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CHAPTER 23: Madam Zi
Guang Ping was surprisingly well-versed in such heterodox matters.
"This Love Gu," he began, "is no mere Aphrodisiac powder or common lust-inducing drug."
"Before the Gu, there is the word 'Love'."
"Originally, this was a parasite refined by the eccentric men and women of the Hehuan Sect to bestow upon their beloveds. Miss Chao, surely you have heard of the Hehuan Sect’s methods of 'Plucking Yin to Supplement Yang'?"
Naturally, she had. In the past, the Hehuan Sect had been notorious for traveling far and wide to harvest the Yuan Yin and Yuan Yang of cultivators.
"This Gu compels the female host to seek out and consume Yang energy. Over time, she becomes inseparable from the source of that energy, eventually developing a profound, artificial affection. Thus, it is called the Love Gu."
Chao Jinsui’s heart sank.
She had thought she understood Su Liuyun to some extent. When he originally gave her the Love Gu, she had wondered if it were merely a base aphrodisiac, why was he so confident it would control her? Su Liuyun was meticulous; he wasn't ignorant of her character.
To think he could control me with a mere loss of innocence? That was a pipe dream.
To expect her to suffer a loss and simply swallow the insult was impossible. Thus, a doubt had lingered: he must have known that even if she needed him every three months, it wouldn't stop her from crippling him first.
Only now, hearing the monk Guang Ping’s words, did the puzzle pieces click into place.
What Su Liuyun wanted wasn't a single night of pleasure; he wanted a person's heart. Once he possessed her emotions, would she not be a puppet at his beck and call?
What a brilliant, wretched calculation.
Across from her, the Demon Lord was also tracing the rim of his teacup. Almost simultaneously, the same thought struck them both: This Gu must be extracted!
Noticing her gaze, he immediately shot her a fierce glare. Putting down his cup, the Demon Lord snorted.
"The Demon Race is merely despicable. We have not yet reached the level of human craftiness and combined it with such shamelessness."
Guang Ping opened his mouth, then closed it. Actually, we Demons are both despicable AND shameless.
Chao Jinsui wanted to refute his prejudice against humanity, but then she thought of Su Liuyun and remained silent.
This Demon Lord was a law unto himself, arrogant and untamable. Years ago, even as a low-level minor demon, he had thought only of openly kidnapping her; he never deigned to use such petty, shadowy tricks.
Guang Ping looked at the Demon Lord who had suddenly become quite noble with curiosity. He nudged, "Your Majesty, this Gu is a rare secret treasure. Used correctly, it could result in mutual devotion and tender affection."
However, that description only made Chao Jinsui and Yan Xueyi think of a specific pair: Chao Xiaotu and Su Liuyun.
What Chao Jinsui hated most about Su Liuyun was that while he acted deeply devoted to her, he never truly rejected Chao Xiaotu. Even the Demon Lord had witnessed a "grand scene" where Chao Xiaotu, calling out "Brother Liuyun," clung to his arm like a twisting fried dough stick while Su Liuyun affectionately pinched her nose.
Their eyes met. For a moment, scenes of "Little Silly Girl" and "Brother Xueyi" flashed through their minds, and both felt a collective shiver run down their spines.
Yan Xueyi: If she calls me that, I’ll assume she’s trying to stab me.
Chao Jinsui: If he calls me that, is he planning an assassination?
Guang Ping, quite enjoying the spectacle, saw his encouragement fail and sighed with regret.
"However, even if the two of you were willing, this Gu must come out." His expression grew serious. "Miss Chao, you should know that this type of Love Gu is controlled by a 'Gu King.' If you do not break free, one day, either the Gu will backfire and consume you, or…"
"you will suck His Majesty's Yang energy dry."
The Demon Lord: "..."
Chao Jinsui: "..."
"Logically, the Gu King should only be in the hands of the Hehuan Sect. But that sect was wiped out ten years ago, and the Gu King has long been missing. These Love Gu's have vanished from the world. The person who poisoned Miss Chao... just how did they get their hands on it?"
