After Marrying the Disabled Demon Lord as a Substitute, I Ran Away with His Child - Chapter 30

Chapter 30

By this time, the great battle at the foot of the mountain had concluded, and the Bixia Sect had suffered a crushing defeat. Zuo Siqiu’s Lightning Tribulation had also blasted the Mustard Seed Space until it was nearly seventy to eighty percent ruined, making it easy for those outside to shatter the remains.

The moment the space fractured, everything surged out, spilling into Bimu’s cave dwelling in full view of the crowd. The presence of the tormented “cauldrons” became ironclad evidence, indicting Bimu for his atrocities.

The lingering Bixia Sect disciples who had crawled back to witness this scene were filled with both indignation and embarrassment; some even wished they could hurl themselves off the sect’s cliffs just so people would assume they were dead. They, too, had been deceived; they never imagined their Sect Leader was truly such a monster.

The righteous cultivators who had come to crusade against Bimu suddenly straightened their backs. They were not in the wrong though they had allied with the Demonic Cult this time, they had not become its pawns! Everything they did was for the sake of justice.

The relatives of the captives were in disbelief. Looking at the tortured souls, they found their loved ones among the crowd. They took a few steps forward but hesitated, afraid to touch them.

“I came too late. If we had discovered what this dog did to you sooner, you wouldn’t have suffered so much.” “How did you get hurt like this? How dare he treat you this way!” “Where is Bimu? Where is that dog? I want to kill him!”

Zuo Siqiu pointed to a nearby lump of black charcoal. “He’s right there. If you have a grudge, settle it; if you have a grievance, avenge it!”

Having said her piece, she ignored the vengeful crowd and scampered over to Xuan Mo’s side, rattling the storage bracelets on her wrist. “Venerable One, I am super rich now! Not only can I pay off all my debts to you, but I won’t even need to run a tab anymore!”

Paying off a debt should have been a happy occasion, but Zuo Siqiu felt that the look Xuan Mo gave her bracelets was full of… dissatisfaction.

Wait, this man was the Leader of the Demonic Cult. Seeing such a wealthy little lady, his first instinct shouldn’t be to let her pay him back—it should be to rob her!

Zuo Siqiu took a step back, hiding her hands behind her back. “Venerable One, you aren’t allowed to rob me.”

Xuan Mo’s gaze shifted upward to meet her eyes, his expression actually carrying a hint of teasing. “And what if I do?”

Zuo Siqiu shifted another half-step back and quickly looked away. Why did that look not seem like he wanted to steal her money at all? But what else did she have worth stealing besides money? Her heart hammered against her ribs. Is he… trying to steal me?

Her cheeks flushed crimson. She felt a bit guilty, but then again… I’m already his wife…

Their interaction went unnoticed by most, save for Yan Jiaojiao and the other cult members. Currently, most eyes were fixed on Bi Zhian and the “charcoal” behind her.

Bi Zhian looked as fragile as a white lotus refusing to break in the cold wind. With tearful eyes, she looked at her Eldest Senior Brother. “Eldest Senior Brother, Father knows he was wrong. You’ve already found your sister. Can you save Father? Can you stop them from retaliating against him?”

Long Xiaotian could hardly believe his ears. He looked at his sister behind the crowd—whose eyes were devoid of light and questioned Bi Zhian with bloodshot eyes, “He did this to my kin. By what right do you ask me to save him?”

“But he is your Master! Everything you have today was given by him!” Bi Zhian didn’t understand how these people could be so ungrateful. Her father was wrong, yes, but he had been punished. If these people didn’t let him go, his soul would be extinguished! Why couldn’t everyone be more tolerant? Why must they be so vindictive?

Long Xiaotian raised his hand toward himself as if to self-harm. “Then I shall return everything to him! Once I have returned it all, will I have the right to avenge my sister and kill him?”

Standing nearby, Zuo Siqiu watched the scene with fascination. She had completed her mission to save her sister and gained a fortune; now she could relax and watch the drama. Hearing Long Xiaotian, she knew he was falling into Bi Zhian’s trap.

“Master taught you techniques and gave you recipes, but did you give him nothing in return? Have you refined a few pills for him over the years? Have you found few materials and treasures for him? Why should you return anything?”

Zuo Siqiu thought to herself: If you return the techniques to Bimu, shouldn’t he return all the heavenly treasures you gave him? But those treasures are currently on my person.

Her upbringing made her very shrewd regarding costs and gains. “Sect disciples and the sect are interdependent; no one is meant to give unilaterally. To put it bluntly, it’s just a transaction. Since it was a transaction you gave him pills, stones, and treasures, why on earth should you return the knowledge you earned?”

The Xuanyun Sect members nodded fervently. “Our Madam speaks the truth!” “That’s how it is in our Xuanyun Sect! we join, learn skills, get protected, and give half of what we loot back to the sect!” “Tsk, these righteous people are all so dim-witted. Who would sincerely sacrifice everything for a sect? How stupid, of course you have to look out for yourself!”

