Are There Only Demonesses Left in the Cultivation Realm?

Soon, a steaming hot bowl of noodles was also placed on the table.

They were plain noodles, but simmered in chicken broth. The moment they arrived, a fragrant aroma filled the air.

The owner nodded. "That’s everything."

Lu Changyuan smiled. "More than everything. You even gave us so much for free. The Royal City is a great place, so warm and hospitable."

Unexpectedly, the owner shook her head. "Is this young lady your Daoist companion, Sir?"

"No."

"No."

The two of them spoke at the same time.

The old woman didn’t seem surprised in the slightest. She just continued, "That’s good. I see you’re of a fine age, Sir. My family has a young woman, the third child, of just the right age. She has a gentle personality and a lovely face..."

Lu Changyuan hurriedly waved his hands. "Stop, stop, stop. I’m not interested."

Seeing how resistant Lu Changyuan was, the owner sighed and left.

Xia Lianxue blinked as she ate her noodles, finding the scene quite amusing. "No wonder she gave us free beef and wine. She has her sights set on you."

Lu Changyuan didn’t know what to say. In the end, he just remarked, "This is what happens when you’re good-looking."

"A noodle shop owner and a Physician... quite a good match, actually."

"Just eat your noodles!"

Seeing Lu Changyuan’s annoyance, Xia Lianxue couldn’t help but cover her mouth and giggle. Her mood had improved considerably. She peeked at him from the corner of her eye, thinking.

’He really is handsome, but he never does anything decent.’

Lu Changyuan chewed a piece of beef and said, "Let me tell you a story."

Listening to a story while eating was a rather fun pastime.

"A long, long time ago, there was a Sect called the Iron Sword Sect. In the Iron Sword Sect, there was a young man who was in love with his senior sister. But at the same time, the most brilliant genius of the Iron Sword Sect was also in love with his senior sister."

For a moment, all sound in the noodle shop ceased.

Everyone was waiting for Lu Changyuan to continue his story.

’What a bunch of gossips!’

Lu Changyuan continued leisurely, "One day, the genius broke through to the Fourth Realm, becoming the most powerful person in the entire Sect. He asked his senior sister’s master, the Sect Master, for her hand in marriage. But the senior sister was unwilling. She was in love with the young man. However, the genius was overwhelmingly powerful, and her father admired the strong, so he forced the engagement."

Someone nearby shouted, "Beauties should belong to the strong!"

A woman dressed head-to-toe in black, sitting not far from Lu Changyuan, immediately retorted, "Well, I think mutual affection is what’s important!"

Lu Changyuan coughed. "Everyone, quiet down and listen to the story!"

And so, the crowd settled down.

"The young man was hot-headed back then. In a fit of anger, he swore on the spot to fight the genius to the death. The genius agreed, and they set the date for the duel one day before his engagement to the senior sister. The young man was barely in the Second Realm. Logically, he had no chance of defeating the genius."

Lu Changyuan suddenly lowered his voice. "But this young man was not without his own skills. At the bottom of a deep pool, he had once found a Demon Technique. This Demon Technique could grant him a massive boost in power for a short time."

Xia Lianxue put down her chopsticks, gently wiped her mouth, and asked, "And the price?"

There was no such thing as a shortcut Cultivation Technique without a price in this world.

"The price... no one knew the price. This Demon Technique followed the path of Demon Taming. It forcefully drew a Desire Demon into one’s body, relying on the technique to preserve a sliver of clarity in one’s Spirit Platform to cultivate."

Now that was something new.

In the Cultivation Realm, everyone avoided Desire Demons like the plague. Yet here was someone who would draw a Demon into his body, all for a beautiful woman’s smile.

Xia Lianxue asked curiously, "What happened next? It’s not some tearjerker where the young man defeats the genius, only to succumb to the Desire Demon and die in front of his senior sister, is it? That would be rather boring."

"Of course not."

