My Secret Cultivator Spouse Is the Demon Lord - Chapter 4

Xu Xianqing had no intention of following Ye Ming’s advice to look for the Elder in the Library Pavilion. Knowing that Ye Ming didn’t have much time left, all she wanted was to spend every possible moment by her side.

Even so, once morning broke, she made a trip to the Hall of Medicine.

Zhao Xing was taken aback when he saw her walk in.

Going by their usual schedule, Xu Xianqing wasn’t supposed to show up for another five days.

“Xianqing? Did something happen?” Zhao Xing asked, rushing over with a look of concern.

Xu Xianqing shook her head, keeping her lips sealed. She drew out ten medium-grade spirit stones and placed them down. “I need all of this exchanged for medicine.”

“This…” Zhao Xing stared in disbelief. “Where on earth did you get so many spirit stones?”

Back when the former Master of the Ye Family was alive, Xu Xianqing had received a monthly stipend pulling out ten medium-grade spirit stones back then wouldn’t have raised an eyebrow. But the tides had turned in the Ye family. For her to suddenly produce a sum like this was bound to spark suspicion.

“I’d rather not say. But it’s legitimate money. Please, just get me the medicine.”

“Alright.” Seeing her reluctance, Zhao Xing stopped pressing. He gathered the supplies and packed them up as quickly as he could. “Take these back with you. Oh, and about those spirit stones you gave me yesterday I used them to buy raw herbs and refined them overnight. First thing this morning, I traded them for higher-grade medicine.”

Xu Xianqing opened the pouch to check. The mid-tier herbs from before had indeed been upgraded to high-tier ones.

“Thank you so much.”

She felt a deep sense of gratitude toward Zhao Xing. If it weren’t for his help, her life in the Ye family would have been utterly unbearable.

“Don’t mention it. What are friends for?”

As usual, Zhao Xing walked her down the mountain before leaving her to carry the heavy bag of medicine the rest of the way back.

Only this time, she ran right into one of the Ye family’s cousin young masters.

“Hold it right there!”

The young man blocking her path was Ye Jinlan’s cousin on her mother’s side two years older than Jinlan, making him seventeen. He possessed a decent dual-element Gold and Wood spiritual root, and had already reached the seventh tier of the Foundation Establishment stage.

“Cousin Young Master, is there something you need?” Xu Xianqing asked, keeping her eyes on the youth blocking her path.

His name was He Fuhui. Last year, he had caused trouble back at his own family’s home and accidentally killed a servant boy serving a Yuanying-stage grandmaster. While the grandmaster didn’t care about a mere servant boy’s life, he couldn’t tolerate the disrespect. He had marched to the He family estate, demanding they hand He Fuhui over. To save his life, the He family packed him off to the Ye family.

Back then, the Ye family was guarded by two Yuanying Elders and headed by a Huashen stage Patriarch, making it a safe haven for someone like He Fuhui. Even though the Huashen Patriarch had recently perished in a secret realm, the two Yuanying Elders remained, alongside a new Patriarch at the late Jindan stage. In Solitary City, the Ye family was still a formidable clan.

He Fuhui snapped open his paper fan. The fan served as his weapon, though right now he was using it purely as a flashy prop.

“Tell me, Xu Xianqing, aren’t you sick of tending to that cripple day in and day out? It’s a waste of a face like yours. Why not spend some quality time with me instead? Who knows? After a little dual cultivation with me to nourish you, maybe that fake spiritual root of yours will turn into a real one.”

As he spoke, he began leaning closer, stepping into her personal space.

“Please show some self-respect, Cousin Young Master!”

[Beep. System initiating…]

“Agh!” A blinding, agonizing pain stabbed through Xu Xianqing’s head, making her face turn pale in an instant.

He Fuhui couldn’t care less about her words. The less compliant a woman was, the more satisfying it was to tame her. If she fell at his feet right away, it would take all the fun out of it.

“Lady Xu sure has high standards. I like that,” He Fuhui drawled, leaning right up against her.

Xu Xianqing tried to back away, but without even thinking, her hands instinctively formed a seal. A surge of raw spiritual energy burst from deep within her body.

She hadn’t cast a single spell, but the sheer force of that violent energy slammed right into the unprepared He Fuhui, sending him flying backward.

He crashed hard onto the ground. In that split second, he felt a terrifying wave of power rip straight through his body.

It was a feeling he had never experienced before a horrifying sensation of standing right on the brink of death. As he lay in the dirt, his meridians throbbed with excruciating pain from the violent jolt of spiritual energy.

“What… what did you do?” He Fuhui managed to raise his head, staring at Xu Xianqing in horror and outrage. “Call a doctor! Get me a doctor, fast—!”

Frightened out of her wits, Xu Xianqing didn’t have time to process how she had suddenly unleashed such a surge of power. Seeing He Fuhui collapsed helplessly on the ground, she grabbed her bag of herbs and bolted.

This wasn’t a secluded path. Someone was bound to find He Fuhui sooner or later, and when they did, the Ye family would definitely drag her to the Disciplinary Hall.

She had to hurry back. She needed to deliver these herbs to Miss Ye and brew today’s dose for her right away. If Miss Ye drank the medicine, she might feel a little better. Tomorrow, once Miss Ye regained some strength, she could brew it herself.

