After Marrying the Disabled Demon Lord as a Substitute, I Ran Away with His Child - Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Zuo Siqiu found herself staring at a rooster—the very same one she had encountered earlier while wandering through the Xuanyun Sect. It was an old acquaintance; she remembered it clearly as the “groom” she had bowed to on her wedding day.

Just then, someone from the sect’s kitchen arrived. After a brief conversation, she learned the rooster was destined for the pot to feed those disciples who had not yet reached the stage of India (fasting).

Zuo Siqiu wanted to buy the bird, but the kitchen worker immediately insisted, “If the Lady wants it, there’s no talk of buying. Just take him.”

Cradling the rooster, Zuo Siqiu headed back toward Xuan Mo’s grotto. “Since you’re the one who bowed to me at the wedding, I’ll just call you ‘Husband’ (Laogong).”

The rooster replied: “Cock-a-doodle-doo!”

Many cultivators kept spirit beasts to assist in their cultivation. Zuo Siqiu hadn’t considered it before, but seeing this rooster and remembering their shared “wedding,” she felt it was fate. She decided to keep him.

The bird, however, possessed no spiritual intelligence; it was a perfectly ordinary chicken. The moment they reached Xuan Mo’s grotto, it promptly left a dropping right in the middle of his courtyard.

Xuan Mo stared at the bird with pure, murderous intent.

Zuo Siqiu stepped in front of the squawking rooster. “Venerable One, please don’t be angry! I’ll perform a Cleansing Spell and have this place spotless in a second.”

Xuan Mo: “Kill it.”

Zuo Siqiu looked at the rooster, who was wandering about with zero sense of danger. “But I’ve decided to raise him. How about I just don’t bring him inside anymore?”

Xuan Mo: “Why the sudden urge to raise a chicken?”

Zuo Siqiu cautiously watched his expression and whispered, “The day I was married into the sect, this rooster stood in for you during the ceremony.”

Xuan Mo sat in his wheelchair, silent for a long time. Then, he simply shut his door and refused to come out.

Sitting at the grotto entrance with the rooster in her arms, Zuo Siqiu sighed. “Your life is truly bitter. You married me on his behalf, only to be discarded like a tool once the job was done.”

Yan Jiaojiao, who loved dropping by to look for gossip, arrived and recognized the bird. “Isn’t this the rooster from the wedding?”

Zuo Siqiu patted the bird’s head affectionately. “Yes. I saw the cook about to fry him today. Since we have a connection, I wanted to keep him, but the Sovereign won’t allow it.”

Yan Jiaojiao’s perspective was, as always, unique. Her cute face was a mix of excitement and gravity. “The Sovereign has no sense of romance! By raising this rooster, aren’t you commemorating the fate that brought you two together from across a thousand miles?”

“Don’t worry, I’ll convince him. I’ll even head to The Black Shop to find some high-quality feed. We’ll have this bird’s spiritual intelligence awakened in no time.”

Zuo Siqiu thought of Xuan Mo’s pale, lethal face. “Never mind. Maybe the rooster and I just aren’t meant to be.”

Yan Jiaojiao sighed deeply, lamenting that the Sovereign was being a killjoy. The two sat at the door, mourning the rooster’s impending trip to the kitchen. Their sighs were so persistent that a pebble eventually flew out of the grotto, bonking Yan Jiaojiao on the head.

“I see you are very idle,” Xuan Mo’s cold voice drifted from behind the door.

Yan Jiaojiao jumped up. “Not idle at all! I have tons to do! Leaving now!” She scrambled away before he could bury her in more paperwork.

Zuo Siqiu also stood up with the bird. “Venerable One, I’m going too. I’ll take him back to the kitchen.”

Xuan Mo: “Come in.”

Zuo Siqiu entered the room, heart sinking, certain the rooster was about to meet its maker. Instead, Xuan Mo tossed a scroll at her. “This is a recipe for spirit pet pills.”

She opened it and saw formulas for pills designed to help pets awaken their intelligence and level up. He was actually letting her keep the bird—and providing the “kibble” recipe!

Zuo Siqiu began to thank him, but he added, “My things are not so easily taken.”

She understood. “When I refine pills for ‘Husband,’ I’ll be sure to make plenty of fruit-flavored ones for you too, Venerable One.”

Suddenly, a terrifying aura engulfed her, and the rooster in her arms shrieked in terror. “You want this seat to eat chicken feed?”

Gasping under the pressure, Zuo Siqiu quickly clarified, “No! I mean I’ll refine proper cultivator-grade pills for you!”

