Devil Venerable Also Wants to Know

Chapter 37 – Thirty years later

In this time, nothing much happened in God of Annihilation. Hè Wenzhao and Liu Xinye’s wedding was passed over in a few lines. Afterward, Hè Wenzhao made progress in cultivation with the help of his mental master, working on revitalizing his sect and continuing to investigate his village’s massacre. On occasion, he would miss Baili Qingmiao, but never mentioned Liu Xinye—his new wife seemed to have become invisible. The female character all the readers of Abusive Romance hated so much had been reduced to a shadow.

This was how God of Annihilation operated. Hè Wenzhao would get involved with many girls over the course of the story, having short flings with some, all of whom never got mentioned again. Only Baili Qingmiao and the Violet Spirit Master were female characters who consistently showed up in volume one. The Violet Spirit Master was a “good wife” who helped Hè Wenzhao manage his harem, and was perfect in the readers’ eyes.

Baili Qingmiao was a plot device. Whenever Hè Wenzhao needed to go somewhere else or fight a new enemy, Baili Qingmiao would be “stolen” by a new man. Hè Wenzhao would search for her, kill the man, and level up. Then Baili Qingmiao would be “stolen” again and Hè Wenzhao would go after her again, killing his way from Zhongli Qian to Wenren È. Yin Hanjiang had never been mentioned though, and it was unclear why there was no sign of him in God of Annihilation.

Abusive Romance‘s plot was much more exciting that God of Annihilation‘s. Baili Qingmiao had left Shangqing Sect in deep anguish, met Zhongli Qian in the Hellfire Pavilion, he had seen through Wenren È’s plan and Wenren È and Yin Hanjiang had shown themselves—even the Ghost Mask’s identity had been revealed several hundred thousand words in advance. The comment section was on fire, seemingly longer than the chapters themselves, enough to make Wenren È’s eyes blur.

[Extra, extra, Abusive Romance (Revised Edition) has made the charts again. Never thought this trashy work would make a comeback in my lifetime. Cheers to the author, it was worth following the revision since the beginning.]

[Not surprising, the author has written so many plot twists I can’t keep up. I can’t guess at all what she’s going to write next. All the melodrama in the original has become perfectly reasonable and logical, some people have even put up side by side comparisons in the discussion pages. It’s really impressive that the author has managed to change the story so much without contradicting the old characters.]

[As a new reader who’s only seen the revision, how come someone as loveable as Shu Yanyan had no fans before?]

[Because Shu Yanyan originally only showed up once and slept with an unconscious Hè Wenzhao in front of Baili Qingmiao, making him a cripple. She was awful to the protagonist and brought her a lot of suffering.]

[Forget the old Shu Yanyan, now we have our Sister Yanyan who’ll lovingly wipe the tears off your face while calling you ‘silly girl’. Oh, that was incredible.]

[Everyone stans Shu Yanyan? I stan Qingxue. I fell in love with her back when she set up Hè Wenzhao and Liu Xinye. What a unique woman!]

[Oh come on, why are you all discussing girls? Isn’t Zhongli Qian smart? Isn’t Wenren È badass? My god, his badassery has increased in the revision. I’ve never seen the number 2 love interest pair the MC with the number 3 to get her away from the ML. That man has some unique ideas.]

[Let me summarize the previous post. Why does Wenren È want his girl to get stolen?]

[I get the feeling that this time around Wenren È is treating the MC as a daughter, and now he wants to pick a good husband for his silly girl.]

[Zhongli Qian didn’t steal his girl, he sees her as a sister… no, actually, as a little brother. I feel like the next moment, Zhongli Qian will find another girl to introduce the MC to.]

[Baili Qingmiao laughing boldly was hilarious. I never imagined Baili Qingmiao could be described as bold. Wenren È was a genius for coming up with the heart-linking parasites.]

[Looking forward to future developments. I’m eager to see what kind of high literature the author can revise this novel into.]

Seeing that most of the reviews were positive, with only a few fans of the original story trashing the author, Wenren È nodded to himself, feeling an uncommon sense of accomplishment.

Closing the book, he rubbed his missing arm and took out several manuals from his sleeves. He had stolen them while unifying the demonic sects some years back. Along with techniques from sects he had eliminated, he even had the methods of the two Protectors and four Altar Masters.

