Chapter 55
Ever since devouring all the demonic qi from that demonic cultivator, Yu Tai had felt that something was terribly wrong with her.
Her thirst for blood roared, dragging her deeper and deeper into the abyss.
Fortunately, she clung to her final shred of reason and forcibly suppressed the urge to kill. Grabbing Xiao Xin, she rushed nonstop back to her small courtyard.
After activating the formation at full strength, Yu Tai casually tossed Xiao Xin into a room and headed toward Shu Li’s courtyard.
She knew she must look far from presentable. Perhaps even the whites of her eyes had turned black. At the very least, Shu Li’s faintly surprised expression suggested as much.
“You-”
Before Shu Li could finish, Yu Tai threw herself into his arms.
“No nonsense. You know what you should be doing right now.” Yu Tai rose onto her toes, wrapped her arms around Shu Li’s neck, and bit down hard on the side of it.
The faint taste of blood spread through her mouth, calming her emotions a little.
But it was nowhere near enough.
She wanted so badly to devour all the flesh and blood of the man before her… Were mortals always this fragrant?
She suddenly seemed to understand Jiang Li’s obsession with that mysterious scent.
“Be good. There’s no need to rush.” Shu Li bent down and lifted her into his arms. Stroking her smooth hair, he coaxed softly, “Let’s go to bed.”
-A great many words are omitted here-
Feeling the demonic qi inside her settle, Yu Tai stretched her limbs and discovered that her cultivation had not changed this time.
The System: [All of it was used to suppress your demonic qi. That’s why there was no change.]
Leaning back against Shu Li’s chest, Yu Tai let him dress her and gave a lazy yawn.
She would have to be more careful next time. She had not expected devouring one of her own kind to cause such serious trouble. Fortunately, she had not been far from the Qingshan Sword Sect.
Once she was fully dressed, Yu Tai heartlessly pushed aside Shu Li, the tool who had outlived his usefulness.
She glanced back at him in confusion. Shu Li made no fuss and merely watched her quietly.
He had tormented her half to death last time. Why had they only done it once today?
But she quickly tossed the question aside. It was time to educate that little bastard Xia Mo.
For something that would one day become a young lady, such behavior could not be allowed to continue unchecked.
Yu Tai opened the door and shouted with a dark expression, “Xia Mo!”
But when her spiritual sense swept the area and discovered another figure, she suddenly remembered something. The exceptionally relaxed expression she wore at home instantly vanished.
A moment later, Yu Tai appeared before Xiao Xin with an aloof face that still carried a trace of languor after passion.
Xiao Xin’s expression stiffened, and she rose. “Sister Yu Tai… I… I…”
Yu Tai could not be bothered wasting words on her. She had saved Xiao Xin only because a disciple of the Zuiyin Sect suffering an accident on the Qingshan Sword Sect’s territory would cause an enormous disturbance, potentially disrupting her plan to enter the Upper Realm.
“You followed me into town, didn’t you? What did you want?”
At Yu Tai’s question, Xiao Xin’s eyes reddened. She had waited there for so long that her mind was still a mess. “I did have something to do…”
She squeezed the jade token in her hand, then suddenly looked up and shouted, “But… but not anymore!”
With that, she turned and left without giving Yu Tai a chance to react.
Yu Tai: ?
Xiao Xin would never know that the person who had remained hidden inside the courtyard emerged after she left and sat outside.
In an unnoticed corner, a tendril of blood-tinged Black Mist instantly devoured the stone on which she had been sitting, leaving not even a speck of dust behind.
Shu Li picked up a freshly washed spirit fruit and put it into his mouth. Looking at Yu Tai in the distance as she viciously swatted the panda’s bottom with a broom, a hint of amusement appeared in his eyes.
The panda’s aggrieved chirps and Yu Tai’s scolding echoed beneath the sunset. Several immortal cranes flew overhead one after another, clearly long accustomed to the scene.
…
The day of the match arrived.
Yu Tai’s opponent was not Jiang Li, but a wandering cultivator.
It took little thought for Yu Tai to understand why she had not been matched against Jiang Li.
The dramatic spectacle of the Zuiyin Sect’s genius disciple killing a demonic cultivator naturally had to serve as the grand finale.
Still, the people from the Upper Realm certainly had confidence in her.
Were they truly so certain she could fight her way into the final?
Yu Tai handed Xia Mo to Shu Li, then tied a pouch of washed spirit fruits to his waist. “Stay here and watch obediently. Don’t run around.”
Shu Li and Xia Mo nodded together.
Li Shijie, who was watching beside them: “…”
Junior Sister had told her that this man was the new keeper she had hired for her demon beast.
But… why did they somehow look like a family of three?
Forgive me. I have sinned.
The instant Yu Tai stepped onto the platform, several cultivators descended from the sky. One of them complained loudly, “We’re late! We’re late! I told you we should’ve left earlier…”
Yu Tai gave them another look.
They were the Zuiyin Sect disciples she had met on the black tortoise that day.
Jiang Li was not competing today. Had they gotten the date wrong?
But the instant she landed on the platform, an exceptionally loud and perfectly synchronized cry rang out from below.
“YU TAI WILL WIN!”
The volume irritated the other cultivators, but after they saw the young men’s and women’s clothing, their expressions immediately disappeared. They shuffled away, putting more distance between themselves and the group.
They were actually disciples of the Zuiyin Sect?!
What sort of background did Yu Tai of the Qingshan Sword Sect possess for even Zuiyin Sect disciples to come cheer for her?
The commotion also drew the attention of those in the spectator stand.
Someone teased, “Oh? Aren’t those disciples of your Zuiyin Sect?”
The elder of the Zuiyin Sect glanced at Xiao Xin beside him and drawled, “The disciples of my sect are rather lively. I apologize for the spectacle.”
But the faint pressure emanating from him instantly silenced the person who had spoken.
Who would dare laugh at disciples of the Zuiyin Sect?
Below the platform, Li Shijie stared in disbelief. She turned to Shu Li. “When did Junior Sister become so close to the disciples of the Zuiyin Sect?!”
*I know she’s highly sought-after and popular, but there ought to be a limit!*
Shu Li said nothing. A shadow passed through the eyes of the man Li Shijie considered mild-tempered.
Even he had not known that Yu Tai was so friendly with Zuiyin Sect disciples.
She had told him nothing.
The only calm person present was probably Yu Tai herself.
The wandering cultivator opposite her visibly wavered. He had plainly never imagined that his opponent had connections to the Upper Realm.
With backing that powerful, why was she still pretending to be a cultivator of the Middle Realm?
Yu Tai, who had been inexplicably blamed, expressionlessly blocked his attack.
Any cultivator who had survived to the end of the arena round was clearly no easy opponent.
Although Yu Tai considered him no better than Zhuang Han, she still needed to keep up appearances.
She forcibly dragged the fight through several exchanges. In the end, she lost patience-especially after the corner of her eye caught Shu Li lowering his gaze and chatting happily with some sweet-looking female cultivator who had appeared from nowhere.
Yu Tai kicked her opponent off the platform and sheathed her sword.
*Fine. Chat all you want, but why the hell are you smiling like such a flirt?*