"This is a grave matter..."
Nie Yunyi's expression turned strange, his feelings tangled.
"Hero Nie, you are a man of chivalry and honor, your word worth its weight in gold. Surely what you have said will hold."
Li Fei said, eyes crinkling in a smile, "Besides, no matter who becomes Commander of the Demon Suppression Bureau, things could hardly get any worse, could they?"
Nie Yunyi mulled it over, then flicked his wrist and tossed out a sheet of yellow paper marked with cinnabar incantations. Li Fei caught it casually, glanced at her System Panel, and grasped its function at once.
"This is a talisman Perfected Ge gave me. It can perceive truth from falsehood..."
Nie Yunyi's tone was level, yet inside he was inexplicably restless, an irrepressible anticipation welling up.
He cared nothing for immortal destiny, but if Li Fei truly came from the immortal realm, then perhaps this world could yet be saved...
Li Fei pressed the talisman to her shoulder without hesitation, a show of her sincerity.
Should she utter even half a lie, the paper would burn.
Nie Yunyi steadied himself, stepped forward, and asked loudly:
"Do immortals truly exist in this world?"
At the same time a brilliant light shone in his eyes as he observed the two masses of energy within Li Fei—one red, one blue—guarding against any unfathomable trick she might use to deceive heaven and void the talisman.
"If by 'immortal' you mean all-knowing and all-powerful, imperishable and undying, then no, there is likely no such thing."
Li Fei gave a faint smile. "But if transcending the Sacred Realm makes one an immortal... then I would say I am on rather close terms with quite a few immortal maidens."
The moment she said it, thunder seemed to crash in the hearts of all present.
Nie Yunyi had never dared hope for immortals or buddhas to descend and deliver the masses, yet he was a martial artist firm in his pursuit of the Dao. He knew all too well how many gifted cultivators and titans of the martial path across the ages had thrown away their lives for that single word—immortal—and never once glimpsed the road ahead.
And now, from the lips of this fathomless demoness, he had suddenly learned the answer that martial artists and even demons had chased through the ages without ever finding. For a moment his emotions surged like a raging ocean, impossible to calm.
Li Fei, meanwhile, kept a smile in her eyes and went on, unhurried:
"The immortal realm I come from holds not only immortals, but also the boundless mortal world—ordinary living beings, countless as the sands of the Ganges, thriving and multiplying within it.
"In truth, gods born divine are but a few. Most immortals rose step by step from humble beginnings. They too feel joy and anger, sorrow and delight; they too are divided into good and evil, no different from mortals, really... So as I see it, an 'immortal' is merely one who has walked farther along the road of evolution, lived longer, and gained the means to shoulder mountains, reverse life and death, and toy with time and space."
"Then why..."
Nie Yunyi's voice came out dry.
"Take our world, for instance—why is the ceiling of its martial might set so low?"
Li Fei answered his question: "Throughout the boundless universe, myriad heavens and worlds are born and perish without end... Each world is like a mother's body, and all living things are the fetuses she nurtures."
"But clearly, only a mother strong enough can provide ample nourishment to let the fetus enjoy Flourishing Growth... If the mother is nothing but skin and bones, how could she ever birth a plump, healthy child?"
"..."
Nie Yunyi's lips parted, and a sudden grief rose in him; a bitter laugh escaped his throat.
In some unseen realm, a roar rose in his ears—the unresigned howls of countless seekers of the Dao who, across the long ages, had beaten against the barrier time and again to no avail.
So the fault lay not with them, but with the whole world?
Simply for being born in this land, were they doomed to a severed road?
How absurd—and how tragic!
Nie Yunyi was silent for a long while before slowly lifting his head, his voice hoarse:
"You say there are mortals up above too. Those mortals—how do they live?"
It was a cunning question.
If the mortals above lived in misery, then what good intentions could Li Fei possibly harbor in descending here?
Li Fei's smile did not waver:
"I come from an immortal city. Immortals fill its streets, but ordinary beings are more numerous still... Humans, immortals, and the demons and ghosts you speak of all coexist in harmony, living in contentment... Indeed, marriages between immortal and mortal, human and demon, are far from rare, and many carry on their bloodlines that way."
In Nie Yunyi's senses the two masses of energy—one red, one blue—lay dormant within her, stirring not at all; and the talisman on her shoulder remained just as still.
