Reborn as a Human Cauldron, But I'm the Top - Chapter 45

Chapter 45: Heartbeat

Want to touch them?

It must be said that Shen Yirong was genuinely tempted, and since Lin Xiao had invited her, she hesitated before replying, “Okay.”

A smile filled Lin Xiao’s eyes. She lowered her head slightly, looking very compliant.

Shen Yirong raised her hand, getting closer and closer to the ears. Finally, she touched them.

But the feel was wrong. The long ears turned into short ears, and Lin Xiao turned into Yun Yi.

Lin Xiao, who had been pushed aside, looked angrily at the culprit, Yun Yi.

Liu Qianfeng removed Shen Yirong’s hand from her head, looking a little embarrassed, “Oh dear, I’m sorry. I thought the Immortal Master would prefer pig ears.”

After saying that, she even grabbed the ears resting on both sides of her head, imitating the way rabbit ears stood up straight.

Shen Yirong realized that these two seemed to have some disagreement. She quickly smoothed things over, “They are both fine, both fine.”

A sparrow-headed human demon walked past them, gnawing on a string of red spiritual fruits.

Following the direction the demon came from, Shen Yirong saw the demon restaurant built into the trees. This restaurant was composed of several trees joined together by vine bridges.

Shen Yirong looked at Yun Yi, “We’ve been walking for so long, we’re tired. Let’s go grab something to eat.”

Remembering the food in the demon market, Liu Qianfeng, using the pseudonym Yun Yi, almost couldn’t maintain her act. She opened her mouth to refuse, “No need for the Immortal to spend money. We are not hungry.”

“How can that be? It’s a long journey, and we didn’t bring any food. Both of you are mortals; how can you manage without eating anything?”

Liu Qianfeng looked at the false concern on Song Yin’s face, wishing she could tear off the other party’s disguise right now, but she could only think about it.

Shen Yirong also thought about it. Remembering that she was no longer short of money, she straightened her back and said with an air of generosity, “Eat as much as you like. For me, this is no expense.”

Liu Qianfeng nearly failed to suppress her smile. She praised without emotion, “Ah! The Immortal is truly too generous.”

Shen Yirong tilted her head up a little more, “Of course.”

She couldn’t wait to show off her generosity and went up to the treehouse first. Seeing the Yun pair still being coy down below, she reached out, summoned a breeze, and pulled them up.

Afraid the two would refuse, Shen Yirong pushed them directly into the treehouse and shouted to the busy owner inside, “Boss, bring out your best food and drinks!”

“Coming right up!”

Song Yin watched them from behind, the smile on her lips growing brighter.

The group found seats. As soon as Shen Yirong sat down, she felt something was wrong. She was being squeezed to death. These people were somehow sharing the same bench with her.

Shen Yirong simply stood up and changed seats. Seeing the others trying to follow, she immediately stopped them sternly, “Stop! One person per spot.”

The others complied. Shen Yirong felt relieved, not knowing why, but she felt the atmosphere was very wrong.

However, the restaurant was very lively. The topics the demons discussed were different from what humans cared about. Shen Yirong became fascinated as she listened.

She heard a table of rabbit demons talking about where the grass in the demon world was tastier. Then she saw the wolf demon next to the rabbit demon staring at the rabbit demon, drooling. After a while, the wolf demon turned its head toward Shen Yirong’s table, its eyes fierce.

Shen Yirong’s eyes narrowed. The wolf demon turned its head back and stopped looking.

“Alas, the grass in the Fox Tribe area is still the most delicious. There are many spiritual herbs, good for cultivation. We could go have a bite when the White Fox Clan used to rule.”

A rabbit demon chewing on a radish leaf replied, “Don’t even think about it. The newly appointed one is not a kind master. Weak demons like us can’t get a token.”

“Heh, what’s with this Demon Combat Tournament? Our demon race has always kept to ourselves. Is she planning to snatch demons from other clans now?”

“Stop talking. Be careful if the Fox Clan people hear you.”

The voices of the rabbit demons faded as they spoke.

Shen Yirong frowned. She didn’t know about these things. Thinking she was a rabbit demon now, she stood up and walked toward that table to ask.

She asked with a very friendly attitude, “Sisters, may I ask about this Demon Combat Tournament and the tokens?”

The ears of the rabbits lifted. Their ears perked up.

