A Demon Core, A Lingering Gaze, and a Debt Unpaid

“Xiao Miao, you’ve come for that demon core, haven’t you?”

Watching the two of them chat, Yu Qingxuan inexplicably felt a flicker of displeasure in her heart.

Yet, this feeling was difficult to articulate; after all, she was merely Qin Yan’s senior sister, and Xiao Miao had committed no overt transgression.

These words rendered Xiao Miao momentarily awkward; her unspoken intentions had been laid bare by Yu Qingxuan. She couldn’t fathom why Qin Yan’s senior sister harbored such a distinct animosity towards her.

“Enough, Senior Sister. Even if Xiao Miao sought the demon core, she still rid us of a demon, didn’t she?”

Qin Yan had no desire for the two of them to quarrel in front of him. While he was certain Xiao Miao embodied some kind of protagonist archetype, his senior sister’s emotions were equally important to consider.

“I’m truly grateful for your reminder earlier, Senior Sister; otherwise, I wouldn’t have detected the hunter’s strange behavior…”

As he spoke, Qin Yan gently took Yu Qingxuan’s hand, his expression earnest.

Back in the ruined temple, he had observed Yu Qingxuan’s gaze lingering on the hunter more than once. Few ever truly captured his senior sister’s attention, which was precisely what had sparked his earlier suspicion.

Seeing the earnest look on her junior brother’s face, Yu Qingxuan decided to let go of her grievances with Xiao Miao; otherwise, she would only appear petty, wouldn’t she?

Witnessing this scene, Xiao Miao felt a ripple stir within her. After all, not long ago, Qin Yan had been her fiancé. Yet, she swiftly re-evaluated her position; now, they were little more than strangers.

One, an exalted immortal maiden of the Yanqing Sect; the other, a “cripple” toiling at the bottom.

Qin Yan inexplicably felt his actions were a touch “green tea”. Yet, he had no choice; while being universally agreeable was not his true nature, it was a necessary evil to avert complications.

“I’m going to heal.”

Xiao Miao declared, then silently settled cross-legged in a corner of the ruined temple, commencing her cultivation to mend her wounds.

At that very moment, her Shizun’s voice echoed in her mind.

[This Immortal Qin’s Senior Sister, she’s clearly jealous, jealous of our little Xiao Miao-zi.]

These outlandish words, filtering into Xiao Miao’s ears, caused her to frown slightly. She transmitted her reply telepathically: [“Even if she is jealous, my engagement with Immortal Qin has already been dissolved. Does she truly have any cause to be jealous of me?”]

[“Tsk, little Xiao Miao-zi, matters of the heart aren’t so easily explained with a few simple words.”]

Having uttered those words, Xiao Miao’s Shizun fell silent once more.

Qin Yan observed Xiao Miao, who was seated cross-legged in cultivation, then glanced at Yu Qingxuan beside him. With the demonic creature now vanquished, his mission here was effectively accomplished.

Still, he wondered, who exactly was this “Lord” that the demonic creature had spoken of?

If it were a cultivator, then harboring and enabling demonic creatures to harm innocents would undoubtedly be unforgivable in the eyes of righteous cultivators. And if it were yet another demonic entity…

Qin Yan understood the principle of rooting out evil entirely. By slaying this tiger demon, he had undoubtedly incurred its enmity—a private vendetta. However, should the “Lord” it spoke of arrive here and vent their fury upon the surrounding populace, that would transform into a matter of public outrage.

And the root cause of all this lay squarely with him.

“Junior Brother, are you angry?”

Yu Qingxuan watched Qin Yan, who was lost in thought, her expression inexplicably turning melancholic and anxious. After all, her earlier outburst had been nothing more than an unbidden surge of irritation.

“Why would I be angry with Senior Sister?” Qin Yan shook his head, ‘Was it merely because Yu Qingxuan had spoken a single word to Xiao Miao earlier?’

To become angry with Yu Qingxuan over such a trivial matter would be utterly foolish, wouldn’t it? Regardless, even if Xiao Miao were a “Phoenix Empress” or some similar character, his bond with his senior sister would never be fractured by something of this nature.

“Are you really not angry?” Yu Qingxuan asked softly again.

These soft words also reached Xiao Miao, who was still deep in her cultivation and healing. Observing the pair before her, she felt only a growing vexation in her heart.

After all, she was merely a sixteen-year-old girl.

