Chapter 58: Curiosity

After dispelling the demonic aura, taking pills, and circulating spiritual power for healing, both of them regained the ability to move within an hour.

During this time, Liyu truly did not come to disturb them. Early on, she had seen the barrier erected around the place where the two were staying from the distant woods on the mountain.

...They likely have important matters to attend to.

She did not intrude and continued to sleep in the tree. The surrounding villagers were even more oblivious.

Stopping her spiritual treatment, Zora stood up. Her blue-and-white dress bore the marks of being torn by sharp weapons, the fabric frayed and revealing the inner layers. The defensive arrays stitched into the garment had already been exhausted, their runes vanished.

Vane handed her a fresh set of clothes. Zora took them and went into Vane’s room to change—after all, her own room had been mostly destroyed. This left the youth standing alone outside.

Vane was waiting quietly when he felt his spiritual platform being tugged bit by bit. Sensing something, he turned his head slightly. It was his weapon, Black Dust, emitting bursts of trembling hums under a heavy pressure. He hadn't just noticed it now; he only just had the time to look.

Several strands of the spear's red tassel had been pierced through by a sword and pinned to the ground. The shaft was also held fast by the spiritual energy of Jiangxue, unable to move. This was the typical suppression of one's life-bound weapon by another. Neither weapon possessed a sword or spear spirit; their state was merely a reflection of their masters' instincts.

Zora and Vane possessed pure and thick spiritual power, with great comprehension and a work ethic that could be called diligent. Their spiritual weapons naturally progressed rapidly alongside them.

Vane walked closer step by step. The closer he got, the more violent Black Dust’s vibration became. Jiangxue remained motionless, neither resisting nor interested. Its blade was as white as pure snow, and its hilt was indigo, looking like grass-soaked dye, inlaid with silver stones like stars fallen into the night. It looked as if a segment of the galaxy had been cut out and draped over the hilt.

The youth lowered his lashes but did not reach out to take the spear. The long spear didn't seem angry either, simply humming as its master approached. It wasn't a cry for help, but rather a simple reminder that it was there.

The blade, shimmering like snow, suppressed the ancient, dark-colored spear. As a breeze blew past, it formed a subtle tableau reflected in the youth’s calm, starry eyes.

When Zora walked out of the house, she saw Vane staring down at her sword.

Oh right, I forgot.

Sensing the call, Jiangxue flew up and returned to the scabbard on the girl's back in an instant.

Click.

The subtle sound of the sword sheathing rang out. At the same time, with the sword gone, the object it had been guarding naturally regained its freedom. The long spear, which had sunk nearly an inch into the earth, remained still for a long while.

Zora didn't see this; she looked toward the location of the ore vein.

"Roar—"

The roar of a Taotie-like creature echoed through the heavens. The moment the long, shocking cry of the giant beast stopped, dawn arrived. White light covered the ground, illuminating every corner, as cool as water.

"The demonic cultivator is here," Zora said, lowering the barrier.

Just as she spoke, Liyu rushed over in a panic: "Fellow Daoist Zora, is that monster not dead yet?"

Zora shook her head: "That one is indeed dead. This must be another one."

Liyu: "Another one..."

She clearly connected the dots that the creature was domesticated, not wild.

—Aside from demonic cultivators, who else would raise such monsters?

Zora paid them no mind. She was about to fly on her sword but suddenly turned back: "You stay here and guard the villagers."

Vane was stunned for a moment. "...I stay here?"

Zora: "Yes." She frowned, appearing troubled. "Your state of mind is unstable and easily disrupted by demonic aura. I don't want to be killed by you."

The youth opened his lips to say something, but in the end, he said nothing, only: "I understand." He composed himself. "Be careful and protect yourself."

Liyu: "Wait!" She paused, her gaze turning resolute. "Please let me go with you."

Zora didn't care: "Whatever."

Vane watched the two leave. After a long period of stillness, he turned his gaze to the weapon on the ground. He reached out over the spear, palm down and slightly open. The spear trembled a few times before leaping into its master's hand with a sharp

clink

.

A loyal servant should perfectly complete the task assigned by the master.

...Protect the villagers, then.

Vane gave the spear a casual twirl, spiritual power transforming into a shockwave at the tip. In the blink of an eye, he vanished.

When Zora and Liyu arrived, a demonic cultivator was wantonly destroying the ore vein. The Taotie-like creature was devouring the crystals, its demonic aura growing constantly.

