Chapter 79

The sky was clear and bright beneath the towering mountain gate.

The young woman had eyes like autumn waters, holding a thin layer of tears, probably because she had just yawned from drowsiness.

Qing Zhouxue looked at her delicate and lively appearance, momentarily stunned.

Unexpectedly, although this was a memory, the eighteen-year-old Yun Shuchen could see her.

Seeing her stop and size her up for a long time, Yun Shuchen politely curved her eyes. "Miss, you dropped your flower."

She looked down and indeed saw a gardenia flower on the ground.

Qing Zhouxue bent down to pick it up, but when she turned back, Yun Shuchen had already walked far away. She quickly followed.

"Why are you following me?" Yun Shuchen couldn't help but glance at her a few more times.

"Going down the mountain for training."

"But you're not a disciple of the Taichu Sect." She smiled. "There are only a few fellow disciples; I'd remember if I'd seen you."

"I'm only an outer disciple," Qing Zhouxue had to say.

"Outer disciple?" Those eyes narrowed slightly. "I'm familiar with the outer sect too. If there were a girl who looked like a fairy, how could I have no impression at all?"

"Moreover, your cultivation is not low; you must already have a master. Surely you're not here to seek apprenticeship." Her tone remained kind. "Is there something you need?"

Qing Zhouxue knew Yun Shuchen's every move. Although she was smiling now, judging from a slight change in her posture, she was on guard.

Qing Zhouxue felt that the eighteen-year-old Yun Shuchen was already quite hard to fool. Thinking of this, she couldn't help but sigh. "Since you don't believe that, the next thing I say will be even harder for you to believe."

"I am your disciple."

At these words, Yun Shuchen seemed choked, but after hearing Qing Zhouxue recite the sect's secret heart technique, she stood there stunned.

"To be precise," Qing Zhouxue added rigorously, "I'm your disciple from five hundred years later."

Yun Shuchen grabbed her wrist, probing her meridians with half-belief, and indeed found a familiar aura left within—something impossible to imitate or fake.

"You..."

For a moment, Yun Shuchen didn't know what to say; her stunned expression was rather adorable. Finally, she frowned in half-belief. "I've heard before that there are indeed techniques to traverse time and space in this world. This is my first time seeing one; it truly opens my eyes."

The two walked down the mountain together in awkward companionship. More precisely, it wasn't companionship—Qing Zhouxue caught up to her.

Yun Shuchen walked a bit faster, and Qing Zhouxue looked up at her lotus-pink dress occasionally swaying. She inexplicably fulfilled a longing—so this is what her master looked like when young. Her face still held youthfulness, a beauty that could be squeezed out.

However, her health still seemed not very good; she occasionally coughed from the wind. Qing Zhouxue naturally steadied her, but she stiffened and quietly pushed away this disciple from five hundred years later.

"I actually take on a disciple?" The young Miss Yun still couldn't believe it, glancing at Qing Zhouxue again. "...Why would I take you in? You seem to be a sword cultivator."

"Fate," Qing Zhouxue graciously offered Yun Shuchen's answer from years later.

"That's usually just a grand excuse to fool children," she said disdainfully.

"..."

"But having a beautiful girl like you as a disciple isn't bad." She smiled again. "Besides, does this mean I inherit the position of peak master?"

"Yes." As Qing Zhouxue nodded, she felt Yun Shuchen's steps become a bit lighter. She asked again, "Then will I be very powerful in the future?"

"Naturally, Master is very powerful."

The young girl heard this and turned back to smile at her in a gentle breeze.

A few rays of spring sunlight perfectly scattered down, gilding the edges of her dark hair with a layer of gold, as if her whole being were glowing.

Qing Zhouxue and she arrived at a familiar yet unfamiliar street, vastly different from five hundred years later.

"Where do you plan to go?"

Yun Shuchen seemed to have a plan in mind. After walking back and forth on the street, she said, "Old man Lin said there are demons causing trouble at the foot of the mountain. I'm going to collect a few small demons." She needed to practice the Dao techniques she'd recently been learning—this was a perfect opportunity; moreover, Demon Cores were rare treasures and could be shared—

But Qing Zhouxue was slightly startled, never expecting that her master, five hundred years ago, would be so compassionate toward the common people and uphold justice. Her first trip down the mountain was to subdue demons and eliminate evil.

Compared to herself, she was truly much better. Qing Zhouxue silently reflected and felt a surge of respect; her master's image gained another layer of gold in her heart.

Following a wisp of dense black qi, Qing Zhouxue followed her to stop in front of a familiar building. After a careful look, Qing Zhouxue thought with surprise—isn't this the brothel where Madam Miao Shun presides?

At that time, Yun Shuchen, however, seemed to be coming here for the first time. Her aura sank, and she became fully alert.

The two stood at the door and observed for a while. Indeed, they discovered the brothel was unusual. Passersby walking along the street normally would suddenly stumble and, as if under a spell, their gazes gradually lost clarity. This was clearly a brothel, yet not only young men and women went in, but even innocent children and eighty-year-old grannies.

Qing Zhouxue stood aside, watching Yun Shuchen cautiously pace at the entrance for a long time, testing a few times, until she confirmed the demons' cultivation wasn't too much higher than hers, then slowly walked in.

She pulled Qing Zhouxue close and whispered in her ear, "Disguise your cultivation a bit... act like you're bewitched, or else the demons might run away."

Qing Zhouxue heard her speak like this for the first time, her voice still carrying the tenderness of youth, very fresh.

She couldn't help but respond, "Okay."

