The Journey of Immortal Cultivation
Chapter 42: The Stratagem of Self-Inflicted Injury

Chapter 42: Chapter 42: The Stratagem of Self-Inflicted Injury

"Correct." He did not know what cannon fodder was, only having heard of incense ashes. However, this did not hinder the re-education he intended to conduct, "You are still a mortal now, and even the lowest level little demon can hurt you. But do you know, Quan Shifang is merely a disciple under the Sect Leader of Chaoyun Sect, at the peak of Foundation Establishment Stage. Though I haven’t been in the world for thirty thousand years, I can be sure that on your Westward Journey, there will be thorns everywhere, and there will be demons or cultivators tenfold, a hundredfold more powerful than him. When you are on your own, how will you keep yourself safe?"

"Cultivators?" Aren’t cultivators also part of the Human Clan?

"Don’t think that only demons will block your path. The human heart is full of cunning plans and capriciousness, some cultivators are even more despicable than demons. Especially on the arduous path of cultivation, people inevitably want to take shortcuts, and falling into their hands may be worse than being eaten by demons."

If what he said was true, wouldn’t continuing her journey be a road to death? She had just stepped onto the Westward Journey, just arrived at Siping County, and she had almost lost her life. Could there still be good days ahead of her?

Changtian sensed her mood and gave a slight smile. However, Ning Xiaoxian was standing beside the soil at the moment, unable to see his smile.

In this world, there is no shortage of Great Demons and Immortals, but why would they pay attention to a mere mortal girl like her? Just like a human wouldn’t always stare at the ants on the ground. When she lacked Divine Arts, at most she would encounter some low-level little demons or minor cultivators looking for trouble. But this was absolutely something he could not tell her.

"Today you have learned the difference between battling demons and cultivators, and it is impossible to make up for this gap in a short time. However, if you have Alchemy Skill at hand, it will be an extra reliance, and who knows when it may save your life."

She bit her lower lip, understanding Changtian’s implication. Having an extra asset meant an additional chance of surviving. Just like today when she dodged Afu’s attack, if she hadn’t insisted on eating Cloud Fragrant Rice these past days, she wouldn’t have lasted until Quan Shifang’s rescue arrived.

He had only been with her for a few days, but he already understood her temperament quite well. Seeing her silent, he knew she had taken his words to heart, so he said, "Those kids catching demons will be back soon. You should carry out the rest of your plan, right?"

Indeed, more than two hours had passed, and she had to hurry up with her arrangements.

Afu had already written the note, and with Changtian not by his side, he seemed much more at ease, and the writing reflected what people imagined about demonic characteristics: crude, untamed, messy.

Ning Xiaoxian quickly returned to the bottom layer of God Demon Prison and stood in front of Changtian.

She stood tall, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath, determinedly saying, "Let’s begin!" She was ready to put on a show of a painful strategy. Poor her, her delicate and smooth skin was about to suffer!

Changtian felt both annoyed and amused. Those in the know would think she was executing a plan, whereas those unaware of it, seeing her like this, would definitely think she was preparing to make a noble sacrifice.

He could not help but want to tease her. "I’ll count down three numbers, are you ready?"

"Ready." She took another deep breath and closed her eyes. Her ample chest heaved, very eye-catching.

"Good. Then listen well, three!"

With a flick of his fingers, a fine Wind Blade instantly gathered in the air and silently grazed her left shoulder.

Ning Xiaoxian only felt a slight chill on her left shoulder and before she could feel any pain, liquid started to slowly seep out. She opened her eyes and said angrily, "Where are two and one? Didn’t we agree to count down from three?" Quite a lot of blood flowed out, already staining her shoulder’s clothing red. Changtian, you really are ruthless!

"If I had counted down to three, your body would have been too tense, and even more blood would have flowed out." He found himself a good excuse, "Hurry up and get out; setting up the place takes time."

