My task was to lie here and replace that boy. I was to become Mu Xuan’s disciple, integrate into his life, deceive him, retrieve the Ling Jing, and then disappear without a trace.
I couldn’t help but marvel at the Demon Lord’s cunning. To think he would go to such lengths to manipulate even his past self… Truly, no one could scheme better than him.
Ahead, faint footsteps could be heard approaching. I immediately focused all my attention. Whether I could steal the Ling Jing and return to my own time depended entirely on how well I executed this plan.
With a soft "tap," the footsteps stopped right in front of me, and a figure stood still.
I let out two weak gasps, opened my eyes, and looked up at him. The evening sunlight slanted through the trees and grass, and against the light, his eyes appeared just as I had seen them in the black ice—perfectly curved, reflecting the most beautiful starlight. However, compared to his future self, they lacked a certain world-weariness and held an extra touch of clarity.
Over these three hundred years, he had changed in many ways. But one thing had stayed the same: the cold indifference in his expression.
He quietly studied me for a moment, then reached into the cloth bag he carried and took out… a roast chicken.
A roast chicken!
I swallowed hard. I was genuinely starving.
The Demon Lord never told me that Mu Xuan would bring out roast chicken! It smelled so good! What kind of deranged person would nobly and coldly refuse such a thing? I suddenly realized that anyone who turned down this chicken probably wasn’t entirely sane, and maybe a master willing to take on such a person as a disciple wasn’t quite normal either.
Suppressing my hunger with great effort, I looked at him and said, “I don’t want it…”
Mu Xuan regarded me for another moment. “Alright.” He put the roast chicken away and walked past me.
Wait! That’s not how this was supposed to go!
I blinked, my mind filled with a single thought—I absolutely couldn’t let him leave! Missing this chance would make it nearly impossible to find another opportunity to approach him.
Without thinking, I rolled over and grabbed the hem of his trousers. He turned back to look at me, and my mind went completely blank. Under his gaze, cold sweat dripping down my back, I stammered, “Actually… I’ll take the roast chicken.”
Silently munching on the roast chicken, I sneaked a glance at Mu Xuan, who was sitting next to me, adding dry branches to the fire. His face, illuminated by the flames, was strikingly vivid and alive.
I reflected deeply. Where exactly had I gone wrong? This scenario was completely different from what the Demon Lord had described.
He gave me the roast chicken, I ate it, and yet he neither abandoned me nor took me back to the Cang Lan Sect. Instead, he lit a fire on the spot, seemingly intending to spend the night here.
What now?
As I fretted, Mu Xuan suddenly asked, “Why are you alone in the Cang Lan Mountains?”
Finally, a line from the script! Clearing my throat, I began, “My family fell into ruin, and I was pursued by bandits to this place. I had no food…”
With a sharp "clang," Mu Xuan unsheathed his sword and thrust its tip into the ground with a decisive "swish." The legendary Xifeng Sword reflected my pale face as he gripped the hilt, twisting the blade slightly. The firelight glinted off the steel, nearly blinding me.
“If you don’t tell the truth, I’ll chop you up and feed you to the demons,” he said flatly.
I was so terrified I nearly wet myself. Was this really the pre-demon Mu Xuan? Was he truly a righteous cultivator? He was no different from the Demon Lord!
“I’ll talk! I’ll talk!” I immediately covered my head with my hands. “I was coerced! Someone sent me to kill you…” Trembling, I pulled out the damaged dagger from my sleeve and tossed it to the ground.
He glanced at the dagger. “This is a celestial weapon.”
Of course, it was! It was my mother’s treasured relic. If the Demon Lord’s neck hadn’t been so ridiculously tough, the blade wouldn’t have been ruined. Shaking, I said, “I didn’t know what it was. That person gave it to me and told me to act pitiful, then strike when you let your guard down.”
Mu Xuan narrowed his beautiful eyes. “Who was it? And how did they know my movements?”
“I don’t know! I don’t know anything!” I wailed, squeezing out tears. “He threatened me. He said if I didn’t do it, he’d humiliate me! And he’d kill me too! I had no choice!” Crawling forward, I grabbed Mu Xuan’s hand. “Please save me! You’re the senior disciple of the Cang Lan Sect. You’re so powerful—you can definitely save me!”
He lowered his eyes, glancing at my hand clutching his. The firelight flickered in his gaze.
Desperate, I added, “If you save me, I’ll repay your kindness with my life! I’ll do anything you ask, as long as it doesn’t cost my life!”
He looked at me for a long moment before finally speaking. “In that case, come back to Cang Lan with me.”
I didn’t believe for a second that he was just trying to save me. His expression made it clear he had other intentions. Either he wanted to uncover who was behind me, or he intended to keep me close to see what I was plotting.
But it didn’t matter what he was thinking. At least he was taking me with him. Although the process had deviated entirely from the Demon Lord’s script, the result was the same. As for the details… they weren’t worth worrying about.
I immediately bowed three times to him. “Thank you, Master, for taking me in!”
Mu Xuan raised an eyebrow. “When did I say I’d be your master?”
Twisting my fingers, I looked at him pitifully. “But I’ve already bowed…”
“…”
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