After My Paranoid Act to Woo My Cold Master Failed - Chapter 22

Shen Shuheng finished her osmanthus cake, savoring the lingering sweetness. Her Master’s hand remained near her lips, causing her to look up in confusion. Suddenly, her Master’s slender fingertip tapped the corner of her mouth, lightly brushing across her lips. “How old are you now? You still get crumbs all over your face when you eat.”

Shen Shuheng heard the teasing in her voice and saw the mirth dancing in her Master’s eyes and brows. She froze for a moment; even though her Master had already withdrawn her hand, a cool, soft sensation remained on her lips. She instinctively reached up to touch them.

“It’s gone, all clean now,” Fu Xueke said, stopping her movement and slowly taking her hand.

“Master, I want to eat something else too.”

“Alright.”

Fu Xueke led Shen Shuheng through the streets. People were constantly passing by, and it would have been easy to collide with others, but every time someone drew near, Fu Xueke would shield her disciple in her embrace. The faint, cold fragrance from her Master lingered in her nose; despite it being a chilly scent, it stirred a strange, warm current within her heart. After wandering for a long time, Shen Shuheng finally left with her Master, fully satisfied.

The next day, Shen Shuheng wanted osmanthus cakes again, so she brought her Master to find the stall. She noticed a little girl with twin pigtails standing beside the grandmother, holding a bunch of dew-kissed pear blossoms in her chubby little hands.

“This is the sister who cured your illness. Hurry and thank her,” the grandmother said to the child.

“Thank you for the medicine, Sister. These are for you,” the child said, handing the pear blossoms to Shen Shuheng.

Shen Shuheng accepted them. “The flowers are beautiful, thank you.”

The grandmother packed a full bag of pastries. Shen Shuheng took out some money and placed it in her hand. “I can’t take this! A benefactor shouldn’t have to pay!” the grandmother insisted, waving her hands. Her eyes were full of gratitude; without the girl, how could her granddaughter have recovered? The money she earned from selling cakes was merely a drop in the bucket compared to the cost of medical treatment.

For Shen Shuheng, those pills were easy to refine—she could make several large bottles at will. But the grandmother had to put in a lot of effort to make these pastries, and both she and the child were dressed very simply, with patches on their clothes. Shen Shuheng knew their lives weren’t easy. She took out more silver and left it on the stall, hoping to help them. “Please, keep this.”

Before the grandmother or the child could react, the two of them vanished from the spot.

Soon, the day of the demon invasion arrived. The disciples of the great sects stood atop the city towers. Some gazed into the distance with sparkling eyes, occasionally patting their weapons.

“If the demons dare to come, we will ensure they are wiped out. We’ll show them the power of the human race!”

“The spiritual energy of heaven and earth is growing thinner. Not a single person has ascended in a thousand years. Outcasts like the Demon and Demon Races aren’t worthy of sharing this energy—they are blocking our path to ascension,” a man in grey remarked with a look of disgust. After all, resources were finite; every bit used by one was a bit less for another.

“You can’t ascend yourself, yet you blame others? Cultivation depends on personal talent and willpower. Someone like you wouldn’t have amounted to anything even a thousand years ago,” Gu Mian said darkly, her eyes flashing with a knife-like coldness.

“Exactly! If you’re incompetent, don’t drag others down,” Chu Qingshui added, joining Gu Mian in scolding the man.

“To speak so highly of the outcasts… could it be that you two are spies? Or have you already defected?” the man glared at them, turning red with rage.

“Fellow Daoist Chu and Fellow Daoist Gu have a point. The three races were all born of heaven and earth; all living beings are equal. Their cultivation is only natural,” Ye Changzhen stepped forward. The man’s words contradicted her Dao, and she spent her life seeking to prove the path she walked.

The Daoist Sect was the leader of the four great sects, and their lineage was exceptionally skilled in reading fate. Cultivators often sought them out when faced with difficult decisions. Since Ye Changzhen was the future leader of the sect, offending her brought no benefit; the man in grey had no choice but to shut his mouth.

Fu Xueke and Shen Shuheng led several cultivators into the air above the city. They summoned their longswords, and for a moment, the sky was filled with a majestic sword qi that cleansed the spirit and filled everyone with battle intent. Everyone unleashed their strongest strike; sword light flared brilliantly, and the sky was awash with shimmering sword shadows.

On the city tower, Gu Mian placed her array disk on the ground, guiding the heavenly sword light into it. The disk absorbed the light, glowing with a dazzling gold as it expanded, transforming the individual strikes into a unified sword array. Once it had finished absorbing the power, a blinding golden light erupted, enveloping the entire city. The sword array was the first line of defense against the demons capable of both offense and defense.

The cultivators in the sky landed back on the tower. Everyone waited for the demons to arrive. The bright white sun slowly turned red, hiding behind the forest before being swallowed by the heavy night. No one dared to relax. They waited through the night until the sun rose, and then until the moon hung high again. After several days, the demons still had not come.

