Question: If you accidentally overhear something you shouldn’t have, how do you make sure you won’t be silenced?
Answer: Pretend you don’t exist.
The demons shrank their heads and cowered, not daring to make a sound, afraid that the ill-tempered Demon Lord might remember them.
Fortunately, the Demon Lord’s attention was entirely on that sword cultivator. Finding the demons an eyesore, he dispatched the subordinates under his command to search the Treasure Pavilion.
The demons narrowly escaped the tiger’s jaws and vanished from His Excellency’s presence at lightning speed.
The Demon Lord clearly hadn’t realized that he had just uttered a form of address that would shock the demon race for a hundred years—
Obviously, even if he had realized it, with this demon’s temperament, he wouldn’t feel the slightest bit embarrassed.
After all, those who dared to mock the Demon Lord had already disappeared.
Before learning that this person was that sword cultivator, the demon leader was furious, wanting only to tear this person into ten thousand pieces;
But after discovering that this person was that sword cultivator, the demon leader was gratified, wanting only to admire flowers beneath the moon with her, then sit atop the rooftop and talk freely about life.
So just as that deathly expression was about to relax its grip, it discovered it couldn’t let go.
Wretch: …
She had originally wanted to ask why this demon leader had come to Taixuan Wuji, but remembering that the other party was the Demon Lord and had no need to report everything to her, she stopped herself. Then she recalled that today they were clearly acting in secret, yet she had happened to stumble right into it…
Sure enough, the great demon’s phoenix eyes suddenly narrowed. He leaned closer, his expression rather sinister as he spoke: “You saw everything?”
She knew this demon was sensitive and suspicious, so she spoke to reassure him:
“I won’t say anything, and I won’t investigate what you did today. Tonight, I’ll pretend I never saw you.”
Generally speaking, as long as he wasn’t here to slaughter people indiscriminately, she wouldn’t meddle that much.
Who would have thought the Demon Lord would leisurely say, “Oh, telling you wouldn’t hurt.”
She suddenly had an ominous premonition.
Demon Lord: “Today, I came to Taixuan Wuji to snatch something.”
Demon Lord: “That would be the Mingxin Art.”
Demon Lord: “Mm, the auction house in Taixuan City yesterday was also robbed by me. Tomorrow, I plan to break into their forbidden grounds.”
Very detailed—he even included future plans.
Wretch: …
Wretch: No… why are you telling me all this?
The Demon Lord lazily narrowed his eyes: “Now you know everything.”
She said, “If I make myself lose my memory now, is it still in time?”
The Demon Lord let out two ambiguous chuckles: “You know everything already, and you still want to run?”
Chao Jinsui: …
✦ ─ ˗ˋ ୨୧ ˊ˗ ─ ✦
Perhaps because she had stumbled upon the Demon Lord’s good business, her luck tonight seemed especially bad.
She searched all over Taixuan Wuji, yet found not a single clue. She fell into thought: could it also be underground, like the Su family?
But Taixuan Wuji only had a dungeon, and the Butian Stone could not possibly be placed in a dungeon.
She went to Chao Xiaotu’s rooftop again and eavesdropped for a while.
Chao Xiaotu was having someone bring witnesses back to Taixuan Wuji. Witnesses? Hearing this, Chao Jinsui gained a clear sense of her bargaining chips and immediately stopped worrying. She didn’t waste any more time and returned to her room.
But this time when she returned, an inescapable demon followed behind her.
After a brief separation (meaning three days), this demon felt that one day apart was like three autumns. In just these short three days, not seeing her had already become deeply uncomfortable. He often regretted why he had ever made the noble decision to let her go.
Now, he was even less willing to leave.
She said, “I’m going to change clothes.”
The unspoken meaning: you can leave now.
Demon Lord: “Mm, go ahead.”
He folded his arms and leaned against the screen: stare—
She: …
Why did she think she could outmatch a demon in shamelessness?
She hinted again: “I’m going to sleep.”
Demon Lord: “Mm, sleep.”
She realized he seemed to have made up his mind not to leave, so she stared into his beautiful phoenix eyes for a while.
The Demon Lord only became even more enthusiastic about staring back.
They glared at each other for a full minute. Finally, she thought: forget it, it’s only one night.
She closed her eyes and tried to sleep.
—Failed to sleep.
