Villainous Master (14)
If only Zhao Wuyou had gone missing, it would have been an internal matter of Xun Sect. However, this incident also involved two disciples from Xuanshu Sect.
Both disciples, who were at the Golden Core stage, unfortunately lost their lives. It’s easy to imagine that if Song Xuyi had traveled with them, she likely would have met the same fate.
Yet, Song Xuyi did not feel a sense of relief at having survived the ordeal.
Song Xuyi had accompanied these two disciples on her journey. Although they were not deeply acquainted, she knew they were kind-hearted individuals dedicated to subduing demons and punishing evildoers. Their tragic deaths in a foreign land could not be taken lightly.
After contacting Xuanshu Sect, Song Xuyi began to investigate quietly without alerting anyone. Strangely, after Zhao Wuyou went missing, no other girls in the town were harmed. What puzzled Song Xuyi even more was that after the two disciples from Xuanshu Sect disappeared, the person from Xuanshu Sect who reported the anomalies in the town also vanished without a trace.
Song Xuyi intuitively felt this was a trap with significant hidden motives.
But what exactly did these people want to achieve?
Soon, Song Xuyi met up with the leader of the Xuanshu Sect disciples who came to investigate. She recognized the leader—it was her old acquaintance Zeng Li, who had introduced her to the sect. Zeng Li had been traveling for years and seldom returned to Xuanshu Sect. This was the first time Song Xuyi had seen her in years.
Zeng Li, with her vast experience, quickly uncovered the peculiarities: all the missing girls had touched an old token in the town depicting a black dragon before they disappeared. This ancient token, typically used for seeking marriage, had not aroused the townspeople’s suspicion. However, Zeng Li detected faint demonic energy on the token.
Tracing the source of the demonic energy, everyone frowned: it came from Black Water Pool!
Years ago, when a crack appeared in Black Water Pool, the immortal sects had sent people to repair it. Could something have gone wrong there again?
Black Water Pool held some of the most dangerous demons in this world, which was beyond Zeng Li’s authority to handle.
Zeng Li reported back to the sect and, after settling her disciples, went to Black Water Pool alone, ignoring everyone’s advice to investigate.
At first, Zeng Li sent back information intermittently. But eventually, all contact with her was lost.
Song Xuyi felt uneasy and urged the sect to send reinforcements quickly.
Two days later, the sect sent investigators—Ning Jingyu and a new disciple.
Upon seeing Ning Jingyu, Song Xuyi felt a pang of guilt, realizing she had missed their fifteen-day appointment. Given Ning Jingyu’s temperament, who knew what trouble she might cause?
Song Xuyi began to think of countless ways to appease her irritable master…
Unexpectedly, Ning Jingyu did not seem to hold Song Xuyi’s breach of promise against her. She gave Song Xuyi a deep look before following the other disciples to examine the token.
Song Xuyi breathed a sigh of relief and cautiously followed Ning Jingyu. When no one was watching, Ning Jingyu subtly slowed her pace and gently, awkwardly patted Song Xuyi’s head, as if to comfort her.
Song Xuyi looked up at Ning Jingyu.
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Ning Jingyu still looked pale. This recent seclusion had not benefited her. She appeared frail and thin, as if a gust of wind could blow her over.
“Don’t worry, I’ll handle everything,” Ning Jingyu said, her voice calm and indifferent despite the reassuring words. She didn’t look at Song Xuyi, her gaze fixed ahead.
However, Song Xuyi heard the concern hidden in Ning Jingyu’s rare pause.
Over the years, Song Xuyi had often thought herself more mature than Ning Jingyu, treating her master like a child. But hearing Ning Jingyu’s words now, Song Xuyi blinked, her eyes burning with unshed tears.
Sniffling, as not to be seen as weak, she lowered her head and softly said, “Okay.”
Ning Jingyu glanced at Song Xuyi, her fist clenched tightly in her sleeve—
Her little disciple seemed even sadder.
This wasn’t what Ning Jingyu wanted.
Ning Jingyu couldn’t forget how she felt when she heard about her little disciple’s perilous situation for the first time. For the first time in her life, Ning Jingyu felt a sense of relief—thankfully, her disciple was safe…
It was then that Ning Jingyu realized her disciple had become her weakness.
After learning the incident involved Zhao Wuyou and Black Water Pool, Ning Jingyu had volunteered to investigate.
She believed her disciple needed her. Even though Ning Jingyu knew better than anyone that her disciple, who appeared soft and endearing, was actually hardworking and resilient, never a delicate flower in a greenhouse.
Ning Jingyu’s eyesight was excellent and she naturally noticed the tears in her disciple’s eyes…
Her disciple didn’t cry when Zhao Wuyou framed her. She didn’t cry when she was covered in bruises from training…
If she was crying now, she must be deeply distressed, right?
