When the Immortal Venerable Picked-Up the Demon Cub - Chapter 46

The road back to the inn was short. It was already late, and everyone in the inn had retired for the night, leaving only one room still lit by candlelight.

“Back already?” Zhu Ning heard a clear, feminine voice by her ear as she stepped inside. A seasoned traveler, Zhu Ning wasn’t startled by the sudden sound. Instead, she focused on locating the source.

She turned to see Gu Xi, her eyes bright and hair perfectly in place, as if she had been waiting intentionally.

“I thought this matter would take days to resolve. I didn’t expect you to return so quickly.” Gu Xi showed no interest in gossip. Instead, she picked up a teapot, as if she had something more important to discuss.

Zhu Ning remained standing, not even bothering to go upstairs. “Miss,” she asked bluntly, “is there something you need?”

“You gentlemen truly live up to the saying that important people are forgetful,” Gu Xi replied. “This morning, I dared to request your assistance in escorting me home.” Her words lacked politeness, yet she was impossible to resent. Zhu Ning finally remembered the request and nodded. “So that’s it. Miss, are you leaving first thing tomorrow?”

Gu Xi set down her teacup, pondering the timing, and smiled apologetically. “It’s precisely… I wonder if you both have time?”

Zhu Ning happened to be heading down the mountain to quell a disturbance. Thinking she didn’t know which direction to take anyway, she figured she might as well do this small favor. She’d heard Gu Xi was the daughter of a wealthy landowner. In these remote places, local officials wielded near-absolute power, like wild emperors. To get things done smoothly, she’d likely have to seek their help.

“We have time. We’ll meet tomorrow.” Zhu Ning was in a foul mood and didn’t feel like wasting breath. Having made her decision, she went upstairs to catch some sleep.

Lin Xiayan nodded and followed her upstairs. But at the last moment, Gu Xi and Lin Xiayan exchanged a fleeting glance, a subtle, unspoken understanding passing between them.

The next morning, at dawn, a grand procession gathered before the inn, surrounding two finely decorated carriages. Zhu Ning’s eyes widened. Where had all these servants and coachmen come from?

Gu Xi leaned out from the front carriage, smiling faintly. “Since I could only find two carriages, Immortal Venerable Zhu and Immortal Venerable Xiayan, you’ll have to squeeze in together.”

She seemed to particularly favor blue attire. Even her new long dress was predominantly blue. The only difference was that Gu Xi’s dangling tassels had been replaced with a simple blue crystal hairpin today, giving her a slightly different appearance from yesterday.

“It’s no trouble,” Zhu Ning said, stepping into the rear carriage first, with Lin Xiayan following closely behind.

Before long, the carriage began to move slowly, setting them on their way.

“Your back injury is truly healed? Using your cultivation won’t reopen it?” Lin Xiayan fired off the questions, leaving Zhu Ning torn between amusement and exasperation.

“It’s just a blood scar. If I can’t even heal something like this, I’d be unworthy of the title Sect Leader of Yun Cang Mountain,” Zhu Ning retorted with a teasing tone, taking a sip of the tea prepared in the carriage.

Lin Xiayan finally relaxed. Indeed, given Zhu Ning’s cultivation prowess, such a minor injury was nothing. That night, she hadn’t fully recovered because she hadn’t properly regulated her breathing.

Zhu Ning set down her teacup and lifted the carriage curtain to look outside.

They were traveling along a narrow path through a field. Though it was late winter and the wheat had been harvested, the vast expanse of the field remained visible, its openness clearing the mind and dispelling gloom. Zhu Ning turned to look at Lin Xiayan inside the carriage, her feelings complex.

The journey passed uneventfully.

As dusk approached, the carriage arrived in a small valley. Seeing the sun setting, Gu Xi immediately ordered a stop.

Supported by her personal maid, she stepped down from the carriage and apologetically addressed the carriage where Zhu Ning was seated. “Immortal Venerable, as night falls and I dislike traveling late, let’s find a place to rest for the night.”

Before Zhu Ning could respond, Lin Xiayan leaped out of her own carriage, frowning. “This is a valley with not a single dwelling in sight. Are you suggesting we camp here?”

Gu Xi shook her head fearfully, sounding aggrieved. “Immortal Venerable, I don’t know why we ended up in a valley either. But the carriages prepared for you are quite spacious. I hope you’ll bear with us for one night.”

Lin Xiayan couldn’t discern what Gu Xi was trying to pull. Just as she was about to retort, Zhu Ning, acting as a mediator from within her carriage, quickly interjected, “Never mind, never mind. We’re not so delicate. The carriages are perfectly comfortable. Let’s follow Miss Gu Xi’s suggestion.”

