7 Descending the Mountain

"Please me..."

"Once I am pleased, I will naturally take you down the mountain."

Even at this moment, Jiu Wu’s lips maintained a faint, delicate smile. Her exquisite eyes gazed at Xuan Yi with anticipation, as if she were merely asking for a candy rather than making an outrageous demand.

Xuan Yi’s brow twitched, and his grip on the sword hilt tightened.

The word "please" felt particularly incongruous when applied to this Immortal Lord, who, even in her fallen state, remained as ethereal as a clear breeze and a bright moon.

Xuan Yi looked at Jiu Wu, his voice deep and raspy, suppressed anger vibrating within it: "This border town is less than a hundred miles from the Endless Abyss that suppresses the succubi. In recent years, many cultivators have vanished here without a trace."

"So?"

The cold glint in Xuan Yi’s eyes seemed intent on piercing through her: "So?"

As a disciple of the Wan Shu Sect, once one entered the sect, one had to shoulder the responsibility of slaying demons and eradicating evil; this was a principle even the outer disciples understood.

Jiu Wu stood up and looked Xuan Yi up and down: "Do you intend to use this body, which is now no different from a mere mortal's, to fight the succubi, Senior Brother?"

In his current state, let alone the chaotic demonic entities, even an ordinary demon could leave him covered in wounds.

Xuan Yi pressed his lips together, as if stung by Jiu Wu’s contemptuous tone.

She leaned in close to him, her tone laced with seduction: "So... if you want to uncover the truth behind the missing cultivators, you still need me to act, don't you?"

"Then..." Her fingertip pressed against Xuan Yi’s lower lip, her gaze laying bare every thought in her mind.

Please her.

Xuan Yi was stunned, not expecting her to remain so indifferent even when it concerned demonic threats.

Hopeless.

Xuan Yi sighed, then whispered:

"Junior Sister, I beg you."

Jiu Wu froze, staring unblinkingly at Xuan Yi. His long, narrow eyes were lowered, concealing his inner thoughts.

The young master of the Immortal Sect, admired by countless people in this world, was supposed to be forever spirited and radiant, as crisp as the clear moon. When had he ever worn such a lowly expression for any reason?

At this moment, she felt as if she were being torn in two: excitement, forbearance, and fury.

She was furious that Xuan Yi, for the sake of such a trivial matter as going down the mountain, would actually stoop to begging her—the Junior Sister he despised and loathed.

Yet, beyond the fury, she felt a thrill so intense it made her tremble. She wanted to push further; she wanted to see other sides of him that had never appeared before.

Jiu Wu was certain now: she was a madwoman, a madwoman even she herself did not understand.

Her tongue was bitten by her own teeth due to the surge of complex emotions. The taste of blood brought Jiu Wu back to her senses. Looking at Xuan Yi, whose lashes were lowered, she decided to push her luck even further.

Just as she was about to speak, a cold, soft touch brushed against her cheek—fleeting, as if it were merely an accidental contact.

Jiu Wu’s gaze faltered as she looked at Xuan Yi. His fists were tightly clenched, a flash of humiliation passing through his slightly lowered phoenix eyes. A flush, as deep as intoxication, spread beneath his eyes, and his earlobes turned a deep, bruised red. He looked as if he were about to burn himself to ash...

Xuan Yi’s raspy voice carried a chill: "Can we go down the mountain now?"

Jiu Wu began to chuckle, her soft, melodious voice ringing like silver bells.

To Xuan Yi’s ears, however, it sounded entirely mocking.

He did not look at her, his slender figure walking toward the cave entrance to wait. After a moment, when she had not yet appeared, he felt a surge of irritation—perhaps the barrier, covered in demonic energy, was too much of an eyesore, dismantling the composure he had always taken such pride in.

The wound on his neck throbbed with a dull, stinging pain. The Immortal Lord, usually so clear-minded, stared blankly as he pressed his cool fingertips against the uneven tooth marks.

A thick fox-fur cloak was draped over his shoulders. Xuan Yi abruptly pulled his hand back and looked down at Jiu Wu.

She was standing on her tiptoes, tying the cloak for him with gentle, earnest movements. Her expression was mild and peaceful; it was hard to imagine that this was the same person who had just been acting so aggressively toward him.