Xiao Miao abruptly rose to her feet, hesitated for a moment, then retrieved a gourd of pills from her storage ring. She approached Qin Yan and extended the pills towards him.

“Um, Immortal Qin, I’ve kept the matter from last time close to heart and dared not forget it. These are first-grade Qi-Stabilizing Pills I refined; they are highly effective for stabilizing spiritual energy.”

“Does my junior brother truly have need of pills gifted by you?”

Yu Qingxuan cast a sidelong glance, then spoke.

Upon hearing this, Qin Yan’s toes instantly curled. He yearned to tell his senior sister: ‘Senior Sister, do you realize your tone and manner of speaking truly make you sound like a third-rate villain?’

Then, observing the slightly indignant Xiao Miao, Qin Yan smiled as he accepted the gourd. At least this Xiao Miao understood the importance of repaying kindness.

“Thank you for your kindness, Xiao Miao.”

“No need to thank me, Immortal Qin.”

Xiao Miao offered an awkward smile at this, then retreated to the corner of the ruined temple to resume her cultivation. She had intended to repay Qin Yan for the kindness of the pills he’d given her previously, but how could she ever repay this life-saving grace?

Though her Shizun was present and would have intervened at the last critical moment, that fact offered no grounds to deny Qin Yan’s decisive act of salvation.

Without her Shizun, she might truly have perished at the hands of the tiger demon today.

At this juncture, Qin Yan articulated his earlier concerns to Yu Qingxuan, who, upon hearing them, nodded gravely. While they were free to depart now that their task was complete, what of the ordinary people surrounding them?

After all, the Yanqing Sect was a renowned righteous sect, and they certainly didn’t subscribe to the philosophy of “after we leave, let chaos reign.”

Yu Qingxuan transformed into a streak of light, effortlessly piercing through the ruined temple’s roof. She ascended above the dark clouds, unfurling her Golden Core’s spiritual sense to survey the surrounding lands.

Her senior sister’s intervention at this moment did not contradict their Shizun’s intentions. The demonic creature was already vanquished; their actions now amounted to nothing more than proper clean-up.

Furthermore, the emergence of demonic creatures within the Qin Kingdom, especially those with powerful backing, was inherently alarming. If everyone were to adopt an indifferent stance, the entire Qin Kingdom would have likely descended into utter chaos long ago.

As a true disciple, Qin Yan was even more bound to address such matters. Were he merely an outer or inner sect disciple, he could easily disregard it or simply report it to the sect.

Within the ruined temple, only Qin Yan and Xiao Miao remained.

“Xiao Miao, do you want this?”

Qin Yan approached Xiao Miao, aware that she was not truly cultivating at that moment. Watching the girl sit cross-legged, feigning a meditative posture while subtly observing him, he felt a surge of amusement.

In his hand rested a yellow demon core, none other than the one extracted from the tiger demon’s body.

“I…”

Xiao Miao dearly wished to stubbornly refuse, though she couldn’t quite pinpoint the source of her resentment. There was clearly no logical reason for it, and even if one existed, it would utterly fail to hold water.

After all, she and Qin Yan were now, by all accounts, strangers.

However, her Shizun’s words swiftly echoed in her mind. This demon core was paramount for her advancement to a second-grade alchemist. The stark descent from prodigious talent to “cripple” had illuminated many harsh truths for her.

Thus, she regarded Qin Yan with a complex gaze, then, after a moment’s hesitation, replied, “I want it.”

“If you want it, what will you give in exchange?”

Qin Yan’s tone suddenly shifted. This demon core, while useless to him, was precisely what Xiao Miao desperately needed for her cultivation, a fact he was keenly aware of, judging by her earlier reaction.

These words left Xiao Miao speechless, her mouth agape. After all, this was Qin Yan’s spoils of war. Who was she to expect him to give it to her for free?

Yet, all her worldly possessions combined couldn’t match the value of this single demon core.

“Consider it a debt I owe Immortal Qin…”

She spoke, purely out of sheer audacity, for what was her reputation truly worth?

But Xiao Miao’s words were cut short.

“Here, take it. It’s no use to me anyway.” Qin Yan smiled, then pressed the demon core into Xiao Miao’s hand.

Xiao Miao was momentarily stunned. She hadn’t expected Qin Yan to simply give it to her. A flicker of gratitude shone in her eyes as she looked at him.

[“Alas, my disciple is completely captivated by this male cultivator…”]

Xiao Miao’s Shizun, witnessing the scene, couldn’t help but shake her head.