After Faking Her Death and Escaping, the Junior Sister Fell to the Demonic Path - Chapter 4

“Master, are you truly going to keep this child on Hidden Snow Peak?”

Qin Qingyi hung upside down on a peach tree branch, looking at the scene below the tree, appearing somewhat indifferent to the situation.

Below the tree, True Person Wen Qing remained silent after hearing her words.

The reason was simple: a difficult problem was now before them.

A containment array was set between three to five peach trees, and inside the array was Zhou Zhixue, who had lost her mind and was furiously attacking the array.

“She has completely lost her mind, and I was entrusted to look after her. I can’t just abandon her.”

True Person Wen Qing frowned, seemingly troubled by the current situation.

She had not yet found a way to awaken Zhou Zhixue’s consciousness. The child was so volatile every day, and while the method of sealing the five senses initially kept her quiet for two days, the effect weakened day by day, and now it could only be maintained for a quarter of an hour.

“Is there really no other way?”

She murmured.

If possible, she truly didn’t want to watch a life slowly wither before her eyes.

Seeing her so conflicted and worried, Qin Qingyi, hanging upside down on the peach tree, sighed and pointed out a clear path for her:

“Doesn’t Martial Uncle have the Thousand-Year Cold Lotus brought back from the Frigid Domain, which can calm the mind? Master, why not go and ask Martial Uncle for it? Maybe it will be useful.”

True Person Wen Qing was stunned for a moment, then reacted as if she had just realized something, and exclaimed with delight: “How could I have forgotten that? Qingyi, thanks to you. Otherwise, I would still be searching desperately for a solution.”

With that, she conjured a spell and flew toward the Sword Peak.

The Thousand-Year Cold Lotus is a spiritual plant unique to the deepest part of the Frigid Domain in Beiju Luzhou. It has the effect of opening up meridians and strengthening bones for people. It also has an excellent calming effect if a cultivator is restless.

A few years ago, when Shangguan Yu had not yet become the Sword Sect Leader, she cultivated in the Frigid Domain and acquired many good things there. The Thousand-Year Cold Lotus was merely the least notable among these treasures.

Although that was the case, in the Xuanyuan Realm, a single Thousand-Year Cold Lotus could still fetch a high price of five thousand spirit stones. Such a valuable item used on a child who was only in the Foundation Establishment stage seemed a bit overkill, but who told Martial Uncle to extort a lot of spirit stones from her a few days ago?

Don’t think she didn’t know that those damaged artifacts could be restored to their original state with just one spell.

Although her personal feelings were mixed in, her heart was truly sincere.

Martial Uncle, Martial Uncle, with a life on the line, it’s just a mere Thousand-Year Cold Lotus. Surely you won’t refuse, right?

Qin Qingyi tilted her head, not at all ashamed of her act of personal retaliation, but rather taking a subtle pride in it.

“Little fellow, you have a big destiny.”

She looked at Zhou Zhixue, who was unaware of this in the containment barrier, and sighed with emotion.

“You are much luckier than I was. You are only in the Foundation Establishment stage, yet you have a Thousand-Year Cold Lotus to protect you.”

“Back then, I had nothing at all.”

However, no matter how much she said, Zhou Zhixue inside the barrier couldn’t understand what she was saying. She just charged recklessly inside the restraint barrier like a wild ox, trying to break out.

“You can’t keep acting up like this.”

Qin Qingyi, lying horizontally on the peach tree branch, was disturbed from her sleep by the noise of her hitting the barrier. It was too loud, and… Qin Qingyi squinted at Zhou Zhixue inside the restraint barrier. If this continued, before her Master returned with the Thousand-Year Cold Lotus, the child would deplete the pitiful amount of spiritual energy in her body and damage her meridians.

“Tsk, why is there so much to worry about?”

She scratched her head, truly not wanting to bother with Zhou Zhixue. The child’s first impression of her wasn’t good; who chases someone with a knife upon first meeting?

“What does it have to do with me if her meridians are damaged or not?”

She turned over, attempting to close her eyes and continue sleeping.

