Ming Yueyi asked, "What is the true form of that demon? How can we find it?"
Juezhen Daojun replied, "That is still unknown, but the great demon has not yet matured. It is likely still in its infancy, which is precisely why I summoned you all today. Other Zongmen have already dispatched disciples down the mountain to investigate the anomalies. It won't be long before the impending emergence of the great demon becomes widely known. I need you to find the immature great demon as quickly as possible."
"Wujiu."
He Wujiu stepped forward.
The master then called upon Li Changming and instructed, "You two will lead separate teams. Wujiu will take Yueyi and Yuemin to search for the demon. You and Qingyun will investigate how the parasitic demons from Futuhai managed to escape and infiltrate the Zongmen."
The swamp within Futuhai reeked intensely of foul odors. Demons that lingered there for long would carry an indelible stench on their bodies. Using the bodies of Zongmen disciples nourished by Spiritual Power to mask this odor was a matter that had to be investigated.
The master's arrangement was within Ming Yueyi's expectations, as it had been arranged similarly in previous lifetimes.
After receiving their tasks, Juezhen Daojun urged them to descend the mountain promptly.
Upon leaving the council hall, Li Changming hurriedly took the Jiejinling and used Sword-flight to head towards Huiguo Ya to fetch Guan Qingyun.
Ming Yueyi looked at the two still standing in place and hesitated for a moment before asking, "Senior Brother, Junior Brother, do you plan to return to your Dongfu to pack and descend the mountain tomorrow, or what are your intentions?"
He Wujiu replied, "Either is fine."
Ming Yueyi said, "Then let's meet at the mountain gate tomorrow. I still have some things to pack."
"Alright." He Wujiu nodded. "That works. I'll go back and relocate the bamboo shoots in my courtyard."
Having reached an agreement, Ming Yueyi turned to the youth standing quietly to the side like a solitary pine at dusk, dressed in white robes with a red outer garment. His dark lashes cast long shadows over his pale face.
"What about you, Junior Brother?"
Pu Yuemin lightly fluttered his long lashes, raised his head, and smiled at the two. "I am also fine with either."
After speaking, he added unhurriedly, "I will follow Shijie's lead."
Since neither had any objections, Ming Yueyi parted ways with them and left first via Sword-flight.
After she departed, the other two remained standing in place.
Seeing the youth still staring at him, He Wujiu turned his head and asked, "Is there something else, Junior Brother?"
A faint smile graced the youth's beautiful lips as he shook his head and replied, "Senior Brother's injuries haven't fully healed yet. I'm concerned that descending the mountain this time might aggravate them."
He Wujiu's expression faltered slightly.
He did indeed have injuries, sustained not long ago during training outside when he accidentally entered a minor realm and brought the wounds out with him.
Three months had passed since that incident, and very few knew about his injuries. Unexpectedly, Junior Brother had detected them with just a few glances.
He Wujiu's expression returned to normal as he gently said, "It's nothing serious, just minor injuries. I've been protecting them with Spiritual Power, and they are gradually improving."
"Is that so?" Pu Yuemin gazed at him, his lips curling into a strangely divine and compassionate smile. He raised a finger and produced a blood-red Spirit Stone the size of a goose egg.
"Senior Brother needs to use Spiritual Power to protect your injuries, so you likely require Spirit Stones. I happen to have a Jipin Lingshi obtained by chance not long ago. I offer it to you."
He Wujiu's gaze fell upon the Spirit Stone in his palm, immediately recognizing it as one of exceptional quality, aged at least five hundred years or more.
He withdrew his gaze and shook his head. "Thank you, Junior Brother, but that won't be necessary. I have enough Spirit Stones."
"Mmm." Pu Yuemin did not persist and put away the Spirit Stone.
"Junior Brother, we shall meet again tomorrow at the foot of the mountain." He Wujiu stepped onto his longsword, giving him a friendly nod before departing via sword-flight.
Pu Yuemin, lost in thought, gazed in the direction where the two had left together. The corners of his lips curled into a peculiar smile, his face eerily vacant, as if his soul had been stripped away, leaving only a beautiful shell.
Without enough Spirit Stones, the wounds would gradually fester.
Shijie would not like anything ugly.
The longsword touched down, and Ming Yueyi sheathed it, entering her Dongfu.
Due to the terrain, the ground of her Dongfu was solid and thick, allowing for the construction of a hidden chamber unknown to others.
