After Marrying the Disabled Demon Lord as a Substitute, I Ran Away with His Child - Chapter 34

Chapter 34

The opening of the Milong Secret Realm left Zhu Jiechou very satisfied.

This realm had opened once a hundred years ago, but that time, the giant dragon slumbering within was awakened, and many cultivators who entered perished inside. Only the Long family managed to escape and not only did they survive, they even mastered the method to open the realm. This time, the Long family had truly spared no expense.

There were naturally many heavenly treasures within the realm, and with countless cultivators having died there a century ago, who knew what treasures those fallen predecessors might have left behind? Zhu Jiechou was determined to go; he couldn’t miss such a golden opportunity.

He also intended to take his Third Junior Sister with him. Zhu Jiechou didn’t know how many people were aware of his Master’s secret pill recipes, and he didn’t want his beloved Third Junior Sister to become someone else’s “medicinal primer.” He had to keep her by his side at all times.

When he told Bi Zhian about the Milong Secret Realm, she wasn’t particularly interested. “My father is still gravely ill. I should be finding ways to treat his body; how can I just go off to a secret realm?”

Zhu Jiechou opened his mouth, wanting to tell her that their Master was already dead. But if he told her now, she would inevitably investigate the cause of death. If she traced it back to him, how could he ever face her again?

He could only say, “Even to treat Master, we need sufficient spiritual herbs. The Milong Secret Realm is full of treasures. Once we obtain those things, will we still be unable to save him?”

Bi Zhian, who was short on funds, thought this made sense. Ever since the Bixia Sect disbanded, her pills no longer sold, and her stockpile of spirit stones and resources was dwindling.

However, she looked at Zhu Jiechou with worry. “But Second Senior Brother, if only the two of us enter the realm, what if people bully us because of what Father did?”

Zhu Jiechou replied, “Naturally, we won’t enter with our real identities and faces. We just need a bit of disguise.” He had much to do in the realm; how could he use his real face? Fortunately, the Long family excelled at disguises, which would make things convenient for them.

…

Aside from them, Long Xiaotian and Zuo Mudong were also preparing for the Milong Secret Realm. This matter started with Fugui.

Back then, Fugui had allowed Bimu to manipulate her because the souls of her parents were in his hands. To save them, she had to obey him. In the end, Bimu was rescued by someone, and while Fugui had saved the hundred-plus “cauldrons” who suffered with her, she hadn’t rescued her parents.

And Bimu didn’t just have Fugui’s parents’ souls he had Zuo Mudong’s parents’ as well. The sect established by Zuo Mudong and the other former cauldrons was called the Mingfeng Sect.

On this day, Fugui went to the Mingfeng Sect to find Zuo Mudong, voicing the regret in her heart. “Sister Mudong, do you think Bimu is dead? If he isn’t, is he torturing our parents right now to vent his anger?”

Melancholy tinged Zuo Mudong’s eyes. “We didn’t expect someone to come and save him. Had we known, we should have been more guarded. If Bimu were in our hands, how could we fail to get our parents back?”

Fugui asked, “What should we do now? We don’t even know where he is.”

Zuo Mudong replied, “Master Xiaotian has gone to help us investigate. Although he is no longer with the Long family, he still has connections there. He can find out things that are difficult for us to reach.”

Fugui remarked, “Does this Long Xiaotian really have no ulterior motives toward you? He’s stayed at the Mingfeng Sect for so long, wanting neither money nor power. The cultivation world should give him an award for ‘Best Selfless Contribution.'”

Zuo Mudong said, “He says everything he does now is to atone for his Master’s sins and to repay the grace of his Master’s upbringing.”

As they spoke, Long Xiaotian actually returned with news. He didn’t waste words. “I don’t know where Immortal Venerable Bimu is, but someone in the Long family told me that my Second Junior Brother and Third Junior Sister are there. Therefore, my Master should be there as well.”

“Furthermore, they are preparing to go to the Milong Secret Realm in disguise. I couldn’t find out their specific reason for going, but if you want to ask about Bimu’s whereabouts, you can follow them into the realm. You should be able to get some information.”