The City Lord, seeing this, suggested they rest. “You’ve all worked hard. Why not rest for a while? I’ll have the soldiers stand watch and notify you if anything happens.”

They agreed; the sword array could hold for a while, and perhaps the demons wouldn’t come after all. As the others went to rest, Shen Shuheng spotted Yue Bai and her Senior Sister. She wanted to know who had provided the Daoist Sect with the information about the attack.

“Where did your information come from?” Shen Shuheng asked, curious. If everyone knew about a “sneak attack,” what was the point of the demons doing it? She had many doubts; such a classified plan shouldn’t have been common knowledge.

“It was your Yuheng Sect’s Ancestor who informed our Sect Leader,” Ye Changzhen replied.

“The fact that all our disciples have gathered here must have alerted the demons. They might not come, or they might pick a time we least expect,” Shen Shuheng said. She had another doubt she didn’t voice: who was the Ancestor’s source?

“If I were a demon, I’d wait for you all to leave before coming,” Yue Bai said with a grin. “They might just be waiting to see who can hold out longer.”

Shen Shuheng thought for a moment. “Perhaps. No one announces a sneak attack; it has to be unexpected.”

Ye Changzhen realized the demon matter could be set aside for now, as the sword array was sufficient. She had another task to perform. “Star-Shattering Sword Immortal, my Master entrusted me with one more thing. Through divination, he calculated that the root of a future catastrophe for all living beings begins here. He said that you and Fellow Daoist Shen are the keys to resolving this calamity.” Ye Changzhen gave a formal bow to Fu Xueke. “Master asked me to lead you to the far southeastern corner of the city to stop this disaster.”

Shen Shuheng’s eyes widened, though she quickly masked her shock. She remembered no such plot in the original book,wasn’t the whole story just a melodramatic romance? It didn’t need this kind of “saving the world” plot.

“A thousand years ago, my sect divined that great disaster. Our disciples went down the mountains to warn the world not to kill the innocent out of greed, but they would not listen, leading to a bitter result. Afterward, our sect lost much of its vitality assisting the Demon Lord in saving the world,” Ye Changzhen said. Her eyes finally lost their indifference, turning to a look of deep compassion.

“My Master and I will go with you,” Shen Shuheng said. She believed the Daoist Sect wouldn’t lie about such things.

“Many thanks. Infinite Life and Heavenly Lord,” Ye Changzhen said with a smile.

“When do we depart?” Shen Shuheng asked.

“Today, if possible?” Ye Changzhen requested.

Shen Shuheng turned and noticed that whenever her Senior Sister spoke, Yue Bai would watch her silently with a warmth she couldn’t hide. But when Ye Changzhen looked back, Yue Bai would quickly conceal it. Yue Bai loves her Senior Sister, Shen Shuheng concluded. What does love feel like? After seeing the tragedy of Yao Yao and Yun Wan, her curiosity and a sliver of worry—about love had grown.

Suddenly, she realized that anything involving love seemed to bring sadness.

“Then, let it be today,” Fu Xueke said. Noticing a slight frown on her disciple’s brow and a heavy look in those spirited eyes, she reached out. Her two fingers pressed against Shen Shuheng’s brow, gently smoothing the wrinkle. “What is it? Something on your mind?”

“No… nothing,” Shen Shuheng whispered. Her Master’s gaze was like water, softly enveloping her. The more her Master acted this way, the faster her heart beat. A heart was pounding violently in her chest, slamming against her ribs until her breathing grew ragged. Is this love?

“Master, when will A-Heng understand what love feels like?” Shen Shuheng didn’t look up; she didn’t quite dare to meet her Master’s eyes, focusing instead on her long, fair neck.

A slight curve appeared on Fu Xueke’s lips. “Why do you ask this today?”

Shen Shuheng couldn’t answer. She stood silently, a far cry from her usual self who would have ten replies for every one of Fu Xueke’s words.

“Could it be that A-Heng has someone she likes?”

“No,” Shen Shuheng denied quickly. The moment the word left her mouth, a sense of bitterness rose in her heart. She was becoming stranger and stranger.

“It is time to depart,” Ye Changzhen’s voice rang out.

“A-Heng, let’s go.”

Shen Shuheng took the initiative to hold her Master’s hand. The moment she touched that cool, soft palm, the bitterness in her heart seemed to be brushed away. They followed Ye Changzhen toward the southeast. Nanxi City was a town of many waters; from above, the banks were lined with weeping willows and the water was dotted with small covered boats.

Finding the specific item from the divination in the vast southeastern area was no easy task. Ye Changzhen stood in the air, looking down at the poetic little city. She closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, her dark pupils had turned purple. Her green robes fluttered in the wind, and a faint purple aura surrounded her.

“No… we are a step too late. I do not know if we can stop this catastrophe,” Ye Changzhen said. Having used a technique beyond her current cultivation, she couldn’t help but cough up a mouthful of blood.