Reborn as a Human Cauldron, But I'm the Top - Chapter 26

Chapter 26: Elopement Strange Shura Field

“Mistress, why are you staring at me?” Li Xiu asked with a faint smile.

The face beneath the black hood maintained a posture of appropriate humility and respect, and the dimples by her lips looked no different from yesterday.

This was Li Xiu.

Shen Yirong withdrew her gaze, “It’s nothing, I’m just too nervous.”

Even if Song Yin were to use an alternate identity, she wouldn’t use Li Xiu again; she would be wary since it was used once before.

They had arrived a bit early, and they only saw Zhai Wenxu after the time it takes an incense stick to burn.

Cultivation vessels require supervision to leave the Demonic Palace. Since they were traveling with Shen Yirong, Li Xiu was the chaperone for both of them.

Today, Zhai Wenxu had removed the dangling ornaments from her head. She wore a simple high ponytail and a purple tunic, looking gallant and heroic.

Shen Yirong admired her for a few moments, then suddenly heard a light laugh from Li Xiu beside her.

“Mistress Zhai is striking today. You can’t take your eyes off her.”

Why does that sound strange?

Zhai Wenxu’s gaze also fell upon them. Shen Yirong coughed to cover her embarrassment, feeling bold even if her position was shaky, “Admiration for beauty is universal. I am merely appreciating her. I also greatly appreciate Protector Li.”

Shen Yirong simply praised everyone, but the praised Li Xiu’s smile was very shallow.

“Mistress is quite broadminded.”

The words themselves were fine, but the tone felt sarcastic.

Seeing the familiarity between Shen Yirong and Li Xiu, Zhai Wenxu finally interrupted, “Let’s not waste time, let’s go.”

Shen Yirong agreed. Due to her low cultivation, she rode on the same sword as Li Xiu. Surprisingly, Zhai Wenxu’s cultivation was not low either, possessing the strength of the middle stage of Core Formation.

Compared with the two of them, Shen Yirong’s desire to become stronger intensified.

“Is Mistress envious of her?” Li Xiu’s voice was faint.

Envy is envy; there’s nothing to hide.

Shen Yirong openly admitted, “Naturally.”

“Mistress’s future achievements are incomparable to hers.”

Zhai Wenxu, flying ahead on her sword, frowned. She glared back at the two of them, then flew faster, leaving them behind.

Shen Yirong looked at Li Xiu’s back, speechless, “Why did you say that to her face?”

“I’ll say it behind her back next time.”

Shen Yirong was helpless. However, this was probably the first time she rode Li Xiu’s sword. She wasn’t subjected to a face full of wind. If it were Song Yin, she wouldn’t have bothered to shield her from the wind.

“Ah, there’s no wind in any direction. Protector Li is truly considerate, unlike a certain person.”

Shen Yirong mumbled to herself. Since she was behind Li Xiu, she naturally couldn’t see the increasingly dangerous look in the other person’s eyes.

Heh, a certain person.

The steadily flying sword suddenly shook violently a few times. Shen Yirong was almost thrown off. In her panic, she quickly hugged Li Xiu’s waist.

Once the sword stabilized, Shen Yirong immediately let go, “Apologies, I overstepped.”

“It’s fine. We have arrived.”

Zhai Wenxu had already landed ahead. Shen Yirong and Li Xiu followed closely. This was Ling’an City, the capital of the Central Yue Kingdom.

A stream gurgled, and tree shadows danced. Outside the city, a thatched shed hung a flag with the character “Tea,” flapping in the wind.

The scenery was beautiful, but it was too quiet. There were sounds of wind and water, but no sounds of living creatures.

Zhai Wenxu emerged from the tea shed, “Someone inside is unconscious and can’t be woken up. The aura of the curse is very strong.”

Li Xiu stood by, smiling, seemingly unwilling to help. When Shen Yirong looked at her, Li Xiu turned her head and met her gaze.

The other person’s smile was gentle, but Shen Yirong found it strange. It felt as if the person knew in advance that she would look over.

Once bitten by a snake, one fears coiled ropes for ten years.

Shen Yirong asked, “Do you still remember the sword moves I modified for you yesterday?”

“Naturally, I remember. Would you like me to demonstrate them for you?”

Shen Yirong nodded. She watched Li Xiu draw her sword, feeling slightly anxious.

But the moves were exactly the sword techniques she had modified yesterday, though Li Xiu’s execution still had some minor flaws.

These flaws weren’t significant, but Shen Yirong became focused. She grabbed Li Xiu’s wrist from behind, “This move needs to sink down a little more.”

