Chapter 46: Born

If he wasn’t mistaken, this half-demon had Jiaoren blood running through her veins.

“A Jiaoren. That makes things difficult.”

Among the demon race, birds, beasts, flowers, fish, and insects could all cultivate and become demons. But if one were to name the most xenophobic of them all, it would undoubtedly be the Jiaoren of the sea.

The Jiaoren used to live in the depths of the vast ocean. They were beautiful, gentle, and highly skilled in song. However, after malicious human cultivators began hunting them on a massive scale, the Jiaoren immediately revealed their ferocious strength as overlords of the deep sea. Not only did they come ashore to build Jiaoren City, but they also strictly forbade human cultivators from entering.

In other words, the Jiaoren were without a doubt the demon race that loathed human cultivators the most.

Speaking of which, Venerable Chengwei had actually visited Jiaoren City before. Half of the city was built in the water and half rose above the surface, offering a magnificent and unique view. Unfortunately, the city only welcomed demon cultivators.

If the Jiaoren found out that a half-demon of their kind had almost been devoured by an evil cultivator, those half-human, half-fish creatures would probably rise up and stir up trouble again. Venerable Chengwei stroked his chin; truth be told, he was actually looking forward to it.

It was about time the evil cultivators of the cultivation world experienced the charming appeal of the deep-sea overlords.

Of course, this was assuming the little half-demon on the ground chose to transform into a demon, and succeeded in doing so.

But then again, didn’t you Jiaoren claim to detest humans? How did you manage to produce a half-demon?

“Grand-Uncle Master, please, save her!”

Xia Ying cradled A’qing, who had already reverted into a sea-blue egg. If she hadn’t seen it with her own eyes, she would have found it hard to believe that the friend she grew up with was actually a half-demon.

But whether she was human or demon did not matter.

“I cannot save her,” he said. “Only she can save herself.”

Just like a caterpillar emerging from its cocoon as a butterfly, it had to rely on its own strength to break free from its external shackles. Well-intentioned help from outsiders would not assist it; instead, it would only hasten its death.

It was the same for a half-demon.

All he could do was help purge the lingering remnants of the evil cultivator’s spells from her body.

“How can that be?” Xia Ying sank to the ground, her tears splashing onto the eggshell. When she heard her uncle’s voice, her tears fell in a sudden torrent. “Second Uncle!”

The City Lord had been in closed-door cultivation but rushed over immediately upon receiving the news. He hadn’t expected to find the entire villa in such utter ruin. He had met He Gan of Tinghe Villa before, but now the man lay lifeless on the ground. And over there…

“It’s alright, it’s alright. Don’t cry, A’ying.”

Arriving right on the City Lord’s heels were Chen Zui and two senior brothers from Kaiyuan Peak.

“Bian Chunzhou! Wen Xu!” Anxiety and tension were plain on Chen Zui’s face. “Senior Brother Huang, quick, check on them.”

Senior Brother Huang hadn’t expected another evil cultivator to crop up right after they had just caught one. It looked like he could kiss his year-end bonus goodbye. “They’ve exhausted their energy, and their external injuries are quite severe. Fortunately, their internal organs aren’t damaged. They just need some rest to recover.”

Having said that, he turned to Xia Ying. “Junior Sister Xia Ying, what exactly happened here? That evil cultivator…”

With two of the three people involved unconscious, he could only ask the only one who was awake. Who could have guessed…

Senior Brother Huang instantly felt a surge of deep respect for the two junior brothers lying on the ground. Oh, wait, one of them was the Little Grand-Uncle Master. Heavens, three Qi Refining cultivators actually dared to go toe-to-toe with a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator, and they had somehow survived!

“City Lord, did you kill the evil cultivator?”

City Lord Xia shook his head. “No. It was already dead when I arrived.”

Xia Ying glanced at the unconscious Wen Xu. “…It was the Grand-Uncle Master.”

City Lord Xia instantly became as skittish as a startled bird. Where? Where is he? Where is that damn dragon?

Senior Brother Huang: …There’s really no need to react like that. The Grand-Uncle Master of our Yonglu Mountain doesn’t eat people :).

However, knowing that one of their own had intervened, Senior Brother Huang immediately put his worries to rest. As for the half-demon egg, that was the City Lord’s Mansion’s business, and he wouldn’t meddle in it. After arranging for people to clear the lingering evil energy from Tinghe Villa, Senior Brother Huang took his two heavily injured fellow disciples back to the mountain.

Not long after, he heard that the Punishment Hall had just taken in the soul of an evil cultivator. It was likely the very one that had caused havoc at Tinghe Villa.

To be honest, the Little Grand-Uncle Master and his friends were really a bit reckless. But then again, they were indeed worthy of being disciples of Yonglu Mountain!

Believing that sharing a shock was better than keeping it to himself, Senior Brother Huang shared this astonishing battle with his close friends. As everyone knew, no three people in the world could keep a secret, and the cultivation world was no exception.

By the time Senior Brother Huang woke from his meditation the next day, the entirety of Yonglu Mountain, including his master who was in closed-door cultivation, knew about it.

Don’t ask how. Gossip was simply human nature!

Moreover, the rumors grew increasingly wild. Some claimed the Little Grand-Uncle Master had summoned his Divine Dragon master on the spot. Although the evil cultivator had indeed been killed by the Grand-Uncle Master, anyone with a brain knew he couldn’t have descended the mountain in person. If that Divine Dragon Grand-Uncle Master actually left the mountain, the commotion would have shaken the entire cultivation world.

Just look at how City Lord Xia of Langyuan City had reacted upon hearing the Grand-Uncle Master’s name.

Speaking of which, did that half-demon egg ever hatch?

