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CHAPTER 34: A Devil Like a Little Girl
Chao Xiaotu watched Chao Jinsui standing atop the statue and tugged at Shi Chunqiu’s sleeve. "Grandfather, why haven't you seized her yet? Make her stop talking, quickly!"
Shi Chunqiu’s face was a shade of bruised iron, but he shook his head nonetheless. "Things have reached a point where we can no longer stop her."
If Taixuan Wuji moved to silence her now, it would only make matters worse.
As expected, the young woman’s voice rang out calmly from atop the massive stone carving. "Ten years ago, Madam Zi conspired with the Su clan to slaughter every soul in the Hehuan Sect. Thousands perished, not a single survivor remained. Such a crime is unpardonable. I demand that Taixuan Wuji reopen this case!"
Elder Ping stood at the head of the elders, her voice low and heavy. "Aside from that memory pearl, do you have any other evidence?"
High above, Chao Jinsui sat cross-legged on the statue and let out a soft laugh. "A confession from her own lips isn't enough? What, do you need me to swear a Heavenly Oath?"
The tension in the air shattered as the surrounding crowd erupted into laughter. The faces of the Taixuan Wuji disciples burned with a stinging heat. After all, Chao Xiaotu had just used a single Heavenly Oath to seal Chao Jinsui’s guilt moments ago.
Elder Ping remained the most composed. "The massacre of the Hehuan Sect left behind a thick shroud of demonic energy. If it wasn't the work of the demons, why was the sky stained with such filth?"
Her implication was clear: Taixuan Wuji’s judgment had been based on the evidence available.
The girl sitting above, tossing a small orb up and down, looked down in feigned surprise. "Does Taixuan Wuji truly not know that the Su clan is a family of half-demons?"
The eyes of the onlookers widened in shock. Shi Chunqiu was stunned. "How is that possible!"
However, when he looked at Chao Xiaotu, he caught the flickering, guilty look in her eyes. His heart sank instantly.
Sure enough, a mocking smile played on Chao Jinsui’s lips. "What? If you don't believe me, simply invite the two surviving members of the Su clan here to see for themselves."
The elders of Taixuan Wuji looked grim. Back then, because they couldn't find any leads and didn't want to waste time on the matter, the presence of demonic energy had made them immediately think of the Demon Lord, Yan Xueyi.
He was a notorious devil with a fearsome reputation, and as a ruler with a thousand matters to attend to, he wouldn't bother with such trivialities. Pinning it on him was the simplest, easiest path.
The matter had been buried long ago. They thought no one would ever discover the truth, yet Chao Jinsui had unearthed it. With Madam Zi’s confession and the revelation of the Su clan’s half-demonic nature, the truth was as clear as water.
The fact that Taixuan Wuji had misjudged the case was now hammered home, indisputable.
Having botched two cases in a single day, the surrounding crowd began to look at Taixuan Wuji with very peculiar expressions. Elder Ping took a deep breath, suppressing her fury. "Miss Chao, what exactly is it that you want?"
The girl above spoke in a gentle, harmless tone. "Elder Ping, I am merely a Scarlet level wanted criminal. If I don't prove my innocence, I won't be able to walk out of Taixuan Wuji. After all, once a bounty is issued, the whole world seeks my life."
The subtext was clear: You forced my hand. If they hadn't pushed her, would she be sitting here now?
Elder Ping exhaled sharply. "This matter was indeed our failing. We will reinvestigate and clear your name."
"No rush. I haven't finished. I have more grievances to report."
Elder Ping and Shi Chunqiu exchanged a look. Elder Ping interrupted angrily, "What other grievances could you possibly have?"
She wasn't some tragic heroine from a folk play. How could there be so much injustice!
However, behind them, the elder sent by the Jade Sword Alliance to supervise spoke up. "Let her speak."
Elder Ping took another deep breath and heard the girl’s slow, deliberate words. "I wish to accuse the Su clan and Madam Zi of a complete disregard for human life. They used thousands of citizens from Mandarin Duck City as fodder to raise the Hehuan Sect’s Gu King, bringing calamity to the region."
