The Beautiful Demon Lord’s Disciple Won’t Pretend Anymore - Chapter 4

“Huh? Ah…”

Xu Chengbi probably hadn’t expected Hua Yao to be so reasonable. He stayed stunned for a moment, staring at Hua Yao’s cold, indifferent face over and over. After a long while, he cautiously asked, “Can you let me leave?”

Hua Yao frowned, albeit subtly. After giving it some thought, he handed the sword in his hand to Xu Chengbi.

“Here.”

Xu Chengbi was confused. Unable to find a more logical explanation and having a brief mental lapse, he blurted out, “A farewell gift?”

“No.”

Hua Yao’s eyes drooped slightly, revealing a face of otherworldly beauty under thin lids, though his tone remained flat. “If you use this sword to end your own life, I will certainly have your body sent away.”

Xu Chengbi was stunned again. Then, a surge of rage rushed to his head. “Screw you…”

He wanted to continue cursing, but the impossibly beautiful man before him didn’t understand the threat behind his words, let alone that Xu Chengbi was essentially fantasizing about his backside. Seeing that Xu Chengbi didn’t take the sword, Hua Yao retracted his hand with graceful ease, calculated the time, and after a moment of silent contemplation and a slight frown, he turned away.

“Given the charges against you, it is impossible for me to let you leave my sight. You should consider this carefully; I can agree to anything else but that.”

“I have matters to attend to, so I shall leave first.”

As soon as he finished speaking, seeing that Xu Chengbi made no move to stop him, Hua Yao turned his back to him. With a wave of his wide sleeves, the door closed automatically.

Locked inside with it was the look of ferocious rage on Xu Chengbi’s face as he broke into a string of curses.

After Hua Yao left, Xu Chengbi let out his frustration for a full quarter of an hour. Only when he had exhausted his entire vocabulary of profanity and felt his throat parched and dry did this “feeble patient” suddenly realize that since waking up, he hadn’t had a single drop of water.

Wait, come to think of it, how much time had passed since he lost consciousness?

Xu Chengbi fished out his phone to check the time. He had assumed at least a day and night had passed, but the time on the screen was frozen exactly at the moment he had crossed into this world, showing no change at all.

Thinking his eyes were playing tricks on him, Xu Chengbi shook the phone. After waiting a while, he checked again, but the time remained as steady as a mountain, as if it were stuck, stubbornly refusing to jump forward by even a minute.

It was bizarre. Even if there were no signal in this world, given the way the program was set, the time shouldn’t just stop moving.

Xu Chengbi pondered this for a while, but the burning sensation in his throat, as if it had been poked with fire tongs, forced him to cast the thought aside. He painstakingly climbed out of bed to pour himself a glass of water to satisfy his physiological needs.

Of course, while pouring the water, he continued to berate Hua Yao with “unyielding spirit” despite his frailty, even though he knew he had largely brought this situation upon himself.

After downing the water, Xu Chengbi suddenly felt the urge to use the restroom. He circled the room but couldn’t find one, so he had no choice but to push open the door, hoping to find a latrine.

Unexpectedly, the door opened with ease. The surprise on Xu Chengbi’s face hadn’t yet faded when he was stunned by the scenery before him.

In front of him lay a vast expanse of fresh green grass dotted with dew, where a few snow-white rabbits were grazing. Planted among the scattered rabbits were flowering trees that swayed gently in the breeze. Pink petals drifted languidly onto a flower pond, where clusters of white lotus flowers grew in the clean, clear water. Their stamens were a vibrant, fresh yellow, and their layered petals, like jade, exuded an indescribable sense of pride and beauty.

They were a bit like Hua Yao.

Xu Chengbi stared at the pristine, quietly aloof white lotus flowers, and Hua Yao’s noble, refined profile involuntarily surfaced in his mind.

Feeling inexplicably uncomfortable at the thought of Hua Yao’s beautiful, gender-neutral face, he cursed his bad luck and shifted his gaze toward the middle of the lawn. There stood a pavilion with elaborate, dragon-carved phoenix decorations. Outside the pavilion were pale yellow walls, and the colorful glazed tiles atop them, refracted by a barrier, looked extraordinarily opulent and wealthy.

Wait, grass a barrier!

Xu Chengbi panicked. He trotted over and tapped his fingertips against the barrier, only to be knocked back with an equal amount of force.

