When the Immortal Venerable Picked-Up the Demon Cub - Chapter 5

“You’ve run out of spiritual power?” The red-clad woman beckoned, and the Demonic Beast obediently slunk over like a docile puppy, lowering its head. Her pale, slender hand stroked its head rhythmically, as if offering a reward, while her gaze remained fixed on Zhu Ning, studying her intently.

It wasn’t that she had run out of spiritual power; she simply didn’t know how to use it.

Zhu Ning’s white robes were stained with blood, adding a seductive allure to her pale face. Her peach blossom eyes, usually so charming, now brimmed with wariness. Her slender hands were buried deep in the snow, blood trickling down her arms. As Lin Xiayan observed her, her throat went dry.

Even Zhu Ning, lying helpless in the snow, found it difficult to respond to this sight.

“Are you Lin Xiayan?” Zhu Ning countered, posing her own question instead of answering the woman’s.

Lin Xiayan nodded, neither confirming nor denying. She sized up the weakened yet quick-witted Zhu Ning before her, the amusement in her eyes deepening.

Zhu Ning stared at the girl who had just been so cute, now transformed into a stunning beauty in the blink of an eye. The sensation was indescribable. The woman standing before her, clad in crimson robes that blazed like fire against the endless white, stood with such graceful poise, like a vibrant red plum blossom blooming defiantly in the snow.

But what’s the point of beauty when the creature standing before you is a demon—one that could kill you in an instant? Zhu Ning drifted into a daze, only snapping back to reality when the blood on her arm slid down again, sending waves of pain through her.

“Now that you know I’m just pretending, and I know you can’t use your powers, why don’t I spread word of this in the Demon Realm?” Lin Xiayan’s lips curled into a smirk as she stepped closer to Zhu Ning, crouched down, and stared into those captivating eyes. Her hand reached out to tilt Zhu Ning’s chin upward.

The once-white robes were stained with blood, yet instead of looking unsightly, they resembled a crimson plum blossom blooming amidst a snowdrift.

Zhu Ning panicked at Lin Xiayan’s words, leaning back and swallowing hard. “You… you can’t do this!”

“Oh?” Lin Xiayan’s voice rose suggestively, her seductive demeanor a stark contrast to Zhu Ning’s wary expression. Suddenly, two fluffy ears sprouted atop her head.

Though Zhu Ning had no resistance to fuzzy creatures, the dangerous demon before her kept her from reaching out to stroke those ears.

“Since we both know each other’s secrets, why don’t we both back down a little?” Zhu Ning’s alluring eyes sparkled, as if she had found a solution. “You’re going to Yun Cang Mountain, right? It must be to learn cultivation. After all, you don’t look like one of those demons who practices twisted, evil cultivation methods!”

Zhu Ning was skilled at flattery, and now that her life was in Lin Xiayan’s hands, she couldn’t afford to maintain the image of an Immortal Venerable.

What Zhu Ning didn’t realize was how truly beautiful she was. Lin Xiayan, who had always dismissed the words of righteous cultivators, actually listened attentively to Zhu Ning’s entire speech and even smiled faintly before replying.

“Ooh, this isn’t like the legendary Immortal Venerable Zhu. Did losing your powers make you lose your wits too?” Lin Xiayan’s voice was pleasing to the ear, even when she was being sarcastic. Even Zhu Ning found it pleasant to listen to.

The truth was, even at the height of her power, the original Zhu Ning wasn’t truly worthy of the title “Immortal Venerable.” The reason everyone called her that was because Yun Cang Mountain had a prestigious reputation spanning centuries, making it a prominent sect in the cultivation world. As the highest-ranked cultivator on Yun Cang Mountain, Zhu Ning had earned the honorific title.

Zhu Ning understood this, and Lin Xiayan understood it too.

However, Lin Xiayan didn’t get any closer, pretending to find the stench of blood on Zhu Ning’s clothes unbearable. She covered her nose and stepped back, but in truth, she was afraid that if she stared too long into those eyes, she wouldn’t want to leave.

To cover her embarrassment, Lin Xiayan’s beautiful hands kept stroking the Demonic Beast’s fluffy head.