"I wondered what kind of kind-hearted master appeared in this remote corner. Turns out it's a yellow-haired girl and a woman about to die of old age." The demonic cultivator stood in a relaxed posture, his tone contemptuous. Demonic markings traced his face, ugly and bizarre. His narrow eyes squinted as he let out a cold laugh. "Count yourselves lucky to die at the hands of a demonic cultivator like me who likes to give his enemies a quick end!"

Liyu used her sword to block his long whip, but it became entangled. Demonic aura contaminated the blade and spread along it, burning her hand. Liyu was forced to retreat step by step.

A girl suddenly leaped onto the taut golden whip between them. The whip was forced down for an instant before snapping back, and Zora reached the demonic cultivator in a flash, delivering a strike. Her speed was too fast, and she used her moves without hesitation, even predicting that the demonic cultivator would dodge. Zora's strike was one from which there was no escape. A sharp sword-wind swept past, leaving a deep bloody gash on the demonic cultivator’s arm.

Spiritual power and demonic aura clashed. In a few breaths, a dozen moves had passed. The two separated in an instant, and the golden whip was retracted.

"..." The demonic cultivator touched the blood on his body and suddenly grinned hideously. "I've changed my mind. You actually have some skill."

The villagers were startled by the roar of the beast and rushed out of their houses. The Goddess was not there. Facing a powerful enemy whose gap in strength was like a chasm, even the village head couldn't calm them down.

"Has the Goddess gone to fight a monster?"

"...But wasn't it resolved yesterday? There's another one? What do we do!"

"I hope nothing happens to the Goddess..."

"Didn't the Goddess invite two immortals? I heard they are disciples of the number one cultivation sect."

The crowd discussed feverishly, huddling together as if searching for a sense of security.

In the next moment, the scene that had been like a boiling pot suddenly went silent. Quiet fell, save for the chirping of birds. Everyone looked at the youth who had appeared in their midst at some unknown time. Though he wasn't old, he was exceptionally steady, making people instinctively trust him. His handsome face was touched with an imposing aura.

"I am Vane, a disciple of the December Sect and the one who accepted this mission. Please do not panic. If anyone flees, they do so at the cost of their own life."

He had killed too many living things. Though the common folk didn't know this, they instinctively feared the expressionless youth. Then, Vane relaxed his expression and offered a smiling explanation. He explained the cause and effect clearly while appropriately hiding certain parts. His attitude was his characteristic disguise—as pleasant as a spring breeze.

He knew that at the very least, the people’s hearts must not be in turmoil. If one person ran off and was accidentally injured, the mission wouldn't be completed, and Zora would certainly be angry. The youth was silver-tongued and understood human nature. At this moment, they didn't need a sympathetic soul or a biased commander; they needed a leader who was both reassuring and firm.

In a short time, Vane settled the villagers in one place and established a barrier.

"As expected of a disciple from a major sect..."

"Immortal, they will be okay, right?"

"Immortal..."

Trust is the easiest thing to surrender when in a fragile state.

Vane smiled: "Of than, they will be fine."

The demonic cultivator had too many tricks, and spiritual power was being consumed too quickly. Liyu held off the Taotie-like creature while Zora fought the demonic cultivator.

While holding a slight upper hand, the dying demonic cultivator used a trick, causing both of them to fall into a hidden deep pit. Below the pit were countless small, hungry monsters. Only a single thorn-covered vine hung down. Zora did not hesitate to grab the vine as she fell. Her weight caused her to slide for a bit, and as Liyu fell, Zora caught her, pulling her close.

Liyu was shaken, gasping for breath. A few small pebbles fell; their situation was precarious. The demonic cultivator, near death, let out a light laugh from above: "I heard the most important thing for a sword cultivator is their hands. Naturally, they should be eaten from the hands first—what are you doing? Look at your hand."

Only then did Liyu see the girl gripping the vine tightly. Her right hand was covered in blood, dripping bit by bit. The sharp thorns had pierced deep into her flesh, yet she held on so tight that anyone looking would feel the pain.

The demonic cultivator looked down into her still-clear eyes. The girl didn't have a single expression a person in distress should have. He went silent for a moment, then mocked: "A dead duck with a stiff beak."

He lay by the edge of the hole and died shortly after, the sword wound in his chest still gurgling blood, his eyes wide in refusal to accept death.