Chao Jinsui hesitated. "The legend says the Hehuan Sect was wiped out... wasn't that your doing?"
The Demon Lord: "..."
"Why would I go and wipe out a tiny Hehuan Sect?" Was he so bored that he'd go around playing the righteous enforcer for the cultivation world?
She presented her evidence. "After the Hehuan Sect was destroyed, demonic energy lingered there for a long time."
He hummed coldly. "Don't think I don't know. Whenever your cultivation world does something foul, you pin it on the Demons! Is every puff of demonic energy my personal handiwork?"
She whispered, "But rumors say you were deceived by a Hehuan enchantress and struck out in a fit of rage for a 'fallen beauty'."
He slammed his teacup onto the table, meeting her eyes and immediately clearing his name. "I have absolutely no 'beauties' or confidantes."
She chose to believe him for now.
Back to the point.
Chao Jinsui mused, "Su Liuyun is a mere Golden Core disciple. How could he possess a Love Gu left behind by the extinct Hehuan Sect?"
Yan Xueyi set his cup down, his slender fingers tapping rhythmically on the table. A flash of deep thought crossed his phoenix eyes.
"If you want to know where it came from, wouldn't it be easier to just... ask?"
Without saying who he intended to ask, he dissolved into a plume of black mist and vanished.
Thousands of miles away, beneath the Demon Palace.
Su Liuyun’s remnant soul was burnt down to a mere sliver of consciousness, nearly unresponsive to the outside world.
The Demon Lord studied this.
Su Liuyun truly was a master of schemes. Compared to his talent, his malicious heart was far more impressive. Thinking of the Love Gu, Yan Xueyi wanted nothing more than to tear this man into ten thousand pieces again to sate his fury.
But perhaps the angrier he became, the calmer he grew. Facing the muddled soul, his gaze was cold to the point of cruelty.
He suddenly asked, "Is your Su Family... a clan of Half-Demons?"
The remnant soul had almost no awareness left, but upon hearing "Half-Demon," it instinctively surged with a massive wave of terror. As if a secret more important than life itself had been touched, the trembling soul shrieked, "You what do you want to do?"
Yan Xueyi watched him silently for a moment, then smiled. "The Hehuan Sect... it was the Su Family who wiped them out, wasn't it?"
"Tell me, from whom did you get the Love Gu?"
"And who holds the Gu King?"
The soul remained silent.
Yan Xueyi’s beautiful phoenix eyes narrowed, his words dripping with venom. "You know that demons can devour one another, right?"
He said languidly, "The more powerful the prey, the faster the strength grows." His eyes were filled with mockery. "Tell me, how about I pay the Su Family a visit? It would be a veritable 'Taotie Feast,' wouldn't it?"
The soul shook violently in a spasm of agony!
A long time later, Yan Xueyi emerged from the dungeon.
The "Little Eye" (his spirit pet) thought its master would be furious because the soul had remained tight-lipped. But the Demon Lord glanced at his foolish pet.
Su Liuyun didn't need to say anything; his reaction had said it all. For a man as selfish as Su Liuyun to care so much about his "family" was nonsense.
Unless... the person holding the Love Gu was so significant to him that even a selfish wretch like him wouldn't dare speak.
The circle of suspects had just grown much smaller.
After drinking the mysterious herbal soup Guang Ping gave her, Chao Jinsui tasked the system with monitoring the Love Gu. She centered her mind, sending her consciousness into her sea of soul to open the Kunlun Sword Manual.
Ever since she obtained the Kunlun Sword, a series of events had followed in rapid succession. She hadn't had a chance to truly settle down and study the techniques. Because her soul was unstable, she currently couldn't even fly on her sword, it reminded her of the time in her previous life when she had become a cripple.
Even if she knew the Devil wouldn't harm her for now, she refused to lie around doing nothing. Even if only to suppress the Love Gu, she had to speed up her synchronization with the Kunlun Sword. After all, the sword's effect on suppressing evil was unparalleled.
She closed her eyes and opened the manual.