Sui: “Yan Xueyi, can you stop staring at me at the head of the bed?”
Demon: “Okay.”
Ten minutes later.
She crawled out from under the blanket and snapped, “Yan Xueyi!”
The Demon Lord leaned back, propping his chin on his hand, and said unhurriedly, “I’m not staring at you from the head of the bed.”
—Yes, he was staring from the foot of the bed!
She took a deep breath, lay down again slowly, and pulled the blanket over her head.
Sui: out of sight, out of mind
Demon: ha
Sui: ╬
Early the next morning when she got up, that demon was already nowhere to be seen.
Right, he was busy.
Lingyun came to knock on the door and said in surprise, “Senior Sister, you didn’t sleep well last night?”
She took a sip of tea to calm her irritation, her forehead throbbing wildly. Pressing her head, she said irritably, “The bed was too hard.”
It was Lingyun’s first time seeing the Young Sect Master like this. Her temperament was cold, and she was beautiful, truly like an immortal. But when she got angry, she suddenly became vivid, full of mortal warmth. Lingyun couldn’t help secretly laughing.
She suddenly let out an “Eh”: “What’s that?”
Chao Jinsui followed her gaze.
It was a map of Taixuan Wuji.
—A hand-drawn map, signed with two demon horns.
The ink had not yet dried.
She could almost see the great demon from last night—glancing at her one moment, then grabbing paper and casually sketching the map.
He must have guessed she was looking for something.
She stared at the demon-horn signature for a long time. Thinking of the entire night of chaos yesterday, she suddenly felt both annoyed and amused. In the end, she helplessly put away the map, truly unable to stay angry at him.
✦ ─ ˗ˋ ୨୧ ˊ˗ ─ ✦
Last night, the demon had turned Taixuan Wuji’s Treasure Pavilion upside down. Early the next morning, although Taixuan Wuji appeared calm on the surface, the guards were three parts stricter than yesterday.
When Shi Chunqiu came to lead them toward Guangming Hall, he saw her calm expression and composed demeanor, and couldn’t help probing indirectly: “Miss Chao, how did you sleep last night? Did you hear any commotion?”
He was testing whether she was in league with the group that had gone to the Treasure Pavilion yesterday.
Her expression did not change, her heartbeat did not quicken. She merely swept him a faint glance and said, “The couch at Taixuan Wuji is indeed harder to sleep on than elsewhere.”
Shi Chunqiu’s face immediately fell.
He had already noticed yesterday—worthy of being Kunlun’s Young Sect Master for so many years. If nothing else, her skill at deflecting like Taiji was masterful, and her skin was thick. She was practically a thousand-year-old fox spirit in human form—there was no gaining even the slightest advantage over her in words.
With a dark expression, he led the group away.
At this moment, outside Guangming Hall, it was already packed with people who had come to watch the spectacle.
Taixuan Wuji’s Guangming Hall was open to the public, meant to demonstrate fairness and justice, never bending the law for private interests.
After the news spread yesterday that Chao Jinsui, bearing a red-level wanted order, had stormed Taixuan Gate, cultivators from the surrounding cities—anyone with free time—came to watch the excitement—
It was truly a rare occurrence!
Moreover, the main figure was no nobody—she was one of the most talked-about figures in the cultivation world today. A sword dao genius born with sword bones, now the youngest Nascent Soul cultivator! The future sect master of Kunlun Sword Sect. Wherever she went, she was the center of attention.
Since her teens, she had long been famous far and wide. Countless people had been curious about what kind of person she really was.
Especially in recent months—rebelling from Kunlun Sword Sect, becoming a red-level wanted criminal, then single-handedly charging into Taixuan Gate—these had added a layer of legend to her image. She had long become a topic of conversation in the cultivation world’s idle chatter.
Thus, Guangming Hall was surrounded so densely that not even water could pass through.
Led by Shi Chunqiu and Aunt Ping, Taixuan Wuji had brought twelve elders. Because the matter carried great weight, after the news spread yesterday, the Jade Sword Alliance had also sent an elder to inquire into the affair.
Chao Xiaotu had already arrived ahead of time, looking smugly at Chao Jinsui. Behind her stood several Kunlun Sword Sect disciples who had accompanied her to Yuanyang City, along with two surviving members of the Su family. The lineup of witnesses could not be considered small.
Seeing this formation, the three of them all felt their hearts sink.
