Under the sincere compliments of Jiu Hui and Zhi You, Jin Qingqiu gradually forgot his purpose of coming, and the topic began to shift to the Demon Princess and Yin Ji.
“The Demon Lord is already old. He has five sons and one daughter. His eldest son died under the sword of Immortal Venerable Bu last year. His second son is the one that the two fellow Daoists handed over to Immortal Venerable Qiu at Lanyue Lake. His fifth son died at the hands of Yin Ji many years ago.”
Jin Qingqiu glanced around and lowered his voice as he spoke to Jiu Hui and Zhi You, “This is also the reason why Yin Ji and the Demon Princess parted ways back then.”
“So the only ones left who could inherit the Demon King’s throne are the third and fourth sons, as well as the princess who is deeply in love with Yin Ji.” Jiu Hui invited Jin Qingqiu into the courtyard to listen to him slowly tell the story of the Demon Clan.
“To be precise, only the Third Prince and that princess remain.” Jin Qingqiu generously shared with Jiu Hui the secrets of the Demon Clan that many cultivators did not know: “The Fourth Prince is a fool with little magic power, so no matter who inherits the throne of the Demon King, it cannot be him.”
“Although the Demon Clan’s only princess is favored by the Demon King, the Demon Clan rarely chooses a woman as its successor. Moreover, the current Demon Queen is the Third Prince’s birth mother, so as long as the Third Prince is alive, he will definitely be the next Demon King.”
“Does inheriting the throne depend on gender?” Jiu Hui was very confused. “What kind of statement is that?”
In the demon world, strength was paramount. The cultivation world was a bit stricter, valuing both strength and moral conduct. This was the first time she had heard of such a custom among the demons.
“I’m not too sure about that either.” Jin Qingqiu said indifferently, “Anyway, if that demon princess wants to inherit the throne, the Third Prince must die. However, her passionate and romantic love story with Yin Ji has spread throughout the human, demon, and yao realms. I’m afraid even the dogs in the demon realm know that she only loves Yin Ji and has no interest in the throne.”
“One gave up the position of sect elder for love, willingly falling into the demonic path, while the other had no interest in the throne for love, can only envy this affectionate couple, not the immortals.” Jiu Hui touched her chin, thoughtfully saying, “These two are truly a perfect match.”
“I share your opinion, my lady. Those two are truly a match made in heaven.” Jin Qingqiu laughed out loud.
“Thank you, Young Master, for sharing these interesting stories with us.” Jiu Hui made a gesture of invitation. “Please come inside and have a cup of tea.”
“Thank you for the invitation, Miss. However, I have to visit Immortal Venerable Bu in half an hour, so I can’t delay any longer. I’m relieved to see that you two fellow Daoists are safe and sound.” Jin Qingqiu cupped his hands in salute. “My sect usually likes to do some small business, so we naturally hear a lot of gossip from all sides. But these are all just hearsay, and I can’t guarantee their authenticity.”
“True or not, what matters is that these rumors are interesting.” Seeing that Jin Qingqiu was reluctant to enter the house, Jiu Hui pointed to the stone table in the courtyard: “It’s still early for half an hour. Why don’t the three of us sit by the stone table?”
Normally, no cultivator would be willing to listen to his little stories, so it was rare to meet a fellow Daoist who was so interested in these rumors. Jin Qingqiu felt a sense of joy, as if he had met a kindred spirit: “Since the young lady has kindly invited me, then I will stay for a little while longer.”
Jin Qingqiu lifted the corner of his robe and sat down at the stone table. Jiu Hui took out fruits and snacks from her storage ring and placed them on the stone table.
“Speaking of the Demon Clan’s princess, she’s really gutsy.” Jin Qingqiu grabbed a handful of melon seeds from the table. “You’ve all heard about the love-hate relationship between her and Yin Ji, right?”
“I’ve heard of it, I’ve heard of it.” Jiu Hui cracked melon seeds with a loud snap, her eyes fixed on Jin Qingqiu as she waited for him to continue his story.
