I Quit Being This Female Lead (GL) - Chapter 71

“What are you looking at?” The officer seemed very annoyed by Xuan Ji’s gaze. He slammed his spear on the ground, creating a loud noise. “I think you, woman, are tired of living!”

Xuan Ji slightly frowned. She didn’t understand why a large contingent of the Royal Imperial Guard had descended upon the foot of her sect’s mountain, and judging by their formation, there was likely more than just this one group.

What was their objective?

Rumor had it that the elderly, frail Emperor was nearing the grave and had left the palace specifically to seek the Elixir of Immortality, currently traveling west. Was this village merely a transit point, or their ultimate destination?

The officer saw Xuan Ji in contemplation and pressed the spear against her chest, yelling, “Hurry up and scram!”

Just then, an old woman across the street quickly opened her door and said to the officer, “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, Officer! This is my distant relative; she has come to stay with us!”

With that, she walked over, took Xuan Ji’s hand, and said, “Miss Xuan Ji, come inside quickly.”

Xuan Ji recognized the old woman as the one who sold pancakes at the foot of the mountain; she always patronized her stall when she descended. She didn’t refuse this time and allowed the old woman to pull her into the house and bolt the door.

“Granny,” Xuan Ji watched the group leave through the window, then asked, “What are these people doing here?”

The old woman sighed softly. “They arrived a few days ago. They’ve occupied the local government office and won’t let anyone move around freely. We can only go out for half an hour in the evening. The rest of the time, we have to stay home.”

Xuan Ji frowned. “What is their background?”

“I heard…” the old woman whispered to Xuan Ji, “that the Emperor is here.”

Xuan Ji was confused. “Didn’t the rumors say he was looking for the Elixir of Immortality? Why is he here?”

“I am an old woman and don’t know much, but I heard from my son and daughter-in-law that what they are looking for seems to be on the mountain.”

Xuan Ji’s heart sank. She grabbed the old woman’s sleeve and asked, “What about the Lingyun Sect?”

“Miss Xuan Ji,” the old woman held her hand, “We haven’t been allowed out for days. I don’t know any news from outside, but ever since they arrived, we haven’t seen any of your people come down the mountain. I think perhaps they already…”

“Impossible,” Xuan Ji frowned. “Weren’t they looking for the heart blood of a demon? Why would they come here? We have no demons here!”

The old woman looked troubled. “Miss Xuan Ji, you…”

Just as the two were talking, Mang Ke, whom Xuan Ji had been holding, rubbed her eyes and woke up.

“Mhm… Yun-Yun…”

Mang Ke opened her eyes to an unfamiliar environment and couldn’t help but pinch her little mouth, on the verge of crying.

“Oh, this child?” The old woman was surprised. “How does she look so much like Miss Mang Ke?”

The old woman looked worriedly at Xuan Ji. “How old is Miss Mang Ke? She already has a child? And with whom? I never heard about it!”

Xuan Ji: “…”

“Granny…?” Mang Ke looked at the old woman suspiciously. She curiously looked up at Xuan Ji and said, “Senior Sister, it’s the pancake-selling Granny~”

Xuan Ji nodded, holding her close. “Senior Sister is discussing something with Granny. Did you wake up?”

“I woke up.” Mang Ke nodded. “Where is Yun-Yun?”

Xuan Ji knew she was referring to the demon and said unhappily, “She had business and left. You won’t need to see her again until your body recovers.”

Mang Ke blinked, not understanding what had happened.

“This girl calls you Senior Sister?” The old woman was confused. “Then who is she?”

“She is my Junior Sister,” Xuan Ji placed Mang Ke on a nearby chair and explained to the old woman, “She encountered some trouble, which is why she looks like this now. I came back this time to have Grandmaster examine her.”

“Poor child.” The old woman bent down and stroked Mang Ke’s little face, saying, “How could a perfectly fine girl turn out like this, alas… I’ll make you both some food first. You must be starving this early in the morning. We can talk about everything else after you’ve eaten.”

The old woman baked some pancakes for Xuan Ji and made a warm bowl of pumpkin porridge for Mang Ke, feeding her spoon by spoon on a small stool. Mang Ke loved the fragrant, sweet taste and only stopped after eating two full bowls.

“The little girl eats quite a bit. Look how plump her tummy is now.” The old woman seemed very fond of children. Her laugh lines crinkled as she wiped Mang Ke’s small hands clean. “Are you still hungry? Granny can make you something else tasty.”

“I’m full.” Mang Ke patted her stomach. “Why are Senior Sister and I at Granny’s house? Aren’t we going back to the sect? I wanted to see Senior Brother and Grandmaster…”

Hearing this, both Xuan Ji and the old woman fell silent.

“I, I’ll go wash the dishes. You two sisters can chat slowly.” The old woman took the dishes and slipped into the backyard, leaving only Mang Ke and Xuan Ji in the dining area.

Xuan Ji thought for a moment and decided to tell Mang Ke their current predicament.

It took a while for Mang Ke to process the information, but once she finally grasped it, she wrinkled her small face and muttered, “Why are they coming here? We don’t have the heart blood of a demon here… !!!”