"This—this... How can it be so? How can it be so?!"
Nie Yunyi's eyes went bloodshot, a buzzing filling his skull, his Dao-heart all but splitting apart.
He had known the warmth and cold of the world and understood how fickle men's hearts could be. Many a purely good soul, upon gaining some petty office or setting foot in the Human Realm, swiftly sank into Depravity—turning selfish and reckless, even committing outrages against men and women, deeds that offended heaven and reason.
When one sees a beautiful commoner's wife on the road, knowing one could carry her off while her wronged husband is powerless to retaliate; when one's purse runs empty, yet with only a few "compromises" the scheming, servile sorts will eagerly deliver up gleaming silver to fund one's revelry... Indeed, when kin and friends, parents and children break the law and beg you piteously to "lend a hand"—those who can hold true to their own hearts are far too few.
Beautiful women and fine wine, delicacies of mountain and sea, flattery and fawning... all of it a deadly poison that corrodes the heart. So why could those immortals of vast power all keep faith with themselves and never overstep?
"My immortal city is strict in its laws."
Li Fei smiled. "Those are laws laid down by the Immortal Venerable—who would dare disobey? Put it this way: even an immortal who could burn mountains and boil seas, should he dare in broad daylight to coerce a helpless, forlorn mortal woman, would be slain on the spot, no argument. Beyond that, immortals who engage in trade must pay taxes too—funds spent on education and medicine..."
In that moment Li Fei, like a news anchor, described the character of Loxibrook in flowing detail—cherry-picking only the good parts.
And she was careful with the art of speech, too. Lines like "all are equal under the law" she would never let slip—otherwise that talisman would surely catch fire in an instant, hee hee.
Amid a tone brimming with longing and warmth, even Qiao'er's eyes lit up again and again, let alone Nie Yunyi.
He gazed up at the sky, his chest trembling.
In a daze, he beheld an age of peace and flourishing prosperity, a myriad of races and beings bustling to and fro.
And there, behind the great rivers and mountains, stood a towering, blurred figure standing guard—its mighty, upright form holding up a clear, bright sky for the realm and its people; yet that proud, noble head stayed ever bowed, casting its gaze down upon the teeming multitudes.
Nie Yunyi strained his eyes wide, and though he could not make out that figure's face, he faintly caught the light in the Immortal Venerable's eyes—holding within it both a stern, fatherly majesty and a gentle, all-embracing motherliness.
Did the Immortal Venerable of Li Fei's words truly possess such divine power, casting a glance across boundless time and space at a common mortal like himself? Or were those eyes mere illusion, reflecting the deepest longing in Nie Yunyi's heart?
He could no longer tell, and so he murmured low, his spirit yearning toward that Immortal Venerable—a sage within, a king without:
"I truly cannot imagine how peerless the Immortal Venerable's bearing must be..."
"Aiya, the Immortal Venerable isn't all that impressive, really."
Li Fei—she of Bai Mengtian's caliber—said with a smile, "Plenty of immortals say I'm a youthful Immortal Venerable, but it's not as if I've done anything."
Nie Yunyi: "..."
He was dazed for a moment, then finally let out a long, turbid breath and voiced the question buried deep within:
"What is it you truly intend?"
Nie Yunyi had asked Li Fei her purpose before, but this time she wore the talisman, and his attention was more focused than ever—concentrating fully on the two masses of energy within her, his eyes fixed on her every move, seeking the truest, most genuine answer.
"I had no clear plan at first, only a vague sense that this place would benefit my cultivation."
Li Fei's smile was radiant, her gaze open and frank. "But when I came here and saw demons running rampant, the masses in suffering... I understood why I had come.
"To slay demons and vanquish evil! Kill the demons who will not obey, subdue the ones who will—that is my greatest ambition!"
—After all, what could matter more than experience points?
In the eyes of the peerlessly lovely demoness, Nie Yunyi saw an unshakable conviction, and a gaze that all but blazed.
Li Fei's smile grew brighter still, her eyes curving, and she said with weighty meaning:
"Come to think of it, back where I come from, the immortals and demons gave me a nickname. I quite like it."
"They call me... the Philanthropist."
On her shoulder, that yellowed talisman still fluttered gently in the breeze.
