After the Demon Lord was Reborn, She Switched to a Master-Disciple Romance Script - Chapter 5

Zhu Jiyun was resting beneath a tree.

Nearby, Ji Nianyan, her lips pressed into a thin line, was practicing the fundamentals Zhu Jiyun had taught her, sweat beading on her forehead.

Ever since Zhu Jiyun had promised to accompany her and teach her swordsmanship at the inn, Ji Nianyan had been diligently studying and training every day.

The sword at her side was already stained with faint traces of blood, all from the people she had killed in recent days.

Sensing movement nearby, Zhu Jiyun slowly opened her eyes.

Granny Zeng looked at her and said, “Miss Ji Yun, thank you for taking such good care of our young miss these past few days. If my earlier attitude offended you in any way, I sincerely apologize.”

With that, she bent at the waist and bowed deeply to Zhu Jiyun.

A flicker of surprise crossed Zhu Jiyun’s eyes as she quickly helped Granny Zeng up. “Granny Zeng, you don’t need to do this. Xiaoyan saved me too. What I’m doing now is simply returning the favor. It’s only right.”

Beneath the gray sky, amidst the heavy rain, the sight of that tattered cloth and the figure who had returned to save her made it impossible for Zhu Jiyun’s heart not to soften.

Not to mention the faint resemblance to her modern-day younger sister in those fleeting glimpses.

Zhu Jiyun felt that what she was doing was merely a small gesture. When Ji Nianyan had returned to save her, she had clearly taken on far greater risks.

Compared to that, what Zhu Jiyun was doing seemed insignificant.

Granny Zeng said dryly, “But those were things my Miss did. I was wrong back then and should apologize. Besides, you saved my life at the inn that day. If I were to take this for granted, it would be truly ungrateful.”

Zhu Jiyun chuckled, her eyes curving slightly. “Granny, I remember clearly that two people saved me back then.”

Granny Zeng was speechless.

She stared blankly at Zhu Jiyun’s radiant smile, the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes slowly softening.

“Would you like some water?” Granny Zeng asked, lowering her head. “I’ll go fetch some.”

Zhu Jiyun watched Granny Zeng leave with a smile.

Turning her gaze, she focused on Ji Nianyan, who was diligently practicing with a small branch. Zhu Jiyun observed her for a long moment, her thoughts unreadable, before slowly withdrawing her gaze.

The System chattered incessantly in Zhu Jiyun’s mind. “Host, after witnessing such vast realms, can you truly be content living as an ordinary person again? Your beauty will fade, and you’ll face aging, illness, and death. Can you really accept that?”

Zhu Jiyun lay back on the grass, arms crossed behind her head. “What’s there to accept?” she said slowly. “Even in the mortal realm, I’m capable of defending myself. A hundred years of enjoying good food, romance, and a comfortable, peaceful life… what’s wrong with that?”

The System pouted, though it lacked a physical mouth. “Don’t you want a life where everyone adores you? Skirts blooming with admirers, talented men vying for your attention, all just to win your favor… wouldn’t that be wonderful?”

Zhu Jiyun scoffed, her eyes devoid of amusement. “Men?”

The single word, uttered with icy disdain, startled the System. It suddenly remembered its host’s sexual orientation and dared not speak of such things again.

Just when Zhu Jiyun thought it would finally be quiet for a while, the System whined, “…Well, then, what about being universally adored in other ways?”

Zhu Jiyun stared blankly.

What nonsense are you spouting now?

*******

Five days later, Zhu Jiyun, Ji Nianyan, and Granny Zeng arrived at the edge of a small village just before sunset.

Ji Nianyan looked up at the sky. “It’s been gloomy all day. It’ll probably rain tonight.”

Granny Zeng wiped sweat from her forehead. “Let’s find a family in the village to stay with.”

They hadn’t seen any inns along the way, so borrowing lodging was their only option for the night.

Zhu Jiyun narrowed her eyes at the village ahead. The sun was sinking, its last rays disappearing beneath thick, dark clouds. The dim surroundings made the village seem particularly inviting.

But she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.

Before entering the village, Zhu Jiyun warned the others, “We should still be careful.”

Ji Nianyan didn’t understand, but she nodded earnestly.

Sister Zhu is always right!

The trio slowly approached the nearest house. No light showed through the windows, and the place was eerily silent.

Zhu Jiyun paused, then decided to check the houses further back.

Strangely, those houses were also dark and silent.

Ji Nianyan, listening to the village’s silence broken only by birdsong, huddled closer to Zhu Jiyun, feeling a growing sense of unease.

“What’s going on?” she thought, a sudden unease creeping into her heart.

Zhu Jiyun frowned. “Here,” she said, handing Ji Nianyan the other sword. It had been taken from the black-clad assassins, but Zhu Jiyun had hesitated to give it to Ji Nianyan, fearing the novice might hurt herself.

Grasping the sword, Ji Nianyan’s anxiety eased slightly.

They walked past several houses, finding no one.

It wasn’t until they rounded a corner that Zhu Jiyun noticed a faint glow in the distance.

But in this silent, dark village, a suddenly lit house didn’t bode well.

Without realizing it, Zhu Jiyun had already positioned herself protectively in front of the others.

As the trio approached the main gate, the tightly shut doors burst open. A whistling wind rushed past their ears, followed by something hurtling toward them at breakneck speed.

Zhu Jiyun’s eyes darkened. She flung out her arm, while her other hand, which had been hanging at her side, flickered rapidly, as if activating something.

In that instant:

Whoosh!

A flash of white light pierced the darkness, as if a sword had cleaved through something profoundly dark and sinister.

The air cleared instantly, becoming solemn and pure.

Zhu Jiyun watched the confrontation inside the room without blinking.

