Chapter 231 - 230: Cultivation World: The Taichu Sword’s Bad Temper

"You... don’t you go too far!"

This time, Li Jingxuan didn’t waste words. The Taichu Sword materialized in his hand, and with a slight lift of his arm, he aimed the longsword directly at the group of Cultivators across from him.

It was a tyrannical and unreasonable gesture, but remarkably effective.

The expressions on their faces shifted. In the end, they said nothing, merely shooting a malevolent glare at Chu Liangyu and her two companions before silently heading upstairs.

"That sword... why does it look so familiar?"

In the quiet inn, someone suddenly spoke up in confusion, and everyone’s gaze followed the voice.

"Of course it’s familiar. Isn’t that the sword of the Divinity Transformation Cultivator from the Yunwu Sect who became a Fallen Demon? I remember the sword is called Taichu."

This meant that the man standing before them was none other than Li Jingxuan of the Yunwu Sect—the same Li Jingxuan who was rumored to have an improper relationship with his disciple.

"So it’s him..."

The tone was ambiguous, clearly lacking any goodwill.

"Tsk... A Peak Master from the top sect in the Cultivation World, carrying on an affair with his own disciple. You have to admit, these major sects are wild."

"Keep your voice down, he’s still right here."

"Why should I? They’re the ones who did something wrong. What’s the harm in talking about it?"

The attempt to placate him was useless. If anything, it only made him speak more fervently.

The Taichu Sword began to HUM loudly. Before Li Jingxuan could even move to suppress it, the sword shot out of his grasp.

The Taichu Sword reached the man in a flash, its tip aimed directly between his eyebrows.

The sudden turn of events was so swift the man had no time to react.

The continuous ringing of the sword sent a chill through those standing nearby, and they could feel the rage contained within the sound.

From its reaction, it was clear the Taichu Sword could no longer stomach their words and had moved to protect its master on its own accord.

In an instant, the chattering crowd fell silent.

Chu Liangyu instinctively glanced at Li Jingxuan’s expression, only to find him turning to look at her at the exact same moment.

But he quickly turned away.

"Return."

He spoke that single word to the sword, and the Taichu Sword flew back to his side.

Li Jingxuan paid no mind to the onlookers’ stares and was the first to head upstairs to find his room.

Chu Liangyu and Wen Yan remained behind to check in. After paying with some Spirit Stones, they also prepared to head upstairs to find their rooms.

"Fellow Daoist, please wait. I know this is a lot to ask, but I’d like to request that you let me stay with you for a while."

"Honestly, if I leave now, with my level of cultivation, those people will catch up to me again very quickly."

"But don’t worry. As soon as the people coming to pick me up arrive, I’ll leave. I’ll have a reward for you then as well."

Chu Liangyu didn’t feel any pressure to decide. After all, she was just benefiting from Li Jingxuan’s protection.

’Since Li Jingxuan was willing to save her, he probably wouldn’t mind this Female Cultivator tagging along.’

"Alright. How about you share a room with me?"

"Okay!"

The Female Cultivator nodded immediately in agreement. She then introduced herself, "My name is Lan Zhaozhao. May I ask your name, Fellow Daoist?"

"Chu Liangyu."

The two made small talk as they quickly headed upstairs. Her room was very close to Wen Yan’s, with only a single room between them.

And that room in between belonged to Li Jingxuan. The reason was simple: with their low cultivation, staying close allowed them to borrow his prestige for protection, which would let them rest easier at night.

Cultivators don’t need to sleep. Lan Zhaozhao found a meditation cushion and settled down to meditate.

That being the case, Chu Liangyu didn’t stand on ceremony and claimed the only bed in the room for herself.

Now that it was finally quiet, Chu Liangyu had a moment to review the events of the last few days.

’Even though Li Jingxuan has become a Demon Cultivator, his fundamental nature hasn’t changed. He still abides by the moral code of a Righteous Cultivator.’

’He never kills wantonly and is even trying to bring order to the Demon Realm. Most notably, his act of saving that Female Cultivator just now shows that, in his heart, he makes no distinction between the righteous path and the demonic.’

’After observing him for the past few days, I’ve developed a theory.’

’Perhaps becoming a Fallen Demon was something Li Jingxuan was fated to experience. Even without the incident involving his disciple, something else would have likely pushed him down that path.’

’As for why it had to be him, I have a bold theory: this world’s Heavenly Dao probably intends to use Li Jingxuan to resolve the conflict between the righteous and demonic paths, thereby advancing the Cultivation World.’

’But a small snag has appeared in that plan. His Heart Demon prevents Li Jingxuan from focusing on his cultivation, much less dealing with the affairs of the Demon Realm with his full attention.’

’The original Chu Liangyu of this world is already dead. That means once I complete my mission, I’ll have to find a reason to "die" as well.’

’The problem is, I’m completely clueless about that final piece of the puzzle—the key to dispelling Li Jingxuan’s Heart Demon.’

’Even with all the gossip from the people downstairs, his Heart Demon didn’t manifest. That shows his Heart Demon isn’t triggered by what others say about him.’

’Which means his Heart Demon is still me.’

’I can clearly feel the change in Li Jingxuan’s attitude, but he refuses to admit it, still determined to maintain the facade of their master-disciple relationship.’

Sighing silently, Chu Liangyu felt mentally exhausted.

But this wasn’t an issue that could be solved overnight. Aside from Li Jingxuan’s Heart Demon, there was something else that weighed on Chu Liangyu’s mind.

’The Female Cultivator named Weaving Lady whom I met when I arrived, and Mu Jin, whom Li Jingxuan sent to take care of me... although the two look different, they both give me a strange sense of dissonance.’

’Especially that medicinal soup from Mu Jin. It was able to break through the Eye-blocking Technique the Heavenly Dao had placed on me. That’s definitely not normal.’

’The look in both of their eyes gives me a sense of déjà vu, but I just can’t place it.’

"How is it, did you and Elder Yu find anything abnormal about the two of them?"

Faced with such a bizarre situation, Chu Liangyu’s first reaction was to ask this world’s Heavenly Dao.

"It happened so suddenly, even I couldn’t see anything."

"But, you don’t need to worry. The next time she appears, I will definitely be able to find out her identity."

Chu Liangyu was silent for a moment, then said, "I will help you keep an eye out."

Chu Liangyu could always sense that strange dissonance, which she figured was a sign of that person’s appearance. That was why she’d offered to help the Heavenly Dao keep watch.

Just as she was lost in thought, the sound of a door opening reached her ears.

Chu Liangyu, who had only been sitting cross-legged rather than truly meditating, snapped her eyes open.

It was Lan Zhaozhao, pushing the door open and leaving. Chu Liangyu was puzzled but didn’t ask any questions.

After the door closed, Chu Liangyu shut her eyes again, intending to begin cultivating.

Unexpectedly, she heard a knock on the door of the adjacent room.

Recalling that Lan Zhaozhao had just left, Chu Liangyu couldn’t help but wonder if she was the one knocking on Li Jingxuan’s door.

’Li Jingxuan did save her life, after all. She’s probably going to thank him.’

With that thought, Chu Liangyu stopped paying attention and focused once more on her cultivation.