After Marrying the Disabled Demon Lord as a Substitute, I Ran Away with His Child - Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Zuo Siqiu felt that Yan Jiaojiao had completely lost her mind to some “demonic obsession.” She stood dazed for a moment, her heart even fluttering with a brief panic.

A moment later, she regained her senses: Why am I panicking? It’s impossible for me to be pregnant. I don’t even have a man, so where would I get pregnant from? In a dream?

Laughable.

Regarding the skeptical looks from the other cult members, she actually understood. After all, in front of these people, she and Xuan Mo were supposed to be an exceptionally loving couple, “making music” together every night.

Moreover, she had been married for several months; if she were pregnant, it would indeed be time to show a reaction.

But who could have guessed that she and Xuan Mo had never actually had any physical relationship at all?

She immediately gathered everyone’s attention and let out a light cough. “I’m not pregnant. It’s just that when I entered this hall, I smelled a very heavy, stifling fragrance and felt a bit nauseous.”

As soon as she said this, Xuan Mo immediately spoke up: “Yan Jiaojiao, this Venerable ordered you long ago to remove this incense. Under your management, the Xuanxin Pavilion smells like a brothel den.”

Yan Jiaojiao immediately called someone to remove the incense. “Understood, Venerable One. You weren’t this fierce before. Now that your wife has been choked by the smoke, you’ve become anxious.”

Xuan Mo let out a cold snort, and Yan Jiaojiao immediately shut her mouth.

Not long after their meeting began, Fu Gui rushed back from the Bixia Sect.

Her current appearance hardly looked human. Her originally pale face was covered in bruises, her eyes were blood-red, and her lips were torn.

She landed in front of the group and stood still, but her body swayed several times. Her originally damaged Dharma robes, stained with countless bloodstains, hung off her extremely thin body, fluttering in the windless air.

She took out a pouch from her person and handed it to Zuo Siqiu. “Inside is all the evidence I could obtain with all my effort.”

Just this sentence seemed to drain all the strength from her body. A moment later, she collapsed to the ground.

Zuo Siqiu turned to look at Xuan Mo. “Venerable One, could I trouble you too…”

Xuan Mo did not speak, merely looking at Yan Jiaojiao.

Yan Jiaojiao said, “Madam, don’t worry. We cultivators aren’t that fragile. Give her a spirit pill and let her rest for two days, and she’ll be fine.”

She hadn’t forgotten that this person had tried to drug both her and the Sect Leader’s wife.

Zuo Siqiu nodded.

After sending Fu Gui off, Zuo Siqiu opened an Image Recording Stone that Fu Gui had given her privately.

She injected her spiritual energy into the stone, and an image appeared.

The woman in the recording was covered in wounds, lying powerless on the ground, with numerous bloody marks of struggle beneath her.

One could still see her lovely features and the faint tenderness flowing within her picturesque eyes.

Zuo Siqiu’s breath hitched this was her sister.

She didn’t know how her sister had managed to send those things out to her in the past, nor did she know how she could continue to survive with such tenderness in such an environment.

She took a deep breath, clenched the Image Recording Stone tightly in her palm, and looked up at everyone. “The items are in hand. Let’s discuss how we can make that ‘Master’ of mine… that beast, lose all his reputation and standing.”

Subsequently, the group used the evidence sent by Fu Gui and the information they had gathered individually to hold a meeting in the Xuanxin Pavilion for an entire day.

…

The next day, many immortal sects and aristocratic families received a secret letter.

Those who received the letters were not random people, but those closest to the “cauldrons.”

Two true inheritance disciples of a Hehuan Sect Elder had been missing for over thirty years. Others always said her disciples must have perished in a secret realm or were in seclusion after finding an opportunity somewhere.

This was quite normal; in the cultivation world, seclusions of several decades or even a century were common. If one stumbled into a secret realm, it was plausible not to emerge for a hundred years.

But she had always felt uneasy in her heart.