She was so absorbed in teaching that she didn’t realize the action had fully embraced the person in her arms.

Li Xiu lowered her eyes, her long, slender eyelashes concealing the complexity in her gaze.

Shen Yirong was very satisfied with Li Xiu. She was practically the person with the second highest comprehension ability she had ever met; the first, naturally, being Song Yin.

That person’s comprehension and aptitude could be classified as monstrous.

Therefore, if Li Xiu performed too perfectly, she would suspect her of being Song Yin in disguise. But Li Xiu was clearly inferior to Song Yin, and surely Song Yin wouldn’t softly call her “Mistress,” would she?

That image was too vivid; Shen Yirong dared not even imagine it.

The two of them, one teaching and one learning, completely forgot about the other person.

Zhai Wenxu looked at their somewhat peculiar interaction and couldn’t help but frown.

This didn’t look much like a master servant relationship.

Seeing that they were still engrossed in the sword moves, Zhai Wenxu lost her patience, “Can we enter the city now?”

Shen Yirong, who had been teaching her ‘disciple’ with complete focus, finally remembered the main objective. She released Li Xiu’s wrist and apologized, “Yes, Sister Zhai, please lead the way.”

Zhai Wenxu snorted and walked forward.

The city gates were open. The guards were slumped over on the ground in strange positions. These people were still alive, but she didn’t know how long they had been unconscious.

Shen Yirong followed behind Li Xiu. Before reaching the city gate, she already sensed a very dense curse aura. After passing through the gate, the curse aura was so thick that it felt like water drilling into her nasal cavity.

She frowned in displeasure. A hand suddenly appeared in front of her. The hand waved once, and the bothersome curse aura instantly vanished.

Shen Yirong looked gratefully at Li Xiu.

Zhai Wenxu ahead was also bothered by the curse aura. Her cultivation was higher, so the curse’s effect on her wasn’t as great, but it was still quite strong.

She turned around and saw Li Xiu’s eyes focused solely on Shen Yirong. She was annoyed and surprised at the same time.

Her somewhat depressed mood instantly became incredibly pleasant because Song Yin was being ‘cuckolded,’ so pleasant that her attitude towards Li Xiu improved significantly.

With the curse aura no longer affecting Shen Yirong, she looked around. A group of people lay in the streets. Both those in ordinary clothes and those in luxurious ones lay scattered on the ground. Shen Yirong also spotted a red sedan chair.

Zhai Wenxu was a step ahead of her, lifting the curtain. There was nothing inside the red sedan chair, but the bearers were lying around the sedan.

An empty sedan?

Shen Yirong looked at the empty sedan, puzzled.

Li Xiu explained, “This is a God-sending ceremony.”

Zhai Wenxu couldn’t help but turn back to look at Li Xiu.

The Southern Territory was vast. The Central Yue Kingdom was an insignificant small country on its periphery. Its spiritual energy was depleted, and its talent withered, offering no profit to the Demonic Palace. Li Xiu, who managed internal palace affairs, knew about the Central Yue’s God-sending ceremony.

Shen Yirong didn’t know about it. Speaking of God-sending, there was no divine statue in the sedan.

Shen Yirong circled the sedan again, looking around. Nothing.

Li Xiu chuckled, “The divine statue runs by itself, you see.”

The wind blew the sedan curtain, and the windows rattled. Shen Yirong felt like something was staring at her and smiling from behind. To save face, she desperately held back from crying out.

She glared fiercely at Li Xiu, “Protector Li, don’t joke around.”

“She is not joking. The divine statue does indeed run by itself.”

Zhai Wenxu lowered the front curtain of the sedan. As if oblivious to Shen Yirong’s increasingly pale complexion, she continued, “The journey for sending the god is long. The bearers will rest after walking a distance. When they go back to carry the sedan, they find the statue gone. Eventually, the missing statue is found back in its original temple.”

“Sometimes the statue doesn’t run, but it will appear outside the sedan bearer’s window, staring fixedly at you through the window.”

Shen Yirong silently moved away from the sedan and closer to Li Xiu.

Li Xiu laughed as she saw her drawing nearer, “Is Mistress afraid of ghosts?”

“N no. How could someone seeking the Dao of Immortality be afraid of such things?”

“Mistress, your teeth are chattering.”

“I is that so? It must be too cold.”

Li Xiu took off her cloak and draped it over Shen Yirong, “This will keep you from being cold.”

She then considerately pulled up the hood to cover her head.

