Xiaoxiao laughed nervously twice and countered: “If the Demon Pearl inside me becomes uncontrollable… would you listen to your grandmother and nail me to death?”
Wei Jie thought seriously for a moment, then turned to look at Xiaoxiao with certainty: “You won’t become a demon.”
“Why?”
Wei Jie smiled lazily: “There’s no hatred in your heart – how could you become a demon? You still haven’t answered my question.”
Seeing that changing the subject was useless, Xiaoxiao could only say helplessly: “Why are you asking this question?”
The man played with his jet-black hair, letting the strands cascade through his fingers, saying carelessly: “Didn’t you hear what that possessing demon said when it saw me? I have a half-demon constitution, making me more susceptible to demonic possession. For those possessing demons, I’m the perfect host.”
Xiaoxiao knew Wei Jie spoke the truth.
In the original trajectory, he would not only become a demon but also become the leader of the demonic path, massacring the Four Great Sects, attempting to open the Underworld, causing the deaths of the entire Wei family, and stirring up chaos across the three realms…
He was indeed prone to turning evil…
Xiaoxiao knew this couldn’t be changed by human effort, as this was Wei Jie’s predetermined fate. Only if he successfully became a demon could she retire successfully and return unnoticed to two hundred years in the future.
He was originally the ancestor revered in her master’s secret texts, yet he was utterly evil.
And she absolutely must not show him the slightest sympathy…
But… she had always spent this disciple’s money and accepted his filial care. As the saying goes, one’s mouth is soft from eating others’ food. After all, they had a master-disciple bond. Even knowing he might return to the original trajectory and die miserably in the end, she, as his master, should fulfill her duty as a teacher before his death…
After finding various excuses to help her disciple, she suddenly felt lighter in her heart. She poured Wei Jie a cup of wine and first comforted him warmly: “I carry a Demon Pearl, and you’re susceptible to becoming a demon. Isn’t this half a pound to eight ounces? Even this disciple of yours can be like a dog that doesn’t despise its poor home – how can I, as your master, be picky? Jie’er, don’t overthink these useless things…”
Whether Wei Jie was moved by Xiaoxiao’s words or heard her subtle insult comparing him to a dog, he just looked at Xiaoxiao with an inscrutable smile.
After finishing her diplomatic words, she cleared her throat and continued: “Tonight’s ghost doctor incident has given me much food for thought…”
Wei Jie took the wine and looked at the rarely serious Xiaoxiao, raising his eyebrows and waiting for her next words.
Xiaoxiao chose her words carefully and continued: “In this lifetime, one must never forget one’s original intentions. Take that ghost doctor – even if his initial intention was to heal and save people, once he fell into obsession and his thoughts became extreme, one wrong step led to more wrong steps… So whether one is suitable for becoming a demon isn’t decided by the demon, but by oneself. The world is vast – what can’t it contain? If you encounter troubles in the future, go to the Northern Sea you’ve always wanted to visit. Perhaps seeing the great roc spread its wings will brighten your heart, and no demon can stay there. Jie’er, remember your master’s words. Don’t take the wrong steps when facing difficulties. Enemies should be reconciled rather than made. Even the greatest grievances can’t be resolved by stabbing with white knives and drawing red knives…”
Wei Jie looked at Xiaoxiao’s rarely serious, tense little face, slowly brought the full wine cup to her lips, and said probingly: “Master, there seems to be something else hidden in your words. Could you be more specific – like which step you fear I might take wrong, or which person I might stab to death?”
Xiaoxiao couldn’t be that specific. She drank deeply from Wei Jie’s wine cup with a “gulp,” thinking about how to give subtle hints without leaving traces.
Unexpectedly, Wei Jie looked at her face flushed red from the wine and continued her words: “Actually, I understand everything. You’ve been trying to coax me away because you’re afraid I’ll disgrace the Talismonger Sect in the future. After all, my bloodline is impure and easily causes controversy. Otherwise, why would you treat even Tang Youshu, your grand-disciple, better than me?”
Hmm… this…
Although Xiaoxiao loved to deceive people, she didn’t want to lie to Wei Jie.
However, heaven and earth as her witnesses, she truly had no intention of cleaning house today!
Just as she was about to speak, Wei Jie lightly touched her cherry lips with his finger, his thin lips curved up, and said in a low voice: “Shh. The moon is beautiful tonight, and the wine is mellow enough. Why speak such disappointing words? We’ve seen enough evil spirits and demons tonight. Why not admire beauties under the moon – it wouldn’t waste this lovely evening.”