What? When did this happen?
"I also accuse Madam Zi of attempting to sacrifice the lives of two hundred men to bring Su Liuyun back from the dead."
A cold gasp rippled through the crowd. The sheer volume of information caused people to lean in and whisper fervently.
After a long silence, Elder Ping spoke. "We will reinvestigate the Hehuan Sect incident, but as for the latter two charges, if there is no concrete evidence, Taixuan Wuji will not entertain them!"
Chao Jinsui reached out and produced two more memory pearls.
Elder Ping and Shi Chunqiu were speechless.
She no longer passively offered evidence. Instead, she stood up, her aura shifting entirely. Her tone remained soft, yet her words were sharp and aggressive.
"Taixuan Wuji bears the responsibility of oversight. Why was the horror of Mandarin Duck City undiscovered for a century? Why was Taixuan Wuji unaware that the entire Su clan were half-demons? Why was the Hehuan Sect massacre closed so hastily? Is this how Taixuan Wuji has always judged cases? If it isn't a Heavenly Oath, you simply shift the blame to the demons?"
Laughter broke out among the spectators.
"What exactly does Taixuan Wuji do? Sit in high halls and issue Scarlet level bounties wholesale?"
But soon, the laughter died down. Her voice turned incredibly cold, almost a shout. "Today, it was I who was wronged. What about tomorrow? I dared to storm Taixuan Wuji, but would others who are wronged dare to do the same?"
A dead silence fell over the square. In a thousand years, only one person had ever dared to storm Taixuan Wuji. If, in the future, it were them?
The look in everyone’s eyes changed.
Incompetence, negligence, and the framing of the innocent, these three great sins weighed down so heavily they were suffocating. Was this the standard of the cultivation world? Was this the scale of justice? Something was beginning to crumble under the gaze of the masses.
Elder Ping knew she had to say something, but she had no answer to Chao Jinsui’s questions. Once word spread, how would the world view Taixuan Wuji? Would they doubt every past judgment? Would they question their very way of life?
Elder Ping’s face was pale. Behind her, Shi Chunqiu was speechless, and the twelve elders remained silent. Chao Jinsui was a junior who had betrayed her sect. Though powerful, she had no backing. They never imagined a wanted criminal would dare come to their door, let alone overturn her case.
Taixuan Wuji was a sect built on prestige. Today, Chao Jinsui had done only one thing: she had shaken a millennium of that prestige.
Elder Ping struck her staff against the ground, the heavy thud quieting the crowd. "Everyone, Taixuan Wuji will surely give you an explanation! Once we have verified the facts, we will withdraw Miss Chao’s bounty, reopen the old cases, and resolve the matter of Mandarin Duck City."
A flash of ruthlessness crossed Elder Ping’s eyes. "If it is our fault, Taixuan Wuji will apologize to the world! We will not protect our own. We will execute the elders who presided over the original judgment to appease the heavens!"
At those words, the murmuring ceased. Elder Ping was a true ruler. Her handling of the situation was swift and brutal, a desperate move to turn the tide. She had managed to barely salvage Taixuan Wuji’s face.
The scene was almost settled. But in the next second.
Chao Xiaotu screamed, "So what! Did you or did you not kill Su Liuyun?"
Elder Ping and Shi Chunqiu both felt the urge to gag her. But the words were out. "The Su clan was guilty, but were you right? Chao Jinsui, a life for a life!"
Chao Jinsui laughed. She whispered to Chao Xiaotu, "Look up."
Everyone raised their heads. Above the Hall of Radiant Light, two lines of golden characters glowed.
Eradicate Evil, Purge the Wicked.
A Bright Mirror Hanging High.
In that moment, those eight characters possessed a soul-shaking power. To slay an unrighteous thief, to kill a wicked soul, what fault was there?
