After Marrying the Disabled Demon Lord as a Substitute, I Ran Away with His Child - Chapter 13

Chapter 13

The scene where Zuo Siqiu obtained everything at the Xuanyun Sect left the crowd speechless. They never imagined that a Dan Sect disciple married into a demonic cult would receive such treatment. It seemed the rumors of the Demonic Cult Leader and his wife living in perfect harmony, “playing the lute and zither together,” were not false.

Zuo Siqiu truly was as favored by the Demonic Cult Leader as the rumors suggested. This was entirely different from everyone’s original assumptions.

Bi Zhian had always believed that Zuo Siqiu had endured suffering by marrying into the Xuanyun Sect in her place; she felt deep guilt and sentimentality because of it. But seeing her junior sister—who was once a “nobody” at the Bixia Sect—now standing in the spotlight with such abundant resources, she couldn’t help but feel a strange pang of bitterness.

However, she quickly composed herself and said to Zuo Siqiu, “That is truly wonderful, Junior Sister. Seeing you live such a life in the Xuanyun Sect, I can finally breathe a sigh of relief. I was so afraid that you…”

Yan Jiaojiao interrupted with a sharp, angry shout: “What’s wrong with the Xuanyun Sect? We dare to take responsibility for the bad things we do. But your Bixia Sect’s act of forcing someone to marry in another’s stead—is that supposed to be ‘righteous’ behavior? Don’t stand there with that heartbroken face!”

Bi Zhian’s face turned pale. It was true; no matter what, it was her junior sister who had married into the demonic cult in her place.

However, the people behind Bi Zhian didn’t see it that way. “Pah! The Junior Sister simply snatched the Third Senior Sister’s opportunity. If she hadn’t taken her place, would she have any of this now? Whether it’s the pill formulas or the spiritual materials she’s about to buy, they should all belong to our Third Senior Sister.”

“Exactly! She only enjoys this good life because of the marriage the Third Senior Sister gave up. Otherwise, what part would she have in any of this?”

The envy in their voices was enough to drown the Black Shop. Some female cultivators even thought: Why wasn’t it me who married in her place? If it were me, I’d be the one living this life today. Zuo Siqiu’s luck was simply too good.

Regarding these comments and expressions, Zuo Siqiu had plenty to say. “That’s not quite right. The Third Senior Sister was never going to marry Xuan Mo anyway. Besides, I didn’t go there willingly; I achieved everything I have today through my own efforts. Even if you’re resentful, so what? Xuan Mo already refused to swap me back for the Third Senior Sister last time. Or perhaps the Third Senior Sister wants to marry him now? Or do you all want to force her to?”

She had racked her brain just to survive in the Xuanyun Sect. Even in the original story where the original soul died, the female lead never married Xuan Mo. If Zuo Siqiu had transmigrated before the wedding and escaped the marriage, and the female lead had been forced to marry him, it definitely wouldn’t have worked out. After all, in this story, the female lead and male lead must end up together; the Demon Sovereign couldn’t marry her.

The group was silenced by Zuo Siqiu’s words. It was true—the entire sect, except for the Sect Master, had been unwilling to let Bi Zhian marry the Demon Sovereign. If Zuo Siqiu hadn’t taken her place, would she really have married him? They would have done anything to stop it, even if it meant betraying the sect. Yet, the bitterness in their hearts remained and refused to dissipate.

The atmosphere turned awkward again until a bystander couldn’t take it anymore and stepped forward. “Perfected Cultivator Zhian, please proceed with your trade with the Black Shop. We are still waiting for your spirit pills.”

“Yes, I’ve been waiting a long time. I wonder if my ‘Green Tea Foundation Building Pill’ is ready.”

Bi Zhian tilted her head in confusion. “Green Tea Foundation Building Pill?”

The Shopkeeper slapped his forehead. “Oh, you all pre-ordered the pills from the Xuanyun Sect’s Madam, not from Perfected Cultivator Zhian.”

Zuo Siqiu looked at the cultivator and had a sudden realization. No wonder you look at the female lead with such deep adoration—it’s because you’re the one who likes the ‘Green Tea’ flavor!

She then looked at another man nearby and asked, “You’re the one who ordered the ‘White Lotus Scented Qi-Recovery Pill’, right?”

The male cultivator nodded. “Yes.”

Zuo Siqiu nodded back. That figures. Your preferences match the flavors of the pills perfectly.

The crowd was instantly shocked. They had always assumed those pills were refined by the Bixia Sect; they never expected them to come from Zuo Siqiu.

Only the Bixia Sect members remained clueless. Long Xiaotian asked curiously, “What ‘Green Tea Foundation Building Pill’ or ‘White Lotus Qi-Recovery Pill’?”

A follower behind him understood the context and began to lash out blindly. “Junior Sister, even though you belong to the Xuanyun Sect now, you still married out from our Bixia Sect. How can you change pill formulas so recklessly? If something happens to those who consume them, how will you take responsibility? You’ll even ruin our sect’s reputation!”

