After Faking Her Death and Escaping, the Junior Sister Fell to the Demonic Path - Chapter 41

“You can go back, but let Yan Li accompany you; she can also take care of you.”

Qin Boruo compromised but had a condition.

“No!” Qin Qingyi immediately refused.

“Why should she follow me? She can’t even retract her ears properly; she might expose herself later.”

Qin Qingyi was somewhat disdainful.

Yan Li was a small cat demon responsible for her daily life, a little cat demon.

Every day, she would revolve around her, calling “Young Mistress, Young Mistress.” How could a little demon accustomed to staying in the Demon Race adapt to the strict and austere rules of the Sword Sect?

It was fine before, when the Demon Race was flourishing, and there was no need to hide their identities when traveling outside. But what time is it now? The Demon Race hasn’t appeared in the Xuan Tian Realm for hundreds of years. If a demon were to appear rashly, they would probably be captured as soon as they left the Demon Race.

It’s important to know that Yan Li was once one of the little demons who were captured and sold.

That was about fifteen years ago. At that time, she and True Master Wen Qing went to an underground auction, where they saw Yan Li, who was the final item on the auction block.

The Demon Race had been living in seclusion for a long time. When a demon suddenly appeared in the Xuan Tian Realm, this little cat demon became a hot commodity. Yan Li was captured and sold as a slave.

As a fellow member of the Demon Race, Qin Qingyi naturally couldn’t watch Yan Li be bought and sold like this. She asked True Master Wen Qing to buy Yan Li and immediately sent her back to the Demon Race overnight.

Only in the Demon Race could little demons like Yan Li, who couldn’t protect themselves, survive.

Later, she never inquired about the child, and one could even say she forgot about it. It wasn’t until she returned ten years ago that the child insisted on coming to her side, and Qin Qingyi remembered her.

In her impression, this little demon couldn’t even retract her ears and tail and always looked pitiful.

“Young Mistress, I can retract my ears properly now.”

Yan Li’s timid voice came from behind her.

Qin Qingyi’s spine stiffened, and she slowly turned around.

She had only said two sentences; how was she caught by the person herself?

The demon girl, a head shorter than her, had come up behind her at some point and was looking at her somewhat aggrieved.

As if to prove herself, the cat ears on the girl’s head stood up, then retracted, repeating several times. Only then did she speak softly again: “Young Mistress, I’ve already reached the middle stage of the Nascent Soul realm. I can protect you.”

Middle stage of the Nascent Soul realm.

After hearing clearly, Qin Qingyi’s arrogance suddenly subsided.

Yan Li’s strength was indeed enough to protect her.

After all, it was only a year ago that she barely entered the Nascent Soul realm, and she is still stuck at the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm, with no further progress.

But how did this cat demon’s strength improve so quickly?

Perhaps sensing her confusion, Yan Li secretly straightened her back and said with a slight hint of pride, “I went to the Tongtian Pagoda, so my strength improved quickly.”

Qin Qingyi looked at her in surprise, “Why did you think of going to the Tongtian Pagoda?”

No wonder she hadn’t seen her these past few days; she had secretly run off to cultivate.

The Tongtian Pagoda is the trial ground for the younger generation of the Demon Race. It was created by the former Great Demons, who exhausted their cultivation to protect their descendants. It has a total of seven floors, corresponding to the realms of Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Celestial Being, Transformation Stage, and Half-step Ascension.

Although it is called the Tongtian Pagoda, it is not entirely accurate. It is more like a small world secret realm. As long as they are part of the Demon Race, they can enter the corresponding floor to cultivate, and through the trials and tests within, they can quickly enhance their strength.

To this day, all the elders and the new generation of Great Demons in the Demon Race have emerged from the Tongtian Pagoda.

However, it is not entirely safe. Many have come out half-dead, or with their demon cores shattered, unable to cultivate for the rest of their lives, only waiting for death.

Therefore, Qin Qingyi was surprised by Yan Li’s courage.

She was barely sixteen years old; was she already moving freely in the Tongtian Pagoda?

Yan Li smiled shyly, “The Demon Sovereign said that if my strength surpasses yours, I can stay by your side.”

So she went.

Qin Qingyi felt another arrow in her heart.

She looked at Qin Boruo resentfully: “Mother, you’ve played a good game of chess.”

Qin Boruo was self-assured: “What’s wrong? I just gave her a choice; I didn’t force her.”

