Escape from the Demon Realm (1)

Uncle Jinghua had once described his beloved disciple as overly rigid, humorless, and a stickler for cleanliness, disliking contact with others. Yet, she was also known for her impeccable character, strict adherence to proper attire and conduct, and the dignified bearing befitting a senior sister of the Penglai Immortal Sect.

But the Lin Qianshuang that Xiao Lanle saw was a far cry from this image. She carelessly wiped her face with a handkerchief, betraying no sign of her supposed cleanliness. Her clothes were disheveled, her hair a tangled mess, and she seemed unconcerned about her disheveled appearance.

When Lin Qianshuang met Xiao Lanle’s gaze, she offered a strained, forced smile that felt insincere to Xiao Lanle.

Senior Brother Liang had once remarked that Lin Qianshuang, though not conventionally beautiful, possessed a charm that grew on you the more you looked at her.

Xiao Lanle, however, felt an immediate sense of unease upon seeing Lin Qianshuang’s face. The woman’s delicate features, marked by a distinctive tear mole, were undeniably attractive, and Xiao Lanle knew that such a face could easily win over men. But the memory of Lin Qianshuang’s suggestive movements and expressions, the image of her swaying body and the silver ring on her wrist, triggered a visceral reaction.

This was no innocent, demure beauty. Xiao Lanle saw a seductive, alluring figure, a creature who seemed to exude an almost predatory energy. She felt a wave of nausea and a surge of jealousy as she noticed the silver ring on Lin Qianshuang’s wrist, identical to the one Liang Jingxuan had been wearing.

There was no doubt that this person was Senior Sister Lin, the one Senior Brother Liang had never forgotten, the one Xiao Lanle had envied for so long.

But… why was she so different from what Xiao Lanle imagined?

Xiao Lanle’s image of Lin Qianshuang, the majestic and aloof senior sister, had completely shattered. After a moment of stunned disbelief, she looked at the beautiful woman in front of her, and the word “shameless” flashed through her mind.

The sect’s eldest disciple, captured and defiled by a demon cultivator. If it were Xiao Lanle, she would have ended her own life for the sake of Penglai Immortal Sect’s reputation and the little dignity left after such a humiliation. How could Lin Qianshuang choose to live, acting as if nothing had happened?

It was a cruel irony that she, Xiao Lanle, the daughter of the sect leader, was compared to this “witch” in Senior Brother Liang’s heart.

Seeing Xiao Lanle’s face flushed with anger and disgust, Lin Qianshuang quickly retracted her hand, which was about to offer the handkerchief. “Junior Sister Xiao,” she said, “I’ll wash this handkerchief and give it back to you. It’s too dirty.”

“You don’t need to return it,” Xiao Lanle replied coldly. “I find it repulsive. Keep it.”

Lin Qianshuang stored the handkerchief in her jade slip. She was momentarily taken aback by Xiao Lanle’s words, then realized that Xiao Lanle knew her identity and was genuinely repulsed by her.

Witnessing Lin Qianshuang’s stunned reaction, Xiao Lanle couldn’t help but lash out. “Senior Sister Lin, Senior Uncle praised your noble character and unwavering loyalty to the sect. Yet, you’ve been defiled by a demon cultivator. If this were to get out, it would bring shame upon Penglai. Do you have no shame at all?”

She threw the Plain Inquiry Sword at Lin Qianshuang’s feet with a clang.

Lin Qianshuang picked up the spirit sword, confused, and looked at Xiao Lanle.

Xiao Lanle stared at her with disdain. “Senior Sister Lin, as one of Penglai Immortal Sect’s top disciples, you should commit suicide with dignity. This Plain Inquiry Sword is a top-grade spirit sword, a hundred years in the making. Use it to repay the sect for your upbringing.”

Lin Qianshuang thought, “What’s going on? Logically, I should be the one taken and abused by the demon cultivator. Why am I being forced to die for their actions, all because it brings shame to the sect? This moral blackmail is absurd.”

She scoffed, wondering why she hadn’t noticed in the book that Xiao Lanle was such a rigid, righteous cultivator.

Seeing Lin Qianshuang hesitate, Xiao Lanle continued in a harsher tone, “Senior Sister, if Senior Brother Liang saw you like this, he would definitely be disgusted. A woman defiled by a demon cultivator, especially a female one, is an immoral act that no one can accept.”

Lin Qianshuang instantly understood. Xiao Lanle had been trying to convince her to commit suicide all this time, but it was all for Liang Jingxuan.

Xiao Lanle must have thought that Lin Qianshuang was tainted and no longer worthy of her Senior Brother Liang. She believed Lin Qianshuang should die to maintain her previous good image.

Lin Qianshuang inwardly cursed Liang Jingxuan, calling him a “dead stallion man.” She wondered what kind of love potion he had fed Xiao Lanle to make her so devoted to him.

“So what if I’m a good woman? So what if I’ve been with a demon cultivator? The path of cultivation is about returning to simplicity, abandoning the physical body and ascending to the Dao. My heart is devoted to the sect. Why should I uphold these hypocritical notions of benevolence, righteousness, and morality for the sake of the sect?”

Xiao Lanle stared at Lin Qianshuang, her face a mixture of shock and disbelief. These words, so audacious and unorthodox, were coming from the mouth of the sect’s senior sister. If Master Jinghua heard them, she would likely faint from anger.

Lin Qianshuang decided to show Xiao Lanle what “dirty” truly meant. After speaking, she walked towards Xiao Lanle, holding out the Plain Inquiry Sword. As she returned the sword, she leaned close to Xiao Lanle’s ear and whispered, “Junior Sister Xiao, you’ve never experienced the joys of soul cultivation. It’s much faster than any other method. If you’re not averse to it, why don’t we try it together?”

