The Cool and Aloof Immortal Master Has Fallen to the Demonic Path (Transmigration) - Chapter 19

Chapter 19

They had never met before, yet A’Ruan and the Spider Demon shared a bond of several centuries. Logically, she should leave these treasures to the Spider Demon.

A’Ruan remembered something, and her smile became bitter, her voice as light and faint as smoke: “The Gu I planted died.”

A faint pain emanated from the back of her neck—not the sting of a bite, but the loss of something missing.

The Concentric Gu that had accompanied her for several centuries died just now.

Many words no longer needed to be said.

Even in the story she recounted, the Spider Demon was not a kind demon.

Yi Hu’s intuition was somewhat accurate. She had never felt close to the Spider Demon. Perhaps the Spider Demon’s only genuine emotion was the guilt she felt towards A’Ruan.

She then thought of the dropping water level in the pool. Could the Spider Demon have taken the blood water?

Yi Hu was not good at comforting people, let alone demons.

She spoke with difficulty: “Miss A’Ruan, are you alright?”

The Butterfly Demon gently shook her head. If it were the old her, she might repeatedly ask why. But the current her would only analyze the most favorable situation for herself. Her bones were completely broken, and her spiritual essence was nearly swallowed up. She had long lost hope of survival. The only reason she could maintain her life was thanks to the spiritual flowers and exotic grasses Ku Mu had sought out.

Leaving would mean death.

But whether she died or not made little difference now.

She looked at Yi Hu. Her vision began to dim, her gaze gradually unfocused. A longing for the past slowly rose in her heart, with tiny sparks of flame emerging, bringing her some warmth.

“It’s nothing. I just miss my father and mother a little.”

The former A’Ruan was a little butterfly cherished in her parents’ palms. Although her cultivation was already very high, her parents still treated her like a child who needed to be loved and spoiled. They offered her the best of everything, yet she couldn’t even see them one last time.

Why did all the demons who were good to her suffer misfortune?

Brother Liu, Sister Hu, the Old Tree Spirit… they all died ten years ago.

A’Ruan’s brows gradually furrowed. She couldn’t even manage a slight smile. The events of that year began repeating in her mind.

She wasn’t a dull demon, but emotions could make a person lose their way and a demon confused.

At the time, she didn’t find anything strange, only feeling that she was trapped in the array and couldn’t escape. But on closer reflection of the past, she found it strange: Little Sister borrowed an appearance that wasn’t that of their sister, so why did she beg for mercy for them?

Did she not know, or was she pretending?

Even if she didn’t know, where did the ruthlessness go when she tricked the Pig Demon out of his spiritual essence and stole his bones and blood? Why was she only soft-hearted towards Ku Mu?

And why was she abducted when she was dominating the fight against those people?

She had never thought about it in detail. Now, thinking it through, she felt a chill in her heart.

A’Ruan was always unwilling to admit that the Little Sister she raised was a bad demon. She was even more unwilling to face the truth behind this tragedy.

A’Ruan bit down hard on her lip, trying to stop thinking about the past, but the more she tried not to, the more images appeared in her mind.

Was Little Sister’s concern for her all these years truly out of guilt and compassion?

Was she desperately searching for a Vessel Body all these years truly to save her?

Was she genuinely unwillingly serving Ku Mu?

Since she had a way to undo the Concentric Gu, why didn’t she use it earlier or later, but only when Ku Mu found the Holy Spirit Flower?

Could it be that all these years, she was only using pity to make her believe that she loved her, that she cared about her?

Using such means to make her live a little longer.

Using her own life to increase her guilt after death?

Her breathing became increasingly painful. She understood many things, yet she had even more questions.

She did love her. For the majority of her long life, the Spider Demon had accompanied her. Loneliness was the beginning of falling for companionship.

But was being loved destined to lead to harm?

If everything was as she suspected, then why?

She was so good to her. They spent centuries together day and night. During these centuries, she was very good to her, protecting her from being bullied by other demons, feeding her with spiritual flowers and exotic grasses. It took her three centuries to speak, yet she never abandoned her…

A’Ruan wanted to find her and ask her why!

At the extreme of sorrow, tears seemed redundant.

A’Ruan couldn’t shed a single tear. Her chest felt increasingly empty, increasingly silent, and her mind became clearer.

She wasn’t doing well.

But why should she be so sad? She had sensed it all along, hadn’t she? Otherwise, she wouldn’t have hidden these spiritual essences instead of giving them to the Spider Demon to raise her cultivation and save her.

She shouldn’t describe herself as so noble; she, too, had defenses.

She had only been deceiving herself, choosing to see only the good parts and ignoring the strange parts.

By deceiving herself in this way, it was as if Little Sister loved her.

It seemed that she could still persevere with a little comfort.

Actually, she didn’t really want to die. Her father and mother would be sad if they couldn’t see her.

She realized it too late, harming herself and other demons.

“Cough, cough, cough…” She struggled to breathe, her gaze once again landing on Yi Hu’s face.

How laughable. Even the concern shown by Yi Hu, a stranger she just met, was more sincere than that of the demon she had raised for centuries.

Was she unlucky in her choice of demon, or was this just survival of the fittest?

A spider could never love a butterfly.

Perhaps it was just her delusion.

“Heh…” A mocking smile took over her lips. It was her own self-mockery, laughing at herself for not growing more vigilant after nearly a thousand years, leading to such an outcome.

Pain, so much pain.