He knew that what he’d gotten from his subordinates wasn’t complete. Some crucial points could’ve been hidden or revised. But Wenren È didn’t mind. He didn’t intend to actually practice them, and just collected them for intimidation.

He looked through one jade slip scroll after another, studying them carefully for a whole month. There were hardly any references to blood cultivation to be found. Ten thousand years was a long time even in the cultivation world, and most records of the blood arts had already been lost. Wenren È had learned the Blood Severing Technique when he obtained the Chiming blade.

Chiming was a demonic sword born in the Blood Hell, even older than the Blood Demon Elder, so the Blood Severing Technique Wenren È had used didn’t originate from the Blood Demon Elder. However, there was a line written in the surviving records of the war against the Blood Demon ten thousand years ago. The leader of the righteous sects at the time, the Sword Immortal, had said that if a blood cultivator wanted to walk the righteous path, then they must rise from their own ashes. The Blood Demon Elder had shown himself to not have such a resolution, and thus was slain by the cultivation world.

Rise from one’s own ashes?

Wenren È wasn’t incapable of such resolve. He just needed to make some prior arrangements. If he wasn’t able to succeed, he had to make sure someone he left behind wouldn’t be lost without him.

Wenren È had wished to be alone in life and death, to have no connections to anyone.

Yet…

He looked into the distance, toward the direction where Yin Hanjiang dedicated himself to cultivation, hoping to become stronger to serve his lord.

Wenren È also settled down and focused on investigating the state of his body, trying to find a way to absorb natural spiritual energy. At the very least, he wanted to restore his arm.

Cultivators were untouched by time. A year passed in the blink of an eye, and Shu Yanyan completed her seclusion on the Burning Sky Drum. She giddily took her subordinates who had been sent to the main hall back to her palace, where she had a satisfying session of cultivation. She had increased her power in this past year, and her subordinates received greater benefits in return. Their loyalty to Shu Yanyan grew and they served her more faithfully.

There was just one point of concern. The Right Protector had her subordinates buy many books and ordered them all to read them, hoping to raise a cultured gentleman to satisfy some craving of hers. After three months, though, she gave up. It was easy to raise snobs but hard to find real gentlemen. She wasn’t one to force people to do things, and she still liked how her subordinates were direct with their intentions and wishes.

The gentleman who Shu Yanyan had been hung up on for all of three months before forgetting about had accompanied Baili Qingmiao to Shangqing Sect, after leaving the Hellfire Pavilion.

Since Hè Wenzhao was currently traveling, Baili Qingmiao greeted several of her elders, then called over Liu Xinye to give the Seven-Colored Jade Lotus Heart to her.

“Wh—where did you get such a mystical item?” said her master, Elder Qingrong.

“With the help of Immortal Qingxue, I obtained it at the Golden Coast Cliffs,” Baili Qingmiao said. “I wish to give it to Liu-shijie to aid in her recovery.”

In front of the rest of the elders, Qingrong couldn’t scold her disciple, but she was frantic. If Baili Qingmiao had gained such an amazing treasure, why wasn’t she using it to raise her own realm, and instead giving it to Liu Xinye? Her disciple had only one fault, which was that she didn’t use her brains enough. After becoming the nominal disciple of Immortal Qingxue, this habit had only gotten worse.

“Silly child, all you’re thinking about is your Liu-shijie?” said Elder Qingrong, blinking desperately at Baili Qingmiao. “Don’t you ever consider yourself? Look at your eyes. You’ve had your left eye covered all this time—has it been injured? You ought to have the medicinal hall elder take a look at it. The Seven-Colored Lotus Heart might be able to cure it.”

Baili Qingmiao’s remaining eye shone clear and bright as she held the lotus heart in both hands. “Don’t worry, master,” she said. “Your disciple also has desires for herself.”

She turned to Liu Xinye. Thinking back to the words Zhongli Qian had helped her rehearse, she said resolutely, “Liu-shijie, we’ve always disagreed with each other. Everyone at Shangqing Sect knows this, and I don’t wish to hide my thoughts from you. I don’t like you, and I’m not giving this lotus heart to you for your sake, but in order to let go of my fantasies.”

Hearing “fantasies”, Elder Qingrong sighed deeply. Hè Wenzhao had good aptitudes and was a beloved disciple of Shangqing Sect, so even if he had some improper relations with women, the sect elders could look the other way. As long as he didn’t cause major trouble or deviate, they would leave him be.

