Qu Qi propped herself up on both sides of her, her fox eyes unblinking as she said, “Just checking to see what our Mimi is up to.”
She looked at the two eyes, one nose, and one mouth—the way they were arranged made her look like a fairy descended from heaven. Qu Qi found that looking at a great beauty whenever she had nothing to do made her mood improve instantly; it was probably the same principle as scrolling through short videos of pretty girls.
“Cultivating.”
Sheng Xizhu extended a slender finger, pressing it against Qu Qi’s forehead and pushing her away none too gently.
The icy fingertip pressed against her brow, making Qu Qi let out a small “ow” as her face was forced upward. She muttered, “Mimi is so diligent.”
Her eyes were sparkling as she said sincerely, “Actually, you don’t have to work so hard at cultivating. I’m at the Golden Core stage now; I can protect you.”
Sheng Xizhu fell silent upon hearing this.
The girl had mediocre skills herself, yet she was fantasizing about protecting others—pure wishful thinking. However, she didn’t voice any sarcasm; she simply closed her eyes again and gave a faint, “Mn.”
Qu Qi sat down obediently beside her and asked casually, “By the way, how did you get lost and end up at Songting Study today?”
Sheng Xizhu could feel that burning gaze hadn’t left; it was still concentrated on her face. She replied, “I was just walking around and happened to end up there.”
Qu Qi flopped onto the pillow and let out a soft sigh.
Fine, the cat master’s wings had grown strong, her heart was wild, and she wanted to see how big the world outside was. Qu Qi could understand that. After staying on the back mountain for so long, it was natural to be curious about unseen scenery.
She stared up at the ceiling and said gloomily, “Next time you go out, can you let me know first?”
Sheng Xizhu kept her eyes closed and didn’t answer.
“I’ll worry about you.” Sensing her silent refusal, Qu Qi knitted her brows and spooked her with a serious tone, “A little kitty like you, without the strength to even truss a chicken—what if you get kidnapped? I’m telling you, there are many strange people out there. They’ll catch you and eat you!”
She patted her chest. “In this world, only Sister truly won’t hurt you.”
Sheng Xizhu: “…”
She rubbed her temples helplessly. How did this person manage to confuse her with these “sugar-coated bullets” every single day?
Qu Qi looked at her expectantly, her beautiful fox eyes drooping like a pitiful puppy: “You don’t believe me?”
Seeing her dejected look, Sheng Xizhu didn’t want to argue and said, “…I believe you.”
Qu Qi said with satisfaction, “Good girl.”
Having ensured Sheng Xizhu agreed to her request, she stopped talking. The room suddenly became quiet. Feeling a bit drowsy, Qu Qi intended to close her eyes and rest.
Seeing that she had finally quieted down, Sheng Xizhu turned on her side and took out a small booklet with a black cover and gold-stamped characters.
This was what she had obtained earlier in the Library Pavilion. It contained detailed records of all the major life events of the sect leaders, elders, and inner and outer disciples from the founding of the Sword Seeking Sect to the present day.
A register of disciples like this was traditionally kept in the secret treasure vault of the Library Pavilion, strictly guarded by three Archivists. However, the realm of those guards was too far below hers to pose any threat.
Sheng Xizhu could have taken it silently, but she had changed her mind midway and killed the three guards as well. From the moment she decided on revenge, she had no intention of letting anyone associated with the Sword Seeking Sect go.
Sheng Xizhu opened the register and flipped to the records from a hundred years ago. She quickly found those familiar names.
She brushed her fingers over a few lines of elegant small script, reciting mentally: “Elder Jin Louyan has four disciples in total: Xue Gao, Qiao Keli, Yu Wan, and Dan Huangsu. All achieved Dao and ascended eighty years ago. Elder Jin Louyan, devoted to the Sword Seeking Sect, did not become an immortal and voluntarily remained in the mortal realm to serve the sect. By unanimous approval of the sect, Jin Louyan assumed the position of Sect Leader fifty years ago.”
So her Master was the current Sect Leader…
Sheng Xizhu’s aura grew heavy. After a long moment, a very faint laugh escaped her lips. How senile and incompetent were the elders of the Sword Seeking Sect back then to choose such a selfish and greedy person as the Sect Leader?
She skimmed through the pages. There was no news of the four disciples after their ascension, and the Sect Leader had entered secluded cultivation three years ago and had not emerged since.