Taixuan Wuji had lost completely. Factually, logically, and morally, they were utterly defeated.
Publicly, she had killed an unrighteous man and removed a parasite that preyed on cultivators; she had killed with perfect justification. Privately, she had suffered injustice and dared to resist Taixuan Wuji alone. In every sense, she held the moral high ground.
Once this story spread, people would look down on Taixuan Wuji just as much as they would look up to this sword cultivator. Even the most capable leader could not overcome the staggering stupidity of a fool.
Elder Ping closed her eyes, wishing she could simply strangle Chao Xiaotu herself.
Taixuan Wuji struggled to close the Hall of Radiant Light. The onlookers were reluctantly ushered away, but they left in groups. It was easy to imagine that today’s events would sweep through the cultivation world like a storm.
Chao Xiaotu was despondent. She tried to follow Elder Ping, but the woman who had always doted on her gave her a single look and swept away with a flick of her sleeve. She left behind only one sentence: "Shi Chunqiu, you raised her but did not teach her. This is your fault!"
Shi Chunqiu’s face was ashen. He said nothing, merely grabbing Chao Xiaotu. The other elders looked at her with terrifying eyes, as if they wanted to crush her. If she hadn't provoked this great trouble, how could Taixuan Wuji have lost so much face? Furthermore, Elder Ping had promised to execute an elder. So many had been involved in the Hehuan Sect case; who knew which unlucky soul would be chosen?
Chao Xiaotu was lost and terrified. Shi Chunqiu looked at her with a complicated gaze. Both were born of the same father, yet Chao Xiaotu was a flower grown in a greenhouse. Her experience was too shallow, her actions too impulsive. She had lived for a century yet remained like a teenage girl. Chao Jinsui, however, could already contend with these old foxes without losing ground.
"Xiaotu, come with me to apologize."
"What?"
"Follow me with heavy gifts. Kneel and apologize to the elders... and to Chao Jinsui."
Chao Xiaotu’s pupils dilated. "I won't!" Making her kneel to Chao Jinsui was worse than death.
Shi Chunqiu roared, "Even if you don't want to, you will go! If you don't kneel, I'll break both your legs!"
Chao Xiaotu still didn't understand what had happened. She didn't realize that Chao Jinsui’s few words had stripped her of her backing. She only stood there because she was Shi Chunqiu’s granddaughter. Now, it was no longer about what she wanted to do to Chao Jinsui, but whether Chao Jinsui would choose to let her go.
On the way back to the resting pavilion, a familiar and pleasant voice drifted from behind Chao Jinsui, lazy and mocking.
"I am not like you hypocritical human cultivators. I don't care about reputation. Why bother with such a superfluous gesture?"
To be honest, being defended by her like that, watching her overturn his case without hesitation, made him feel she was foolishly naive. Who would want to clear the name of a notorious devil? He was rotten to the core anyway, wasn't he?
And yet, her protection made him want to smile. He glanced at her as they walked. With every glance, the corner of his mouth ticked upward. But on the surface, the devil seemed to sneer at her actions, even warning her sternly.
"I am not some pretty boy like Su Liuyun who needs protection. This kind of effort brings no reward. Don't do it again."
The girl, her expression indifferent, suddenly asked, "Are you happy?"
The handsome devil blinked, then nodded reluctantly. "A little."
She paused. "Then consider it my way of coaxing you into a better mood."
The Demon Lord was speechless. His pupils contracted. The usually lawless Demon Lord froze in place like a rigid statue. A long while later, he turned around only to find the sword cultivator had already drifted away.
What did she mean, coaxing him? Why did she leave without explaining anything?
Because of her victory at the Hall of Radiant Light, Taixuan Wuji was now forced to treat her as an honored guest. Even if they hated her to their very marrow, her treatment reached a height never before seen.
Back in her room, Chao Jinsui began to meditate. She entered the world of the Kunlun Sword Manual again, testing the third stage, the Thousand Jin Realm. She had a feeling that after reaching the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm, she was only a step away from the fourth stage, but the breakthrough eluded her.