“As a princess of the demon clan, she was able to infiltrate the Jiutian Sect, became Yin Ji’s disciple, and be accepted as his core disciple. She must have some skills.” Jin Qingqiu said while cracking melon seeds. “Since then, the protective formation in Wenxian City that examines one’s true body has become increasingly powerful. These two have made outstanding contributions.”
“The reputation of the aloof master and charming disciple in the cultivation world has been damaged, and they can’t escape their involvement in that.” Jiu Hui quickly added, she still remembered the reason why Uncle Chang didn’t accept her and Zhi You as disciples.
“So to say…” Jiu Hui mused, “Their love seems to have far-reaching implications?”
“Otherwise, how could it be considered earth-shattering and lingering?” Jin Qingqiu continued to munch on melon seeds. “In the past hundred years, there have been many cultivators in the cultivation world who have become Dao companions, but none of them have surpassed the limelight of these two.”
“I reckon…” Jin Qingqiu’s eyes darted around as he leaned his head towards Jiu Hui and Zhi You, whispering, “Unless Immortal Venerable Bu’s Red Luan star moves again*, the most famous love story in the cultivation world for the next few decades will still be theirs.”
TN: marriage/love luck
Jiu Hui discovered that Young Master Jin didn’t treat them as outsiders when he talked about these things.
“Young Master.” Shijian, the serving boy, poked his head out of the courtyard gate and reminded him in a low voice, “It’s almost time for you to visit Immortal Venerable Bu.”
Jin Qingqiu put down the uneaten melon seeds in his hand, stood up with a sense of unfinished business, and said to Jiu Hui and Zhi You, “Fellow Daoists, I’ll take my leave first.”
“Young Master Jin, travel safely.” After seeing off Jin Qingqiu, Jiu Hui turned her head and said to Zhi You, “It seems that Young Master Jin is not fond of Yin Ji or the Jiutian Sect.”
“Why?” Zhi You asked in confusion.carpreads.pages.dev
“Many people are particularly invested in spreading rumors about those they dislike, even to the point of being inexhaustible,” Jiu Hui explained to Zhi You. “If their feelings are positive, they will subconsciously cover up or even defend them.”
“It’s hard for people to be truly fair and just. Look, even the trees in the yard have more luxuriant branches and leaves on the side facing the sun.” Jiu Hui pointed to the big tree in the yard. “If even trees are like this, what more so for people with emotions?” Zhi You recalled Jiu Hui’s earlier excitement and hesitated to speak.
Jiu Hui saw his expression and said with a smile, “Well, I don’t like this naturally gifted Daoist Master Yin Ji either.”
“Jiu Hui, Zhi You.” Elder Mo packed up his things and came out. “Let’s go.”
The three of them walked out of the courtyard and saw Nan Feng hovering outside the courtyard gate.
Upon seeing the three of them, Nan Feng looked a little embarrassed and awkward. He cupped his hands and bowed to the three of them, saying, “I’ve come to see the three of you off.”
All along the way, Nan Feng was pondering how to start the conversation. He felt an unspeakable guilt when he saw Jiu Hui and Zhi You’s innocent faces.
“Fellow Daoist Nan Feng,” Jiu Hui’s soft call startled Nan Feng, causing him to look up at her in a hurry.
Amused by his appearance, Jiu Hui raised the corners of her mouth. “The matter is over. Moreover, the mistakes Yin Ji made have nothing to do with you, Fellow Daoist. You really shouldn’t feel troubled.”
Nan Feng pursed his lips, looking both embarrassed and guilty. He was not good with words to begin with, and after hearing Jiu Hui’s words, he stuttered, “I didn’t mean anything else…”
“Fellow Daoist, both Zhi You and I understand your intentions.” Jiu Hui patted his shoulder. “We’ve been through danger together. I thought we were already friends.”
Nan Feng was stunned.