Xiaoxiao thought she was used to this demon’s impropriety, but she was still flustered by his casual mention of “beauties,” her cheeks slightly red. Seeing his bright gaze fixed on her, she could only reluctantly turn her face away and say firmly: “Don’t admire me…”
But Wei Jie smiled, showing his canine teeth, half-opening his shirt to reveal his strong chest and abdomen, stretching his waist leisurely, reclining comfortably on the eaves with his purple eyes sparkling like stars, slowly saying to Xiaoxiao: “I’m saying you shouldn’t waste this lovely evening by not appreciating my incomparable beauty…”
This… Xiaoxiao was so angry she almost slid off the eaves.
…In terms of beauty, she admitted she couldn’t match this man’s enchanting allure, but for him to call himself a beauty was too shameless!
Fine, she had wasted her good intentions on this shameless dog. What did his future life or death have to do with her?
Xiaoxiao was so angry that she got up to leave the eaves. Wei Jie laughingly pulled her back. Seeing his benefactor’s puffed-up, angry face, he chuckled again. After finally calming down the little puffer fish, he slowly smiled and said gently, “Master, don’t be angry. Let me admire you instead, is that alright?”
Having said this, as if to show his sincerity, the smile on his face gradually faded, becoming serious: “Though I’ve traveled north and south, wandering in all directions, the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen is only Lingshan’s Cui Xiaoxiao…”
When he said this, he lowered his head very close to her, so close that Xiaoxiao could smell the faint wine fragrance on his breath and see her tiny reflection in his dark eyebrows and purple eyes…
She should be the one saying these words. Wei Jie was the most beautiful person she had seen in her entire two hundred years…
Luoyi City’s fine wine lived up to its reputation. The wine was sweet and mellow, like June’s warm breeze, making Xiaoxiao’s cheeks even more flushed.
For a moment, she forgot what to say, just blinking her large eyes, silently gazing at him under the moon.
Male beauty was intoxicating. The small wine cup in her hand wasn’t held steady, rolling continuously on the roof tiles with clinking sounds.
Just then, the roof seemed to be vigorously poked several times with a bamboo pole, making thumping sounds, followed by Yu Ling’er’s sharp fox voice from below.
“Having opened guest rooms isn’t enough – you must run to my rooftop to be lovey-dovey! You’re being mushy above my head, clinking and clanking – won’t you let people sleep!”
Yu Ling’er had planned to sleep beautifully on the soft bed while Xiaoxiao was away today.
Who knew the two returning from their medical visit would run to the rooftop to flirt with each other, annoying Yu Ling’er so much that she grabbed a bamboo pole from the outer corridor and vigorously poked the roof.
In an instant, the master-disciple pair’s midnight wine gathering was scattered by one bamboo pole.
When Xiaoxiao returned to her room, the red color on her cheeks finally faded.
Still worried about becoming a demon? In her view, this bastard was already possessed by a lust demon and had almost led her astray if she hadn’t been careful!
Relying on his succubus bloodline, he could cast seductive glances anytime, completely shameless!
To flirt even with his master like this – no wonder Yu Ling’er, a mountain spirit, couldn’t stand it and scolded him for belonging in the Hehuan Sect!
She wondered if he had privately flirted with girls from other mountain peaks.
Thinking of the original trajectory where he eventually transformed into a half-snake covered in scales, perhaps heaven saw his fondness for using male beauty to seduce people and imposed this punishment to prevent him from seducing innocent young girls.
Yu Ling’er sat back on her chair cushion from the bed with great dissatisfaction, huffing angrily: “Why don’t you just go to his room? Why pretend to come back here?”
Xiaoxiao glared at her: “What are you thinking? The night I went to his room, Wei Jie went to Tang Youshu’s room!”
Yu Ling’er’s eye roll nearly flew to the sky: “Give me a break! When you went to see the doctor, I chatted with Tang Youshu and asked him about it. He said he slept alone that night – Wei Jie never entered his room!”
Hearing this, Xiaoxiao was stunned, too surprised to bother with Yu Ling’er’s mocking words.
That night, when the song was enchanting, he never returned to his room. Then… where had he gone? Could it be… he went to find his mother?
If this were true, Xiaoxiao should have been happy, because his life was finally back on track.
