Chapter 2: The Demonic Cultivator’s Deception

Her crystal-clear toes, her pearlescent and supple thighs peeking out inadvertently from the gaps in her verdant skirt, truly made her seem like a naked sprite bathed in the heart of the forest.

Despite her fierce verbal scolding, the girl’s ankles were subtly trembling, which sparked in Su Qin a sudden urge to tease her.

“Since you know my name, you must surely know what I intend to do, mustn’t you?”

Upon hearing these words, Qi Shuyue, who had been so spirited moments before, instantly wilted, and the teasing smile Su Qin wore, akin to one used on a child, deepened ever so slightly.

It was like teasing a child during the New Year, telling them the big bad wolf would eat them if they didn’t behave.

“It seems the Saintess knows. So, let us begin; I am in a hurry.”

As he spoke, Su Qin actually tore down the prison door with a resounding ‘crack!’ Qi Shuyue’s face instantly drained of color, her rosy lips parting in shock, yet deep in her eyes, a distinct lack of arousal lingered.

Believing she was intimidated, Su Qin began to subtly lead the conversation with a hint of enticement.

“The Saintess remains silent. Does that mean you agree?”

Qi Shuyue gasped sharply and stammered out a perfectly disjointed response, her legs naturally clamping together.

“No, no, no, absolutely not!”

Su Qin took a step forward, and Qi Shuyue’s body gave a violent tremor.

“Your Highness, Saintess, four ‘no’s’ usually mean ‘yes.’ It seems you can’t wait, can you?”

“No, that’s not it!”

Qi Shuyue shed all pretense of the Saintess’s usual fortitude, lowering her head and shedding tears, perfectly concealing the murderous glint in the corner of her eyes.

Should he dare to pounce, he would immediately meet a gruesome end.

The Saintess bore righteous restraints, and anyone who dared to covet her would instantly turn to ash—this was a secret of the Azure Profound Sect.

Unless she herself consented, a ‘no’ was truly a ‘no’.

Su Qin, however, harbored no such intentions; instead, he was contemplating his subsequent predicament.

‘It seems that even the aloof immortal maiden from the original story, with her steadfast Dao heart and vow to eliminate all demons, wasn’t forged in a single day. Perhaps I can use her to lift the Azure Profound Sect’s pursuit.’

Su Qin mused to himself, a peculiar glint flashing in his eyes, though his imposing aura remained undiminished.

“Immortal maiden, you’re making things difficult for me. Though I, Su, am fond of beauty, I also have principles. I won’t force you, but you must make yourself clear.”

Qi Shuyue froze, startled by his words, a bewildered expression on her delicate face, while, after a long absence, her long-frozen heart surged with intense interest.

Just by making herself clear, he would release her?

Hadn’t it been said that anyone abducted by Su Qin would be thoroughly ‘devoured’ and ‘cleaned out’?

Qi Shuyue timidly raised her eyes to glance at him, only to find that while he played the part of a lecherous scoundrel, his eyes remained remarkably clear.

‘He’s just going through the motions, not truly invested; his act is too fake!’

Qi Shuyue’s eyes instantly lit up, like a famished wolf mother discovering a lost lamb.

‘This person is interesting!’

With virtually no preamble, a few tears immediately streamed down her peach-blossom cheeks, her voice soft and sweet, utterly pathetic.

“Please, Sir Demon, spare me…”

“Very well, then I shall not touch you.” Su Qin chuckled and dropped his menacing posture.

Qi Shuyue wiped away her tears, her large, reddened eyes blinked, and her tone became bewildered.

“If you’re not after ‘that’… then why did you abduct me?”

Su Qin indeed sighed, adopting an air of helplessness.

“I merely wish to strive for survival.”

“For your life?”

“Precisely,” Su Qin’s gaze turned mournful.

“Your esteemed sect has mobilized its entire strength to besiege me. The Demonic Sect has always regarded human lives as mere weeds, and regardless of victory or defeat in this battle, there’s a high probability I will perish.

The battlefield holds too many variables. The day I abducted you, several qi signatures had already locked onto you, and you were facing a life-or-death crisis, weren’t you?” (TL Note: qi is vital energy or spiritual essence)

Qi Shuyue nodded; indeed, as he said, the situation at the time had been extremely perilous.

“Therefore, consider that I helped you, for I wish to make a deal with you.”

Su Qin’s face was filled with sincerity, and Qi Shuyue genuinely absorbed some of his words.

“Please elaborate.”

Su Qin pondered for a moment, his expression so grave that he seemed utterly unlike a demonic cultivator.

“It’s quite simple. I am weary of war and hold no attachment to the Demonic Sect.

If I send you back and promise never to oppose the Azure Profound Sect again, can the Azure Profound Sect cease its pursuit and ignore my existence thereafter?”

Su Qin’s current strategy was this: regardless of how many friends he had, he needed to minimize his enemies.

‘No wonder he’s being so polite; it turns out he needs something from me. On the surface, he’s a frivolous, pleasure-seeking demon lord, but I didn’t expect him to be such a pragmatic individual.’

The young girl’s peach-blossom eyes blinked repeatedly, a faint, mischievous smirk playing at the corners of her lips.

“I cannot do that. Slaying demons and upholding justice is my duty. Even if you release me, the next time we meet, I will still kill you.

Even if I don’t kill you and plead with the sect on your behalf, my master and the Azure Profound Sect will not let you off.”

‘Hurry and reveal your true colors. Come on, breathe a puff of demonic qi; let me see.’

Qi Shuyue’s playful spirit surged, and her words became increasingly provocative.

“However, it’s not entirely absolute. If you cripple your cultivation and willingly become a s*ave, I can—”

Su Qin shook his head, interrupting Qi Shuyue, his brow furrowing. Qi Shuyue quietly waited for him to reveal his true form.

