“Don’t move, I’m thinking!” Xue Fulan sat across from Li Changju, lost in thought.
Li Changju didn’t interrupt her, simply waiting in silence.
After a while, Xue Fulan suddenly lifted her gaze to him. “How about I let you take my place as Master of the Demon Abyss?”
“What?” Li Changju was dumbfounded.
Xue Fulan pointed at him with a serious face. “You’re really a talent. If you were in the Demon Clan, you’d definitely make it thrive! You should be our leader. I would wholeheartedly support you and raise you into a generation’s overlord!”
“So, how about it? Think it over?” Her expression was completely sincere. “If you don’t want to be my disciple, I could even marry you instead.”
“This…” Li Changju was left speechless.
Xue Fulan leaned closer. “What, do you look down on me?”
She raised her arms, her eyes mischievous. “I have fair skin, long legs, and look at this chest…” She rolled up her sleeves, revealing smooth, delicate skin. “Touch it, go on~ pinch it, isn’t it soft?”
“Stop, stop… that won’t do…” Li Changju’s forehead filled with black lines as he silently stepped back, coughing awkwardly.
“Then look at these legs…” Xue Fulan lifted the hem of her trousers, revealing a slender, pale calf. She even swayed her hips on purpose.
“…Cough, cough, cough—!” Li Changju coughed violently and rushed to stop her.
“You righteous types, always pretending to be proper. Your mouths say no, but your eyes are about to pop out,” Xue Fulan teased, lowering her skirt with a cheerful grin. “Still, why are you helping me?”
She looked at him suspiciously.
Nonsense, in the future I’ll be the one to take over the Demon Clan. If you hand me a broken force of the old, the weak, and the crippled, how would I ever fight Ye Yan?
Li Changju thought about it.
Since he had met Xue Fulan earlier than expected, strengthening the Demon Clan in advance wouldn’t hurt. Who knew how the plotline would twist now?
He smiled lightly. “I don’t think I’m helping you. You gave me a treasure, so I’ll just call you a friend.”
Though she was a demon, she was still a woman—an enchanting beauty at that, brimming with allure in every smile and glance.
Li Changju cleared his throat, picking up his teacup with forced composure. In truth, she had always been his favorite character in the novel—loyal, affectionate, never abandoning him. Only pity that her end was so tragic. But now, all he wanted was to survive by completing the system’s missions. The rest, he would let flow naturally.
“Perhaps one day in the future, I really will follow you back to the Demon Abyss,” Li Changju said with a smile.
“Then I shall await you there with open arms,” Xue Fulan replied with a charming laugh before her face suddenly turned cold. “Someone’s coming!”
From the distance came the sound of tinkling bells, crisp and melodious like orchids blooming in a secluded valley. But the sound abruptly ceased, replaced by a wave of killing intent that chilled the air and dropped the room’s temperature.
“Sorry, but I’ll have to inconvenience you.” Xue Fulan drew a short blade and pressed it against Li Changju’s neck.
“Xue Fulan, release my disciple!” A cold voice rang from outside.
A woman approached, stepping gracefully upon the moonlight. She wore flowing robes like a river of silver silk, her long raven hair pinned loosely with sandalwood, a crimson mark between her brows like plum blossoms in snow.
Carrying a parasol, each step exuded a faint fragrance of orchids. Even the stone steps beneath her seemed to bloom with starlight moss, trailing behind her like a river of silver light.
Her face was veiled, but her phoenix eyes gleamed like gems.
Li Changju’s heart trembled.
His Master, Su Qingjue. No wonder she was called the most beautiful woman in Central Continent. Even half-hidden, her beauty was undeniable.
“Su Qingjue,” Xue Fulan chuckled, “to think you’d personally come. You must care for this disciple of yours quite a bit. Tsk tsk, no wonder even us demon cultivators covet such a rare pure yin constitution.”
“Hmph! Xue Fulan, if you dare harm a single hair on my disciple’s head, even at the cost of my life, I’ll perish together with you!” Su Qingjue’s voice was icy. With a twist of her hand, the Nine Heavens Cloudflow Umbrella shifted, its frame transforming into twenty-four flying swords. Each sword radiated killing intent, forming a formation that cut off every escape.
“Don’t forget, your beloved disciple is still in my hands!” Xue Fulan’s eyes gleamed dangerously. “I’ll count to five. Five… four… three… two…”
Xue Fulan leaned closer to Li Changju and whispered teasingly, “She’s this nervous over you. Could it be your Master secretly loves you?”
“Nonsense!” Su Qingjue snapped. “Xue Fulan, release my disciple now, or else—”
“Oh my, are you flustered? If you move, I’ll kill him right here,” Xue Fulan laughed wickedly. “Imagine him corroded by demonic qi… first disfigured, then devoured… quite the sight, wouldn’t it be?”
Su Qingjue’s face darkened, her aura brimming with lethal intent.
“See? I’ve never seen her so out of control. Trust me, she must like you,” Xue Fulan whispered slyly into Li Changju’s ear.
In the original novel, Li Changju would never have believed such a thing.
After all, Su Qingjue had shown him little affection while favoring Ye Yan, protecting him faithfully. In the end, Ye Yan heartlessly abandoned her, watching as she fell to darkness and lost herself. But now, with the characters diverging so wildly from their roles, he truly couldn’t tell what Su Qingjue felt toward him.
“I’ll let you go—release my disciple!” Su Qingjue said coldly, withdrawing her twenty-four flying swords.
“Then… farewell, little Changju~” Xue Fulan winked, and in an instant, vanished without a trace.
…
“Thank you for saving me, Master!” Li Changju bowed deeply to Su Qingjue.
Su Qingjue narrowed her eyes, carefully examining him for a long moment before walking forward slowly, her Nine Heavens Cloudflow Umbrella supporting her steps.
Her white skirts brushed the stone path, the bioluminescent grass blooming in her wake like a starry river stretching for miles.
A mountain breeze stirred, carrying the fragrance of thousand-year ice lotuses.
Li Changju held his breath, watching her approach.
When she finally reached him, Su Qingjue lifted her delicate hand and removed her veil, revealing a face so breathtaking it silenced the world.
In that instant, one glance was enough to steal his soul. His eyes locked with hers, a thousand words unsaid.
Her phoenix eyes narrowed with satisfaction at his stunned expression. “Brat, watch your Master charm you to death~”