But for the rest of the time, despite the little fox’s snoring on the floor, Xiaoxiao tossed and turned sleeplessly.
At this moment, her fraudster adoptive father’s warnings became life truths.
Previously, when she couldn’t bear to deceive people on the streets, he would always twist her ears and say: “You worry about him losing his money pouch and not having food, but why don’t you think about yourself nearly starving to death on the streets! Sympathizing with unrelated people – that’s foolish!”
It was the same now. If she sympathized with that future demon lord, who would sympathize with her being struck by heavenly punishment into shredded noodles?
Thinking this way, Xiaoxiao tried to think of happy things. For instance, this medical visit wasn’t in vain – by slaying the ghost doctor and upholding heavenly justice, the wound on her arm had mostly healed.
Without the arm pain, she could sleep peacefully. Near dawn, Xiaoxiao finally fell asleep.
She slept until the sun was high, truly violating the way of cultivators’ qi practice.
However, Yu Ling’er clearly couldn’t stand her sleeping in. After finishing breakfast, the little fox who had been watching chicks peck at rice in the inn’s front yard while daydreaming and licking her tongue, ran upstairs.
Entering the room, Yu Ling’er shook Cui Xiaoxiao awake with a gossipy expression: “Wake up! A fox seductress has come looking for Wei Jie!”
Xiaoxiao, bleary-eyed, just nodded after hearing this: “Since someone from your fox clan has come, just receive them properly.”
Yu Ling’er was so angry she nearly showed her fox ears, rolling her eyes helplessly: “Not from our Tuyun Mountain fox clan! From a pleasure house… a fox seductress!”
Damn humans, always using foxes in their expressions – this term was disgusting enough!
These words finally made Sect Leader Cui’s messy little head emerge from the covers. She put on her clothes and came to the window, looking down to see a luxurious carriage stopped in front of the inn.
Xiaoxiao recognized this carriage – the singing girl who had almost tempted her to jump from a building had stepped down from such a carriage.
Thinking of this, she turned sharply to ask Yu Ling’er: “Where did the woman from the carriage go?”
Yu Ling’er said alertly: “That woman’s maid came up asking about Wei Jie. I saw the woman wearing a veil, couldn’t see her face clearly, but the carriage had ‘Zuile Workshop’ written on it – not a respectable place. Her demeanor was more seductive than yours. If she found Wei Jie, you’d probably be outshone. So I told that woman Wei Jie wasn’t here and had left the city!”
Yu Ling’er had now absorbed worldly human nature and learned cunning and smoothness.
Wei Jie hadn’t left the city at all. After breakfast, he had taken Tang Youshu to the market to buy braised food as breakfast for the bedridden Cui Xiaoxiao.
Xiaoxiao didn’t understand why Yu Ling’er would deceive this woman.
Yu Ling’er looked at Xiaoxiao like she was looking at an idiot: “Need you ask? My mother told me to serve you, so naturally I must be more careful for you. Wei Jie doesn’t seem like an honest man. I’m watching him for you to prevent you from being abandoned after being used…”
It seemed Yu Ling’er was convinced that Wei Jie and she had an affair. Now with such a seductive fox temptress at the door, she must guard the man for her mistress out of loyalty!
Fox clans’ most hated unfaithful men. Although Cui Xiaoxiao and Wei Jie’s relationship was ambiguous, they should be faithful to each other and see it through!
Only then did Xiaoxiao understand the little fox’s convoluted reasoning.
She was too lazy to correct that she and Wei Jie were completely innocent, and asked again: “From what you say, why isn’t she leaving yet?”
Yu Ling’er shook her head and asked Xiaoxiao: “Should I go drive her away?”
Xiaoxiao took a deep breath, simply arranged her hair, put on her clothes, lifted her skirt, and went downstairs, preparing to personally meet this mysterious woman in the carriage.
The woman didn’t believe Yu Ling’er’s words and kept sitting in the carriage, waiting for Wei Jie to return.
When Xiaoxiao identified herself outside the carriage as Wei Jie’s master, a slender white hand lifted the carriage curtain, followed by a clear voice like sweet spring water: “You… are A’Jie’s master?”
This voice made her heart feel as if it were being pressed by that slender, boneless hand, and her breathing seemed controlled by someone else.
Xiaoxiao silently pressed the Fengchi acupoint on the side of her neck, stabilized her mind, then said calmly: “I don’t know what business you have with Wei Jie – may I pass along a message?”