She stormed out of the God Demon Prison, kicking over several chairs forcefully, then let out a startled cry. This shout needed to be full of breath, to ensure that it reached the ears of the servants in the Huang Mansion—to later provide her with an alibi. She was not afraid of someone rushing in right now since Quan Shifang had instructed the household not to come near and not to enter upon hearing any noises when he captured the demon.

The wound on her shoulder began throbbing with pain, indicating that her robust nerves had finally registered the injury. Enduring the pain, she threw the broken rope onto the ground and placed the note written by Afu on the table. She was about to find a chair to sit down and wait quietly for the return of the Chaoyun Sect cultivators when she felt waves of drowsiness overcoming her. Her vision gradually darkened and then she slumped softly to the ground.

Changtian, what have you done? She wanted to ask, but she couldn’t speak.

Before slipping into unconsciousness, she vaguely heard Changtian whisper into her ear: "To make the act convincing, Quan Shifang must believe the whole set. I’ve smeared a little bit of the Bat Demon’s Poison Liquid on your wound. Don’t worry, its potency is only half the original strength; after a sleep, you’ll be fine."

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Perhaps due to the poison, she slept very soundly.

As soon as she opened her eyes, a maid exclaimed with surprise next to her: "Miss Ning is awake." Immediately, others came to fuss over her, offering her water and medicine, as if she were helpless.

The life of the wealthy is truly comfortable! She thought to herself with a silent sigh, but then she remembered that Changtian had poisoned her wound and couldn’t help but feel very annoyed. This was unlike his usual behavior—what’s with him today, always seeming so weirdly unpredictable?

What she did not know was that at this very moment, an intense argument was taking place in the main hall. Shi Jishan insisted that it was Ning Xiaoxian who let the Bat Demon escape, but including Quan Shifang, the other disciples of Chaoyun Sect, who were very familiar with her temperament, thought otherwise. It must be said that sometimes, the truth is indeed in the hands of the few.

Of course, their magnanimity was also related to the bountiful results of tonight’s battle. The cultivation levels of most cultivators present were in the Middle Stage of Foundation Establishment, which made dealing with ordinary Bat Demons—equivalent to cannon fodder of the Qi Refinement Realm—far too easy. In their surprise attack, nine of the fifteen Bat Demons were killed and six wounded. The Chaoyun Sect caught a total of fourteen, only Wo Tou seeing the situation turn dire and seizing the chance to escape. This Demon King was extremely cunning, but before fleeing was dealt a shoulder-shattering blow by Shi Jishan using a Magic Artifact, leaving the demon critically injured. The Chaoyun Sect cultivators also had two wounded among them, but everyone’s faces were full of smiles.

With such triumphs beforehand, nobody was too concerned about Afu’s escape. Only Yu Yao, holding the Immortal Rope bestowed by her master, was beside herself with confusion, struggling to understand how a demon at the Transformation Stage could break the immortal rope. However, this was also the main piece of evidence that convinced everyone that Afu had escaped on its own accord as the rope was infused with Divine Skills, invulnerable to knife and ax—how could Ning Xiaoxian have assisted Afu’s escape? With scissors from the Jin Mansion?

Moreover, Quan Shifang conducted a careful inspection of the broken end of the immortal rope, confirming that it was torn by brute force. Since this was not Ning Xiaoxian’s doing, no matter how preposterous the conclusion, they could only believe Afu had suddenly burst forth with demonic power and escaped.

Upon hearing that Ning Xiaoxian had regained consciousness, Quan Shifang hurried over. He stood at the door and apologized before entering the room. The other cultivators all stood outside, straining their ears to listen in; after all, with the separation of genders, what would it look like for a bunch of men to crowd into a girl’s room? Fortunately, with their exceptional hearing, even from outside the door they could catch the gist of the conversation.

－－－－－－－－－－Thank You－－－－－－－－－－－－

Thanks to Sky_碧澄美眉 for the reward~~ Shui Yun has gained another motivation to keep writing~