What Should I Do If My Junior Sister Is the Future Demon Emperor? - Chapter 12

Returning to Fengming Mountain, Ji Ling asked Lin Xi, “Will Senior Sister Xing be targeted by the other elders for this?”

“Xing Yun’s mother is Xing Shan.” Lin Xi took a sip of tea, her expression utterly unconcerned.

“Xing Shan? You mean the legendary, incredibly wealthy merchant? The one neither the human nor the demon realms dare to provoke?” Ji Ling shuddered, her hand shaking so much she nearly spilled the tea.

Xing Shan had entered the Dao through the pursuit of wealth. Her most famous quote was: “A world with nothing but money is a very happy world indeed.”

“Is Elder Xing really that low-key?” Ji Ling marveled. “If I had a mother like that, I’d be wearing spirit stones as clothes.”

“If you truly want to, you can wear spirit stones as clothes right now,” Lin Xi replied mildly.

Xing Shan had made many enemies during her travels across the lands. To provide her daughter with a peaceful environment, she had practically piled half her family fortune onto Fengming Mountain, hoping Xing Yun could stay there. At the time, Fengming Mountain had long since withdrawn from the world’s conflicts; the best way for Xing Yun to stay was to become a disciple.

Unfortunately, Cinian had already declared he would take no more disciples, and the Cen Shangsu of two hundred years ago was… unreliable, to say the least. To put it bluntly, Xing Shan would rather have had her daughter apprentice under the mountain’s osmanthus tree than under Cen Shangsu.

The only reliable option was Lin Xi, who had just returned from the deep sea at the time. Her hair was matted and wet against her face, her sword was tangled with seaweed, and salty seawater dripped from her crimson robes onto the floor. Her eyes, usually void of emotion, stared calmly at the young Xing Yun.

When they proposed the idea, Lin Xi didn’t object. She simply nodded and said, “Fine.”

The little Xing Yun, who hadn’t spoken since she arrived, let out an earth-shattering wail: “Mother, I don’t want to!” She didn’t even want to stay on the mountain anymore.

With no other choice, Xing Shan eventually placed her in the Wanning Sect, begging Cinian to watch over her. Xing Yun was naturally low-key; when she first entered the sect, no one knew the little girl in the corner was the daughter of the richest person in the world.

Cinian was very diligent in his duty, often bringing Xing Yun to Fengming Mountain to play. However, every time the child saw Lin Xi, she would burst into tears. Lin Xi didn’t particularly care for playing with children, so the responsibility of babysitting fell to Cen Shangsu.

Later, during the great human-demon war, Xing Shan was severely injured and went into seclusion, Cinian passed away, and Lin Xi became the “Mad Dog” everyone feared. The one who would cut down anyone in her path. Xing Yun had visited a few times, but Lin Xi had driven her away. Eventually, Xing Yun took the seat of the Hall Master of Discipline, her workload grew, and she lost touch with Fengming Mountain.

These old stories involved nearly the entire cultivation world; a murky, chaotic mess that Lin Xi saw no reason to explain to Ji Ling in detail.

*****

Congxin hopped onto the table, flicking its tail and letting out two “wa-wa” sounds. Ji Ling looked puzzled. “What’s wrong? Is your throat uncomfortable?”

Cen Shangsu walked over with a helpless smile. “He is asking why you two returned so late.”

Lin Xi teased, “Master can even understand the demon tongue now.” She poked at Congxin’s fur, stubbornly parting it to check the white skin beneath, finally confirming that the large white bun was indeed solid.

Congxin shuffled two steps toward Ji Ling and indignantly batted Lin Xi’s hand away.

Cen Shangsu sat down and poured a cup of tea. “I guessed. The little fellow was waiting for you for dinner.” With a wave of her hand, a table full of dishes appeared.

Ji Ling exclaimed, “What a familiar scent! This is definitely Chef Bai’s handiwork.”

Chef Bai was the one who made the custard buns. Since Congxin arrived, he had developed a taste for the chef’s cooking. Lin Xi didn’t dare let the creature out, so she requested the cafeteria staff send meals via paper cranes. She didn’t care what they sent; she didn’t think Congxin was in a position to be picky. Surprisingly, Chef Bai had provided the meals for the past two days, and the taste was indeed excellent. Even Lin Xi found herself eating a bit more than usual.

Lin Xi watched as Congxin buried its head in the food with a look of pure satisfaction, occasionally pushing a plate of dessert toward Ji Ling. Her lips curled upward as her fingers tapped the table. Once the creature finished eating, she tapped it on the head. “Trying to curry favor with A-Ling?”

Ji Ling pinched its ears and laughed. “I feel like this little guy is very familiar with me.”

Lin Xi’s smile remained. “He is very familiar indeed.” Not just with Ji Ling, but with the people around her. “Shen Ning, Shen Xun’an, Qiu Yuebai, Xing Yun…”

Ji Ling looked at Lin Xi, not understanding why she was suddenly mentioning these names. Congxin felt its scalp go numb under the gaze and jumped into Cen Shangsu’s lap, burying its head in her sleeve. Lin Xi gave a sudden laugh and patted Ji Ling’s head, changing the subject. “Go to bed early.”

******

The early autumn night brought a slight, cool breeze. In her daze, Ji Ling saw someone closing her window. She reached out, her eyes blurred with sleep. “Senior Sister…”

A cool palm rested on her fingertips. Ji Ling felt her hand being tucked back under the covers and the blanket pulled up. The voice was gentle: “Sleep. Don’t catch a cold.” Ji Ling wanted to say that as a cultivator, she wouldn’t get sick so easily, but she couldn’t remember if she actually spoke before drifting back into a deep slumber.