Fugui noted, “That’s a coincidence. I’m going to the realm with the Sect Leader and the Madam. When I run into them, I can ask.”

Zuo Mudong thought for a moment. “In that case, I will go to the secret realm as well.”

Fugui asked, “Are you going to tell Madam about your parents?”

Zuo Mudong shook her head. “Why bother Siqiu with these things? It’s not even certain if our parents are still alive. She suffered too much all those years at Bixia Sect; now, I only want her to be happy in the Xuanyun Sect.”

Fugui laughed. “Don’t worry about that. It’s the first time I’ve seen the Sect Leader indulge someone so much. Everyone in the Xuanyun Sect likes Madam.”

Long Xiaotian, standing nearby, listened silently. Once they finished, he made his decision. “I will go to the Milong Secret Realm with you. Although I’ve distanced myself from the Long family, I know many of the realm’s secrets. I can protect everyone if something goes wrong.”

He hadn’t seen his Third Junior Sister in a long time; he felt things shouldn’t remain as they were between them. Moreover, Zuo Siqiu had helped him immensely in saving his sister and denouncing Bimu, and he hadn’t officially thanked her yet.

…

Before heading to the secret realm, everyone needed to stockpile supplies. Consequently, the orders for Zuo Siqiu’s pills flooded in.

Currently, Zuo Siqiu was at the Black Shop with Yan Jiaojiao. Many good things had arrived, and the manager always kept the best aside for Zuo Siqiu, only putting the rest on the shelves after she had made her pick. This was the privilege of the “Boss’s Wife.”

However, today Zuo Siqiu had her eye on some ordinary Sour Plum spiritual fruits.

Yan Jiaojiao realized, “Madam, are you going to refine another flavor of pills?”

Zuo Siqiu smelled the sweet and sour scent and swallowed. “No, I just think these plums smell delicious to eat.”

Yan Jiaojiao took a sniff and felt her teeth go numb from the sourness. “No, no, I can’t handle sour things. I didn’t even like that lemon-flavored pill you made.”

The manager was sharp; as long as the Madam liked it, he’d give it to her. Of course, the bill would be charged to the Sect Leader. The manager secretly thought the Sect Leader was a bit too calculative. It was his own shop, why charge his wife? The Sect Leader never used to record his own takes.

Later, Yan Jiaojiao enlightened him: “You don’t understand the ‘romance’ of debt and repayment. The Madam is reluctant to pay in money, so she can only ‘pay with her body.’ The Sect Leader can use the ledger to threaten her and make… ‘excessive requests’ in bed. Looking at the debt, the Madam has no choice but to agree.”

The manager felt his horizons had been broadened. Truly, the blessings of the powerful were beyond the imagination of ordinary cultivators.

…

After their shopping spree, Zuo Siqiu and Yan Jiaojiao were cornered in the shop by a crowd of cultivators. Knowing she was going to the Milong Secret Realm, everyone begged her to refine more pills for sale.

Zuo Siqiu felt overwhelmed. “I don’t have that much time! I can’t refine them all! I only have one furnace and two hands!”

Besides, the Xuanyun Sect members had placed many orders “through the back door.” She had to refine for her colleagues first, since she’d need their protection inside.

The cultivators were distraught. “Master Siqiu, have mercy! Without your pills, going to the Milong Secret Realm is a death sentence!” “Master Siqiu, I’m about to break through to the Golden Core stage. Your Golden Essence Pills increase the success rate; can’t you work a little harder?”

Looking at their eager faces, Zuo Siqiu’s only thought was: This is all money! She was still poor in Xuan Mo’s eyes; she desperately wanted to earn!

Then, an alchemist said, “Master Siqiu, could you let me see your pill recipes? I’m willing to pay one Supreme Spirit Stone!”

One Supreme Spirit Stone was worth 10,000 regular ones. Zuo Siqiu’s eyes lit up. A business idea struck her. She couldn’t refine enough for everyone herself, but she could lease her intellectual property!

“Come, come, let’s go inside and talk about the details!” she said.