Friends…
“Friends should be understanding and forgiving of each other.” Jiu Hui removed her hand from Nan Feng’s shoulder. “I hope that the next time I see you, Fellow Daoist Nan Feng, you will have broken free from the shackles in your heart and advanced to a higher level of cultivation.”
Nan Feng opened his mouth, and after a long while, he slowly said, “I… understand.”
“There’s no need to be so polite between friends.” Jiu Hui summoned her flying sword and leaped onto it. She looked down and smiled at Nan Feng. “Nan Feng, see you next time.”
Zhi You nodded slightly at Nan Feng. “Farewell, friend.”
Nan Feng stood rooted to the spot for a long time, unable to regain his senses until the three figures from Wangshu Pavilion disappeared from sight on their swords.
“Head Senior Brother.” A young boy ran over in a hurry. “The Sect Master Immortal Venerable summons you.”
Nan Feng rushed to the main hall’s gate and met Jin Qingqiu who was walking out.
“Fellow Daoist Nan Feng,” Jin Qingqiu greeted with a bow, his jade fan in hand.
“Young Master Jin,” Nan Feng returned the greeting.
As he crossed the threshold, Nan Feng glanced back. Jin Qingqiu was already waving his fan with flair and striding away without looking back.
“Master, why have you summoned your disciple?”
“In two hours, you will disguise yourself and go to Taolin City to investigate the events that happened yesterday.” Bu Ting turned to look at Nan Feng, who had just entered the hall. “The demons are ruthless and have no sense of good or evil. The demon princess was injured in Taolin City, and the demons will definitely not let it go.”
“Do you mean that the demons might retaliate against the people of Taolin City?” Nan Feng’s expression changed drastically. “This disciple will head to Taolin City at once!”
“Wait,” Bu Ting called out to him. “Bring a few more inner sect disciples with you. Be discreet and don’t let the demons discover your tracks.”
“This disciple understands.”
-—–
“The 1.5 million spirit stones I just got my hands on were spent in the blink of an eye.” Elder Mo put one million spirit stones into the formation eye of the city protection formation. “When have I ever been so generous?”
“Oh, Sect Uncle Mo, you should relax. The one paying is the Jiutian Sect, not us.” Jiu Hui pinched her fingers to activate the city’s grand formation, protecting the entire city under the formation. “The demons always act like mad dogs. Instead of being scared, we should prepare early.”
That day in Wenxian City, she had already witnessed the moral standards of the demons. It was not enough to describe them as having low morals; it could only be said that they had no morals at all.
Once the city protection formation was activated, it would consume a lot of spirit stones every day. One million spirit stones were enough to maintain the city protection formation for three to five years.
“If we can solve a problem with someone else’s spirit stones, then it’s not a big deal.” Jiu Hui crossed her arms contentedly. “When we run out of spirit stones, we’ll just go ask the Jiutian Sect for more. They’re a major sect on par with the Qinglan School, so they can’t just stand by and watch us die at the hands of the demons. As long as we’re shameless enough, we’ll definitely get our hands on some spirit stones.”
Elder Mo sighed again. Back then, when the sect’s jade pendant touched Jiu Hui, it shone with a blinding green light. There was a reason for that.
Look at this useful brain, it was perfect for their Wangshu Pavilion.
-—–
Nan Feng and four Jiutian Sect core disciples disguised as merchants arrived in Taolin City in the hazy mist of dawn.
“A city-protecting formation?” A disciple was surprised. “A small sect like Wangshu Pavilion is willing to spend a large amount of spirit stones to activate a city-protecting formation?”
“What do they have to be reluctant about? It’s not their money that’s being spent.” Another disciple whispered, “Just two days ago, they took 1.5 million spirit stones from our sect.”
“Don’t talk nonsense.” Nan Feng interrupted the inner sect disciple’s complaint. He looked into the city gate from the outside. Some breakfast stalls had already been set up, and the guards at the gate had just changed shifts and were in good spirits.
