The Demoness’s Self-Cultivation

“By the way, Elder Liu, can you discern Young Master Gu’s cultivation level?” Yu Qiuqiao inquired, a sweet smile gracing her lips as she led Gu Bei along their path back.

“Third stage of Qi Condensation.” Elder Liu replied, their voice even.

“Oh my! Young Master Gu is truly remarkable! To think he could deceive the eyes of a Tribulation Transcender!” Yu Qiuqiao exclaimed, her tone brimming with excitement, as if she had stumbled upon a fascinating new toy. Cupping Gu Bei’s face with both hands, she scrutinized him from left to right.

Gu Bei, forcing a smile, could only comply. “To be frank, Fairy Yu, I am indeed at the third stage of Qi Condensation…”

Yu Qiuqiao’s presence before Gu Bei was so overwhelming that he failed to notice the subtle changes in expression among those around them when he addressed her as ‘Fairy Yu’.

Even Elder Liu’s face, usually as placid as an ancient well, showed a flicker of tension.

As Yu Qiuqiao’s protector, Elder Liu remained by her side virtually every moment of every day, and naturally, they were privy to Young Master Gu’s true identity.

While Young Master Gu himself remained unaware of his true identity, his master, when enraged, was a truly terrifying force.

Mu Qingsi and her father, who was also her master and held the title of Heavenly Ranking’s Number One, were both known to be unhinged.

Normally, the father and daughter pair seemed indifferent to most matters, yet once something crossed their bottom line…

When Heavenly Ranking’s Number One’s wife was murdered, nearly every faction across the Nine Provinces, the Great Barrens, and even the Eight Inner and Outer Seas and Five Mountains—including all the demon tribes—was sought out and subjected to a bloody purge.

Even the slightest suspicion or motive was enough for him to strike without hesitation.

He cared not if he killed innocents, only if he failed to kill those who were guilty.

As for Mu Qingsi, Yu Qiuqiao, and Ning Wanzhuang, they had essentially grown up together as childhood friends.

Elder Liu vividly recalled a childhood incident where their young mistress, for reasons now forgotten, had angered Mu Qingsi to the point that Mu Qingsi nearly killed Yu Qiuqiao.

Mu Qingsi’s father, Heavenly Ranking’s Number One, was utterly irrational in his protectiveness when it came to such matters.

His stance seemed to be: if no one was killed, then all was well; he would offer apologies and ask how they wished to settle the score.

But… if someone truly had been killed, then so be it.

It just so happened that the older generation of Xiaoyao (TL Note: A sect or faction, often associated with freedom and detachment) was not as formidable as the younger, and the younger not as formidable as the truly young. If that individual truly leveraged their power to bully others, it was estimated that while Xiaoyao would not silently endure the humiliation, the consequence of a confrontation would be that Mu Qingsi might not die, but Xiaoyao would certainly suffer a devastating blow.

Moreover, the world was not solely comprised of the Immortal Alliance and Xiaoyao as its two paramount powers; there was also the Imperial Court, which had long been biding its time, observing with covetous eyes.

The reason Elder Liu felt such tension was simply that their Young Mistress Yu, the Young Lord of Xiaoyao, utterly loathed being addressed as ‘Fairy’.

Mu Qingsi’s mind was not entirely sound, and Yu Qiuqiao was scarcely better; Elder Liu genuinely feared their young mistress might simply twist Young Master Gu’s neck with a smile on her face.

Thus, beneath their sleeve, Elder Liu’s hand subtly raised two fingers, poised to act.

Virtually everyone who had ever interrupted Yu Qiuqiao’s actions had met their demise; those who survived now either ranked among the top three on the Latent Dragon Ranking or within the top ten of the Heavenly Ranking.

Despite this grim reality, Elder Liu knew they still had to intervene.

If that Fairy Mu (TL Note: Mu Qingsi) were to learn that her sole beloved disciple had perished at the hands of their Young Mistress Yu, she would not care for any trivialities or the bigger picture. In all likelihood, she would immediately rally her Heavenly Ranking’s Number One father and directly assault Xiaoyao.

Thus, in the instant Gu Bei remained oblivious, the luxurious retinue surrounding Yu Qiuqiao—comprised of Tribulation Transcenders, Soul Transformation, and Nascent Soul cultivators—instantly tensed.

