Demoness's Art of Vengeance

Anyone with a half-decent mind would have been able to guess the identity of the great granddaughter-in-law referred to by the old man.

Apart from Jun Xiaomo who had always carried the little packrat around in her bosom, who else could Qin Lingyu have offended so thoroughly?

Previously, after Jun Xiaomo alleged that Qin Lingyu and Yu Wanrou had become intimately involved with each other, several disciples began to develop their own levels of suspicion of Qin Lingyu and Yu Wanrou. Yet despite the revelation of the unadorned truth, some of the disciples continued to be infatuated with Yu Wanrou’s beauty; while others who idolized Qin Lingyu continued to put faith in his character. In the end, the disciples’ impression of Yu Wanrou and Qin Lingyu only fell slightly.

But right now, the little packrat had referred to Jun Xiaomo as its fiancée. Furthermore, Jun Xiaomo and Ye Xiuwen seemed to have grown close and intimate through these travels, while yet another person, the first prince of the Inferno Kingdom, had joined the fray. As these disciples thought about the confluence of these factors, they began to feel that Qin Lingyu was truly the pitiable one in this entanglement of relationships.

Just how many times has martial brother Qin been made a cuckold?

Given how the marriage arrangement between Qin Lingyu and Jun Xiaomo was still standing, it was technically not wrong for the disciples to think this way. As these thoughts crossed their minds, they momentarily forgot about the predicament they were in right now. Each of them looked at Qin Lingyu with different types of gazes – some with sympathy, others delighting in his misery, and yet others with complicated looks.

Even then, Qin Lingyu hardly felt appeased by the existence of his sympathizers. In reality, he would much rather prefer the label of the traitor to his marriage arrangement than be the poor worm who had been abandoned by other women.

However, the facts spoke for themselves. No matter how displeased Qin Lingyu was, he could not avoid squaring up to the problem at hand.

Jun Xiaomo, his fiancée-in-name, seemed to have dabbled in several relationships and affairs. Some of these even seemed to be matters that she was inextricably tangled with.

Qin Lingyu’s expressions were in flux – from sickly green to a pale white; these expressions were brilliant and varied. His tightly clenched fists and the bulging green veins on his forehead revealed the indignation and shame on his heart. To make matters worse, the great grandfather of one of Jun Xiaomo’s “lovers” was even staring at himself threateningly. How could he openly berate Jun Xiaomo at this moment? He could only silently curse and swear at Jun Xiaomo and all of her “lovers” in his heart.

It bears reiterating that the little packrat’s great grandfather had already lived for a few thousand years. Thus, could the present situation anything novel or new to him? He had managed to infer some clues about the situation from the eyes of each and every disciple around. But what did it matter even if his great granddaughter-in-law were tangled with multiple parties? It was not uncommon for love rivals to duke it out with each other for the right to pursue their object of affection. Furthermore, the Chi Clan were a clan of demonic cultivators, and they were renown for their willfulness and headstrong attitude. If his great grandson had set his sights on a lady, then all he had to do was to win her over from the rest of his rivals!

Besides, the old man understood from his great grandson’s earlier complaints [1] that the relationship between Jun Xiaomo and Qin Lingyu was rather strained. Therefore, he had absolutely no qualms doing this.

Thus, armed with the imposing demeanor befitting of the formidable cultivator that he was, the protective old man stretched out his hands and began to congeal a swathe of demonic energy within his palm.

He planned to destroy his great grandson’s “love rival”.

Qin Lingyu could tell what the old man was planning to do. He finally panicked. At this moment, his bones had already been fractured in several places, and he could no longer stand up. Therefore, he painstakingly crawled before the old man as he begged, “Please believe me, I’m…I only have a marriage arrangement with Jun Xiaomo in name. There’s nothing going on between us…”

He was about to grab hold of the old man’s clothes as he begged, but the old man nimbly avoided him.

Old man Chi furrowed his brows as he revealed a disdainful expression at Qin Lingyu whose hands were covered in soil and blood.

This man possesses a far lousier character than my great grandson. No wonder my great granddaughter-in-law would abandon him.

