Volume One: The Demonic Lord's Young Master Chapter 6: The Dragon Maiden, Little Fish

Yao Yao did not show much surprise upon seeing the little girl. She feigned a casual tone and asked Qi Yu, "Where did you find her?"

Qi Yu was momentarily speechless; he could hardly say he had picked her up by the side of a pool. After a moment's thought, he replied, "Perhaps she is lost."

The little girl struck a precocious pose and said, "I am not lost. I have always been here; you just didn't notice me."

Yao Yao turned her back, a sly smile flitting across her face. She gave a light cough, crouched down, and placed a hand on the little girl's shoulder, asking pointedly, "Little sister, what is your name?"

The little girl’s eyes brightened, and she answered earnestly, "My name is Xiao Long—"

"Ahem!"

Yao Yao coughed forcefully and tightened her grip on the girl's shoulder. Pretending not to hear, she asked again, "Little sister, what did you just say your name was?"

Yao Yao blinked, and the little girl blinked back. After a moment of hesitation, seeing Qi Yu place the fish on the fire rack, she said, "I... I am called Xiao Yu'er."

Qi Yu walked over and squatted down as well, asking, "Little sister Xiao Yu'er, why do you say you have always been here? Where do you live?"

The little girl blinked, remaining silent once more.

Yao Yao patted Qi Yu’s shoulder and said, "Don't trouble Xiao Yu'er. Have you mastered the sword techniques I taught you earlier? If not, go back and practice."

Qi Yu gave an awkward smile, summoned his sword, Cold Cicada, and went to the cave entrance to continue his practice. Yet, a doubt lingered in his mind: Could this little girl be his fated opportunity?

Only then did the little girl breathe a long sigh of relief.

Yao Yao chuckled, grabbed the girl’s hand, and in an instant, the two vanished from the spot. A moment later, they appeared within the Demon God Sword Domain.

"Sister Yao Yao, that was a close call!" Xiao Yu'er complained with dissatisfaction as soon as they arrived.

Yao Yao crouched down, asking with great joy, "Xiao Longnu, are you finally free?"

Xiao Yu'er corrected her, "Sister Yao Yao, my name is Xiao Yu'er now. Don't get it wrong again." She added, "As for being free, not yet. What you see now is merely an avatar formed by my Dragon Pearl."

Yao Yao sighed, "Ah, you were too impulsive back then, chasing after him into the human realm, only to end up trapped here."

Xiao Yu'er stuck out her tongue. "You followed the Young Master to the human realm, so of course I had to come too. But my true body is locked beneath the pond; only the Young Master can help me."

Yao Yao felt a pang of helplessness and flicked Xiao Yu'er on the nose. Xiao Yu'er took Yao Yao’s hand, and the two returned to the cave.

Qi Yu had practiced the sword forms ten more times, and feeling his wrists ache, he stretched his arms before hurrying to check on the grilled fish.

Yao Yao and Xiao Yu'er sat on the wooden bed, chatting and laughing. Qi Yu divided the grilled fish into three portions. Upon seeing the food, Xiao Yu'er’s eyes brightened, and she began to eat with gusto.

Suddenly, Yao Yao’s expression turned cold, and she glanced outside the cave. In the woods, a figure seemed to flicker by and vanish.

Noticing the sudden change in Yao Yao’s demeanor, Qi Yu asked, "Sister Yao Yao, what is wrong?"

Yao Yao smiled faintly and shook her head. "It is nothing."

At the Tiangang Sword Sect, in the Second Elder’s secret chamber, a person dressed in black with an obscured face knelt on one knee. The Second Elder sat in a grand armchair and asked coldly, "How are the preparations within the family?"

The man in black replied, "The family head’s second son, Su Zexuan, possesses extraordinary talent. Given time, his cultivation will surely surpass that of Su Ze'an."

The Second Elder hummed, "Cultivate him diligently. Bring him to the Sword Sect a year from now to vie for the position of Holy Son."

The man in black bowed. "Understood!"

The Second Elder stood up and asked, "What about the investigation within the Sword Sect?"

The man replied, "No trace of the demonic monsters has been found."

