He did not ask what had happened inside. He only gave a quiet “Mm.”
Subconsciously, he gripped her hand very tightly, hiding it in his palm, wrapping it with all ten fingers.
Chao Jinsui had thought there would still be a fierce battle waiting at the foot of the mountain. Though her entire body ached, she still clenched the Kunlun Sword tightly. Yet she had never expected that what awaited her was not a bloody fight, but melon seeds, pastries, and spiritual rice tea.
The Su family’s carriage was extremely luxurious, with an incense burner and even a large bed—enough to accommodate seven or eight people with ease.
She sat inside the soft carriage. Her exhausted dantian had already been replenished by medicinal pills. She sat face to face with that demon, and into the hand that had gone numb from gripping the sword, someone had stuffed a cup of tea.
She was used to fighting alone, had nearly lost count of how many times she had fought desperately in hopeless situations. The feeling of entrusting her back to another person for the first time… was actually not bad.
Just at that moment, the carriage was stopped. Someone outside asked, “Old Ancestor, are you going down the mountain? May we check inside?”
The great demon tapped on the carriage wall. The person outside, completely without suspicion, poked his head in—only to have his neck twisted with a crack and be thrown aside, then kicked off the carriage, his style extremely bandit-like.
Chao Jinsui: …
She took back what she had thought about it not being bad.
On the roof of the carriage, Xiao Yanjing hidden among the tassels poked its head down. With a flick of its tail, the carriage began to gallop wildly.
The one driving the carriage… was Xiao Yanjing.
Thus, the carriage sped down the mountain as if entering an uninhabited land, racing through the Su family’s heavy encirclement.
Meeting her questioning gaze, he smiled lightly. “This is the carriage of their half-step Spirit Transformation old ancestor.”
And…
The demon’s expression was very strange. “Why is the Su family’s old ancestor a half-demon?”
Chao Jinsui was also momentarily stunned, but she quickly recalled some things.
In her previous life, Su Liuyun had only revealed his half-demon identity after taking control of the overall situation. At the time, she had thought it was a secret long concealed by the Su family. Who would have thought that that so-called old ancestor of the Su family was also a half-demon?
“I devoured him.”
Faced with a half-demon, what was there for this demon to say? Of course, without another word, he simply devoured him.
“However, it seemed the Su family had come to cause trouble for Chao Taichu.”
“Helping you once is fine. Helping Chao Taichu… I’m not that idle.”
Hearing this, she visibly let out a breath of relief.
The demon set down his teacup and leaned in close to her, malice filling his beautiful face:
“What, afraid I’ll start a massacre?”
He was tall. Leaning closer inside the carriage, his shadow fell over her, the sense of oppression overwhelming.
She smiled. “Yan Xueyi, I know you won’t.”
Her short hair suited her extremely well. She looked at him with a smiling gaze.
Sweet talk!
He immediately turned his head away uncomfortably. Today, being restrained by her like this, he felt like a vicious dog forced into a muzzle, constrained at every turn. He had been quite displeased all along. Yet she spoke pleasing words to coax him, and looked at him with those bright, sparkling eyes—he felt uncomfortable all over, unable to even say a single cruel remark.
Once the vicious dog’s bristling fur had been smoothed down, its danger level dropped greatly. The corners of his lips even carried a careless hint of pleasure, and from time to time he glanced at her.
Chao Jinsui had indeed not lied to him. What she said was half the truth.
The system of the demon race was very different from that of the human race. Among demons, there was no distinction like Nascent Soul or Golden Core. They were generally divided into low-tier lesser demons, mid-tier demons, and the most powerful high-tier demons.
Their method of growth was also very simple and brutal: devouring one another.
High-tier demons possessed extremely strange methods, their strength unfathomable. However, demons had a fatal flaw—they were prone to losing control. Once their demonic nature erupted, only their instinct to devour remained, and they would not distinguish between friend or foe.
This was precisely why human cultivators, though their individual combat strength had always been inferior to demons for ten thousand years, could still remain locked in stalemate with them for nearly ten thousand years.
After all, if the opposing demon lost control, they would quickly begin destroying themselves.
Demons were chaotic, disordered, and dangerous beings. At any moment they stood on the edge of a cliff—either destroying themselves, or destroying others.
The little demon back then had managed to carve a path out from among those frenzied high-tier demons because he was not only powerful, but also possessed a self-control bordering on self-torment. He had no excess desires to begin with, and had even lost the sensation of pain. A dangerous and powerful demon, once endowed with reason and clear purpose, was terrifying indeed.
She knew she was seeking the skin of a tiger.
As for why she said it was half the truth—
She did not dare to take the risk. If he truly began a massacre, if there was even a one-in-ten-thousand chance he might lose control… besides Kunlun and the Su family, there were many ordinary rogue cultivators at the foot of the mountain.
Her own grudges could not implicate the innocent. She had given him her trust, but she was unwilling for others to bear the risks of her choice.
Thinking this, she subconsciously grasped his wrist. The beautiful great demon stiffened all over, looked at her, then at his sleeve, and hid his overly good mood today behind the act of drinking tea.
The sword cultivator thought: if he were to suddenly erupt in demonic frenzy and slaughter indiscriminately… she would fight to the death to stop him, even if it meant perishing together.
The demon thought: tch, clingy.
✦ ─ ˗ˋ ୨୧ ˊ˗ ─ ✦
Kunlun Sword Sect.
After witnessing the might of the Kunlun Sword, Chao Taichu was filled with greed and unwillingness. “That is the number one sword under heaven, once capable of splitting Mount Kunlun with a single strike—indeed extraordinary. Even against the sect-protecting grand array, it could still contend in battle!”
