Wen Chiyue often found it difficult to distinguish whether Jiang Xiechen was telling the truth or a lie.
Just as she could never quite discern the nature of the feelings Jiang Xiechen held for her.
As the sword spirit of the Autumn Frost Sword, she was supposed to be one in heart and mind with Jiang Xiechen. Yet, Jiang Xiechen harbored a deep-seated suspicion toward her, one that remained unspoken, but one that Wen Chiyue could feel nonetheless.
What sword spirit has to live such a stifling existence?
At the same time, a sense of despair washed over Wen Chiyue. Even while being mistrusted like this, she still didn’t want to leave her master.
Gripping the blood-red fan at her waist, Wen Chiyue gritted her teeth and declared, “I will stay with Master!”
As the words left her lips, something seemed to tighten invisibly around her heart, making it difficult to breathe.
“I told you, I was joking,” Jiang Xiechen said, shaking her head and rejecting the offer with a cold voice.
“Scoff, ‘slaying demons and eliminating evil’?” The man in red spoke as if he had heard the world’s greatest joke. Even though the giant wolf-dog lay motionless on the ground, he remained unhurried. He smiled and asked, “I’d like to see if you actually have the strength to back that up.”
The man in red raised his hand. Tied to his wrist was a red string adorned with a small bell. Following his movements, the bell emitted a series of crisp, rhythmic rings.
On a man, such a bell would undoubtedly look strange, yet on him, it possessed a kind of natural, seamless beauty.
With a flick of his wrist, the blood from the corpse at his feet began to flow from the wounds torn open by the giant wolf-dog, slowly coiling around the beast.
Listening to the ringing, Jiang Xiechen first wore a look of confusion, then said with absolute certainty, “The Scarlet Blooded Demon.”
The Scarlet Blooded Demon was slightly startled. “You actually recognize me?”
He sized Jiang Xiechen up, frowning. “You cannot see me, yet you can call out my name just by the sound of my weapon. You understand demons far better than I imagined.”
He let out a soft chuckle. “However, have you considered this by recklessly calling out the name of a Sky Demon, aren’t you afraid I’ll kill you?”
Only those who could take human form, break free from their demonic nature, and possess reason were called high-ranking demons. Among all high-ranking demons, the status of a Sky Demon was second only to the Demon Venerable.
Since the fall of the Demon Venerable, internal strife had plagued the demon race. The Sky Demons had formed their own factions and had no time to worry about the outside world. To find a demon with the leisure to wander out at a time like this…
“You’re nothing more than a loser,” Jiang Xiechen said calmly, lifting her head. “Why should I be afraid?”
“Awoo!” The giant wolf-dog shook its fur once more, letting out an indignant howl. Its claws scratched at the ground, waiting only for the Scarlet-Blooded Demon’s command.
The Scarlet Blooded Demon was truly provoked.
Even demons were subject to the cultivation restrictions of the secret realm. He wasn’t a sword cultivator, but he possessed the Blood Sucking Bell. As long as a single drop of blood remained, he would not die. Even though he had failed in the internal demonic power struggles, no Sky Demon dared to drive him to total extinction.
He had never endured such mockery.
“Little Wolf,” the Scarlet Blooded Demon’s voice was tinged with rage.
The giant wolf-dog and the Scarlet Blooded Demon were of one body, it naturally felt the shift in his emotions. Its pupils contracted into thin slits, staring intently at Jiang Xiechen as they slowly turned a solid, deep red. Its teeth grew even sharper.
“Roar!” The wolf-dog kicked off with its hind legs and lunged at Jiang Xiechen.
Once or twice was one thing, but by the third time, how could Wen Chiyue allow her master to be ambushed again? Without hesitation, she snapped open her fan, revealing the sharp, needle-like tips of the fan ribs, which immediately scattered toward the surroundings.
One inconspicuous needle flew straight toward the Scarlet Blooded Demon.
The demon keenly dodged the needle. He squinted, carefully observing Wen Chiyue’s fan. The more he looked, the more familiar it seemed, yet he couldn’t quite remember where he had seen it.
A trace of unease flickered in his heart. He reached out with his other hand, produced a small knife, and swiftly sliced his wrist.
Amidst the jingling of the Blood Sucking Bell, the blood transformed into a mist of gore that enveloped the giant wolf-dog. A sound of bones breaking and resetting followed as the beast grew to twice its original size.
Wen Chiyue gasped. “So the Scarlet Blooded Demon’s only use is making things bigger or smaller?”
The Scarlet Blooded Demon: “?”
“Glittering tongue,” he hissed.
The strength of the giant wolf-dog had increased significantly, and because of its massive size, saliva was dripping from its maw.
Wen Chiyue didn’t mind for herself, but her master had a cleanliness obsession. If she went back covered in drool, she likely wouldn’t be able to get near her for the rest of their time in the secret realm.
Well, she found it disgusting herself, too.
Using a clever bit of force, Wen Chiyue pushed the giant wolf-dog back and landed lightly on the ground. She looked at the sword in her hand with a troubled expression. “Master, you must get me a better sword when we return.”
This had been Jiang Xiechen’s oversight.
Wen Chiyue was born with her own weapon. Jiang Xiechen had only thought that the fan could serve as a hidden weapon to avoid early exposure, so she had equipped her with a standard sword. She hadn’t considered the issue of reach.
What kind of sword cultivator is afraid of getting dirty?
Listening to the sound of the wind, Jiang Xiechen said, “Catch.”
She quickly threw the Autumn Frost Sword toward Wen Chiyue.
The moment the sword left her hand, Jiang Xiechen felt a distinct wave of discomfort. Even though she knew Wen Chiyue was the spirit of the Autumn Frost Sword, her own natal sword and would risk everything to save her if danger struck, Jiang Xiechen still felt uneasy.
It felt as though she was placing her life in someone else’s hands.
She took the opportunity to snap a branch from a nearby tree, weighing it in her hand a few times to barely suppress the unease in her heart.
After all, Jiang Xiechen was blind; facing such a massive wolf-dog, she was ultimately at a disadvantage. Giving the Autumn Frost Sword to Wen Chiyue was the most sensible choice.
Jiang Xiechen kept convincing herself of this, though she sighed softly in her heart.
Wen Chiyue leaped off the ground, catching the Autumn Frost Sword mid-air. With a twist of her waist, the sword left its scabbard. Though the Autumn Frost Sword was heavy and dull in its sheath, its edge was razor-sharp once drawn. Between her graceful movements, she seemed to leave a trail of afterimages.
Wen Chiyue stepped onto the giant wolf-dog’s body, her footsteps light and agile.
The wolf-dog wouldn’t accept this, it thrashed its body wildly, trying to throw Wen Chiyue off. But her stance was rock steady.
Braving the wind, she tightly gripped the wolf-dog’s fur and climbed upward.
Though it looked like a common wolf-dog from the mortal world, anything that survived in the cultivation world for so long couldn’t be ordinary. Wen Chiyue did not dare to be careless.
Applying force through her toes, she suddenly lunged forward. She held the Autumn Frost Sword firmly, her eyes filled with an unquenchable fire. In her crimson pupils, the red was so intense it seemed unable to contain any other color.
Those eyes, like green fire, resembled a demon lurking in the darkness.
She brought the sword straight down upon the giant wolf-dog’s head.
Bound by blood, the Scarlet Blooded Demon spat out a large mouthful of gore.
But in this moment, the demon felt only bewilderment and terror. He stared blankly at Wen Chiyue, his voice trembling as he spoke. “You… you are…”
He finally remembered why Wen Chiyue’s appearance felt so familiar.
She looked exactly like the Demon Venerable of years past.