After the Demon Lord was Reborn, She Switched to a Master-Disciple Romance Script - Chapter 4

Ji Nianyan decided to set out with Granny Zeng the next day.

That evening, during their meal, her eyes reddened, and she looked quite reluctant to leave.

Seeing this, Zhu Jiyun, whose heart had long grown cold and detached, couldn’t help but feel a pang of emotion.

Especially those familiar eyes, brimming with tears of reluctance, momentarily made Zhu Jiyun feel as if she were seeing her younger sister from before she had transmigrated to this ghostly world.

Zhu Jiyun placed a chicken leg in Ji Nianyan’s bowl, her voice gentle. “If fate allows, we’ll meet again. Now, focus on your meal.”

Ji Nianyan murmured a sullen acknowledgment and obediently picked up the chicken leg.

Granny Zeng’s eyes warmed at the sight.

Since Madam’s accident, Miss Ji hadn’t eaten properly for a long time. But these past few days, sharing meals with Zhu Jiyun had significantly improved her appetite.

Sighing inwardly, Granny Zeng could only hope this improvement would last even after they parted ways with Zhu Jiyun tomorrow.

As the moon hung high in the night sky, the three parted ways, each returning to their rooms to sleep.

In the middle of the night, Zhu Jiyun was startled awake by rustling sounds.

Frowning, she listened intently and realized the noise was coming from the adjacent room.

When Ji Nianyan and Granny Zeng first brought Zhu Jiyun to the inn, they gave her a room to herself because she was injured and needed a quiet place to rest. Granny Zeng and Ji Nianyan shared a room.

Normally, Zhu Jiyun could faintly hear the quiet sounds from the next room, but tonight’s noises were clearly different.

After sitting up and listening for a few breaths, Zhu Jiyun’s thoughts shifted. She bent down to put on her shoes and quietly slipped out of her room.

Next door.

Ji Nianyan stared in terror and hatred at the cold light drawing closer, watching Granny Zeng collapse on the bed.

A black-clad figure behind her clamped a hand over her mouth, veins bulging on her forehead.

Tonight, Ji Nianyan should have been asleep with Granny Zeng, but she couldn’t sleep, thinking about how she would have to part with Sister Zhu tomorrow.

For some reason, even though Sister Zhu didn’t look anything like her mother, Ji Nianyan sometimes felt a maternal warmth from her.

Even though Sister Zhu was only a few years older.

Suddenly, she smelled a strange odor. Her keen senses made her instinctively hold her breath. Before she could figure out what was happening, someone crashed through the window.

When Ji Nianyan saw the black-clad figures and the cold glint of their weapons, her face paled. Her muddled mind seemed to be instantly jolted awake by a hammer blow.

Sun Yanlin!

It has to be him!

Ji Nianyan dug her nails into her palms, her eyes fixed on the approaching figures, filled with despair and sorrow.

“Ah!”

In the next moment, Ji Nianyan felt the painful grip on her arm loosen, followed by a rush of fresh air into her nose and mouth.

She whipped her head around, her panicked eyes catching sight of Zhu Jiyun’s frail figure standing by the door.

Zhu Jiyun wore only a thin outer robe, the dim candlelight from the corridor casting a faint glow on her slender frame. The oversized robe made her look even more fragile.

Ji Nianyan’s heart clenched. “Sister Zhu, run!” she shouted.

Zhu Jiyun coughed softly, wiped her mouth, and glanced briefly at the terrified Ji Nianyan. When she saw Granny Zeng still lying peacefully on the bed, she let out an almost imperceptible sigh of relief.

Ignoring Ji Nianyan’s warning, Zhu Jiyun turned her icy gaze toward the two intruders who had been knocked to the ground and were now struggling to rise.

Ji Nianyan saw only a fleeting blur before Zhu Jiyun stood before the nearest black-clad figure.

Ji Nianyan’s heart pounded wildly in her chest.

The sword, its blade gleaming with a chilling light, was now firmly gripped in Zhu Jiyun’s hand. Zhu Jiyun lowered her gaze to the black-clad figure, who was retreating in terror. A dark glint flashed in her eyes as she spoke in a cold voice, “He who kills shall be killed.”

