Transmigrating as the Heart Demon of the Ruthless Sword Venerable – Chapter 12

Sect Arc — Come Fight

Tang Wenchun: ???

Tang Wenchun’s question went unanswered.

            

Instead, Xuanjiu raised an eyebrow, regarding her typically by-the-book disciple. “You actually used a Shadow-Recording Stone…” Just as Yu Zhaoming opened her mouth to speak, Xuanjiu waved her hand. “Bring out the Shadow-Recording Stone. Like this.”

Xuanjiu paused, glancing at the two elders without sparing a look at the disciples whose expressions had already shifted to alarm. Those disciples weren’t worth a second glance from a Soul Emergence¹ stage cultivator like her. “This way, everything comes to light, doesn’t it.”

Elders Fang and Yuan nodded.

            

The truth was naturally clear — especially when the Shadow-Recording Stone replayed Han Dan’s earnest-sounding words: “Could I ask Eldest Senior Sister not to tell anyone that I provoked the demon beast on my own…” By then, the look Deng Wen directed at Han Dan was already thick with loathing.

At this point, how could he not understand? He had been used as the spear thrown forward for someone else’s scheme.

“Good one, Han Dan — so it was all your doing!”

            

Sword Sect disciples — even those who weren’t sword cultivators — apparently didn’t have great tempers either. Deng Wen surged forward, seized Han Dan by the collar, and landed a solid punch square to his face.

Elder Yuan scrambled over and hauled them apart, one in each hand, his face full of exasperation. But clearly, Elder Yuan wasn’t entirely upright either — given his cultivation level, he could have stopped Deng Wen the instant he struck, yet he waited until Han Dan had taken the hit before intervening.

Han Dan was hauled up, nose bleeding freely, his words coming out thick and muffled: “Elder—Elder Yuan! You—you’re being unfair! When my master, when my master…”

            

Elder Yuan snorted. “When your master gets here, we’ll be the ones to talk to him. It’s not your place to speak yet, you little brat.”

With that, he turned to Xuanjiu and offered a smile full of apology and ingratiation, which only made his square face look more ghastly. “Good Shimei², we’ll handle things here — no need to trouble yourself. You’ve only just arrived; take your martial niece and get some proper rest first.”

Xuanjiu gave a snort and slung her arm around her disciple’s shoulders. The woman was tall and statuesque — even Yu Zhaoming looked somewhat green beside her. “Then I’ll take my disciple away first… Shige³.” Xuanjiu walked a few steps, then turned back to look at Elder Yuan. “I hope Shige remembers what our Sword Sect was founded on.”

            

Elder Yuan froze for a moment, then offered a bitter smile and said no more.

Seeing this, Xuanjiu didn’t press further. She led her disciple toward the inner rooms. Though the Sword Sect Station was dilapidated, it wasn’t small. Xuanjiu found an empty room at random, surveyed the dust blanketing the floor, and with a Dust-Clearing Spell had the place spotless in one go. Then she produced a soft couch from her storage bag that looked impossibly luxurious and comfortable.

She swept her robes aside and lay down on the couch.

            

The entire sequence flowed seamlessly — the practiced ease of it was enough to make one’s heart ache.

“…A grand Sword Sect, and it doesn’t even have a single disciple to sweep the floors?”

Tang Wenchun couldn’t help blurting out — but the moment she spoke, she clapped a hand over her mouth. She hadn’t forgotten that Yu Zhaoming might be able to hear her. The moment she recalled what she had said before—

            

“I’m Yu Zhaoming’s lapdog!!”

“Yu-jiejie, I want to be your lapdog!”

“Beautiful Shizun⁴!”

            

Any one of those lines was enough to make Tang Wenchun want to claw through her own Sea of Consciousness⁵ and sever her own meridians. She wouldn’t even need Yu Zhaoming to lift a finger — she could shame herself to death all the way to letting Yu Zhaoming directly achieve Unity with Dao⁶ and Ascension⁷!!

Yu Zhaoming stood to the side, with practiced ease setting out an incense burner and lighting the incense, then using Spiritual Qi⁸ to warm a pot of tea before respectfully presenting it with both hands to Xuanjiu.

Xuanjiu picked up the teacup, took a leisurely sip, and then spoke. “My disciple has gotten smarter this time — actually knowing to use a Shadow-Recording Stone. Did someone say something to you?”

            

Yu Zhaoming shook her head. “No one.”

A Heart Demon⁹ wasn’t a person. Yu Zhaoming had always been precise about such things.

Tang Wenchun, oblivious to Yu Zhaoming’s reasoning, simply heaved a huge sigh of relief and patted her chest. “Thank goodness — so she didn’t hear me after all.”

            

Xuanjiu looked up and studied her disciple in silence for a moment. Yu Zhaoming met her gaze, her eyes so candid they seemed transparent — as though you could see straight to the bottom at a glance.

Thinking back to how the girl had looked when she first knelt before her and entered her tutelage, Xuanjiu sighed and said, “Your master has been in secluded meditation for two years… In those two years, you’ve grown a great deal and suffered no small amount of grievance. You’ve worked hard.”

Yu Zhaoming shook her head. “Nothing of the sort.”

            

Xuanjiu waved her hand. “In any case, what happened today won’t happen again.”

Tang Wenchun’s heart eased, and she now had the presence of mind to admire the beauty before her. She stared at Xuanjiu with shining eyes, wiped away nonexistent drool from the corner of her lips, and sighed, “Beautiful Shizun really is a good person, so devoted to her disciple.”

But… she tilted her head. The novel Immortal Path Hard to Find had never mentioned Xuanjiu’s name. Was it because the author hadn’t anticipated it, an automatic correction by the Heavenly Dao, or some other reason?