Seeing that Shen Yirong’s only demon feature was her ears, the rabbit demons visibly tensed up. The rabbit demon closest to her stammered an explanation, “Senior, the Demon Combat Tournament is a magic trial set up by the new Fox King. The first place in the trial gets the Fox King’s token. The Fox Clan’s territory is currently sealed. This token allows entry into the Fox Clan’s territory and earns the Fox King’s reward.”

Shen Yirong understood. Her smile became warmer, “Then where can I participate in this trial?”

The rabbit demon’s ears twitched, “There’s one spot just up ahead. If I remember correctly, it opens tomorrow.”

Shen Yirong understood, “Thank you. This is for you, as a token of my gratitude.”

The rabbit demons looked at the stone slate in their hands. There were some lines drawn on the slate. These minor demons didn’t understand what a formation was, but they happily tucked it into their sleeves.

“Thank you, Senior.”

Shen Yirong’s smile became more genuine. These rabbit demons were so adorable.

How can there be such cute bunnies? Their ears stand up when they listen, they’re short and fluffy, and their voices are cute!

Shen Yirong almost couldn’t control her hands. Fortunately, someone patted her shoulder. Shen Yirong turned around and saw Lin Xiao. Her eyes were gone in a smile, and she looked very happy.

“The dishes are here.”

The sound of the boss serving the food attracted Shen Yirong.

There were indeed two more dishes on her table, but Yun Yi sitting at the table hadn’t touched her chopsticks. Yun Ran, however, was eating quite heartily, but was that stuff grass?

Shen Yirong was startled. She walked over and saw that the dishes contained processed grass, presented in small, refined portions.

But grass was grass, no matter how refined.

Shen Yirong watched Yun Ran eating with gusto, completely convinced of the claims that the other party was mentally impaired.

Liu Qianfeng sat in silence. Song Yin maliciously picked up a couple of mouthfuls with her chopsticks and extended them, “Eat. Although it doesn’t look good, it’s still edible.”

Liu Qianfeng used her chopsticks to clamp Song Yin’s chopsticks, “No, Senior must be tired from guiding us. Senior, please eat first.”

Song Yin pushed the chopsticks back, saying without a genuine smile, “I don’t need to eat. The portion is small. Your daughter will finish it soon.”

Liu Qianfeng pushed the chopsticks back again, her smile forced, “How can a mother snatch food from her daughter? If the child loves to eat, let her eat more.”

Mei Xin chewed and chewed while watching the two compete.

Shen Yirong felt her temples throbbing. She finally looked at the menu and asked the boss for some spiritual fruits to give to Yun Yi, “Eat this instead.”

Liu Qianfeng’s heart eased, “Thank you.”

She reached out to take them but was preempted. She watched as the spiritual fruits flew into Song Yin’s hand.

Song Yin shook the spiritual fruits in her hand, her expression serious, “These spiritual fruits contain too much spiritual energy. She can’t eat them.”

Shen Yirong instantly thought of stories where people’s bodies exploded from too much spiritual energy. She was startled, “Hiss, is that so? Good thing I have you, Lin Xiao.”

Liu Qianfeng regretted her decision. She shouldn’t have chosen a mortal identity. If she didn’t eat, she might expose herself. Should she eat grass like Mei Xin?

She struggled a bit longer, “I used to do farm work back home. My body is very strong. I’ll be fine!”

Song Yin smiled at her, “Do you understand better? Or do I?”

Shen Yirong thought it was true. The Yun pair were mortals; how could they know more than Lin Xiao, a cultivator?

She quickly advised, “She really knows more than you. If you don’t want to eat, then don’t. I’ll find some ingredients on the way and cook for you.”

Upon hearing this, Liu Qianfeng righteously declared, “How can I trouble the Immortal Master?”

With that, she quickly scooped the grass into her bowl and began to eat.

Seeing her eat with such relish, Shen Yirong couldn’t help but want to try some. Just as she was about to move her chopsticks, someone held them down, and a spiritual fruit was placed in her palm.

Lin Xiao’s voice was very gentle, “Eat this instead. I’ve washed it.”

Seeing that she didn’t move, Lin Xiao gently held the spiritual fruit against Shen Yirong’s lips and softly coaxed, “Ah.”

Shen Yirong was momentarily distracted. Under the other party’s gentle gaze, she slowly opened her mouth and took a bite.

The spiritual fruit was juicy. With one bite, the juice slipped from the corner of her lips and was wiped away by Lin Xiao’s fingertip. This action felt inexplicably intimate to Shen Yirong.

She leaned back to create distance and lightly coughed, “I’ll do it myself.”

With that, she took the remaining spiritual fruit from Lin Xiao’s hand.