But as she tossed and turned, the commotion behind her didn’t stop. After a rough calculation, if she didn’t intervene, the child would truly have her meridians completely destroyed.

She opened one eye, trying to convince herself:

“If I don’t interfere, Master will blame me when she returns, right?”

“If this child dies on Hidden Snow Peak, won’t I also be entangled in karma?”

“If I get involved in karma, it might affect my future cultivation. No, absolutely not. It must not affect my future cultivation.”

With that, Qin Qingyi sat up straight. She sat on a cluster of peach branches, looking at the clueless Zhou Zhixue inside the barrier, and sighed softly.

“Consider yourself lucky to have met a kind person like me.”

Her eyes slightly closed, and when they opened again, her originally black-glazed eyes had turned into fiery red vertical pupils. With a flip of her wrist, demonic energy surged, and a scarlet, iridescent demonic core hovered in her palm.

“Go!”

With a soft cry from Qin Qingyi, the demonic core, as if gaining intelligence, penetrated the containment array and flew towards Zhou Zhixue’s Dantian in her abdomen.

Like water merging with water, the moment it touched Zhou Zhixue’s Dantian, the demonic core silently drilled in. Immediately, demonic energy began to spread outward from the Dantian, enveloping Zhou Zhixue in three breaths.

Thus, the demonic energy gathered like a lotus, surrounding Zhou Zhixue in its heart.

Half an hour later, the demonic lotus opened, revealing the young sleeping face within its core.

Qin Qingyi nodded in satisfaction.

Finally, quiet.

With the protection of the demonic lotus, she wouldn’t wake up for a few hours.

With this, she should be able to hold out until Master brings the Thousand-Year Cold Lotus.

Qin Qingyi changed her posture and peacefully resumed her rest on the peach branch.

If only she had a pot of peach blossom wine.

The constant fragrance of the eternally blooming peach blossoms around her aroused her craving for wine. Qin Qingyi twitched her nose and subconsciously reached for the wine gourd at her waist.

She only grasped empty air.

A few days ago, True Person Wen Qing had taken her good wine, claiming that drinking would interfere with her duties.

Qin Qingyi felt annoyed thinking about it. This was an unsubstantiated accusation!

On the other side, True Person Wen Qing had already found Shangguan Yu.

On the Sword Peak summit, a bamboo forest was vibrant and green.

Unlike the Hidden Snow Peak, which was covered in snow all year round, the Sword Peak was constantly lush due to its lower elevation. The summit was planted with continuous miles of emerald bamboo. Whenever the wind blew, the bamboo leaves rustled, and the bamboo poles collided, creating a symphony of metal and stone sounds.

Shangguan Yu was practicing her swordplay in the bamboo forest.

As the Sect Leader of the Sword Sect, and the “Sword Keeper,” True Person Yurong practiced her sword here daily. Although the affairs of the Sword Sect were complicated, her cultivation had never been neglected for a moment.

If one had to compare, she was much more diligent and hardworking than her several Junior Brothers and Sisters.

True Person Wen Qing arrived at an unfortunate time; Shangguan Yu was in the middle of studying a Sword Sect technique. If she were to wait, it might take a while for her to come out. Helplessly, True Person Wen Qing also drew her sword and leaped into the bamboo forest, intending to practice alongside Shangguan Yu.

Sword clashed against sword. Seeing that it was True Person Wen Qing, Shangguan Yu’s eyes softened a bit, and even the force of her sword strikes softened.

“Why are you here, Junior Sister?” Although she asked this, Shangguan Yu did not stop. This was the most critical part of her sword technique, and she was grateful to have someone to practice with.

“Senior Sister,”

True Person Wen Qing spoke urgently.

“Do you happen to have a Thousand-Year Cold Lotus?”

She blocked the sword strike from Shangguan Yu and quickly explained the reason.

Shangguan Yu raised an eyebrow, already understanding the purpose of True Person Wen Qing’s visit. Her footsteps didn’t falter, and she raised her hand to unleash a new sword move toward True Person Wen Qing: “Oh? You’re asking for the Thousand-Year Cold Lotus from me, is it for that child?”