The words had barely left her lips when blood splattered.

“Ah!”

A scream escaped Ji Nianyan’s lips, and she instinctively stumbled back.

Zhu Jiyun didn’t immediately reassure Ji Nianyan. Instead, she swiftly drew her sword, the shick of its withdrawal sounding like a hellish call from the underworld.

The remaining black-clad figure stared at Zhu Jiyun in terror, his hand trembling as he gripped his own newly drawn sword.

Who is this woman?

He tightened his grip on the sword, as if drawing infinite courage from its hilt.

“I’ll kill you!” he roared, lunging at Zhu Jiyun.

“Get back!” Zhu Jiyun snapped, glancing at Ji Nianyan, who was rushing forward as if to fight alongside her. Without another word, she raised her sword to meet the attack.

Some sword techniques seemed etched into her very bones, each movement carrying the weight of distant, blurred memories.

Zhu Jiyun tensed her jaw, staring at the dying man before her. With a flick of her wrist, she retracted her sword, followed by the dull thud of a heavy object hitting the floor.

Thump

The second uninvited guest was dead.

Blood dripped from the sword’s cold tip, pooling into a crimson puddle at Zhu Jiyun’s feet.

Ignoring the spreading stain, she tilted her chin slightly, her brow furrowed as her dark eyes gazed into the distant night.

Was it just my imagination? I could have sworn someone was watching us earlier.

But human eyes couldn’t see that far. Zhu Jiyun’s gaze swept across the window, revealing nothing but the soft glow of moonlight.

Ji Nianyan was frozen in terror.

Suddenly, she let out a sob and threw herself at Zhu Jiyun’s side, frantically checking her for injuries.

“Sister Zhu! Are you hurt? Let me see!”

Zhu Jiyun tossed the bloodstained sword aside, allowing Ji Nianyan to fuss over her. Her pale lips barely moved as she asked, “I’m fine. What about you and Granny Zeng?”

*******

Ten miles away, Xun Juexue paused. Her frost-like brows twitched slightly, the crimson mark between them devoid of any allure, radiating only an icy indifference.

Demonic Qi.

Though faint as wisps of smoke, vanishing in an instant, Xun Juexue had dealt with the world’s greatest demon lord hundreds of times, making her exceptionally sensitive to Demonic Qi.

With a thought, she appeared at the source of the Qi within moments.

As she stood, the wind swept through her hair, lifting strands like drifting frost.

Xun Juexue’s gaze fixed on the source of the bloody scent. Her sharp eyes instantly identified the culprit: a frail-looking woman, now coughing softly as she comforted the girl beside her. Her slender frame made her appear utterly harmless.

That is, if one ignored the crimson stains on the hem of her skirt.

Xun Juexue’s brow furrowed slightly. Her indifferent eyes swept over the two lifeless men, and she made her decision.

Now that the Great Demon of Nanwu had been slain, she should have returned to the Clear Mist Sect immediately. But the sudden presence of Demonic Qi in this mortal realm made her pause. After a moment’s contemplation, she resolved to delay her return by a few days.

If demons were left unchecked, the common people would suffer.

As for matters at the Clear Mist Sect, her Junior Sister could handle things for now.

******

“So, this is the story of a Phoenix Man who repaid kindness with betrayal, a true ingrate.”

A poor scholar, once he passed the imperial examination, was seized as a son-in-law right after the results were announced.

But the scholar had a childhood sweetheart back in his hometown, a girl he had been betrothed to since they were young.

Driven by ambition, the scholar concealed his betrothal and married the daughter of a high-ranking official.

If that had been the end of it, perhaps it could have been forgiven.

But while he pretended to be a devoted husband to Miss Ji, he secretly maintained a relationship with his childhood sweetheart, who had traveled to Yu Capital.

The sweetheart even conceived before Miss Ji and gave birth to a daughter.

Over a decade passed. The scholar rose through the ranks, securing a prominent position. Meanwhile, the Ji Family, who had once seized him as their son-in-law, gradually declined, their once-grand estate now deserted.

