Chapter 2.2: The witch of Xuanyuan Sect

Yin Hanjiang obeyed his command, took out the Lord’s command seal, and summoned the Right Protector.

After the two men came to the Council Hall and waited for a while, a woman wearing purple walked in slowly. It seemed as if she was wearing clothes, but in fact, it was nothing more than purple gauze wrapped around her body. What should be covered wasn’t covered much, but instead it appeared more beautiful and aroused men’s fantasies.

However, both of them were cold-hearted blind men. Shu Yanyan, the Right Protector, had long been accustomed to their reaction and made an enchanting gesture of greeting to the Lord. When she got permission to get up, she impatiently asked, “My Lord, do you want to go down the mountain to attack those righteous hypocrites? This subordinate is already itching to get on with it.”

With that, she covered her mouth and smiled shyly.

Wen Renhe, who knew his subordinates well, said in a deep voice, “Are you truly so eager to give those hypocrites a lesson, or is it that you can’t wait for their yang to fill your yin?”

“Isn’t that the same thing?” Shu Yanyan blinked at Wen Renhe. “My Lord, you know me, it’s best to follow the way of the heart. As long as the matter can be completed in both respects, I will not let it slip.”

Wen Renhe then raised his hand, and Shu Yanyan got permission to take a seat on his right-hand side. She stretched her long legs lazily, her every movement exuding irresistible feminine charm.

Wen Renhe ignored the charm released by the Right Protector and slowly asked, “Do you know He Wenchao, the senior disciple of Shangqing Sect?”

“You meant him? Then I may be interested.” Shu Yanyan sat in an unoccupied seat, slumped lazily and supported her cheek with one hand while blinking. “My Lord, weren’t you the one who ordered me to go down the mountain three months ago to investigate the righteous path? I disguised myself as an ordinary but lovely and pitiful lady singer and pretended to be bullied by the young disciples of Shangqing Sect in a restaurant. It was He Wenchao who helped me. This man…”

Speaking of this, Shu Yanyan licked her lower lip, as if savoring an aftertaste. It took a moment before she came to her senses and continued, “His yang Qi was abundant.”

What she was thinking, Wen Renhe was perfectly clear on.

In the book, He Wenchao’s yang Qi was indeed absorbed by Shu Yanyan. At that time, Shu Yanyan’s cultivation was greatly reduced, so she locked him in her residence and almost emptied him. In the end, Baili Qingmiao went as far as to brave death to rescue He Wenchao. In order to replenish his Qi essence, she went to the ice field of Wanli to find the snow flame elixir and then helped He Wenchao absorb it.

Shu Yanyan was the first vicious girl in the early stage of the plot. She didn’t like He Wenchao but was simply greedy for his yang Qi, which made her act like a demon. It was precisely because Shu Yanyan was a bad person and harmed He Wenchao that Baili Qingmiao forgave him the first time for having a relationship with another woman.

The witch of Xuanyuan Sect practiced the charm cultivation method, and Shu Yanyan’s cultivation was much higher than that of He Wenchao. If she wanted to do something, He Wenchao couldn’t resist at all, so he was a victim.

At that time, Baili Qingmiao didn’t know that after the first time there would be a second time, and in the future, there would be countless times when He Wenchao was “forced” and expected her to understand.

“Tell me more about the situation at that time,” Wen Renhe said.

According to the total number of words in the book, currently, the plot should only have progressed to about 70,000 or 80,000 words, which was also the only sweet section throughout the whole text. Baili Qingmiao joined Shangqing Sect and fell in love at first sight with He Wenchao. Having cultivated for over ten years in the sect, both of them could be considered childhood friends that grew up together and He Wenchao took very good care of his younger martial sister. Going behind the sect’s back, they would sneak off to the back of the mountain in the middle of the night to practice their martial arts skills amidst the flowers under the moon. Their feelings of affection and love expressed through their actions seemed to seep into the hearts of others like honey. It was so sweet that it caused others to feel toothache.

