Are There Only Demonesses Left in the Cultivation Realm?

"Senior Sister Yuehan!"

Qiu Yuehan gave a faint "mm," her gaze not even lingering on the few disciples who had just called out to her.

Today, she wore a black, cross-collared robe over a pure white undergarment. A black, diamond-patterned sash cinched her slender Chu Palace Waist, making it seem even narrower.

"I’m entering the tower."

After passing through a grove of pale purple flowers that resembled flowing clouds, Qiu Yuehan stopped beneath a massive shadow.

Before her stood an immense, dark brown pagoda. It rose layer upon layer, its upturned eaves and graceful corners imbuing the ancient carvings with an incredible majesty. Most striking of all was the ink-wash landscape painting hanging from the very top, adding a touch of antiquity to the structure.

The Miao Yu Palace Scripture Pavilion.

This wasn’t her first time here. The pavilion housed a vast collection of texts. Countless years of records and Cultivation Techniques, from the era of the Yuyue Immortal Palace to the present-day Miao Yu Palace, were all locked away within this tower.

The tower’s guardian merely glanced at her and said, "You may."

Without another word, Qiu Yuehan entered the tower.

As the sole True Inheritor of Miao Yu Palace, she possessed authority nearly equal to that of an Elder. She was permitted to enter most areas of the Scripture Pavilion.

But she didn’t go upstairs. Instead, she wandered around the first floor.

After a long while, she finally found the most secluded corner. Several rows of bookshelves stood there, and the rich scent of old books, tinged with the fragrance of paper, wafted into her nose.

Qiu Yuehan reached out and took down a scroll.

Spirit Medicine Chronicles.

She was here today, of course, on Lu Changyuan’s orders. That handsome but detestable Old Monster had left a Demon Pattern inside her, so she had no choice but to obey.

Yesterday, she had already searched through all the catalogs of Elixirs but hadn’t found the so-called Drunken Red Simurgh. That was why she had to come here to search. The bookshelf before her was filled with local legends and rustic miscellanea collected by Miao Yu Palace.

Another hour passed, and Qiu Yuehan put the Spirit Medicine Chronicles back. There was no mention of the Drunken Red Simurgh within its pages.

’What in the world is a Drunken Red Simurgh?’

She ran her long, fair hand across the bookshelf. Despite years of sword practice, her right hand was free of calluses. Instead, it was delicate and pale, with well-defined knuckles—a truly beautiful hand.

"Hm?"

Her hand stopped before a particular volume.

It was a book with no title, only a single, illegibly scrawled character on its cover.

Qiu Yuehan took it down and opened it.

"The Immortal Palace has always valued fate in accepting disciples... Today, in Dahuang Village, three disciples were accepted. They are..."

’Immortal Palace?’

This seemed to be a disciple recruitment record from the Yuyue Immortal Palace. Back when Miao Yu Palace was still the Yuyue Immortal Palace, aside from the grand recruitment ceremony held every three years, an Immortal Master would occasionally venture out and bring back children they found with excellent potential.

"At the foot of North Gate Snow Mountain, one born with a Glazed Heart..."

Qiu Yuehan idly flipped through the book, treating it as little more than an interesting story. After all, in the Cultivation Realm, those said to be born with some special constitution or another almost never succeeded in their Cultivation.

She lazily scanned a line of text.

"A woman was found in the Great Wei Kingdom, somewhat older, who appears to have a Red Simurgh Tribulation Body and rare potential... She had worldly ties—a mortal fiancé. Therefore, we performed the Severing of Dusty Fate on her behalf. The Palace Master has confined her for three years, forbidding her return home... An attempt to find a new wife for her fiancé was rejected."

This was a common trick of the Yuyue Immortal Palace.

They would bring talented girls back to the palace, then lie to their families, claiming the girls had died during training in a secret realm. Afterward, they would compensate the families in other ways.

And they had the gall to call it "Severing Dusty Fate."

They toned it down a lot after being taught a lesson by the Chang’an Daoist.

Qiu Yuehan caressed the page, the yellowed paper warm with the passage of time.

Strangely, the part where the person’s name was written seemed to have faded, the ink now illegible.

’Red Simurgh Tribulation Body? Doesn’t seem to be related.’

