After My Death, the Immortal Venerable Became a Demon for My Sake - Chapter 11

Guanqi City was the most populous and prosperous town in the Immortal realm situated closest to the Demon border. The Guanqi Gate sect itself sat atop a mountain in the center of the city, with the entire town built in a spiraling sprawl around its base. On the streets, one could frequently see cultivators dressed in the ornate, colorful robes of various sects wandering about; by comparison, the attire worn by Song Wangxiao and her companion appeared exceptionally plain.

It had been nearly a month since Song Wangxiao had seen anyone other than the two of them. Suddenly arriving in such a bustling place and seeing so many cultivators made her feel a constant, underlying unease, as if someone were watching them from the shadows.

She turned her head cautiously to steal a glance behind her, but the street was as lively as ever. People came and went, and there was no one particularly suspicious in sight. She turned back, muttering to herself about being paranoid.

At the moment, both of them were using disguise spells, and no sect could have known they were coming here to set an ambush. Even if Zongyue somehow recognized her, he wouldn’t dare start snatching people in broad daylight in front of so many other cultivators.

The priority now was to find an inn to rest. However, since Guanqi Gate had sent invitations to almost every sect, the influx of cultivators was massive. Most of the inns in the city were already full. After searching for a long time, they finally found one with vacancies.

“Are the two immortals looking to rent a room?” The innkeeper, seeing two people with an ethereal air walk in, hurried over to greet them.

“At the moment, our Full Moon Tower is the only inn in all of Guanqi City that still has empty rooms. You’ve certainly come to the right place.”

Song Wangxiao looked over the inn’s decor. From the outside, the building looked quite grand, and the interior was spacious and bright. It didn’t look like the kind of “black inn” that would rob its guests.

“That’s right. We are cultivators here for the Grand Sect Assembly. We’d like two guest rooms,” she said.

The innkeeper’s face lit up with a grin upon hearing her directness. He looked up and shouted to the waiter on the floor above, “Right away! Two premium guest rooms!”

Then, he extended his hand. “That will be forty thousand spiritual stones. This way, please.”

Song Wangxiao’s hand, which had been reaching for her money, froze mid-air. She thought her hearing had failed her and couldn’t help but ask again, “How much?”

“Forty thousand spiritual stones, Immortal. A premium room is ten thousand a day. The assembly starts tomorrow, and the discussions will take at least a day. Counting for two days, that makes exactly forty thousand.” The innkeeper beamed at Song Wangxiao, his hands held out expectantly.

The calm mask on Song Wangxiao’s face nearly cracked. She looked up at the decor she had previously thought was nice; so this was where the money for the trimmings came from. She finally understood why this was the only inn with vacancies.

She didn’t know the exact value of this world’s currency, but based on the original character’s monthly stipend assuming Wu Qianshan and Zongyue didn’t have a habit of embezzling from their disciples she received one thousand stones a month as a direct disciple. That was only twelve thousand a year. This inn wanted forty thousand for two rooms for just two days.

“Rest assured, the location of our premium rooms is unparalleled. As the saying goes: To stand at the very summit and behold how small all other mountains appear. From our premium rooms, you can see the entire scenery of Guanqi City. It’s a magnificent spot for watching fireworks at night, and when the weather is clear and the mist thins, you can even see the Guanqi Gate disciples doing their morning drills.”

The innkeeper continued to drone on about the benefits of the rooms while his fingers tapped a rhythmic beat on the counter. Each tap felt like it was hitting her heart.

Is the issue whether I want to watch people do morning drills?! Song Wangxiao felt her vision go dark and her breathing grow shallow. She felt her heart bleeding.

“No need.” Just as Song Wangxiao was about to reach for her money with a trembling hand, Jiang Cishuang caught her wrist, stopping her.

“One room will be enough.” Jiang Cishuang’s tone was flat, carrying an air of cool authority that immediately dissipated the stifling tension in the air.

Feeling the slight chill of the woman’s touch on her wrist, Song Wangxiao turned to look at her, only to see that Jiang Cishuang had already produced twenty thousand spiritual stones from her sleeve and placed them on the counter.

The innkeeper was a sharp man. Seeing their joined hands, he understood immediately. He continued to smile as he gathered and counted the stones, calling out loudly:

“One premium room! Show the two immortals to their rest!”

A waiter immediately stepped forward and gestured for them to follow him upstairs. Song Wangxiao walked up the stairs with a stiff body, her wrist still held by Jiang Cishuang.

