Chapter 54: Sect Leader Sang Ying

In that instant, Xie Lingyu saw again the moonlit mountain steps.

The young girl struggled to carry him up the mountain, her pale little face beaded with sweat as she panted for breath. Sensing he had awakened, she tensed up immediately, stammering, “Um, uh, you’re awake.”

Then her small face stiffened into a serious expression.

“Don’t worry, I’m not a human trafficker. I just saw your looks and—pah! I mean, I simply couldn’t stand by when I saw injustice and had to help. That’s how we martial artists are. Who made me the boss of Minghua Mountain? Anyway, you…”

“Don’t be afraid.”

“…”

The air in the room fell silent, so quiet that only their breathing could be heard. After lingering for a while, the warm touch on his eyelids slowly withdrew.

Sang Ying held his face, feeling the heat radiating from her fingertips. She knew this was a symptom of poisoning—he must be suffering terribly right now.

Watching him slowly open his eyes, the beautiful dark pupils beneath his long lashes dull and lifeless, Sang Ying’s heart ached. She bit her lip.

“Xie Lingyu…”

Before she could finish, the young man’s cool fingers grabbed her wrist and pulled her into an embrace, burying his head against her chest.

He held her tightly. His body was burning hot—a feverish, unhealthy heat. His uneven, scorching breaths fell against her waist, warming her through the fabric of her clothes.

Sang Ying froze for a moment, then raised her hand to gently stroke his back.

People always become fragile when they’re sick. She had often fallen ill as a child, and during those times, she always wished someone could stay by her side. So she completely understood how he felt now.

Coupled with suddenly losing his sight and being unable to see, it was only natural for him to feel helpless and insecure.

Sang Ying patted him, softening her voice. “It’s alright, you’ll get better. It’s getting late now. Be good, let’s go to sleep, okay?”

“…”

Xie Lingyu released her and lifted his head. “Is Shimei treating me like a child?”

Sang Ying took his hand and pulled him up, dragging him to the edge of the bed and pressing him down to sit. She reached out to undo his outer robe. “A patient should act like a patient. You’re burning up so much it’s scalding to the touch, yet you’re still pretending to be fine and putting on a brave face.”

Sang Ying couldn’t help but sigh. He had always loved putting on a brave front—never mentioning his injuries before, and now, even though he had lost his sight, he refused to admit it and kept pretending everything was fine.

Having learned from last time, she quickly stripped off his clothes. Sang Ying pushed him down to lie on the bed and was about to cover him with the blanket when her fingers were gently caught.

The young man’s dark eyes stared blankly in her direction. “Shimei, can you sleep with me?”

Looking into his eyes, Sang Ying couldn’t help but feel heartache.

She knew he had left Yun Ling Realm to search for spiritual veins in the Cultivation World to help her. Otherwise, if he had stayed safely in Yun Ling Realm, how could anything have happened to him?

All thoughts of anger and their cold war were tossed aside by Sang Ying. She lifted the blanket and slipped in beside him. The young man naturally embraced her from behind, holding her in his arms and resting his chin against the crook of her neck.

She had been busy with the merchant association earlier, then they had argued and been in a cold war, and after that, they were separated due to the Spiritual Qi Poisoning incident. Counting the days, it had been over half a month since they last slept together.

Being held in his arms now felt a bit unfamiliar, but thinking of his discomfort, she let him have his way.

However, he was sick, and his body was burning fiercely. Sang Ying felt as if she had fallen into a furnace. She reached up to touch his forehead. “Xie Lingyu, are you in a lot of pain?”

The young man held her even tighter, his voice low, his scorching breath warming the hollow of her neck. “It’s not that I’m upset about not being able to hold you, Shimei.”

Sang Ying’s ears flushed with heat as she mumbled softly, “If you hadn’t gotten jealous for no reason and insisted on kissing me in the banquet room… I wouldn’t have been so angry that I ignored you.”

The person behind her paused slightly.