When she had previously probed the manual from the outside, the little figures inside merely moved to demonstrate for her. But now, as her soul manifested as a tiny figure within her consciousness and opened the Kunlun Sword Manual, she was nearly impaled by the Founder!
In this manual, the golden figure formed from the Founder’s divine sense didn't just demonstrate, it sparred with her! Though the Little Gold Man wouldn't explain the moves or communicate, being able to trade blows with a former Sword Saint was an invaluable benefit. Likely even the Founder's direct disciples hadn't enjoyed such treatment.
Is this the perk of being the chosen successor?
Her eyes brightened. Without hesitation, she summoned the Kunlun Sword to block the Little Gold Man's attack and charged forward!
She was currently on the first page: the first stage of the Kunlun Sword Manual, the Gale Realm.
Under heaven, all martial arts are broken by speed alone. Becoming like the wind was the first step.
The Little Gold Man’s sword was as fast as a torrential storm. The clashing of blades was constant, a blur of two afterimages!
The Sword Spirit mocked her: "So slow!"
Sword Spirit: "Your sword is like a snail! This is the Gale Realm? More like the 'Cramp Realm,' haha!"
Sword Spirit: "Hahaha, someone actually dodges by rolling on the floor!"
Sword Spirit: "You're getting beaten so miserably!"
...
The Founder's Little Classroom: half getting thrashed, half getting roasted by the Sword Spirit.
She snapped, "Sword Spirit, shut up!"
The spirit finally went quiet.
She didn't reluctantly withdraw from the manual until a sharp headache began to set in. She strongly suspected the headache was caused more by the spirit's nagging than the training.
Opening her eyes, she fell into thought. She had originally reached the fifth stage, the Frost Realm, but clearly, the Founder's standards were astronomically high. If she couldn't defeat the Little Gold Man, she couldn't turn the page.
Her first attempt hadn't even reached the second page. Evidently, in the Founder's eyes, her "Gale" wasn't fast enough.
Suddenly, her eyes lit up.
If she could win, she would reach the second stage: the Follow-Heart Realm.
The mind moves, and the sword follows. Absolute synchronization.
In the past, her version of the Kunlun Sword Manual was crude. No matter how she practiced, the second stage was only useful for sneak attacks. But now it was different; she had the true manual and the Founder’s one-on-one tutelage.
Her soul was unstable, making physical combat nearly impossible. But what if she achieved "Sword and Human as One"? Even if she were lying down, unable to move, she could command the Kunlun Sword to leave her enemies in pieces!
Impatience flared. As soon as the headache ebbed, she dove back into the manual.
For the rest of the day, her mind was filled with the Sword Spirit's "brilliant" metaphors and sarcasm. She wondered idly: Did this spirit spend ten thousand years in the forbidden zone just thinking up ways to insult people?
Finally, after clearing the first page and turning to the second, she stopped. She prepared to drink her medicine and rest partly for her mental health.
The Devil Lord, having returned at some point, pushed open the door and glanced at her. "If you don't sleep tonight, I'll knock you unconscious."
As if knowing that for a sword cultivator, lying in bed was a fate worse than death, he had moved into the room right next to hers. If she so much as stirred, a cold snort echoed from next door. If she tried to get out of bed, he tapped on the table.
She was forced to stay down.
Chao Jinsui: This demon must be retaliating for me kissing him the other day.
Truly, one cannot do a guilty deed. Whether ghosts come knocking is one thing but a Devil will definitely be sneering behind your door.
However, she wasn't reckless with her health. She discovered that with every use of the Kunlun Sword in her sea of soul, her connection to it grew stronger. The phantom of the sword in her mind became more solid. Slowly, the sword was becoming familiar with her.
The more solid the sword became, the more its powerful, murderous aura suppressed the restless Love Gu. For the whole day, the Gu had been stifled, its attempts to stir crushed by the sword’s presence.
However, tonight, the Gu having been peaceful for a while seemed to hear a summons. It became unprecedentedly active.
In her dream, she heard a voice. A familiar craving bubbled up in her heart.
The System, which had been watching, immediately cried out: "Host! Host!"
