Chapter 21: The Sixth Disciple

Three hundred years ago, in the 78th year of Jingkang.

“Ying~ Ying~ Ying~”

On the snow-covered slopes of Mount Qianli Yunlai, Bai Jiujiu leaped from a colossal tree. Her bare feet glided over the snow as she gazed around, a flicker of confusion in her eyes.

She had just heard what sounded like a human infant’s cries, and it filled her with immense joy!

It might have been the first living human she had encountered in thousands of years.

Moreover, the sound suggested it was likely a little girl!

However, as Bai Jiujiu followed the sound to the base of a tree, using her demonic energy to clear away the concealing snow, she found no abandoned human infant. Instead, a small demon with black fur, its species indiscernible, lay before her.

“Eh, is it a demon…?”

A hint of disappointment touched Bai Jiujiu, yet she immediately knelt to examine the little demon’s condition.

It looked somewhat like a fox. Could it be a fox demon, like Ling’er?

However, its demonic energy was subtly intertwined with a wisp of human essence.

“Ying~ Ying~”

Save… save me…

Within the fragile body, two distinct souls were beginning to fuse, their colliding energies exacerbating the plight of the young demon, already on the brink of death in the icy wilderness.

The young demon lay in Bai Jiujiu’s embrace, letting out mournful whimpers.

‘No, I must quickly help it suppress the souls.’

“Don’t worry, you’re just a child. I will surely save you.”

Without hesitation, Bai Jiujiu placed her hand on the young demon’s head, transferring her own demonic energy to help it suppress the tumultuous souls within.

“Phew~ Thankfully, I still remember how to use basic demonic energy.”

‘No, the snow is falling heavier, and my body is growing stiff. I’m starting to feel drowsy again. This is the downside of a snake’s body; even as a demon, I can’t escape the instinct to hibernate.’

Bai Jiujiu felt a stirring in her chest. The young demon in her arms, sensing the warmth, stretched out its tiny claws to push aside Bai Jiujiu’s twin peaks, then smoothly burrowed its entire body into the valley between them.

It nestled between the two warm mounds of flesh, then turned its body, poking its small head out.

‘This little one certainly knows how to pick a spot.’

Since they were both female demons, Bai Jiujiu felt no aversion; rather, she found a slight enjoyment in it. It reminded her of the times when her five unruly disciples would tug at her clothes, hoping for milk, only to find not a single drop, ultimately looking at her with expressions of extreme disdain.

Cradling the little demon, she began to ascend towards the peak of her Mount Yunlai.

“Great King! While you were asleep, a Gourd Mountain appeared in the Qianli Yunlai Mountain Range!”

Just as Bai Jiujiu stepped into her cave, a toad demon prostrated itself at her bare feet.

“How many times have I told you? You must call me Queen!”

‘Why call me Great King? It makes me sound like a villain.’

“Understood, Great King! Yes, Great King!”

Bai Jiujiu snorted, ignoring the obsequious little demons. She settled onto her throne, crafted from spirit stones, and gazed affectionately at the little one in her arms, who had fallen asleep at some point.

A rather cute little one. She wondered what kind of demon it was.

It gave her the familiar feeling of adopting those troublesome disciples.

And soul abilities?

“Who is that little demon the Great King is holding?”

“Don’t you know? It’s probably another child bride the Great King picked up from somewhere. I heard the Great King especially likes to collect little demons to satisfy her desire to raise them.”

“I heard that Lady Su Ling’er was brought back by the Great King in the same way.”

“Hiss, the Great King is truly perverted.”

“According to the textbooks distributed by the Great King, this kind of personality is usually called a ‘loli-con’ and should be locked up… perfectly!”

Bai Jiujiu swiftly picked up a pebble and, with a precise flick, sent the green toad demon, who had been gossiping openly, flying out of the cave, transforming it into a streaking meteor across the sky.

With a darkened face, Bai Jiujiu smiled benignly at another blue toad demon.

“Well, Great King, I, the humble one…”

“How many times have I said it! We are a proper mountain sect; you must call me Queen!”

The blue toad demon also became a meteor, streaking across the sky and landing squarely beside the green toad demon. Both demons stood rigidly embedded in the snow.

‘These little imps, day in and day out, doing no proper work. I wonder who they’re learning from.’

“Ying~”

Seeing the little demon in her arms awaken, Bai Jiujiu lifted it by the scruff of its neck, pulling it from her chest like a small radish. Her two chest mountains jiggled slightly.