Shen Yirong looked at the pure black cloak, then looked up at the scorching sun hanging high, and finally looked at the gentle Li Xiu.

She felt this person was doing it on purpose.

Being wrapped up like a dumpling in this weather would surely cause heatstroke. Shen Yirong wanted to take the cloak off.

“This cloak has the effect of fire resistance and warding off evil.”

After Li Xiu said this, Shen Yirong obediently put her hand down.

Today’s Protector Li was much more frightening than yesterday’s. However, her comprehension of the sword was genuinely good. Shen Yirong, who valued talent, felt she should have been a disciple of the Great Peace Sect.

Li Xiu found Shen Yirong’s gaze too fervent, but upon reflection, this skin was not her own, so a subtle feeling of irritation arose in her heart.

This person was much more vibrant in front of others, whereas the demeanor she showed in front of her was merely a pretense.

She still harbored suspicions, suspecting this person was Master.

Li Xiu turned and entered the house. A moment later, she came out with a bronze mirror. The bronze mirror was unremarkable. Shen Yirong’s puzzled face was reflected in it.

Shen Yirong reached out and took the bronze mirror. The mirror showed no curse aura or ghostly presence.

She looked at Li Xiu in confusion, “Is there something wrong with this?”

“Nothing wrong. I just wanted Mistress to see it.”

Zhai Wenxu: “…”

Could a bolt of lightning strike this pair of dog women dead?

Shen Yirong also found it inexplicable, but when she looked at the bronze mirror again, she noticed something engraved at the bottom that looked quite similar to 0s and 1s.

Zhai Wenxu, as a local, finally found a chance to speak, “That’s not a mirror for grooming, it’s…”

“It’s a bronze mirror used for offerings. A long time ago, this land frequently suffered from disasters. The then ruler borrowed the power of the gods from the bronze mirror to restore peace to this area,” Li Xiu narrated the history unhurriedly.

Shen Yirong was enlightened, “Oh, I see. Protector Li is so knowledgeable.”

Zhai Wenxu: “…”

Utterly fed up, Zhai Wenxu ignored them. She then took out a compass style artifact.

She cut a strand of hair from her ear and placed it in the center of the artifact. The artifact briefly lit up. After the hair disappeared, the spoon on the four directional plate began to spin.

The spoon spun faster and faster, completely unable to stop. Finally, with a “bang,” it shattered.

Looking at the broken pieces of the artifact on the ground, Zhai Wenxu’s face was grim.

This directional compass was very sensitive for locating objects. Zhai Wenxu had used it to find opportunities, spiritual treasures, and capture wicked thieves. Never had the situation been as dire as it was now.

Shen Yirong was also startled, but she recalled seeing that compass in a book. This object-finding artifact was quite common.

However, since the other person cut her hair, it was likely she was looking for a relative.

Zhai Wenxu grew even more silent. She searched alone through the city, checking every corner of the imperial city.

Shen Yirong followed her search until the moon hung above the branches.

The city was even quieter under the night sky. The air was full of curse aura, making cultivation difficult. Shen Yirong yawned.

In her haze, a shoulder leaned over, followed by Li Xiu’s smiling face.

Shen Yirong noticed that her smile today had the exact same curve. At first glance, it seemed fine, but after looking for a while, she realized the smile was somewhat fake.

How to put it? It was like the person was wearing a smiling mask.

Shen Yirong couldn’t resist reaching out to touch Li Xiu’s lips. The temperature was normal; she was a living person.

Seeing Li Xiu look at her, Shen Yirong retracted her hand, “Apologies, I’m a little paranoid.”

“Afraid I am the Venerable One in disguise?”

Her thoughts having been exposed, Shen Yirong was embarrassed, “However, the Venerable One’s disguise last time was very poor. But at that time, I had just met the Protector and wasn’t very familiar with your personality.”

The night wind seemed colder. Moonlight shone on Li Xiu’s face, making her look a bit ghostly.

“Oh, so Mistress is very familiar with me now. How does Mistress view me?”

Shen Yirong pulled Li Xiu’s gifted cloak tighter. She yawned again, “You? You’re a very good person. Very careful and very good at tending to people’s emotions.”

After speaking, Shen Yirong tightened the cloak again, “Tsk! Why is it getting colder and colder!”

Something dropped onto her face, cold and clammy.

Shen Yirong touched it with her hand; it was water. She looked up and noticed that the crescent moon hanging high was slowly becoming round, and then the sky brightened again.

In the blink of an eye, the night receded, turning into a daytime filled with heavy snow.