Yes, this old man had selectively listened to the facts and maintained his disbelief that Jun Xiaomo had treated his great grandson as a pet.

At this moment, the little packrat’s mother Shao Sirong burst out with sardonic laughter as she mocked with contempt, “And these spiritual cultivators still complain that us demonic cultivators are heartless. From what I can tell, it’s these spiritual cultivators who are truly heartless – they even resort to casting away their relationships just to save their own lives. If there’s truly nothing between the two of you, why did you even enter a marriage arrangement to begin with?”

Qin Lingyu had been cornered by Shao Sirong’s keen analysis of the matter, and his face twisted in an unsightly manner.

He had earlier sought to enter the marriage arrangement because he had coveted the immeasurable depths of resources within the Heavenly Peak that was only accessible through Jun Xiaomo, the daughter of the Peakmaster of Heavenly Peak itself. Any existence of feelings in that relationship of theirs had emanated solely from Jun Xiaomo, and it was completely unrequited.

But Qin Lingyu naturally could not reveal this truth to the little packrat’s parents and its great grandfather. There was no way he would live to see the light of day if he revealed this truth to that overprotective old man.

His heart was now filled with roiling emotions and a plethora of considerations. Yet Qin Lingyu firmly suppressed the indignance in his heart for Jun Xiaomo’s “promiscuous” character, and he softly murmured to old man Chi, “I admit that I haven’t been good to Xiaomo. Therefore, how things had ended up right now is all my fault. But I hope senior would be kind enough to spare my life. Once I’m back in the Sect, I will do my best to dissolve our marriage arrangement and set her free.”

His only hope right now was to play up his identity as the other party in Jun Xiaomo’s marriage arrangement. This was incredibly humiliating to Qin Lingyu, but he knew that there were no other options available right now. He was practically grasping at straws. But between his pride and his life, he would naturally pick the latter option.

Old man Chi squinted at Qin Lingyu as he sized him up. Moments later, he chuckled contemptuously, “You’re a pretty bright one. You know what needs to be said to obtain the right result. Fine. I’ve already killed several people today, and my anger has dissipated slightly. I hope you’ll be able to do what you’ve promised to do. Once you return to your sect, dissolve your marriage arrangement right away.”

Qin Lingyu immediately agreed. As he heaved his sigh of relief, his hatred for Jun Xiaomo deepened even further.

He felt that everything that had happened today was entirely caused by Jun Xiaomo to begin with!

Old man Chi began to walk away. But after two steps, he suddenly turned back again. Qin Lingyu immediately shut both of his eyes so that old man Chi would not be able to see the hatred in the depths of his heart.

Then, old man Chi uttered slowly, “But… You’ve only escaped the death penalty, not the rest of your punishment. It still remains a fact that you had bullied my great granddaughter-in-law. I will have to thoroughly etch the consequences of this into your bones so that you will never forget it.”

As he finished speaking, old man Chi waved his sleeves and sent the congealed ball of demonic energy straight into Qin Lingyu’s Dantian.

Qin Lingyu spat out a huge mouthful of blood and he immediately passed out.

The other Dawn Sect disciples shuddered as they looked at old man Chi, wondering how he was going to deal with each of them.

Fortunately for them, old man Chi only glared viciously at them before he turned his attention away and walked back to Situ Cang’s side. He looked down at Situ Cang disdainfully as he cautioned, “Don’t think for a moment that you can rest easy just because I’m letting you off today. The day that the effects of your insipid refinement technique has been stripped away from my great grandson’s body is also the day that I’m back to collect your head. You just wait and see.”

Situ Cang coughed out a few more mouthfuls of blood and his body quivered endlessly as he lowered his head. He clenched his fists hatefully.

Finally, the old man walked back to Chi Hongyi and Shao Sirong’s side, opened his eyes and glared at the little packrat as he said, “Little brat, are you happy now?”

It can be said that the old man was rather indulgent towards this great grandson of his. Otherwise, there was no way he would have travelled thousands of miles to this place just to escort his great grandson back safely.

