Chapter 23 The Scheming Disciple and the Charming Master 23

Chapter 23: The Scheming Disciple and His Alluring Master 23

"Since you've made up your mind, I have nothing more to say." Xiao Sha lowered his head, pulled a book from his robes, and handed it to Qin Du. "Please review this, Master."

"What is this?"

"When I heard you joined the Xuantian Sect, I figured you were planning to merge the Demonic and Immortal Paths, just as you'd envisioned in your past life, in order to defeat Mu Yunting."

Qin Du had indeed entertained such thoughts in his previous life. He'd only casually mentioned it to Xiao Sha once, never imagining he'd actually remember it.

"In my past life, I found this 'Discourse on Immortals and Demons' in the previous Demon Lord's library. It records many examples of Dual Cultivation between immortals and demons from the ancient Huangyuan era. But I never got the chance to give it to you before..."

"Thank you, truly. I need this book now more than ever!"

Back then, he had seized the opportunity amidst the chaos to kill the Old Demon Lord, claimed the throne for himself, and successfully devoured a century's worth of the Old Demon Lord's cultivation, which allowed him to go toe-to-toe with Mu Yunting.

In this life, he was way too far behind Mu Yunting to catch up.

Even though Mu Yunting hadn't made a move against him yet, who knew what would happen later?

He had to look out for himself. Only by getting stronger could he protect the ones he cared about.

Now that the book was delivered, Xiao Sha had no reason to linger.

Just as Xiao Sha was about to leave, a figure emerged from the darkness on the path behind the mountain—one he could never mistake.

In an instant, every hair on Xiao Sha's body stood on end, and demonic markings spread across his entire body.

This was the signal that their demon clan was facing a major threat and entering battle mode.

"It's Mu Yunting!" Xiao Sha clenched his fists, itching to charge out and tear the man apart.

But the moment he moved, Qin Du clamped down on his shoulder.

"Get out of here! Don't let him spot you!"

"Just let him go? He's still in his infancy—only at the late Foundation Establishment stage?! This is our one shot! If we take him out now, the cultivation world will never bounce back!"

"Are you out of your mind?! Killing him inside the Xuantian Sect? You'd never make it out alive!"

"For the demon race's cause, I'd die without a second thought!"

Qin Du was about to lose his mind. Watching Mu Yunting head straight for them, he grabbed Xiao Sha and yanked him down behind the weeds.

"No way! He's got his life-bound spirit sword now. If you can't take him out in one hit, we're both dead!"

That finally made Xiao Sha hesitate.

His life meant nothing, but if he dragged his master into this, he'd never forgive himself.

In the end, he abandoned the thought of killing.

"Then take care, Master. I'll be off!"

"Get going!"

A puff of black smoke dispersed, and Xiao Sha was gone.

Qin Du wiped the sweat from his brow and collapsed onto the ground.

Tired. His body was tired, but his mind was even more drained.

He'd just barely talked Xiao Sha into leaving, and now he had to explain to Mu Yunting why he was out here in the dead of night.

He'd just made a show of standing up when Mu Yunting walked right past him, completely missing the person hiding in the weeds.

If it were anyone else, that'd be one thing. But this was Mu Yunting?

This was the guy who could predict his next move before he'd even finished his last one.

What on earth could be distracting him like this?

Well then, he couldn't blame Qin Du for snooping.

Qin Du crouched down deeper into the weeds, hiding himself completely, leaving only his eyes visible to keep watch on Mu Yunting.

He watched Mu Yunting walk to the cliff's edge, summon his life-bound spirit sword, leap onto it, and soar into the sky.

In the blink of an eye, he was gone, leaving behind lingering traces of sword energy.

Where the heck was he going in the middle of the night?

Judging from the trail of sword energy, he was headed toward the Xianyue Sect.

There was a hidden path behind Lingxiao Peak that led outside, letting you slip past the Xuantian Sect's patrols.

A few years back, when he got bored on the mountain, he'd occasionally sneak out this way to go have fun down below.

He knew this path, and Mu Yunting definitely knew it too.

But Mu Yunting probably never imagined that his sneaky midnight escape from the Xuantian Sect would be caught red-handed by him.

The master had told him to stay on the mountain and practice his swordsmanship these past few days, yet he'd snuck out anyway.

He had no idea why the master favored him above everyone else!

He'd report him tomorrow!

That was the plan, but the next day, the moment he saw Lin Huaiqing, the words of accusation died in his throat.

"Du'er, where's your junior brother Yunting?"

"Reporting to Master... th-this disciple... doesn't know either..."

Tattling behind someone's back wasn't something a gentleman did.

Lin Huaiqing had been feeling guilty, worried Mu Yunting might get the wrong idea. Since he wasn't around, things would be much easier.

He pulled a long sword out of his qiankun pouch and drove it into the soft earth. He said to Qin Du:

"Smear your blood on it and see if it's willing to acknowledge you as its master."

An electric current seemed to shoot through Qin Du's whole body. His obsidian eyes lit up as he said in disbelief:

"Master, is this for me?!"

"It's not yours yet. Let's see if the two of you are meant to be."

Lin Huaiqing's warm smile instantly brightened Qin Du's heart.

This spirit sword was specially chosen for Qin Du from the treasure pavilion—the most suitable one for him.

Although it was only a high-grade spiritual artifact, nowhere near the level of sacred artifacts like Mu Yunting's Qingyu, it was more than enough for cultivators at the Foundation Establishment and Golden Core stages.

Moreover, this sword had some connection to the demon race.

It was said that the original owner of this sword was the life-bound spirit artifact belonging to the personal disciple of the ninth Sect Master of Xuantian Sect.

That disciple was half-human, half-demon. The ninth Sect Master had long known of his identity but never treated him with the slightest disdain.

He even ordered the elders of the Artifact Refining Hall to forge this spiritual artifact specifically to be his life-bound weapon.

Unfortunately, the disciple's identity was later exposed, coinciding with the Fifth Immortal-Demon War. The immortal sects demanded that the Sect Master hand over the demon-blooded disciple to be sacrificed.

At that time, the Xuantian Sect was in turmoil. If the disciple wasn't killed, the immortal sects wouldn't send reinforcements.

To save the Xuantian Sect and spare his master further distress, the disciple ultimately ended his own life in public with this very sword.

This rather melodramatic tale was recorded in the sword's inscription, which Lin Huaiqing read when he visited the treasure pavilion.

But several hundred years had passed—who could truly verify the truth behind the story?

It's all a matter of perspective, I guess.

Qin Du, too giddy with joy to know any of this, immediately pressed his palm against the blade and gave it a hard cut.

Though the sword was a bit rusty, the moment it touched Qin Du's blood, it burst into a blinding white light.

After the light faded, the spirit sword was completely renewed, its blade now glowing with a dark crimson hue.

And just like that, the sword accepted Qin Du as its master.

Qin Du was overjoyed—this was a spirit sword specially gifted by his master, something no one else had!

He immediately clutched his life-bound spirit sword in both hands and dropped to his knees with a thud at Lin Huaiqing's feet.

"Thank you, Master, for bestowing this sword upon me!"

Lin Huaiqing reached out and gently helped him up.

No need for thanks; he was just making it up to Qin Du in another way.

Lately, he'd been devoting most of his attention to the young protagonist, often neglecting the Little Villain.

He hoped the kid wouldn't hold it against him.