Transmigrating as the Heart Demon of the Ruthless Sword Venerable – Chapter 22
by Little PandaSame Kind (4)
Before she dies, why must she also experience social death?
“Are you alright?”
Tang Wenchun’s vision blurred, and Yu Zhaoming was already standing before her. Tang Wenchun stared blankly at Yu Zhaoming—the other girl still wore that same expressionless look as before, though her gaze held a hint of concern and scrutiny.
Even though she practiced the Emotionless Dao, she didn’t seem quite so unapproachable. No matter the reason, having someone worry about you and keep you in their thoughts was never a bad thing.
Thinking this, Tang Wenchun gave Yu Zhaoming a big smile. “I’m fine. Sorry for worrying you.”
Yu Zhaoming gave an acknowledging hum, then turned and bowed toward the front. “Thank you, Senior Nüluo, for using the Tracing Art1.”
Nüluo? The name sounded elegant at once.
Tang Wenchun peeked out from behind Yu Zhaoming and met a gentle woman. She wore a cyan dress that showed not a single trace of stitching—seamless and flawless—gleaming faintly in the sunlight. Unlike the modern preference for slender figures, she had a dignified, generous countenance that made the warmth in her brows and eyes all the more apparent.
She was someone entirely different from that heart demon.
This was genuine warmth.
She only appeared considerably older than the heart demon, which was no wonder she called the heart demon her shimei.
“So this is Young Friend Yu’s friend,” the woman said with a smile. “I am a disciple of the Sound Sect. You may simply call me Nüluo.”
“She is a junior—how could she address you by name alone? At the very least, she should add ‘Senior,'” the heart demon spoke up from the side.
“shijie…” Nüluo sighed helplessly, her almond eyes sweeping over the heart demon with a measure of resignation. “I hold no position in the Sound Sect, and my cultivation is merely Golden Core—and only because you gave me so many pills…” She paused briefly, not elaborating further, and simply said, “I am not much stronger than either of them. Just an ordinary disciple.”
The heart demon’s body stiffened. Only then did she turn to look at Tang Wenchun, curling her lips. “What do you say?”
What do you say? As if I have a choice?
Tang Wenchun fell silent for a moment, then under the heart demon’s gaze, executed a perfectly smooth sliding kneel. “Senior Nüluo, thank you.”
How could Nüluo not know this was her shimei’s doing? She was both exasperated and amused, casting a glance at the heart demon. The heart demon looked away, pressing her lips tightly together without another word. Nüluo had no choice but to turn back to Tang Wenchun. “My shimei occasionally makes harmless little jokes. I hope you will not take offense, little friend.”
Before Tang Wenchun could respond, the heart demon beside them frowned in displeasure. “When did I make jokes? I merely found her… rather agreeable and chatted a bit more. shijie, let us go back.”
With that, the heart demon walked to Nüluo’s side. She reached out, her fingers curling slightly, and only managed to grasp Nüluo’s sleeve. Nüluo’s gaze lingered on the heart demon’s fingers for a moment before she smiled helplessly. “Alright.”
She looked at Yu Zhaoming.
Yu Zhaoming bowed. “Farewell, Seniors.”
At these words, Nüluo’s eyes flickered. She wanted to say more, but her shimei nudged her forward. “Alright, alright, I promise I won’t wander around again after this, okay? Let’s go, let’s go. There’s nothing more to say to these juniors.”
Nüluo sighed in resignation and murmured a few more complaints, only receiving her shimei’s “yes, yes, yes” and “fine, fine, fine.” The two gradually walked away, slowly disappearing from Tang Wenchun’s sight.
“Did you find the thieves?” Tang Wenchun turned to look at Yu Zhaoming.
Yu Zhaoming nodded. “Two petty thieves—fast runners, but nothing else to fear. They had swindled quite a few people. I took advantage of the Law Enforcement Team2‘s absence to strip those two thieves clean.”
Hearing the faint note of pride in her voice… Tang Wenchun thought, so this is why you were late and left me facing that big demon for so long! On second thought, Yu Zhaoming’s actions had clearly been orchestrated by that heart demon too.
This was really…
Tang Wenchun gave a perfunctory clap. “You did great.”
“Mine hardly counts as anything,” Yu Zhaoming replied earnestly. “Yunzhongjun of the Sound Sect has always been stingy. I heard from a rogue cultivator at a nearby stall that you actually sold all the goods to her. I truly cannot compare—you are very impressive!”
When someone earnest by nature gives praise, they do it with particular sincerity. Tang Wenchun found it a bit overwhelming, feeling an inexplicable sense of shyness. She quickly looked away and changed the subject. “Yunzhongjun?”