Hongniang whispered, “They’ve put on this kind of display—they must really be fully confident.”
Otherwise, Taixuan Wuji could not afford to lose face like this.
Especially since even the Jade Sword Alliance had come.
Chao Jinsui said softly, “In a moment, be sure to respond carefully.”
Shi Chunqiu walked ahead. Hearing them whispering, he sneered, “The three of you, please.”
The old man’s smile did not reach his eyes, his expression full of confidence: “Cherish this chance to speak openly while you still can. Once you’re arrested, you won’t be so carefree.”
Lingyun suddenly asked, “Senior Sister, are you afraid?”
She raised her voice: “I heard Shi Chunqiu is Chao Xiaotu’s grandfather. Do you think he’ll bend the law for personal reasons?”
—That “whisper” was said extremely loudly.
As soon as the words fell, the noisy crowd around them went still, all turning to look at Shi Chunqiu in unison.
“What? Grandfather?”
“What’s going on?”
The crowd immediately erupted into buzzing discussion.
Lingyun said fearfully, “That’s true… the Su family almost became in-laws with Shi Chunqiu. Senior Sister Suisui, with so many people here, I don’t even dare testify anymore.”
Shi Chunqiu’s steps stiffened:
He watched as the murmurs around him grew louder and louder. Just as he was about to glare angrily and tell Lingyun to shut up, Hongniang, walking behind, darted behind Chao Jinsui and clutched her chest: “Scared me to death, he glared at me! So frightening!”
Shi Chunqiu, who hadn’t even spoken a word: ….
His face turned livid, and he was about to explode.
By then, they had already reached the entrance of Guangming Hall.
Chao Jinsui paused, smiled at Shi Chunqiu, and carried herself with the bearing of Kunlun Sword Sect’s former Young Sect Master, courteous and composed:
“Elder Shi, Lingyun is young and speaks bluntly. Please don’t take it to heart.”
Blunt and straightforward.
“And Hongniang is but a weak woman, easily frightened. Please be understanding.”
Weak woman.
Shi Chunqiu was so angry his face turned green, his fingers trembling.
But the surrounding cultivators who had come to watch the spectacle were whispering more and more loudly.
Seeing this, Aunt Ping had no choice but to step forward and speak: “Chunqiu, you are Chao Xiaotu’s grandfather. Naturally you must recuse yourself from this matter. Didn’t we already agree you would only observe today?”
The corner of Chao Jinsui’s lips curved: “Did you hear that? What, is the observing elder still going to block the way?”
She spoke with a gentle smile, but there was not a trace of amusement in her eyes.
Shi Chunqiu’s earlier complacency had vanished like an ephemeral flower. Now he was filled with anger, but in front of the crowd he could not show it. He could only withdraw resentfully to the side, letting the three of them walk in.
He glanced at Chao Xiaotu, thinking of the evidence in her hands. Shi Chunqiu’s expression gradually eased.
—So what if he couldn’t participate? Chao Jinsui still wouldn’t be able to turn things around!
As Aunt Ping took her seat, it finally began.
Chao Xiaotu had long been unable to wait. She stepped forward and angrily delivered the statement she had prepared:
“Elder Ping, I accuse Chao Jinsui of killing Su Liuyun, Madam Zi, Su Baishan, and Su Baiyin, and exterminating the Su family’s main lineage!”
She glared fiercely at Chao Jinsui:
“She even used extremely cruel methods to destroy Senior Brother Su’s soul! My Senior Brother Su treated her so well, yet he suffered such brutal torment. Even in death he cannot reincarnate. I ask the elders of Taixuan Wuji to uphold justice! Let this ungrateful wretch have her punishment increased!”
As her words fell, not only the surrounding spectators, but even the elders above changed expressions.
—For cultivators, destroying someone’s soul and denying them reincarnation was an act more vicious than being torn apart by five horses!
They looked toward the former Young Sect Master of Kunlun Sword Sect. Her profile was calm, standing there like jade bamboo, showing not the slightest trace that she could be such a vicious person.
Aunt Ping said, “Is there evidence?”
Chao Xiaotu had long been prepared. She had the witnesses she brought step forward one by one: the Kunlun Sword Sect disciples came forward to identify her; the surviving members of the Su family knelt on the ground in tears, pointing at Chao Jinsui and angrily denouncing her crimes.