When she reached the end of that year’s records, Sheng Xizhu suddenly clenched her fingers. The old pages were crumpled in her grip, the characters twisting.
In the register, spanning nearly a thousand pages, she could not find the three words: “Sheng Xizhu.”
Of course. How would they dare to make that shameful past public? The Sword Seeking Sect was located on Penglai Island, surrounded by the sea and far from the mainland; news wouldn’t reach that far even at its fastest. Keeping this hidden was easy for them.
Her existence had already been wiped clean in that siege a hundred years ago. The days spent on Wangxi Peak in the past seemed to have turned into a handful of desolate dust, buried underground, forgotten by all.
Sheng Xizhu narrowed her eyes. Veins suddenly bulged on her forehead, and her dark eyes were filled with gloom. Correspondingly, the shadow behind her grew increasingly twisted and terrifying.
Every Nightmare experiences a burst of intense emotion—hatred or sorrow—right before death. After being reborn, those emotions still latched onto them. Whenever they recalled their cause of death, a Nightmare would lose control and fall into a frenzy.
Suddenly, amidst the long, steady sound of breathing beside her, the girl’s faint scent wafted over silently. Several strands of cool Yin Qi attached to her softly and gently, doing their best to soothe Sheng Xizhu’s murderous instincts.
Sheng Xizhu shuddered, and her mind slowly calmed down. She turned her head, gazing with a complex expression at the girl sprawled out like a salted fish beside her.
A Nightmare could perceive all human negative emotions: sadness, greed, desire, hatred, jealousy… but she could feel almost no negative emotions from Qu Qi.
Qu Qi’s state of mind was very peaceful, likely because she was naturally lighthearted. Her spiritual manor was like a sun-drenched meadow in the afternoon, making one want to close their eyes and nap the moment they got close.
Sheng Xizhu no longer rejected the approach of the Yin Qi. She closed her eyes and lay down beside the girl, her violent emotions fading bit by bit.
Two hours passed in this manner. Qu Qi groggily opened her eyes to find a fluffy black mass pressed tightly against her cheek. She rubbed her eyes and, realizing what it was, reached out to rua the soft cat a few times.
The black cat opened her eyes, glanced at her, and lazily closed them again.
Qu Qi felt that her cat master seemed much more docile, so she grew bold and gently pulled the kitty into her arms. The black cat rarely didn’t resist, letting herself sink into the girl’s warm embrace, her long tail swaying unconsciously.
Qu Qi: “!”
She simply buried her face in the cat’s soft fur and took a deep breath. “Ah! I’m so happy!” Waking up to a cute cat—she was a winner in life!
Black Cat: “…” Not only does this person have no negative emotions, but she’s also silly and cheerful every day. It’s truly enviable.
Having napped all afternoon, Qu Qi was mostly awake, so she simply stayed sprawled on the bed with the kitty, reading a storybook.
The black cat originally had no interest in such things, but being held in her arms, she glanced at it once or twice. She saw various unsightly words: “The Immortal Lord, with reddened eyes, dominantly pulled the demoness into his arms, wishing to [redacted] [redacted] with her! At the height of their passion, they began to [redacted] frantically!”
The black cat’s fur stood on end instantly.
Qu Qi hurried to smooth her fur. “Hmm? What’s wrong?”
Black Cat: “Meow!” Truly a frivolous woman, reading such… strange things every day!
In her youth, she had been devoted to cultivation and diligent study. She spent her days practicing the sword or sparring; she was completely ignorant of such romantic affairs and found them shameful to speak of, let alone to display so openly.
Thinking about how this person was either lying flat or sleeping every day, Sheng Xizhu’s brow twitched. She decided she had to supervise her properly.
Qu Qi was trying to smooth the fur of the bristling cat in her arms when suddenly a cloud of mist swirled. The soft fur in her hands instantly turned into porcelain-white, delicate skin.
The icy, jade-like beauty was lying in her arms, wearing a thin white garment, her slender waist graceful and her long legs entwined with Qu Qi’s.
Qu Qi was completely stunned. “You!”
She was pressing against Sheng Xizhu’s waist; with the warm, fragrant beauty in her arms and the various imaginative words in the storybook, it felt as if fiction had turned into reality.
The beauty closed the storybook with one hand and hooked Qu Qi’s shoulder with the other, her red lips parting slightly: “…Go and cultivate!”