Demoness, Stop! - Chapter 34 - Chapter 34 – Returning to the Sect

Baiyun Mountain Range.

After leaving Baiyun Temple, Li Yu flew a distance and stood atop a mountain peak. He opened the wooden box Elder Sun had given him.

The box wasn’t large, about a foot square, but what was inside left Li Yu momentarily stunned, his breath quickening after a brief pause.

Inside the box was filled with spirit tickets—each ticket had a face value of 500 spirit coins.

Li Yu carefully counted several times: seventy tickets in total, each worth 500 spirit coins. That made a total of 35,000 spirit coins. Exchanged for Meridian Clearing Pills, that would be thirty-five pills. These real Meridian Clearing Pills were enough to fully nourish a cultivator who had just entered the Qi Refining stage and push them all the way to the fifth layer of Qi Refining…

The value of this gift far exceeded Li Yu’s expectations!

It must be that Elder Sun had given him all the spirit coins he had accumulated over the years…

Li Yu did some quick mental math. Apprentices studying pill refining on Danding Peak were given 100 spirit coins per month by the sect. Elder Han received a monthly subsidy of 1,000 spirit coins because he was an alchemist, so his treatment was much better than those of the same rank. As a Foundation Establishment elder, Elder Sun received at least 500 spirit coins a month.

Five hundred a month, six thousand a year, almost six years to save 35,000. Li Yu remembered Elder Sun once mentioned that when he thought forming a Golden Core was hopeless, he came to Baiyun Temple to serve as steward elder—it had been exactly six years since then…

Cultivators generally don’t have the habit of saving spirit coins. They also can’t accumulate much—just like Li Yu, when he has enough spirit coins, he converts them into pills to increase his cultivation. Elder Sun was able to save so much because in recent years, disheartened, he had been sunbathing at Baiyun Temple waiting to die, slowly saving up his monthly salary…

If a Foundation Establishment elder neglects his own cultivation but is determined to nurture juniors, ten-plus years would be enough to help someone reach Foundation Establishment. That was why that woman dared to promise Li Yu twenty years to reach Foundation Establishment…

Li Yu stood stunned for a long time. Along with the joy came a touch of melancholy.

What does reaching Foundation Establishment matter? What does living for over two hundred years matter? In the end, dust returns to dust, soil returns to soil. No matter how many spirit coins one has, at that moment, they mean nothing.

Elder Sun was like this—Li Yu didn’t know if he would end up the same.

After a short moment of melancholy, Li Yu collected himself. No matter what happens, he would do his best.

Compared to Elder Sun, at least he was still young—with more than two hundred years ahead to contemplate such matters.

He held the wooden box and flew toward the familiar valley.

It had been over a month—he wondered how the little white tiger was doing, and whether it had forgotten him.

Before reaching the valley, Li Yu’s body trembled slightly from afar.

On the big rock where he often sat to cultivate, lay a small white figure facing Baiyun Temple, gazing longingly in that direction.

When the familiar figure appeared, the little white tiger’s body shook. It rubbed its eyes with its two tiger paws, then jumped down from the giant rock and sprinted quickly toward Li Yu.

As it ran, its small body actually lifted off the ground, running mid-air like a white lightning bolt, and collided into Li Yu’s arms.

After a moment, by the stream’s grass, the little white tiger knocked Li Yu to the ground, rolling and frolicking on top of him. Its large tiger eyes showed an expression of grievance and anger, as if scolding Li Yu for not visiting for so long.

After making a fuss for a while, it calmed down, jumped into the stream, and quickly returned with a big fish in its mouth. It tossed it at Li Yu’s feet and gestured at him with a nudge of its nose.

Li Yu wrapped the fish in lotus leaves, smeared it with mud on the outside, then roasted it. Once it was ready, he placed it on a clean lotus leaf. Watching the little thing devour it with gusto, a smile involuntarily curved on his lips.

Just now, he’d noticed something surprising—the little guy could fly now.

Perhaps it was because of the Qi Gathering Pill; within its body, spiritual energy was also converging, equivalent to the first layer of Qi Refining, with three acupuncture points opened. In fact, its cultivation speed was even a bit faster than Li Yu’s.

Cultivation is not exclusive to humans. All living beings in the world can cultivate. Some animals, even if they don’t understand the way of cultivation, can grow into powerful demons simply by absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

However, they cannot use spiritual energy skillfully, just like those wild, untrained spirits and ghosts—they cannot unleash their full power.

For a tiger, of course, one fish is not enough to fill its stomach. Li Yu fed it three wild chickens and two wild rabbits before it was satisfied.

After it had eaten its fill, Li Yu sat cross-legged atop the large rock while the little tiger curled up in his lap, letting him gently stroke its soft fur.

A while later, Li Yu retrieved a silver flying shuttle from his robe. After infusing it with a strand of spiritual power, the shuttle swiftly expanded, transforming into a flying boat about ten feet long. Li Yu stood up and leapt aboard.