“…That’s why Shimei was angry?”

Sang Ying pulled the brocade quilt up a little higher, covering half of her face, leaving only her moist amber eyes visible. Her voice grew muffled as well. “What else could it be?”

She fidgeted with her fingers, her ears reddening as she complained quietly, “I already told you it wasn’t okay, but you still insisted on kissing me. How could we do something like that in the banquet hall?”

Last time at the Bamboo Courtyard by the Water, he at least listened to her and didn’t do it in the study, waiting until they returned to the bedroom.

But this time, he didn’t listen at all. Even though she said no, he still did it. That’s why Sang Ying felt such a strong sense of disappointment, coupled with extreme embarrassment and nervous tension, she couldn’t help but cry.

Xie Lingyu finally understood the reason for her anger. One was a dragon, the other a human—their ways of thinking differed greatly in this regard.

Dragon Nature Inherently… so dragons were generally enthusiastic about such matters, not confined to the bedroom. As long as the mood struck, many places were suitable, and open-air settings were common.

But Sang Ying was a human cultivator, inherently shy. For her, she could only accept cultivating in private places like the bedroom.

Xie Lingyu nuzzled his chin against the hollow of her neck, his voice gentle. “I know I was wrong. From now on, Shimei can choose the place for Dual Cultivation.”

The location didn’t matter to him, as long as the partner was her—only her.

Hearing this, Sang Ying’s ears turned even redder.

But since he knew he was wrong and was willing to change, there was no need to dwell on it.

She paused for a moment, then let out a soft hum. “…Then I’ll reluctantly forgive you.”

The air grew quiet again.

In this silence, Sang Ying couldn’t help but worry about him again. With his eyesight gone, his mood must be complicated and painful, his thoughts wandering.

Just as she was considering how to comfort him, a low voice sounded by her ear.

“They say different temperatures bring different sensations…”

The young man’s scorching breath fell on her ear. “Since we have this opportunity, would Shimei like to try?”

“…No!”

Sang Ying pulled the brocade quilt over herself, burying her face, her cheeks flushed red, her watery eyes trembling in the darkness.

She had worried about this lustful dragon for nothing!

…

Regarding the incident of the spiritual vein’s poisonous gas, almost the entire Cultivation World and Demon Realm were affected. The only remaining safe area in the Yun Ling Realm was being eroded daily by the poisonous gas, shrinking continuously. Sooner or later, it would be completely overrun.

The relationship between the Cultivation World and the Demon Realm was extremely strained, but this matter concerned both realms and was of great importance. Both sides had no choice but to temporarily set aside their past grievances, unite, and work together to resolve the current predicament.

The Demon Emperor and the Four Great Demon Kings invited the Immortal Alliance and the leaders of various sects and families to the Yun Ling Realm to participate in the discussions.

The Demon Realm and the Cultivation World were divided into two sides. On the Demon Realm’s side, there were only Xie Yu Cang, his wife, and the Four Great Demon Kings—six people in total. In contrast, the Cultivation World’s side had many more, numbering in the dozens.

The meeting had yet to begin, and everyone wore grave expressions. After all, the toxic gas incident was both significant and challenging. Even after gathering the most skilled medical cultivators from both realms, they still hadn’t identified what kind of poison was present in the spiritual energy, let alone developed an antidote.

Sang Ying led Xie Lingyu into the conference hall. Those from the Cultivation World turned their heads one after another. Though these clan leaders and sect masters had lost their sight, their high cultivation bases allowed them to sense auras and movements.

“May I ask who these two are?” The Demon Realm side clearly had only six representatives.

Xie Yu Cang’s expression was solemn, his tone steady. “My son and daughter-in-law. The portion of the spiritual vein used for research was personally retrieved by my son.”

Everyone understood and offered flattery. “A worthy son of a worthy father, reminiscent of the Demon Emperor’s unification of the Demon Realm.”

Xie Yu Cang: ?