The chamber was surrounded by a concealment array. Inside, aside from the usual necessities like a bed, robes, and a pool, there was a Cauldron at the center, refining a Dharma Tool.
The expression on Ming Yueyi's face had faded, replaced by calmness as she descended the stone steps. She first inspected the Dharma Tool inside the Cauldron.
What was being refined inside was an Xuantielian capable of sealing a cultivator's Spiritual Power.
To ensure its effectiveness for future use, Ming Yueyi brought over a small wooden stool and sat before the Cauldron, pouring all the remaining Spirit Stones she had won earlier from her Storage Bag into it.
The flames, which had been burning, now glowed with a vibrant cyan hue.
The lush firelight fell upon her fair cheeks, making the darkness in her eyes shine with an extraordinary brightness.
She intended to refine two Xuantielian chains. One would follow the normal trajectory of the first life, used to bind Pu Yuemin to prevent the plot from collapsing. The other would be used to bind He Wujiu.
After all, he was the male lead. No matter how hard she tried, her talent could never match that of Tiandao's favored one. She could only rely on other methods to successfully complete the 'Jijian' and ascend to godhood.
Ming Yueyi stared into the flames, frowning and murmuring, "Out of Spirit Stones again. It seems I'll have to take on missions to earn more this time, or it won't be enough."
To obtain Spirit Stones in Qingyun Zong, one had to go to the Renwutang to accept demon-slaying missions. A first-tier minor demon yielded two Spirit Stones, a second-tier demon ten, a third-tier demon a hundred, and so on, with the highest being fifth-tier demons, worth millions of Spirit Stones.
But those were already major demons like the Lord of Futuhai or Zhuyan, who wreaked havoc across entire regions.
Ming Yueyi often accepted missions for third-tier demons. Though difficult to eliminate, they paid well. However, all the Spirit Stones she earned over the years had been thrown into the refining furnace.
The Spirit Stones she had just poured in would sustain the refining for a while longer. She still had time to hunt demons and earn Spirit Stones alongside them.
Ming Yueyi meticulously cleaned the hidden chamber where the two would reside in the future, cherishing it dearly before stepping outside.
The sky outside was still early, clear as if washed, with occasional cranes flying by and unknown mountain spirits chirping.
Ming Yueyi brought over a rocking chair, lying comfortably on it to enjoy the rare leisure of spring.
Meanwhile, Guan Qingyun, who had just emerged from Xuelao, rushed over via sword-flight, landing clumsily on the Jiejie outside her Dongfu.
In the courtyard, Ming Yueyi rested a plain square handkerchief on her cheek, wearing a blue-and-white misty gauze dress as she gently rocked on the rattan chair, the wind treating her with exceptional gentleness.
"Ming Yueyi!"
"Ming Yueyi…"
Guan Qingyun clung to the transparent Jiejie, tears streaming as the barbs on the barrier pricked her all over, yet she refused to move away, determined to wake the woman in the courtyard.
Ming Yueyi was only lightly asleep. Sensing the anomaly in the Jiejie, she opened her eyes, removed the handkerchief from her face, and looked upward.
"Junior Sister?"
Seeing that she was finally awake, Guan Qingyun pounded on the Jiejie excitedly. "Shijie, quick, let me in! I have something important to tell you."
Ming Yueyi lowered the Jiejie.
"You just got out. Why didn’t you return to your own Dongfu to rest first, instead coming here?"
The girl leaped down from above, landing nimbly before her, and lifted her delicate little face as she naturally squeezed onto the rocking chair where she sat.
"I just heard from Second Brother that you're going with Big Brother and Junior Brother to hunt for the great demon. I want to go with you. Why don't you come with me and Second Brother to investigate the Swamp Butterfly Demon?"
Ming Yueyi shook her head: "I can't decide. You should ask Master."
Guan Qingyun leaned carelessly against her shoulder, playing with her hair: "We're already outside the Zongmen. Who you go with, the old man won't know. I don't feel comfortable with you staying with Big Brother."
Ming Yueyi pulled her long hair from Guan Qingyun's fingertips and asked gently, "Don't you like Junior Brother now?"
Guan Qingyun blinked at her: "Ah, right, and Junior Brother too. I don't feel comfortable with you being with Big Brother and Junior Brother."
Ming Yueyi: "…"
"That won't do either," Ming Yueyi replied flatly, shaking her head.
In previous lifetimes, although she had also been with Pu Yuemin and Big Brother, she had been constantly trying to avoid the fate of being sacrificed to the sword, rarely joining them seriously in hunting the great demon. This time, she intended to follow the originally intended plot, so she would not go with Guan Qingyun.