Looking at the little tiger on the rock, reluctant to part, Li Yu pointed to the flying boat, trusting it would understand his meaning.

The little white tiger looked at the boat, its eyes flickering—but in the end, it simply shook its head. It leapt off the rock, picked up the leftover rabbit from earlier in its mouth, and turned to run back into the depths of the forest.

Fifteen minutes later.

From high in the sky, Li Yu looked down through the trees below. There, the little white tiger laid the rabbit down beside another white tiger—this one much larger, with only three legs. One of its front legs had been broken off midway. This was most likely the little white tiger’s mother.

With only three legs, she couldn’t hunt. She wasn’t starving to death because the little white tiger was feeding her.

Li Yu understood why it hadn’t come with him.

Elder Sun said: “The loveless are free; the heartless become immortals.” But even beasts had emotions—so how could a human truly sever all ties so easily?

Li Yu certainly wanted longevity, but he didn’t want to become a machine that abandons love and feelings.

He stood there watching for a while, then let out a quiet sigh. A moment later, the flying boat transformed into a streak of silver light and disappeared into the distant sky.

…

Kunlun Cave Heaven.

Zixiao Peak Market.

Li Yu walked into the Danxin Pavilion and headed straight to a counter.

Having learned from experience and being deceived once before, he decided to buy only the sect’s genuine pills. Though more expensive, the quality was guaranteed, and he wouldn’t be fooled again.

The girl behind the counter, already familiar with Li Yu, smiled and asked, “Senior Brother, buying Meridian Clearing Pills again this time?”

Li Yu smiled and said, “Yes.”

The girl went into the stone room behind the counter and came out with a jade bottle, grinning, “Long time no see, Senior Brother. I guessed you’d be coming soon, so I saved some for you.”

A nearby counter attendant, a young male disciple, overheard and walked over, complaining. “What’s going on? When I came earlier to buy a Meridian Clearing Pill, you said there weren’t any left. But now suddenly he gets one?”

The girl politely replied, “This batch of Meridian Clearing Pills was reserved by this Senior Brother in advance. Please understand.”

Her tone was courteous, and she had reason on her side. The male disciple couldn’t argue any further and walked off with a shake of his head.

Li Yu handed over a thousand spirit coins and asked, “Only one left?”

The girl glanced around and lowered her voice. “There really was only one left yesterday. From then till today, so many people came to buy it—but I saved it for you. Please don’t tell anyone, okay?”

Li Yu smiled faintly and said, “Don’t worry, I won’t say anything.”

He came here often to buy Meridian Clearing Pills, and over time, he’d grown familiar with the girl. Once, seeing her looking tired and down, he gave her a few pills for calming the mind and helping sleep. Since then, they naturally became even closer.

The cultivation world isn’t just about fighting—it’s also about human relations. Otherwise, this one Meridian Clearing Pill wouldn’t have been saved for him.

After putting away the pill, Li Yu said, “Junior Sister, you go ahead and be busy. I’ll check other counters to buy a few more.”

The girl shook her head, “Senior Brother, no need to check. The entire Danxin Pavilion has no more Meridian Clearing Pills.”

Li Yu was slightly surprised—this was unusual. Meridian Clearing Pills are only second-tier pills. In other sects, they might be rare, but this is Kunlun. Even throwing a brick around might hit a second-tier alchemist. How could Meridian Clearing Pills be out of stock?

The girl explained, “I don’t know why, but while other pills are fine, suddenly no Meridian Clearing Pills are coming into the shop. But don’t worry, Senior Brother, as soon as the new batch arrives, I’ll notify you immediately…”

Having a huge stash of money but nowhere to spend it, Li Yu felt a bit helpless. He smiled at the girl behind the counter and said, “Thanks. If you ever need any low-tier pills, just ask. I’ll make them for you for free.”

The girl raised her hand, her eyes curving into crescent moons. “It’s a deal then…”

Li Yu lightly tapped palms with her and chatted casually for a bit before leaving Zixiao Peak and returning to Danding Peak.

The first thing he did upon returning to the sect was try to buy pills—but he came back empty-handed.

Not long after he arrived at his residence, a few senior brothers came to visit. Even though they no longer needed Li Yu to refine pills, who knew if Elder Han might change his mind in the future? It was still important to maintain good relations.

Soon, Wu Tong, who lived next door, walked in with a smile and asked, “Li Yu, I heard you went on a mission. How was the haul?”

Li Yu replied, “Not bad, just some small tasks. Altogether, they didn’t even add up to the value of one Meridian Clearing Pill.”

Wu Tong sighed in understanding, “That’s normal. These small missions don’t earn much spirit coin. The ones that really pay well are too dangerous—might lose your life. Ah, cultivation is really tough…”

Li Yu recalled something and asked, “By the way, while I’ve been away, what exactly happened? Why can’t we buy Meridian Clearing Pills at Danxin Pavilion anymore?”

Wu Tong chuckled and said, “You’re asking the right person. Normally, I’d charge ten spirit coins for this information, but since it’s us, I’ll tell you for free…”