Demoness's Art of Vengeance

Since time immemorial, Dawn Sect had always required their disciples who were leading teams out of the Sect for the first time to travel by foot. This was not because they wanted to torment their disciples, but because such experiences were invaluable. In their travels, the people they met and the things they encountered would broaden their horizons so that they would not be a frog in a well who only knew how to cultivate.

Not only that, the Sect barely gave any spirit stones as an allowance to each disciple, so if the disciples wished to return to the Sect safely, they would have to find some way to earn their own spirit stones on these travels.

These training regulations had proven to be highly effective. As a result of this, Dawn Sect became one of the places that the upper-tier sects would look to first when they scouted for talents and recruited new disciples.

No pain, no gain. This idiom was indeed true of all disciplines.

Notwithstanding all these things, Qin Lingyu, Ke Xinwen and the other fellow disciples had also considered the fact that their entourage comprised of two female disciples. Therefore, on the very first day of their travels, they decided to reside in an average-priced inn.

When Ye Xiuwen first learnt of their decision to rest in an inn, he furrowed his eyebrows, but he did not make his objections known explicitly. 

He could tell that several male disciples had a soft spot for these martial sisters, and even if he had made his objections known, they would not only fall on deaf ears; he might even affect the cohesiveness of the entourage.

Ye Xiuwen knew the importance of solidarity in such teams. Even if the other disciples did not appreciate it, the three teams formed a single entity right now. Therefore, Ye Xiuwen would only make his objections known when it came to matters that were truly important.

As to the concern that the spirit stones would be insufficient, these disciples would naturally have to experience it for themselves and learn it the hard way.

It was night. Ye Xiuwen stood silently by his windowsill, staring deeply into the distant darkness. His equally deeply profound gaze was obscured by his veiled conical hat, and no one was able to tell the expressions he wore at this instant.

As Ye Xiuwen stood by the window, his snow-white garbs cascaded peacefully in the night’s gentle breeze, and he softly melded into the stillness and serenity of the dark, soulless night.

Since the start of the day, Ye Xiuwen had been repressing the feelings welling up from his heart, and as he finally slowed down at the end of the day, he ruminated on this reluctance of his heart.

And the object of his reluctance was naturally his martial sister Jun Xiaomo whom he had left behind in the Sect.

Just a day ago, she still laid on his knee and blabbered on about anything and everything that came to her mind. This little martial sister used her actions to express her reluctance to see Ye Xiuwen go; but Ye Xiuwen had buried his own reluctance in his heart.

At that time, his unwillingness was still rather shallow and fleeting, as though this period of separation would be over in a blink of an eye.

However, it had only been one short day since he had left the Sect. As the distance from the Sect grew longer, the reality of not being able to see his little martial sister slowly sank in, and the reluctance gradually seeped into every single corner of his heart, taking root. It was as though someone had woven a web of silk around his heart, trapping him inside with no room for escape.

And Ye Xiuwen did not know whether his body’s strong rejection of the present reality was because he had been in solitude for too long a time.

Furthermore, even though Ye Xiuwen could get along well enough with the people of other Peaks, it did not change the fact that Heavenly Peak was different because he was given respect from all other martial brothers and sisters there. This was also the greatest difference between Heavenly Peak and other Peaks.

After all, respect in Heavenly Peak could not be gained through personal favours or gifts. Rather, respect had to be earned through one’s diligence and abilities.

Ye Xiuwen stood by the window for a long, long time. It was only when the darkness of the night became thick and heavy that Ye Xiuwen finally walked away from the window, lay down on his bed and removed his veiled conical hat.

Under his veiled hat was a horrifying scar that was strewn diagonally across his entire face. This scar even looked like it was alive. Black demonic energy squirmed along the edges of the scar as though it was trying to escape, but at the same time was locked in place by a mysterious force.

Ye Xiuwen placed his hand on his scar. After a while, he shut his eyes and forcefully repressed the unwillingness in his heart once again.

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On the other side, Jun Xiaomo also had a restless night of tossing and turning in bed. Earlier that morning, she had habitually run over to Ye Xiuwen’s abode to practice her sword arts with him. However, it was only when she saw his empty abode that it finally dawned on her that Ye Xiuwen had already left the Sect on his travels.