During this period, there were several female disciples from the same sect who were throwing a tantrum. However, at that time, everyone was young and innocent, so they did nothing that would have gone out of line. He Wenchao was also a young hero, the most pampered and favored son of heaven in the sect, and did not shoulder the burden of the sect yet.

Shu Yanyan, the witch, was the first conflict between them.

“Who is still able to remember so much? I am just thinking about that youngsters’ yang Qi. My Lord should be aware that my cultivation has remained stagnant for many years, and if it goes on like this, my skin will start to wrinkle.” While she spoke, Shu Yanyan took out a mirror and looked at her young maiden face. Only then did she continue with satisfaction, “He Wenchao’s yang Qi is unusual. He has a thunder spiritual root and has the power of thunder and fire. Not only that, it seems like there is a mysterious power hidden within him. I have always felt that if I were to absorb his power, I would certainly be able to improve my power!”

For cultivators, there were five kinds of common spiritual roots, namely metal, wood, water, fire and earth, and five kinds of variant spiritual roots, which consisted of wind, thunder, ice, light and darkness. Common people usually had three, four or even five mixed spiritual roots whereas double spiritual roots, in the cultivation realm, were considered to have superior qualifications. A single common spiritual root occurred in one out of thousand, while a variant spiritual root was even rarer. He Wenchao had a thunder spiritual root.

Had the spiritual root been created before his reincarnation by the thunder strike of the heavenly tribulation? Wen Renhe muttered to himself.

That mysterious power was naturally a divine power. He Wenchao’s previous life was that of a man who acquired godhood through cultivation and reincarnated along with his postnatal godly personality. Baili Qingmiao was an innate goddess who was born from heaven and earth. Her character couldn’t follow her into the body of an ordinary person, but He Wenchao’s divine character could.

If Shu Yanyan absorbed He Wenchao’s yang Qi, relying on his divine power, she could indeed greatly increase her power.

“Why didn’t you kill him three months ago? His strength should be inferior to yours,” Wen Renhe asked.

“Well,” Shu Yanyan sighed, “I did consider attacking, but his power is very special. If he wasn’t willing to be friends with me, I couldn’t force him. He has a sweetheart, who is a little girl whose looks are by no means inferior to mine. This little girl is very sharp though, as she constantly suspects me and keeps a close eye on her lover, so she didn’t give me a chance at all.”

“Oh?” Wen Renhe raised his eyebrows slightly. “He must be willing?”

This was not mentioned in the book since it was written from Baili Qingmiao’s perspective. He Wenchao told her that he had been abducted by Shu Yanyan, and Baili Qingmiao believed him.

“My Lord, you still don’t know me?” asked Shu Yanyan coquettishly. “When it comes to this matter, I am most particular about mutual consent. If those men perform a little better and try to please me, I will even supplement some pure yin that they have lost during their cultivation. Apart from the enemy, which of those little sweethearts in my family hasn’t tasted the sweetness? Those that I’m tired of, even if I were to try to drive them away, they wouldn’t even want to leave.”

‘I don’t really know. It seems that there are still many things I didn’t know about,’ Wen Renhe thought to himself.

“Nevertheless, I won’t let He Wenchao off so easily,” Shu Yanyan expressed her loyalty to Wen Renhe. “Their Shangqing Sect is the mastermind behind the attack on Xuanyuan Sect. How can I show mercy to the enemy’s senior disciple? Lord, you can rest assured. I have taken up the role of a miserable girl and He Wenchao has been going behind Baili Qingmiao’s back for some time now, so that he can communicate with me. He pities me, and would often secretly go down the mountain to help his subordinates. Sooner or later, I will get my hands on him.”

He pondered for a moment and then said, “No, there is no need for that.”

“There is no need for what?” Shu Yanyan blinked her beautiful big eyes.

“There is no need to destroy this man,” Wen Renhe said, tapping his fingers on the armrest of his seat.

“Just do as you normally would. Having plans to ensure that you’ll be able to come and go safely pays off in the long run. There is indeed a special power in his body which is very beneficial to you, but there is no need to go to such extremes.”

“Huh?” Shu Yanyan was stunned. Was this still her Lord who would exterminate his enemies and never show them any mercy?