Liu Qianfeng watched this scene, finding it distasteful. They are master and disciple! They are master and disciple!

She couldn’t help but slap the table. The sound was so loud that all the demons looked at her.

The goat-horned boss walked over and asked, “Customer, is something wrong?”

Liu Qianfeng’s face was stern, “I’m full.”

Shen Yirong also felt quite embarrassed, “Sorry, Boss. The bill, please.”

After paying, Shen Yirong covered her face and pulled the others away. It wasn’t until they were far from the demon market that she felt the judging stares lessen.

The further they walked, the more demons gathered. Some were fully human-shaped, all clustered together.

Shen Yirong chose a spot to sit down. The trial wouldn’t start until tomorrow, and she wanted to take this opportunity to cultivate for a while. But just as she sat down, the demon crowd in front of her stirred.

A demon shouted, “The trial has started!”

“Wasn’t it tomorrow?”

“Hahaha, who cares! I’m going first!”

Shen Yirong smelled a strong demonic aura, very similar to the one she smelled at the pile of fox bones, but more scorching. The clouds in the sky slowly took on the shape of a fox. A phantom gate carved with a nine-tailed red fox slowly opened, revealing a dark, gloomy interior.

The demons didn’t feel fear. They scrambled to leap into the blackness.

Soon, only a few scattered demons, including Shen Yirong, were left in the area.

Shen Yirong stared at the gate. This seemed to be a self-contained space. Hearing the rabbit demon’s words, the Fox King must have many such spaces.

Such ability was unlikely for a Nascent Soul cultivator. The Fox King’s cultivation was at least in the Soul Transformation stage, possibly even at the peak of Soul Transformation.

Shen Yirong yearned for such power. She picked up her sword and set up various formations around the Yun mother and daughter. After setting them up, she circled the tree to check again.

Looking at the people within the formation, Shen Yirong still felt uneasy. She pulled out the arrow that Qi Wu had given her from her spiritual ring and handed it over, “If we are delayed, use this arrow to slice open the formation from the inside, leave the way you came, and do not linger.”

Liu Qianfeng looked at the arrow tainted with demonic energy, “This item is very valuable.”

Shen Yirong, who had just left the novice village, didn’t have much equipment. This was the best thing she had. She had means to protect herself, but these two did not.

Shen Yirong smiled, “It’s alright. You need it more.”

Liu Qianfeng looked at her deeply, then finally nodded.

Seeing the two of them quiet, Shen Yirong felt somewhat relieved. She called over Lin Xiao, and the two of them entered the gate together.

After they left, Liu Qianfeng and Mei Xin slipped out of the formation.

Liu Qianfeng looked at the arrow in her hand, sighing with a complex expression, “She’s still the same as before, but that’s good.”

Mei Xin was still chewing on something. Liu Qianfeng couldn’t help but tap her head, “Stop eating. Let’s go.”

After exchanging a glance, the two followed her through the gate.

Flying into the gate was like falling into a swamp. With the slightest movement, the surrounding darkness surged up as if to crush her.

Shen Yirong tried to relax. The crushing feeling disappeared. The dark color slowly faded into white-gray, and then she heard sounds—the chirping of birds.

Birds flew past her eyes, and the scenery changed in a flash.

It was still a landscape of green mountains, but the peaks here soared into the clouds, much higher than the mountains near the demon market.

Watching the birds dive into the mist, Shen Yirong suddenly remembered Lin Xiao. She turned and found her smiling beside her.

Remembering the incident with the spiritual fruit, Shen Yirong uncomfortably maintained her distance, “This place should be very dangerous. Remember to stick close to me.”

Lin Xiao smiled meaningfully, “Of course. I will stick close to you, Immortal Master.”

Shen Yirong just nodded. She didn’t see any other demons. They must have been dispersed.

Suddenly realizing she didn’t know the content of the trial, Shen Yirong couldn’t help but slap her forehead. As she felt annoyed, a female voice rang out in her mind.

“This is my trial space. The trial content is simple: the first one to pick the Scarlet Blood Fruit from the highest peak wins.”

After the female voice disappeared, the image of the Scarlet Blood Fruit even appeared in Shen Yirong’s mind. It was a spiritual fruit shaped like a heart, and it was still beating.

After only looking for two seconds, Shen Yirong felt her stomach churn, and her ears rang incessantly.

She swayed and managed to stand firm. The discomfort slowly faded.

Lin Xiao asked with great concern, “Immortal Master, what’s wrong?”