Upon saying this, Mang Ke suddenly flared up. “Where is Yun-Yun!”

Xuan Ji: “…I sent her away.”

Mang Ke: “Senior Sister, you are so kind!”

I thought you and Xun Fangyun were incompatible last night, but you actually made sure Xun Fangyun was the first to leave when danger struck!

Mang Ke’s eyes sparkled. It seemed her Senior Sister and her wife were getting along quite well!

Xun Ji: “…”

She didn’t know how to explain things to Mang Ke, but that didn’t seem to be the most pressing issue right now.

“I’m going to sneak up the mountain in a moment to scout the situation,” Xuan Ji told Mang Ke. “You stay here with Granny. You are just a child right now, and they won’t do anything to you.”

“Senior Sister,” Mang Ke said worriedly, “You don’t have a weapon. What if you encounter danger on the mountain?”

Xuan Ji froze. Right. The new Cold Light Sword she bought was broken by Xun Fangyun by the lake. Now her hands were empty. What should she do?

Mang Ke looked at her Senior Sister, remembering that Yin Shu had stuffed many things into her bag before she left. Perhaps there was something in there that her Senior Sister could use?

Thinking this, Mang Ke pulled out the Cosmos Bag. She turned the bag upside down, holding it by the drawstrings and shaking it.

—Clatter, clatter—

—Clang, bang, boom—

—Gibberish, garble, chatter—

—Dong—

After a large pile of miscellaneous items fell out, a very familiar object landed on the floor. Mang Ke looked down.

What a coincidence, it’s you again, the Demon Subduing Pestle.

Yin Shu was afraid that the ancient artifact, the Demon Subduing Pestle, would attract danger to his pawnshop, so he put it in Mang Ke’s Cosmos Bag. He didn’t expect the thing to still be inseparable from them.

Mang Ke reached out and touched the rusty Demon Subduing Pestle. She said to Xuan Ji, “Senior Sister, see if you can use this. It seems like the most reliable thing I have here.”

Xuan Ji had never seen it before, but she could feel the energy contained within the weapon.

It was definitely not an ordinary object.

“How do you have this?” Xuan Ji asked suspiciously. “Where did you get it?”

“That’s a longer story,” Mang Ke said. “Senior Sister, try to see if it feels right in your hand first. I’ll ask Granny if she has a sharpening stone to remove the rust; then it should still be usable.”

Xuan Ji nodded. There were no other ready-made weapons available for her right now. This weapon looked strange but might still be usable.

She reached out and touched the Demon Subduing Pestle. The moment her hand made contact, she felt a powerful suction greedily devouring her spiritual energy. Before she could be surprised, the originally rusty Demon Subduing Pestle floated up from the ground, shaking off all its mottled rust, and emitted a blue-white sword energy!

The Demon Subduing Pestle stood upright. It slowly floated in front of Xuan Ji and stopped.

“This…”

Xuan Ji was also surprised. Although she knew this was no ordinary item, judging by the sword’s reaction, did it seem to have acknowledged her as its master?

Blue-white flowing light shone freely on the blade, and the hilt was adorned with dark night stars, looking as vast and magnificent as the cosmos, filled with a beautiful, imaginative quality.

Mang Ke was also stunned. She remembered that when the sword was plunged into Xun Fangyun’s body, it was black and red. How did it turn blue and white in Xuan Ji’s hand?

“Senior Sister,” Mang Ke said, “It seems to like you.”

She had touched the thing for a month without any reaction. Yet, the first time her Senior Sister touched it, such a massive change occurred. Even a fool could tell that the Demon Subduing Pestle was an object with sentience.

Xuan Ji reached out and took the Demon Subduing Pestle. She asked Mang Ke, “Where did you obtain this weapon?”

Mang Ke recounted the object’s origin in detail. Xuan Ji was also surprised.

“The fact that you could pull out this Demon Subduing Pestle and that I can now use it must be related,” Xuan Ji said, gripping the weapon. “Perhaps it’s also related to the Emperor coming to the sect.”

The rumored heart blood of a demon might truly be in the sect, after all.

“The situation is urgent. I will borrow this Demon Subduing Pestle for now,” Xuan Ji said to Mang Ke. “Wait for me here at Granny’s house. I will return quickly.”

With that, she stroked Mang Ke’s head and bent down to kiss her cheek.

“Wait for me.”

“Mhm.”

Watching Xuan Ji lift the curtain and leave through the backyard, Mang Ke looked back at the mess on the floor and wondered how she was supposed to pack all of it back into the Cosmos Bag.

The moment she had this thought, all the items floated up on their own, lined up, and obediently entered the Cosmos Bag, which then sealed its opening and placed itself in front of Mang Ke.

Mang Ke: “…”

She looked around the room, then focused her gaze on the bed in the corner, wiggling her small feet. “Come out. I know you’re there.”

“Heh.”

A familiar laugh rang out. Mang Ke saw Xun Fangyun sitting lazily on the edge of the bed, staring at her. She patted her knee and said, “Hurry over here and let me hug you.”

I missed her so much, even just after a few minutes.