Xiao Lanle was backed into a corner, Lin Qianshuang’s breath hot against her ear. She felt a sudden surge of fear and anxiety.

“Senior Sister Lin also seems to like women, could it be she’s interested in me?”

Xiao Lanle thought to herself, feeling physically uncomfortable with Lin Qianshuang’s closeness, but inexplicably found her smile rather endearing.

“I was just teasing you, Junior Sister Xiao. You didn’t answer me, have you given it any thought?”

Lin Qianshuang moved away from Xiao Lanle, observing her bewildered expression. She picked up the qin from the ground and said, “Don’t get me wrong, I haven’t been defiled by a demon cultivator. And even if I did like women, you wouldn’t be my type. Rest assured, Junior Sister Xiao.”

Xiao Lanle blushed as she saw Lin Qianshuang’s deliberately mocking smile. Embarrassed and angry, she grabbed the Plain Inquiry Sword, stepped closer, and pushed Lin Qianshuang hard, saying, “Senior Sister Lin, you are shameless and unreasonable!”

Lin Qianshuang held the qin, watching Xiao Lanle’s dignified face contort with anger. In her heart, she childishly and resentfully thought, “Xiao Lanle, I’m just messing with you. Who told you to have such a venomous tongue? Your personality is completely different from the one in the book. You’re no little angel at all.”

Humph, she’s just being arrogant and unhappy anyway.

The right hand holding the qin was pulled forcefully, and in an instant, it was placed on the hilt of the Plain Inquiry Sword, ready for flight.

Lin Qianshuang, tossed onto the tail of the Plain Inquiry Sword by Xiao Lanle, couldn’t believe her junior sister was actually taking her back to Penglai Immortal Sect.

Xiao Lanle, observing Lin Qianshuang’s incredulous expression, burned a transmission talisman, her voice cold as she said, “I’ve informed Senior Brother Liang of our location. He’ll be here soon. The barrier between the Demon Realm and the Human Realm has been sealed, so let’s find the exit first.”

Lin Qianshuang, settling her qin on her lap and sitting cross-legged at the sword’s tail, suddenly adopted a serious expression. “The defenses at Tinglan Courtyard are the weakest,” she advised Xiao Lanle. “You should go there first and leave Tianmu Cave.”

Xiao Lanle, controlling the Plain Inquiry Sword until it was stable, shot back with barbed words, “Senior Sister Lin, I’m bringing you back to Penglai Immortal Sect, not to save you. I want Senior Brother Liang to see what kind of person the flawless Senior Sister Lin in his heart truly is.”

“Okay, I heard you clearly,” Lin Qianshuang replied, her tone nonchalant. “Junior Sister Xiao, focus on your swordsmanship, or we might end up crashing.”

Xiao Lanle felt a lump in her throat, unable to speak. Was Lin Qianshuang even listening? Her words were clearly a threat.

Lin Qianshuang, watching Xiao Lanle’s back as she controlled the sword, pulled out a clean fruit from her storage jade slip and began to eat it, silently making a promise to herself.

“Junior Sister Xiao, you’re thinking too much. Don’t worry, I’ll become the most beautiful white lotus in the sect, forever blooming in Liang Jingxuan’s heart, leaving you with nowhere to go.”

Lin Qianshuang, having devoured the entire fruit, let out a satisfied burp and stretched.

After a long, tiring day, and nearly dying, this peaceful feeling was simply blissful.

Xiao Lanle looked back at Lin Qianshuang, who was relaxing with such ease, and felt a surge of speechless frustration. She suddenly regretted bringing Lin Qianshuang along. This woman was as thick-skinned as a city wall.

Didn’t she realize how much Xiao Lanle hated her?

How could she sit so calmly on the sword, resting as if nothing had happened?

The sky of the Demon Realm was chaotic and gloomy. Dark purple demonic light pierced through the billowing clouds, flowing over the vast mountain ranges and the churning red tide of the magma sea. It transformed into unpredictable hurricanes, strangling any outsiders who dared to enter the forbidden Refining Valley.

As Xiao Lanle flew through a deep valley in the Demon Cultivation Realm, a primordial wind attacked from all directions, shaking the ground and causing the spirit sword to tremble.

“Don’t go there, that’s the Forbidden Refining Valley! You’ll be thrown back!”

Lin Qianshuang watched Xiao Lanle fly towards the forbidden zone, her eyes narrowed. She quickly tucked her qin into her storage jade slip, then rushed to Xiao Lanle’s side, stopping her from continuing her reckless flight.

Lin Qianshuang looked at the swirling storm in front of them, her voice urgent, “Stop, Junior Sister Xiao, or we’ll both fall!”

“Shut up! I’m the Sect Leader’s daughter and the Chief Disciple of Master Tianshu. There’s nothing I can’t do!”

Xiao Lanle bristled at Lin Qianshuang’s doubts, her focus solely on maneuvering her sword through the primordial winds. She glared at Lin Qianshuang, who was struggling to stay upright, “Hold onto me, or you’ll fall!”

Lin Qianshuang, tossed about by the powerful winds, quickly grabbed onto Xiao Lanle’s shoulders. Her feet were lifted off the ground, leaving her suspended in the air.

Xiao Lanle noticed Lin Qianshuang’s increasing instability. The grip on her shoulders was loosening, and she knew Lin Qianshuang was about to fall. She reached out and grabbed Lin Qianshuang’s hand, her voice sharp, “Senior Sister Lin, if you want to live, hold onto my waist. I don’t want to be misunderstood by Senior Brother Liang and accused of killing a fellow disciple.”