Jun Xiaomo berated herself for her inability to connect the dots on all these things. If she had remembered that her martial brother would be leaving the Sect today, she would at least have sent him off.

But now, it was all too late, and her martial brother Ye would already be a distance away from the Sect.

Jun Xiaomo rapped herself hard on her head, before she finally walked back home listlessly.

For the rest of the day, Jun Xiaomo cooped herself up in her room, working relentlessly on drawing her talismans.

The little packrat of hers could also sense Jun Xiaomo’s low mood, and it did not gnaw away loudly at its pine nuts. Instead, it sat obediently by Jun Xiaomo’s side, occasionally pushing the talisman papers towards her.

When Jun Xiaomo finally returned to her senses, she delightfully stroked her little packrat, receiving a pleased response from it in return.

Liu Qingmei also sensed her daughter’s unhappiness. During this period of time, she noticed how Jun Xiaomo and Ye Xiuwen had warmed up to each other, and she was secretly pleased with how her daughter had grown up and how Ye Xiuwen had found it in him to let go of the hurtful incidents of the past.

Ye Xiuwen had been a disciple under Jun Linxuan ever since he was ten years-old. By then, his clansmen had already been annihilated, and he was the only one left. Liu Qingmei took pity on Ye Xiuwen’s tragic life experiences, and she would from time to time check in on his and bring some warmth and consolation to his cold heart. In a way, she had seen Ye Xiuwen grow up, and she naturally also treated Ye Xiuwen as her son.

In the past, the fact that Ye Xiuwen and Jun Xiaomo treated each other like they were strangers brought a lot of frustration to Liu Qingmei who treated them as her children. As for Jun Linxuan, his main concerns always pertained to matters of cultivation, so he was not as sensitive to these things as Liu Qingmei.

Therefore, the person who desired most to see Jun Xiaomo and Ye Xiuwen get along well with each other was naturally Liu Qingmei. 

“Xiaomo, I know that you are reluctant to see your martial brother go, but cooping yourself in your room would make you feel even worse. Why not take a walk outside and let your feelings out a little bit, hmm?” Liu Qingmei tenderly patted her daughter’s head as she persuaded.

If not for the fact that Xiaomo’s cultivation had fallen to the first level of Qi Mastery, she could have been following Xiuwen on his travels this time. Liu Qingmei thought to herself helplessly.

“Mum, don’t worry about it. I can manage my own emotions.” Jun Xiaomo rubbed her head tenderly against her mother’s palm, as she obsequiously assured her mother.

Liu Qingmei knew that she could not convince her daughter, so she decided not to press the issue any further. Even so, she still gave to Jun Xiaomo several Messenger Paper Cranes so that Jun Xiaomo could still keep in touch with her martial brother Ye Xiuwen.

After Liu Qingmei left Jun Xiaomo’s room, Jun Xiaomo finally heaved a sigh of relief. She carefully stored the Messenger Paper Cranes as she revealed a warm smile on her face.

It feels great having people fawn over me. It really feels great.

Squeak squeak~ It was as though the little packrat knew what Jun Xiaomo was thinking, and it cuddled up to Jun Xiaomo’s finger.

“Alright, alright, I know you like to fawn over me too.” Jun Xiaomo scratched her little packrat’s head as she gently picked it up and gave it a kiss.

Jun Xiaomo knew that her little packrat liked this kind of display of affection. As its tender-loving owner, she naturally would indulge in her little pet’s preferences.

As expected, the little packrat’s black beady eyes flickered brightly, as though its eyes contained the constellations of the world. Packie continued to stare at Jun Xiaomo as though it were burning Jun Xiaomo’s figure into its eyes.

In fact, the first time it got kissed this way by Jun Xiaomo this way, the little packrat’s face even flushed red as though it were blissfully drunk. However, because of its coat of fur, no one saw its expressions. 

Jun Xiaomo also did not notice her little packrat’s display of human emotions. She only thought that her little packrat loved its owner, and the frustrations of her heart also simmered down substantially.

