Chapter 270: The Hunger Lingers, the Sword Immortals Spirit Remains

As the snow refused to melt, there was little food to be found. Bai Ziqiu hadn’t set up his stall much lately, spending most of his days inside the valley.

He wasn’t like Chen Changsheng, who didn’t need to eat. The present Bai Ziqiu was no longer the Sword Immortal of old. Hunger had returned to torment him, posing quite a dilemma.

Chen Changsheng noticed his distress and gifted him a stream of Magical Power.

That alleviated the hunger, but he wondered how long such a stream could possibly last.

And so, Bai Ziqiu shouldered his pile of things and walked out of the valley.

Chen Changsheng asked, “With heavy snow like this, the Demon Realm market must be deserted, no?”

Bai Ziqiu shook his head. “The Demon Markets operate on fixed days. Demons will brave even the fiercest blizzard to trade for food. Hunger is a powerful motivator.”

Hearing this, Chen Changsheng didn’t press further.

Bai Ziqiu was stubborn. Like the resolve in his sword heart, he often struggled to accept the kindness of others, even unintentional gestures. He lacked his master’s capacity for shamelessness.

“I’ll come with you. A fine chance to see the sights,” Chen Changsheng offered.

He concealed his human aura. Instead, the potent presence of a Fifth Realm Great Demon emanated from him.

The two walked through the wind and snow.

Chen Changsheng watched Bai Ziqiu’s faltering steps from behind.

Every stride Bai Ziqiu took seemed an effort.

This once towering Sword Cultivator had truly grown old.

Chen Changsheng sighed softly. Time was unkind, eroding everything. Yet, thankfully, it hadn’t eroded this Sword Immortal’s spirit.

A distance that should have been short took Bai Ziqiu almost an hour. By the time they arrived, his face was flushed deep red, his exhalations no longer puffing visible white mist.

Bai Ziqiu had been right. The Demon Market was far from desolate. Likely, a powerful Demon had shielded the place – stepping in brought a welcome warmth after the bitter cold outside.

Still, compared to before, fewer Demons haunted the market stalls, giving the scene an air of loneliness.

Bai Ziqiu found a small open space and spread the items from his cloth bundle onto the ground.

He placed everything on the patch of ground, save for the sword. That, he held firmly in his arms.

“We wait,” Bai Ziqiu stated simply.

Chen Changsheng sat beside him. “How did you spend winters before?”

“In the past, even with heavy snow,” Bai Ziqiu began, “I’d always set aside some grain and spiritual herbs in the fall…”

“But this year, after autumn came, fewer Demons visited the marketplaces. Seems there was trouble brewing in the Demon Realm. I couldn’t gather enough provisions.”

He tucked his hands together, knuckles reddened with cold, unwilling to show them.

He closed his eyes to rest, waiting for a Demon buyer interested in his wares.

Truthfully, none of the items held much value.

Some were odd trinkets he’d picked up long ago in the Mortal World; others were spiritual herbs foraged in the Demon Realm. Hardly precious treasures passing Demons merely glanced at the sparse offerings before moving on, indifferent.

Seeing no interest in the stall, Chen Changsheng too propped his chin and settled in for a nap.

He hadn’t rested long when a sudden voice broke the quiet.

“This here…”

“How much?”

Bai Ziqiu and Chen Changsheng opened their eyes.

Standing before the stall was a female demon wrapped in a dark cloak.

Chen Changsheng raised an eyebrow.

The female demon’s gaze met his. She opened her mouth as if to speak.

It was Lu Qishan, the deer demon who had waylaid him back at the Thirty-Six Caves.

Bai Ziqiu answered, “One ounce of spiritual essence.”

Lu Qishan nodded quickly. “Alright, alright…”

She handed the spiritual herb payment to Bai Ziqiu and slid the worthless item into her sleeve.

Bai Ziqiu was mildly surprised; the thing wasn’t really worth that price.

Looking up, he saw the deer demon’s eyes fixed solely on Chen Changsheng.

“You know each other?” Bai Ziqiu asked quietly.

Chen Changsheng nodded. “I know her.”

Lu Qishan pointed to the spot between her own brows. “That Sword Qi… could you…”

“Can’t.”

Chen Changsheng’s voice was flat. “Count yourself fortunate to be alive.”

Lu Qishan knew refusal was likely, but the lingering Sword Qi in her Sea of Consciousness was unbearable. Her eyebrow twitched. “There’s something about Qing Tianyou…”

Chen Changsheng frowned slightly. “Speak.”

Lu Qishan pressed, “You must promise first to remove the Sword Qi.”

Chen Changsheng lifted two fingers. The Sword Qi within Lu Qishan’s Sea of Consciousness withdrew into his fingertip, then vanished utterly.

Lu Qishan froze, stunned he’d released it before she’d even spoken.

She breathed out, relief washing over her. “Recently, the Demon King of the Ninth Peak hosted a feast. Qing Tianyou was among the guests. But afterwards… the Ninth Peak Lord learned from a Silkworm Demon that Qing Tianyou was involved with a human Cultivator. Qing Tianyou was captured that very night.”

Chen Changsheng’s brow furrowed. “Where is he now?”

Lu Qishan shook her head. “I truly don’t know. I serve the Twenty-Ninth Peak. This was just idle gossip I overheard.”

Chen Changsheng paused, then asked, “This Ninth Peak Demon King… is he a toad demon?”

Lu Qishan confirmed, “They say Chan Yao Wang attained his Eighth Realm power long ago on Beiluan Mountain, gaining strength from swallowing a pool of poison. That paved his way to rule the Ninth Peak. Word is he’s well-connected, with favors owed to him by many Peak Lords.”

Chen Changsheng’s frown deepened, suspicion dawning. This affair…

It felt far more complicated than it appeared at first glance.

Bai Ziqiu looked at Chen Changsheng. “Perhaps you should look into it?”

In Bai Ziqiu’s view, if Chen Changsheng could overcome the Mountain Lord, other Demon Kings ought to be easier.

Chen Changsheng exhaled slowly. “Whatever the case, I must go.”

Bai Ziqiu nodded. “Being friends with you is indeed rewarding.”

Chen Changsheng chuckled dryly and rose, ready to leave.

He paused in his tracks and turned back to Bai Ziqiu at the stall. “Close up early.”

Bai Ziqiu stared at him for a second, then nodded slowly.

He understood the unspoken warning perfectly.

So, once Chen Changsheng departed, he packed up his stall without a moment’s delay, leaving promptly.

Lu Qishan walked ahead to guide Chen Changsheng. She was tense; walking before the man who had nearly ended her life felt like tempting fate.

Chen Changsheng said calmly, “I am not quite the monster you imagine me to be.”

Lu Qishan dipped her head meekly. “Yes.”

Chen Changsheng inquired, “Has anything else happened recently within the Thirty-Six Caves?”

Lu Qishan immediately shook her head. “Nothing.”

Chen Changsheng glanced at the tense line of her back.

Lu Qishan instantly stopped walking. Every hair on her body stood rigidly on end.

She blurted out rapidly, “Before winter began, several Peak Lords conspired against the Mountain Lord! They failed! The Eleventh, Thirty-Second, and Twenty-Ninth Peak Lords all died! It stirred terrible commotion…”

Chen Changsheng listened, then merely said, “Keep walking.”

The chilling sense of immediate danger faded. Lu Qishan breathed out, but inwardly, she gritted her teeth in frustration.

So much for ‘not quite the monster’, she thought bitterly.