Qiao'er was kneading Wang Yutong's shoulders.
Perhaps it was an instinctive habit formed over the years, or perhaps because Wang Yutong had shared a bed with Li Fei the whole night and yet [Nothing Happened], but Qiao'er's attitude had softened somewhat.
And so, when Wang Yutong bade her knead her shoulders, Qiao'er obliged.
"Mm... how did I never notice before—Qiao'er, you're so pretty, and your hands are so deft."
Wang Yutong suddenly caught Qiao'er's hand, her voice turning coquettish.
Her gaze was unlike before—as if she had turned from a naive, muddled girl into a flower breathing out a sweet fragrance from within, thirsting for rain and dew.
Qiao'er's hands went still.
Had Wang Yutong spoken to her this way a few days ago, Qiao'er would have been so sweetly happy she'd have lain awake the whole night.
But now the taste in her heart was impossibly tangled—old feelings threatening to rekindle from the ashes, pulled this way and that against that thousandfold-charming demoness... Though Wang Yutong was as far beneath the demoness as earth is beneath the clouds, and had harmed her more than once, feelings have always been complicated. There will always be those in this world who abandon a happy home to throw themselves at a drunkard or a gambler, enduring want and violence, living in constant dread, and yet taking it all as sweet.
Feeling the tender touch and warmth passing from the palm of the young mistress she had adored for years, Qiao'er's eyes brimmed with confusion, her torn heart's blood unsure which way to flow.
At last she lowered her head and said softly:
"You flatter me, Miss."
"It was I who sat atop a mountain of treasure and never knew it..."
Wang Yutong reproached herself in a sweet, delicate tone.
As everyone knows, once a person has grown used to harsh treatment, even the smallest show of tenderness feels to the victim like sweet rain after drought.
And so, after years of mistreatment and two Betrayals, a few worthless words of spoken self-reproach could pierce Qiao'er's heart like a knife and stir the blood within it.
Qiao'er bit her lip in silence, gazing at Wang Yutong—the arrogance between her brows all but worn away, her face even looking somewhat haggard—and felt an unexpected tenderness. As she saw it, Wang Yutong had undergone such a vast change, learning to cherish those before her, only because she had nearly lost her family and home to catastrophe.
Little did she know, Wang Yutong had been raised like a caged songbird that might be given away at any moment, and with her mother dead early, she had formed a cold, unfeeling nature. She held little attachment to the Wang family at all—and Squire Wang, the only one for whom she felt a shred of kinship, hadn't died either.
"From now on I'll treat you well..."
The warmth of Wang Yutong's palm grew hotter and hotter, and beneath her soft, gentle words Qiao'er's heart turned softer still—the innocent image of the young mistress chasing butterflies in childhood floating back into her mind.
Just as sweat beaded on Qiao'er's palm and she moved to clasp Wang Yutong's hand in return, the demoness's face—that smile fit to topple kingdoms—intruded abruptly into her drifting thoughts.
Startled, Qiao'er instinctively drew her fingertips from Wang Yutong's palm.
"?"
Wang Yutong froze, never expecting the ever-obedient Qiao'er to resist her.
"Young Mistress, I..."
Qiao'er's voice was a little hoarse. At last she closed her eyes and said, "We are no longer in the sort of relationship we once were."
"Though she tore up my indenture, I said I would serve her from now on and repay her kindness... and I meant those words."
"From now on, Miss Wang, if you need tea poured or water fetched, I'll gladly serve—but certain words that are too intimate are best left unspoken, or else..."
Qiao'er paused, then finally hardened her heart:
"I fear she would misunderstand."
The words out, Qiao'er opened her eyes. Her heart still ached, yet looking at the utterly stunned young mistress, an inexplicable sense of release welled up in her.
"But—but, I only wanted..."
Wang Yutong stammered, trying to find something to say.
"Miss Wang, there is no need to say more."
Qiao'er shook her head, cutting her off.
But seeing the wounded look on Wang Yutong's face, her heart trembled after all, and she softened her tone:
"Miss Wang, the yin energy here is too heavy. Remember to drink plenty of ginseng broth at night."
Clearly, Qiao'er did not realize that Wang Yutong's haggard look and pale lips came not from yin energy entering her body, but from too great a loss of fluids.
