When the Immortal Venerable Picked-Up the Demon Cub - Chapter 15

Who is it this time? Zhu Ning’s mind was a tempest, but her face remained calm. Only after Lin Xiayan had returned to her child form did Zhu Ning open the courtyard gate.

“Honored Master? Did Mi’er disturb your rest?” Standing in the snowy courtyard was Su Mi, the Female Protagonist, dressed in a green robe.

Su Mi’s humble demeanor was unchanged, but now there was an added air of caution. The biting wind had already turned her cheeks crimson, and it was clear she had been waiting outside for quite some time.

Zhu Ning opened the gate wider, gesturing for Su Mi to enter. After brushing the snow from Su Mi’s robe, she asked, “Is there something you need? Or did Elder Yue send you?”

Ever since Zhu Ning had spoken so sharply to Yue Qing, she had a feeling he wouldn’t let it go so easily. Still, she hadn’t expected him to retaliate so quickly.

Su Mi blinked in surprise. She pulled a yellowed scroll from behind her back, tilted her head, and giggled. “No, Honored Master. You just returned to Yun Cang Mountain and deserve to rest. It was that Demonic Beast who took up your time.”

“You? What is it?” Zhu Ning’s gaze shifted to the scroll in Su Mi’s hand. She already had a good idea of what this was about, but she asked anyway, just to be polite.

Zhu Ning frantically searched her memory, recalling how Su Mi often sought the original owner’s advice on passages she found confusing in her reading. Zhu Ning wiped a bead of cold sweat. She had no real insights on these matters. If Su Mi asked her, what could she possibly say?

As fate would have it, Su Mi pushed the scroll forward, her smile unwavering. “Honored Master, this passage says that using cinnabar depends on the timing. There are certain yin days when drawing talismans with cinnabar is forbidden. Is there anything else we can use instead?”

Lin Xiayan, sitting on a stool, swung her short legs back and forth. She cradled a cup of tea, its steam curling around her face as she watched Su Mi standing in the center of the room, her gaze shifting to the yellowed scroll.

Hearing Su Mi’s humble question, Lin Xiayan couldn’t help but curl her lip. She had always despised such artificial displays. Now, witnessing this performance firsthand, she found it unbearable to watch and simply raised her teacup to take another sip.

Zhu Ning pondered for a moment, then finally let out a sigh of relief. The answer to this question had been revealed in the original novel. When the original owner had been dealing with demonic ghosts on a yin day, unable to use cinnabar talismans but unwilling to kill the creatures on the spot, she had simply produced a substitute.

After piecing together her memories, Zhu Ning pulled Su Mi down to sit beside her. The room was warm and cozy, almost making one want to drift off to sleep, but Zhu Ning’s crisp voice cut through the drowsiness, bringing a sharp clarity to the air.

“Black dog blood can be used as a substitute,” she said. “But it must be from a male black dog. Soak the brush thoroughly and draw the talisman in one smooth stroke.” These were the exact words from the book. Zhu Ning had found this passage particularly intriguing when she first read it, and she was grateful that such superstitious beliefs no longer held sway in modern society. Otherwise, countless black dogs would surely meet untimely ends.

Su Mi sat upright, her expression earnest as she gazed intently at the text before her, absorbing every word Zhu Ning spoke about the black dog blood.

“Black dog blood has strong yang energy, making it highly effective against ghosts and demons. Using it as a temporary substitute is perfectly acceptable!” As expected of the Female Protagonist, she grasped the concept immediately. Lin Xiayan, the demoness, sat nearby, listening to her most hated righteous enemies discuss how to kill ghosts. The situation made her deeply uncomfortable.

Yet Zhu Ning knew that the Female Protagonist was someone she absolutely couldn’t afford to offend. With no time to spare worrying about Lin Xiayan’s feelings, she focused on appeasing the Female Protagonist first.

Su Mi’s eyes shone with curiosity, making Zhu Ning both pleased and troubled. She had managed to bluff her way through this time, but what about next time? She couldn’t keep relying on vague memories from the original novel to make things up, could she?

The Zhōng Yuè bell in Zhu Ning’s hand had already returned to its original place. The golden bell hung motionless, as if no amount of shaking could make it ring.

It was very different from the bell at Lin Xiayan’s waist.

Lost in thought, Zhu Ning didn’t notice Su Mi tucking the scroll into her sleeve with a satisfied grin. Just then, Su Mi’s eyes met Lin Xiayan’s.

Lin Xiayan was curled up in the Grand Tutor’s Chair, holding a teacup but not taking a sip. Her hair was bare, as if something was missing.

Realizing she couldn’t pretend not to see Su Mi, Lin Xiayan hopped down and gave a proper bow. Noticing her movement, Su Mi spoke first: “Little Xiayan’s hair looks so pretty.”

Lin Xiayan felt a little awkward being spoken to like a child. She smiled politely but didn’t reply. Standing nearby, Zhu Ning suddenly remembered something.

Zhu Ning’s slender, pale fingers gently touched the jade bracelet, causing it to glow brighter. In an instant, she was inside her personal space. The fiery red kitten, seeing someone had entered, leaped and bounded with joy, its fluffy fur undulating like flames. Zhu Ning’s eyes flickered with admiration.

But this wasn’t the time to admire the kitten. Zhu Ning used her spiritual sense to search the space, finally finding the pearl necklace Lin Xiayan had given her as a greeting gift, stored in a brocade box. In a flash, the necklace appeared in her hand.

“Mi’er, this is a gift from your junior sister Xiayan,” Zhu Ning said, keeping her words brief. She laid the pearl necklace in her palm and offered it to Su Mi. As expected, Su Mi’s face lit up with surprise, and she immediately turned to look at Lin Xiayan.

Lin Xiayan was clearly taken aback. Why would Zhu Ning give her the necklace now? If Su Mi refused to accept it, what could she do?

But Zhu Ning gave Lin Xiayan a reassuring glance before casting a small spell on the pearls, making them glow even brighter. “These pearls have been blessed and carry sincere intentions. Mi’er, you should accept them.”

Realizing she couldn’t refuse any longer, Su Mi cradled the pearl necklace in her palm like a precious treasure, her gaze toward Lin Xiayan softening with newfound warmth.

The sun finally dared to peek through the clouds, the snow having ceased. Though the biting wind still howled outside, the cultivators present, save Zhu Ning, possessed basic protective spells to ward off the chill.

The gentle, non-glaring sunlight streamed lazily into the room as Lin Xiayan curled back into her seat, her small dress wrinkling slightly from the movement. The voices of disciples greeting each other drifted in from outside. Zhu Ning tilted her ear, recognizing the sound as the arrival of lunchtime at Yun Cang Mountain.

Only then did Su Mi realize how long she had lingered in Mùdōng Courtyard. With an apologetic expression, she retreated to fetch the midday meal.

The steaming dishes looked especially appetizing in the frigid weather. A round mahogany table stood at the center of the room, laden with food. Meat dishes were scarce, replaced by an abundance of vegetables grown on Yun Cang Mountain.

Though Daoist cultivation practices differed from Buddhist traditions, which emphasized vegetarianism, meat consumption was still kept to a minimum.

“I want the Immortal Venerable to feed me,” a childish voice piped up just as Zhu Ning settled into her seat, nearly startling her off her chair.

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