Lu Changyuan waved his hand. "At the cost of drawing the Demon into his body, the young man successfully defeated the genius. He didn’t die, either. He was truly talented and managed to preserve that sliver of clarity in his Spirit Platform. But from that day on..."

Xia Lianxue prompted, "From that day on?"

"From that day on, he discovered that he had lost his emotions. He could no longer feel anything for the senior sister he once loved. The only thing that could stir his heart was the sword in his hand. Perhaps it was his true nature, or perhaps it was the influence of the Demon Technique. So, he killed the genius and left the Iron Sword Sect."

The black-robed, face-veiled woman shrieked, "No way! Do you even know how to tell a story!?"

Lu Changyuan, unperturbed, popped another peanut into his mouth. "Afterward, the young man cultivated all the way to the Seventh Realm, touching upon the Great Dao. Do you know what this story illustrates?"

Xia Lianxue turned her head away, refusing to take his bait.

But Lu Changyuan said it anyway, "It illustrates that Daoist companions only slow down the speed of one’s Sword Cultivation."

Before Xia Lianxue could speak, the black-robed woman exclaimed, "I can’t stand these kinds of sad, tragic stories."

The black-robed woman then stood up to leave, but she stopped when she heard Lu Changyuan’s next sentence.

"I’m done teasing you. What I mean is, I know this Cultivation Technique. Do you want to learn it?"

Xia Lianxue froze, her chopsticks clattering to the floor.

To be honest.

This Cultivation Technique was indeed perfect for her current situation.

She had nothing left to lose.

Lu Changyuan watched Xia Lianxue, her mind in turmoil, and found it highly amusing. He chuckled and said, "I’m kidding. I don’t know it either."

Xia Lianxue shot Lu Changyuan a glare, gritting her teeth. "Sir, you must stop teasing me."

But Lu Changyuan wasn’t just teasing Xia Lianxue.

He was teasing everyone in the noodle shop.

Lu Changyuan stretched lazily. "How could I possibly know a Cultivation Technique from a story?"

This sentence was also meant to tease Xia Lianxue.

He really did know it.

And he really did know that young man.

"Owner, the bill."

Lu Changyuan’s words interrupted the old woman, who seemed lost in some memory. After a long moment, she said in a dry voice, "No need to pay. New customers."

"The Royal Capital is such a wonderful place, with kind-hearted people like you."

The old woman nodded and came over to clear the bowls and chopsticks. "If you have nothing to do tonight, Sir, you could go to the shore of Liuqing Lake. It will be very lively."

Liuqing Lake was the largest lake in Upper Jade Capital. It was currently the middle of summer, and the lakeshore at night was a perfect place to escape the heat.

Lu Changyuan asked, "How lively?"

"The top courtesan will be boating on the lake tonight." After a pause, the old woman added, "Many talented young men will probably be there. There’s also a lantern festival that will last for five days."

"That does sound lively." Lu Changyuan turned back to look at Xia Lianxue. "Fairy, would you like to go take a look?"

These so-called talented young men were, of course, not the scions of some Official Family from the Dynasty, nor were they any top scholars.

They were the real talented young elites of the Cultivation Realm.

As Xia Lianxue followed Lu Changyuan out of the noodle shop, she said softly, "We’ll have to see that group of diners from the shop again later."

Among the people eating noodles, there were eight in the Third Realm and three in the Fourth Realm. For a small noodle shop, it was quite a star-studded lineup.

"You don’t want to see them?"

"No."

"Then it’s perfect. When you’re at your most pathetic, seeing the station you should have had will help temper your Dao Heart."

"Is that really true?"

"When have I ever lied to you?"

Xia Lianxue gathered her hair. Her delicate body unconsciously straightened, and the smooth black locks on her straight back swayed gently in the wind. She said faintly, "I feel like you’re always lying to me."

Lu Changyuan pretended not to hear. "By the way, did you see that jar of wine from earlier? I was planning to take it back with me to drink."

"The woman in the black robes stole it when she left."

"Why didn’t you say so sooner?"

"You didn’t ask me, Sir."