Yet, to everyone’s surprise, Young Mistress Yu displayed no reaction.

Indeed, she showed no reaction whatsoever.

Elder Liu had not been present during Gu Bei’s previous interactions with Yu Qiuqiao.

Because Yu Qiuqiao greatly disliked others intruding upon her personal space, Elder Liu, for the most part, ensured they could arrive at a scene instantly while simultaneously maintaining as much distance from their young mistress as possible.

Their primary approach was to neither listen nor observe, relying solely on intuition; if there was a fluctuation of spiritual energy or a pull of vital force, they would appear immediately and suppress the intruder.

However, if there was nothing, they would simply act as if they didn’t exist.

Therefore, even Elder Liu was unaware that Gu Bei had, in fact, already stepped on a landmine the moment they first met.

It was only now that they were astonished by Young Mistress Yu’s complete lack of reaction to the utterly detested appellation of ‘Fairy’.

Yu Qiuqiao, as if sensing something, turned her head back with a half-smile, gazing at Elder Liu.

Elder Liu immediately broke into a cold sweat, bowing their head in silence.

After a glance at Elder Liu, Young Mistress Yu then cast her gaze around their surroundings.

The previously tense retinue instantly returned to normal.

Yu Qiuqiao was in an excellent mood today, so she merely cast a glance and said nothing further.

After all, Gu Bei’s words had piqued her interest considerably.

“Is Young Master Gu implying that his previous peak Qi Condensation was merely a disguise?” Yu Qiuqiao inquired, her dark, blood-red eyes blinking with profound curiosity.

If Gu Bei had been unaware of Yu Qiuqiao’s true nature, he might genuinely believe that the so-called Demonic Path’s Demoness, the Young Lord of Xiaoyao, was actually quite adorable.

Alright, she was indeed quite adorable.

That is, if she weren’t capable of killing him at any moment.

“Every time I have stood before Fairy Yu, I have never feigned my cultivation. The third stage of Qi Condensation is my current true cultivation level,” Gu Bei respectfully stated.

“Really? Young Master Gu mustn’t deceive me, for I trust you deeply.” Yu Qiuqiao’s smile took on a distinctly dangerous edge.

“I wouldn’t dare to conceal anything. To be honest, this is not my first time dispersing my cultivation and rebuilding it,” Gu Bei declared with a sincere expression.

“If that is truly the case…” Yu Qiuqiao did not doubt Gu Bei. Instead, she tapped her chin with a slender, jade-like fingertip, gazing slightly skyward in thought. “Would this humble one not have caused Young Master Gu to reveal a great secret of his own?”

“It’s hardly a great secret,” Gu Bei replied, shaking his head.

“No, it certainly is. Your situation is unlike anything in all the histories and records I recall. There have been a few who dispersed their cultivation in a single stroke and then re-embarked on the path of cultivation to return to their peak, but as you said—how many times have you rebuilt your cultivation now?”

“Rebuilding…?” Gu Bei felt a sudden jolt of disorientation, as if the question had transported him back to his university days in his previous life, when his counselor would casually ask, ‘How many times have you retaken this course?’ while steeping him a cup of tea.

“I can’t recall…” Young Gu, the “student,” (TL Note: “带学牲” is a playful internet slang term, meaning a student who is ‘carrying’ or ‘leading’ their studies, often ironically implying they are struggling or barely passing, similar to calling oneself a ‘professional student’.) responded, his answer identical to his past self.

“More than five times?” Counselor Yu ventured a number.

“Far more than that,” Young Gu stammered in response.

“Then it seems necessary to clear out those who have heard this information,” Yu Qiuqiao remarked casually.

“Clear out?”

“To put it simply, it means silencing them permanently.”

“Silencing whose mouths?”

“Everyone who breathes that you can see if you look around right now, apart from Elder Liu, you, and me.”

“Ah?”

“You don’t have the heart?”

“No, it’s not… it’s not about having the heart… it’s just… is it truly necessary…?”

“Yes,” Yu Qiuqiao affirmed, finding Gu Bei quite amusing as he claimed not to lack the heart, yet his face clearly betrayed his disapproval.