Xie Yu Cang: “My true form is Qinglong. Are you all blind… ouch.”

Rong Xue Man discreetly pinched his arm under the table, her expression calm and tone gentle. “Everyone, since all are present, let us begin.”

Sang Ying led Xie Lingyu to sit behind the Demon Realm’s table. She glanced around, noting the attendance of the heads of the four great clans, the leader and elders of the Immortal Alliance, and… the Grand Elder of the Wu Wen Sect.

Cultivators lived long lives, and their appearances rarely aged. Grand Elder Xu Bin was said to be over a thousand years old, yet he did not look elderly. Instead, he appeared to be in his thirties or forties, in the prime of his life.

His son, Xu Baishen, stood behind him, clearly also poisoned, his eyes dull and lifeless.

As the two sides engaged in heated discussions during the meeting, the listless youth slumped beside Sang Ying suddenly lifted his head. His vacant eyes turned toward her, and as his face drew near, a cold sword blade rested against his neck.

Yin Tu chuckled. “So it really is you. How is the Love Gu working out?”

Sang Ying patted the Luo Qing Sword and pulled it back, somewhat puzzled. “How did you recognize me?” Even though he couldn’t see and she hadn’t spoken.

Southern Realm Demon King Yintu had only met her once before—the time he had forcibly given her the Love Gu.

Yin Tu said quietly, “Your scent is overwhelmingly his. Even with a stuffy nose, I could smell it.”

Sang Ying’s ears flushed red. He had been clinging to her while sleeping these past few days, all sticky and affectionate.

She secretly lifted her sleeve to sniff—it was just a faint scent of white sandalwood. It seemed the rumors about demons’ keen sense of smell were true.

Suddenly, a weight pressed on her shoulder as the young man leaned his head against her. Sang Ying’s attention immediately shifted. “Are you feeling unwell again?”

The young man rested against her shoulder and softly hummed in agreement.

A vigorous voice sounded beside them, accompanied by the whoosh of a fist. “The more unwell you feel, the more you should exercise! Sweating it out helps. Come on, brother, join me in some shadowboxing!”

This was none other than Northern Border Demon King Fu Ye, the muscular rabbit demon who had faked pregnancy to swindle Sang Ying.

Sang Ying looked at his ruddy complexion, then at Xie Lingyu’s pale face, and thought it made sense. She nudged him forward. “Xie Lingyu, give it a try.”

Fu Ye was full of energy. “Follow my lead—one, two, one-two-one…”

Xie Lingyu: “…”

The other two demon kings were seasoned veterans, older in age. Watching one demon king slumped as if on the verge of death and the other shadowboxing vigorously in the conference hall, they silently moved farther away, drawing a clear line.

The main purpose of this meeting was to discuss how to prevent the situation from worsening further.

After deliberation, it was decided to produce medicines that seal the qi meridians and distribute them to the poisoned humans and demons in both realms.

This was a massive undertaking. The Demon Realm, rich in resources, would provide the medicinal ingredients, while the Cultivation World would contribute manpower, with medical cultivators refining them into medicine.

However, when it came to discussing how to distribute the medicine, difficulties arose.

Two key factors presented problems.

First, the distribution locations.

Second, manpower.

Currently, most people in both realms were poisoned, leaving few hands available. Delivering to every household was impossible, so the only option was to place the medicine at fixed locations, issue notifications, and have the poisoned individuals come to collect it themselves.

But those poisoned—both humans and demons—were already gravely ill and unable to see. How could they possibly go to collect the medicine? Many might not even receive the notification.

The attendees at the meeting continued to debate but failed to come up with a satisfactory solution.

Sang Ying lowered her eyes, her lips pressed slightly together, her hands clenched tightly. Suddenly, warmth covered the back of her hand as a young man’s hand enveloped hers.

His voice was soft, audible only to her: “Junior Sister, no matter what you wish to do…”

“I will be the sharpest sword in your hand.”