True Person Wen Qing nodded, blocking Shangguan Yu’s attack once more, and quickly betrayed Qin Qingyi: “Qingyi said you have it. The effect of the Thousand-Year Cold Lotus might be beneficial for the child’s condition, so Junior Sister shamelessly came to ask for it.”

Shangguan Yu’s lips curled into a slight smile. As expected, that little fox holds a grudge and retaliates.

She only took a few spirit stones from her, and now she wants her to trade a Thousand-Year Cold Lotus for it.

“Junior Sister, do you know that the Thousand-Year Cold Lotus is priceless in the market?”

Shangguan Yu didn’t say she wouldn’t give it, but her attitude was too ambiguous, making True Person Wen Qing uncertain.

“So Senior Sister does have it!” True Person Wen Qing’s eyes lit up, her focus completely shifted.

“Senior Sister, that child’s mind has broken. Without the Thousand-Year Cold Lotus, she might not even be able to save her meridians. If Senior Sister needs something else in exchange, I will certainly be happy to oblige.”

She pleaded earnestly, hoping to evoke some compassion from Shangguan Yu to save Zhou Zhixue from her plight.

Shangguan Yu did not speak. The two exchanged blows, and their sword techniques went over a hundred moves without a clear winner. It wasn’t until True Person Wen Qing ran out of spiritual energy that Shangguan Yu managed to narrowly win using a bamboo leaf.

“Junior Sister, you lost.”

By the end of the fight, both their swords had dropped somewhere. Shangguan Yu held a bamboo leaf at True Person Wen Qing’s neck, ending the practice session.

“So, Senior Sister still won’t give the Thousand-Year Cold Lotus?” True Person Wen Qing pressed.

This item was truly rare. It was said that even in the deepest part of the Frigid Domain in Beiju Luzhou, only one would be conceived every thousand years. It was so rare that even the black market offered ten times the high price, but couldn’t buy it.

Shangguan Yu retrieved both their swords, tossed True Person Wen Qing’s sword back to her, and gave her a side glance: “When did I say I wouldn’t give it to you?”

She just wanted her to practice with her, but True Person Wen Qing kept nagging the whole time, giving her no peace.

Shangguan Yu felt frustrated, yet she didn’t know what to say.

“Ah, you! You need to harden your heart a bit.”

“If you’re always so indecisive, what will you do if another poor child falls before you one day? Will you save them or not?”

“Now that the Human Emperor in the mortal realm has been slaughtered, the entire mortal realm is probably in chaos. When that time comes, with the starving corpses everywhere, I’d like to see what you will do.”

She scolded True Person Wen Qing with a disappointed look. Seeing the other party merely smiling sheepishly and not daring to talk back, Shangguan Yu grew even angrier.

“You! Master told you long ago to change your nature. Master has been ascended for decades, and yet I haven’t seen you truly listen. You’re still the same stubborn self as before.”

She angrily pinched True Person Wen Qing’s arm. The other party cried out in pain but only begged for mercy and did not offer a single rebuttal.

“Here, take it.”

After returning to the inner chamber of the Sword Peak, Shangguan Yu finally took out the Thousand-Year Cold Lotus that True Person Wen Qing had been begging for all along from her Qiankun bracelet.

Spiritual treasures are different from ordinary mortal items. As soon as it was taken out, the surroundings were enveloped in cold air, and even the window frames frosted over.

Shangguan Yu quickly conjured a spell and wrapped the Thousand-Year Cold Lotus in a barrier, which prevented the cold air from escaping.

“Thank you, Senior Sister!” True Person Wen Qing had been lectured the entire way, and her originally downcast expression suddenly brightened when her eyes fell upon the Thousand-Year Cold Lotus.

She tried to reach out for it, but Shangguan Yu stopped her. True Person Wen Qing was confused: “Senior Sister?”

Did she change her mind and decide not to give it to her after all?

Shangguan Yu earnestly warned: “Although this item is considered cold, it is extremely potent. You must be very careful when using it.”

So, she just wanted to nag a little more.

True Person Wen Qing sighed in relief.