Suppressing her frustration, Lin Xiayan turned back to her carriage. Gu Xi, still supported by her maid, also returned to her own carriage.

The servants and coachmen had been traveling all day and were exhausted. Now that they could finally rest, they decided to find a place near a river to stay overnight, since water was essential when traveling. After getting Gu Xi’s permission, they set out to look.

Just before dark, they found a lake. The coachman driving Gu Xi’s carriage, a simple and honest man, said, “Miss, let’s stay by this lake tonight.”

“Very well,” came the reply from inside the carriage. The coachman breathed a sigh of relief and jumped down to join the servants at the lake. They broke through the ice to fetch water.

Zhu Ning had been sitting in the carriage all day. The silence from Lin Xiayan, who hadn’t spoken much since returning to the carriage as if lost in thought, had made the atmosphere inside heavy. Zhu Ning decided to get out and stretch her legs, taking a walk around the camp.

Night had fallen, and a few stars were already twinkling in the sky. The cold night wind chilled Zhu Ning, and a sense of unease settled in her heart.

Just as she was telling herself she was overthinking, she heard the shouts of the servants who had gone to the lake.

Zhu Ning’s eyes sharpened. Channeling her cultivation into her footsteps, she sprinted to the lake at superhuman speed. Activating her Yin Eye, she saw one of the coachmen struggling in the water, trying to stand, but two pale, swollen hands were dragging him down.

Zhu Ning made up her mind. This was likely a water ghost dragging a replacement ghost. Without hesitation, she leaped into the air, flinging several Yellow Talismans. The ghostly hands, as if burned, instantly withdrew into the water. Zhu Ning then scooped the coachman out of the lake.

Landing steadily, the coachman felt reborn. He stammered his thanks to Zhu Ning, his words tumbling over each other.

Zhu Ning nodded. Remembering how ordinary people often suffered lingering effects after encountering ghosts—much like a Hunter’s reaction—she handed several Yellow Talismans to the coachman and the servants. “Boil these talismans in water and drink it,” she instructed solemnly. “If you don’t purge the ghostly energy from your bodies, you won’t survive the night.”

The servants, terrified for their lives, immediately complied. Lin Xiayan and Gu Xi had by then stepped down from the carriage. Lin Xiayan looked panicked. “Immortal Venerable, what just happened?”

Zhu Ning told them the truth, startling Gu Xi. “What? This… this lake actually has a water ghost?”

“Baoling, quickly order the preparations,” Gu Xi said urgently to her personal maid. “Once they’ve drunk the talisman water, we’re leaving immediately. We can’t stay a moment longer in this cursed place.”

The maid named Baoling, having received her instructions, was about to turn and relay her young lady’s message when Zhu Ning stopped her. “Wait,” Zhu Ning said. “It’s dark now, and the roads aren’t safe. At least we know the only danger here is that water ghost. I’m the Sect Leader of Yun Cang Mountain. It’s my duty to slay demons and eliminate evil.”

Zhu Ning always sought to challenge herself. She had no desire to relive those days of being chased by ghosts and monsters.

Besides, wouldn’t failing to eliminate this water ghost go against the very purpose of their journey down the mountain?

Gu Xi looked thoughtful but still appeared frightened. She glanced around, suddenly falling silent, while the ice continued to crackle, as if something beneath the surface were breathing.

“If you’re truly afraid, Miss Gu Xi,” Zhu Ning suggested, “I could ask Lin Xiayan to stay and protect you. Would that be acceptable?”

Gu Xi glanced at Lin Xiayan, whose face was as dark as coal, a sly glint flashing in her eyes. “If that’s the case,” she said gratefully, “I thank you both in advance.”

Seeing her actually agree made Lin Xiayan want to punch her. Zhu Ning, however, blinked innocently at her.

Lin Xiayan’s expression darkened further, but she reluctantly nodded in agreement.

“At midnight tonight, the water ghost will definitely drag another replacement ghost. That’s when I’ll cut it down,” Zhu Ning said coldly, clenching her fist. We’ll have to face it sooner or later.

Besides, this was only the beginning. If she couldn’t even handle a single water ghost, how could she ever confront the Demon Realm?

Little did Zhu Ning know that this entire situation was already part of the Demon Realm’s scheme…

The moon slowly ascended the sky. Zhu Ning sat upright on the ground, checking the Dharma Artifacts and talisman paper in her yellow cloth bag. Realizing she was running low on Yang Talismans, she began drawing them under the moonlight by the lake, using cinnabar.