The other cult members glared at the speaker: Don’t say it out loud, you idiot! Zuo Siqiu: Talking like that in front of the Big Boss… you’re very brave.

With the Demonic Cult’s interference, the tension broke. The Bixia Sect disciples subconsciously retreated, their eyes full of apology toward Bi Zhian. Long Xiaotian lowered his hand, no longer planning to “return” his cultivation. Even the charcoal on the ground, Bimu, spat out another mouthful of black blood from the sheer irritation of Zuo Siqiu’s words.

Bi Zhian looked at Zuo Siqiu in disbelief. “Junior Sister, how could you be so corrupted by the Demonic Cult?”

Xuan Mo turned to Zuo Siqiu: The Xuanyun Sect corrupted you? Zuo Siqiu looked at the sky: Blame the original host for having a ‘White Lotus’ persona to begin with.

Long Xiaotian and the victims’ relatives refused to let Bimu go. The righteous cultivators had fought this far to prove they stood for justice; naturally, they wouldn’t release him either. Combat was imminent. Zuo Siqiu waved her hand, signaling Xuan Mo and the cult to clear some space.

Bi Zhian was filled with hatred and rage. She didn’t understand why these people were so relentless; many weren’t even related to the victims. She tried her best to resist, but she couldn’t stop hundreds of cultivators. Finally, she faced her Eldest Senior Brother, her eyes full of disappointment. “Eldest Senior Brother! I never thought the day would come where we would be enemies!”

Long Xiaotian hadn’t expected to cross swords with his Third Junior Sister either, but every time he thought of what his Master had done, he couldn’t lower his spear. He still couldn’t bear to hurt her. “Sister, step aside. This has nothing to do with you. Let me avenge my sister, and I will apologize to you later!”

Bi Zhian would not move. Eventually, she bit her tongue, swallowed the blood, and attacked her brother with full force. Bimu, though a charred wreck, was not entirely out of the fight. He swallowed two miraculous pills from his own storage and prepared for a final, desperate struggle.

Under Xuan Mo’s escort, Zuo Siqiu left the battlefield and went to the side of the freed women. Her eyes were soft and joyful as she looked at Zuo Mudong. “Sister, look. I’m okay.”

Zuo Mudong had been worried to death; seeing her sister lively and adorable, her heart melted. She stepped forward and pulled her into an embrace. “My Siqiu has finally grown up.”

Zuo Siqiu felt her sister’s body was warm and soft, exactly like the embrace she had always longed for from an elder. Her voice softened: “Sister, come back to the Xuanyun Sect with me.” She turned to Xuan Mo. “Venerable One, can I bring my sister back?”

Xuan Mo nodded.

However, Zuo Mudong looked at the women behind her, torn. “Sister, I know you want us to be together, but I cannot abandon these people who went through hell with me. We supported each other in that space. Among the people who came today, few were like you—few came solely to save us.”

Zuo Siqiu had planned this, so she knew. She had sent out many Memory Stones, but fewer than twenty people had actually stood up. In the cultivation world, there was a stigma against those who had been used as “cauldrons.” Many of these women had nowhere to go and might face bullying or disdain.

Zuo Siqiu looked at her sister and then at the others. “Sister, do you want to lead them and start your own sect?”

Zuo Mudong’s eyes lit up. “That is a wonderful idea.”

Zuo Siqiu didn’t force her. She was no longer a child who needed to cling to family to survive. She looked around. “Well, this Bixia Sect location is quite nice. You were treated so poorly by their leader; it’s only fair you take their land to rebuild a new sect.”

The hiding Bixia Sect disciples: “…” The Junior Sister really is like ‘spilled water’—not only did she loot the Master’s space, but she wants to steal the whole sect for her sister! Some weak disciples sobbed: “The Demonic Cult is truly terrifying!” Their once-sweet junior sister was now a mastermind of robbery.

Suddenly, the battle nearby shifted. A man in a black robe appeared. Zuo Siqiu gasped, “Second Senior Brother?” The man didn’t come alone; he brought a group of masked cultivators. Their sudden assault caught the righteous cultivators off guard. Their target wasn’t the righteous path, but the heavily injured Bi Zhian and Bimu. In an instant, the group abducted them both. The righteous cultivators, unwilling to give up, gave chase.

Only the twenty or so relatives remained. The freed women who had been found by their kin wept uncontrollably; they never imagined that after being missing for so long and being “ruined,” anyone would still risk their lives to save them. Even Long Xiaotian’s sister felt a spark of life return to her eyes as she rushed into his arms, pouring out eighteen years of grievance.

The women who had no one to rescue them felt a pang of loss. But following that loss came a new hope for the future. Long Xiaotian’s sister didn’t want to go back to the Long family, and Long Xiaotian didn’t want to bring his mother and sister back to that den of vipers. She pulled her brother’s sleeve and looked at Zuo Mudong. “Brother, I want to stay with Sister Mudong and the others.”

In the end, the remaining Bixia Sect disciples fled or sought refuge elsewhere, leaving the grounds entirely to Long Xiaotian and Zuo Mudong.

