NOVEL NEXT Chapter Seventeen: This Demon Cultivator Sect Leader is a Bit of a Punishment
Dinner time.
While enjoying some roasted fish made by Zhang Xiaoying, Sang Zhe suddenly asked:
“Zhang Xiaoying, are you close with Shi Qingyan?”
Zhang Xiaoying thought for a moment and shook her head.
“Not really.”
This left Sang Zhe dumbfounded.
He thought that Shi Qingyan had unrequited feelings for Zhang Xiaoying, and the two should have a strong bond, maybe even something akin to childhood sweethearts.
But Zhang Xiaoying’s simple response of “not close” completely fried Sang Zhe’s brain.
“You don’t know her?”
“I do know her,” Zhang Xiaoying quietly picked up a piece of food, then casually added, “but Senior Sister Shi is the third senior sister of the Qingning Hall, and she also has the identity of a hidden guard in the sect; I was only under her care for a short while when I first joined.”
“Senior Sister Shi is quite nice and takes good care of the new disciples in the team.”
“…But that’s about it.”
Sang Zhe blinked.
He could tell Zhang Xiaoying had more to say.
He was a bit curious to ask further, but his instincts told him Zhang Xiaoying didn’t like the topic.
After hesitating for a moment, he said, “If you don’t want to talk about it, that’s fine; it’s not a big deal.”
“If the master wants to know, I will naturally say everything.”
Zhang Xiaoying said calmly: “Actually, it’s nothing much. When we first joined, Senior Sister Shi showed a bit more favoritism towards us new disciples without connections.”
“While she meant well, it ended up causing some dissatisfaction among other disciples.”
“Privately, I still faced some isolation and neglect, and there were some unfounded rumors.”
Even though Zhang Xiaoying spoke nonchalantly, Sang Zhe, who felt empathetic, knew how difficult and unjust those times were.
“Why did the master suddenly ask this?”
“The masked assassin that attacked us today was Shi Qingyan.”
Zhang Xiaoying replied with an “oh,” her expression showing no signs of concern.
As if she truly didn’t care about the matter.
The two of them resumed eating in silence. Sang Zhe also began to slowly contemplate a strategy for approaching Shi Qingyan.
When it came to winning over Shi Qingyan, he might have to take it slow, just like with Yan Rouwan.
Step by step, gradually increasing the dosage.
On the other hand, it seemed it was about time to make progress with Yan Rouwan too.
However, the next step in his plan regarding Yan Rouwan faced a dilemma.
Just relying on his own authority didn’t seem quite enough for the next phase.
He wondered if Tang Yubbing would approve of his plan…
At this moment, the communication device suddenly lit up with a faint glow. Someone had sent him a message.
Sang Zhe felt an ominous premonition.
Oh no.
Getting a WeChat notification at this time couldn’t be anything good.
It wasn’t going to be a request for overtime, was it?
Sure enough, after opening the communication device, Sang Zhe saw Tang Yubbing’s message:
“Come up the mountain.”
Sang Zhe had initially planned to complain a bit, but Tang Yubbing’s next sentence silenced him.
“The sect leader wants to see you.”
—
—
By the time Sang Zhe climbed the mountain, it was already completely dark.
On the mountain top, he could vaguely see some demon cultivators from other departments occasionally staying late to work, but most of the buildings were dark inside.
Only in front of Sang Zhe was this elegant and unique courtyard building, brightly lit like daytime.
This was Sang Zhe’s first time entering the Demon Cultivator Sect Leader’s personal quarters.
In fact, he had only seen this legendary Crossing Tribulation Stage cultivator once when she rescued him.
They hadn’t even exchanged more than a few words.
Standing at the door, Sang Zhe felt a bit awkward, hesitating whether to politely knock and ask something.
But the door wasn’t even closed.
He pushed the door open, and the entire hallway was brightly lit. Sang Zhe carefully walked deeper inside, all the way to the bedroom door at the top of the small building.
“Ahem, Sect Leader, I’m here.”
“…Who?” A muffled voice suddenly came from inside.
“It’s me, Little Sang.” Sang Zhe nodded and bowed, “Didn’t you call for me?”
“Little Sang… Oh, Sang Zhe.”
He heard a swallowing sound, then a weak voice said, “Come in. The door is open.”
With infinite respect for his superior, Sang Zhe slowly pushed the door open.
The room was large but simply decorated; just a bed and light pink curtains gave it a youthful flair.