Yu Qiuqiao neither lowered her voice nor transmitted her thoughts secretly; she openly declared her intention to eliminate the group of Nascent Soul and Soul Transformation cultivators surrounding them.

Yet, eerily, everyone continued with their duties as if they had heard nothing at all.

“May I… disagree?” Gu Bei asked, testing the waters.

“Of course you may; after all, this is your affair. However, you should consider carefully: if Mu Qingsi continues to play house at the Minor Sword Sect, she may not be able to protect you.”

“Play house? Does Fairy Yu perhaps know my master’s origins?”

“Of course I do—has she not told you?” Yu Qiuqiao countered with a beaming smile.

It was as if she had ‘I want to sow discord between you’ written all over her face.

Yet, Gu Bei fell for this tactic precisely because, even when he had personally questioned his master, she had refused to tell him, going so far as to display a rare burst of anger.

This had also been the genesis of the growing estrangement between Mu Qingsi and himself.

He had asked himself, truly, if he had hidden anything from Mu Qingsi, and the answer was no; he had even divulged the matter of his transmigration not long after entering the sect.

Though he knew his own willfulness was to blame, and that his unusual emotional attachment to Mu Qingsi led to his abnormal expectations for her response.

But such was the nature of emotions: when expectations soared too high and then crashed, disappointment surged forth all the more violently.

Thus, this matter had always been a thorn in his heart.

“Fairy, might you possibly…” Gu Bei began, his voice hesitant.

“Of course I can, but the price is that you must come to Xiaoyao and stay with me,” Yu Qiuqiao said, nodding with a smile.

“Is Fairy implying that I should betray my sect?”

“Precisely.”

Gu Bei fell silent. He naturally could not agree, yet he dared not voice his refusal directly.

The whistling wind swept past them. Yu Qiuqiao watched Gu Bei with a sweet smile, while Gu Bei pressed his lips together, remaining silent.

A moment of silence stretched between them.

“In truth, it’s not a significant matter. I suspect your master concealed it from you simply due to some childish and stubborn notion,” Yu Qiuqiao said leisurely.

“Fairy Yu, speaking like that only serves to make one’s impatience unbearable…” Gu Bei sighed.

“Heh heh, if you think so, then so be it. So, my Young Master Gu, while it is, by rights, your decision whether to kill them or not, I am an unreasonable person. Therefore, if you wish for them to live, I have an additional condition.”

Gu Bei’s eyes instantly widened.

?

‘You… what the hell?’

‘Alright, alright, this is how we’re playing, is it?’

“Please, Fairy, state your command.”

“I haven’t decided yet; you can owe me for now.”

As the Demoness Yu’s light, irresponsible words drifted into Gu Bei’s ears, they nearly sent his blood pressure soaring.

“…Very well,” Gu Bei still nodded.

In truth, even if Yu Qiuqiao were to directly command him to do something, he would have no room to refuse.

Indeed, he had no leeway to even negotiate slightly.

“However, have you truly thought this through?” Yu Qiuqiao asked again, her smile unwavering, her eyes flickering with a dangerous hint of interest. “If you don’t kill them, it’s highly probable that you yourself will be the one to die later.”

“I have,” he affirmed.

“Perhaps it will drag Mu Qingsi and your Minor Sword Sect into this as well, you know?”

Gu Bei’s breathing instantly grew ragged.

He stared at Yu Qiuqiao, his gaze a mix of disbelief and urgent fury.

“Hahahaha, yes, yes, that’s precisely the look!” Yu Qiuqiao’s smile took on a hint of madness. “However, Young Master Gu, do not misunderstand; this humble one is not issuing a threat. My meaning is simply… that perhaps, should Young Master Gu find himself at a dead end in the future, he can come to me.”

“If that day truly comes, I shall,” Gu Bei stated gravely.

“Mm-hmm, very well—that’s enough for now. Turn around,” Yu Qiuqiao commanded clearly.

Gu Bei felt a flicker of confusion, only then realizing that the entire retinue had long since separated from the Hundred Hunt Gate and was now in a location Gu Bei himself couldn’t identify.

He didn’t think he would be abducted or anything of the sort; after all, Young Mistress Yu hardly lacked for his two kidneys.

But why avoid crowds and hide their tracks?

And, turn around?

Turn to where?