Chapter 6: Wronged

Bu Xiwei actually knew very little about the Yu Xiu from a thousand years ago.

In her previous life, her first encounter with Yu Xiu had been nine hundred years from now.

At that time, Yu Xiu was already the new Sect Master of the Five Elements Sect— A rising star in the immortal cultivation world with limitless potential. The undisputed number one figure of the righteous path.

Meanwhile, Bu Xiwei had fallen so far that she could barely cling to the Soul Formation stage.

A hollow figurehead of the demonic path, surviving in name only, her power on the brink of collapse.

From the very beginning, their relationship was tainted by power struggles and conflicts of interest.

They stood on opposite sides of the chessboard, naturally destined for confrontation.

Bu Xiwei had seen countless leaders of the righteous path come and go.

Back then, her own situation was so precarious, so exhausting, she barely paid Yu Xiu any mind.

Why would she?

Later on, when she could no longer suppress the urge to learn more about Yu Xiu, it was already too late.

After Yu Xiu’s death, Bu Xiwei had no time or energy left for such things.

All she could do was flee, desperately trying to survive, doing everything she could to cling to life.

There was no chance to investigate Yu Xiu’s past.

It wasn’t until after her death and rebirth that Bu Xiwei found herself leaving the demon world, completely in the dark about Yu Xiu’s current situation.

All she knew was the bare minimum.

Yu Xiu was a disciple of Chiyang Peak in the Five Elements Sect.
Diligent, talented, and outstanding from a young age.

An orphan who had risen step by step to become the righteous path’s future leader.

Every accomplishment, every promotion—solid and well-deserved.

In fact, before today, Bu Xiwei hadn’t even been sure if Yu Xiu had been born yet in this timeline.

She’d prepared herself for the worst.
If necessary, she would have searched for Yu Xiu’s parents—or even her ancestors—in the mortal world, like looking for a needle in a haystack.

To encounter Yu Xiu so soon?

It was a miraculous stroke of luck.

Her left hand still tightly held Yu Xiu’s right wrist.

Bu Xiwei could clearly feel the steady spiritual power flowing within Yu Xiu’s pulse gate, and she couldn’t help but marvel—

At this age, Yu Xiu already had half-step Golden Core cultivation.

At the same time, Bu Xiwei dazedly looked at Yu Xiu’s eyes.

In her memories, Yu Xiu had always worn a goose-crest red silk ribbon over her eyes to cover her crippled vision.

On the rare occasions Bu Xiwei had seen her without it, Yu Xiu’s eyes were always tightly closed.

This was the first time she’d ever seen Yu Xiu’s eyes before they were blinded.

They were exactly as she’d imagined them countless times—
Gentle and bright, the corners of her eyes naturally drooping, carrying a quiet softness.

But then—
Yu Xiu’s gaze met hers.

In those naturally warm, affectionate eyes, there was nothing but a cold, rippleless calmness.

Bu Xiwei felt as if she’d fallen into an ice cave.

She had never seen Yu Xiu look at her like this before.

This gaze—cold, rejecting, utterly indifferent—
Made her heart contract violently.

A sharp, uncontrollable ache spread from her chest.

All the excitement, all the heartache, all the confusion from their sudden reunion—

In that moment, it all vanished.

Bu Xiwei finally, belatedly, realized:

What exactly had she done during their first meeting in this life?

First, she’d displayed cruel and brutal killing techniques right in front of Yu Xiu.
Then, with no evidence, she’d treated Yu Xiu as a petty thief, forcing her out of hiding, nearly taking her life.

And after realizing her mistake?
She’d hastily let her down, but still injured her seriously.

“…”

Her face remained cold and wooden, maintaining the image of the proud Demon Lord. But inside— Her heart was screaming.

What had she done?!

In less than the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn, she had managed to step on all of Yu Xiu’s landmines!

She was reborn to pursue Yu Xiu, yes, but—

Yu Xiu didn’t even know her right now!

Sure, she hadn’t concealed her aura or appearance.

With Yu Xiu’s intelligence, she could likely deduce who she was.

But the fact remained:

This was still the first time Yu Xiu had ever met her.

On her way out of the demon world, Bu Xiwei had thought carefully about how to create a trustworthy and profound image of herself in front of Yu Xiu.