However, it was quite messy.
The bed was unmade, the quilt twisted up on the mattress, and a few pieces of clothing were scattered at the bedside, which even included a piece of underwear.
The tea table was also cluttered with piles of leftover food and scattered crumbs, bringing back memories of his past life where he’d been too lazy to cook and lived among takeaway bags.
In a huge chair next to the desk sat a small girl curled up.
Referring to her as a girl might not be entirely accurate.
With her height of about one hundred and forty-five centimeters and that innocent, fair face, she looked more like a little girl who hadn’t yet reached womanhood.
She wore only a loose, flowing sheer nightgown that wrapped around her doll-like petite frame. Curling up on the chair, resembling a hunched cat, she had several bags of dried fruit and pastries beside her.
Her messy hair appeared amusingly cute, even with a couple of prominent hairs sticking up.
Sang Zhe gasped.
No doubt.
This was the infamous Demon Cultivator Sect Leader, Hua Jianglian.
She was actually all right when Sang Zhe first met her. At that time, Hua Jianglian had at least been in a black lotus dress, with a cowl covering her, her lips bright and striking.
Though small in stature, she exuded a quiet, cool mystery and an imposing presence.
But now, after returning to her home, Hua Jianglian painted an image of an introverted homebody.
His imagined image of an extraordinary figure had collapsed entirely.
Even at this moment, while Sang Zhe entered the room, she showed no embarrassment but instead was intently focused on her little drawing book, completely engrossed while munching on snacks.
“Um… Sect Leader?”
“Hmm?”
“Did you need something important from me?”
“Oh.” She didn’t even take her eyes off the drawing book, casually replying, “I heard you caught two fairies today, and one is the daughter of the Water Moon Sect leader?”
Sang Zhe’s heart tightened.
Oh no.
What if the sect leader had noticed something and was about to question him on how he had caught them?
But the next moment, Hua Jianglian praised him: “Not bad. You can handle those who are foundation establishment level better than those who are at the transformation stage.”
“You’ve got a bit of my former flair.”
Sang Zhe: “…Yes, esteemed sect leader’s abilities are unmatched; I cannot compare.”
Ha, such shameless boasting.
You can beat those at transformation stage with foundation establishment?
“Mmhm, good to know.”
She shamelessly wiped her mouth with her sleeve and continued, “That old woman from the Water Moon Sect has been causing trouble for us demons every day, stirring unrest within the sect.”
“Now that you’ve caught her daughter, hurry up and train her well. I can’t wait to see that old woman get flustered and lose her cool.”
“…I’ll do my best.”
Good.
The sect leader doesn’t just look like a little girl.
Her temperament matches that of a little girl too.
“Oh, by the way, how’s the training for Yan Rouwan going, the one I assigned to you?”
“Uh, we are nearing the end. Just one final push left.”
Hua Jianglian suddenly turned her little head, frowning, seemingly unhappy.
“Why has it taken so long? You used to be quite efficient!”
“Uh, um,” Sang Zhe racked his brain for an excuse, “Yan fairy’s character is quite loyal. She’s far from the average fairy, so it might take a bit longer.”
“I’ll give you five more days.”
The little girl pouted, saying in a delicate tone, “If you can’t finish the training in five days, I might just lose my patience.”
“Don’t blame me if I cut your year-end bonus then.”
The moment he heard “year-end bonus,” Sang Zhe felt like he was electrified, his body shivering, his eyes full of motivation.
“Rest assured, sect leader! Within five days, I’ll ensure this woman becomes a loyal dog under your command. If you tell her to go east, she won’t dare go west; if you let her play Genshin Impact, she won’t dare to criticize the original version!”
After hearing this, Hua Jianglian nodded with a hint of satisfaction.
“Well then, I’ll watch how you perform. You can head back now.”
Sang Zhe hesitated for a moment, then mustered up his courage and softly spoke:
“Sect Leader, regarding the final step in training Yan Rouwan…”
After he rambled on, Hua Jianglian’s little eyebrows knitted together, seeming somewhat hesitant.
After a moment, she shook her little head.
“Never mind, I’ll leave it entirely to you. You can do what you want.”
“Anyway, if you fail, I’ll hold you accountable.”
“If you fail and let her go, don’t even think about being the best next year either.”
Sang Zhe promptly straightened up and saluted: “Rest assured! I will accomplish the task!”