The premium rooms were at the very top of the building. Guided by the waiter, they entered a room on the left. The waiter gave them a respectful bow.

“Should you need anything, please call for me at any time.” He then retreated, closed the door, and clattered back downstairs.

With the door shut, Jiang Cishuang timely released Song Wangxiao’s hand.

Sensing the soft touch vanish, Song Wangxiao withdrew her hand and instinctively rotated her wrist inside her wide sleeve. A lingering sensation remained, like a spark igniting a surge of emotion in her heart.

Suddenly remembering something, she began to pace around the room, inspecting every corner. She had to see exactly what ten thousand spiritual stones a day actually bought.

Jiang Cishuang sat in a chair by the side, pouring herself a cup of tea as she watched Song Wangxiao circle the room repeatedly.

“Have you discovered anything?” she asked, her voice tinged with a trace of amusement.

Song Wangxiao’s heavy footsteps halted. The fluttering sensation she had just tried to ignore came rushing back. Her fingers still felt a phantom tingle. She turned around, keeping her expression neutral.

“Not really. But it is just as the innkeeper said the location is excellent. I suppose it’s good for checking our surroundings and planning a quick escape if we’re hunted.” Song Wangxiao felt a twinge of bitterness; this was the only justification she could find for the twenty-thousand-stone price tag.

Jiang Cishuang set her teacup down and smiled faintly. “That’s good then.”

Song Wangxiao sat in the chair opposite her. Thinking about the innkeeper’s words, she couldn’t help but feel worried. “The Grand Sect Assembly starts tomorrow. Will you be alright on your own?”

Jiang Cishuang looked up at her, her beautiful eyes filled with helplessness. “Every sect will be there. I shouldn’t have any problems in such a crowd.”

Song Wangxiao loved watching her drink tea; it always gave off a sense of quiet, peaceful years. Seeing that she wasn’t nervous, Song Wangxiao added, “That’s for the best. I won’t be able to go with you tomorrow, so you must be careful.”

Jiang Cishuang’s smile softened, her tone turning tender. “Are you worried about me?”

Song Wangxiao’s breath hitched. She looked around the room guiltily. “A little bit, maybe. But you’ll likely run into people from your own sect. I’m just worried you won’t know how to handle them.”

Song Wangxiao had been smiling, but the moment she mentioned the “sect,” the warmth in Jiang Cishuang’s eyes vanished, replaced by a sudden chill. Her grip on the teacup tightened.

“Don’t worry. It should be fine,” she said stiffly.

Song Wangxiao looked back at her. Jiang Cishuang had already retracted that cold gaze, returning to her usual aloof and detached appearance.

Just as she was wondering why Yin Xiao’s mood had shifted so abruptly, a loud crash echoed from nearby, followed by the sound of a door being slammed open.

“You’ve spent so much time saying high-sounding words, do you actually believe you’re that kind of person? I’m telling you, Bai Wushuang just because Master told you to look after me, don’t think you can actually control me!”

Song Wangxiao’s ears perked up. It sounded like a spat between fellow disciples. Before she could listen further, she heard the sound of footsteps approaching their room.

Oh no, Song Wangxiao thought.

Sure enough, a few seconds later, there was a sharp knock on their door. “Hello? Fellow Daoist, could you open the door for a moment?”

Song Wangxiao frowned and looked at Jiang Cishuang in surprise, but the woman only spared the door a brief glance before calmly raising her cup to sip her tea. Noticing Song Wangxiao’s gaze, she gave a helpless little smile.

The knocking continued, growing more insistent. Song Wangxiao had no choice but to stand up and open the door.

“Hello. Is something the matter?” she asked coldly.

Seeing that the room was indeed occupied, Yu He’s raised hand paused mid-air. Her tone was significantly less aggressive than it had been a moment ago.

“Hello, fellow Daoist. I…” She was cut off as someone rushed up from behind and grabbed her wrist.

“My apologies. My Junior Sister was too impulsive and disturbed your rest. Please forgive us.” The newcomer began to pull the girl away.

“Bai Wushuang, let go of me! What right do you have to boss me around!” The girl struggled violently to shake off her arm. The movement was so sudden that a jade pendant hanging loosely from her waist went flying, hitting the floor with a crisp clatter. Neither of the arguing women seemed to notice.

Song Wangxiao’s eyes sharpened as she spotted the intricate patterns on the smooth jade pendant and the characters carved upon it:

Qianyun Sect, Yu He.

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