Zuo Siqiu thought to herself, I can play the “tea” game too, and said softly, “Thank you for worrying about my reputation, Senior Brother. However, I’ve taken these pills myself for a long time. I only put them up for sale once I knew there were no issues.”

“That is still improper! The sect does not allow disciples to modify formulas at will!”

“These formulas were established over thousands of years through the trials of our predecessors. How dare you change them!”

Zuo Siqiu shrugged. “But we’re fine after eating them. Xuan Mo eats them like this, too.”

Yan Jiaojiao added, “I’ve eaten them too. They’re sweet and delicious. Their efficacy is top-tier for their grade, so how could there be a problem?” She then looked at the bystanders with a menacing grin on her cute face. “Hey, did any of you feel unwell after taking them?”

The customers backed away and shook their heads quickly. “No, no discomfort at all.” Despite Yan Jiaojiao’s intimidation, it was the truth. Furthermore, as she said, the pills were of peak quality, which was why they had pre-ordered them.

The Shopkeeper cleared his throat to draw attention. “Since there’s a dispute over these pills, I’ll take the initiative to refund everyone’s deposits.”

The buyers immediately protested. “No way, Shopkeeper! None of us said the pills were bad.”

“You absolutely cannot refund us! I don’t know when I’d ever get back on the waiting list.”

Someone even looked at the Bixia Sect group and said, “Please stop speaking nonsense. We can judge the quality of the pills for ourselves.”

“What is the meaning of this? Why are you trying to stop us from buying pills? Are you trying to hinder our cultivation?”

“Your intentions are quite malicious. I just saw your Bixia Sect people bullying the Madam of the Xuanyun Sect, and now you want to bully us ordinary cultivators? Your Bixia Sect is truly overbearing!”

Accusation after accusation was hurled at them, and since these were things they had actually done, the Bixia Sect members’ faces turned beet red. They were used to being respected alchemists; this was the first time they had been met with such hostility. They didn’t even dare to argue much, as the crowd of buyers was quite fierce. In matters of trade, their interference was indeed an abuse of power.

Seeing the argument escalate, Long Xiaotian and Bi Zhian quickly restrained their followers.

“Everyone, stop making baseless claims. The pills Junior Sister gave to the sect in the past were never of poor quality.”

“Yes, Junior Sister has always been kind-hearted. How could she refine pills to harm people?”

But someone was still unconvinced. “But Junior Sister never refined any top-grade pills back then. Why don’t you bring your pills out now for us to inspect?”

“Junior Sister, surely there’s no trickery? Are you afraid to show us?”

Yan Jiaojiao cheered, “Madam, show them! Give them an eye-opener and slap their faces until they swell!”

Zuo Siqiu took out a pill bottle and poured out one Qi-Recovery Pill and one Foundation Building Pill.

The Qi-Recovery Pill was only second-grade, intended for those at or below the Foundation Building stage. The Foundation Building Pill protected cultivators during breakthroughs to prevent qi deviation and increased the success rate of tribulation.

While Long Xiaotian and Bi Zhian’s cultivation levels were too high to need these, they could tell at a glance that these were indeed top-tier pills. The lingering fragrance and the thin veil of spiritual qi surrounding them proved their quality. Moreover, the scents of green tea and white lotus made them even more appealing than standard pills.

Bi Zhian looked at the pills, her eyes flickering. So, the pills everyone was talking about today weren’t the ones I refined, but the ones Junior Sister made. However, her junior sister had never produced such high-quality pills before. These were refined by adding other materials. Her followers were right—formulas shouldn’t be changed easily—which only proved that Zuo Siqiu was far more capable than she had ever realized. At the very least, Bi Zhian knew she didn’t possess that kind of skill herself.

Another Bixia Sect member asked, “Junior Sister, why didn’t you refine pills like this when you were at the sect?”

Zuo Siqiu replied, “Back then, the materials the sect allocated to me were never top-grade.”

The original soul had been talented enough to refine pills using mid or low-grade materials, but she had been too timid and low-key for anyone to notice. Zuo Siqiu knew that if the original soul’s talent had been discovered, she might not have died at the Xuanyun Sect, but she would have likely become a mere puppet for pill refining at the Bixia Sect.

Zuo Siqiu frowned, her emotions surging. “What? Are you regretting it now? Realizing that instead of just stealing my pills for sect missions, you should have given me your materials so I could refine top-grade pills for you?”

The group panicked. “What nonsense are you talking about!” “Junior Sister, that’s a slanderous accusation!”

Zuo Siqiu swept a cold gaze over them. “You know exactly what you’ve done. Do you want me to produce evidence? I have quite a few Recording Stones here.”

The crowd went silent instantly, not daring to argue further.

Zuo Siqiu handed the pills to the Shopkeeper. “Please sell these for me. I also need to buy some high-quality materials to continue refining.” Having said that, she followed the Shopkeeper to the backyard, refusing to deal with those fools any longer.

As for the Bixia Sect, they had lost significant face today, and their image and status in the eyes of many cultivators had dropped considerably.