Xuan Yi lowered his eyes. They were so close that he could catch the faint fragrance on her without even needing to bow his head.

Xuan Yi retracted his gaze. It was too cloying.

After tying the cloak, Jiu Wu placed the hood over Xuan Yi’s head to shield his face. Then, she took his cool hand with effortless naturalness and stepped through the barrier.

The cave where they lived was an hour’s journey from Lan Ya City at the foot of the mountain—a trip that would take a mere instant with a flying sword. As Jiu Wu led Xuan Yi through the city gates, her appearance and their attire drew many gazes.

High up in the Xiangjiang Pavilion, a voluptuous woman stood with her arms crossed, staring intently at the pair that had just entered the city.

Her gaze fell on their joined hands, and she naturally noticed the stiffness of one of them.

"Chan Jing said your ending would be different from mine and Yun Lang’s. You really are an oblivious demon. Men are all the same; no matter how hard you try, if they don't love you, they will never be moved in the slightest. What a pitiful little girl..."

After Lady Liu finished speaking, she closed the window.

Jiu Wu noticed Xuan Yi trying to pull his hand away. With a scoff, she interlaced her fingers with his even more firmly.

"Senior Brother, if you aren't obedient, I might just kiss you in public."

Sure enough, at these words, Xuan Yi stopped struggling.

Shameless.

Xuan Yi turned his head away, observing the people of the border town.

"Senior Brother, you previously said many cultivators disappeared here. When was the last time?" Jiu Wu asked.

"Half a month ago. Over a dozen disciples from the four great sects vanished here. They were all highly cultivated, sent by their sects to guard the border, yet they all disappeared overnight on the very day they arrived in Lan Ya City."

Xuan Yi’s gaze landed on a figure by a fried-food stall: "It is a demon."

Jiu Wu followed his gaze. A dark-skinned child sat quietly at a table in front of the stall, staring at a plate of fragrant fried snacks while swallowing hard.

Her cultivation had surged, and she easily sensed the demonic aura hidden within the child, but...

Jiu Wu looked at Xuan Yi. Since he had lost all his cultivation and spiritual power, how could he still tell the child was a demon? Thinking this, she voiced her confusion.

"Low-level demons do not eat hot food. This child’s eye corners are bruised and his skin is dark; he must be a plant demon from Qing Sang."

Jiu Wu looked at the child. The stall owner asked if he was waiting for someone since he hadn't touched the food. The child raised his eyes—the whites of his eyes had faint, clearly greenish blood vessels. He shook his head slowly, then continued to stare intently at the fried food.

Jiu Wu cast a spell, and the heat radiating from the fried food dissipated. The child sat up straight, tentatively touched the food to check the temperature, and then grinned, devouring it greedily.

Jiu Wu brushed her fingertip against Xuan Yi’s palm, saying softly: "Senior Brother is amazing."

Xuan Yi didn't buy her act, mocking: "This is basic knowledge, taught countless times in the sect's theoretical courses. Did you eat those lessons too?"

Jiu Wu’s smile deepened. She leaned against Xuan Yi’s shoulder, her voice laced with a soft, coquettish tone: "That’s your fault, Senior Brother. I could sit closer to you in every theory class. With you there, how could I possibly listen to the lessons?"

"Sophistry," Xuan Yi scoffed, walking toward the ravenous child.

Xuan Yi never attended the sect's grand examinations, so he didn't know that Jiu Wu’s academic performance was among the best in the sect—whether it was swordsmanship or theory, she was a leader among her peers.

As for that knowledge, she simply couldn't be bothered to think about it; she didn't want to use her brain and didn't care, not that she didn't understand.

Shadows fell over the child, who looked up at them: "Who are you?"

Jiu Wu curled her lips: "I’m your aunt, and he’s your uncle. Take us to your home to find your mother."

The child’s eyes widened: "Human traffickers!"

"My mom said human traffickers always talk just like you!"

Do demons know what human traffickers are?

Jiu Wu was speechless and was pulled aside by Xuan Yi. She wanted to say something else, but Xuan Yi held her back.

Xuan Yi looked at the child: "This big sister is just teasing you. We’re from out of town and are unfamiliar with the area; we just wanted to ask for directions. Do you live in this city?"