Zuo Siqiu, looking pained, began sliding rings off her fingers. “Sister, building a new sect needs a lot of money. These things were looted together; take them to build your new home.” Zuo Mudong and the other women were caught between laughter and tears. “You looted these, they belong to you. Don’t give them to us.”

Zuo Siqiu continued to slide bracelets off her wrist, still looking pained. “What would I do with so much stuff… sniff… I really don’t need it, just take it. Don’t be polite.” She even pulled off several storage pouches from her waist. “A new sect needs resources. The fleeing Bixia disciples probably already looted the treasury; there won’t be much left. You need this more than I do.”

Zuo Mudong looked at her tenderly. “But you look so reluctant to let go.” Zuo Siqiu was almost crying. “If I’m reluctant, then take them quickly so I don’t have to look at them anymore!”

Zuo Mudong’s eyes reddened. She gently stroked her sister’s cheek. “Fine. I’ll thank you on behalf of everyone. Once the sect is wealthy, I will pay you back.”

Feeling her sister’s cool fingers, Zuo Siqiu gave her another hug. “Sister, come visit me at the Xuanyun Sect when you’re free, and I’ll come visit you too.”

Zuo Mudong nodded and looked at Xuan Mo. She opened her mouth to speak but ultimately said nothing. As she was now, what right did she have to ask her sister to leave the Demonic Cult? And because of her “sisters” behind her, she couldn’t stay by her sister’s side to protect her. She felt she had failed her sister in every way.

With Long Xiaotian there, Zuo Siqiu wasn’t too worried. He had the “Male Lead” halo, after all. She just wondered when the rift between him and Bi Zhian would ever heal.

Even though they had won and she had reached the Golden Core stage, Zuo Siqiu wasn’t exactly joyful. To make matters worse, Xuan Mo spoke up beside her: “Didn’t you say you’d pay me back once this was over?”

Zuo Siqiu looked down at her remaining two pouches one was her original, and the other contained a very, very, very small portion of Bimu’s loot. Having gone from a “Mega-Rich Lady” back to “Lower Middle Class,” she no longer dared to be arrogant. “Venerable One, wait a couple more days. I’m a Golden Core now; I can refine higher-grade pills. I’ll pay you as soon as I sell them.”

Blood Demon, listening behind them, was stunned. Couples have to settle accounts this clearly? The Venerable One actually has the face to ask for his money back? Is he saving up to buy his own coffin? Of course, he only dared think this. He looked at Yan Jiaojiao, who was smiling brightly. “You love seeing them act like a couple; the Venerable One is bullying her now, and you’re still smiling?”

Yan Jiaojiao pulled a novel out of her pouch. “You don’t know anything. This is called flirting!” Blood Demon looked at the book The Overbearing Sovereign’s Ruthless Love—and his mind filled with question marks.

…

Upon returning to the Xuanyun Sect, Zuo Siqiu immediately hid in the cultivation chamber, stopping Xuan Mo from following. “Venerable One, please give me some private space!” Xuan Mo raised an eyebrow. “Fine.”

Zuo Siqiu breathed a sigh of relief. Alone, she took off her pouches and began counting her assets. She couldn’t let Xuan Mo see this, or he’d definitely grab it. Though she had given much to her sister, she still chuckled to herself as she counted the remainder.

“As for the Venerable One’s debt… I’ll just keep owning it for now.” She sighed, her voice softening with guilt. “Since I’m not a rich lady anymore, I don’t have enough to clear the tab. Guess I have to work hard at the furnace to make more money.”

She went into seclusion, even experimenting with the things she had stolen from Bimu, hoping to create more “fun” pills.

What she didn’t know was that the “Black Shop” at the foot of the mountain was currently being mobbed. Zuo Siqiu had become famous overnight. No cultivator had ever imagined that alchemy recipes could be turned into offensive weapons!

The shopkeeper stood in the corner behind the counter, looking at the massive crowd inside and outside the store, shouting at the top of his lungs: “Don’t push! Master Siqiu is in seclusion! I can’t reach her!”

But the crowd wouldn’t leave, waving their storage treasures in the air. “Ask Master Siqiu how much for the Explosive Boar Pills!” “And the Freezing Pills! The combat effect is the best! I want those!” “The Stink Pill is clearly the best! You don’t even need spiritual energy; you just knock them out with the smell! It’s the most efficient way to fight!” “How much do they cost? Can we leave a deposit?” “I have spirit stones! Take my deposit first! I want ten of each!” “I want twenty! Shopkeeper, take my money!” “Everyone, calm down! Shopkeeper, ask Master Siqiu if she’ll sell her recipes! I’ll trade mine for hers!” “Move aside! I’m a shopkeeper from the Mingdan Sect. My Sect Leader sent me to ask if Master Siqiu wants to be our Elder! We’ll give her the best materials and she won’t have to give any pills back to the sect!”

The shopkeeper was in tears. “But she’s really in seclusion! I can’t find her!”