That’s true, but it made Qin Qingyi very uncomfortable.

“I have my Master’s protection in the Sword Sect. I won’t encounter danger. Why are you making her do this?”

Why would she need someone else to take care of her? Qin Qingyi couldn’t understand.

Children of the Demon Race grow up in an environment where the fittest survive from a young age. Although she is the Young Mistress of the Demon Race, she is not lazy.

Why make a promising young child of the Demon Race give up their training in the Demon Race to waste time with her in the Immortal Sect?

But in the end, Qin Qingyi still took Yan Li and set off.

When that child heard that Qin Qingyi was unwilling to take her, her expression was incredibly pitiful.

“If the Young Mistress is unwilling to take Yan Li, then Yan Li has nowhere else to go.” Saying this, she was about to draw her sword and commit suicide.

Qin Boruo, as a generation’s Demon Sovereign, didn’t mind adding fuel to the fire: “Oh, what a poor little demon, who only wants to repay a kindness but has no opportunity~”

While speaking, she nudged Qin Qingyi with her shoulder and winked: “Take her with you. The Sword Sect is large enough; no one will discover her.”

Left with no choice, Qin Qingyi could only bring the person back to the Sword Sect.

On the way, Qin Qingyi kept thinking about how to settle Yan Li.

She couldn’t possibly ask her Master to take another disciple, could she?

What would that look like? Wouldn’t the other peaks say that their Hidden Snow Peak was a Bodhisattva that randomly showed compassion?

She looked at Yan Li beside her and sighed helplessly.

Yan Li noticed and looked at her again with those pitiful cat eyes, about to cry.

Qin Qingyi silently turned her head away.

When the time comes, she will just say that she picked up this poor child outside.

After all, the Master recognized Yan Li. It wouldn’t be impossible to arrange for Yan Li to be an ordinary disciple in the outer sect.

Qin Qingyi sighed, controlling the Liu Bai Sword to accelerate.

Approaching the Sword Sect, Qin Qingyi first sent a message to True Master Wen Qing, briefly explaining Yan Li’s situation. After receiving permission, she went up the mountain, taking Yan Li to Hidden Snow Peak to settle down first.

She needed to rest first, right?

“Perhaps it needs cleaning.”

Standing outside the courtyard, Qin Qingyi said to Yan Li.

After all, she hadn’t been back for ten years, so her residence must have accumulated a lot of dust.

“I’ll clean it for Young… for Senior Sister!” Yan Li volunteered, but almost said the wrong title.

Seeing Qin Qingyi glare at her, she quickly changed the title.

When they came, Qin Qingyi made an agreement with her: not to call her Young Mistress, not to expose her ears and tail, and to abide by the rules of the Sword Sect, not to be as reckless as in the Demon Race.

Yan Li really wanted to argue that she had been cultivating diligently in the Demon Race and wasn’t reckless, but looking at Qin Qingyi’s eyes, she didn’t dare to speak.

After finally resisting the urge to let her ears out for a breath of air, Yan Li blinked her eyes and tugged at Qin Qingyi’s sleeve: “Senior Sister, let Yan Li clean it.”

“I will definitely clean it very thoroughly.”

After all, she had been by Qin Qingyi’s side and taken care of her while in the Demon Race.

Cleaning up these things was something she was very skilled at.

But Qin Qingyi shook her head and refused her suggestion.

Watching the little girl’s eyes gradually dim, Qin Qingyi slowly said, “It’s something that can be fixed with a few Cleaning Spells. Why bother cleaning it yourself?”

The little girl immediately cheered up and circled Qin Qingyi: “Then Yan Li will cast the spell!”

The growth of the Demon Race is slow. Although Yan Li is already 16 years old this year, she still retains a child’s temperament because she is inexperienced.

Qin Qingyi raised her hand to push the door, and it opened without her exerting any force.

“Huh?”

She raised an eyebrow.

If she remembered correctly, she had closed the door when she left.

Could it be that too much time had passed, and her memory was flawed?

Qin Qingyi didn’t think much of it, stepped inside, and called out to Yan Li as she walked, “Hurry and come in.”

But someone was already waiting for her at the door.

“Senior… Sister?”

Zhou Zhixue heard the commotion outside the house, quickly put down the duster, and pushed the door open to look outside.

She thought it must be Senior Sister coming back. Today was exactly the third day, and she was about to finish cleaning this place. Senior Sister would surely be very happy.