The child looked at Xuan Yi. Even though he couldn't see his face, he felt intuitively that he wasn't a bad person.

He nodded: "My home is in Lan Ya City. Where do you want to go?"

A strange look flashed in Xuan Yi’s eyes before he said: "Do you know where the border post station is?"

The child nodded, hopped off the chair, and looked up at them: "The station is at the end of the market, but..."

He said hesitantly: "My mom says the station is a very scary place where many people have died. If you’re going there, you should be careful."

After the child finished, Xuan Yi patted his head: "Thank you."

The two stopped a short distance away. Jiu Wu whispered: "Senior Brother, was his head fun to touch?"

Xuan Yi didn't know what kind of madness she was having again, so he watched her in silence.

"Senior Brother hasn't touched Ah Jiu’s head in a long time..."

A long time? Xuan Yi was bewildered.

He thought about it, and in his hazy memories, it seemed that was indeed the case.

But...

"How old are you?"

The implication: childish.

Jiu Wu rubbed against his finger, and Xuan Yi’s fingertip curled slightly.

"No matter how old I am, Senior Brother is still my Senior Brother."

Xuan Yi kept his eyes on the child, narrowing them as he saw him finish his food and prepare to leave.

Just as he stepped forward, he saw Jiu Wu standing still.

Xuan Yi frowned.

After a moment of stalemate, he pursed his lips, walked to Jiu Wu, raised his hand, and patted the top of her head.

He looked down at his fingertips, lost in a momentary trance. But for only an instant, his chest returned to a state of calm, deathly silence.

Jiu Wu raised her lips happily and pulled Xuan Yi along to follow the child.

The earlier request for directions was a lie; testing whether the child actually lived in the city was the truth.

It was strange enough for a demon to be living openly in human territory.

Following the child into an alley, they turned several corners and found a house by the river at the end of the lane.

A middle-aged woman was drying clothes in the yard, and upon seeing the child return, she called for her husband inside to eat lunch together.

"No demonic aura."

"Not a demon."

Jiu Wu and Xuan Yi exchanged a look.

An ordinary mortal family raising a plant demon—that was even more unusual.

Xuan Yi said: "You wait here; I’ll go and investigate."

He had barely taken a step when Jiu Wu pulled him back: "We don't know what the situation is inside. Senior Brother has lost his spiritual power and can't protect himself. I should go."

After Jiu Wu spoke, demonic energy covered her cheeks, and when it dissipated, she had changed her appearance.

Before leaving, she stuck a sound-transmission talisman onto Xuan Yi’s hand so he could hear her conversation with the woman and she could keep an eye on his safety.

Jiu Wu walked up to the courtyard gate and knocked. The middle-aged woman walked to the fence and asked: "Miss, is something the matter?"

Jiu Wu wiped her parched lips: "I came from Qing Sang."

Upon hearing "Qing Sang," the woman’s expression became cautious. She probed: "There are no mortals in Qing Sang."

The woman looked at the black mist on the hem of Jiu Wu’s dress and stepped back alertly: "You’re not human—you’re a demon!"

Jiu Wu nodded, stepping back as well, as if afraid to frighten the woman: "Sister-in-law, I’m sorry. I didn't mean to disturb you. I was originally a wisteria vine in Qing Sang that hadn't yet taken human form. Human cultivators took a liking to my vines and brought me here. I... I really don't have any malicious intent. I only just took human form last night, so I ran away. When I reached the city gate today, I saw human cultivators guarding it, and I couldn't get out..."

Jiu Wu wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes: "I... I don't want to disturb you, Sister-in-law, I just didn't know where to go... As I passed your door, I sensed the aura of my own kind, so I gathered the courage to come..."

Watching the woman’s clearly softening expression, Jiu Wu continued to choke back sobs: "I’m, I’m sorry, I’ve never harmed anyone. If you’re afraid, I’ll leave right now..."

She finished speaking and turned around.

"Wait."

The middle-aged woman opened the gate and handed Jiu Wu a plain handkerchief: "Come inside first."

Jiu Wu entered the yard, shrinking back when she saw the child and the middle-aged man.

The woman comforted her: "It’s okay, come in. Wipe your tears first."

Jiu Wu brought the handkerchief to the corners of her eyes. As soon as it touched her skin, she knew something was wrong. She wiped the corners of her eyes gently under the woman's gaze, feigning ignorance.

