nowhere to retreat and closed her eyes in despair.

The expected pain did not arrive. The girl opened her eyes in confusion, only to see the large men looking terrified, their sabers hitting the ground with a kuang-dang.

Their stiff, cold bodies collapsed together. A-Xu looked on with disgust and took out a small bottle.

The moment the corpses touched the liquid from the bottle, they turned into a pool of bloody water, which quickly merged into the scorching yellow sand and disappeared without a trace.

Zhu Shengxi watched her practice technique, her brow furrowing slightly even as she felt suspicious.

A-Xu glanced at her and snapped, “What, you think I’m a mindless killer?”

Zhu Shengxi said calmly, “They deserved to die. Furthermore, Corpse-Melting Water is not easy to make; there’s no need to waste it on such filth.”

A-Xu smiled. “This isn’t ordinary Corpse-Melting Water. After melting the body, it can also bind the soul, forcing the filth to be reincarnated into the animal realm.”

Zhu Shengxi looked at the girl and softened her tone. “Little girl, what is your name, and why are you in this desert?”

“My name is Ling Zhuo. I am a member of the Suluo Clan. We have lived here for many years.” Her watery eyes looked at them with a hint of timidity.

Coming into contact with her youthful and innocent gaze, Zhu Shengxi’s expression softened further. Before she could ask more, she heard A-Xu speak up:

“We kill without blinking; aren’t you afraid?”

Ling Zhuo thought of the scene just now, and her body trembled, but her tone was not at all cowardly. “Just as my benefactor said, those evil men deserved to be killed. This doesn’t count as killing without blinking.”

“Besides, those evil men wanted to kill me. If it weren’t for the two benefactors, I…”

A-Xu patted her head. “You said your people have always lived here, so you must have a place to stay?”

Ling Zhuo nodded obediently. “Mhm, we do.”

“I wonder if we might stay for a few days?” Zhu Shengxi asked.

Ling Zhuo: “You can. We Suluo people are very hospitable. Just follow me, benefactors.”

“Calling us ‘benefactor’ sounds a bit awkward. Call me Sister A-Xu,” A-Xu said to her, and soon heard her respond.

The person beside her remained silent, so A-Xu glanced at her sideways. “Why aren’t you talking? Could it be that Fellow Daoist Zhu likes being called ‘benefactor’?”

Zhu Shengxi denied it coldly, “I don’t.” She just didn’t know what would be appropriate for the girl to call her.

Unlike A-Xu, being called “Sister” would make her feel very awkward.

Fortunately, Ling Zhuo was clever. She tested out a name:

“Immortal… Zhu?”

This title was perfectly normal. Ordinary people often used the respectful title “Immortal” for cultivators who knew techniques.

Zhu Shengxi nodded slightly, accepting the title.

The two followed Ling Zhuo, walking east at times and north at others. Through their conversation with Ling Zhuo, they learned the reason for the incident.

It turned out the Suluo Clan made their living by forging weapons. The item in Ling Zhuo’s arms was a high-quality dagger. She had originally planned to go to the North Mysterious Realm to sell the dagger for food, but encountered bandits on the way.

Ling Zhuo’s tone was filled with unavoidable resentment. “These bandits often persecute our people and steal the weapons we worked so hard to forge.”

A-Xu asked, “Hasn’t your clan leader thought of a way?”

Ling Zhuo shook her head dejectedly. “Some cultivators came before, and the clan leader asked them to help wipe out the bandits, but they actually conspired with the bandits. At that time, our Suluo Clan… suffered huge losses.”

Hearing this, Zhu Shengxi, who had been quiet until now, asked, “When did those cultivators come?”

Ling Zhuo thought for a moment and replied, “Just a few days ago.”

Hearing this answer, Zhu Shengxi and A-Xu looked at each other.

A short while later, Ling Zhuo stopped and turned to the two of them. “Immortal Zhu, Sister A-Xu, we’re here.”

Jagged, strangely shaped rocks stood scattered about. A cluster of stone houses appeared faintly, surrounded by these odd rocks.

Ling Zhuo explained to them, “There are often sandstorms in the desert. Building stone houses is very effective for resisting them.”

As soon as she finished speaking, the three of them heard an angry shout: “Ling Zhuo!”

Looking toward the source of the sound, an old woman with white hair was standing not far away, glaring at them. She was leaning on a pitch-black iron staff. Her eye sockets were slightly sunken, and her eyes showed no sign of elderly cloudiness; instead, they were extremely sharp, showing a hint of authority.

Ling Zhuo shuffled her feet, slowly approaching her, and called out softly, “Clan Leader.”

“Who are these two?”

Ling Zhuo: “Clan Leader, they saved me. They are my benefactors, and they know magic, they can…”

“Enough. Have them leave.” The old woman issued an eviction order directly. Seeing Ling Zhuo’s hesitant expression, she scolded sharply:

“You just suffered a loss a few days ago, and you didn’t learn your lesson? Tell them that our Suluo Clan does not welcome any cultivators!”