Liyu wanted to drive her sword, but she had no spiritual power left. Her injuries were too heavy; she could no longer use the sword-flying technique. This was one of the drawbacks of not having a sword spirit.

A dead end. This was a dead end.

Liyu stared blankly at the monsters below with their mouths open, waiting for food. She thought she had accepted death, but when the moment actually arrived, her mind was blank.

A foggy, dark gray.

...The village can live on without her just the same.

The only trace she had left in the world was in the village.

"...Ugh." Zora let out a muffled groan. They were forced to slide down a bit further, the thorns digging entirely into her flesh.

Liyu couldn't bear it: "...Let go of me."

The girl's voice rang out, carrying a matter-of-fact tone: "I accepted the mission."

In Zora's eyes, she had given a promise and must fulfill it. It was that simple—one-track thinking.

But can even a life be given up for it?

Liyu didn't speak.

"You've already finished it. The reward only needs to be collected from Floating Cloud Valley."

"I also have to protect the villagers."

"...What?" Liyu was stunned. She was in almost complete disbelief.

Liyu couldn't see the sword cultivator girl's face, only her bloody hand and the blue hair ribbon hidden among her black hair, flickering in and out of sight.

...She actually categorized Liyu as one of the villagers.

Villagers... what kind of logic was that? Liyu thought with a sense of irony.

Liyu had been a cultivator for a long time, and everyone always called her a Goddess. Respect and love had placed her on a pedestal, and over time, she had formed a special relationship with the village: protector and protected, Goddess and her villagers. It was not entirely without a chasm. When she left the village and entered the cultivation world, then returned, it meant she no longer had peers. Existing between the cultivation world and the mortal realm, she was an awkward presence.

Liyu whispered: "It's fine. The mission will still count as completed."

Zora ignored her entirely. She only trusted her own judgment, focusing her spiritual power to circulate through her body, and soon regained a bit of ability. Liyu suddenly felt the vine swaying. She looked up; the girl had actually wrapped the bloody vine around her palm several times, ignoring the thorns.

...Does she not feel pain?

Liyu dazed: "What are you doing?"

Zora: "Going up."

Using the vine, which had been pulled straight by several wraps, as leverage, Zora moved upward. She coated the soles of her feet with a thin layer of spiritual power and kicked off the stone wall, then stepped on protruding stone points to move up constantly, landing lightly on the ground.

Once on the surface, she let Liyu go and unwound the vine. She nourished her hand with spiritual power, but it was a drop in the bucket; the wounds were still severe and ghastly. Zora pulled out a few thorns before getting impatient. She simply used her left hand to hold her sword, broke off some stones, infused them with spiritual power, and threw them into the pit. The weak monsters were crushed into corpses one by one.

Liyu leaned against the ground, her energy spent, her reactions lagging. While her thoughts were in chaos and she was slumped from the predicament, Zora seemed to know no retreat and no fear. That was a sword cultivator's hand; naturally, choosing to abandon her would have been best for Zora. Liyu could also feel that Zora's actions were not out of "kindness," but simply because she believed this was what needed to be done to complete the mission.

...I have never seen such a person.

Liyu still felt grateful, but she felt Zora’s character was like a translucent crystal—hard and beautiful.

The unique among the unique. She gave a low laugh.

When Liyu regained enough strength to stand up, she saw Zora crouching beside the demonic cultivator’s corpse, seemingly observing it. After a while, Zora pulled out a short blade, intending to completely cut open the demonic cultivator's chest.

Liyu suddenly understood her meaning in a bizarre way and hurriedly said: "—Wait! Demonic cultivators have long been contaminated by demonic aura. Their bones and flesh are polluted; they are of no use."

Zora put the blade down with regret. She had planned to see how heart-blood was actually different from ordinary blood. Vane liked it so much, and not even for cultivation—it was just an addiction. Zora was truly curious. Just like the corpses of enemies she wouldn't normally care about, she had been led to look a few more times by Vane last night, resulting in a bit of wavering and a sense of inquiry.

Is it really that interesting and fun?

Zora thought.

She was merely a bit curious and wanted to try. After all, the path of cultivation is long and much more leisurely than before. She sometimes feels exceptionally bored. So, when her gaze finally turned toward him and she suddenly "saw" Vane—his usefulness, his face, the things he did—Zora would have new thoughts.

What was he playing at? Was it fun? She wanted to play too.