"Ah!" Jiu Wu crouched down, the black mist at the corners of her eyes twitching wildly, and her eyes instantly turned red.

Seeing this, the woman’s heart was put at ease. The powder on her handkerchief was "Ying Grass" powder, colorless and odorless. It was useless against high-level Great Demons or human cultivators; only low-level demons with weak spiritual power would be burned by it.

It seemed the girl was telling the truth; she really hadn't been in human form for long.

"Must have been some chili residue on my hands, sorry. Quick, let me wipe it for you." The woman wiped Jiu Wu's eyes gently, looking guilty as she saw how red they had become from the powder.

But these were turbulent times; one had to be wary of strangers.

Jiu Wu looked at the woman with gratitude: "Sister-in-law, you are so kind."

She finished speaking and started crying again: "I, I miss home."

The woman patted her head: "You poor thing. With the trouble in the border town recently and many cultivators dying here, the authorities are hunting down demons everywhere. It will be very difficult for you to leave the city."

"Then, then what should I do?" Jiu Wu said, panicked.

She looked at the child sitting quietly nearby: "Sister-in-law, was this little brother also captured by humans and unable to return home?"

The woman looked at the child, a hint of softness in her eyes: "Nian'er isn't. He’s a child my husband and I adopted."

Jiu Wu was bewildered: "Sister-in-law, aren't you afraid that his identity as a demon will bring you trouble?"

The woman shook her head: "I have health issues and have never had children. When I found Nian'er, he was just an infant; perhaps this is heaven’s mercy. Nian'er is very well-behaved. He knows he is different from others, so he stays away from crowds and never causes trouble. The most he does is go to the market to buy snacks—we have failed him in that regard..." The woman wiped the corner of her eye.

Jiu Wu gripped the woman’s hand: "Sister-in-law, don't say that. He is lucky to have met you... unlike me..."

As she spoke, she sobbed again: "I don't know what to do... I have nowhere to go..."

The woman hugged Jiu Wu, feeling pity: "If you truly have nowhere to go, stay here for a few days until the guards at the city gate relax."

Jiu Wu’s eyes lit up: "Is that okay?"

The woman nodded: "But remember, these are special times; you cannot leave this courtyard."

Jiu Wu hesitated.

The woman asked: "What is it?"

Jiu Wu looked at the woman cautiously: "I have a friend who was captured because of me. He is still trapped in the hands of bad people, and I have to save him. If... if I am lucky enough to bring him back, could he..."

The woman’s expression grew grave: "Is your friend also a demon? Also recently transformed?"

"He hasn't just transformed, but he was born with low spiritual power; he is a Cocoon Silk Demon."

The woman’s brow relaxed. Cocoon Silk Demons were indeed the weakest of the plant demons, mostly surviving by clinging to vines.

"Miss, think carefully. If you go and fail to save your friend, and then you get captured by bad people yourself, you won't survive."

Jiu Wu nodded firmly: "I’m the one who harmed him; I cannot leave him. Sister-in-law, thank you, you are the kindest human I have ever met."

"Fine, then go. If you can really save your friend, come back here."

Jiu Wu rubbed her eyes as she walked out of the courtyard. After she left, the man who had been sitting silently nearby said: "They’re searching strictly now; why did you let her leave? A low-level demon spirit like her doesn't have the ability to save anyone."

The woman smoothed her hair, calculation in her eyes: "Just a vine demon that just transformed. Our Nian'er doesn't need such a supplement, but a mature Cocoon Silk Demon is different. If she can really bring that one here, Nian'er can speed up his growth..."

Jiu Wu stepped out of the gate, wiped the tears from her eyes with a blank expression, and looked toward where Xuan Yi was.

There was no one there.

At the same time, the system, which had been missing for a long time, suddenly appeared.

"System upgrade complete, restoring..."

"Restored. High-level cultivators Zi Yi and Jin Zhuo have been detected outside the Xiangjiang Pavilion in Lan Ya City. The male protagonist is detected... two hundred meters due east of Xiangjiang Pavilion."

Jiu Wu sharpened her teeth, her eyes curving into a smile, malice radiating from her.

Senior Brother, you are really not obedient.