With this stark contrast, the scholar no longer bothered to hide his true nature. His villainous side was exposed as he revealed his deep-seated resentment toward Miss Ji’s father for sabotaging his betrothal to his sweetheart. He even allowed his mistress, whom he kept hidden away, to plot against his legitimate wife.

Now, he was even trying to harm his own daughter.

Granny Zeng’s face was ashen. Ever since she had suspected Sun Yanlin had sent assassins after Ji Nianyan, she had been in a daze, unable to grasp reality.

Faced with her own father’s relentless pursuit, Ji Nianyan was the first to regain her composure.

But the bloodstains on her palm betrayed that she was far from calm.

“He must know about my encounter with the Immortal on Yuntai Mountain,” Ji Nianyan said bitterly. “He wants to eliminate any future threat. He fears I might actually have a miraculous encounter, learn powerful skills, and return to avenge my mother. That’s why he’s sent assassins to eliminate both Granny and me!”

When her mother was gravely ill, Ji Nianyan had gone to Yuntai Mountain’s renowned Buddhist temple to pray for her recovery. There, someone claiming to be an Immortal had praised her filial piety and, sensing a potential Spiritual Root within her, suggested that if she ever had nowhere else to turn, she could try the Spirit Awakening at Liulan Mountain.

It was this hope that had kept Ji Nianyan from falling into utter despair.

Zhu Jiyun coughed twice, swallowing the burning pain in her internal organs caused by using Demonic Power. She said, “Sun Yanlin specifically planned to eliminate you here.”

Noticing that Ji Nianyan didn’t call him “Father,” Zhu Jiyun decided to address him by his full name as well.

Ji Nianyan looked at Zhu Jiyun, puzzled.

Zhu Jiyun explained, “Although this place is remote, almost as far as a border town, it’s the only road to Liulan Mountain.”

Dipping her finger in the cold tea, Zhu Jiyun lightly tapped several spots on the wooden table.

“Whether you take the main road, a side path, or travel by water or mountain trails, this town is a place you must pass through on your way to Liulan Mountain.”

Zhu Jiyun, her pale, slender fingers still damp, traced several routes on the table. The lines converged at a central point, gradually forming a clear, straight path.

“Keep a sharp eye ahead. You might find others like yourselves.”

These people were all heading to Liulan Mountain for different reasons, but their ultimate goal was the same: to discover their Spiritual Root and enter the mysterious and alluring Cultivation World.

An Immortal touches my crown, and with bound hair, I receive eternal life.

Too many dreamed of immortality.

Only a few among the common people knew of cultivation, but even this small fraction represented a significant number within a population of billions.

Ji Nianyan stared intently at the route Zhu Jiyun had drawn with water.

Granny Zeng spoke, her voice trembling, “…Does that mean this might just be the first wave?”

She knew Sun Yanlin, that beastly man, feared death above all else. He would never willingly give up the wealth and power he had gained. He would surely try to eliminate Miss Ji before her Spirit Awakening, to prevent any future trouble.

Zhu Jiyun gazed at Ji Nianyan’s deathly pale face and nodded gently. “Yes.”

At these words, Ji Nianyan’s head snapped up, her eyes blazing with hatred.

“Sister Zhu, what sword technique did you use today? Can you teach me?”

She needed to learn how to protect herself.

She had to go to Liulan Mountain!

Zhu Jiyun sighed.

The two assassins who had come to kill Ji Nianyan today hadn’t been defeated by her sword skills. It was because she had instantly channeled her Demonic Power to heal her wounds that she had been able to confront them at all.

Sword techniques couldn’t be mastered overnight. Without diligent practice, they were just flashy moves.

Ji Nianyan’s desire to learn how to fight in just a few days was utterly unrealistic.

But when Zhu Jiyun met Ji Nianyan’s unwavering, determined gaze and Granny Zeng’s pleading eyes, her heart softened.

“…I can teach you gradually. There’s no rush. We still have over twenty days.”

Ji Nianyan blinked, then her eyes lit up, chasing away the lingering hatred in their depths. “Sister Zhu, are you coming to Liulan Mountain with us?!” she exclaimed, her voice filled with surprise and joy.

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