“Steamed buns for sale~”

“Oh, your daughter has grown so big.”

“It’s so cold, noble sir, spare some food.”

The world became noisy again. Shen Yirong couldn’t believe her eyes.

Is it an illusion?

Zhai Wenxu hadn’t expected this either. She closed her eyes and chanted a spell, then opened them in horror, “It’s not an illusion.”

She tried to contact the cultivators from the Great Peace Sect sent to meet them, but there was no response.

The sound of urgent horse hooves rang out behind them, accompanied by people’s screams and the anxious voice of a woman on horseback.

“The horse is startled! Quick, get out of the way!”

Shen Yirong stepped back to avoid it. The woman on the horse wore silver armor and appeared to be a military general, though the struggling way she controlled the horse suggested otherwise.

Seeing that the horse was about to crash into someone, Shen Yirong couldn’t bear it and grabbed the horse.

It wasn’t strange for a cultivator to do this, but for a mortal, it was quite eye-catching.

The gazes of the entire street fell upon her. Even the slow-witted Shen Yirong could feel it, especially the woman on the horse, whose gaze was intensely burning.

Shen Yirong was extremely embarrassed. She asked the woman who was nearly hit, “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine, I’m fine! Thank you, benefactor, for saving me!”

Shen Yirong supported the woman, channeling spiritual energy to probe her body. She found no curse aura, no ghostly aura, and the woman didn’t seem like a controlled puppet.

This was entirely a normal person.

The woman on the horse dismounted awkwardly, falling. Ignoring her dishevelment, she quickly got up, looking at Shen Yirong the way Shen Yirong looked at spiritual stones.

“Brave warrior, what country are you from?”

Shen Yirong was startled by her enthusiasm and took a step back, “Uh, a mysterious Eastern country.”

A puzzled look appeared on the woman’s face, followed by a drastic change in expression, “Guards! Arrest them!”

Armor clanged, and in an instant, Shen Yirong and the two others were surrounded by soldiers holding long spears.

Shen Yirong’s expression changed, “Is there some misunderstanding?”

The woman remained vigilant, “Silence, you ruffian from Yuexi Kingdom!”

Shen Yirong had no idea about any Yuexi Kingdom, but it was clear that her previous answer had given the woman the wrong impression. She wanted to explain but was held back by Li Xiu.

Out of absolute trust in Li Xiu, Shen Yirong didn’t continue.

Zhai Wenxu wasn’t so calm. She snorted and raised her right hand, intending to throw all these people over.

The soldiers, seeing her movement, became tense.

Then came a long silence.

Her spiritual energy wouldn’t circulate. It felt like something was tightly locking it down. Zhai Wenxu sensed what was happening. She turned her head to Li Xiu and caught Li Xiu finishing a spell.

Zhai Wenxu was furious and frustrated. She tried to break the restraint, but her spiritual energy was locked down even harder.

She looked at her raised right hand and said in the fiercest tone possible, “I! Surrender!”

“Pfft.”

The scene was too comical. Shen Yirong couldn’t hold back a snicker. Seeing Zhai Wenxu look at her with murderous eyes, she quickly stopped.

Zhai Wenxu was the patron for this commission, after all, and patrons must be respected.

The silver-armored woman hadn’t expected this either. She waved her hand, “Take them to the dungeon.”

The few of them were chained and placed in a prison cart.

The chain on Shen Yirong’s wrist was the thickest, but the sense of security Li Xiu gave her was too strong. She was even interested in studying the structure of the prison cart.

She didn’t look like a prisoner but rather a tourist sightseeing.

Li Xiu sat beside Shen Yirong, also observing Shen Yirong with interest, her eyes never leaving her.

The only unhappy person, Zhai Wenxu, sat across from them. Her spiritual energy was locked, she couldn’t contact the Great Peace Sect’s rescue team, and she hadn’t found her sister.

…And she had to watch this face, so similar to the Sword Venerable’s, be intimate with a demonic cultivator.

Zhai Wenxu couldn’t bear to watch anymore. She simply closed her eyes, out of sight, out of mind.

Closing her eyes did calm her down. The people the sect sent this time were stronger than Li Xiu. Although she didn’t know which senior it was, she just needed to wait quietly.

Shen Yirong was excited, thinking this was quite like what happened in TV dramas, but her excitement faded once she was thrown into the cell.

The corner of the cell was covered with straw, but the straw was damp. It was clearly moldy. A gray shadow darted past her feet.

Shen Yirong hated mice. She couldn’t help but frown, showing a hint of disgust.