Clad in her Daoist robes, Zhu Ning resembled a savior sent down by the moon to save the world. Her gentle features belied her profound cultivation, and she usually carried herself with a slight clumsiness.

Lin Xiayan found herself gradually entranced. She stood, gazing up at this Immortal Venerable destined to save the world, from the perspective of a mere cultivator.

A light seemed to flicker in Zhu Ning’s eyes, its glimmer slowly seeping into Lin Xiayan’s icy heart.

After enough time passed for three incense sticks to burn, Zhu Ning finally looked up. She glanced at the sky and noticed layers of dark clouds had gathered, leaving only a few lonely stars scattered across the horizon.

This oppressive, stifling atmosphere made Zhu Ning uneasy. All she could see through the thick layers of clouds was a sliver of the moon.

“It’s almost midnight,” Zhu Ning called out. “Everyone, get back to the carriages.”

Hearing this, the attendants immediately rushed to the carriages, helping their masters board. The servants trembled, huddling around the carriages, too afraid to take a single step forward.

Zhu Ning set up an array beside the carriage to prevent the water ghost from slipping through during the impending battle. With everything prepared, Zhōng Yuè materialized in her hand, and she slowly walked toward the lakeside.

The ice cracked, revealing a pitch-black void beneath. No one knew what lurked in the darkness below—it was frightening. Zhu Ning wasn’t afraid of evil spirits or vengeful ghosts, but gazing at the undulating, dark waters, she felt an indescribable unease.

It was the midnight hour, and dark clouds scudded across the sky. The biting winter wind howled in her ears, its mournful wail like the anguished cries of countless vengeful ghosts.

“Water ghosts—those who drowned by suicide or accident—linger at the site of their drowning, transforming into these spectral beings. They patiently wait in the water, luring or forcing others to drown, claiming them as replacement ghosts to facilitate their own reincarnation. For millennia, water ghosts have relied on this method to escape the torments of hell, hence their alternate name: Luoshigui, the Drowned Corpse Ghost.”

Zhu Ning mentally reviewed everything she knew about water ghosts, relieved to find that they were merely low-level malevolent spirits.

Suddenly, the center of the lake churned violently. Something leaped onto a rock jutting from the water. By the moonlight, she faintly glimpsed a figure. Then, as if in answer to her thoughts, the figure turned, revealing its appearance.

It was a gaunt woman, her dripping hair cascading to the ground. Bloodshot eyes glared at Zhu Ning through gaps in her jet-black hair.

“You doomed practitioner! You ruined my plans—you’re dead!” Her mouth gaped, her hair unfurled, and her body began to distort. Cracking sounds emanated from her joints as she grew taller, her long dress turning a vivid crimson, as if stained with blood.

“How dare you show disrespect to This Venerable One?” After last night’s ordeal and fueled by her current fury, Zhu Ning’s usual warmth vanished, replaced by a frigid aura. This sudden transformation startled Lin Xiayan, who had been watching her through the carriage window.

Gu Xi gave Lin Xiayan a mild look. “You’re already startled? Immortal Venerable Zhu isn’t all sweetness and light. Perhaps when you meet again, you’ll find yourselves strangers.”

“Young Mistress Gu Xi, what do you mean by this?” Lin Xiayan glared at her venomously. Gu Xi feigned a dramatic sigh, deliberately keeping her cryptic. Lin Xiayan chuckled dryly and stopped pressing the matter.

The water ghost’s long hair instantly shot toward Zhu Ning, but for some reason, it couldn’t touch her. It was as if some force were blocking the strands.

Zhu Ning summoned Zhōng Yuè, channeling her cultivation into the blade to gradually sever the hair. Since the hair was connected to the water ghost, and Zhōng Yuè was a magical artifact, the ghost howled in agony.

After clearing the hair from her path, Zhu Ning prepared to strike. Having suffered this setback, the water ghost wouldn’t let her attack unchallenged. It retreated into the lake, hovering on the surface, and sneered, “If you’ve got the guts, come fight me in the water.”

Zhu Ning hesitated briefly before leaping to hover just above the lake’s surface, closing the distance to the water ghost.

Her face, swollen from the water burns, was deathly pale, twisted into a grotesque, eerie smile that was both disgusting and terrifying.

As Zhu Ning approached, the drowned ghost raised its right hand to caress her strikingly beautiful face. But before it could touch her, its hand was brutally severed by a flying Serpent Sword.

Zhu Ning had intended to seize the opportunity to pull the ghost back to the surface, but the sudden appearance of the Serpent Sword left her stunned. Could it be… Lin Xiayan?

