Chapter 24: I Was Here First

Vane paid no mind to the ambiguous, vague words the mud figure had spoken; in his view, those were merely traps added at the whim of the formation's master.

What concerned him more was that among those thoughts, there wasn't a single trace of malicious resistance. It was like a bucket of ice water poured over him, chilling him to the bone.

Turi Qi found the formation's eye and swept her sword. The people in the scrolls wailed as they dissipated into powder, and the surrounding environment gradually reappeared before their eyes.

"Are these the new disciples of your December Sect?" A woman dressed in thin pink silk smiled faintly. Her feet and arms were bare, with pink cloth tied only across her chest and lower body. Golden rings hung lightly on her snowy arms, several bells jingling with her movements. A faint fragrance permeated the air as she leaned against the massive corpse of a demon, her red lips curving slightly, her eyes seductive.

"These are people from the Hehuan Sect," Turi Qi explained softly to them.

Zora looked at the woman, but the Hehuan Sect disciple gazed airily at Vane. "I like young boys. What fun is there in the December Sect? No one has ascended in recent years anyway. Why not come to my Hehuan Sect, a small sect where you can be free and easy? I'd be more than happy to play with you—anything you want."

Her ending note hooked slightly, a numbing sensation that went straight to the bone.

Vane was currently feeling irritable and restless, his expression cold. His emotions were churning, pulling at his hidden nature. He wanted to see blood; a long-lost bloodlust surged in his chest. His hand tightened on the spear shaft, nails digging into his palm, as his sharpest canine bit into the soft flesh inside his lip to suppress the sudden urge. Her words turned to bubbles beside his ear; they never even entered his mind.

"Is the 'freedom' you speak of bullying the weak, seducing mortals, and using your cultivation to recklessly drain the life from commoners?" Turi Qi let out a cold snort and, without another word, raised her sword to strike.

However, the opponent's cultivation was higher. Turi Qi did not linger in the fight; seizing the opening after blocking a strike, she spun around quickly. "Run!"

The three did not escape. The demon corpse, like a marionette, suddenly stood upright.

"Roar—!!" The demon opened its mouth, and a sound wave mixed with demonic energy became deafening.

Countless small demons swarmed from all directions. Zora blocked one; it had pointed ears and a monkey-like face, shrieking with its mouth wide open. She pursed her lips tight as blood trickled from her ears.

In her peripheral vision, Vane had just killed one, cruelly severing the demon's cranial bone. Gore and white shards scattered across the ground. He did not stop; the swarm of small demons were like prey delivered to his door. The youth's eyes flashed with ferocity as he strangled and killed them one by one.

If the enemy were stronger than him, the result would be the awakening of the villain's Demonic Seed. If the enemy were weaker, the result would be a massacre by the villain, his gloom deepening as the Demonic Seed grew restless.

The Oracle suddenly detected a fluctuation in the Demonic Seed and hurriedly appeared: [Host, take note! The Demonic Seed is fluctuating! Urgent measures are required!]

"..."

Clang!

Blood from a demon sprayed across the green grass. Zora looked back. Turi Qi was fighting the Hehuan Sect disciple and was gradually falling into a disadvantage. In another spot, the youth with his back to them was also dealing with the endless stream of demons.

She truly couldn't see where any "fluctuation" was occurring.

The Oracle: [...]

Fine, I suppose you people are just immune to the sight of mangled corpses and the toying with dying enemies, aren't you?

Seeing defeat imminent, Turi Qi stepped back and spat out a mouthful of blood, unhesitatingly tearing a yellow talisman. If she were alone, she would have considered calling her Master only at the final moment, but with two fellow junior disciples behind her, there was no need to hesitate.

A brilliant light erupted, and a man appeared before Turi Qi. His face was like carved jade, cold as frost, his brows sharp, and he was dressed in white robes as pure as snow. He did not look at his disciple kneeling on the ground; a sword made of light took shape at his fingertips.

Even though the Hehuan Sect disciple was suppressed by his pressure, her mouth filling with the taste of iron, she did not panic. Instead, she gave a soft laugh. "You've come at the perfect time. Let me taste what the high-and-mighty Sword Sovereign is like!"

The swarming demons vanished in an instant.

Zora first went to check on the motionless Turi Qi. She crouched down, peeking at her senior sister's lowered face obscured by her hair. Turi Qi did not want to look at Lord Wanghua, and being exhausted, she gripped her sword hilt with one hand and propped herself up with the other, sitting on the ground and holding her breath.

Suddenly, a girl's face poked into her vision, peering at her with a furrowed brow. Locking eyes with her abruptly, Turi Qi widened her eyes in surprise. Zora seemed to be observing her, her rounded eyes scanning Turi Qi's face.