Yu Zhaoming nodded. “Yunzhongjun, Sect Master3 of the Sound Sect. She took her position less than a century ago—quite young. To establish authority over the others in her sect, she even entered seclusion to attempt a Mahayana4 breakthrough. But her personality changed somewhat after emerging, and she can be temperamental at times. If she weren’t still so devoted to her shijie, people would likely have suspected she had been possessed.”
“Doting on her shijie…”
Yu Zhaoming held nothing back. “Look at the Jiaoxiao Gauze5 Senior Nüluo is wearing—it was sewn by South Sea merfolk6, impervious to fire and water. Yunzhongjun bought it specifically for her shijie. If sold, it would be worth roughly the price of two hundred Golden Cores like you and me.”
Using oneself as a unit of measurement was rather strange, but Tang Wenchun understood—the other party truly doted on her shijie. After all, Senior Nüluo didn’t appear to have exceptional aptitude, yet Yunzhongjun would spend a fortune for her shijie’s sake. That was indeed quite something.
Seeing that Tang Wenchun had no more questions, Yu Zhaoming quietly let out a long breath. Given her personality, speaking this much was already quite difficult for her. Yu Zhaoming produced a Storage Bag and placed it in Tang Wenchun’s hands, her eyes full of sincerity. “I recovered these from those two petty thieves. Let us go sell them now.”
She said “us,” but in reality, it meant Tang Wenchun alone. Tang Wenchun could read this meaning in Yu Zhaoming’s expectant gaze.
Just how poor was the Sword Sect?! They had been robbed, recovered their goods, and now still had to sell everything off!
But looking at Yu Zhaoming’s shining eyes and recalling the exhaustion in Elder Xuanjiu’s eyes when she tossed over the Storage Bag—where did this inexplicable sense of responsibility come from?! She was a heart demon, for heaven’s sake! She was not here to provide poverty relief for the Sword Sect!
Tang Wenchun’s hand holding the Storage Bag trembled slightly. She looked up at Yu Zhaoming. “I have an idea, but I need your help.”
Soon, a crowd of Sword Sect disciples gathered at the street corner.
“The price has doubled—is this really okay?”
“Why wouldn’t it be? If it’s too cheap, people will think the quality is poor. This is Sword Sect merchandise! It comes with brand premium!!”
“I’ve called over our shidi and shige—will taking turns in line really attract people?”
“Of course! People are curious by nature. The more people in line, the longer the queue, the more popular your goods seem! Everyone, change out of your Sword Sect robes. Yu Zhaoming, you stand to the side—if anyone comes looking for trouble…”
Yu Zhaoming nodded, resting her hand on her sword hilt. “They shall not return!”
That was rather unnecessary… but Tang Wenchun glanced at Yu Zhaoming. The Yu Zhaoming of now was not yet the Zhaoming Sword Venerable of Immortal Path Hard to Find—she who had severed all emotions and desires, whose heart held nothing, who stood high above. Her young face still carried a trace of baby fat that hadn’t faded, her eyes bright and spirited. Even when expressionless, one could still see the vibrant energy unique to youth.
Tang Wenchun could not help but laugh. “Then I’ll be entrusting you with my safety and the safety of our property.”
Yu Zhaoming nodded firmly. “I will not fail your trust.”
One had to admit—when someone like Yu Zhaoming made a promise, it gave you a sense of security.
Tang Wenchun’s eyes immediately curved into crescents, like the ripest fruit of autumn, carrying a sweet fragrance. “Then I’m counting on you.”
Yu Zhaoming froze briefly, then looked slightly away. “Certainly.”
Of course, there was one last matter. Tang Wenchun cleared her throat. “But as for hawking the goods… who among you will do it?”
The Sword Sect disciples fell into silence, and Tang Wenchun fell silent along with them. For a moment, the air was filled with the aura of I-persons7. Tang Wenchun felt helpless—she finally glimpsed one reason why the Sword Sect disciples were so impoverished.
Their grand money-making plan was about to be destroyed by social anxiety.
A female disciple stepped forward. “I’ll do it!”
Tang Wenchun looked over—it was that female disciple named Bian Man. She pressed her lips together and said, “My mortal family is in commerce. I’m familiar with this.”
Tang Wenchun immediately grasped her hand. “Then I’m leaving everything in your hands! You really are a good person!”
Bian Man bit her lower lip, her face slightly flushed, and said nothing. Yu Zhaoming observed this scene, a flicker of puzzlement in her eyes—Bian Man’s attitude toward her had been far from good before, yet she behaved this way toward her heart demon.
Yu Zhaoming’s gaze fell upon Tang Wenchun. The other girl’s face was radiant with warmth, her eyes curved in smiles, and she always seemed to be grinning when she spoke.
Indeed, she was someone completely different from herself…
Yu Zhaoming looked away, no longer watching Tang Wenchun.