After a long time, she opened her eyes. Did she really need another life-or-death encounter like the giant spider to find that "spark"?
As night fell, a heavy rain began to pour. Chao Jinsui opened her window and saw Shi Chunqiu kneeling in the downpour. He was indeed old; his hair was white at the temples, and he looked weary. She looked around but didn't see Chao Xiaotu. Instead, she saw many Taixuan Wuji disciples looking at her with hatred.
Shi Chunqiu wasn't truly there to humiliate himself. Besides seeking mercy, the old fox wanted to salvage what was left of his reputation through a bit of moral kidnapping. However, kneeling to a junior in public was surely the greatest disgrace of his long life. He had to struggle to keep his face blank.
"Miss Chao, Xiaotu is your sister by blood. Blood is thicker than water. For that sake, please do not hold her misunderstandings against her."
Chao Jinsui looked at him, slightly dazed. Chao Xiaotu’s life was truly blessed. From childhood, she never lacked elders who would toil and sacrifice for her. Even at her wit’s end, she had a grandfather willing to kneel for her. She and Chao Zhaoyue, however, had never dared to make a single mistake, learning to read the room from a young age.
She did envy Chao Xiaotu for that. But would she pity Shi Chunqiu? Of course not. The "misunderstanding" he spoke of had nearly cost her her life. This kneel was merely a way to guilt her into silence.
She spoke suddenly. "Elder Shi, you raised her. Can she truly bear to watch you kneel?"
Shi Chunqiu hadn't expected such a direct jab. His face turned pale. He knew she was calling his granddaughter heartless, and the truth stung.
Chao Jinsui watched him for a long time before letting out a soft, haunted sigh, as if truly moved. "You are an elder. I will not make things difficult for you. I will not move against Chao Xiaotu. The rain is heavy; please go back."
Shi Chunqiu looked at her with deep suspicion. How could she be so kind? Who was the aggressive girl from this morning? But surely she wouldn't go back on her word in front of so many witnesses.
Chao Jinsui maintained her smile as she watched him leave. She whispered, "Ling Yun."
Ling Yun popped her head out from the back. "Didn't you say you wanted to accuse Chao Xiaotu once? I won't move against her, but you can. Do as you wish to vent your anger."
Ling Yun was stunned. Is there such a good deal?
That night, the rain over Taixuan Wuji grew heavier, as if the sky had been punctured. It was a fitting backdrop for the sect’s current state. In such weather, Chao Jinsui couldn't easily investigate the forbidden grounds, so she sat by the candle, studying the map.
Soon, she heard the sound of a window breaking next door. Right, she remembered the devil saying he would go to the forbidden area tonight. She pushed open the door to the adjacent room and saw a tall figure in the shadows. He didn't want to wake her, so his movements were light.
He had taken his demons to the forbidden grounds and eventually found the Clear Mind Manual, but the process had been messy. He had sustained some minor injuries. He was bare-chested, his wet clothes tossed aside. He lit a clump of black flame in his palm, the heat quickly drying his clothes and long hair.
But the rain couldn't wash away the murderous aura clinging to him. His two demonic horns made him look like a fierce, wild beast. He flicked the crawling "Little Eye" with his finger, and the creature, eager to please after its betrayal the day before, hurried to fetch him new clothes.
Just as he was about to dress, the door opened. He instinctively threw his blood-stained clothes into the fire.
The devil tried to change the subject. "You're so kind-hearted? You truly won't move against Chao Xiaotu?"
"How is your news so fast?"
He shifted the blame. "Little Eye was eager for credit."
Little Eye was confused.
She said, "I didn't lie to Shi Chunqiu. I won't touch her, isn't it better to leave the opportunity to someone else? Ling Yun was thrown to the spiders by her. Why should I stop her from seeking revenge?"
Looking at her gentle expression, he felt a strange, restless emotion brewing. He realized she was truly a good person.