The Second Elder smiled with satisfaction. "Very well. Has the Fourth Elder been dealt with?"

"We have him under control, awaiting the Elder's orders."

The Second Elder, often at odds with the Fourth Elder, wore a sinister expression. He made a throat-slitting gesture and sneered, "Leave none of his disciples alive. Let them vanish from this world entirely. If Chen Qingming asks, tell him they were lackeys of the Demon Race!"

The man in black bowed again. "As you command, Elder!"

Just then, the door to the chamber creaked, and another figure in black slipped inside. The Second Elder glanced at him sideways and asked blandly, "What is it?"

The man bowed. "Reporting to the Elder, that good-for-nothing Qi Yu from the Sword Sect is hiding in the Dragon Pool forbidden area deep in the back mountains."

The Second Elder was startled. "He is not dead?"

The other man in black exclaimed in disbelief, "The Dragon Pool is surrounded by murderous aura year-round. Even I would not dare approach it lightly. Are you sure you didn't mistake him for someone else?"

The man was certain. "I am absolutely sure. Furthermore, I saw that wretch go into the pool to catch fish."

The other man gasped, "This—this is impossible!"

The Second Elder interrupted, "Enough!" Both men fell silent.

The Second Elder’s face grew dark, his eyes narrowing as he muttered to himself, "Could Su Ze'an’s death be related to that wretch?"

"Impossible. Su Ze'an was only a step away from the Profound Entrance Realm, while Qi Yu is a talentless waste without any cultivation. Could a demon have truly infiltrated the sect undetected?"

Back when Qi Zhenming was alive, the Second Elder had been in constant conflict with him. Three years ago, when the sect went to the Demon Lair to slay demons, it was the Second Elder who bribed high-level cultivators to ensure Qi Zhenming would not return alive, intending to brand him a coward. The rumors spread by the returning cultivators had also been silenced by the Second Elder. The truth of that matter could never be leaked.

The Second Elder paced the chamber, finally declaring, "That wretch must die!"

"Also, launch another strict investigation for demonic monsters within the sect. Better to kill an innocent than to let one slip by!"

The two men in black replied in unison, "Understood, Elder!"

After they left, the Second Elder sat back in his chair, his eyes venomous. He chuckled to himself, "Heh, Chen Qingming, once I clear away all the obstacles in the sect, your position as Sect Master will be mine sooner or later! The Tiangang Sword Sect will eventually become an appendage of my Su family!"

Inside the Demon God Sword Domain, Qi Yu practiced the sword manual Yao Yao had taught him over and over. It was beginning to take shape, yet Yao Yao remained dissatisfied, finding Qi Yu too dull.

As a sword soul, Yao Yao could grasp any sword technique with a mere hint of guidance, but Qi Yu was different; his bloodline had not yet awakened, and he was currently nothing more than an ordinary mortal.

After countless repetitions, Yao Yao, suppressing the urge to draw her sword and strike him, finally snapped off a tree branch from the outside world. Whenever Qi Yu’s movements were imprecise, she would mercilessly lash out at him with the branch.

"Snap!"

"Wrong!"

"Wrong again!"

Yao Yao’s face was stony as she tapped the branch against the arm Qi Yu used to hold his sword.

By now, Qi Yu’s body was covered in sweat and welts from the bamboo branch, but from beginning to end, he gritted his teeth and endured it without a single word of complaint.

When he finished the final repetition, covered in injuries, Yao Yao tossed him a medicine bottle. "These are restorative pills. They will heal your wounds."

Qi Yu quickly consumed the pill. A cooling sensation rapidly spread through his body, and he was amazed to find his wounds healing at a visible rate.

Amidst this cooling sensation, a flash of insight struck his mind. With no time to think, Qi Yu sat cross-legged on the ground and closed his eyes, rapidly circulating the spiritual energy in his dantian.

Vortices of air appeared out of thin air around him, madly absorbing the spiritual energy within the Sword Domain and channeling it into his body.

Yao Yao held the bamboo branch behind her back, a curve forming on her lips. "It has been over half a year. Is he finally about to break through to the Profound Entrance Realm?"