Sang Ying’s heart skipped a beat, and then, strangely, her mind settled into calm.

She slowly raised her eyes, opened her mouth, and spoke in a steady tone: “Why don’t we consider the merchant guilds?”

Everyone was taken aback. The discussions quieted, and all eyes turned to her.

Behind the Grand Elder, Xu Baishen froze upon hearing her voice, abruptly lifting his gaze.

With their attention captured, Sang Ying continued:

“In recent years, merchant guilds have developed rapidly. The four major guilds have spread their influence across the map. To ensure faster deliveries, their branches cover even the most remote areas of the Cultivation World, guaranteeing that medicine can reach every individual. Therefore, selecting merchant guild branches as distribution points is appropriate.”

The sect leaders and clan heads objected: “The locations might be feasible, but the medicine still needs to be delivered to people’s doors. Moreover, just transporting the medicine to the branches requires manpower, which would demand even more people. That’s even less feasible.”

Sang Ying replied calmly: “Since I proposed this plan, I’ve naturally also considered how to resolve the manpower issue.”

Everyone was stunned, their curiosity piqued by this young girl. Could she really solve a dilemma that had stumped all these seasoned elders?

“Then tell us.”

Sang Ying: “Both human cultivators and demon cultivators rely on the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to cultivate, which is why they’ve all inevitably been poisoned. However, there is one group that doesn’t rely on spiritual energy for cultivation—the demonic cultivators who cultivate using demonic energy in the lands of the Devil Realm.”

As soon as these words were spoken, the expressions of those present instantly turned cold.

“You want to seek help from demonic cultivators?”

“How ridiculous. Everyone knows demonic cultivators are inherently cruel, malicious, and have killed countless people. You’re just a naive little girl to think of asking fiends for help.”

“We should be thankful if they don’t take advantage of our plight to kick us while we’re down.”

“Hmph, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Demon Venerable is behind all this.”

A “tsk” sound came from the doorway. “Since when did this venerable one do such a thing? You old fools, with just a flap of your lips, you dare slander this one’s innocence out of thin air?”

As Devil Lord Wei Yao arrived, the Cultivation World side immediately erupted in agitation, everyone shifting uneasily in their seats.

It is well known that Devil Lord Wei Yao’s signature technique is Shuiyue Jinghua. Even at the peak of their strength, this group dared not provoke him, let alone in their current weakened state. Falling into Shuiyue Jinghua would mean certain death with no chance of survival.

Seeing that Devil Lord Wei Yao had arrived, Sang Ying stood up and pulled out the chair she had prepared earlier. Wei Yao smoothed his sleeves and was about to sit down when the young man behind him stepped forward, sat down first, crossed his legs, and lifted his head arrogantly.

“Why have you all stopped talking? Weren’t you just chatting happily?”

Sang Ying: “…”

Did he have to act out the phrase “a fox borrowing the tiger’s might” so vividly?

“Father, you heard them, right? They said you have a vicious heart…”

Wei Yao’s temple twitched. He gave his son a sharp knock on the head, grabbed him by the collar, and pulled him up. “Stand aside,” he said, then took the seat himself.

Wei Li covered his head and stood behind him.

Wei Yao composed himself and said, “There is no need for everyone to be alarmed. I have been invited here to attend this meeting.”

The people from the Cultivation World immediately turned their gaze to Demon Emperor Xie Yu Cang.

Xie Yu Cang glanced at his old fishing companion and cleared his throat. “I invited him. My little Ying is right—the only way to resolve this situation is to seek help from the Devil Realm.”

Well, now the leaders of the three realms were all present.

Logically, this should have been a tripartite standoff, but the demon kings of the Demon Realm showed little reaction—some were sleeping, others practicing their punches. Only the people from the Cultivation World remained vigilant, their eyes fixed warily on the Devil Lord.

Wei Yao, however, remained perfectly calm, crossing his arms. “Little friend, please continue.”