"No accidents happened."

"..." Turi Qi's heart eased, and her tension suddenly dissipated. Her junior sister was so cute and innocent that she even managed a smile. "No, I'm okay. Are you alright, Junior Sister?"

Zora shook her head.

"What about Junior Brother Vane?"

"I'll go look."

Zora stood up and walked toward the motionless youth nearby. From behind, he seemed to be breathing heavily, his hands covered in blood. His black martial attire was stained with blood, turning a deeper shade, and the silver spear tip was almost dyed the same pure red as the tassels.

The Oracle was extremely nervous, but then remembered the Master-Servant Covenant and immediately relaxed. At least the Host wouldn't be killed by mistake, right?

The Host truly is farsighted.

Zora walked half a circle around to stand before him. The youth had his head lowered, his canines drawing the taste of iron, blood trickling from the corner of his lip. When his eyes suddenly caught her face observing him with a frown, he paused for a second and looked away.

Zora: "?"

But she could see that his expression was very fierce.

The Hehuan Sect disciple must have said something, as Lord Wanghua did not strike with his sword immediately. Zora glanced at Lord Wanghua's back; it wouldn't be good if he noticed the Demonic Seed fluctuation.

Thinking this, she reached out, placed her hands on Vane's face, and straightened his head.

"..." He lowered his lashes, refusing to look at her.

Zora kneaded his face with force, trying to rub his expression back to normal. Being suddenly treated like dough and squeezed at will, Vane blinked and looked at her instinctively.

"Be normal. You just killed some weak demons. It's not like you slaughtered a city or the three realms."

"..."

She truly kneaded him roughly. The youth had only just begun to look less thin after joining the sect, and the bit of flesh on his face was being rubbed back and forth; she even smeared right over his eyes.

"...Wait." Any further dark thoughts were kneaded away. Vane tilted his head back slightly. "Is it enough?"

Vane spoke unclearly: "...It's enough."

The Oracle watched with its heart in its throat and finally sighed in relief: [Alarm deactivated. I'm heading out.]

Only then did she let go. Vane's face was rubbed slightly red. He gave her a look.

"Hahahahahaha! So this is what Lord Wanghua looks like when he shows emotion! Hahaha...!" The Hehuan Sect disciple laughed nearby.

The sound ended abruptly as the woman suddenly exploded and died. Lord Wanghua clutched his chest, his cold face showing signs of endurance, the corners of his eyes flushed red.

"Master..." Turi Qi supported him.

The Hehuan Sect disciple had ambushed him earlier; Lord Wanghua had unfortunately been hit by an aphrodisiac. Turi Qi looked at his profile, not knowing what to do or say, and began to panic.

Zora: "What is he doing?"

Vane: "...He was likely hit by an aphrodisiac."

Zora realized. She seemed to remember this plot point from the original story. The male lead gets drugged, the male and female leads do this and that, then the Sword Sovereign regrets it, and then they angst back and forth.

The pair of master and disciple didn't notice the two people silently observing them with such intensity. The disciple's worried expression was reflected in Lord Wanghua's pale eyes, and his long fingers tightened on his sword.

His sword spirit was like him, cold-hearted and detached, so he had never thought of keeping a woman in his heart—let alone his own disciple. The divine sword grew restless, as if resisting his feelings of affection.

...No, he couldn't, and shouldn't, love someone.

His previous hesitation and hot-and-cold attitude had caused Turi Qi constant heartache. The rejection of her last confession had pushed those feelings to the freezing point. But perhaps due to the effect of the aphrodisiac, he wanted to indulge himself just once. He gazed at the girl's beautiful face, and the spiritual power in his body gave up resisting the drug's nature. His eyes gradually stained with red.

"If he's a Sword Sovereign, he should be able to resist it, right?"

Suddenly, a female voice spoke in a flat tone. Turi Qi looked up; her junior sister and brother were standing before them. Her heart was anxious, and she couldn't think calmly. She asked, "Is that really possible?"

"It should be," Zora said. "Otherwise, why wouldn't the Hehuan Sect just use aphrodisiacs when attacking other sects if even a Sword Sovereign couldn't resist them?"

Her tone was sincere; she seemingly truly believed this.

Turi Qi turned her head. "Master?"

Lord Wanghua, who was just about to give up resistance and let the drug take hold: "..."

He had almost forgotten there were two other disciples here.

Vane, however, saw more. That man was clearly not just feeling lust, but also a stirring of the heart; he likely intended to go with the flow. The Sword Sovereign was powerful and held high status; his temper was unknown. If he were crossed—

He looked at Zora. She had truly offended someone.