After being rejected, Guan Qingyun stood up angrily and questioned her: "Why!"
"Because hunting for the great demon is dangerous. Besides, I heard from Second Brother earlier that you also want to hang a tassel on your Benming Sword like Big Brother. When hunting demons, we head south first—that area is rich in Liulican. If I see any, I can weave a tassel for you." Ming Yueyi soothed her unhurriedly.
Hearing this, Guan Qingyun's wide, angry eyes gradually curved, though she still pretended to be displeased, shaking Ming Yueyi's arm: "Shijie, you should have said earlier that you're going with them for my sake. Then I'll allow you to go with Big Brother and Junior Brother for now."
Finally, she added warily: "But Big Brother is someone I've liked for many years, and Junior Brother is the one I noticed first. Shijie, you mustn't take advantage of my absence to act first."
Ming Yueyi shook her head expressionlessly: "I won't. You like Junior Brother, so when the time comes, I'll find a way to tie him up for you."
Upon hearing this, Guan Qingyun revealed her adorable canine teeth: "Good."
Ming Yueyi tenderly stroked the girl's cheek, her voice as gentle as a spring breeze carrying warmth: "You should go back and rest now. You're all dirty."
Guan Qingyun was easy to soothe, and Ming Yueyi had long understood her temperament. With just a few words, she sent her away.
After the girl left, the tenderness in Ming Yueyi's eyes faded. She glanced upward, picked up the plain handkerchief that had fallen on her lap, covered her face with it, and continued to rest with her eyes closed, rocking gently in the chair.
Unconsciously, she fell asleep in the courtyard.
Even as the sun sank behind the mountain and twilight descended, there was no sign of her waking. Instead, she slept even more deeply, so deeply that it felt as if something heavy were pressing down on her body.
Ming Yueyi couldn't open her eyes, her body bound and unable to move—only her fingers remained free.
She touched something.
Cold, moist yet not sticky, smooth skin.
Unlike human skin, it was covered with faint scales, indistinguishable whether it was a snake shedding its skin or something else.
"Shijie…"
A very soft voice whispered beside her ear, its tail trembling lightly, emitting excited yet cautious, passionate gasps.
What is this?
Ming Yueyi's brows furrowed slightly as she tried to turn her head away, avoiding the cold and strange breath.
Yet, her chin was lifted, her head tilted back to rest flat against the rocking chair, her relaxed posture as if lying on a bed.
The rocking chair seemed unable to bear the current weight, emitting a creaking sound as it swayed.
The bright moon above had emerged from the clouds, casting its clear glow into the courtyard. The young man sat atop her, completely naked, his skin pale and glowing softly. His nose pressed against her eyelids, his pale, bloodless fingers pinched her chin, like a seductive demon under the moonlight. And indeed, beneath him was a massive white serpent tail, coiling around her and the rocking chair like tangled roots.
"Shijie, why do you reject me? Why would you give me away to someone else?" He affectionately nuzzled the woman beneath him.
"I am yours…"
But Ming Yueyi could not answer him, suffocated by the massive serpent tail wrapped around her, struggling to breathe. Unable to hold back, she parted her lips, gasping for air. The exposed tip of her pink tongue, like a dew-laden flower bud, trembled as she tilted her head back.
The crimson serpent tongue, which had been desperately licking her flushed cheeks, suddenly slipped into her parted lips, touching the dew-kissed tip of her tongue.
He let out an unbearable moan, his trembling body under the moonlight exuding a decadent, fragile sensuality.
Ming Yueyi was licked until her entire body went limp. Beneath her skirt, her legs were slick and sticky from the cold serpent tail brushing against them, as if she were sinking into a damp, moldy, shadowy corner. Trembling uncontrollably, she shakily extended her fingertips and grasped a piece of scale as hard as iron.
The temperature beneath the scale was not as cold as the surface—it was warm. Hidden beneath the scale was something pulsating, throbbing with veins, scorching hot as if it could melt the back of her fingers.
"Ah… Shijie, don't…" The voice in her ear grew louder, as if crying, yet the tone was particularly exhilarated.
Even to pique her curiosity, he lifted the covering abdominal scale and shifted the front side of his snow-white serpent tail to press against the back of her hand, restraining himself as he gently nudged it.
A tone that was both desperate and pleading, impossible to tell whether he was telling her not to touch recklessly.
He was like a fox in heat, unable to find satisfaction.