‘This Qi Shuyue is useless; she doesn’t understand hints. She’s refusing such an obvious way out. Also, it seems, according to her, she can’t control the Azure Profound Sect?’

In other words, she couldn’t leverage her value as the Saintess.

The negotiation had concluded, and now Qi Shuyue had lost her ‘human rights’; in his eyes, she was equivalent to merchandise.

Merchandise had to be fully utilized, used well, until it could no longer be used.

Having realized this, Su Qin’s gaze completely transformed; it was the look of a demon lord appraising talent.

Qi Shuyue watched Su Qin approaching, a sense of unease growing within her.

“What are you going to do?”

Su Qin slowly drew closer, the fresh scent of the maiden lingering at his nostrils. He offered a faint smile.

“Hand it over.”

***

Three minutes later, Su Qin departed, thoroughly satisfied, his hands now carrying several formidable magic treasures (TL Note: ‘fǎbǎo,’ spiritual artifacts or enchanted items often used in cultivation novels).

Qi Shuyue lay on the ground, bound in a classic bondage knot, her face flushed so deeply it seemed on the verge of bleeding.

“Bastard!”

Qi Shuyue was filled with both shame and rage. She had never been ‘handled’ by a man in such a manner.

Every Saintess throughout history was protected by righteous power, and anyone harboring ill intentions towards her would surely be struck by misfortune. If they persisted in their delusion, they would almost certainly turn to ash.

Yet this fellow, not only lacked any lustful desires, his eyes were solely fixed on her magic treasures.

This ‘exploit’ had allowed him to touch her all over, even stripping her of her undergarment magic treasure.

“Where are you going? Give me back my magic treasures! And what did you feed me?”

Su Qin quickened his pace, and his ears immediately found peace.

‘Fortunately, she’s still an unripe, aloof immortal maiden.’

If a mature, aloof immortal maiden had been captured, she would surely have fought to the death.

“My apologies.”

Since he couldn’t use her to escape the Azure Profound Sect’s pursuit, he had to maximize her utility; after all, it was ‘death to fellow Daoists, not to me’ (TL Note: A Chinese idiom, ‘sǐ dào yǒu bù sǐ pín dào,’ meaning to sacrifice others for one’s own benefit).

Although he had stripped the girl of all her magic treasures, his situation was exceedingly perilous, and an extra magic treasure meant an extra chance at survival.

“But why is one purse missing?”

Su Qin scratched his head, stuffing all the magic treasures into a fanged treasure chest. At that moment, two black figures stealthily entered the hall.

“Heh heh.”

Su Qin sneered, and his spiritual pressure surged forth, instantly revealing two pale-faced disciples of the Demonic Sword Sect.

“To dare trespass into my Silver Splendor Hall! Every year, there are always those who aren’t afraid of death.”

Su Qin’s thoughts stirred, and pairs of scarlet eyes lit up in the shadows of the main hall. Seeing this, the two disciples immediately kowtowed like pounding garlic.

“Hall Master, it’s—it’s the Sect Master inviting you to the sect meeting!”

Su Qin chuckled, withdrawing his spiritual pressure.

“I see. Understood. This Venerable One will be there shortly.”

The two departed as if granted a great pardon, fleeing like the wind, neither noticing the sharp glint in Su Qin’s eyes.

“Heh heh, Sect Master Bai Zhenye is the Hall Master of Jade Splendor Hall, yet he’s sending an elder from the Bone Painting Hall to deliver a message. It seems this elder is quite anxious.”

Outside the hall, cries of agony echoed. A moment later, two bats flew in, placing two Blood Soul Beads into his hands, after which the thoughts of the two deceased individuals flooded Su Qin’s mind.

‘As expected, they were sent to gather information. This meeting, besides me, all the elders are attending.’

The situation was somewhat dire. All the elders were going to the meeting except Su Qin, which meant they were treating him like a ‘Colonel Gaddafi’ (TL Note: A reference to Muammar Gaddafi, implying he is being isolated or targeted).

‘I must take the initiative; the more passive I am, the more disadvantaged I become.’

Su Qin pondered for a moment, then transformed into a dark bat and flew towards Jade Splendor Peak.

Meanwhile, in the Jade Splendor Hall’s deliberation chamber, the elders sat around a table, the atmosphere heavy.

“Sect Master, I hope you can give my Bone Painting Hall an explanation.” An old man with a grizzled beard spoke with an displeased expression.

The battle had been stalemated, and his Bone Painting Hall disciples had prepared a bone array, waiting only for the Saintess to lead the righteous disciples into it to inflict heavy damage.

Who would have thought that a Golden Core demonic cultivator would abduct the Saintess, instantly throwing the battlefield into chaos? While some righteous disciples fled, even more fought desperately to save the Saintess.

Ultimately, his Bone Painting Hall lost eight hundred disciples.

At the head of the table, a black-haired, black-eyed woman spoke unhurriedly, casting a cold glance at the old man. His qi momentarily stagnated before she finally spoke.

“Heh heh, Elder Gao, you should be giving an explanation to all the Hall Masters present, shouldn’t you? If your bone array had been activated, I fear it would have refined many demonic sect disciples along with them.”

In an instant, unfriendly gazes were cast his way, and the old man could only offer an awkward, forced laugh.

“Sect Master, what are you saying? Wasn’t that just an emergency measure? Besides, whether alive or dead, everyone contributes to the Demonic Sect, don’t they? Some disciples sacrificed themselves, some survived, but all contributed…”

The old man’s tone suddenly shifted, and his eyes widened in anger.

“But that Su Qin is truly arrogant beyond belief!”