Shen Yirong was completely clear-headed. She shook her head and said, “Nothing.”

She smiled, “Let’s hurry. If another demon takes the spiritual fruit, we won’t be able to go to the Fox Clan, and you won’t find your Master.”

Shen Yirong flew on her sword and reached out her hand to Lin Xiao. Against the light of spring, she seemed to become the real sun in this false world.

Song Yin was momentarily dazed. She reached out her hand as she had in the past, and was taken onto the sword by this person.

Looking down from above, many minor demons couldn’t fly yet.

Shen Yirong smiled confidently, but looking at the continuous mountains below, the weeping willows by the river, and the people washing clothes with basins.

She suddenly felt a sense of familiarity.

Her smile slowly disappeared. Shen Yirong murmured, “Hmm? Why does it feel…”

A mountain peak was faintly visible in the mist. The base of the mountain was lush green, but the peak was a deep crimson, a red that even the thin mist couldn’t obscure.

Shen Yirong felt she had seen this kind of mountain somewhere, but she couldn’t remember where.

“Immortal Master.”

Shen Yirong snapped out of it. She realized her sword was flying lower and lower, and quickly mobilized her spiritual energy to ascend.

“Sorry.”

Lin Xiao shook her head, “What’s wrong, Immortal Master?”

That strange mountain peak was getting closer and closer. Shen Yirong said with some uncertainty, “I seem to have been here before, but… it feels very uncomfortable.”

Song Yin’s slightly expectant gaze slowly dimmed. She smiled, “In that case, don’t think about it.”

Shen Yirong felt the same way. There was no point in thinking too much. Getting the token was the most important thing right now.

Her previous behavior wasn’t very trustworthy, so Shen Yirong reassured her again, “Don’t worry. I will help you find your Master.”

Song Yin: “Mhm.”

She looked up at the sky above, her eyes slowly becoming sharp.

A demon spying from outside suddenly found it hard to breathe. She stumbled and fell to the ground.

If Shen Yirong had been present, she would have recognized this as the goat boss from the restaurant earlier. She held onto the wall of the treehouse to stand up, then knelt again.

A metal token in the shape of a nine-tailed fox rolled out of her sleeve. She anxiously tried to pick it up, but the token stopped by someone’s foot.

The goat’s face lit up with joy, “Your Majesty.”

The black-haired, pink-eyed fox demon chuckled. She gently helped the goat up, “Why so careless?”

The fox demon’s voice seemed to possess a kind of magic. The goat slowly calmed down, “Your Majesty, I believe I was discovered, and furthermore, this subordinate failed to find the trace of the Sword Venerable.”

The fox demon frowned slightly, appearing displeased, but the hint of dissatisfaction quickly vanished, “No need to call her the Sword Venerable. She is not worthy.”

The goat quickly corrected herself, “Yes, Your Majesty is wise, but…”

Qing Li raised an eye, “But what?”

The goat was puzzled, “But why did you change the content of the trial?”

Qing Li merely smiled at her.

The goat immediately realized her slip-up. She quickly knelt down and begged for forgiveness, “This subordinate deserves death.”

Qing Li looked completely indifferent, “Hehe, why are you nervous? It’s fine to tell you.”

“Because this is a story the Sword Venerable told me. I found it very interesting. You said you couldn’t find the location of that cultivation vessel. Did she not eat the food you made?”

The goat was also confused, “The three important people among the four ate, but now I can only observe the two from the Great Peace Sect. The location of the cultivation vessel cannot be observed.”

Qing Li furrowed her brow slightly. She walked straight to the scrying water mirror. The mirror reflected the two people disguised as pig demons.

The goat stepped forward, looking at the people in the mirror with apprehension, “These two seem to have noticed this subordinate’s gaze. Your Majesty, they might be more terrifying than we thought. Focus on them.”

Qing Li looked at the two in the mirror. She had tested them, but only superficially. In a fight to the death, she might not be a match for these two.

She still didn’t know if the cultivation vessel was the Sword Venerable, but these two were a tangible threat.

When a decision needed to be made, it had to be decisive. Qing Li temporarily abandoned tracking Shen Yirong and focused intensely on Liu Qianfeng and Mei Xin in the mirror.

Liu Qianfeng and Mei Xin crouched on a tree. Liu Qianfeng felt ominous about the terrain at first glance.

Mei Xin looked at the distant crimson peak, “Shenruo Peak.”

Liu Qianfeng had heard a little about the trial, but this peak would never appear in that trial. Only the Fox King Qing Li could change the trial content.