It thought she wouldn't hear, but she woke up almost instantly. If not for the Kunlun Sword standing guard in her mind, she would have lost control.
But this time, the sword worked. With a gargantuan effort of will, she forced herself to stay conscious, fighting the voice screaming in her heart. The voice grew clearer it was a woman’s voice! Eerie and seductive, urging her to consume, to draw near.
The voice was so gentle it was creepy, and it sounded... familiar.
She gritted her teeth, trying to hear what the woman was saying, but her head was heavy. She propped herself up and drew the Kunlun Sword, intending to slice her palm to use pain to maintain clarity!
The next second, her hand was caught. She looked up into a pair of faintly furious phoenix eyes.
She hissed, "Wait, I’m almost hearing it clearly!"
But he didn't let go. His hand was like iron, preventing her from self-harm. He injected a wave of domineering, ferocious demonic energy into her, stimulating her brain to keep her awake.
After a while, he asked, "Did you hear it?"
Drenched in sweat, she nodded.
The next second, she was pulled up. Her voice trembled from the effort of restraint. "Yan Xueyi, aren't you afraid I'll suck your Yang energy dry?"
Now that she knew what the Gu was trying to make her do, she was determined not to harm him.
He gave a cold laugh. "Have you forgotten who I am?" His voice held a touch of arrogance, his sharp jaw slightly raised. His fierce eyes narrowed. "Whoever gets turned into a withered corpse, it won't be me."
He turned his head away uncomfortably. "Well?"
She asked, "What?"
He glared at her. "Take the energy! Don't be stupid enough to stab yourself!"
He roughly pulled her into his arms, the force so great it felt as if he wanted to embed her into his chest. The scent of the demon rushed over her, completely enveloping her.
She hesitated, then hugged him back.
Both of them stiffened simultaneously. But soon, he pursed his thin lips and lowered his head, holding her tight.
He frowned. He could feel the thing inside her frantically absorbing and devouring his energy. Gradually, the screaming Gu began to settle.
But both their expressions grew solemn. Guang Ping was right if it were anyone else, this Gu would have sucked them dry.
After a long time, she wanted to say it was enough, but the Demon Lord remained silent, refusing to let go.
She pushed him slightly. The handsome demon furrowed his brows. "Is that enough? Why not take a bit more?"
Last time we almost kissed... is a mere hug enough this time?
Chao Jinsui: "..."
Last time she had no consciousness, so her actions were under the Gu’s control. But this time she was awake! She had managed to use the Kunlun Sword to suppress the Gu, only to find the Demon Lord looking... a little disappointed?
She suddenly felt he was like the guard dog on Mingyue Mountain, especially when he stole glances at her lips.
She pushed him again. "Yan Xueyi, I heard the voice clearly. I recognize it."
At the mention of business, he finally, slowly, released her. "Coincidentally," he said, "I have something to tell you as well."
As dawn approached, Guang Ping was summoned.
Yan Xueyi spoke unhurriedly. "Do you remember that Half-Demon ancestor of the Su Family? The destruction of the Hehuan Sect was likely the Su Family’s work."
Chao Jinsui nodded. "The voice I heard... it belongs to Su Liuyun’s mother, Madam Zi."
"Madam Zi is the sister of the Hehuan Sect Leader. Not many people know this."
She had discovered this by having the system check Madam Zi after recognizing the voice, piecing together fragments of the original plot.
With the information exchanged, the picture was clear:
The Su Family destroyed the Hehuan Sect. That was why, ten years later, Su Liuyun could easily obtain the "extinct" Love Gu. And Madam Zi, as the sister of the Sect Leader, was the most likely person to hold the Gu King.
Chao Jinsui: "No matter what, I must go and meet her."
Speaking of Madam Zi, her impression of the woman was deep. Before Su Liuyun’s "incident," Kunlun and the Su Family had been very close. Chao Taichu had always wanted Su Liuyun as a son-in-law and frequently dealt with them.
Years ago, after Su Liuyun "saved" her, she had gone to thank them, and Madam Zi had suggested Chao Jinsui call her "Godmother."
