Chapter 13 Part 1
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This chapter is edited by Bakhtawar Kakar. Thank you for your contribution!
Chapter 13: Really? I Don’t Believe It! (1)
Outside Cao’s mansion, the streets were packed with people.
The revelation that the wealthiest family in Gucheng County, the Cao family, had a demon in their midst was more than enough to keep the townsfolk gossiping for months.
“Taoist Ma is here! The cat demon is as good as dead!”
“What a pity.”
“Huh?”
“Look at the cat demon! Did you see how big her… um, chest is?”
“Ah, you’ve got a point.”
“Will she really be killed? What a waste if she is!”
Outside the collapsed wall, a group of people whispered among themselves.
Despite the guards’ loud attempts to disperse the crowd, nothing could stop the onlookers from gathering to watch the spectacle.
No one feared for their safety, confident that Taoist Ma, the renowned demon slayer, would protect them.
It was said that the Taoists of Tongtian Temple mastered seventy-two powerful spells.
With these spells, they could commune with the netherworld, banish ghosts, move mountains, and control water…
And Taoist Ma was a reputed master of these arts. Stories circulated that he had once trained in the treacherous Thunder Swamp, where he manipulated water with his spirit qi to slay the serpent dragon terrorizing the area.
“…”
This is getting out of hand!
Bai Lian couldn’t help but sense the exaggerated rumors floating around.
This feels organized and premeditated!
Still, there was some truth in their words.
While Taoist Ma might seem unimpressive to Bai Lian, he was undoubtedly more formidable than the cat demon.
The scratches across his face and his forced retreat were only because the cat demon was attacking recklessly in a desperate frenzy.
Taoist Ma’s extensive experience in such encounters meant it wouldn’t take long for him to regain control. With his skill and patience, he could force the cat demon into his rhythm and ultimately make her surrender.
Yet Bai Lian found herself puzzled.
A cat demon capable of human transformation shouldn’t be this weak.
The aura emanating from the cat demon felt distinctly off.
While lost in thought, Bai Lian was startled by a nearby commotion.
“Hey, I was here first!”
“Who cares?”
“You’re too sneaky!”
“Go cry to your mother, little one!”
“You…!”
Ling Xuan’s face flushed with rage, and her hair practically bristled in indignation.
The tall, burly man standing before her chuckled and reached out to poke her forehead.
“Your arms are thinner than my fingers, kid. Stop—”
“Stop barking.”
A cold voice interrupted him.
Bai Lian stepped forward, her expression icy.
Are you bullying my ‘daughter’?
The burly man glared angrily at the interruption, but before he could fully turn his head, his world spun.
No.
It wasn’t the world that had flipped.
It was him.
With a mighty shove, the man flew a considerable distance like a lump of mud, finally landing in a ditch with a loud splash. He grimaced in pain as he hit the water.
Even with water cushioning the fall, descending from such a height could easily be fatal.
Ling Xuan, however, wasn’t pleased. She glared at Bai Lian and huffed, “Why is it always you?”
Of course, because I want to keep a close eye on my ‘daughter’!
Bai Lian smiled and asked, “Do you want to see it?”
Ling Xuan avoided the question, steering the conversation elsewhere. “Even if that guy was bad, you shouldn’t just hit people right away. My grandpa always said, ‘Be polite before you fight.’”
Bai Lian countered, “Some people don’t understand politeness. Sometimes, the only way to make them stop is to show them your fists. That way, they won’t dare to try anything again.”
Ling Xuan pouted slightly.
Deep down, she thought Bai Lian had a point.
Bai Lian pressed again, “Do you want to see it? If you do, I’ll make sure you can.”
Ling Xuan turned her head, looking toward the crowd of hundreds gathered in front of her.
Even if she were strong, she couldn’t leap over all those people to get a clear view.
“Just this once,” Bai Lian coaxed. “There are so many people here. What bad could I possibly do to you?”
Ling Xuan rested her chin on her hand, mulling it over.
That seemed reasonable.
If Bai Lian really had ill intentions, wouldn’t she have done something already?
Finally, she asked, “What do you want to do?”
Bai Lian crouched down in front of her and said, “Climb on my shoulders.”
“Huh?”
Ling Xuan froze, unsure of what to do.
“Don’t you want to see what’s happening?” Bai Lian asked.
“It’s not that I don’t…” Ling Xuan hesitated, then finally decided to go along with it.
Tentatively, she climbed onto Bai Lian’s shoulders, eager to find out the result of the fight between the cat demon and Taoist Ma.
But she couldn’t shake her nervousness.
The whole situation felt far too intimate.
Ling Xuan noticed how cool Bai Lian’s neck felt, even through the layer of fabric between them. The sensation sent a chill through her legs.
She fidgeted awkwardly, unsure where to place her hands.
“Hold on tight,” Bai Lian warned. “I’m about to stand up. Be careful.”
“Hmm,” Ling Xuan murmured softly, still uneasy.
As soon as she was seated on Bai Lian’s shoulders, regret started to creep in.
Why didn’t I just jump down instead?
Before she could act on that thought, Bai Lian took her hands, holding them firmly.
Ling Xuan froze in surprise.
Just as she was about to pull her hands away, Bai Lian spoke again. “Don’t let go. If you fall, you could hit your forehead on the ground.”
Ling Xuan instinctively glanced down.
Bai Lian was balanced on several stacked wooden boxes, making her height even greater than the tree beside them.
No wonder Ling Xuan felt so high up. Bai Lian had literally created a path to elevate herself!
Ling Xuan whispered, “Th-thank you.”
Good girl!
Bai Lian smiled. She could have chosen simpler methods, such as flying up to the clouds with Ling Xuan, using a spell to project a virtual screen in front of her, or even pushing the crowd aside to make space.
But none of those options would have brought her closer to her fifth Martial Sister. The method she chose was just perfect!
She pointed ahead and said, “Look, the battle over there is about to end.”
Ling Xuan, completely absorbed, forgot to pull her hands away.
With her excellent eyesight, she immediately spotted the scene in vivid detail. A big white cat-like woman was fighting a scruffy Taoist priest in the backyard.
Fireballs occasionally erupted, and flashes of sword light darted back and forth across the battlefield.
Finally, after the peachwood sword stabbed her arm again, the cat demon staggered backward, her body bloodied.
“Stop!”
She shouted, her voice filled with frustration.
To everyone’s surprise, Taoist Ma actually stopped.
He wasn’t in good shape either.
Despite his cultivation base being at the Foundation Establishment Stage, most of his spells were flashy but weak. They produced light and sound effects but lacked any real offensive power.
As the fight dragged on, Taoist Ma grew increasingly terrified. If not for the crowd of spectators, he would have fled long ago.
Damn it!
Taoist Ma cursed internally. He hadn’t expected the Cao family’s troubles to involve a real demon. If he’d known, he never would have wasted his energy discussing ‘exercise techniques to strengthen the body’ with that maid last night.
No.
Even if he’d just spent less time with her, he could have avoided this insane female cat entirely!
As for whether the Cao family survived this ordeal, that wasn’t his concern.