Ning Jingyu felt a sudden, sharp pain in her heart, different from the physical pain she was used to. This pain seemed to spread from her heart, strange and unfamiliar. It gave Ning Jingyu a strong desire to hold her disciple, to comfort her softly, and protect her from any more hardships, to stop her tears…
Song Xuyi had no idea about Ning Jingyu’s inner turmoil. After recovering from her initial sadness, her gaze fell on the unfamiliar disciple who came with Ning Jingyu.
This disciple claimed to be surnamed Wang. Song Xuyi was certain she had never seen this person before, yet this disciple gave her an inexplicably familiar feeling, as if she had seen her somewhere before.
By this time, the group had reached the ancient temple where the token was stored.
After several more days, the demonic energy on the token seemed to have weakened. The black token lay in a corner of the offering table, exuding an ominous aura.
Ning Jingyu’s gaze swept over the black dragon on the token. She squinted and suddenly reached out—
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The black-gold token turned to powder in Ning Jingyu’s palm.
“Let’s go!” The disciple surnamed Wang frowned and said, “This token carries two traces of demonic energy, one from Black Water Pool and the other from the currently dormant Demon Clan. If these two forces have secretly allied, the consequences would be unimaginable. We should investigate Black Water Pool first—”
The disciple took out a special whistle and blew it into the sky. Almost instantly, the sky darkened as a giant spirit bird, as large as a mountain, swooped down and landed in front of them.
The spirit bird spread its wings, blocking out the sky and flying thousands of miles a day, quickly reaching the infamous Black Water Pool.
Despite being called a pool, Black Water Pool was actually a huge lake surrounded by towering mountains, rarely visited by humans.
Among the group, Song Xuyi was one of the weakest. However, even she could tell something was wrong with Black Water Pool—dark demonic energy enveloped the entire area, with barely any vegetation around. Layers of dead water plants and fish floated on the lake’s surface, emitting a strong, rancid smell.
“Contact Zeng Li!” the disciple surnamed Wang ordered.
The other disciples blew the special signal whistle, but no response came for a long time.
Song Xuyi’s gaze involuntarily turned towards the center of the lake. Unlike when she was a young girl who knew nothing about Black Water Pool, Song Xuyi, now well-read in classical texts, knew the history of Black Water Pool.
In ancient times, the Demon Clan wreaked havoc on the world. Many virtuous people sacrificed their lives to set up a powerful formation at Black Water Pool, suppressing the demons that caused chaos.
However, the number of demons was immense. Fearing that Black Water Pool could not suppress them for long, someone came up with another method. Using countless heavenly materials and earthly treasures, they created the core of the formation. It is said that the core of Black Water Pool’s formation could automatically absorb demonic energy, gradually weakening the suppressed demons…
Now, after thousands of years, with the changes of time and the transformation of the Immortal Realm’s practices, there were no longer cultivators as powerful as those in ancient times. If the demons of Black Water Pool were to escape, one could only imagine the catastrophe that would befall the world…
However, the current situation was far from optimistic. Demonic energy continued to seep out from the center of the lake.
Could the formation have malfunctioned again?
Song Xuyi’s eyelids twitched suddenly as she recalled the scene in the original story where Ning Jingyu was defeated and vanished into ashes. The summary of the original plot was vague, only stating that Ning Jingyu died at the hands of the new Demon Lord, without specifying which Demon Lord it was…
It’s important to know that in the Demon Clan, power determined status—killing the previous Demon Lord would make one the new Demon Lord.
What if… in the original plot, Ning Jingyu faced a demon who escaped from Black Water Pool?
Song Xuyi was startled, instinctively looking up at Ning Jingyu!
Ning Jingyu was also staring at the center of the lake.
She lowered her head, her long eyelashes covering the expression in her eyes. As the only person in history to have come out of Black Water Pool alive, no one knew what she was thinking as she faced this former nightmare again.
“I’m going into Black Water Pool to find Zeng Li.” Behind Ning Jingyu, the disciple surnamed Wang, increasingly agitated, spoke with a trembling voice, her face pale as she turned to Ning Jingyu: “If something happens to me, Xuanshu Sect will…”
There were only two possibilities for not being able to contact Zeng Li: either she had entered Black Water Pool, which isolated all communication, or she had already perished.
“This is very likely targeted at me,” Ning Jingyu interrupted, her lips curling but her eyes devoid of a smile. “I have to enter Black Water Pool to confront them…”
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Ning Jingyu squinted and took a step towards the center of the lake, only to be stopped by a hand grabbing her sleeve—
Ning Jingyu turned back and saw her disciple’s anxious expression.
At some point, the little girl who once barely reached her waist had grown this tall.
Ning Jingyu suddenly felt a bit dazed, her gaze unconsciously settling on Song Xuyi’s face.
Song Xuyi’s eyes were slightly red, her expression stubborn as she tightly gripped Ning Jingyu’s sleeve, speaking in a hoarse voice: “I will go in with you, Master!”
The author has something to say:
I’ve been crazy busy lately. If there’s no update by 23:30, everyone should go to bed early~
LP: Re-translated on June 04, 2024
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