She had never heard of such a constitution. She continued reading, only to find no further records.

Qiu Yuehan paid it no mind. After all, "Red Simurgh Tribulation Body" and "Drunken Red Simurgh" only shared two words. Who knew how old this document was? The Yuyue Immortal Palace was five hundred years in the past. The young woman recorded in this text had most likely died in the turmoil since.

’Forget it. That Old Monster is just full of trouble.’

Qiu Yuehan decided she was done helping Lu Changyuan search for the so-called Drunken Red Simurgh for the day. Instead, she would research the Demon Pattern on her own body.

She had been researching this Demon Pattern for a long time but had found nothing about it.

At first, Qiu Yuehan had thought it was some kind of Secret Technique from the Hehuan Sect. But upon closer inspection, even the Hehuan Sect’s techniques weren’t this tyrannical. This one could even transmit his Heart Method to her.

’It seems more like some kind of inheritance mark, doesn’t it?’

Qiu Yuehan didn’t know what the Heart-Devouring Demon Pattern was, but she had a love-hate relationship with it.

Now, she didn’t even dare practice her sword by the lake, only in the bamboo forest on the back mountain. She kept herself bundled up tightly, terrified someone might see the Demon Pattern on her shoulder.

’If anyone saw it...’

Qiu Yuehan didn’t dare imagine the consequences.

’To think the Miao Yu True Inheritor is someone else’s plaything.’

’Did you gasp your way to your Cultivation under some Old Monster?’

’Who would have thought that the Miao Yu Chief True Inheritor, normally as cold as ice, was secretly someone’s little slave? She’s probably on a bed somewhere, calling him ’master’ over and over.’

Just thinking about it gave Qiu Yuehan a headache.

’Why isn’t that old fiend here yet?’

She made up her mind. The next time she saw Lu Changyuan, she wouldn’t ask him to remove the mark, just to move it somewhere else.

’Even on my butt would be fine!’

~~~~~~~~~~

Perhaps it was because of that sword strike from Lu Changyuan, but summer ended early, and autumn arrived quietly.

Like a mischievous young girl, the season named Autumn always seemed to give you a cold just when you were caught off guard without an extra layer of clothing.

Therefore, although Xia Lianxue was not afraid of the cold, she still added a light, soft gauze robe. Beneath it was a moon-white long dress, with a soft, white jade sash adorning her waist, further accentuating her supple figure and proud curves. Her thick, long hair cascaded down like the finest silk. When a breeze blew past, a hint of her snowy, crystalline neck was revealed.

A faint, cool melancholy lingered between her brows, like the endless river flowing before her, making one want to step forward and smooth her worried frown.

Fifth Realm Jade Balance. This was an extremely high Realm among modern-day Cultivators. Even in the Nine Gates and Twelve Palaces, one at this level could serve as an Elder. In a smaller Sect, they would practically be the Sect Leader.

Yet, even such a powerful Fairy still had things that troubled her.

She hadn’t slept at all last night, tossing and turning as she thought about Lu Changyuan’s fiancée. She always felt there was an inexplicable emotion hidden in his words.

She didn’t know if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

"Why are you just standing there?"

Xia Lianxue quickly curved her elegant lips into a smile. "Waiting for you, Young Master."

Lu Changyuan nodded. "Then let’s get ready to go."

The two of them were about to set off for Miao Yu Palace. Unlike before, now that Xia Lianxue had entered the Fifth Realm, she could travel to the Immortal Mountain by boat.

Having "borrowed" a One-leaf Boat from the Glazed Dynasty’s National Treasury, Lu Changyuan very consciously took a seat. The Fairy put two fingers together and commanded, "Rise."

The boat floated into the air, breaking through the autumn day and soaring toward the Immortal Mountain like a bird taking flight.

While controlling the boat, Xia Lianxue asked, "Young Master, what did you think of the Third Prince?"

"A prodigy in Cultivation."

"That’s not what I meant."

Lu Changyuan turned to look at the Fairy’s lovely face and smiled. "Then what did you want to ask?"

The Fairy bit her lip and finally sighed. "So the Third Prince is a prodigy in Cultivation?"

’How boring.’

’I wanted to see the Fairy blush and stammer.’

’A shame I won’t get to see it.’