But when it came to Baili Qingmiao, who had been infatuated with him for many years, Hè Wenzhao really hadn’t treated her right. For each day that Liu Xinye went unhealed, Baili Qingmiao’s mind would be stuck on Hè Wenzhao for one more day, thinking dark thoughts like “I wish Liu-shijie would die already”. Her cultivation would eventually be affected. In this way, her choice could be considered as opening a new path for herself. It wasn’t out of thoughtless altruism.

Of course Liu Xinye wanted the elixir. She was tired of the way Hè Wenzhao looked at her. She had sacrificed her spiritual root for him, but after their marriage, every time Hè Wenzhao looked at her, he would sigh. He was a kind person and obviously wouldn’t say anything like “You’re the reason I can’t have Baili Qingmiao”. But Liu Xinye kept thinking—if she was stronger, would shixiong like her more?

She reached out a hand for it, but Baili Qingmiao stepped away.

“Baili Qingmiao!” Anxiety rose in Liu Xinye’s heart as she glared at Baili Qingmiao.

“I’m happy to give you the Seven-Colored Lotus Heart, and I don’t need anything in return,” said Baili Qingmiao. “But I didn’t get this alone. I was only able to because of Master Qingxue’s help, so Liu-shijie ought to thank Master Qingxue first.”

She handed the lotus heart to Qiu Congxue.

“Huh?” said Qiu Congxue, who’d been dozing off this whole time. With some effort, she lifted her eyelids and stuck an intact hand out of her robe to accept it. She was currently missing most of her body, and had to focus on maintaining the flesh on her face, so even making that motion wasn’t easy.

“Immortal Qingxue,” said Liu Xinye, gazing at Qiu Congxue. She could be angry to Baili Qingmiao, but she had no will to defy a wandering immortal.

The Seven-Colored Lotus Heart was an elixir for restoring spiritual roots and spiritual power, and didn’t have much use for restoring flesh, so Qiu Congxue wasn’t particularly interested. She was a demonic cultivator, though, and wouldn’t give something valuable to someone else even if she had no use for it.

She tossed the glowing treasure in her hand a few times. Liu Xinye’s gaze followed it up and down, frightened that she would drop it and dirty it on the floor.

“Why do you want to give something this good to her?” With effort, Qiu Congxue recalled the events at the Golden Coast Cliffs. “While getting this thing, I crawled in the ocean with no spiritual energy for hours,” she said unhappily.

After her lord dropped her into the ocean, she had to swim back to the cliffs.

Bitterly, Liu Xinye got to her knees. “Immortal Qingxue, the lotus heart is useless to you. Will you please let this disciple have it? I swear I’ll return the favor to you in the future.”

“In the future?” Qiu Congxue furrowed her brows, a scornful look on her face. “What good is that? What if I ascend in the future? What if you die in the future?”

Liu Xinye: …

Her master, Elder Qingyi, quickly stepped in for her. “Isn’t this because Xinye currently has no spiritual root and is as good as an ordinary person? Even if she swore to do something for you, she couldn’t. That’s why she has to promise to repay you in the future.”

“I don’t believe in the future,” Qiu Congxue said flatly. “I’ll take payment now. Make a spirit vow that you’ll pay me back with a treasure of twice the value. If you can’t, your spirit and Nascent Soul will be mine.”

Liu Xinye: …

“Immortal Qingxue, this… this demand of yours is too heavy,” said Elder Qingyi. “It’s hard to find another treasure like the Seven-Colored Lotus Heart, let alone one twice the value. If you make her take this vow, won’t you really be taking her spirit and Nascent Soul in the future?”

“Of course. It can have some use in refining elixirs or magic items,” Qiu Congxue said, unconcerned. “Or I can eat it myself, or send word out to anyone interested in buying it. I’m sure to find someone willing to pay good money.”

Liu Xinye, gritting her teeth, made the vow on her knees. Qiu Congxue roughly extracted a wisp of her soul, then finally gave the lotus heart to her.

The whole time, Liu Xinye glared at Baili Qingmiao.

Baili Qingmiao only thought back to Zhongli Qian’s words. “Miss Baili, I want you to turn the final decision over to Elder Qingxue. Not to make things difficult for Liu Xinye, but to test Hè Wenzhao. If Liu Xinye can’t pay her debt, will Hè Wenzhao help her? He owes his life to Liu Xinye, so it’s the proper thing for him to do. If he’s willing to watch his wife lose her soul to a pact without lifting a hand to help her, then you’ll know you were mistaken about him.”