“No, we cannot let the Kunlun Sword escape!”
Greed gnawed at his reason like a parasite in the bone—if such a divine weapon were in his hands, would his cultivation not soar by leaps and bounds? Once the thought arose, it could no longer be extinguished.
Clearly, he had completely forgotten that the only reason one could contend with the sect-protecting grand array was because the one wielding the sword was Chao Jinsui.
Yet even stronger than his greed was the fear he refused to acknowledge, slowly spreading through his heart. He had never seen such an expression on the face of this daughter who had always been so sensible. She had always been gentle and calm, but the look in her eyes when she severed her hair had been utterly ruthless.
The wound inflicted by that icy little sword still throbbed faintly. The frost that had formed, being sword qi, could not heal for the time being.
He could not let this wolf cub leave the mountain. Otherwise, in the future, she would surely become his greatest hidden danger. He paid no heed to the half-collapsed side of Mount Kunlun, nor did he look back to see whether Chao Xiaotu lived or died. He simply led his people and hurriedly gave chase.
—Today, he absolutely could not let her leave the mountain.
“Pursue!”
Only when he led his people down and was struck by the cold mountain wind of Kunlun did Chao Taichu finally snap out of his frenzy. But it was too late—
The head of the Su family stood three zhang away, sneering at him.
Su Baishan ground his teeth in hatred—he had been lying in wait for several days.
Back then, the message Chao Jinsui had sent out using Su Baiyin’s communication talisman had long made Su Baishan believe that Chao Taichu was the true culprit. Yet, constrained by the sect-protecting grand array, he could not enter Kunlun and could only keep watch outside.
Chao Taichu had promised to give him an explanation today, yet had delayed again and again!
In that instant, Su Baishan’s grief-stricken, blood-red eyes met Chao Taichu’s, bursting with bone-deep hatred. “Old bastard! Pay with your life for my son!”
At Su Baishan’s command, the surrounding Su family disciples sealed off the area completely, leaving not even a drop of water to pass.
Chao Taichu had no choice but to draw his sword to respond. Yet the Su family had come seeking vengeance, long prepared in every way. Their disciples surged forward together, blocking even the final stretch of road back to the Kunlun Sword Sect.
Meeting Su Baishan’s gaze, one that wished to put him to death, cold sweat poured down Chao Taichu’s back.
At first, Chao Taichu had only intended to push Chao Jinsui out to placate the situation. Once the Su family obtained their “explanation,” and with no way to enter, given time, they would naturally leave Kunlun. Who would have thought that his carefully laid plans would end with the one offered to the Su family to “vent their anger” becoming himself.
✦ ─ ˗ˋ ୨୧ ˊ˗ ─ ✦
Halfway down the mountain, that strange carriage was finally noticed.
“Not good—the old ancestor’s soul lamp has gone out. Who exactly is inside that carriage?”
Realizing something was wrong, the Su family surrounded the eerie carriage completely.
“Who goes there? Step down at once!”
Inside the carriage, the two of them were still drinking tea.
The demon revealed a smile. “Suisui, call me gege once, and I’ll help you.”
Chao Jinsui laughed softly. The Kunlun Sword resting on the table let out an excited ringing sound. A sword that had not tasted blood for ten thousand years trembled with excitement.
She drew her sword and went out.
The demon ground his back teeth and followed after her.
Their movements were not large. Along the way, dealing with these disciples was like chopping melons and slicing vegetables—the battle ended in a few swift moves.
At this time, the Su family’s main forces had all gone to surround Chao Taichu. With such a living target blocking ahead, the carriage swaggered right out of Mount Kunlun.
Chao Zhaoyue had long since cleared an escape route for Chao Jinsui, killing who knew how many Su family disciples. He did not know what the situation inside the sect-protecting grand array had become. On the surface, he held his sword in silence, but in truth he was burning with anxiety, repeatedly casting worried glances toward Mount Kunlun.
He had already made up his mind—if his younger sister did not come out, he would charge back in and bring her out himself.
Finally, just as his patience was about to run out, he saw a carriage in the distance.
Behind him, Wuya said excitedly, “It’s Master, Lingyun! Martial Uncle Zhaoyue, Master has arrived!”
Chao Zhaoyue immediately felt the weight in his chest lift.
Seeing his younger sister step down from the carriage, he immediately went forward to greet her. But halfway there, he stopped, his gaze seemingly casual as it swept over the carriage.
Chao Jinsui reunited with her brother and briefly explained what had happened in the sect. Her gaze shifted to the two people behind Chao Zhaoyue.
Wuya scratched his head. “Master, I want to go with you.”
Lingyun also poked her head out, looking at her eagerly. “Young Sect Master, I also want to go with you!”
Chao Zhaoyue immediately said with a headache, “I ran into them right after coming down the mountain. They refused to leave without seeing you.”
After all, not everyone in the Kunlun Sword Sect was an ungrateful wretch. When they discovered that Chao Taichu had murderous intent toward the Young Sect Master, Lingyun and the others secretly slipped out and opened the mountain gate. Of course, it was impossible for just the two of them to accomplish that—there were many other disciples of Mount Kunlun involved.
Over the past hundred years, the Young Sect Master’s dedication had been seen by all. Many disciples had engraved that kindness in their hearts. It was only that most of them held low positions in the sect; facing the elders and the Sect Master, they simply did not dare to openly resist.
If not for these youngsters helping, Chao Zhaoyue would not have been able to open the mountain gate so easily.