Those two disciples were extremely talented and usually well-behaved; she liked them very much.

Today, she received a jade slip. Upon unlocking it, she found that her disciples had been forcibly turned into cauldrons.

Hehuan Sect disciples had always been looked down upon by many cultivators, who believed their cultivation methods were opportunistic or even filthy.

Among them, many believed the purpose of a Hehuan Sect disciple’s existence was to serve as a cauldron for other cultivators. These people didn’t even consider Hehuan disciples to be humans or cultivators, but merely cultivation tools—objects.

Now, this Elder saw her most talented and beloved disciples being used as objects.

They had no freedom, no choice, and no dignity.

Their screams were useless, only serving to increase the excitement of the one using them as cauldrons.

As this Elder watched the images in the stone, her whole body trembled!

This person was actually the highly respected Sect Leader of the Bixia Sect!

That sub-human dog!

Similar events were happening elsewhere. The Dean of the Shadowless Sect looked at the image of his beloved Dao companion. Once like a secluded orchid in the world, she was now like a withered flower, her eyes clouded and dull; one could no longer see her former elegance.

His aura exploded, and the air even let out a cracking sound!

That scoundrel! He actually dared to treat his beloved wife as a cauldron! He would kill him! He had to kill him!

Such an Image Recording Stone was even delivered to the male lead of the original story, Long Xiaotian.

Long Xiaotian frowned, unsure of who had sent him this object.

Looking at the stone in his hand, doubt rose in his heart, and he even suspected someone was trying to frame him or set a trap.

Long Xiaotian cautiously opened the stone, and a figure appeared that was both strange yet somewhat familiar.

The person bore a fifty percent resemblance to him. She was hung by iron chains, her clothes tattered enough to barely cover her, and her exposed skin was covered in crisscrossing scars.

In that instant, his pupils shattered. He knew who this person was—this was his sister, his biological younger sister, whom he hadn’t seen for eighteen years.

When he saw his sister had become his Master’s cauldron, and saw that usually majestic and solemn man become lecherous and wretched, while his sister was treated as less than a pig or a dog in his hands…

When they were at home, his sister was the one he had doted on since childhood.

This was the Master he respected, trampling on the person closest to him like a toy.

At that moment, a knock sounded at the door. He immediately tucked away the projection stone and looked up. The visitor was his most pampered third junior sister, who was also his Master’s daughter.

Bi Zhian had originally wanted to share her recent alchemy insights with her Senior Brother. Upon entering the room, she found his expression extremely ghastly, his brow furrowed with deep lines.

Worry rose in her heart. She stepped forward and sat in front of him. Seeing his sorrowful face, she felt her own heart ache with concern. “Senior Brother, why are you so sad? Has something happened? Tell me, and I will help you bear the burden.”

Long Xiaotian looked at his pure, snow-lotus-like junior sister, then thought of the disgusting side of her father. He struggled to open his mouth and said, “Junior Sister, if one day you discovered that my parents were your enemies, what would you do?”

Bi Zhian was stunned. “Senior Brother, how could that be possible? You said that although your parents didn’t support your alchemy, they are fundamentally kind people. How could they do such a thing?”

Long Xiaotian said, “What if they did?”

Bi Zhian said, “I would naturally give up on that feud for your sake, Senior Brother.”

Long Xiaotian was dazed. Give up? Is that something that can be given up?

His Master had always treated him well and taught him much. His Junior Sister also treated him with sincerity, wanting to share everything good with him.

But… that was his sister.

He closed his eyes. “Zhian, I need some time to be alone and calm down. Can you leave for a moment?”

After Bi Zhian left, he sat in the room for an hour before using the Bixia Sect’s teleportation array to connect to the Long family’s array, returning home instantly.

The Long family was overjoyed to see him.

They were a family of artifact forgers for generations, but Long Xiaotian had insisted on alchemy and refused to inherit the family business. How could they have accepted that?

But after he left home for eighteen years to venture out alone and now had achievements and fame, they had come to terms with it.