After a while, Lin Xiayan lifted her gaze, signaling Zhu Ning to continue. A cold wind blew past. Without any magical barrier to protect her, the wind seemed to have eyes, burrowing right through Zhu Ning’s clothes.

Zhu Ning shivered from the cold, rubbing her arms frantically for warmth. Seeing the beauty in such a pitiful state, Lin Xiayan’s eyebrows furrowed slightly. With a wave of her hand, the massive Demonic Beast suddenly transformed, its hard, bony horns vanishing as it became soft and fluffy, like a great dog that had shed its defenses.

The “great dog”… no, the Demonic Beast, slowly lumbered over to Zhu Ning. It curled up around her, enveloping her in its soft, fluffy fur.

Zhu Ning stared blankly at the Demonic Beast’s actions, bewildered. Before long, she felt warmth spreading through her, blocking out even the slightest chill. But before she could fully enjoy the warmth, Lin Xiayan urged her, “Keep talking, or I’ll leave you here to freeze to death!”

The thought of freezing to death sent a shiver through Zhu Ning. She quickly shook her head and suggested with a smile, “How about this? You continue to maintain the appearance of a young girl, and I’ll take you back to Yun Cang Mountain. I won’t reveal your true identity to anyone, and you mustn’t expose that I lack spiritual power. What do you say?”

Had this been the original Zhu Ning, she would have preferred death over allowing a demonic creature near Yun Cang Mountain. But this Zhu Ning was different. She not only wanted Lin Xiayan to keep her secrets but also planned to keep an eye on her if she brought her back. That way, she could potentially prevent her from causing trouble before it spiraled out of control.

Even if she couldn’t completely stop the protagonist from darkening, she might at least delay it enough to avoid being killed.

While Zhu Ning’s mental calculations clicked away, Lin Xiayan pondered the implications of this arrangement. After a moment, she nodded in agreement.

Seeing her nod, Zhu Ning urgently added one last thing, “And! You can’t use your magic on Yun Cang Mountain…” Before she could finish, she felt Lin Xiayan’s icy gaze sweep over her. But for the sake of Yun Cang Mountain’s future peace, Zhu Ning had to press on.

“And… you have to be my last disciple and not wander around Yun Cang Mountain freely!” Zhu Ning’s voice trembled. She closed her eyes, too afraid to look at Lin Xiayan. Was she seriously asking a legendary demonic creature to willingly become a powerless disciple? Was this even remotely possible?

After a long silence with her eyes closed, Zhu Ning cautiously opened them again, only to find the red-robed beauty had vanished.

“Lin Xiayan? Where are you?” Zhu Ning brushed aside the fluffy paw of a Demonic Beast and scanned the fields. When she looked down, she spotted a small red ball crouching nearby. Bending down, she finally recognized it was Lin Xiayan.

Lin Xiayan had transformed back into a child’s form, still with her two small pigtails and pearl necklace. The transformation somehow gave her an air of unexpected nobility, like a splash of color in the snowy landscape.

“To be honest, you’re really cute like this!” Zhu Ning said, reaching out to pinch Lin Xiayan’s cheek. But before she could touch her, she saw the threatening glare from the little girl. There stood a child with her hands on her hips, her eyes brimming with a fierce warning.

Zhu Ning couldn’t help but feel amused. If her arm weren’t still sore, she would have burst into laughter. The Demonic Beast behind her seemed equally intrigued, nuzzling its fluffy head against Lin Xiayan’s cheek as if it had forgotten she was its master.

Zhu Ning had expected Lin Xiayan, with her notorious temper, to swat the beast away. Instead, the girl simply stood frozen, looking utterly helpless.

“Being my disciple… it won’t be all rules and rigid training, will it?” Lin Xiayan asked as she tucked the Demonic Beast into her pearl necklace and followed Zhu Ning into the dilapidated temple.

Drawing on her memories of how the original owner had taught Su Mi, Zhu Ning recalled there hadn’t been such strict formalities back then. Besides, with Lin Xiayan now being a child, even if someone within the sect disapproved, they wouldn’t dare trouble a little girl.

“Of course not.”

Support