Chapter 12: Someone Spoke Ill of Me

Wang Haoxuan of the Palace of Grand Emptiness was a frequent visitor to Luocheng in the capital. His reputation and status here were held in high esteem, beloved and revered by the people. He himself greatly enjoyed such honor and treatment.

At this moment, seeing the bustling crowd in the street, he drew a breath of true energy up to his throat and called out in a loud voice, “This immortal master has learned that the armies of Yan have breached Dancheng and are marching straight for the capital. As one of the Immortal Sect, I shall not meddle in the wars of mortals, yet whenever chaos arises, despicable fiends of the Demonic Path seize the chance to commit evil. Therefore, I have come to protect all the people of Luocheng from falling prey to these villains of the demonic way!”

At once, a few members of the “atmosphere group” shouted, “Thank you, Immortal Master Wang, for your great kindness and virtue! With Immortal Master Wang in Luocheng, the people are surely blessed!” Their words were echoed by many.

But suddenly, from somewhere in the crowd, a voice rang out—this time trembling with fear, “That’s the ‘Winged Rhinoceros Carriage’ of the Demon Lord of Xuan Yuan! Is the Demon Lord of Xuan Yuan here?!”

All eyes turned to see, without knowing when it had arrived, a rhinoceros-drawn carriage at the street’s end, pulled by two immense beasts clad in black armor—one male, one female, their size rivaling elephants, bodies sheathed in dark plating, with pairs of wings rising from their backs.

There were only two such black-armored winged rhinoceroses in all the world, known to all as the personal carriage beasts of Qin Xuanxi, the Demon Lord of Xuan Yuan.

The appearance of these beasts meant that the Demon Lord herself had arrived. Instantly, everyone in the street fell to their knees in the direction of the carriage, trembling uncontrollably, their heads pressed low. Although the carriage cabin was shrouded by curtains and it was impossible to tell if Qin Xuanxi herself was within, the mere sight of her carriage was enough to scatter the souls of ordinary folk in Luocheng with terror.

After all, it was only three months ago that Qin Xuanxi had massacred the Sacred Heaven Sect. With her power, to wipe out the whole of Luocheng would be as easy as a flick of her sleeve. Even Wang Haoxuan, who moments before had spoken so loudly of protecting the city and ridding it of demons, dropped to his knees at the mention of her name. He could handle lesser demonic cultivators, but the one who had come now was the infamous female Demon Lord herself. To know the times is to be wise: if he did not kneel, he would surely die.

At that very moment, Qin Xuanxi truly was sitting within the rhinoceros carriage, attended by two of her personal female disciples.

Qin Xuanxi turned her gaze to the left window. Outside, directly opposite, was a storyteller’s stall. She pressed her lips into a faint line. “Someone here is slandering me.”

Indeed, Qin Xuanxi was none other than the same Qin Xiyi who, half a year ago, while gravely wounded, had fallen before Song Ye’s tea stall and been taken in by him. At that time, she had been ambushed—attacked by the sect master of the Sacred Heaven Sect and the five great elders together. Pressed to desperation, she used the secret art “Golden Cicada Sheds Its Shell” to lure her pursuers onto a false trail and barely escaped with her life. Severely wounded, she collapsed in front of Song Ye’s tea stall, fell unconscious, and was brought home by him.

Her injuries were so grievous that her spell could not even maintain the Xuan Yuan Nine Hells Skirt, nor could her ever-present Violet Fiend Mask survive. Thus, she lay before Song Ye with not a stitch on, which later led the villagers to believe there was some illicit affair between them.

As for being seen naked by Song Ye, she truly did not care. For a demonic cultivator of her level, matters of the flesh were beneath consideration. At the time, she needed to heal in peace, and the ordinary, unremarkable village of Qiu Yu was as good a place as any.

No one from the Sacred Heaven Sect would have suspected that the proud, aloof Demon Lord of Xuan Yuan would hide among mortals, much less live under one roof with a commoner. More absurd still, she had even agreed to a marriage contract with one of them.

Of course, as Song Ye had guessed, Qin Xuanxi never intended to fulfill that engagement. She agreed merely to appease the village chief and others, so that she could heal undisturbed. Once she recovered, she left Qiu Yu Village at once, feeling little guilt about breaking off the engagement. To her, Song Ye, a mere mortal youth, was as insignificant as an ant; no one feels remorse for stepping on an ant, let alone cares for its fate.

After leaving the village, Qin Xuanxi thought only of vengeance against the Sacred Heaven Sect, and she succeeded. As for the brief episode in Qiu Yu Village, it had long since faded from her memory; she could never imagine returning to fulfill a marriage pact with a mortal. Yet, as she entered Luocheng, even the tiniest sounds within the city walls were within her reach, including the indignant words of Zhao Zhigao at the storyteller’s stall.

Qin Xuanxi had seen Zhao Zhigao in Qiu Yu Village and knew well that the “heartless, fickle, captivating, and much-beloved runaway bride” he spoke of was none other than herself.

With a faint furrow of her brow, she thought, “Someone in Luocheng is speaking ill of me!”

At her left sat a female disciple in blue robes, who immediately declared, “Who dares malign Master? I shall see him scattered to ashes at once!” On her right, the purple-robed disciple’s expression turned icy. “Not only does the slanderer deserve to die, but all who heard his words as well. Master, let me cleanse this entire street of every last soul!”

Qin Xuanxi fell silent, lost in thought for a while. The two disciples instantly declared, “Your disciples understand!”

Their master’s silence had always meant they were free to act.

Just as they were about to carry out their murderous intent, Qin Xuanxi quickly stopped them. “Wait!”

Luckily, she regained her senses in time; otherwise, this street would have become a river of blood, a living hell.

“The words of ants are not worth heeding,” Qin Xuanxi continued.

The blue- and purple-robed disciples exchanged glances, then answered in unison, “Yes!” Though both were curious who would dare speak ill of their master, and what had been said, and why she chose to spare the offender, neither dared question her further.

Qin Xuanxi’s Winged Rhinoceros Carriage rolled on toward the imperial palace of the Li Kingdom. Along the way, she found herself pondering Zhao Zhigao’s words. Could it be true—was that foolish boy Song Ye really still waiting for her in Qiu Yu Village?

When she left, she had made it abundantly clear she would not return. Could he really have failed to understand such an obvious hint? And now, with the Yan army pressing toward Luocheng, their route would almost certainly pass through Qiu Yu Village. Was Song Ye truly so determined to wait for her, unafraid of death, willing to remain even knowing the Yan army was imminent?

If so, what a foolish boy indeed!