It was a pity that this great grandson of his lacked determination despite his incredible talent for cultivation. Quite apart from his lackadaisical attitude towards cultivation, this great grandson of his had even run away from his sect willfully, causing such immense trouble outside of the sect. If not for the fact that the old man had affixed a true blood protective array on his great grandson’s body, this young sprout might already have become dead by now.

Squeak squeak squeak… The little packrat obsequiously curled into a ball of fluff.

Then, just as the old man was about to leave this place with his grandchildren and the little packrat, the little packrat’s black beady eyes shifted slightly and landed on a figure that was lying prostrate on the ground as she desperately tried to remain incognito, Yu Wanrou.

That’s right. From the start, Yu Wanrou had done her best to remain silent – out of sight, out of mind. She had done so, hoping that the little packrat would not attempt to court revenge for all that she had done to it.

But back then, she had never spared the little packrat a single thought when she had tormented it. She had even treated the little packrat as though its life were not worth a single consideration.

After all, a packrat that disobeyed its own master was not worth having to begin with.

Then, when old man Chi had drawn everyone’s attention towards Situ Cang, Ke Xinwen and Qin Lingyu, she had done her best to reduce her visibility and exposure, hoping that she would be able to avert this crisis by remaining hidden from sight.

Finally, when old man Chi turned to leave, Yu Wanrou’s heart skipped a beat, thinking that she had succeeded.

Unfortunately, she was fated to receive her just dues. Just as Yu Wanrou heaved a sigh of relief in her heart, the little packrat’s attention turned towards her. Instantly, a deep sense of indignation swelled up in the little packrat’s heart.

Squeak squeak squeak! Squeak squeak squeak! The little packrat stared straight at Yu Wanrou as it complained to its great grandfather about her crimes.

Following the little packrat’s gaze, old man Chi noticed the little lady hiding in the mist of all the other disciples. When his gaze landed on her body, Yu Wanrou’s body began to tremble uncontrollably in fear and trepidation.

Squeak squeak squeak! Squeak squeak squeak! Having realized that its own great grandfather could understand its packrat lingo, the little packrat would naturally not pass up any chance at complaining about its predicament. The people that the little packrat hated the most within the Dawn Sect were Qin Lingyu, Yu Wanrou and Ke Xinwen. If Ke Xinwen and Qin Lingyu had both received their just desserts, there was simply no reason for Yu Wanrou to get away scot free instead.

As the little packrat’s complaints continued, old man Chi’s face grew more and more ashen.

“Good! Very good! You dare to torment my great grandson?!” Old man Chi’s veins bulged as he roared in fury, “If my great grandson hadn’t encountered my great granddaughter-in-law, would you have left him any lifeline?! Since you enjoy tormenting little animals so much, why not you have a taste of your own medicine?!”

As old man Chi spoke, he waved his hand again. In the blink of an eye, a fresh formation array appeared above Yu Wanrou’s head. The demonic energy congealed by this formation array slowly turned into countless silver needles as they pricked all over Yu Wanrou’s body. Yu Wanrou remained trapped in the heart of the formation array as she let out a banshee-like shriek.

No one else dared to beg for mercy on Yu Wanrou’s behalf. Everyone continued to stare blankly as Yu Wanrou experienced so much pain that she began to convulse vigorously and writhe madly in pain. Tears and mucus were strewn all over her face as she presented a ghoulish expression. She had been stripped of all her dignity accompanying her reputation as a “lotus fairy”.

Squeak squeak! The little packrat was finally satisfied as it lay in Shao Sirong’s palm and snuggled its ears on her fingers.

Old man Chi turned around and ignored that gruesome sight behind him. He looked at his great grandson who appeared to behave more and more like a little animal, pat its head and curtly asked, “Now, can we finally go?”

The little packrat hesitated for a moment, before it squeaked a few more times.

This time, even Shao Sirong could understand her son’s intentions without old man Chi’s translations.

“Eh, what’s that? You’re still thinking about your fiancée?”