Xu Xianqing just didn’t know how long her punishment in the Disciplinary Hall would last, or whether Miss Ye could survive until she returned.

If there was time, she hoped Senior Brother Zhao would realize she was in trouble and step in to check on Miss Ye. She still had some spirit stones left she could entrust them all to him.

A swirl of anxious thoughts raced through Xu Xianqing’s mind as she rushed back, until she finally resolved her plan.

Reaching her cramped quarters in the side courtyard, she set the bags down, poured a cup of water for Ye Ming, and immediately went to brew the medicine.

“Wife, what’s wrong?” Ye Ming had just woken up. After taking a few sips of water, she watched Xu Xianqing bring over the medicine. But Xu Xianqing was drenched in sweat, her expression frantic and unnerved.

Xu Xianqing hesitated, torn over whether she should speak.

“Have you run into trouble?” Ye Ming coughed weakly. “Tell me. I may not have much time left, but my Jindan hasn’t shattered yet. If anyone dares to bully or insult you, I can still stand up for you.”

And her way of “standing up for her” was nothing short of self-detonating her Jindan—a desperate, fatal strike.

Xu Xianqing quickly grabbed her hand. “No! No one bullied me. I was just worried about you, so I hurried on the way back.”

Ye Ming knew she was lying. But Xu Xianqing’s panic didn’t look like the terror of someone who had been mistreated; it looked like the anxiety of someone hiding something she had done.

“Wife, if anything happens, talk to me. As long as I draw breath, I will protect you for a day. Cough, cough…”

Listening to her words and watching her cough, Xu Xianqing gently rubbed her back to ease her breathing, a bitter smile gracing her lips. “If you… if you leave, what am I supposed to do?”

“Then listen to me. Go to the Library Pavilion and find Elder Xingfeng. Next month, follow him when he leaves the Ye family. Once you’re out there, you can find work. Go to the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect…they always need chore disciples, and they treat human cultivators well. No one will bully you there. Or you could go to the Casual Cultivators Alliance. Even though it’s a gathering of rogue cultivators, as long as you aren’t wicked, anyone can seek shelter with them on the Tianyan Continent.”

“Cough, cough…”

Ye Ming had spoken too much, and another violent bout of coughing overtook her. She pressed a handkerchief to her mouth, and once the coughing fit passed, she pinched it shut and tucked it away.

“Wife, I once fought alongside the Vice Leader of the Casual Cultivators Alliance in Rong City to drive back the demon race. She is a free-spirited, honorable person. If you take my letter to her, she’ll look after you.”

Xu Xianqing shook her head. “Stop talking. I’m not leaving.”

“I’m not asking you to leave right this second. But once I’m dead, do you really intend to stay behind and live as my widow?” Ye Ming smiled bitterly, her strength ebbing away. “Pack your things and head to the Library Pavilion. Taking medicine won’t make a difference for me anymore anyway. You don’t need to waste your time staying by my side. Cough…”

Just as the two were speaking, footsteps echoed outside. People from the Ye family had arrived.

Leading the group this time was none other than Ye Qinfu.

Ye Qinfu marched in with an entourage. Still confined to her sickbed, Ye Ming couldn’t get up, but she fixed her gaze on the elder who had once treated her so warmly.

“Uncle, bringing so many people to my door… is there a problem?” Ye Ming asked.

Xu Xianqing was instantly hit with a wave of regret. She should have come clean to Miss Ye earlier instead of leaving her completely in the dark like this.

Ye Qinfu’s face was dark and stern. “Little Hui is dead.”

“What?” Ye Ming looked bewildered. She knew Ye Qinfu coming here meant Xu Xianqing must have gotten into trouble outside.

Although she didn’t believe Xu Xianqing would ever intentionally cause trouble, she knew the Ye family had long been looking for an excuse to get rid of both of them. After all, a family as grand as the Ye family had no room for two useless mouths to feed.

What she hadn’t expected was for He Fuhui to die.

Ye Ming silently glanced at Xu Xianqing. Could Xu Xianqing have killed him?

Even if Xu Xianqing wanted to, she wouldn’t have the strength. He Fuhui might be a good-for-nothing playboy, but he was still a seventh-tier Foundation Establishment cultivator. Xu Xianqing couldn’t even win a fight against a Qi Refining disciple how could she possibly kill He Fuhui?

“According to our investigation, Little Hui’s servants said he went looking for Xu Xianqing today, and now he’s lost his life,” Ye Qinfu said, raising his hand. The men behind him immediately stepped forward, grabbing Xu Xianqing and forcing her arms behind her back.

Ye Qinfu ordered coldly, “Take her away.”

“Hold on! Cough…” Ye Ming forced down the cough swelling in her throat and managed a cold smile. “Uncle. Though my wife possesses spiritual energy, she has a pseudo-root and lacks even a shred of cultivation base. What could He Fuhui’s death possibly have to do with her?”

“Whether it does or doesn’t, we will only know once we’ve investigated.”

“The Ye family rules contain no such provision! Dragging someone away without a shred of evidence… Uncle, as the new Patriarch of the Ye family, you certainly carry a mighty posture.”

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