I’m going to be reunited with my martial brother soon anyway. There’s no point being upset over such a small thing as not sending him off. Jun Xiaomo rationalized her thoughts and adjusted her emotions.

Jun Xiaomo’s plan was to teleport to Ye Xiuwen’s side using her Teleportation Scroll. There were only two Teleportation Scrolls within her Interspatial Ring, and she had to use them wisely.

Furthermore, she could not leave the Sect under her mother’s watchful eyes. Otherwise, Liu Qingmei would personally escort her back as soon as she realized it.

Therefore, she had to find an appropriate time to use this. Ideally, she would use it when she was certain that Liu Qingmei was leaving the Sect and was not returning for some time.

These Teleportation Scrolls were effective only over a limited distance. The Teleportation Scrolls possessed by Jun Xiaomo were at the fourth-grade superior level, and the maximum distance she could cover was approximately three small towns away from the Sect. Therefore, with every day that passed, she would estimate in her heart the distance covered by Ye Xiuwen’s entourage; and as time went on, she grew more and more anxious to use the Teleportation Scroll. 

When push came to shove, she would still use the Teleportation Scroll to leave the Sect even at the risk of alerting Liu Qingmei to the fact.

Fortunately, Jun Xiaomo’s patience paid off. Just as Ye Xiuwen and the others arrived at the third small town from the Sect, Liu Qingmei took her leave from the Sect on urgent business which would occupy half a month of her time.

“Xiaomo, mother needs to leave the Sect for some time. You must be good and cultivate hard, alright? Don’t let your mind wander too much, understand?” Liu Qingmei worriedly nagged at Jun Xiaomo.

“Mum, don’t treat me like a three year-old child anymore. I know my limits.” Jun Xiaomo did not know whether to laugh or to cry at the way her mother was so overprotective of her. But she was careful not to say anything hurtful to her mother.

This was because Jun Xiaomo knew that everything her mother said came from her good intentions.

“It’s good that you know your limits. I hope I won’t find you missing when I’m back.” Liu Qingmei tenderly knocked Jun Xiaomo’s head.

Jun Xiaomo playfully stuck out her tongue at her mother. Liu Qingmei truly understood this bizarre daughter of hers. At this moment, even though Jun Xiaomo responded with “Of course, of course”, her heart in fact muttered two words silently, “I’m sorry.”

She had to grasp every opportunity she could to grow stronger. She had to leave the Sect.

Liu Qingmei left the Sect that very same day, but she got so worried that she returned again on the second day to check on Jun Xiaomo. After she ensured that Jun Xiaomo was staying obediently in the Sect, she finally felt sufficiently assured to leave the Sect to go about settling her own matters.

As soon at Liu Qingmei left the Sect, Jun Xiaomo set up a formation array outside her door to prevent any disturbances, before she promptly closed and locked the door. Then, she took out the scroll and an envelope that she had prepared beforehand.

The envelope contained a letter of apology to her mother because she felt bad deceiving her own mother.

Jun Xiaomo’s arrangements made it look like she was in closed-door cultivation in an attempt to break through a bottleneck in her cultivation. Therefore, even after Liu Qingmei returned to the Sect, Jun Xiaomo could still mask the truth from her for some time.

After preparing all these things, Jun Xiaomo applied the Alteration Talisman on her own body. The Alteration Talisman faded away, and her appearances started to transform.

Jun Xiaomo did not wear the skirt she usually liked to wear today. Instead, she wore a garment generally worn by men, and she also tied up her hair in a bun with a green satin hair tie. As the Alteration Talisman took effect, her appearances transformed to that of a suave and handsome young male cultivator.

That’s right – Jun Xiaomo did not intend to appear before Ye Xiuwen as a female cultivator. This would arouse Ye Xiuwen’s suspicions too easily.

Her intention was to travel alongside Ye Xiuwen as a male cultivator.

Jun Xiaomo hooked her lips and smiled wryly as she opened up the scroll, placed a strand of Ye Xiuwen’s hair on the center of the scroll, and then placed her palm directly onto the formation array.

A blue light flashed, and Jun Xiaomo vanished from her room.

Approximately one thousand miles away, Ye Xiuwen was wholeheartedly focused on dealing with the vicious beast in front of him.