When they saw Nan Feng and the others dressed as merchants, they warmly greeted them into the city, not forgetting to promote Taolin City’s local specialties.
“Taolin City has a protective formation, so we don’t need so many people staying in the city.” Nan Feng turned to the four of them and said, “Shiyi, you stay. The three of you can return to the sect.”
The three disciples declined, but seeing that Nan Feng had already made up his mind, they obediently left.
“Senior Brother, Senior Brother.” After the other three disciples left, Shiyi was rather curious and excited. “What kind of business are we going to do in the city? Before I joined the sect, my family made tofu. Everyone within a ten-mile radius loved to buy my family’s tofu. If you don’t know what to do for business, I can make tofu.”
Nan Feng said, “No need. Before I left the sect, I took some cloth, which is enough for us to do business.”
“Okay.” Shiyi nodded obediently.
The two of them wandered around the city for two or three days before they found a prosperous shop facing the street. After they had arranged all the fabrics, many people came to the store to watch the excitement, but none of them bought anything.
The two of them thought about it all day in the shop, but they couldn’t figure out the reason. Each piece of this cloth was worth over a hundred spirit stones, and they had already marked the price at ten spirit stones, so why was no one buying it?
“Is it because our fabric isn’t good enough?” Shiyi hung his head in dejection.
Nan Feng gazed at the shelves full of fabrics, he was sitting at the entrance with Shiyi, blankly watching the people coming and going on the street.
“It’s because your fabrics are too good.” A young girl wearing a goose-yellow dress walked in with a smile, followed by a tall and handsome man in brocade clothes.
Upon seeing the arrivals, Nan Feng and Shiyi simultaneously covered their faces with their sleeves, not daring to look at the two.
“Don’t hide it anymore, I’ve already recognized you two.” Jiu Hui pulled down Nan Feng’s sleeve and turned to look at Shiyi, “Fellow Daoist, we are quite fated.”
The day Yin Ji let the Demon Cult princess go, she and this fellow Daoist had a very pleasant conversation at the entrance to the guest house. Now, it was too late to pretend not to know each other.
“Jiu Hui… Fellow Daoist.” Nan Feng blushed and lowered his sleeve. “What are you doing here?”
“Two merchants selling Flowing Light brocade came to the city. The news spread throughout Taolin City yesterday. Guess how I ended up here?” Jiu Hui picked out a few bolts of cloth from the shelves and placed them in front of the two. “I’ll take these bolts of cloth. Come and settle the bill quickly.”
She couldn’t resist buying the Flowing Light brocade at such a low price. She didn’t have the heart to tell the two that the rumor in the city was, “Two fools who don’t know how to do business have come to the city.”
“Fifty spirit stones in total. The extra cloth is on us.” Shiyi smiled sheepishly, casually pocketing Jiu Hui’s fifty spirit stones and stuffing seven or eight bolts of cloth into her arms.
“I’m telling you, how can you do business like this?” Jiu Hui put the cloth back into her storage ring. “The people living in Taolin City are all ordinary folks. The cloth they use to make clothes is mostly cotton or linen. They usually use copper coins or silver ingots. Who would pay with spirit stones?”
“Even if you priced the Flowing Light brocade at one spirit stone, no one would buy it.” Jiu Hui took the initiative to sit down on a chair. “Speak, you two disciples of the Jiutian Sect, what business do you have in our Taolin City?”
Nan Feng and Shiyi’s faces were flushed red as they stammered out their intentions.
“We have no ill intentions. We’re just worried that the demons will come to retaliate against the people of Taolin City, so we disguised ourselves and came here.” Nan Feng saw that Jiu Hui was smiling and didn’t seem angry, so he mustered up the courage to continue explaining, “If you mind, Fellow Daoist, we can go to the outer city.”
“Where will you stay in the outer city? Are you going to hang from the trees?” Jiu Hui laughed in disbelief. “You two came for the people of Taolin City, so how could I possibly mind? I must thank you two on behalf of the people of Taolin City.”