Not far away, Congxin was sleeping soundly in a small bed, completely unaware that another person had entered the room. Lin Xi stood over the creature, watching the little demon that hadn’t tried to leave since it met Ji Ling.

The formations of Fengming Mountain were not something a layabout demon like this could break, yet it could have escaped while she was away if it truly wanted to. If it wasn’t naturally immune to formations, then it had to be incredibly familiar with the mountain. Lin Xi had initially thought of sending it to Suiliang Tower, where groups of demons lived, but the suspicions surrounding the creature were growing. There were no reports of missing younglings among the demons; it was as if he had appeared out of thin air.

She picked up Congxin, and the two vanished from the room in an instant.

******

The wind and snow on the back mountain were heavy. The cold air made it impossible for Congxin to open its eyes; it shivered and woke up immediately. Before it could speak, Lin Xi tossed it into the snow.

It shook off the snow and squinted indignantly at Lin Xi. “Hey! Lin Xi, what are you doing? Coming to the back mountain to blow snow in the middle of the night instead of sleeping!”

Lin Xi wore a smile that looked cold against the backdrop of the white landscape. “How did you know this was the back mountain?”

“With this much snow, where else could it be but the back mountain?” Congxin grumbled. “Wait!” It suddenly sounded delighted. “I can talk! I can finally talk!”

“Lin Xi, you finally did something human! Hehehe, I can talk again!” It was so immersed in the joy of hearing its own voice that it didn’t notice the growing killing intent in Lin Xi’s eyes.

A silk thread brushed past its foot and pierced the snow. It froze for a moment and slowly looked up. In the middle of the swirling snow, countless silk threads had woven a cage, enveloping the area. Another thread lunged toward it, and Congxin dodged to the side. Looking up at the murderous look in Lin Xi’s eyes, it finally realized: she truly intended to kill it.

It trembled, curling into a ball and trying to hide in the snow, its voice shaking. “You… you can’t kill me… the Demon Emperor won’t let you get away with it…”

Lin Xi approached step by step, the sound of her feet on the snow sounding like the summons of the God of Death. “The Demon Emperor?” she asked, her voice carrying a hint of disdain. “I killed the Demon Emperor years ago. Did you not know?”

“Huh?” Congxin lifted its head slightly from the snow. The cyan hem of her skirt rested on the ground before it, and it could catch the faint scent of osmanthus.

“Who sent you? The stray dogs around the former emperor? The old men of the Sword Resonance Sect? Or the remnants of the Penglai or Yaoguang sects?”

Congxin asked with genuine sincerity, “Sister, have you really offended that many people?”

Another silk thread drifted nearby, and Congxin immediately stopped its antics. “No one sent me. You’re the one who snatched me and didn’t even give me a chance to speak.”

Lin Xi reflected for a moment; that was indeed what had happened. But who had raised such a reckless demon, one who spoke directly to cultivators without fearing for its life? Had it not encountered her, Lin Xi was certain the little fellow wouldn’t have survived the day.

“You mentioned the Demon Emperor just now?” Lin Xi asked, rubbing its head. “The Demon Emperor isn’t dead?” Who was the owner of the inner dan she had dug out back then? She had seen the emperor turn to ash with her own eyes.

It was Congxin’s turn to be confused. “Is Her Majesty Ji Ling not alive and well? Although she doesn’t seem to be the Demon Emperor right now.” It suddenly had a realization. “Oh, right! Why is she not the Demon Emperor now?”

Lin Xi closed her eyes and took a deep breath, a suspicion forming in her mind. She asked a few more questions. “How do you know Shen Ning?”

“I’ve known her since I was born,” Congxin replied as if it were obvious. “The two Masters Shen are Her Majesty’s right and left hands!”

“Who else do you know?”

Congxin counted on its paws. “Elder Xing, Sect Master Qiu, Sect Master Ning, Lord You Su…”

Lin Xi stared at Congxin, whose appearance matched the descriptions of the Guiyuan Demon in the ancient texts perfectly. Legends said the Guiyuan Demon could travel through time, but that required at least the strength of a God-level being. She truly didn’t believe this youngling possessed such power.

However, if this little demon truly came from the future, it would explain why it was so familiar with everyone. If her junior sister truly were the Demon Emperor, it wouldn’t be strange for her to have a God-level demon by her side.

But… a sharp pain throbbed in Lin Xi’s heart. In the future Congxin knew, there was no place for her beside Ji Ling.

Lin Xi forced a smile and asked, “The A-Ling you know… is she well?” Regardless of anything else, she hoped Ji Ling was happy, even if she wasn’t there.

Congxin lowered its head. “She doesn’t seem as happy as the current Her Majesty. I’ve almost never seen her smile.”

The Ji Ling Congxin knew was always cold and indifferent. As the famous emperor who unified the human and demon races, her methods made all living beings tremble with fear. Yet she was always kind to Congxin, gently stroking its fur with a sadness it couldn’t understand.

Lin Xi listened in silence, simply stroking the creature’s head. Congxin noted, “That look—Her Majesty always used that same look when she watched me.”

Lin Xi picked it up and asked one final question: “How did you get here?”

Congxin shook its head. “I don’t know. I just went out to play, and when I wanted to go back for dinner, you grabbed me and wouldn’t let me talk.” The last part was spoken with a piteous, resentful look.

Lin Xi offered a thin smile. “I will let you talk, but you must not reveal anything about the Demon Emperor to anyone. Not even A-Ling.”

Ji Ling firmly believed she was human. If she suddenly learned she was a demon destined to become the emperor, the blow would be immense. Lin Xi looked at the happy Congxin in her arms, choosing not to mention how deep the resentment toward the demon race ran among the current cultivators.

And Ji Ling was a cultivator who had been raised with the orthodox education of slaying demons and protecting the path.

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