She turned and saw Li Xiu looking at her with an emotion she didn’t understand.

Shen Yirong was confused, “Protector, why are you looking at me like that?”

“Is Mistress afraid of mice?”

Shen Yirong chose a clean spot to sit down, “No, but I find them disgusting.”

Li Xiu leaned against the wall next to her, crossing her arms and smiling lightly, “Then does Mistress like plump mice that are yellow and white?”

Why does that description sound a bit like a hamster?

Shen Yirong hesitated, then nodded, “I suppose so.”

Zhai Wenxu was not imprisoned with them, so this cell was full of her own people.

Shen Yirong didn’t want to dwell on mice. She tugged at Li Xiu’s sleeve, “Why did you stop me?”

“Because there is an opportunity here, and I want you to obtain it completely.”

Hearing the word “opportunity,” the small resentment in Shen Yirong’s heart completely disappeared.

She immediately sat up straight, “What opportunity?”

Li Xiu took out the bronze mirror from her spatial ring, “A bronze mirror.”

Shen Yirong remembered what Li Xiu had said earlier. The ruler was able to restore peace to this area, which was likely due to this opportunity.

Seeing that Li Xiu seemed knowledgeable, Shen Yirong tugged at her sleeve again, “If the ruler obtained an opportunity, did they enter the path of immortality?”

“Yes. That ruler gained an immortal opportunity and became the Vice Pavilion Master of the Heaven’s Secret Pavilion, now known as the Compassionate Immortal Maiden.”

Then the opportunity is gone, isn’t it?

Shen Yirong suddenly felt deflated. However, this place was so strange, and if those people remained unconscious, who knew what would happen.

Saving people was still the priority.

Shen Yirong adjusted her mindset, “What should we do now?”

Li Xiu closed her eyes, “We don’t need to do anything.”

Suddenly, they heard footsteps. The woman who arrested them opened the cell door with a grim expression, “Let’s go. The Grand Ruler wants to see you.”

The chains on their hands were also removed. Shen Yirong’s wrist was red where it had been rubbed.

It was just a scrape of the skin. Shen Yirong didn’t pay attention to it. At that moment, Li Xiu suddenly took her hand, her eyes seeming slightly displeased.

Shen Yirong originally felt nothing, but now she felt that piece of skin tingling and heating up.

She pulled her hand away, “I’m not that fragile.”

Afraid Li Xiu wouldn’t believe her, she listed several facts, “It’s truly nothing. I’ve been choked and thrown before, and also…”

“Also what?”

Shen Yirong shook her head. Those were things from her past life. Saying them would only arouse suspicion.

“Nothing. In any case, this injury is nothing.”

Shen Yirong put her hand behind her head. This wasn’t feigned nonchalance; it was because she didn’t often dwell on the past, unless old acquaintances appeared before her.

The old acquaintance who appeared most frequently before her now was Song Yin.

That name alone, just appearing in her mind, would stir up many emotions, making it impossible for Shen Yirong to forget.

In her past life, she felt she was letting go easily, but if she hadn’t been reborn as a cultivation vessel, she would probably still secretly glance at Song Yin from afar, to see how she was doing, but she wouldn’t have created any more ties with her.

While lost in thought, Li Xiu quietly said, “It won’t happen again.”

“Hmm?”

The voice was too soft; Shen Yirong didn’t hear clearly, “What did you just say?”

“I said, I will protect you from now on.”

Shen Yirong raised an eyebrow. She wanted to laugh but dared not, so she could only say with a serious face, “That was our agreement yesterday.”

Li Xiu’s genuinely sincere smile turned fake again.

She suddenly felt this disguise was very troublesome, but if she took it off, this person would just put on another act for her.

When facing this person with her true self, this person would give her falsehood.

But whether true or false, this person only briefly overlapped with Master at certain moments.

Shen Yirong saw Li Xiu reflect for a moment, then reach out and rub her wrist. The small wound disappeared immediately.

Shen Yirong felt odd. She moved her hand away and began to analyze Li Xiu’s behavior on this trip.

She hadn’t fully figured it out when the silver-armored woman leading them asked curiously, “Are you two perhaps that kind of relationship?”

People always become polite when gossiping, just like now.

From the woman’s expression, Shen Yirong guessed what kind of relationship she meant.

She denied it with a pale face, “No, no, no. She is my attendant.”

She thought this would clarify things, but it couldn’t overcome the prejudices in others’ minds.

After Shen Yirong’s explanation, the silver-armored woman gasped, “So you eloped from the Yuexi Kingdom?”