The pressure vanished. Xuan Mo glanced at the rooster. “And what is this ‘Husband’?”

Zuo Siqiu: “…It’s… just a shorthand for ‘Husband-Rooster’ (Lao Gong-ji).”

Xuan Mo looked suspicious but couldn’t find a reason to argue. “Take your ‘Husband’ and get out. Don’t let me see it again.”

…

From that day on, “The Lady Walking her Rooster” became a famous sight in the Xuanyun Sect. The rooster was a magnificent specimen, now sporting a bright red peony-patterned bib around its neck—a mix of majestic and “girly.” It was even on a leash. Within two days, the name “Husband” had spread through the entire sect.

Yan Jiaojiao rushed over to witness the scene. “I knew it! How could the Sovereign refuse you anything?”

Zuo Siqiu asked, “Are you busy? If not, let’s go to The Black Shop. The Sovereign gave me a recipe, and I need materials for intelligence-awakening pills.”

“I have plenty of time! I knew he wouldn’t let the witness to your marriage die. I didn’t even know he had spirit pet recipes. He really pampers you and your ‘Husband’!”

Zuo Siqiu gave an awkward smile. She had named the bird “Husband” as a joke, but now the whole sect called it that. She regretted it, but there was no turning back.

“Let’s take ‘Husband’ with us,” Yan Jiaojiao suggested.

…

In the cultivation world, pets like foxes or cats were common. A rooster—especially one with no spiritual power—was unheard of. As the two walked down the main road of Feixian City, the crowds whispered.

“Is that the Left Protector? And who is the woman with the rooster?” “You don’t know? That’s the Lady of the Xuanyun Sect! The one who spends every night with the Demon Sovereign!” “Oh, so it’s her. But why a rooster? A hen for eggs would make more sense.”

Despite the stares, the rooster strutted along with its head high, seemingly unfazed by the throng of cultivators.

The manager of The Black Shop, well-aware of sect gossip, rushed out to greet them. He bowed to the bird. “So this is the Lady’s pet! I’ve heard much about him. Truly extraordinary, what a regal bearing!”

At that exact moment, a voice from the street announced, “Daoist Long Xiaotian has arrived! He truly has a regal bearing, just as the rumors say!”

The two compliments landed at the same time, making the atmosphere incredibly awkward.

Long Xiaotian: “…” Rooster: “Cock-a-doodle-doo!”

Long Xiaotian and his group, including Bi Zhian, entered the shop. Sensing the sharp glares from their companions, Zuo Siqiu quickly scooped up the rooster. Yan Jiaojiao stepped forward to shield her.

The manager tried to smooth things over. “Ah, the cultivators of the Bixia Sect. Many people have been waiting for your pills.” He signaled an assistant. “Take these guests to the VIP room in the back.”

As the manager, he usually didn’t serve anyone personally except for the Xuanyun elite, but he didn’t want to reveal the shop’s true ownership. However, a nearby customer recognized the Bixia group. “Daoist Long, Daoist Bi! We’ve been waiting for you! Are those pre-ordered pills in this batch?”

Another added, “I bought your pills here before. The flavor was unforgettable!”

The Bixia disciples beamed with pride. “Third Senior Sister’s pills always have a delicate fragrance.” “Only pills made by Big Senior Brother and Third Senior Sister draw such a crowd.”

Bi Zhian blushed modestly. “It’s only through everyone’s support that I’ve achieved this.” Then, her gaze shifted to Zuo Siqiu with exaggerated pity. “Little Junior Sister, how have you been?”

Her eyes fell on the rooster. Her heart seemed to break for her sister. “How could the Xuanyun Sect treat you like this? If you wanted a pet, you should have told me. I would have given you a high-quality spirit beast. Why raise such a common, mindless creature?”

The wave of “White Lotus” energy made Zuo Siqiu dizzy.

Yan Jiaojiao, however, put her hands on her hips and spat, “What do you know? ‘Husband’ isn’t just a rooster—he is the witness to the marriage and the crystallization of our Sovereign and Lady’s love!”

“Our Sovereign even gave the Lady a secret recipe just to feed this pet. Even if its natural intelligence is lacking, we have enough money to turn it into a high-level spirit beast!”

Zuo Siqiu wanted to pull Yan Jiaojiao back—these were the “Main Characters” with plot armor, after all—but the manager’s next words caught her completely off guard.

“I just received a transmission from the Sect Master,” the manager announced. “All of the Lady’s expenses in this shop are to be charged directly to his personal account.”

Zuo Siqiu: “Whoa!” Yan Jiaojiao: “Whoa!”