"Why?" he asked suddenly.
She looked at him, puzzled.
"Are you this good to everyone? Do you defend everyone like this?"
She remained silent. In the rain, his voice sounded distant, his smile mocking. It was as if he were waking from a dream, clear-headed and cold. Like a wounded beast mocking itself in the dark.
"You felt it was unfair, so you helped Ling Yun. You felt it was wrong, so you helped me? All for that... justice and fairness?"
She was silent for a moment. "I am indeed good to others." She couldn't deny that she believed even a demon deserved justice. But saying it out loud seemed to change the meaning.
His hair was still slightly damp; he looked like a large dog that had been left out in the rain. But now, this slightly pathetic wolf-dog turned his head away, struggling to contain his emotions. His jaw was clenched, his knuckles white. For a demon, suppressing emotion was too difficult.
Like a drowning man, he stood up abruptly, without even putting on his shirt. The scars crisscrossing his body were exposed as he tried to flee from her gentle gaze. He threw his outer robe over his shoulder and started to leave. He feared he would do something irreversible if he stayed, while he still had his reason.
Halfway to the door, he tossed a pendant to her. "Don't follow me."
But the footsteps behind him didn't stop. He gave a self-deprecating laugh. "What, do you pity me? Want to comfort me? Do you really think I’m that kind?"
In the darkness, his voice was dangerous. "If you come any closer, I can't guarantee what I'll do to you."
She was quiet for a long time. "Yan Xueyi, in my entire life, I have only ever coaxed one person."
His steps faltered.
"Yan Xueyi, you are different."
"..." After a long silence, he asked, "How am I different?"
"I am always coaxing you," she said. "I have never done that for anyone else."
He said nothing, but he stopped walking.
She continued, "Yan Xueyi, you are just like a little girl, do you know that? You can't run away every time you're angry, like a little girl running away from home."
He turned around, suddenly striding toward her. "A little girl?"
He grabbed her waist and lifted her, pinning her against the wall. The tall devil’s long hair carried the cold dampness of the rain, but his breath was scalding. His taut muscles were like a stalking leopard’s, and his phoenix eyes were full of aggression.
"What little girl would climb mountains of blades and cross seas of fire to bring back half a stone for you?"
Would she risk being buried alive in a forbidden ground just to grab a piece of junk? He didn't know why she wanted it, but he had seen a Heaven-Mending Stone before. When he saw something similar in the collapsing forbidden area, he had charged back in to grab it, despite the danger.
She looked at the pendant in shock. The Heaven-Mending Stone was cracked, only a half-moon shape, made into a pendant. He had become this disheveled mess just to get it for her, not even knowing if it was the right piece. Simply because she wanted it.
She suddenly found herself at a loss for words. He had a terrible temper, he was jealous, and he was unpredictable, a true Demon Lord.
The demon Lord was silent for a moment, recalling her words. She had actually called him a little girl who runs away from home. He found himself without a rebuttal. He was indeed prone to insecurity, fearing it was all a dream.
"I won't leave. I won't be like that again."
She finally breathed a sigh of relief. He stepped back slightly, his phoenix eyes fixed on her as he made a solemn declaration. "I will be like the poisonous snake in the stories, coiled tightly around you. So, you cannot drive me away tonight."
Jinsui was confused. "Why?"
He squeezed her waist, his tone threatening. "And you aren't allowed to drive me away on any night in the future, either."
She thought these two things were completely unrelated. But the half-stone in her hand was still warm from his touch. She could still smell the faint scent of blood on him. He hid it well, acting as if he didn't care, but she was sensitive to it. In this regard, he was nothing like a little girl.
After a long silence, she finally relented. "You can't stare at me while I sleep. You can't interfere with my work. And you have to be reasonable. You can't even get jealous over me being nice to Ling Yun."
The Demon Lord narrowed his beautiful eyes. He leaned in, lowering his head. "Didn't you say it yourself? Once you've fallen into the demonic path, your heart becomes very narrow."
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