Without the nourishment of spiritual flowers and exotic grasses, the pain intensified relentlessly.

Every inch of her skin was protesting, every bone was throbbing. Her life seemed to be heading toward extinction, but she still had some wishes.

“Miss, what is your name?”

“Yi Hu.”

She had practically no cultivation left. She was unable to discern Yi Hu’s true form, only sensing her overly weak aura. She was not a strong demon, but the cultivator standing behind her was powerful enough that even a whip could render the Spider Demon utterly defenseless.

A’Ruan had no other path. She was dying.

She tapped her arm again. Two more spiritual essences appeared in her hand. One was purple and one was blue. Their glow was more dazzling, and their color more concentrated. Their owners must have had significantly stronger cultivation than the previous ones.

A’Ruan coughed softly, handing the two spiritual essences to Yi Hu: “Miss Yi Hu, these two spiritual essences belong to my father and mother. Can you help me return them to them, please?”

Past memories once again scraped at A’Ruan’s heart.

“In that great battle, I used a lot of the spiritual essence’s power. I don’t know if it will cause any harm to my parents.”

“They doted on me so much, giving me all the best things. Even my sister said they favored me. But I made them sad…”

At this moment, Yi Hu watched a butterfly on the brink of death right before her eyes.

She could feel A’Ruan’s life force fading. She had no reason to refuse her, whether out of shared fate or because she had gifted her so many spiritual essences.

She accepted the spiritual essences and promised solemnly: “Miss A’Ruan, I certainly will.”

“My mother is called Xian’er, and my father is called Yun Si.” A’Ruan paused, remembering something. She spat out a bead from her mouth. The bead was dull, somewhat broken, and covered in fine cracks. It was A’Ruan’s spiritual essence. She handed it to Yi Hu as well: “This one is mine. I’ll leave it to you too. These will be very useful to you. Humans can swallow spiritual essence to raise their cultivation…”

!

She wouldn’t swallow these things. Yi Hu instinctively recoiled. Before A’Ruan could finish, she interrupted her: “That is an evil path.”

“Miss, listen to me. Spiritual essence has many uses. For demons, if a peer willingly gifts a spiritual essence, it is equivalent to a blessing. The more blessings one has, the faster their cultivation speed will be. Miss, your cultivation is so shallow, and your constitution is special. You are also cultivating in the human world. Although you have a powerful cultivator protecting you, it’s not as good as being powerful yourself.”

Blessing?

This was not written in the books.

Yi Hu didn’t doubt her, both because they shared a similar fate and because A’Ruan’s life had already begun its countdown. There was no need for her to lie, as she was a dying demon.

Moreover, she was gifting her the spiritual essence, which was A’Ruan’s life.

She might not have much longer to live. Yi Hu still couldn’t adapt to this world of survival of the fittest and the law of the jungle. This was a life.

Yi Hu looked at the broken spiritual essence in her hand, tears gradually rolling down: “Miss A’Ruan, I will take you to the Immortal Master. The Immortal Master is very powerful. The Immortal Master can surely save you.”

Zi Ying found the scene before her very amusing. She was actually watching one demon pity another. What was there to pity? It was merely reaping what she sowed.

In A’Ruan’s words, she was not weak; she was powerful. She could hold her own even when besieged by over a dozen cultivators. She was also lucky. So many demons trusted her and cherished her, gifting her spiritual essences more precious than life itself.

She had spiritual essences and artifacts, yet her own soft-heartedness harmed herself and the demons in the mountains.

Zi Ying’s compassion was limited. She was unwilling to share it with A’Ruan.

“If she hadn’t protected that Spider Demon, she wouldn’t have met this end. It’s just self-inflicted harm. Why do you feel it’s unfair for her, Yi Hu? Your tears are truly cheap.”

What Zi Ying said was reasonable, but her coldness towards A’Ruan was because she was heartless toward her. A’Ruan protected the Spider Demon because she had feelings for the Spider Demon.

Yi Hu had never loved anyone, but she had read books, and the love described in books was always reckless, even if it meant hurting oneself.

A’Ruan might be powerful, but she also had a weakness, and that was the Spider Demon.

Yi Hu ignored her. Her nature would not allow her to watch a living life wither away before her eyes.

She quickly tucked all the spiritual essences into her sleeve and moved to help A’Ruan up.

Yi Hu always regarded Shen Yin as a savior.

But Shen Yin was not omnipotent. Before she could help A’Ruan up, Zi Ying poured cold water on her: “Her bones are shattered, and her spiritual essence is nearly extinguished. Even the Great Golden Immortal would not be able to save her.”

Yi Hu heard her, but she still stubbornly lifted A’Ruan and carried her on her back: “You are a good demon. The Immortal Master will definitely save you.”

She walked toward the outside, but was blocked by Zi Ying again.

Yi Hu bit her lip: “I want to save her.”

“Did those demons who died because of her not deserve to be saved?”

Zi Ying’s aversion to A’Ruan was undisguised. A’Ruan, lying on Yi Hu’s back, remained silent. She, too, felt that she had loved the wrong person and ruined the lives of many, many demons.

Yi Hu glanced at A’Ruan’s wounds. Given their raw, bloody state, even if she was wrong, she must have atoned for it. Moreover, Yi Hu didn’t think she was wrong.

“But have you ever thought, if she hadn’t appeared in the first place, she might have lived well, but those demons would have died sooner, died a century ago.”