The woman seemed to see Xiaoxiao’s cautious manner of pressing acupoints to protect her spirit through the window gauze, and couldn’t help sighing with soft laughter: “This method… A’Jie taught it to you, didn’t he?”
Hearing her say this, Xiaoxiao became even more certain of this woman’s identity.
She held back again and again, constantly reminding herself with her fraudster adoptive father’s words, but finally couldn’t go against her conscience, gritting her teeth: “If you’re looking for him, he’s not here… Luoyi City has had many strange people recently, making it less suitable for living. Please protect yourself wisely, Madam, and temporarily leave the city for elsewhere.”
The woman laughed helplessly again: “Though the world is vast, where is truly suitable for living? Girl, you call me Madam – do you know who I am?”
Xiaoxiao probed: “Didn’t we meet at the prince’s mansion last night?”
The woman was silent for a while, then asked: “This place has many people and loose tongues. Could you board the carriage and find a quiet place to talk in detail?”
Xiaoxiao calculated the time – Wei Jie and the others should be returning with the braised food soon.
Since she couldn’t hold back from speaking, she might as well help to the end and see if she could prevent a mother-son tragedy.
So once again her body moved before her brain, and she boarded the carriage without hesitation.
Sitting in the carriage was indeed the woman with trailing skirts she had seen at the tavern. Now she wore gorgeous brocade, her hair piled high in clouds, her face covered with thin, light gauze.
Xiaoxiao noticed this woman’s enchanting, seductive phoenix eyes showed an otherworldly purple color, much deeper than Wei Jie’s eye color.
So Xiaoxiao spoke first: “You… are Wei Jie’s mother, aren’t you?”
The woman was also examining Cui Xiaoxiao up and down. Hearing her question, she smiled ambiguously: “You know about me. Then you should also know my background. Even so, you dare board the carriage?”
Xiaoxiao blinked her large eyes: “Do you… know that Wei Jie changed his surname to Wei with the ghost radical? I wonder which surname you would prefer your son to take, Madam?”
Smart people didn’t need to spell things out to understand each other’s meaning.
The woman said lightly, “Men born between heaven and earth, as long as they’re dragons or phoenixes, won’t be trapped in pools and marshes. They’ll surely compete for resounding reputations. In that case, why worry about what surname they bear? These are all trivial matters.”
Xiaoxiao shook her head and said softly: “Surnames truly aren’t important – even whether one is human or ghost isn’t very important. But if that ‘ghost’ enters the heart, it’s quite different. Mothers generally hope their children become dragons and phoenixes. Dragons include divine dragons that bring rain to protect the human world, and evil dragons that bring disaster. I wonder what expectations you have for your child, Madam?”
The woman seemed not to expect Xiaoxiao to confront her with such words right away.
She smiled slightly and finally slowly removed the light gauze from her face: “What you say makes sense. Though I couldn’t fulfill a mother’s duties and was forced to separate from my young son, my love for him hasn’t diminished at all. Naturally, I hope A’Jie can be smooth and peaceful…”
Succubi were alluring. Seeing this woman’s appearance clearly, Xiaoxiao suddenly understood that the most bewitching beauty wasn’t in flowing glances or beauty that shames fish and birds.
Rather, when you looked once, you seemed to be sucked into endless swampland, uncontrollably sinking deeper, finally completely losing yourself.
The succubus Siling was so beautiful it was despairing, inescapable…
Seeing Xiaoxiao glance at her once, then immediately press her neck and turn to look at the carriage, Siling couldn’t help laughing: “What? Am I so frightening you don’t dare look at me?”
Xiaoxiao honestly replied: “I’m somewhat lustful by nature. When I see beauty, regardless of gender, I can’t help but stare endlessly. Madam, you’re too beautiful – I’m afraid I’ll stare foolishly and be discourteous.”
Siling was amused by Xiaoxiao’s honest words.
It seemed Jie’er’s little master was quite interesting – she looked young, but every word carried sharp wit, and seemed very protective of A’Jie, showing some competence as a teacher.
She also knew about Cui Xiaoxiao bringing A’Jie to eliminate the harmful ghost doctor in the alley yesterday.
This little girl indeed had some exceptional abilities…
Just then, Xiaoxiao asked again: “Madam, yesterday you saw Wei Jie but avoided meeting him. Why do you personally seek to meet him today? Is there some inconvenience at the prince’s mansion?”