Sure enough, inside the carriage, Lin Xiayan’s eyes glowed crimson, her expression mirroring a child’s petulant anger at having her toy snatched away. Zhu Ning was momentarily taken aback by the sight.

Enraged by this humiliation, the drowned ghost ignored its severed hand and lunged forward, intent on tearing Zhu Ning apart before dealing with whoever had severed its limb.

Coming to her senses, Zhu Ning drew Zhōng Yuè to defend herself. Though furious, the ghost was cunning. Whenever pressed, it retreated into the water. It was clear she needed to amplify Zhōng Yuè’s power.

Zhu Ning formed a hand seal and chanted an incantation. With a resounding “Tak,” Zhōng Yuè shot from her hand, soaring toward the ghost hovering in the lake’s center.

“Aah…” A strange scream escaped as Zhongyue struck the water ghost on the shoulder. With a shriek, the creature dove into the lake. At that moment, Zhongyue whirled back into Zhu Ning’s hand.

Watching the water ghost sink to the lake bottom, Zhu Ning gritted her teeth and plunged after it. The transition from suspended in air to plunging into the water took only a moment, and in that same instant, cracks appeared in Lin Xiayan’s icy heart.

Gu Xi’s lips curved into a smile. She rose gracefully, her slender fingers forming a seal. A beam of blue light shot from her fingertips straight into the lake. The servants, under the influence of an illusion, saw nothing.

The light pierced the lake bottom. Moments later, Zhu Ning was sent flying onto the shore, coughing up a mouthful of blood.

Lin Xiayan immediately realized the complexity of the Magical Technique she had just used—it was a technique to enhance the water ghost’s cultivation.

Lin Xiayan stared at the blood on the ground, her heart churning. Her icy gaze turned to Gu Xi.

Gu Xi knew she was angry. “Have you forgotten the Demon King’s commission?” she hurried to say. “Every moment Zhu Ning remains alive is a threat to us.”

Lin Xiayan formed a seal with her fingers, subtly transferring her dark cultivation to Zhu Ning with a cold snort. “Do I need some other ghost to do my work? I’ve already boosted her power. Let’s see whose enhancement proves superior. Though I do think Gu Xi has been rather idle lately. Why not spar with me?”

Gu Xi’s expression turned frosty, as if she were suppressing something. But before she could respond, Lin Xiayan used a magical technique to transport them both to a desolate wilderness a hundred miles away.

“What… what do you think you’re doing?” Gu Xi asked, her voice strained with anger.

Lin Xiayan, clad in a crimson gown, exuded an overwhelming aura of domineering arrogance. Without answering, she unsheathed the Serpent Sword and lunged forward. Gu Xi was forced to desperately fend off the fury of a century of cultivation.

Meanwhile, the water ghost had thought it had gained the upper hand and was about to strike again when it sensed Zhu Ning’s cultivation had suddenly deepened, becoming entirely different from before.

The water ghost couldn’t believe it. Still reeling from its shock, Zhu Ning had already regrouped.

“You struck This Venerable One earlier,” Zhu Ning declared with a vengeful undertone. “Now, it’s my turn.” Her words weren’t loud, but they deafened the water ghost’s ears.

Author’s Note:

“Water ghosts, also known as Luoshigui (Drowned Corpse Ghosts), are the spirits of people who drowned by suicide or accident. They linger in the place where they drowned, patiently waiting in the water to lure or force others to drown and become their replacement ghosts. For centuries, water ghosts have used this method to reincarnate and escape the suffering of hell.”

Next door on Xianbai: “Transmigrated into the Role of a Vengeful Supporting Character and Healed with the Fake Heiress Film Star” is now open for reading! Come check it out!

Synopsis:

Third-rate actress Tang Jiujiu has transmigrated into a novel.

The Female Protagonist, He Zheng, is a fake heiress mistaken for a wealthy family member. She’s just secured her footing in the entertainment industry as the rising star actress He Zheng. However, she’s suddenly plunged into turmoil by the real heiress, a vicious supporting character who uses her family’s influence to target her at every turn.

Later, the protagonist stages an incredible comeback, sweeping up awards left and right and teaming up with another conglomerate to crush the supporting character’s entire family. It’s utterly satisfying.

But Tang Jiujiu can’t celebrate.

Because she’s transmigrated into the body of that very same vicious supporting character, lacking any advantages in time, place, or connections.

To live a stable life, she must cling tightly to the protagonist’s coattails!

But before she can fully earn the protagonist’s favor, a drunken encounter shatters Tang Jiujiu’s world…

What if… what if the protagonist harbors improper intentions toward me?

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