"Sister Yutong, come play in my room—there's something good."
Eva suddenly flew over, greeted Qiao'er, and then extended the invitation to Wang Yutong.
"Ah, mm!"
A flush suddenly rose on Wang Yutong's bloodless face. Paying Qiao'er no more mind, she let Eva obediently take her hand and, lightly lifting the hem of her long gown with the other, climbed the stairs together with Eva.
Qiao'er watched the two intimate figures recede, pressing a hand to the dull ache in her chest, her eyes filled with both regret and relief.
The once ill-tempered young mistress, having come to her senses, had so quickly made a good friend.
If only the young mistress could have been like this sooner—if only she hadn't met with this calamity, then...
Qiao'er's gaze grew hazy, but at once she shook her head hard, and her vision cleared once more.
No—no, that wasn't right. There were no such "if only"s. And besides, even if all had truly been well, so long as they remained in the Wang household, how could they ever be masters of their own fate?
—The way things were now was just fine...
Qiao'er sighed, forlorn and wistful, not even noticing the sly, smug smile Eva flashed as she glanced back.
...
"Leave not a single one!"
Li Fei set the forest ablaze, startling the ghosts and monsters awake, then cut them down with her sword. At her side, throngs of female ghosts and summoned sprites wove a vast net, leaving the demons no path of escape.
Everywhere she passed, thick smoke rolled and blood ran in rivers.
Nie Yunyi followed along, watching—as if idly—as Li Fei annihilated the demons with boundless zeal.
Though he had agreed to her request for now, he knew full well that while her words were "honest," they surely held things "concealed" as well. Since their core aims aligned, Nie Yunyi did not press for the root of it; instead he decided, for the time being, to keep company with this demoness—this "would-be immortal," this "youthful Immortal Venerable"—and see what she might stir up, judging with his own eyes just what intentions she truly harbored.
And Li Fei, having sealed their oath with a clap of hands, set out at once to purge the local demons.
"Kreee—"
All at once a gray serpent—winged upon its back, its whole body radiating demonic aura—beat its wings and rose. The sprites and female ghosts couldn't intercept it in time, and it seemed about to break free.
Sword-light flickered between Nie Yunyi's fingers as he made to slay the creature from afar.
"Hero Nie, leave it to me!"
Li Fei gave a clear cry and, treading the Cloud Dragon Fold Steps, leapt up before the creature could vanish into the blue sky—shooting like an arrow loosed from the string, brushing past the beast.
A crimson flash of sword-light came and went. Li Fei crashed heavily to the ground amid a cloud of dust, while behind her the creature's blood stained the sky, its organs spilling from its severed body.
Nie Yunyi's brow arched, as if he'd realized something.
After that, each time he moved to strike, Li Fei stole the kill.
"Miss Li, why won't you let me act?"
Nie Yunyi asked abruptly, just as Li Fei was tallying up the spoils.
"I need to earn more merit so I can ascend sooner—how could I let you snatch it away... oh, right, Hero Nie, how should we split all this?"
Absorbed in counting her gains, Li Fei "accidentally" let it slip, then laughed sheepishly and steered the subject away.
"I lifted no finger. No merit, no reward."
Nie Yunyi seemed to be making idle chatter too, and let himself be easily fobbed off by Li Fei.
Yet as Li Fei pressed on without pause—with a certain urgency, even—toward the next nest of demons, Nie Yunyi watched that figure with its waterfall of black hair, thoughtful, and murmured to himself:
"So one condition for ascension is having enough 'merit'?"
"And slaying demons earns that 'merit'?"
Li Fei would never answer him, of course, but a smile touched the corner of Nie Yunyi's mouth.
In his life he had met many good people, and Li Fei looked much like one.
But instinct told him that beneath the endlessly lovely surface of this peerless Miss Li might lie another side unknown to all.
And as it turned out, though Miss Li had an exquisitely clever mind, sharper than most, she was still a touch green after all, betraying her thoughts without meaning to—she did not do good deeds for no reason, but for "merit."
But wasn't that even better?
"If you can truly wipe out the scourge of demons and earn yourself merit as vast as the heavens, then what harm in ascending on the spot?"
Nie Yunyi lifted the wine gourd at his waist, took a swig of the fine wine Li Fei had given him, and gladly fell in behind her.
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