The two currently recovering from their injuries also really wanted to know the answer to this question. Unfortunately, although they hadn’t suffered major internal damage or lost any limbs, their spiritual energy had been completely drained. It was best for them not to use any spiritual energy for the time being, which meant they couldn’t go down the mountain.

“Hey, Chen Zuizui, can you stop staring at me like that? It’s making me nervous.”

Chen Zui gave a heavy snort. “You didn’t even tell me there was a fight. Serving you right for getting hurt like this! If I had been there, I wouldn’t have let you two end up in such a pathetic state.”

“Really? That was a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator. Me, Wen Xuxu, and Senior Sister Xia Ying combined were no match for her. Thank goodness!” Bian Chunzhou cupped his face, a dreamy, infatuated smile spreading across his face. “I really wasn’t meant to die yet!”

“…Your smile is disgusting.”

“What do you know! This is called…”

“Called what?”

“I’m not telling you!” He had been saved by the Divine Dragon twice! Seriously, who could possibly understand this feeling? If he went back home now, his epitaph could be carved directly into the family genealogy. “Anyway, I’m just really happy right now.”

Chen Zui pulled a long face. “Well, I’m not.”

“Alright, I’ll take you with me next time. Who rushes to get beaten up like that? Do you really love fighting that much?” Bian Chunzhou reached out and patted his friend’s shoulder. “Besides, I notified you the moment I entered the villa. It’s your own fault for having short legs. We almost lost our lives, and you still hadn’t arrived.”

Chen Zui was left speechless. He had not reached Foundation Establishment yet and could not fly by manipulating Qi, so he had traveled by riding Senior Brother Huang’s flying sword. “My legs aren’t short. They’re clearly longer than yours.”

Bian Chunzhou looked at the silly dog who stood half a head taller than him. “…So what if you have long legs!” They were supposed to have grown up eating Fasting Pills, so how did this guy grow so tall?

Rounded up, he was at least one-eighty, while this guy had to be one-ninety. Fortunately, Wen Xuxu was only a tiny bit taller than him, so the three of them did not look like a WiFi signal bar.

“Oh, right, Wen Xuxu. Why did you apologize to me before you passed out that day?” Bian Chunzhou did not understand. “I’m clearly the one who should be thanking you!”

Wen Xu was taken aback. “I thought you didn’t hear it.”

“I didn’t hear it, but I saw your lips moving.” This little mouse here happens to know a bit of lip-reading, you see.

Wen Xu’s eyes darkened slightly. “The reason I went down the mountain that day was to choose spiritual wine for my master. Master sent a wisp of his divine sense to accompany me, so by the time we reached Tinghe Villa, Master was already there.”

Bian Chunzhou understood. “You mean Venerable Chengwei didn’t step in right away because he wanted to… temper us?”

“…I was the one who suggested it.”

Hearing this, Bian Chunzhou understood instantly. “Are you feeling guilty? Thinking that if you hadn’t suggested it, we wouldn’t have been hurt so badly?”

Wen Xu nodded.

“If you were given the choice again, would you still make the same decision?”

Wen Xu nodded again.

Bian Chunzhou clapped his hands. “Then isn’t that fine? Besides, it was such a great opportunity. Ask Chen Zuizui. If it were him, he’d probably charge right in with his blade without a second thought, right?”

Chen Zui nodded. “Exactly. What’s there to fear from a few injuries? If you’re afraid of pain, don’t bother cultivating.”

“So, apology rejected. I actually had a pretty good time fighting.” Although he had been battered miserably, if he had known the divine dragon was watching over them, he could have fought even harder! If people didn’t push themselves, how would they ever know their own potential?

Wen Xu smiled. “I know. That’s why I acted so fearlessly, knowing I had backup, and that’s exactly why I needed to apologize.”

“Wow!” Bian Chunzhou exclaimed. “Quick, let me see if your belly is black, Wen Xuxu. Being this black-bellied, do you have a death wish?”

“…Not showing you.”

“Wen Xuxu, you’re so conservative.”

However, there was still an honest soul present. “What does black-bellied mean?”

“Black-bellied,” Teacher Bian’s class was now in session, “refers to refined, handsome young gentlemen like Wen Xuxu. They look noble and pure on the outside, but their bellies are actually full of wicked schemes.”

Chen Zui: …Now I’m even more confused.jpg.

“Forget it, you just need to know that black-bellied is a compliment.” Teacher Bian’s teaching career had met an early demise, and he immediately threw in the towel. “Speaking of which, that evil cultivator’s Grief Drum was supposed to be really powerful, right? Why didn’t I feel anything at all? Did it fail to work?”

Senior Sister Xia Ying had said she had a way to deal with it, but could it have just failed completely?

“It worked.”

“What?”

Wen Xu shrugged. “It took effect. I felt it.”

“Then how are you still…”

Wen Xu smiled. He could hardly tell his friends that he had too many past memories he wished to forget. And because there were so many, even if he wanted to avoid them, there was no escaping them. The moment the Grief Drum “struck” him, he had realized it.

Besides, not wanting to remember did not mean he was still wallowing in the past. If he kept self-pitying and blaming himself, wouldn’t he just remain stuck in place forever? He did not have the luxury of time to waste on self-pity.

No one stays in the past. He only needed to keep moving forward.

“My master was there, remember?”

Bian Chunzhou felt like something was off, but then again, it made sense. “Oh, right! You have your own built-in cheat code. I’m so jealous!” After all, who wouldn’t want a dragon cheat code?

Thinking such rebellious thoughts shouldn’t be against the law, right?

Just as Bian Chunzhou’s mind was wandering, he received a transmission talisman from Senior Sister Xia Ying.

The moment he read it, he leaped up in joy. “Wow, it hatched! It’s born, it’s born!”

Chen Zui: “What was born?”

Wen Xu: …I feel like there’s something slightly off about this conversation.