Xu Chengbi was speechless.

No wonder Hua Yao had just said he wasn’t allowed to leave his sight, yet left so easily the next second. So that’s where he’d set the trap.

Why did he always use this tactic?

Xu Chengbi felt an inexplicable surge of annoyance.

This annoyance reached its peak when, after waiting for a long time, he saw a small acolyte with a bun-style hairstyle bouncing along, carrying a stack of books and walking inside completely unaffected by the barrier.

He hid behind a tree like a stalker, and after watching several small acolytes move back and forth through the barrier with ease, he finally arrived at a conclusion:

This barrier was only effective against him.

Xu Chengbi: “…”

Dammit.

He didn’t want this kind of special treatment at all.

Perhaps his resentment, which felt heavier than a ghost’s, was sensed by someone. The bun-haired acolyte, who had been busy arranging things in Hua Yao’s room, passed the tree where Xu Chengbi was hiding for the Nth time. Sensing something, he turned back and locked eyes with Xu Chengbi’s bloodshot, glaring eyeballs.

“…”

The acolyte found himself staring into Xu Chengbi’s eyes in stunned silence. “…”

The next second, the acolyte let out a blood-curdling scream, but Xu Chengbi was quick-handed enough to cover his mouth and drag him behind the tree.

“Shh…”

Xu Chengbi pressed his fingertip to the acolyte’s lips, his handsome face looking slightly twisted as his attempt at a friendly smile failed.

“Don’t speak.”

The acolyte’s face turned red from being pressed so hard, though it was unclear if it was from fear or from holding his breath. Tears welled up in his doll-like face, and he trembled, saying, “Who are you? What do you want?”

Xu Chengbi selectively skipped the first question. He leaned slowly toward the bun-haired acolyte, casting a heavy shadow over him. He pondered for a long moment, and just as the acolyte was about to burst into a second round of tears, he said in a low voice:

“Where is your master’s latrine?”

The acolyte: “…”

After finally taking care of his business, Xu Chengbi pulled up his pants and looked at the bun-haired acolyte with a newfound (in his own opinion) kindness.

“Your master really knows how to enjoy himself. A bathroom built like a heavenly palace.”

Coming to his senses, Xu Chengbi couldn’t help but look up at the incense-filled space and comment.

“What are you talking about?” The bun-haired acolyte, wearing a wooden pin in his hair and dressed in dusty-gray robes, though his outer coat was embroidered with the same cloud-treading white crane pattern that Hua Yao wore when he left, rolled his eyes at these words.

“This is just a latrine for the lowest-ranking cleaning disciples. Great experts like Elder Qinghe have transcended the need for food, so they haven’t used this in ages.”

“Huh?” Xu Chengbi was dumbfounded. “Is he a Pixiu? Only intake and no output?”

 The bun-haired acolyte was shaking with anger. Too frustrated to speak, he turned and walked away.

“Hey, hey, hey, don’t go.” Xu Chengbi, having just resolved a major life problem and feeling physically and mentally satisfied, hurried over to hook his arm around the acolyte’s shoulder and whispered:

“You’ve helped me once, so why not go the extra mile? Help me again?”

“What do you want?”

The bun-haired acolyte pricked up his ears, looking at him warily. “You still haven’t told me who you are! What is your motive? And how did you end up in the Master’s Heartless Hall?”

“Oh, come on,” Xu Chengbi said, seeing he hadn’t fooled the acolyte, and quickly played dumb to change the subject. “I’m hungry. I’ll tell you after I eat.”

“Hungry?”

The acolyte looked bewildered. “Are you an ordinary mortal?”

“Yes, exactly.” Xu Chengbi nodded quickly, urging him, “So, is there any food?”

A few days ago in the restricted area, he had only eaten spiritual fruits. Later, after wounding that mute acolyte, he didn’t even have spiritual fruits left and was so hungry his stomach was touching his spine.

“No.” The bun-haired acolyte thought for a moment and shook his head. “I began fasting when I reached the Foundation Establishment stage, so I don’t feel hunger.” He hesitated, then added, “Besides, I practice the Heartless Path. Senior Brother said we cannot indulge in the desires of the palate.”

“You can’t even eat?”

Xu Chengbi found it inconceivable.

“No.” The acolyte looked solemn. “Master says that the desire for food is a form of emotional attachment that hinders cultivation.”

