Transmigrating as the Heart Demon of the Ruthless Sword Venerable – Chapter 16
by Little PandaHeart Demon Manifested — Test
The Trial Pass Has Limits
Tang Wenchun looked at her own hands—the sensation of having a physical body and then reverting to something illusory was vividly stark. Now, touching herself, Tang Wenchun felt chilled to the bone from head to toe.
“I—how did I come back?! I!!”
Tang Wenchun whipped her head around to look at Yu Zhaoming. The girl stood there quietly, like an eternal, unchanging stone statue.
Had Yu Zhaoming summoned her back?
The thought flashed through her mind for an instant, then swelled like a balloon. Of course—a Heart Demon was seemingly destined to be killed by its host so the host could break through. She was Yu Zhaoming’s Heart Demon. Being summoned back was perfectly normal.
After all, Yu Zhaoming was the cold, ruthless Emotionless Dao Sword Venerable of the original novel, wasn’t she?
Such thoughts grew like vines, gradually filling every corner of Tang Wenchun’s mind. She felt she had never hated anyone so much before. She was trapped in this Sea of Consciousness, unable to go anywhere, forced to stay here until one day, as written in the novel, Yu Zhaoming would kill her and break through—only then would she find eternal peace.
But why?
By what right?
As these thoughts churned, resentment and disgust flooded Tang Wenchun’s heart and mind.
If she had never seen the prosperity of the cultivation world, if she had never tasted that fleeting freedom—brief as morning dew—perhaps Tang Wenchun would have suppressed her day-to-day dread, and it would not have erupted until much later.
But now, Tang Wenchun felt she could no longer endure it.
Freedom had been so brief—letting her taste a fleeting moment of beauty before snatching it away in a hurry.
Tang Wenchun’s eyes turned bloodshot as she glared at Yu Zhaoming. Yu Zhaoming frowned slightly. Though puzzled, years of hard-won experience made her retreat half a step in caution. Her hand lifted just slightly, and Cangfeng in her grip rose half an inch.
“You—” The moment Yu Zhaoming opened her mouth, Tang Wenchun was already lunging at her.
Yu Zhaoming’s expression sharpened. She spun aside to evade, but Tang Wenchun pressed on relentlessly, her long sword flicking upward in a thrust from an extremely tricky angle. If Yu Zhaoming hadn’t reacted so quickly, she would have been struck.
This was the first time Tang Wenchun had responded so swiftly and sharply.
Yu Zhaoming glanced at Tang Wenchun’s strange demeanor, pondered for a moment, then swallowed her questions. She swept Cangfeng in her hand, condensing blossoms of frost. “Again!”
Such a rare sparring opportunity—Yu Zhaoming instantly forgot why Tang Wenchun was angry, or why she had suddenly returned.
Combat was what a sword cultivator cared about most!
Tang Wenchun had never been so brimming with battle intent either. She abandoned her usual salted fish1 nature, and fury seized her mind, lending a ruthless edge to every strike. Yet no matter how ruthless she was, in their exchange, the only real difference was that she lasted longer than before and wielded her techniques and sword moves a bit more proficiently.
After trading blows for several dozen rounds, Yu Zhaoming landed a single strike of Sword Qi and forced Tang Wenchun back.
Yu Zhaoming slowly withdrew her sword. “You lost.”
She turned around, about to withdraw from the Sea of Consciousness, when Tang Wenchun let out a thunderous roar: “You dragged me back—wasn’t it to kill me?! Why won’t you kill me?!”
Yu Zhaoming turned in surprise. She saw Tang Wenchun, hair in wild disarray, lunging at her like a beast. Yu Zhaoming knitted her brow and instinctively grabbed Tang Wenchun’s arm, but Tang Wenchun was beyond reason with rage. She tilted her head and bit down on Yu Zhaoming’s shoulder.
Yu Zhaoming gave a soft grunt. They were in the Sea of Consciousness now—their bodies were both formed from spiritual consciousness. What appeared to be [censored] damage was in fact damage to spiritual consciousness. Yu Zhaoming’s Spiritual Qi rippled outward, about to fling Tang Wenchun away.
But faint sobbing reached her ears.
Yu Zhaoming paused, then drew her protective Spiritual Qi back. If she had actually deployed it, it might have cracked Tang Wenchun’s teeth.
“Why? Why did you drag me back again?” Tang Wenchun buried her face against Yu Zhaoming’s neck, still biting down on her shoulder. Her voice was muffled, and her tears slowly soaked through Yu Zhaoming’s shoulder.
But this was the Sea of Consciousness—even tears were not truly real. The falling teardrops soon dissolved into Spiritual Qi and scattered. Yet precisely because both of them were spiritual consciousness, the sensation of tears landing on skin was extraordinarily vivid. They burned Yu Zhaoming like flame, making her want to pull away.
But the woman in her arms clutched her clothing tightly, like a drowning person grasping a piece of driftwood that had finally floated by, refusing to let go.
When was the last time someone had held her this close?
Yu Zhaoming couldn’t remember clearly, but she still vaguely recalled how to respond. She raised her hand slightly and, with clumsy unfamiliarity, patted the trembling back of the woman before her. In a low voice, she said, “I didn’t pull you back.”
“Also, didn’t you leave? Why did you suddenly come back?”
