After Faking Her Death and Escaping, the Junior Sister Fell to the Demonic Path - Chapter 9

As they walked out of the Hall of the Sword Bearers, the brass bells hanging from the eaves caught the sunlight, reflecting scattered fragments of light.

Shangguan Yu stood under the eaves, gathering the wide sleeves embroidered with woven gold cloud patterns. She lowered her voice and spoke to Venerable Wen Qing: “Ancestor’s meaning just now couldn’t be clearer. This child will be your disciple from now on. When she reaches the age of fifteen, you can hold the official apprenticeship ceremony to complete the ritual.”

As she spoke, her gaze swept over Zhou Zhixue. The child looked up with a clear, innocent look that made her endearing.

Venerable Wen Qing followed her gaze, a gentle arc forming on her lips: “This child has excellent root bone, so it’s fitting that she should enter my Hidden Snow Peak lineage.”

“However…” Shangguan Yu raised a hand and gently waved it. A spiritual barrier, like rippling water, spread out, enveloping the three of them.

A slight frown creased her brow, and her voice dropped three degrees lower: “A natural-born Sword Bone is something rarely seen in a millennium. Now, the cultivation world is surging with undercurrents. If those rogue cultivators and demonic practitioners get wind of this…”

Her unfinished thought dissipated into a sigh in the wind.

“The cultivation world is no longer as clearly defined between the pure and the turbid as it once was. It’s better to be careful when acting outside.”

Finally, Shangguan Yu sighed lightly, beckoning Qin Qingyi to come closer.

She pulled several precious items from her Qiankun sleeve and placed them into Qin Qingyi’s hands. “Reconnecting your meridians must have caused you a lot of suffering. I, your Elder Martial Aunt, don’t have as many good things as your Master, so don’t be disdainful.”

She said this, but the items she took out so generously were all priceless treasures on the outside. Qin Qingyi understood that her Martial Aunt, the Sect Master, was being humble.

Qin Qingyi knew that her Martial Aunt, the Sect Master, rarely spoke but was an extremely kind person. After a moment of thought, Qin Qingyi spoke first: “Martial Aunt, please rest assured. I will not spread the word about today’s matter. If I break this oath, I, Qingyi, shall be rejected by heaven and earth.”

She made a Heart Oath to Heaven and Earth, where every word spoken would be sensed by the Great Dao of Heaven, specifically binding cultivators.

“You child,” Venerable Wen Qing lightly patted the back of her head, scolding affectionately, “Your Martial Aunt didn’t say anything, but your mind is so busy.”

Qin Qingyi chuckled.

Some words her Martial Aunt couldn’t say, but she had to.

Her true identity was known only to the Sect Master Martial Aunt and her Master in the Sword Sect, and now the Ancestor was added to that number.

They indulged her staying in the Sword Sect, but she couldn’t rely on this connection to bring trouble to the sect. The little fox happily thought, Today, I am also a mature adult. If the elderly grandmothers in the clan knew, they would definitely praise me.

The little fox was secretly pleased with herself.

Shangguan Yu looked at her and couldn’t help but smile. She didn’t comment on Qin Qingyi’s act of taking a heart oath, but instead gave her several more good things.

Watching the little girl joyfully accepting the gifts, Shangguan Yu’s gaze lingered on Zhou Zhixue, who had remained silent the entire time. She paused, then took out a square of ice silkworm silk cloth from her Qiankun sleeve. Unfolding it, she revealed three jade slips that shimmered with starlight: “This is a partial manuscript of the Grand Void Sword Art that I obtained during my travels in earlier years. Though incomplete, it is compatible with your Ice Spirit Root. Since you’ve already touched the edge of the Golden Core stage, I hope this can be of some help to you.”

She carefully re-wrapped the three jade slips, took Zhou Zhixue’s hand, and placed the package onto it.

Zhou Zhixue, however, was flustered, backing up a couple of steps in confusion: “I, I can’t accept this.”

She lowered her gaze, not daring to look at Shangguan Yu. The small child looked extremely timid and awkward.

She had been well-cared for by Qin Qingyi these past few days, wearing clothes that Qin Qingyi had specifically taken to have resized. The wind on the mountain was strong, and since it was still early spring, it was quite chilly. A plush collar circled Zhou Zhixue’s face, protecting her from the cold air.

Yet, her face was exceptionally beautiful. Though only a six-year-old child, one could already faintly discern the future elegance and beauty in her features. Shangguan Yu patiently crouched down and asked softly, “Why can’t you accept it?”