She knitted her brows. “He is the most favored senior disciple of Shangqing Sect, the pillar of the righteous path. If we don’t destroy him while he is still young, won’t he give us trouble in the future? If I were to feed him back during cultivation, his cultivation would improve even faster. Even if it is good for me, it will not be good for Xuanyuan Sect.”

As Shu Yanyan spoke, her expression became cruel and fierce, without even a hint of her previous lovable, soft and charming appearance.

Her words greatly pleased Wen Renhe.

From Wen Renhe’s point of view, this was what a cultivator should look like. This path was emotionless. Rather than greed and love, it would be better to gain benefits. Moreover, cultivators had to be firm in their standpoint, and simply couldn’t nurture a tiger to invite calamity out of soft-heartedness. (to indulge one’s enemy is asking for trouble)

Looking at Shu Yanyan’s awareness and Yin Hanjiang’s actions, then recalling falling in love and giving up Xuanyuan Sect just for Baili Qingmiao in the book, Wen Renhe deeply felt that he was not as good as his two sect protectors.

Any ordinary person would reckon it would be best to stay away from Baili Qingmiao in the future, so as to not get caught up too deeply in it. However, Wen Renhe had a character of facing difficulties head on. He had to meet Bai Qingmiao and He Wenchao cold-heartedly and by no means be moved by love!

Thinking about this, he ordered, “Shu Yanyan, you must look at this matter long term and you have to act as a saboteur.”

Shu Yanyan pondered for a moment and then lightly clapped her hands as her eyes lit up. “My Lord, your subordinate understands what you mean. What I should do is to entice the future pillar of the righteous path in some pitiful manner; refine the well-tempered steel to wrap it around my fingers. To have him believe I am a good woman who is physically with the devil path, but internally sides with the righteous path. To have him be obsessed with me, obsessed with my beauty and obsessed with the power I can bring him. This way, there will come a day when I will need him to save me and he will disclose some sect information that he deems unimportant to me. It would be even better if he becomes the sect leader in the future, he could be lured into the devil path little by little, until he is stuck so deeply that he can’t extricate himself.”

The more Shu Yanyan spoke, the more excited she became. She would be going down the mountain to play the role of a weak girl. Casting a long line to catch a big fish was the right way to go!

Wen Renhe: “……”

He had only wanted to let Baili Qingmiao see clearly that He Wenchao was willing to be with Shu Yanyan, so he had Shu Yanyan entice He Wenchao. Who would have known that Shu Yanyan thought so much deeper than him, making the trivial affair between a man and a woman develop into a significant matter involving a war between both the devil and the righteous path.

His Right Protector was really a woman with great ambitions. Wen Renhe wasn’t even aware of it in the past.

“Your plan is feasible. Be sure to keep these two points in mind. Firstly, don’t harm Baili Qingmiao. Secondly, you mustn’t fall in love,” Wen Renhe instructed.

“My Lord is so farsighted! Keeping Baili Qingmiao and letting her act willfully will instead push He Wenchao towards my obedient self. Keeping her is definitely more useful than killing her,” Shu Yanyan agreed and continued, “As for He Wenchao, my Lord please rest assured, this subordinate has the experience of a hundred battles under her belt and has long been able to see through the hypocrisy of noblemen in this world.”

Once Shu Yanyan finished speaking, she turned to leave the Council Hall, showing her slender back to the two silent men.

“Sect Protector Yin,” after a long while, Wen Renhe started speaking. “This lord is not as good as the Right Protector.”

He was referring to himself in the book.

Yin Hanjiang said, “My Lord is the wisest and most farsighted person in the world. The Right Protector is not as good as a thousandth of you.”

“You……” Wen Renhe shook his head and changed the topic, “Follow me down the mountain. I want to meet some of these juniors from Shangqing Sect.”

He wanted to see how He Wenchao would explain it to Baili Qingmiao when Shu Yanyan didn’t suck him dry this time. Also, if the female lead would follow the original plot and forgive He Wenchao.

This Devil Venerable was just so full of curiosity.

Edited by : Rose

Proofreader: Taalia