Just after entering, there was nothing abnormal.

A seductive woman draped in vermilion gauze warmly greeted them, "Dear guests, please come in."

Qing Zhouxue looked straight ahead, pretending to be dazed, and walked through the main hall. She noticed a very thin thread hanging from above.

Spider silk.

She and Yun Shuchen followed the woman through a corridor; Qing Zhouxue felt some movement beneath the lake, but couldn't tell what it was.

Going deeper, the unabashed demonic aura reeked. As a cultivator, she could barely breathe. Forcing back the nausea, she stepped into the innermost chamber.

The scene was quite chaotic, with bursts of laughter.

Colorful gauze swayed without wind; amidst clinking cups, men and women were seated around several tables. Qing Zhouxue looked at the most enchanting woman—Miao Shun—who held a cup of wine between her lips and, amid the urging of the mortals around her, tilted her head back and drank.

"I really can't hold my liquor," Miao Shun frowned but laughed. "Oh, next round we won't punish drinking. Whoever loses will remove one layer of clothing, how about it?"

Her slender white hand picked up a die, placed it in a jade cup, and overturned it on the table, shaking it suggestively.

Yun Shuchen was also clearly most focused on that great demon. Ignoring the beauties clinging to her, she occasionally cast glances in that direction.

Soon, the clattering of dice against jade ceased.

"Dear guest, big or small?"

Miao Shun smiled, one hand lifting the chin of a nearby man.

The man was utterly bewitched, staring straight ahead. "Big... I bet big!"

When the jade cup was unveiled, the number was small.

Qing Zhouxue glanced sidelong as the man stripped off his clothes and tossed them far away, shouting excitedly, "Again... again?"

The next few rounds had wins and losses. Madam Miao Shun was left in only her final undergarment, her jade-like skin exposed, radiating charm. Some of the surrounding customers had even lost until bare-chested.

Before the final round, the demon beauty cast a seductive glance. "Should we open this round?"

"Open!" the crowd shouted in unison, befuddled.

The number happened to be small again—they lost this round.

The man giggled dazedly, "Beautiful, I've no clothes left on me. How about you take off the one you're wearing?"

"Is that so?"

Her pale fingers caressed the man's face, her smile growing more meaningful.

Qing Zhouxue felt an inexplicable thump of her heart, sensing something was wrong.

The next instant, blood splattered across the woman's fair-skinned body. Miao Shun, as if removing clothes, swiped her sharp nails left and right, peeled off that human skin with force. She held it in her hand and played with it, smiling at the bloody corpse, "See, a bet is a bet. After all, there's still this last piece, isn't there?"

As the bloodied corpse collapsed limply, Miao Shun put away the skin, unconcerned about the blood on her face, and continued drinking with the others.

The remaining customers showed no reaction to the bizarre scene, stiffly raising their glasses.

Yun Shuchen didn't seem frightened by the gore. She calmly averted her gaze and leaned back against the beauties beside her.

Qing Zhouxue looked aside—a young woman with disheveled clothes was being pressed down and kissed by another woman. Squinting, she vaguely saw a wispy fox tail emerging from the woman's figure.

It seemed there were more than just one type of demon here, though indeed they were all small fry.

The two women entangled like mating snakes. Qing Zhouxue couldn't help but watch a little longer.

What was this?

It was a bit like what was written in storybooks, but not exactly. Could this be how demons harvested vital energy?

Suddenly, Qing Zhouxue's eyes were covered by a pair of hands. Taking advantage while the other demons were entertaining others, Yun Shuchen leaned close to Qing Zhouxue.

She said with embarrassment and irritation, "How shameless! Why are you staring at such indecent acts?"

"I..." Qing Zhouxue was momentarily stunned.

Seeing Qing Zhouxue close her eyes, Yun Shuchen let go. "Wait a moment longer, and that poor girl will be drained into a dried corpse. I've already set up the formation; just the last step remains... Do you have any experience with demon-catching?"

Qing Zhouxue shook her head silently.

The young woman in front of her seemed a bit melancholy. "Is my future disciple this useless?"

"Forget it, just watch from the side."

With a slight cough, spiritual energy bloomed like a fleeting flower. In an instant, a white light flashed through the dim room.

When Qing Zhouxue looked again, the earlier beautiful women had vanished entirely, replaced by a pile of snakes, scorpions, and spiders on the ground, along with a few twitching foxes, all swept into a formation and revealed in their true forms. The mortals bewitched by the demon arts were all frozen in place.

Yun Shuchen held a golden talisman in her hand, muttered a few words under her breath, and looked up at the only great demon that hadn't transformed.

Miao Shun held a wine glass, half her face covered with human blood, her beautiful appearance looking eerie.

Her expression shifted slightly, glaring at Yun Shuchen and Qing Zhouxue. "Where are you cultivators from?"

As she spoke, a gust of demonic wind blew—the demon seemed to want to strike first. Qing Zhouxue was about to draw her sword, but Yun Shuchen calmly made a hand seal. The talisman shattered, and a golden barrier instantly formed like a cage, catching the demon within with lightning speed.

Miao Shun didn't surrender without a fight; she struggled in the cage. At that time, Yun Shuchen's cultivation wasn't as profound. Qing Zhouxue saw a thin layer of sweat on her forehead, her face gradually turning pale.

The Qingshuang Sword in her hand moved in response to her heart, and at that very moment, Yun Shuchen loudly declared, "I am the fourth disciple under Patriarch Lin Qingya. He knows of this. If you know your situation, you should realize you can't escape death."