Jiu Hui stood up and bowed to the two.
“No, no.” Shiyi and Nan Feng jumped up from their stools. One of them went to help Jiu Hui up, while the other poured tea for Jiu Hui and Zhi You.
“Tomorrow, you should replace the items on the shelves and sell pots, pans, and ladles instead. They’re more suitable than this Flowing Light brocade,” Jiu Hui said as she took a sip of tea. “If nothing else, you can sell tea leaves and preserved fruits. Price them in copper coins and silver ingots. Spirit stones aren’t commonly used in Taolin City.”
Most importantly, she couldn’t let the people of Taolin City think that the friends she knew were two fools. She, Jiu Hui, still had some face in this area of Taolin City.
“Miss Jiu Hui.” An old lady selling vegetables passed by and saw Jiu Hui sitting in the shop. She glanced at Nan Feng with suspicion. “Are you and Young Master Zhi You skipping school again? This shopkeeper, are you an old friend of hers?”
“I’m not familiar with them!” Jiu Hui quickly said, “I just came to look at their fabrics.”
Nan Feng: “…”
A few days ago, you said we were friends, but now you’re acting like you don’t even know me?
“Miss Jiu Hui, Young Master Zhi You, come over here.” The vegetable-selling auntie pulled Zhi You and Jiu Hui to a corner and whispered, “I think the shopkeeper of this store is not quite right in the head. Is that ten spirit stones Flowing Light brocade something that ordinary people like us can afford? The store has been open for several days, and there’s no business, but he’s not in a hurry. Do you think this is like a serious businessman?”
“Not at all!” Jiu Hui quickly shook her head.
“You’re right to think that they’re not right in the head.” The auntie was very satisfied with Jiu Hui’s reaction, so she continued, “I think they’re either crazy or have ulterior motives. You should stay away from them and don’t let them harm you.”
“Yes, yes.” Jiu Hui nodded obediently.
The vegetable-selling auntie left satisfied, and Jiu Hui turned around to see Nan Feng and Shiyi’s accusing eyes.
Shiyi: “Fellow Daoist Jiu Hui, we cultivators have always had excellent hearing and eyesight.”
Nan Feng: “We heard everything you just said.”
“Ahem.” Jiu Hui cleared her throat and looked up at the sky. “You’ve just arrived in Taolin City, so they don’t know you well enough yet. But in time, they’ll come to see that your characters are as pure and clear as glass.”
Nan Feng and Shiyi: “…”
The praise was good, but it lacked sincerity.
Nan Feng’s mood became even more complicated. So-called friendship was like sand on the ground or the moon in the water, which would disperse with a gust of wind.
She was not even willing to admit in front of the people of Taolin City that they were friends!
What a false friendship!
Faced with Nan Feng’s accusing gaze, Jiu Hui’s conscience ached slightly. She lowered her head and whispered, “How about I help you make a list of items suitable for sale in Taolin City?”
Before Nan Feng and Shiyi could speak, Jiu Hui beckoned to Zhi You. “Zhi You, come help me.”
“Oh, don’t be mad,” Jiu Hui said to Nan Feng as she whispered a list of items to Zhi You. “It’s just a naive and helpless 18-year-old girl. I think it’s forgivable if she makes a few small mistakes because she wants to save face.”
“Well, I can forgive her.” Zhi You held the brush and wrote on the paper with great flair, not forgetting to speak up for Jiu Hui.
Nan Feng and Shiyi: “…”
What could they say?
Of course, they only smiled to show their acceptance.
In addition, they had concealed their identities and disguised themselves as merchants when they came to Taolin City, so they were already at a disadvantage. They should just turn a blind eye to other minor matters.
“Alright, you can just pick any two of these items to sell.” Jiu Hui picked up the list that Zhi You had written and used her spiritual energy to dry the ink on it. “If you have any other questions in the future, feel free to come to Wangshu Pavilion and ask me or Zhi You.”