No matter which approach she chose, the first impression was crucial!

And now?

She had somehow managed to win first place in the Worst First Impression competition, with a score so high no one could ever beat her.

Holding her breath, Bu Xiwei wished she could just suffocate herself on the spot.

Yu Xiu had no idea how chaotic Bu Xiwei’s thoughts were at this moment.

But she did notice the hand holding her pulse gate was no longer so forceful.

She calmly withdrew her right wrist and took half a step back, putting a safe distance between them.

Yet she remained within Bu Xiwei’s range, careful not to provoke the Demon Lord into anger.

Then, Yu Xiu bowed deeply and formally: “Yu Xiu, personal disciple of Chiyang Peak, Five Elements Sect, greets Your Excellency.”

Announcing one’s name, background, and bowing was standard etiquette when a low-level cultivator met a high-level one.

“Thank you, Your Excellency, for healing this junior’s injuries,” Yu Xiu said, her voice calm and polite.

“This junior is endlessly grateful.”

She didn’t mention the fact that she’d accidentally stumbled upon Bu Xiwei’s secret.
Nor did she bring up that her most serious injuries had been caused by Bu Xiwei herself.

It was as if none of that had happened.
Yu Xiu even took the initiative to ask:

“I wonder if Your Excellency has anything this junior can help with?”

Since there was still a chance to survive, of course she wouldn’t seek death needlessly.

Yu Xiu had given the Demon Lord enough face, but her attitude was far from warm.

By revealing her identity, she was also subtly reminding Bu Xiwei:
Killing her on a whim would have consequences.

Only the Sect Master and the four Peak Masters could take personal disciples in the Five Elements Sect.

Usually, there was only one per peak per generation.

At most, there had been three in recorded history.

These disciples were basically future successors of the sect.

They were vital to the Five Elements Sect.

Yu Xiu’s life soul lamp was also placed in the sect’s special secret realm.

The moment she faced real danger, the lamp would alert the sect, and rescue would immediately be dispatched.

Of course, the attack just now wasn’t enough to trigger it.

But Yu Xiu knew perfectly well—
If Bu Xiwei had truly wanted to kill her, she wouldn’t have lasted long enough for her life soul lamp to send a warning.

However, if Yu Xiu died, the Five Elements Sect wouldn’t let it go.
They would thoroughly investigate.

Even for Demon Lord Bu Xiwei, angering the Five Elements Sect—the leader of the three great righteous sects—would cause serious trouble.

Yu Xiu’s message was clear:

She would pretend none of the unpleasantness had happened.

If Bu Xiwei needed her help, she would cooperate.

But if Bu Xiwei tried anything unreasonable again, she wouldn’t submit quietly.

This was a response that was mature, tactful, and perfectly appropriate.

It maintained both caution and integrity.

But in Bu Xiwei’s eyes?

It was like having ice poured down her back.
Because she understood exactly what this meant—
Yu Xiu was really angry.

Yu Xiu had always been known in both the immortal and demonic realms as someone with a good temperament.

But she was also not someone you could afford to provoke lightly.

Bu Xiwei opened her mouth, wanting to say something.

But not a single word came out.

Looking at Yu Xiu’s expressionless face, Bu Xiwei felt not just panic—vBut an overwhelming sense of grievance.

…When had Yu Xiu ever treated her like this?!
In her past life, Yu Xiu had always been gentle and kind to her.
Even when she threw tantrums, Yu Xiu never minded!
How did it end up like this—?!

Before Bu Xiwei could get lost in these emotions any further, she suddenly sensed something.

Two figures of evil cultivators were rapidly approaching from the distance.

In an instant, all her grievance vanished.

Her face returned to its usual cold pride.

Her eyes became sharp and ruthless once more.

Yu Xiu sensed them too, though slightly later than Bu Xiwei.

But her divine sense was impressively accurate for her current cultivation level.

Bu Xiwei wasn’t surprised.

In her past life, she’d already heard of Yu Xiu’s ridiculously powerful divine sense.

Even at this early stage, she was already showing signs of it.

Bu Xiwei spoke calmly:

“One late-stage Qi Refinement, one early-stage Foundation Establishment. Both have four spiritual roots. Both female. Their destination—”

She glanced at the cave entrance where the Golden Core evil cultivator had once stayed.

“—is here.”