Sang Ying held several talismans between her fingertips. They ignited and scattered, forming a massive map in the center, clearly marking the locations of the merchant guild’s branches.

“Everyone, please take a look. These are the branches of my Yunshui Merchant Guild across the regions.”

Everyone was taken aback, feeling a mix of surprise and curiosity about Sang Ying’s identity.

At the beginning, the Demon Emperor had introduced her as the Crown Princess of the Demon Realm Crown Prince. No one had expected her to also be the head of the current top merchant guild among the four major guilds.

It was hard for anyone in the Cultivation World not to know about the Yunshui Merchant Guild, as daily purchases and consumption relied entirely on merchant guilds. The Yunshui Merchant Guild had risen suddenly in recent years, single-handedly transforming the traditional merchant guild model, with branches spread throughout the entire Cultivation World.

Many were curious about the mysterious figure behind the guild and coveted the profits, hoping to establish friendly relations. However, this person remained incredibly elusive. Several clan leaders and sect masters present had tried to arrange meetings with her, only to be politely declined.

Who would have thought… it was a young girl.

“The Devil Realm will provide personnel for transportation. Using the branches as centers, medicines will be delivered to the surrounding areas. With the merchant guild’s delivery experience and knowledge of the routes, it will take at most three days to reach everyone’s hands.”

After Sang Ying calmly finished explaining the detailed plan, someone immediately voiced opposition. “Let demonic cultivators deliver the medicine? I don’t trust them at all. Who knows what tricks they might play?”

Wei Yao lifted his eyelids. “I agreed to help this time to repay a favor to this little friend. I have no interest in playing petty games of intrigue with any of you.”

He’d rather spend his free time catching a few more fish.

Sang Ying took out a Heaven and Earth Contract. “Demon Venerable has already signed the Contract, guaranteeing that aside from delivering the medicine, he will take no other actions and will not attack cultivators from the two realms. Everyone may review it. If you trust it, you may sign the Contract. Of course, if you still do not trust it, I will not force you.”

This type of Contract contained the power of heaven and earth, bound by the Heavenly Dao Laws. Violating it would incur Heavenly Punishment.

The content of this Contract stipulates that aside from the Demon Venerable’s side, all others must also guarantee not to take action against demonic cultivators and Demon Cultivators—essentially, it is a peace treaty.

The leader of the Immortal Alliance was the first to take hold of the Contract. After sensing it with his Spiritual Sense, he signed without hesitation.

Those around him were taken aback. “Alliance Leader Bai, how could you sign so quickly? What if there’s a trap?”

Alliance Leader Bai’s unfocused gaze drifted vaguely toward the quiet young man from the Demon Realm’s side, and he smiled. “It’s merely a peace treaty of mutual non-aggression. There’s no need for everyone to be so alarmed. Isn’t this a good thing for us at present?”

Although he said this, the situation still reached a deadlock. The Grand Elder of the current world’s number one major sect, the Wu Wen Sect, wore a grave expression. Without even glancing at the Contract, he pushed it aside and passed it to the next person.

Behind him, Xu Baishen was stunned. “Father…”

With the Wu Wen Sect refusing to sign, the leaders of the other sects also began to hesitate, looking around at one another without taking action.

Alliance Leader Bai, however, fanned himself lightly. “Take a closer look. The Wu Wen Sect has already signed. Why are you still hesitating?”

The sect leaders were taken aback. Carefully sensing the Contract with their Spiritual Sense, they saw an unfamiliar name.

Sect Leader of the Wu Wen Sect.

—Sang Ying.

The young woman’s eyes curved into crescents as she spoke unhurriedly, “A few years ago, when my father passed away, I was still young. I am deeply grateful to the Grand Elder for taking on the responsibility of managing all matters within the sect on my behalf. Now that I have come of age, it is time for me to relieve the Grand Elder of his burdens and take over the sect.”

“Isn’t that right, Grand Elder?”