Facing Shangguan Yu’s confusion, Zhou Zhixue said in a soft, quiet voice: “The Sword Sect has already taken me in. I am deeply grateful. Mother once said that a person should know how to repay kindness, and as for anything else, I shouldn’t be greedy.”

Her words were met with silence from the three people present. Finally, it was Qin Qingyi who broke the deadlock:

“Since Martial Aunt gave it to you, just take it.”

Qin Qingyi took the jade slips from Shangguan Yu and tucked them into Zhou Zhixue’s arms, then tugged at the silk brocade cape Zhou Zhixue was wearing to keep the wind and snow out. She pinched Zhou Zhixue’s soft cheek, comforting her, “Don’t keep thinking about unnecessary things. The Sword Sect never treats its disciples harshly. Since you’ve come to the Sword Sect, treat this place as your home. No matter what happens, you still have me, your Elder Sister Disciple.”

Her words were filled with sincere care. Zhou Zhixue, who had been alone and anxious for days since first arriving at the Sword Sect, looked at her. Thinking of the care she had received from the other girl during this time, she finally choked up and threw herself into Qin Qingyi’s arms, her quiet sobbing eventually turning into a loud, wrenching cry.

Qin Qingyi’s fur tightened instantly. Where had she ever encountered a crying child? For a moment, she was flustered, hastily wiping Zhou Zhixue’s tears while casting pleading looks at Shangguan Yu and Venerable Wen Qing.

Help me, Master, Martial Aunt, she mouthed silently, her eyes helpless.

Unfortunately, the two adults had no intention of rescuing her. Instead, they watched the spectacle, trying to suppress their laughter.

Fortunately, Zhou Zhixue was a very sensible child. Even though her emotions had broken down, she didn’t cry and fuss for long. In about half an hour, she lifted her head from Qin Qingyi’s embrace.

Red eyes, red nose—she had clearly been crying heartbrokenly.

Seeing a wet patch on the front of Qin Qingyi’s robe from her tears, the little girl belatedly felt embarrassed and apologized in a tiny voice: “I’m sorry, Elder Sister Disciple, I dirtied your clothes.”

Qin Qingyi would never put such a small thing to heart. Seeing that Zhou Zhixue had finally stopped crying, she was immensely relieved. She scooped the child up and spun around several times, making Zhou Zhixue giggle.

The two half-grown children playing around made Shangguan Yu and Venerable Wen Qing smile at each other.

“There is one more thing,” Shangguan Yu’s brows furrowed as she recalled the main business. “A few days ago, you told me about the slaughter of the Human Emperor. Afterward, I corresponded with the Elder guarding the Cliff Mountain barrier. They checked and told me there was no problem with the barrier.”

Venerable Wen Qing reminded her: “The barrier is not only at Cliff Mountain. I encountered the demon race in the Mortal Realm. The barrier there, and the one at the Underworld Ghost Realm…”

As the two were discussing, Zhou Zhixue suddenly tugged at Qin Qingyi’s sleeve, pointing a small hand toward the faint peak visible in the distant sea of clouds. The three followed her gaze, only to see dark clouds roiling in the direction of Cliff Mountain, with faint flashes of bloody lightning. The smile on Shangguan Yu’s lips instantly froze, her voice turning chillingly cold: “It seems some people did not report the situation at Cliff Mountain truthfully.”

Hearing this, Venerable Wen Qing lightly tapped the jade flute at her waist with her finger. Ice crystals spread along the bluestone bricks: “The day the Human Emperor fell, I smelled the aura of the Underworld Blood Lotus by the River Luo.”

She turned and looked into the distance, her eyes filled with worry: “The seal on the Ghost Gate Pass may not last beyond this Jiazi cycle (sixty years).”

A cold wind carrying snowflakes swept over the peak of the Sword Bearers, and the brass bells on the eaves rang out a hurried, clear note. Qin Qingyi instinctively pulled Zhou Zhixue closer into her arms. A few crystal-like specks landed on the little girl’s head, quickly melting into fine drops of water.

She hadn’t finished her thought, but Shangguan Yu understood her meaning: “We haven’t been able to contact the Human Race or the Ghost Race yet. It might take some time.”

She sighed lightly, “Let’s hope we are just being overly anxious.”

Both fell into silence. It wasn’t that they were overly worried; it was the events that had happened in the past, the tragic price that had been paid, that forced them to be vigilant.

After a long silence, Shangguan Yu finally waved her hand: “Don’t dwell on it anymore. For now, we’ll wait for news. I will notify you as soon as I have any.”

Venerable Wen Qing nodded.