            

It was just a pity that Tang Wenchun had transmigrated far too early. She held the script in her hands, only to find it practically useless.

Yu Zhaoming lowered her eyes, then raised them slightly. “Thank you, Shizun.”

“Oh my, you actually know how to say thank you.” Xuanjiu narrowed her eyes and reached over. Yu Zhaoming’s head swayed slightly to dodge, but Xuanjiu instantly changed her move. After a few wordless exchanges, Xuanjiu still managed to pinch Yu Zhaoming’s cheek.

            

She beamed, squeezing a chunk of soft flesh, her face radiating satisfaction. “Hah, you little brat — a mere Golden Core¹⁰, and you thought you could escape your master? But you have improved quite a bit. Not bad, not bad.”

Yu Zhaoming kept a stoic face. Though her master was pinching her, she still spoke with composure and propriety: “Thangk you, Shizhun…”

The sight of her puffed cheeks, her slurred speech, yet still gamely trying to talk, amused both Xuanjiu and Tang Wenchun at once. So much so that, with no awareness of each other, the two uttered the exact same sentiment:

            

“So cute!”

Yu Zhaoming’s expression darkened slightly. She put a bit more force into her movement and slipped free.

Xuanjiu lost her pinch of soft flesh but didn’t seem to mind — she’d already gotten her squeeze in, and the fact that her disciple had caught her off guard showed improvement. She took another sip of tea and said, “You handled things well this time. But just in case — if your master hadn’t arrived in time and you’d had no evidence, then your master will teach you the Sword Sect disciple’s way.”

            

Yu Zhaoming bowed. “Please instruct me, Shizun.”

Xuanjiu nodded. “If anyone gives you trouble, just beat them until they submit.”

Yu Zhaoming was silent for a moment, then said, “Your disciple understands.”

            

Tang Wenchun: “…Beautiful Shizun, teaching children like that is very wrong!! But satisfying.”

Xuanjiu set down her teacup and said, “Good that you know. This trip to the Desolate Heaven Secret Realm — did you gain anything?”

Yu Zhaoming raised her eyes slightly, and Tang Wenchun was instantly startled: “Yu Zhaoming, you’re not going to tell her about the Heart Demon, are you? Hey, hey! A Heart Demon is a huge taboo for cultivators!”

            

Never mind how worried Tang Wenchun had been about Yu Zhaoming hearing her thoughts — now she was that desperate for Yu Zhaoming to hear her.

Yu Zhaoming didn’t pause. She recounted everything that had happened in the Desolate Heaven Secret Realm, one matter after another — except she made no mention of the Heart Demon.

She mentioned the Divine Tomb, and Xuanjiu couldn’t help but sit up straighter. She studied Yu Zhaoming in silence for a moment, then let out a long breath. “What you took from the Divine Tomb — I won’t ask. But you must remember: never mention the Divine Tomb to anyone else.”

            

Hearing this, Tang Wenchun couldn’t help but sigh: “What a good Shizun.”

Yu Zhaoming bowed. “I understand, Shizun.” She then produced a storage bag. “This contains the carcass of that Scorching Fire Phoenix Bird. I thought it might be of use to you, Shizun.”

Xuanjiu beckoned, took the storage bag, glanced inside, picked out a few items, and tossed the bag back to Yu Zhaoming. “The rest is yours.”

            

She looked at Yu Zhaoming’s composed face and sighed inwardly. The Emotionless Dao¹¹, the Emotionless Sword — unattached to karma. Yu Zhaoming’s action was clearly repayment for the advice Xuanjiu had just given her. The Scorching Fire Phoenix Bird was the only thing of real value she could offer.

Xuanjiu opened her mouth, then slowly closed it and waved her hand. “Alright, alright, go back and rest.”

But Yu Zhaoming didn’t leave.

            

Xuanjiu raised her eyes, somewhat surprised. “What? Something else you want to ask?”

Yu Zhaoming kept her eyes lowered. After a while, she looked up at Xuanjiu. “Shizun, if a demon had shown you kindness, would you repay it or not?”

Xuanjiu said, “I certainly wouldn’t. But you practice the Emotionless Dao, which demands being unattached to karma — so you must repay it.”

            

Yu Zhaoming continued, “If you’re inevitably going to slay this demon someday, then what meaning does repaying the favor now hold?”

Xuanjiu waved her hand, putting on a face of blithe unconcern. “Deal with that when the time comes. At least I won’t owe him anything.”

“I see.” Yu Zhaoming’s expression cleared with understanding. She bowed again and placed the Scorching Fire Phoenix Bird’s inner core on the table. “Thank you for the guidance, Shizun.”

            

Xuanjiu silently watched her disciple turn and leave, her gaze falling on the inner core that radiated firelight. Xuanjiu had a Fire Spirit Root¹²; a Nascent Soul¹³-level inner core wasn’t of much use to her. But for her disciple to offer the most precious part of the Scorching Fire Phoenix Bird as thanks… Xuanjiu found herself growing curious about this “demon” Yu Zhaoming had mentioned.

Tang Wenchun watched as Yu Zhaoming found a small room and, like her master, used a Dust-Clearing Art before sitting down cross-legged to meditate.

The next moment, Yu Zhaoming appeared before Tang Wenchun.

            

Tang Wenchun: “?”

Yu Zhaoming turned her wrist, and Cangfeng materialized. She looked at Tang Wenchun, who sat cross-legged with a thoroughly lazy expression. “Come fight.”

Tang Wenchun: “??”

            

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The author has something to say:

Yu Zhaoming: I, Yu Zhaoming, repay favors through combat.

Tang Wenchun: Are you fighting or just one-sidedly beating someone up??

            

Yu Zhaoming looks at Tang Wenchun.

Tang Wenchun: Director! I can’t do this script anymore!

Author: Wait, don’t!

            

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