No, it wasn’t really a confrontation anymore.

After all, a confrontation required two living beings, and what lay inside was clearly not alive.

Facing a woman as ethereal and cold as moonlight, a headless corpse hung upside down.

Zhu Jiyun’s gaze met the wide-open, unblinking eyes beneath the headscarf, then casually shifted away.

She turned to the woman standing there, her presence was so refined and otherworldly that even the dull night seemed to shimmer with moonlight. With a slight lift of her brow, Zhu Jiyun offered a simple “Thank you.”

The Demon Cultivator had clearly intended to capture the three of them, but before the Demonic Qi could even touch them, the woman had severed it with her sword.

Ji Nianyan finally snapped out of her daze, her mouth was still hanging open in shock.

Staring at the woman before her, whose frost-white hair only enhanced her otherworldly beauty, Ji Nianyan stammered after a long pause, “Th-thank you, Sister.”

Xun Juexue’s eyes, as pale as smoke, swept over the swords in the two women’s hands. Her voice was as flat and still as the water in a bottomless abyss: “It was nothing.”

With a brief declaration, Xun Juexue sheathed her sword and turned to leave.

As she brushed past the trio, she paused and said in a calm voice, “This village is safe now. You may stay here.”

As she passed, Zhu Jiyun seemed to catch a faint scent of snow.

Pure white, ethereal, and crisp.

For a moment, Zhu Jiyun was lost in thought.

Ji Nianyan, who’s young with her sharp eyes, immediately noticed the bloodstains on Xun Juexue’s hand as she passed.

Forgetting her initial curiosity about the woman’s white hair, she exclaimed, “You’re hurt!”

She instinctively reached out to grab Xun Juexue’s snow-white sleeve.

Xun Juexue dodged the touch.

“I don’t like being touched,” she said.

Ji Nianyan didn’t seem embarrassed by her failed attempt. Pointing to Xun Juexue’s hand, she frowned and said, “Sister, your hand is injured. I have medicine here. Let me bandage it for you.”

“And Sister, it’s already dark and about to rain. Are you still going to leave? Why not stay the night?”

As Ji Nianyan finished speaking, the rain finally began to fall in heavy sheets, the storm that had been brewing all day finally breaking.

Zhu Jiyun couldn’t help but smile, a glint of light in her eyes as she looked at the woman whose presence made her breathe slow and steady. “With the rain coming down so hard, it’s indeed inconvenient,” she agreed.

She had already sensed that Xun Juexue was a cultivator.

While some cultivators could use magic to stay dry, they sometimes disliked the rain anyway.

Zhu Jiyun didn’t know if Xun Juexue disliked it, but asking another question wouldn’t hurt.

The newly fallen rain came down in large, heavy drops, splashing mud into the room.

Xun Juexue glanced at the mud before withdrawing her foot.

She could use her spiritual power, but that would openly reveal her true nature to the three mortals.

In the mortal realm, where mortals lived, one should follow mortal rules.

As the rain intensified, Ji Nianyan took out some medicine from her bag and walked over to Xun Juexue. “Sister, you should put some medicine on your wrist,” she said hesitantly.

Blood was slowly seeping from Xun Juexue’s wrist, a result of the earlier accident.

“It’s nothing,” Xun Juexue said quietly. “It will heal soon.”

Sensing someone watching her, Xun Juexue looked up. Her clear, unblemished eyes met Zhu Jiyun’s smiling gaze, a hint of surprise in her expression.

Caught red-handed, Zhu Jiyun showed no embarrassment. Her eyes curved into a smile as she brushed off her sleeves and said to Ji Nianyan, “I don’t think this sister needs any help. Xiaoyan, why don’t you sit down and rest for a while?”

Granny Zeng was busy tidying up other things. Ji Nianyan glanced at her back and, with a stern expression, turned to Zhu Jiyun. “Sister Zhu, how can you say that? This sister is our savior!”

Though Ji Nianyan wasn’t sure who the sister had killed, the moment the dark energy had come close, goosebumps had erupted all over her body, her hair standing on end. She had been terrified.

Her current calm was largely thanks to the courage she had developed through the training Sun Yanlin’s assassins had put her through in recent days.

One must never treat a savior casually.

Zhu Jiyun paused, then nodded. “You’re right.”

Turning to the woman whose crimson mark between her brows only enhanced her ethereal, icy beauty, Zhu Jiyun added, “Sister, please let her tend to your wounds.”

Xun Juexue remained silent, but the sincere gazes of Ji Nianyan and Zhu Jiyun lingered in her mind. Touched, she gave a slight nod.

“Thank you for your trouble.”

Though the wound would heal on its own in less than fifteen minutes, she appreciated their kindness and decided to accept their help.

Ji Nianyan brightened and eagerly reached for the medicine.

But just as the cotton cloth soaked in ointment was about to touch Xun Juexue’s fair, delicate wrist, she paused. Suddenly remembering Zhu Jiyun’s greater experience, she turned and called out, “Sister Zhu, why don’t you do it? You’re more experienced. I’m afraid my shaky hands might hurt her.”

Her only experience with applying medicine was when Sister Zhu had been unconscious and unable to move on her own the first day.

Zhu Jiyun: “……”

What do you mean I’m more experienced?!

Despite her thoughts, she ruffled her hair and walked over.

Taking the supplies from Ji Nianyan, Zhu Jiyun crouched beside her and looked up. “I’ll start now.”

Xun Juexue nodded silently.

Compared to a few days ago, the person before her no longer looked excessively pale or gaunt. Her eyes sparkled with laughter, radiating a vibrant, rising vitality.

Like the morning sun rising in the east, full of verdant life.

Xun Juexue’s gaze softened slightly.

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