Madam Zi was a beautiful woman whose charm hadn't faded with age. Chao Jinsui remembered that eerily gentle voice perfectly, which was why she could identify it even in a daze.
She had never known her own mother and was unwilling to call someone else "mother." She had politely declined back then and rarely visited the Su household thereafter. Chao Xiaotu, on the other hand, had enthusiastically called her Godmother and ran to the Su Family every other day.
But Chao Jinsui’s strongest impression of Madam Zi was this: She loved her son more than life itself.
Su Liuyun spent money like water and lived in extreme luxury not just because he was the heir, but because of Madam Zi’s spoiling. Whatever he wanted, Madam Zi would deliver on a silver platter.
In that light, giving him the Love Gu made sense. In a way, wasn't she just a "thing" Su Liuyun wanted?
Could such a woman accept the loss of her son?
Chao Jinsui had a strong premonition: if the Love Gu wasn't resolved soon, something terrible would happen.
"The Su Family’s base is in Mandarin Duck City," she mused. "The Su Master took a group of disciples to cause trouble for Kunlun, but Madam Zi has always lived in seclusion. She must still be in the city."
Yan Xueyi looked up at her. "And how will you go? In your current state, you're just seeking death. I’m going with you."
His phoenix eyes narrowed dangerously. "Anyone who dares to frame the Demon Sect for a massacre needs to weigh their own worth."
Guang Ping, who had been quiet, hesitated. Actually, the Demon Race has been blamed for at least a hundred thousand things. People think if a chicken goes missing in the cultivation world, the Demon Lord stole it personally.
But in the end, Guang Ping just pressed his palms together. Never mind, don't undermine His Majesty; I don't want to be kicked into the horizon.
Guang Ping: "This poor monk shall go as well."
The two of them looked at him simultaneously, making him feel momentarily redundant.
Guang Ping: But I’m the only one who knows medicine!
The night before leaving Wuxiang Valley, Chao Jinsui received a paper crane from Chao Zhaoyue.
She unfolded the letter. He had reached the mortal realm safely and hadn't encountered any of Chao Taichu's men. He was currently on his way to find their mother’s burial site.
She thought for a moment and replied, telling him she was heading to Mandarin Duck City, though she omitted the detail about the Love Gu’s relapse.
Watching the crane fly away, she suddenly remembered the unfinished sentence Chao Zhaoyue had said in the carriage: "The one who sent you birthday gifts every year?"
She regretted not asking him in the letter.
But a thought struck her. When Chao Zhaoyue left Mingyue Mountain, he had packed all her belongings. He had even brought two sets of tea sets; surely all her miscellaneous items were in her storage bag.
She sat on the couch and began to sift through her things.
The next morning, very early, Chao Jinsui found herself staring fixedly at Yan Xueyi.
Specifically, at his demon horns.
When relaxed, the Demon Lord looked a bit like a lazy big cat, though his broken horn looked somewhat ferocious, giving the "cat" a sharp edge of aggression.
He felt uncomfortable under her gaze. Wherever he went, her eyes followed his horns. She didn't blink.
He felt she was being clingy, yet he was also annoyed. Her gaze was so focused he felt stiff just moving.
Finally, he couldn't take it. His eyes narrowed as he aggressively cornered her against a wall.
He stared her down, demanding, "Why are you staring at me? Is it the Love Gu again?"
He knew it!
However, the cool young woman wasn't frightened by his fierce exterior at all. Instead, she suddenly opened her palm toward him.
"It’s because of this."
In her hand was a slip of stationary.
As the former Young Sect Leader, her birthdays had resulted in mountains of gifts. Most required formal social reciprocation, so the anonymous ones were easily overlooked, tucked away in the corners of her storage bags to collect dust.
Yesterday, she had searched through the pile for a long time and finally found one person’s gifts.
Sent every year. Every year without a name. Only a short note on a slip of paper.
However, it wasn't strictly "anonymous." Because at the bottom of the stationary, where a signature should be.
There was a drawing of two horns.
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