“Thank you.” Nan Feng glanced at the sky. “It’s getting late. I’ll have you stay for dinner before you go back.”
“Not today.” Jiu Hui politely declined. “Let’s talk about it in a few days, in a few days.”
At the very least, she would wait until they changed out of the Flowing Light brocade, and others stopped calling the two of them idiots, before she would go with Zhi You to mooch this meal.
Nan Feng: “…”
Although Jiu Hui had declined very tactfully, he had seen through her unspoken intentions at a glance.
Perhaps, this was what it mean to grow up?
“We’ll go first. See you next time.” Jiu Hui dragged Zhi You away, not caring how complicated Nan Feng’s feelings were.
She was only eighteen years old, she just didn’t want to bring Zhi You along with them to embarrass themselves, what bad intentions could she possibly have?!
After leaving the city with Zhi You, Jiu Hui could no longer hold back. She clutched her stomach and burst into laughter. “Hahahahahaha, how could anyone come to Taolin City and sell Flowing Light brocade while pretending to be a merchant!”
No wonder the people of Taolin City went to the City Lord’s Mansion to report them. This was simply a blatant way of telling everyone that the two of them were acting abnormally.
Zhi You held Jiu Hui’s arm, waiting quietly.
After Jiu Hui had laughed enough, he slowly said, “Nan Feng is indeed too… honest.”
High EQ ver: Honesty.
Low EQ ver: No common sense.
Jiu Hui laughed until she was tired and didn’t feel like controlling her own flying sword. She simply jumped onto Zhi You’s flying sword. “Although Nan Feng is too honest, he’s more likable than that old fart, Immortal Lord Bu.”
“Do you hate Bu Ting?” Zhi You’s flying sword was not fast, and the two of them floated leisurely in the air, their expressions relaxed.
“You don’t like him, do you?” Jiu Hui said as a matter of course. “If you don’t like him, I’ll naturally hate him with you. Could I have misunderstood?”
“No.” Zhi You’s lips curled up, but he quickly suppressed it. “I hate him too.”
“Given our friendship, I’ll definitely side with you.” As soon as Jiu Hui finished speaking, a giant net suddenly descended from the sky, enveloping her and Zhi You together.
“I advise you not to move.” Several figures of the demon race emerged from the sky. “This is the Soul-Swallowing Net, a supreme treasure of the demon race, specifically designed to restrain the magic weapons of you human cultivators. The more you struggle, the more your spiritual platform will suffer.”
Upon hearing this, Jiu Hui turned her head to glance at Zhi You, and she put away the butcher knife she had half-drawn. She looked at the young demon who was leading the group and asked, “What do you want?”
“I want to make a deal with you two.” The young demon walked up to the two of them. “You two are disciples of the Wangshu Pavilion, so you must know how to open the Taolin City’s protective formation. As long as you are willing to open the protective formation, I will spare your lives. If you are not willing, then I will…”
“Sure!”
Before the young demon could finish his cruel words, he heard a resolute reply.
He was stunned. The other party had answered too quickly, so quickly that he suspected he had misheard. “What did you say?”
“I said yes,” Jiu Hui repeated. “My junior brother and I share a deep bond, like siblings. If you let him return to the city to protect the city’s grand formation, I will stay as a hostage.”
The young demon asked in disbelief, “Do you mean to say that in order to save your own lives, you are willing to sacrifice the entire city?”
Where was your backbone? Where was your bravery?
Where was the spirit of resistance of righteous cultivators?
“Ah?” Jiu Hui asked in confusion. “Isn’t this exactly what you wanted?”
The two of them looked at each other, and both felt that the other person’s brain was not working properly.
The young demon：“……”
This was the outcome he had desired, but the ease with which it had come left him with an inexplicable sense of frustration.
“Fine!” The young demon gritted his teeth. He had never seen such a cowardly cultivator who was so afraid of death.