Siling nodded and said softly, “I’m currently sheltering at a pleasure house. If people knew he was my son, I fear he’d be mocked. So yesterday at the prince’s mansion, I avoided him. I came here for two reasons: one was to see you, the other was to see A’Jie. But after meeting you, I feel it’s enough – it’s fine not to see him…”
It seemed Siling was also hesitant about meeting the son she’d been separated from so long, clearly longing to see him but retreating at the crucial moment.
Xiaoxiao knew this meeting between Siling and her son had also deviated from the original trajectory.
In the original trajectory two hundred years ago, Wei Jie should have been identified as a murderous demon king, but was protected by the talent-loving Lord Can, who suppressed several blood cases for him.
This heavy favor would naturally make Wei Jie grateful, and later Lord Can would use Wei Jie’s unusual eye color to find his birth mother Siling, allowing mother and son to recognize each other.
In short, in the previous trajectory, Lord Can became Wei Jie’s close friend, and both mother and son were honored guests at the prince’s mansion.
But now, because Cui Xiaoxiao had personally slain the possessing demon, blocking the enormous accusation before the Four Great Sects, the Lingshan Talismonger Sect’s banner remained standing, and the righteous master-disciple pair didn’t need to owe anyone favors.
At last night’s banquet, the three great sects had stolen the master-disciple pair’s spotlight, allowing them to withdraw gracefully without much conversation with the prince.
The mother-son recognition scene couldn’t begin. So in this life, instead of the prince acting as matchmaker, Siling came to see her son herself.
Also, because of Yu Ling’er’s presumption, Siling didn’t see Wei Jie but met Cui Xiaoxiao first.
Hearing Xiaoxiao’s words, she felt this girl’s subtle meaning was that she didn’t want her to meet Wei Jie.
Although Wei Jie’s bloodline was impure and looked down upon by many, he was still a descendant of the Wei family.
If he harbored ghosts in his heart, he might spend his life unable to hold his head high and live righteously due to his succubus bloodline. Now she was hiding in Luoyi City, only able to appear at night, relying on her singing voice to bewitch people. If the world knew A’Jie had such a mother, he truly couldn’t hold his head up for life.
Seeing that A’Jie’s little master wasn’t a hypocritical, vicious person, Siling felt relieved. Even if she couldn’t recognize her son in this life, it didn’t matter.
After all, her heart was full of hatred for her deceased husband. If she couldn’t bring down the Four Great Sects in this life, she would never rest in peace!
But Xiaoxiao’s intention wasn’t to prevent the mother-son recognition, only to prevent Siling from instilling her hatred into Wei Jie.
As the saying goes, children don’t despise their mothers’ ugliness, and dogs don’t despise their families’ poverty. To Xiaoxiao, who came from street fraudsters, being a singing girl wasn’t shameful.
As long as Siling didn’t harbor harmful intentions, selling her voice to earn money was making an honest living, better than leading disciples to perform on the streets!
Xiaoxiao’s main worry was whether Siling would listen to her advice to temporarily leave the city and avoid confronting the Four Great Sects head-on.
However, hearing her persuasive words, Siling’s lips curved slightly in a cold smile: “You needn’t worry about me. I’ve been operating here for a long time and can take care of myself. I won’t leave this place.”
“…You should still heed her words and leave Luoyi City.”
Just as the two women’s conversation was at odds and reached an impasse, Wei Jie’s voice suddenly came from beside the carriage.
The carriage had long since driven out of the city and now stopped beside a quiet bamboo grove.
Hearing the steady male voice, Siling’s phoenix eyes widened slightly, her lips pursed. Finally, she slowly lifted the window curtain and looked at her son after their long separation.
The child who was still like a little radish in her memory was now so tall and handsome!
Though his features resembled his mother’s, his build and temperament were more like his father’s.
The memory of that steady, taciturn man who was the gentlest in the world overlapped with her son in this moment.
Siling’s lips trembled as she stumbled down from the carriage.
Her son was so tall that she had to look up to see him.
Siling still remembered when she left Qilao Mountain, little A’Jie had secretly run out, his small hands clutching her clothes, crying to go with her.
But she was heartless enough to leave him behind. The child stood on the mountain, screaming hoarsely in despair: “Mother, please take me with you! If… if you don’t take me, I won’t acknowledge you anymore…”
That time, she never looked back, but her son’s words were carved into her heart.