As they returned along the original path, Shangguan Yu saw the three off the Sword Bearers Peak. Just as they were about to head back to Hidden Snow Peak, Venerable Wen Qing suddenly thought of something and turned to ask Qin Qingyi: “Is it true that this child can only feel full by eating spiritual plants?”

Seeing that her Master had finally asked the key question, Qin Qingyi nodded repeatedly.

The small kitchen at Hidden Snow Peak had already blacklisted the two of them. She had been forced to take Zhou Zhixue to restaurants down the mountain for meals during this time. She herself was on Bigu (abstinence from grains), so she didn’t need to eat, but this tiny child had an astonishing appetite, ordering a huge table of dishes every time they went down the mountain. Fortunately, Hidden Snow Peak had private rooms at the restaurant, so no one saw that all the food was eaten by one small child.

A few days ago, the Drunken Immortal Tower restaurant introduced new dishes. She ordered a few of them, which were spiritual plants imbued with lingqi. Simply stir-fried, they were incredibly fragrant, and even she couldn’t resist taking a few bites. It was on that day that Zhou Zhixue suddenly said she was full. At that time, there was still more than half the food left on the table, and only the plates of those spiritual plants were empty.

It happened like this for several days in a row, and Qin Qingyi slowly realized the truth—it wasn’t that the child had a large appetite and couldn’t get full; it was that she needed a different kind of food.

It was precisely because of this incident that she sensed an extraordinary quality in Zhou Zhixue that she hadn’t seen before.

If it were just a large appetite, Qin Qingyi had seen fox cubs with appetites two or three times larger than Zhou Zhixue’s.

But being unable to feel full from anything else, and feeling full instantly upon eating spiritual plants—that wasn’t just a large appetite. It meant her body required lingqi and was thus attracted to spiritual plants that contained it. However, because she didn’t know how to sort out and refine the complex lingqi within, she only felt full after a few bites.

This situation required a Master to guide her, teaching her how to sort out and refine lingqi and absorb it for her own use.

She didn’t know what Zhou Zhixue had gone through, but a child who had reached the Foundation Establishment stage shouldn’t be ignorant of these things. This was the reason she had pleaded with Venerable Wen Qing to visit the Hall of the Sword Bearers today.

After hearing Qin Qingyi describe the entire sequence of events, Venerable Wen Qing was uncharacteristically silent. She then changed direction and flew on her sword toward the foot of the mountain.

“Since that’s the case, your Master will treat you two to a good meal.”

“Yay!” The little fox cheered.

As dusk first began to fall, the private room on the third floor of the Drunken Immortal Tower was filled with a rich lingqi aura.

Eighteen spiritual dishes were placed on the Zitan wood round table. An old snow lotus soup was served in a jadeite bowl, and thinly sliced crystal Fuling mushroom was arranged on a white jade plate. Zhou Zhixue held a bowl bigger than her face, her cheeks puffed out like a squirrel stealing food.

Qin Qingyi rested her chin on her hand, watching her devour the food, when suddenly a splash of soup hit her face. She feigned anger and pinched the little girl’s nose. Her crimson nails stood out vividly against the pale skin: “Slow down, no one is fighting you for it.”

Despite her words, her hands kept piling food onto the child’s plate, building the Eight Treasures Glazed Bowl into a small mountain.

Zhou Zhixue’s eyes shone with delight, and her mouth was coated with oil. She didn’t bother to speak, only burying her head in the food.

The intensity of her eating made Qin Qingyi step back a few paces, afraid of getting more grease splatters on her clothes.

Not until the entire table of food was completely cleaned up by the little glutton, not a drop of oil left, did Venerable Wen Qing withdraw her gaze.

“Let’s go, it’s time to go back.”

She paid the bill and took the two round-bellied little ones back to Hidden Snow Peak.

“From today on, she is officially your Junior Sister Disciple. She is the fourth core disciple your Master has taken,” Venerable Wen Qing instructed Qin Qingyi on the way back to Hidden Snow Peak.

“Her identity is special, and it wouldn’t be good if it got out. I won’t tell your two Junior Brothers about this. If anyone asks in the future, help cover it up.”

Qin Qingyi nodded in agreement. Zhou Zhixue also understood what was happening. Her eyes brightened, and she quietly tugged on Qin Qingyi’s sleeve, calling out, “Elder Sister Disciple.”

However, children’s energy runs out quickly, and soon she leaned against Qin Qingyi and fell into a deep sleep.

Qin Qingyi looked down and stroked the top of her head. She knew that this child now saw her as someone she could rely on.

A cultivator must sever worldly ties. This child’s talent was so outstanding. After this incident, she wondered if it was a good thing or a bad thing for her.