Chapter 54
But the expected sight of the dart piercing the girl never appeared.
His dart was blocked by a coldly gleaming sword.
“Sorry to interrupt.”
A girl wearing a white disciple uniform patterned with blue stood before the blood-covered, wretched Xiao Xin.
Yu Tai looked at the Golden Core cultivator and raised an eyebrow.
A demonic cultivator?
Had she actually encountered one of her own kind here?
Yu Tai’s cultivation was so much higher than his that a cursory glance was enough to reveal his true identity.
The demonic qi inside her, held in check by righteous qi, abruptly surged and roared.
Yu Tai knew what it wanted.
It wanted to devour him.
Demonic cultivators could only become stronger by constantly fighting and killing their own kind.
Proper cultivation through meditation had never suited demonic cultivators, who followed an alternative path.
“Peak Foundation Establishment?” The demonic cultivator froze for a moment when he saw Yu Tai’s face.
“A female cultivator from the Qingshan Sword Sect… You must taste wonderful.” Lust appeared in his wicked eyes.
Yu Tai curled her lips, a breathtaking smile appearing on her cool face. “That’s right… You must taste wonderful.”
The demonic cultivator threw back his head and laughed. “Hahahaha! Interesting. To think such an eager beauty exists!”
Yu Tai nodded in agreement.
Indeed. To think food so eager to deliver itself to its death existed in this world.
A battle was about to erupt. While the demonic cultivator was still laughing, he suddenly attacked Yu Tai without warning.
The throwing darts that had tormented Xiao Xin shot toward Yu Tai with unstoppable force.
Yu Tai studied the weapons before her.
Not bad. Although their nature had been concealed well, Yu Tai could still sense the demonic qi upon them.
A trace of demonic qi leaked from her fingertips and drifted toward Xiao Xin behind her.
Only after hearing a body fall to the ground did Yu Tai confidently reach out.
The two darts, on the verge of piercing her shoulder blade, abruptly stopped and were caught in Yu Tai’s hand.
Black qi spilled out and enveloped the darts. The demonic cultivator could only watch as his lifebound artifact was crushed in her bare hand.
Pain instantly flooded his mind and severely wounded his soul.
“You-” *You’re a demonic cultivator too!*
He spat out a mouthful of blood and dropped to one knee, staring at the girl before him in disbelief.
The girl’s former purity, as aloof as a flower atop a lofty mountain, was nowhere to be seen.
Demonic qi poured from her entire body and gathered affectionately around her. Her Spirit Transformation cultivation made the surrounding air tremble. An alluring wickedness flowed through her eyes, and the cold smile on her lips made his heart quake.
There was actually a demonic cultivator among the disciples of the Qingshan Sword Sect!
Only then did the man realize that he seemed to have provoked someone he should never have offended.
“Senior… we’re both demonic cultivators. Please spare my life.” Suppressed by the pressure of her Spirit Transformation cultivation, he lay prostrate on the ground and begged for mercy.
Yu Tai walked toward him. “You’re right. We’re both demonic cultivators…”
Her words made him feel as though he had grasped a lifeline. He shouted desperately, “Then… then-”
“So you can start thinking about how you would like to die.” Yu Tai chuckled and slowly leaned down toward him.
Staring at a face no different from the King of Hell’s except in its greater beauty, the demonic cultivator screamed in terror, “No-”
“No!”
Xiao Xin shot upright and clutched her heart.
In her dream, the throwing dart had pierced straight through it. She could only helplessly accept her death in that dilapidated, gloomy alley and watch as her enemy grinned ferociously while taking all her possessions.
Feeling her heart still beating beneath her palm, Xiao Xin finally realized that she was alive.
Yu Tai had saved her.
She had stood before Xiao Xin in her darkest moment.
“Boohoo…” The girl who had stubbornly refused to beg for mercy in the alley finally broke down and sobbed.
Only after crying until her eyes were swollen and her voice hoarse did she begin looking at her surroundings.
A room this plain could not possibly be inside the little building on the black tortoise.
Where was she?
Yu Tai had saved her. Could this be Yu Tai’s cave dwelling?
Wiping away her tears, Xiao Xin dragged herself out of bed and opened the door.
She wandered aimlessly for a long time before finding a place completely at odds with the austere style of the cave dwelling.
It was a small courtyard enclosed by a fence.
Rather than something one would see in the cultivation world, it resembled a home in the mortal realm.
“Sister Yu Tai… are you here?” Xiao Xin sniffled and called out.
“I’m coming in…” She walked inside cautiously.
When she reached the door and raised a hand to knock, she heard strange sounds coming from within.
Although she was still a young woman, Xiao Xin knew quite a bit about such matters. Her face instantly turned red all the way down to her neck.
She walked stiffly out of the courtyard, her mind completely blank.
Was that Sister Yu Tai’s voice?
But who was the other person?!
Which bastard had gotten there before her? What incredible fortune!
The moment Xiao Xin realized what she was thinking, she snapped back to her senses and pinched herself hard several times.
*Something is wrong with you, Xiao Xin. The one you like is Jiang Li! Jiang Li!*
Yet when she thought of Jiang Li, what appeared in her mind was Yu Tai’s slender figure standing against the light-and those strange sounds…
Her mind, which had finally begun to cool, instantly overheated again.
She sat on a random rock without caring whether her clothes became dirty.
“Chirp?”
At the sound, she raised her head.
In the distance, a black-and-white animal stood on all fours and tilted its head at her, seemingly demanding to know who she was.
Xiao Xin blinked and inexplicably began to stammer. “Um… Sister Yu Tai brought me here… Are you Sister Yu Tai’s demon beast?”
Hearing Yu Tai’s name and detecting Yu Tai’s scent on Xiao Xin, Xia Mo curled its lip and gave her a thoroughly disdainful look before turning toward the small courtyard.
Xiao Xin’s eyes widened when she saw where the demon beast was headed. “Hey… Don’t go in there. Sister Yu Tai… Sh-She’s busy right now.”
Xiao Xin, who did not dare approach, stamped her foot anxiously.
The strange black-and-white demon beast merely wiggled its rear at her in disdain. Then, right in front of Xiao Xin, it climbed expertly onto the ledge beside the window, used one large paw to lift a corner of the window, and poked its head inside.
In the next instant, a teacup flew out and struck it squarely on the head.
An angry shout followed. “Xia Mo! Get lost and eat your bamboo!”
The demon beast called Xia Mo rubbed the spot where it had been struck and chirped several times in protest, though there was no telling what it was saying.
Both parties behaved with obvious familiarity. This was clearly not the first time the demon beast had done such a thing.
Xiao Xin stared, dumbfounded. “…”