The reply was stiff, carrying not the slightest comfort—so flat and straightforward it sounded like a scumbag’s excuse.
Tang Wenchun slowly unclenched her teeth and looked up blankly. It was the first time she had looked this closely into Yu Zhaoming’s eyes. In those light brown depths was plain, unmistakable confusion and bewilderment.
“…You knew I took physical form.”
“I know. Did you forget? I was the one who placed the Illusion Wood on the table.”
“…Then, then you also knew I ran away?”
Yu Zhaoming gave Tang Wenchun a silent look. The meaning in her gaze was perfectly clear. She was just about to say something when Tang Wenchun hastily clamped a hand over her mouth. “Don’t speak! I already know.”
Yu Zhaoming thus closed her mouth and said nothing. Tang Wenchun cautiously, slowly released her hand. Seeing that she truly stood motionless with lowered lashes, there was something unexpectedly docile about her—something that made one want to tease her, to see a more lively expression on this rigid girl’s face.
No! What was she thinking!
Tang Wenchun suddenly realized she was still nestled entirely in Yu Zhaoming’s arms. She scrambled backward, and fortunately Yu Zhaoming released her at the same moment, so Tang Wenchun easily stepped away. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear with some awkwardness, then fidgeted with her skirt, looking like she didn’t know what to do with her hands and feet.
From the corner of her eye, she glanced at Yu Zhaoming.
Yu Zhaoming stood with hands at her sides, simply watching her, her gaze deeply earnest. Tang Wenchun faltered and looked away. She knew that Yu Zhaoming was simply this kind of person—earnest in whatever she did, her gaze always so focused.
But right now, Tang Wenchun still didn’t want to meet those eyes.
Shame and some indescribable shyness slowly rose within her, leaving her at a loss for how to face Yu Zhaoming. Fortunately, Yu Zhaoming was a quiet person by nature. Her silence gave Tang Wenchun enough time to gather her flustered thoughts. After a long while, Tang Wenchun coughed lightly. “Is, is your wound okay?”
“…May I speak now?”
The response was perfectly serious, and it left Tang Wenchun utterly speechless. The last trace of awkwardness dissolved, replaced by sheer helplessness. “Yes, yes.”
“Oh.” Yu Zhaoming replied. She looked down at her shoulder. The body formed of spiritual consciousness appeared undamaged, but a bite from a Heart Demon had still caused some harm. Yu Zhaoming looked up. “It’s nothing.”
Tang Wenchun patted her chest gently. “That’s good.” She paused, then studied Yu Zhaoming. “Then… then why did you leave the Illusion Wood out?”
“To repay a debt of gratitude,” Yu Zhaoming replied. Seeing Tang Wenchun’s puzzled expression, she recalled all the chattering Tang Wenchun had done in her Sea of Consciousness before, and so added a few more words of explanation. “You reminded me earlier that Mysterious Yin Grass could counter the Scorching Fire Phoenix Bird.”
“Oh, that. That, that was nothing—if you died, I’d die too.” Tang Wenchun waved her hand dismissively.
Hearing this, Yu Zhaoming shook her head. “But you did save my life. You saved my life, so naturally I must repay you.”
“Ah…” Tang Wenchun fell silent for a moment before asking, “Then, then what about you always coming into the Sea of Consciousness to beat me up…”
“That wasn’t beating you up. It was pushing you to grow stronger.”
Tang Wenchun froze. She looked up at Yu Zhaoming’s earnest expression and finally connected everything—Yu Zhaoming’s behavior before and after, and the things she had said to Elder Xuanjiu.
This way of repaying a debt… was awfully heavy… Shizun Xuanjiu, I am so, so grateful to you! You’re basically my second parent!!
Tang Wenchun drew a deep breath. “Then, then me coming back now is…”
Yu Zhaoming shook her head and finally said, “I don’t know. I’ll go back and check the texts. But books on Heart Demons are scarce… You could try testing it a few more times.”
Tang Wenchun looked at Yu Zhaoming in confusion. “You’re not going to control me? You, you’re really letting me go free?”
Yu Zhaoming nodded. Her spiritual consciousness dispersed, and Tang Wenchun realized she had already sat down cross-legged to cultivate.
Tang Wenchun extended her spiritual consciousness. After she had come into contact with the Illusion Wood earlier, it seemed to have bonded with her—as long as she projected her spiritual consciousness outward, she could take human form. She cast a complicated glance at Yu Zhaoming. Seeing her sitting with eyes closed, looking utterly indifferent to the outside world, Tang Wenchun gritted her teeth and climbed back out the window.
The sky gradually brightened. A streak of purple qi appeared on the distant horizon.
Spiritual Energy completed a full circuit and returned to her Dantian. Yu Zhaoming opened her eyes again and looked at Tang Wenchun, who still stood in the same spot, looking like she wanted to cry but had no tears left. “How was it?”
“Only, only that far. I, I tested it. I can’t leave a five-li radius around you at all.”
The author has something to say:
Yu Zhaoming: Back? Angry? Whatever—come on, let’s fight first.
Tang Wenchun: …
Xuanjiu: …Did you two forget something?
The trial pass has a distance limit.
No update tomorrow—I need to manage my word count and wait for the update ranking before posting again. Thank you, everyone. Also, I revised the Sect Grand Competition timeline in Chapter 14 to five years from now—no need to go back and check.
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