Long Xiaotian’s mother said, “Why didn’t your sister return with you? She had a fight with us after you left and went out to find you. She hasn’t returned since. Is she cultivating with you now?”

Long Xiaotian’s breath hitched.

His father added, “What, is your sister not with you? All these years, you weren’t willing to contact home, and she followed suit. Are you two trying to rebel and abandon your family?”

Long Xiaotian truly didn’t have the heart to tell his parents the news he had learned. Moreover, his mind was full of the words his Junior Sister had spoken.

How exactly should he choose?

…

Those who had received the Image Recording Stones were already beginning to find ways to rescue their loved ones despite their shock.

But could they do it alone? The answer was no; they didn’t have the power to challenge the number one alchemist in the cultivation world.

So, would they just let that beast treat their loved ones like that?

They could also report this to their sects. They might not be able to move that beast, but an entire sect could surely force him to hand over the people and give everyone an explanation.

However, there was still a problem: would their sects or families truly stand in opposition to the number one alchemist sect in the cultivation world?

This made them hesitate, and it made them suffer.

The silence before the storm is always profound. After those Image Recording Stones were sent out, it was as if a drop of water had merged into the ocean, leaving no trace or ripple.

One day passed, and the Xuanxin Pavilion still thought it was normal.

But after three days of such silence, doubt began to grow in everyone’s hearts.

“Can this method really work? Our Xuanyun Sect is doing this for the first time.”

“Maybe it’s useless. Those people aren’t particularly important to their sects, and some can barely protect themselves.”

“Then what about Madam’s matter? We can’t just let her sister remain a cauldron if this makes no waves.”

Blood Demon, hearing these words, said coldly, “If it doesn’t work, we’ll just charge in and kill them. We can’t fail to snatch back even one cauldron.”

The other cult members thought the same. “Right. If this method works, we listen to Madam’s arrangements. If not, we’ll go help Madam snatch the person back.”

“That is Madam’s maternal family, after all. We have to save her.”

Only Yan Jiaojiao had absolute trust in Zuo Siqiu. “Madam must have already considered this. None of you understand.”

Blood Demon felt his teeth ache hearing her words. “Listen to you. If someone didn’t know better, they’d think Madam had married you.”

Yan Jiaojiao said, “I just find you rough men who don’t understand Madam’s plan.”

Zuo Siqiu truly wasn’t in a hurry. Sending the stones to the victims’ families was only the first step of the plan.

Matters needed time to ferment; she needed to wait patiently.

However, every time she saw her sister in the Image Recording Stone, she felt a pang of heartache.

Even if she wasn’t the original owner of the body, she could feel the sister’s love for “herself.”

She took out all the gifts her sister had sent her, which the original owner had treasured, and her heart felt heavy.

Zuo Siqiu even thought about how, in the original book, the original owner had already died. Her sister might not have even known her sister was dead and continued to stay submissively before the Bixia Sect Leader without dignity, preserving that last bit of tenderness for the sake of her sister.

Until the great battle between the male lead and the Bixia Sect Leader broke out, she, as a cauldron, was drained of her last bit of spiritual energy by the Sect Leader. Before she died, she might have still been worrying about her sister.

Zuo Siqiu felt her throat tighten and her heart ache unbearably.

“Zuo Siqiu.” Xuan Mo’s voice came from behind her.

Zuo Siqiu turned her head, her eyes as soft as spring water and filled with sorrow. Just one look was enough to make one’s heart ache.

Xuan Mo took a silent, deep breath and said, “Don’t wait anymore. I will kill him for you.”

But Zuo Siqiu shook her head, her gaze firm. “Why let him die so easily?”

“I want the whole world to know his filth. I want his former reputation to shatter completely, making him the most loathed person in everyone’s mouth. I want him to have a miserable death, despised by ten thousand people.”

“I know it’s not impossible for the Xuanyun Sect to kill him, and I know how formidable you are, Venerable One. But I don’t want everyone to think that you, the Great Demon, killed that Grandmaster Alchemist. I want him to pass away in the ugliest way possible.”