“Your master seems to have a serious mental problem.” Xu Chengbi couldn’t understand it. He looked left and right, then set his sights on the white rabbits on the lawn.

“What are you doing?” The bun-haired acolyte turned pale with fright.

“Roasting a rabbit.” Xu Chengbi thought that since Hua Yao, the master of the house, had left in such a hurry without showing any hospitality, he shouldn’t stand on ceremony. Besides, it was just roasting a rabbit; it should be fine.

He looked up, and a blue flame ignited in his palm without any wind. A dazzling burst of fire exploded before the bun-haired acolyte, who quickly raised his hands to shield his eyes. When he lowered them, a roasted, golden, fragrant rabbit was already lying on the lawn, emitting a glistening sheen of oil.

The bun-haired acolyte: “…”

“You are definitely going to get scolded by the First and Second Senior Brothers for this.”

The bun-haired acolyte—who introduced himself as Wang Zitong—was Hua Yao’s sixth disciple. He squatted in front of Xu Chengbi, swallowing his saliva while muttering, “Senior Brother Ren has been raising these rabbits for many years. You are finished.”

After saying this, he blamed himself. “It’s my fault for not watching them properly.”

 Xu Chengbi silently swallowed a mouthful of rabbit meat. His reason returned along with the warm, nourishing food. He tested the waters, saying, “Senior Brother? Your master’s chief disciple?”

“Yes.” Wang Zitong nodded, holding his doll-like face in his hands. “Senior Brother said he would tell me what these rabbits were for when he returned, but I don’t know why he hasn’t appeared since the formation class.”

Finishing his sentence, Wang Zitong puffed out his cheeks, appearing inexplicably angry. “Did he go back on his word?!”

“…” Xu Chengbi set down the rabbit leg and said nothing. He suddenly felt the rabbit meat in his mouth lose its flavor, tasting like he was chewing on a clump of grass.

Not knowing how to tell Wang Zitong that his Senior Brother had already been taken out by his Master’s demonic pet, he could only remain silent.

The atmosphere grew heavy for a time.

Unknown to them how much time had passed, just as Wang Zitong was about to break the silence with growing suspicion, a handsome youth in cyan robes leaped over the wall. Because he was running too fast, he nearly fell off his sword. Once he steadied himself, he rushed toward Wang Zitong in a flurry, shouting:

“Zitong, hurry, hurry! For some reason, Master suddenly fought with the Sect Leader, and then Master suffered very serious injuries. The Second Senior Brother told me to come back and fetch the spirit herb to save him. Quick, help me find it!”

Hearing that his beloved Master was injured, Wang Zitong grew frantic. “What spirit herb?! I’ll find it!”

“It’s the rabbit that Senior Brother Ren kept here! It’s actually a very rare Rabbit-Tail Flower spirit herb. It took hundreds of years to cultivate into that form, and it was meant to stabilize Master’s cultivation if he was injured or regressed while ascending. Hurry up and see where it went!”

Hearing this, Wang Zitong stood frozen. “This…”

The youth in cyan looked like he was about to burst into flames. “Don’t just stand there!”

He looked like he wanted to grab Wang Zitong by the shoulders and shake him, his expression suggesting that Hua Yao was about to depart this world at any moment. “Master is even coughing up blood!”

“Uh.”

As the two loyal little disciples were caught between one being anxious and the other not daring to make a sound, Xu Chengbi, who had been sitting on the side listening for a long time, finally spoke up, raising his hand with a guilty conscience:

“Don’t look for the spirit herb anymore, it’s gone.”

Only then did the youth in cyan notice there was someone else nearby. He paused for a moment, then drew his sword into a defensive posture, squinting:

“Who are you? What do you mean? You stole the spirit herb?”

“Not exactly.”

Xu Chengbi painstakingly spat out the last rabbit bone, then forced the bones into a rough shape before looking up and struggling to squeeze out a smile.

“So… the spirit herb is right here.”

The youth in cyan remained with his sword raised, his gaze shifting between the debris on the ground and Xu Chengbi’s face, his expression gradually going blank. “…”

“And there’s even bone left over.” Xu Chengbi thought to himself, no wonder this rabbit tasted like grass. On the surface, he tested the waters: “Does your… master… still want to eat it?”

A moment later, a cry of grief and indignation echoed over the Heartless Hall:

“You jerk, I’ll kill you for my Master!”

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