Although… Zhou Zhixue’s face suddenly turned red. Although when Senior Sister wasn’t around, she would often sneak into Senior Sister’s place to sleep because she missed her too much.

Of course, this was something absolutely not to be let known to Senior Sister or anyone else. Zhou Zhixue shook her head, shaking off that little bit of embarrassment inside.

She pushed the door open with a heart full of joy, with many questions brewing inside. She was going to ask Senior Sister if she missed her first, and then ask Senior Sister where she had been all these years.

But upon opening the door, Zhou Zhixue’s smile froze on her face, and then her mouth slowly dropped until the smile completely vanished.

Her Senior Sister, whom she had longed for for ten years, was standing next to a… child?

Where did this child come from?

Whose bastard child is this, born with Senior Sister?!

“Who is she?”

Zhou Zhixue’s voice was cold enough to drop icicles, carrying a subtle tremble.

She was asking Qin Qingyi. The joyful mood she had was completely gone at this moment, replaced by an unknown panic.

Zhou Zhixue felt as if she had fallen into an ice cellar. This was even more painful and colder than when she was stripping away her emotions during the cultivation of the Heartless Dao.

She suddenly realized she couldn’t breathe.

How could it be so uncomfortable?

But Qin Qingyi clearly didn’t hear what she was saying. After all, Yan Li was standing at the door, fidgeting, and she had to walk over and pull her in.

“Junior Sister? What did you just say?”

Qin Qingyi asked.

“Ten years unseen, my little Junior Sister has grown into a big girl.”

She looked at Zhou Zhixue, who was standing on the steps, holding onto the door frame and looking lost, with great relief.

However, the gap of ten years was too long, and Qin Qingyi couldn’t immediately find a topic.

Seeing that Zhou Zhixue wasn’t speaking either, she awkwardly touched her nose, preparing to take Yan Li into the room to rest first.

Qin Qingyi led Yan Li up, and before entering the room, she praised, “Was Junior Sister cleaning the room for me? You must have worked hard; you should have left these trivial matters for me to handle when I returned.”

She could tell at a glance that the room was clean and tidy, and only Zhou Zhixue was present, so it must have been her little Junior Sister cleaning it for her.

Walking to the doorway, Qin Qingyi brushed past Zhou Zhixue.

At this moment, Zhou Zhixue suddenly grabbed Qin Qingyi’s arm, her voice strained: “Senior Sister.”

“Hmm?” Qin Qingyi raised an eyebrow, looking at the hand holding her arm, which was still constantly exerting force.

“You’re hurting me.”

She blinked, stating her pain.

Zhou Zhixue, however, seemed to be burned by a spark, fiercely pulling her hand back, slightly flustered: “I’m sorry, Senior Sister.”

Qin Qingyi smiled: “Is there anything else?”

If there was nothing else, she was going back to rest.

After all, she had been flying on her sword for more than a day. Although there was a teleportation array, the Demon Race was quite far from the Sword Sect, and the teleportation array also consumed a great deal of spiritual energy and demon power, so she was quite tired.

“Who is she?”

Zhou Zhixue’s eyes turned to the child who had been hiding behind Qin Qingyi since she saw her, and she gritted her teeth and asked.

“You mean her?”

Qin Qingyi was surprised and pulled Yan Li out from behind her.

Zhou Zhixue nodded, her eyes persistent.

Taking advantage of Qin Qingyi turning her head, she looked at Yan Li with ill will, a cold glint appearing in her eyes.

Her wrist was even resting on the Chang Le Sword at her waist, looking as if the child would be instantly beheaded if Qin Qingyi’s answer wasn’t what she wanted.

Yan Li was so frightened that she shrank back, wanting to hide in Qin Qingyi’s arms, sticking close to her Senior Sister. However, because Senior Sister was gently coaxing her, Zhou Zhixue finally couldn’t hold it in: “Who is she?!”

“Why did she come back with Senior Sister?!”

Zhou Zhixue was furious, her eyes red.

The thought of her internal speculation drove Zhou Zhixue insane with jealousy.

Who was it?!

Who stole Senior Sister?!

Qin Qingyi was startled by her shout and felt quite inexplicable.

Moreover, Yan Li was so scared that she hid behind her, and Qin Qingyi immediately felt a strong dislike for Zhou Zhixue’s aggressiveness.

She frowned and reproached: “Why are you so fierce? You’ve scared the child.”