And so, a rare spectacle appeared on the long street—people forming a lengthy queue to see what was being sold. Cultivators were different from mortals; with their long lifespans, they did not mind the time spent waiting in line.
Beyond Tang Wenchun’s expectations, yet somehow within them as well, she actually sold everything down to the very last item.
“Fellow Daoist8 Tang, you are truly impressive!”
“I—I have never seen this many spirit stones in my entire life!”
“Nonsense! Your life is still long—saying that, aren’t you just cutting off your own retreat?”
Everyone laughed and joked. The Sword Sect disciples who had come this time were all quite young, and after this experience, their initial reserve melted away, replaced by a growing closeness. Tang Wenchun watched the group walking together—even though Yu Zhaoming remained silent, walking slowly with her sword on her back, she seemed to have blended in as well.
“Eldest Senior Sister seems very happy,” Bian Man said quietly.
“How can you tell?”
After the sale, Bian Man had grown much more familiar with Tang Wenchun and felt quite close to her. Now she leaned close to Tang Wenchun’s ear and whispered, “Look—the corners of Eldest Senior Sister’s mouth have risen by one li9.”
Tang Wenchun: …
She turned her head to glance at Yu Zhaoming. Forgive her poor eyesight, but she truly could not tell. So what on earth did these Sword Sect disciples ponder all day!
Though her inner monologue fired off one complaint after another, the atmosphere was wonderful. For a moment, Tang Wenchun forgot her panic at seeing the heart demon and her uncertainty about the road ahead. That heart demon might have a sharp tongue, but she had still helped her. She needed to find a way to contact her again—perhaps she could discover a way to completely untether herself from Yu Zhaoming.
Thinking of this, Tang Wenchun could not help but look toward Yu Zhaoming again. But as it happened, Yu Zhaoming was looking at her at the same time. She walked over to Tang Wenchun and handed her a Paper Crane10.
“This was just sent by Yunzhongjun. Since you did not give her your contact information, she could not reach you, so she entrusted me to deliver this to you.”
“How do I use this?”
Tang Wenchun examined the Paper Crane curiously, turning it over and over. She remembered that the communication method described in the book was not supposed to be this kind of thing.
Yu Zhaoming lowered her head, took her hand, and pressed a finger to the Paper Crane’s forehead. “Right here. Infuse your spiritual energy into it, and the words the sender wishes to convey will appear in your mind.”
Perhaps because of her Ice Spirit Root, Yu Zhaoming’s fingertips were slightly cool, like a piece of warm jade.
Tang Wenchun felt somewhat ill at ease. She made a few acknowledging sounds and hastily infused her spiritual energy. Yunzhongjun’s voice, carrying a hint of malice, rang out coldly.
“Little Heart Demon, remember my instructions. As for the task I will assign you, I will come find you when I have thought of it. Also—seeing your foolish appearance—this old senior will offer you a reminder. Hide your identity well. And remember: when peering at your Host from within the Sea of Consciousness, you must never, ever speak. The Host will sense your presence. They may very well set up arrangements to confuse you. Bear this in mind.”
Tang Wenchun froze. Her mind filled with memories of her unladylike shouting inside Yu Zhaoming’s Sea of Consciousness, popping up one after another like the liveliest bullet comments11.
Her body went rigid. What—what should she do? How could she face Yu Zhaoming, who had heard everything?
Before she dies, why must she also experience social death?
Footnotes
- Tracing Art — a spiritual tracking technique used to locate individuals by their residual traces.
- Law Enforcement Team — security and policing authority maintaining order in trading areas and markets.
- Sect Master — supreme leadership title of a cultivation sect. The term Zongzhu emphasizes sect governance and is used interchangeably with Zhangmen (Sect Master).
- Mahayana — an advanced cultivation stage above Soul Emergence and below Crossing Tribulation, also known as the Great Vehicle stage.
- Jiaoxiao Gauze — seamless, radiant spiritual fabric woven by South Sea merfolk, impervious to fire and water. Extremely luxurious and costly.
- South Sea merfolk — mythical beings from Chinese folklore who weave seamless spiritual fabric impervious to fire and water.
- I-person — Chinese internet slang derived from MBTI personality types, referring to introverted or socially anxious individuals.
- Fellow Daoist — a standard courteous address between cultivators of different sects or backgrounds.
- li — a traditional Chinese length unit approximately equal to 3.33 mm, used here humorously to describe an extremely subtle smile.
- Paper Crane — a spiritual transmission messenger folded from paper. Infusing spiritual energy into its forehead transmits the sender's recorded voice directly into the recipient's mind.
- bullet comments — a modern video streaming feature where viewer comments scroll rapidly across the screen; used metaphorically for an overwhelming rush of thoughts.
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