Liu Qianfeng cursed under her breath, “That dead fox. When did…”

As soon as she finished cursing, she felt someone spying on them. Just as she was about to get angry, the gaze disappeared.

Liu Qianfeng thought the other party had become compliant, but after a while, the feeling of being spied upon returned.

The originally bright sky was stained blood-red. The wind was no longer gentle. The trees underfoot suddenly grew mouths, and the normal ground began to churn.

Liu Qianfeng and Mei Xin could only fly into the air on their swords, but birds and beasts attacked them relentlessly.

Mei Xin commented flatly, “We’ve been targeted.”

At the same time, the demons in the trial felt a release, and so did Shen Yirong.

She suddenly felt the circulation of spiritual energy was much smoother, and the crimson mountain peak didn’t seem so terrifying anymore.

“Strange?”

Lin Xiao chuckled, “What’s wrong, Immortal Master?”

Shen Yirong pondered. This feeling was like playing a game on difficult mode, but the game inexplicably switched to easy mode.

Shen Yirong saw other demons ahead, their faces also showing the same confusion.

Since everyone is in the same boat, Shen Yirong decided not to worry about it.

The sword beneath her feet was disturbed and began to shake. The next second, it completely lost control, and both she and the sword plummeted downward.

The feeling of falling from a great height had happened many times in her dreams. Usually, she would kick her leg, and Shen Yirong would wake up from the dream.

But this time was different. If she kicked her leg, she would probably be reincarnated again.

Shen Yirong didn’t dare to open her eyes, but then she remembered she was a cultivator. She immediately shouted, “Wind, come!”

The sound of the wind in her ears suddenly weakened. Shen Yirong felt herself being gently supported by the wind, slowly descending.

But looking down, Lin Xiao was still falling rapidly. Her face was pale with fright, and she wasn’t putting up any resistance.

Shen Yirong was startled, suddenly remembering that the other party was very timid.

“Tsk!”

Shen Yirong canceled the wind supporting her and used the wind to accelerate her own descent. She finally caught up with the falling Lin Xiao in mid-air.

She reached out and embraced the person, summoning the wind again to support both of them.

Seeing Lin Xiao’s pale face and empty eyes, Shen Yirong couldn’t speak the words she wanted to say. She gently comforted her, “It’s alright.”

Lin Xiao’s eyes gradually regained their focus. Before Shen Yirong could react, she buried herself in Shen Yirong’s embrace.

“Immortal Master, I’m so scared.”

Shen Yirong stiffened. She felt something was off, but she also thought the other party was just overly frightened, so she let her be.

Her voice became softer than the spring breeze, “It’s alright. We’ve landed safely.”

The two had indeed landed, but Lin Xiao was clutching Shen Yirong’s collar, unwilling to let go, looking completely terrified.

Lin Xiao was trembling all over, and the rabbit ears on her head were also twitching.

Shen Yirong watched for a moment, then restrained herself with astonishing willpower.

She’s so upset. You still want to touch her ears, Shen Yirong, you’re worse than a beast.

After sternly rebuking herself, Shen Yirong gently pulled the person away, then used her sleeve to wipe away her tears, “There, stop crying. You’re safe now.”

Song Yin looked at the gentle, helpless face before her. She had intended to keep up the act a little longer, but slowly lost the desire to do so.

Continuing the act seemed to trouble the person in front of her.

Song Yin felt she was being utterly pathetic. As the Demon Venerable, she shouldn’t be like this.

But, the other party is my cultivation vessel now, so is this concern justified?

This is merely a small charity from the Demon Venerable.

Song Yin framed her behavior as a problem, solved it herself, gave herself full marks for the answer she wrote, and was quite pleased with herself.

Shen Yirong didn’t know that her inner thoughts had taken countless twists and turns. She was just relieved that the other party had finally calmed down.

When she turned to look at the mountain peak again, she saw demons who had fallen to the ground. One demon had fallen onto the stone tablet in front of the mountain, blocking the writing on it.

The mist in the mountains also disappeared. The fruit on the tree on the mountain top was clearly visible, exactly the same as the Scarlet Blood Fruit that had appeared in her mind.

A demon rushed forward first.

Shen Yirong was startled. The demon suddenly stopped. He sat down on the ground, looking devoutly toward the mountain peak.

Then, he was consumed by fire and turned into ashes.

The pulsing of the Scarlet Blood Fruit became stronger.

Shen Yirong, at the base of the mountain, heard the sound of a heartbeat coming from the mountain peak.