Zora thought back to the original story, but compared to the plot, she cared more about her own affairs. She wouldn't manage that much. She asked, "Are you going to do what the people in the scrolls did right now? Then what about shopping? First come, first served; you have to go shopping with me first. Can't he just hold it in? You can do it after we finish shopping. I was here first."

Vane stared at Zora in silence: "..."

Turi Qi was stunned, her face then exploding into a deep red. "No... of course not..."

Lord Wanghua gave Zora a long, deep look. She looked back in confusion, then suddenly remembered something and said seriously, "Thank you for helping to kill that Hehuan Sect person."

"..." Lord Wanghua managed to squeeze out from between his teeth, "It was my duty."

Vane, standing by, spoke up at the appropriate moment: "Zora is right. As a Sword Sovereign, you should be able to resist it; it won't cause any harm to your body." He bowed slightly toward the Sword Sovereign, appearing very respectful as he smiled. "This disciple thanks the Immortal for the rescue. I hope the Immortal prioritizes his health and returns quickly for treatment, otherwise, this disciple will truly feel uneasy. If it weren't for this disciple's low strength, I would escort the Immortal back myself, but clearly, the Immortal can return faster on his own. This disciple dares not delay you."

Compared to Zora's blunt words, he was more subtle on the surface but even more pressuring. His few sentences immediately took the moral high ground; at the very least, the grand Sword Sovereign wouldn't hold a grudge against two minor disciples for this.

"...Right... right," Turi Qi snapped back to reality, saying worriedly, "Master, go back and find Immortal Shu first. She is a medicine cultivator and should have an antidote. Don't delay; if something happens... your disciple will feel uneasy."

Lord Wanghua: "............"

His majestic spiritual power suppressed the drug's effect. He couldn't truly lose his temper with these three disciples. If anything, he felt as if he had been doused with cold water, startled by his own earlier permissive thoughts.

...Fortunately, he hadn't taken that step. He would have regretted it... surely. He was wavering regarding his disciple, but most of the time, he would regret his own wavering.

The potency of the drug weakened. With a wave of his sleeve, Lord Wanghua vanished.

Turi Qi was fraught with worry. It wasn't just love; she was also accustomed to sharing her Master's burdens as his disciple. She stood there with a furrowed brow, wanting to return to the December Sect—at the very least, she had to formally thank her Master for the rescue.

At this thought, Turi Qi also thanked Zora and Vane, saying, "Thank you, Junior Sister and Junior Brother. If you hadn't arrived in time, I'm afraid I would still be struggling in the scrolls."

Unlike her expression of gravity and worry, these two looked calm, even relaxed.

Zora felt a bit happy. "Are we going shopping now?"

"...Eh?" Turi Qi was taken aback.

"Is there still money?" Zora turned and asked Vane.

The youth replied: "There are enough spirit stones."

She nodded. "Then let's go."

Zora walked in front. Vane saw Turi Qi hesitating, seemingly thinking it improper to leave her Master alone, hesitating to speak.

He smiled. "I'm sure the Immortal wouldn't want his disciple to see him in such a wretched state. Moreover, with the Immortal's abilities, this bit of drug is nothing. It is most appropriate for Senior Sister not to rush back so quickly."

"While relaxing and shopping, you can also pick out a few mortal gifts as a thank-you. It won't be too extravagant to make things awkward, nor too thoughtless to be disheartening. After all, things in the sect aren't as interesting as those in the mortal world, which has its own charm."

Turi Qi did indeed waver, and she smiled. "Very well."

"But after such an ordeal, Senior Sister needs to relax properly, and so does Zora. So Senior Sister doesn't need to be thinking about the Immortal every second," Vane glanced at Zora's back and said to Turi Qi with a half-smile, "Your mood is the most important thing."

True.

Turi Qi looked at Zora's back. Since she was going shopping with her junior sister, she couldn't be too morose. Her junior sister needed to relax too; if she were sorrowful, wouldn't that affect her junior sister and prevent her from having fun?

Turi Qi composed her mood. After casting aside those thoughts, she truly felt much lighter. She walked toward Zora.

Behind her, Vane slowly withdrew his smile, his eyes growing deep. At first glance, it looked as if his disguise had been stripped away. This personality of putting others first—with a little guidance, her thoughts could be changed in the direction he wanted.

In her peripheral vision, Zora saw the two lagging behind finally catch up. She glanced at Vane. "So slow."

She never thought about those convoluted matters. She was straightforward; since they agreed to go shopping, her senior sister would naturally come, and the Sword Sovereign was fine anyway.

Vane met Zora's gaze and was silent for a moment. "..."

Only then did he realize what he had just done.

...What was this? A dutiful servant using his brain to ensure his Master's shopping trip was pleasant?