“He doesn’t deserve a clean death.”

The Bixia Sect Leader absolutely could not be killed by the Xuanyun Sect, otherwise, it would be too easy on him.

Zuo Siqiu wanted to continue the original plan and destroy everything he had built.

Xuan Mo did not say anything more like “What if the plan goes out of your control?” He seemed to trust Zuo Siqiu as much as Yan Jiaojiao did.

After a moment, Xuan Mo said, “Then you should go to sleep now.”

When he said this, his tone was slightly unnatural, but Zuo Siqiu, whose mind was preoccupied, didn’t notice.

Zuo Siqiu nodded. Staying up late wouldn’t help the situation at all; it was better to rest well and gather her spirit to wait for the situation to develop.

Xuan Mo telling Zuo Siqiu to sleep was also in the hope that she could rest well, and furthermore, because of the task the Demon Doctor had arranged for him.

The Demon Doctor had said at the time: “Venerable One, the poison in Madam’s body hasn’t been completely expelled. You need to combine your ice spiritual energy with her fire spiritual energy, control it well, and force the poison out.”

“I know Madam is worried about her sister who was taken by her Master, but her own body is equally important.”

Xuan Mo had been silent for a long time before saying: “You might not know, but these past few days she has thought she was dreaming.”

Demon Doctor: “???”

“Does the Venerable One mean Madam doesn’t know she has dual-cultivated with you?”

Xuan Mo: “She likely doesn’t know.”

Demon Doctor: “…”

“Then does the Venerable One mean you don’t want her to know?”

Xuan Mo remained silent.

He didn’t know what he wanted either.

The Demon Doctor sighed. “I will give the Venerable One some spirit medicine. Taking it will cause her to temporarily forget these things. As long as she doesn’t look into it deeply later, there naturally won’t be any problem.”

“But this isn’t something she’ll never remember. Do you truly want to give it to Madam, Venerable One?”

It was the first time Xuan Mo had been so hesitant when facing a matter.

The Demon Doctor, looking at Xuan Mo’s expression, was inwardly shocked but still gave the spirit medicine to Xuan Mo.

He thought that perhaps the Venerable One needed these things. No matter how old or how high his cultivation was, it was his first time dual-cultivating, and there was bound to be some shyness like a pure young man.

Thus, that night, Zuo Siqiu thought she had fallen into a deep sleep, but in reality, she was dual-cultivated with Xuan Mo for a long time.

She didn’t even remember that “dream,” but for her at this stage, it was best to forget those things.

With “serious business” to attend to, she would have been very annoyed if she spent all day “dreaming” of such absurd things.

…

During these days of waiting, the Xuanxin Pavilion became more restless. Some had already begun to secretly calculate how to attack the Bixia Sect.

Who would have thought that at this time, Bi Zhian would actually come to the Xuanyun Sect?

Fu Gui, who was already able to walk, arrived before Bi Zhian and said to the others, “Bi Zhian is here for the Venerable One.”

As Fu Gui said this, her eyes instinctively flickered toward Xuan Mo.

Xuan Mo had already warned her in private that she could not tell Zuo Siqiu what the poison she had administered was.

Fu Gui now spoke while hiding certain information: “That man sent me back to the Xuanyun Sect for another purpose. He wanted me to lead Bi Zhian and the Venerable One to meet multiple times. Before their meetings, he wanted Bi Zhian to consume or smell certain spirit pills. After meeting several times, she would fall in love with the Venerable One.”

Zuo Siqiu turned her head to look at Xuan Mo.

Sure enough, that person’s ultimate goal was for Bi Zhian and Xuan Mo to dual-cultivate.

Xuan Mo’s face darkened. “Who am I that anyone can just scheme for and have?”

Yan Jiaojiao and the other cult members nodded. Right! Their Sect Leader can only belong to the Sect Leader’s wife!