Squeak squeak… 

The little packrat was truly worried for Jun Xiaomo because Jun Xiaomo’s injuries before she managed to escape with the help of her Teleportation Scroll had been incredibly grave. Furthermore, knowing Jun Xiaomo’s character, she could very possibly be distraught by the fact that she had just effectively abandoned her little packrat. If that was the case, would she even be able to focus on her own recovery?

The little packrat wanted to see Jun Xiaomo one final time before leaving. At the same time, it wished to leave a token or a form of keepsake behind as well. That way, it would be much easier to reunite in future, when the time was right.

Having understood her son’s intentions, Shao Sirong rubbed its hair, saying, “Alright, alright. Your mother will take you on this trip then. At the same time, I’ll be able to see who this…is her name Xiaomo? I’ll be able to see what kind of a lady Xiaomo is.”

As long as she’s not a female packrat. Shao Sirong added softly in her heart.

After it squeaked twice more, it leapt out of Shao Sirong’s palm and disappeared amidst the tall grass within a few bounds. Moments later, it bounded back to Shao Sirong with a little bag in its mouth.

This bag was something that Jun Xiaomo had personally made in order to carry the little packrat about. Even though it was slightly ugly and unsightly, the little packrat still treasured it very much. After all, it was the little “house” that Jun Xiaomo had gifted to it.

Most importantly, this bag carried traces of Jun Xiaomo’s aura on it, and it would be an important tool to locate Jun Xiaomo with.

Old man Chi glared disapprovingly at how this little packrat was mesmerized by its fiancée. Despite that, he retrieved a formation diagram from his Interspatial Ring.

If Jun Xiaomo were present, she would immediately recognize this formation diagram. It was inscribed with none other than an X-mark Array.

“Take great grandfather’s word of advice – there are few cultivators out there now who can accept demonic cultivators like us. If she can’t accept you when you finally reveal your true identity, then even great grandfather won’t be able to help you. Don’t embarrass us by shedding tears of sorrow then.”

It could have been because he grew up being pampered by everyone in the Chi Clan, but the little packrat used to love crying a lot when he was young. That said, he had shed that habit when he grew up.

Yet what was most exasperating was the fact that old man Chi still saw his great grandson as a young sprout who loved crying. Therefore, he would always warn him not to shed tears from time to time.

The little packrat was momentarily rendered speechless by old man Chi’s advice, before it squeaked twice in resistance.

That won’t happen! Xiaomo is also a demonic cultivator after all…

Perhaps this little packrat’s squeaks were too soft; or perhaps old man Chi had already turned his attention elsewhere. Regardless, old man Chi did not pick up on what the little packrat had just said.

“Alright, I’ve located her whereabouts.” Old man Chi’s formation diagram was evidently much stronger than Jun Xiaomo’s. Within moments, he discovered her exact whereabouts. She was not located too far away.

At the very least, this short distance was hardly considered far to someone of old man Chi’s cultivation. They could close this distance with a simple formation array congealed with his demonic energy.

Squeak squeak! The little packrat immediately perked up its spirits given the prospects of seeing Jun Xiaomo again.

Furthermore, I’ll finally be able to reveal my true identity to Jun Xiaomo! The little packrat thought to itself expectantly.

Yet it had never considered how Jun Xiaomo would react when it finally realized that she had been carrying a “man” around in her bosom. What kind of complicated emotions would arise in Jun Xiaomo’s heart?

At this moment, old man Chi’s Teleportation Array flourished on the ground and enveloped the little packrat, Chi Hongyi and Shao Sirong within its midst.

On the other side, just as Jun Xiaomo was still setting up her formation array to determine whether her little packrat was dead or alive, the little packrat suddenly fell from the sky. Within a few leaps and bounds, it shot straight into Jun Xiaomo’s bosom once again.

Squeak squeak! The little packrat called out to Jun Xiaomo in joy.

At this moment, Jun Xiaomo was still drying her tears from her little packrat’s “sacrifice” for her, and she was completely unprepared for this sudden reunion.

Jun Xiaomo: ……

1.  The Mandarin version included these words in parentheses – “God knows how the old man understood the little packrat’s lingo”