Therefore, Baili Qingmiao didn’t immediately leave Shangqing Sect and stuck around for a few days for Hè Wenzhao’s return. When Hè Wenzhao heard that his little shimei was back, he ignored his wife and ran to Baili Qingmiao.

Baili Qingmiao looked at Hè Wenzhao with one eye, the other covered with a band the same black as Qiu Congxue’s robes. Hè Wenzhao stopped short. Taking a deep breath, he said, “Shimei, your eye… were you injured?”

“It’s nothing,” Baili Qingmiao said. She put a hand on her heart and found it calm. Silently, she exchanged a thankful gaze with Zhongli Qian before continuing, “Shixiong, don’t you want to see Liu-shijie? She’s in seclusion right now, and her spiritual root will be restored in a few more days.”

“Shimei!” Hè Wenzhao grasped Baili Qingmiao’s hand. With a soulful look, he said, “You know who the person I truly love is.”

“But aside from love, duty and debt are also important.” Baili Qingmiao pulled her hand away firmly. “Shixiong,” she said coolly, “if you’re someone who values his responsibilities, then while you’re in no position to marry me, please keep your own wishes hidden. Don’t betray the two women in your life. If you can’t even manage this, then how can you handle the leadership of the Shangqing Sect in the future? How can someone who can’t deal with his own problems make the world a better place?”

She turned away decisively, reporting to the administration hall master that she wished to travel the world for a few decades, to return after she made peace with her emotions.

Elder Qingrong tearfully accepted.

At the foot of the mountain, Zhongli Qian held a walking cane, waiting for her with a faint smile.

The single-eyed team greeted each other with a smile, about to head off together, but Elder Qingxue came after them. She said haughtily, “I’m bored at Shangqing Sect. I’ve decided to leave and steal— find some opportunities to raise my cultivation.”

“I’m so glad master can accompany us!” Baili Qingmiao said, throwing her arms around Qiu Congxue. She felt her sleeves. “Eh? Master, what happened to your body?”

Zhongli Qian: …

Altar Master Qiu truly was exceptional.

Thus, the three traveled the world together for thirty years. Zhongli Qian rose to Mahayana, while Baili Qingmiao came across many opportunities and managed to rise to Body Unity, entering the top ranks of the cultivation world.

The comment section wasn’t altogether pleased at this development.

[Aw come on, if Baili Qingmiao and Zhongli Qian want to travel the world, what does that have to do with you, Immortal Qingxue?]

[Aw come on, if Baili Qingmiao wants to travel the world with her Master Qingxue, what does that have to do with you, Zhongli Qian?]

It was all this type of complaint.

After glancing through the comments, Wenren È closed the book. He created a new illusory arm from blood mist, opened the array, and left the room.

Yin Hanjiang had already exited seclusion and was waiting outside. Seeing Wenren È exit, he immediately went forward to pay respects to him. His Venerable swept an odd, hungry look over him, then looked away quickly. “Top level of Void Boundary, on the threshold of Mahayana,” he said lightly. “Sect Leader Yin has shown incredible progress in just thirty years.”

“It’s thanks to the Spirit Gathering Array the Venerable set,” Yin Hanjiang said.

“Since you are a high-level cultivator in your own right, this Venerable is assigning you a task,” said Wenren È, a hand on his sleeve. “There is a traitor in Xuanyuan Sect, who will join forces against us with Hè Wenzhao in the future. His name is Cen Zhengqi. I’m uncertain whether or not he has already joined the sect at this point, or whether or not he has changed his name. Find this man for me.”

Yin Hanjiang stared for a moment. He wasn’t surprised there was a traitor in the sect. Strictly speaking, Xuanyuan Sect was all traitors except Yin Hanjiang. If Wenren È showed the slightest weakness, anyone might turn on him.

Wenren È didn’t mind disloyalty in his subordinates. He had said before that he only minded incompetence.

Thirty years ago, Wenren È had never brought up looking for a traitor, whether during the Great Sect War or while sorting out the sect afterward. How come after thirty years, he suddenly cared about insubordination within his own ranks?

Yin Hanjiang looked up doubtfully, but saw that Wenren È wasn’t looking at him. He couldn’t meet his Venerable’s warm gaze.