“Little one, what kind of demon are you?”

“Ying~”

Lóng… Zhí.

“So it’s Lóng Zhí. What a peculiar demon.”

Demons could understand other demons’ speech; by sensing their demonic energy, they automatically comprehended what was said. In all her years on Mount Qianli Yunlai, Bai Jiujiu had never heard of a demon called Lóng Zhí. Her curiosity was immediately piqued.

“Where is your home?”

“Ying… Ying…”

I have no home.

“Eh?”

“Ying… (Tens of ‘yings’ omitted below)”

My mother abandoned me because she found the souls I absorbed too weak.

Through the little Lóng Zhí’s explanation, Bai Jiujiu learned about the unique demon clan known as the Lóng Zhí (for details, see Chapter 17).

Her mother, seeking greater power, had abandoned the little Lóng Zhí, who had absorbed weak human female souls, intending to birth and nurture another Lóng Zhí.

Thus, the little Lóng Zhí had become a sacrifice for her mother.

Such occurrences were common within the Lóng Zhí clan.

Abandoned Lóng Zhí, due to their inherent weakness and the fact that other demons shunned their soul-absorbing trait, almost invariably met their demise.

“Is that so? Well then, from now on, you’ll stay on my Mount Yunlai.”

Upon hearing this, Bai Jiujiu showed no expected disdain for the little one. Instead, she knelt, gently stroking its head to comfort it.

“When I awaken from my next slumber, I will take you as my sixth disciple. How does that sound?”

“In return, you must stay by my side obediently. Let’s set some rules in advance, okay? When you grow up, you are not allowed to become an attacker, you are not allowed to harbor improper thoughts about me, you are not allowed to put computer parts in my bathwater, you are not allowed to research my body while I’m asleep, and you are not allowed to give me flammable oolong tea. My alcohol tolerance is poor; one cup and I’m drunk…”

“But, little one, rest assured, I will not discriminate against any demon. I will protect all the children on this mountain until they grow up. This is my promise to Mount Yunlai.”

The candlelight flickered wildly in the cold wind, illuminating Bai Jiujiu’s gentle face. She tucked a few strands of white hair behind her ear and coiled her long hair into a braid, placing it on her left side.

A warmth of maternal love made Lóng Zhí’s small eyes sparkle.

“Pfft, where did this trashy master abduct this little demon from? Does she think she can no longer teach a genius like me, so she found another little demon instead? Truly a silly snake, indeed ♥”

“Ling’er, that, that, let me explain, okay?”

“As compensation, my trashy master can be my comfy body pillow before bedtime~ ♥”

“Yamero!”

“This character reads ‘lóng,’ as in ‘xiǎo lóng bāo’ (steamed bun). This character reads ‘zhí’… Eh, yes, exactly! You can learn these things so easily, having merged with a human soul. Much better than those troublesome disciples of mine… Ling’er, when did you get behind me?!”

“You must remember not to absorb other souls before the souls within you have fully merged. Remember, once you, with your merged human soul, can transform, there’s a strong possibility you can conceal your demonic aura and integrate into human society. Ah, I don’t mean that being a demon is bad, but rather that you can have a different way of life compared to other demons.”

“The cultivation path I recommend for you is steady and stable. Your constitution is inherently weak; powerful demon souls would only cause your body to collapse. Looking at your physical condition, human souls have a very high compatibility with you. The characteristic of human souls is that their strength is relatively weak, but their control over spiritual energy is very strong, which will help you better master the demonic energy within you. In the future, when you descend the mountain, you can find a graveyard and use it as a cultivation base. This is somewhat like the path of a necromancer. I will now teach you how to use your body’s demonic energy to suppress the chaotic souls within.”

“Lóng Zhí, what happened to your injuries? Did those little tigers from Tiger Girl’s family pick on you again? No, I’ll go give that tigress a good beating later and ‘friendly’ borrow some milk from her as compensation for you.”

“Lóng Zhí, I’m about to fall into slumber. When I awaken, you will be my sixth disciple.”

“Don’t worry, I will absolutely never abandon you, my little one.”

The recollections ended there. Though some strange incidents interspersed them, these were the shared past of Bai Jiujiu and Lóng Zhí.

But now, Bai Jiujiu raised the Town Suppressing Banner in her hand, aiming it at Lóng Zhí.

“Queen, why?”

“Have even you begun to despise me?”