In the VIP room, she proposed her plan: “I can show you not only the recipes but also my refining insights. For a fee of one Supreme Spirit Stone, you can read them. If you refine these pills for yourself or friends, I don’t care. But if you sell them, you must give me a 10% royalty on every pill. How does that sound?”

The alchemist thought it was a steal! Most alchemists were secretive; even within a sect, getting a recipe required massive contributions. And this included her insights!

The alchemist immediately signed a soul-bound contract. If he sold pills without paying her, his soul would suffer a backlash. Zuo Siqiu was delighted, no need to worry about breach of contract! She organized the recipes for Qi-Recovery, Foundation-Building, Golden Essence, Explosive Boar, Freezing, and Stink-Fart pills, collecting six Supreme Spirit Stones instantly.

She then handed the materials to the shop manager. “Manager, hang these up for lease in the shop.”

The manager was happy to oblige. It was a brilliant business, though he still marveled at the couple’s dynamic; the Sovereign actually charged the Madam a commission for the shop’s services. This old bachelor truly didn’t understand young love.

…

Zuo Siqiu returned to Xuan Mo’s room and spread her new materials across his table, including the bag of sour plums.

Xuan Mo smelled the sourness and frowned deeply. “These are too sour. You’ll need extra honey if you refine these, or the pills will melt your teeth.”

Zuo Siqiu replied, “These are for me! I’m going to dry them into sour plum snacks. They aren’t for your pills!”

Xuan Mo teased, “You really kept many mortal habits. Sleeping every night is one thing, but now you’re making snacks? This isn’t good for your cultivation.”

Zuo Siqiu ignored him. What do you know? To us, food is everything.

Looking at her two bulging storage pouches, she felt a sense of security. But Xuan Mo doused her with cold water. “You’ve filled your pouches now. When you find good things in the Milong Secret Realm, where will you put them?”

Zuo Siqiu froze. She had forgotten that part. “I’ll start refining now! If I use up these materials, I’ll have room.”

Xuan Mo said, “The realm has countless treasures, and you’ll need basic materials that are everywhere there—for free.”

This hit Zuo Siqiu right in her weak spot (her wallet). Seeing the smirk on Xuan Mo’s face, she knew he was up to something. “Then what do you suggest, Venerable One? What scheme do you have waiting for me?”

A ring flew out and hovered before her. It was a jade ring with a rich “water” luster and a faint spiritual glow. Clearly a high-grade item.

Zuo Siqiu asked, “What is this for? Do you want to trade, or do you want me to write another IOU?”

Xuan Mo wanted to give it to her, but he couldn’t find a casual excuse for such a precious gift. “Just write an IOU then.” He figured if he kept the note and never collected it, it was effectively a gift.

Zuo Siqiu did some mental math. “Is 100 Supreme Spirit Stones enough?” That was a million regular stones. Even for a high-grade storage ring, that was a “going out of business” price, but she wanted room to haggle.

To her shock, Xuan Mo agreed instantly. “Deal.”

Zuo Siqiu: “???” It felt like winning the lottery. “Really? 100? You’re not going to haggle? Oh my god, you’re so nice! Let’s write the note quickly!”

Xuan Mo paused. “I can haggle? Hmm, I was just teasing. At least 1,000 Supreme Spirit Stones.”

Zuo Siqiu: “…” “How can you do this? You already agreed! You’re going back on your word!”

Xuan Mo nodded in approval of his own behavior. “Does a Demon Sovereign need to keep his word?”

Right, he’s the villain, Zuo Siqiu thought angrily. She held up two fingers. “200!”

Xuan Mo looked interested. “900. No less.”

Zuo Siqiu held up another finger. “300! No more! I could have had it for 100!”

Xuan Mo: “Who told you to remind me? I find this haggling quite fun. 900 feels too cheap now; shall we go higher?”

Zuo Siqiu: “No! No one haggles upwards!”

Xuan Mo: “Fine. 890.”

Zuo Siqiu: “Aren’t we supposed to go down by hundreds? This will take forever!”

Xuan Mo: “Forever? This seat has plenty of time. 889.”

Zuo Siqiu: So angry!