How to Be the Perfect Junior Sister to a Reborn Villain - Chapter 26

Chapter 26 

The Cloudsky Sect was in an uproar. First, the Sect Master and Elder Gao rushed out after receiving a transmission, then Xiao Cui staggered back alone, wounded and pale.

Only then did everyone realize heretic cultivators had attacked. Fear rippled through the entire sect.

Li Xi was utterly spent. She didn’t even want to lift a finger.

She vaguely heard the alarmed cries of her senior brothers and sisters, their anxious concern, but she was too weak to respond. Her body instinctively circulated her spiritual energy, slowly mending her overdrawn dantian.

Lin Ruo’s eyes were full of pity. She personally wiped Li Xi clean, changed her clothes, and gave her water. Only after ensuring she was asleep did she hurry to the main hall.

Inside, Lin Shanlai, Elder Gao, and Yan Jiuzhi were already giving their report.

Patriarch Chengyuan lounged lazily on his chair, one hand draped over the armrest, fingers tapping idly.

He already knew everything through his divine sense. Their performance was commendable, especially that little girl, Li Xi. She’d exceeded his expectations.

Yan Jiuzhi raised his hand and summoned several black formation disks from his storage bag, placing them neatly on the floor.

The patriarch’s long brows arched slightly, his tone teasing but sharp.

These aren’t ordinary evil Qi-Gathering Arrays. They don’t just absorb yin, resentment, and death energythey also draw in  demonic qi.

He gestured for Cang Min to send a message to the Taixian Sect immediately.

Everyone’s faces paled.

Lin Shanlai tensed. The heretics we fought were using poison arts. Could it be that what they cultivated wasn’t just poison?

“It’s fine,” Patriarch Chengyuan said mildly.  Didn’t that little girl already purify the area? She’s quite the promising seedling for a healer.

At this point, even he thought Li Xi was worth training seriously. She wasn’t like Xia Mengxue at all.

Yan Jiuzhi’s expression darkened slightly. “The heretic Li Xi captured kept shouting about offering her to their ‘lords’ above, and he mentioned something called the Evil Sovereign.”

He fell silent for a moment, fragments of his past life surfacing.

Decades later, there would be a massive purge of both demonic and heretic factions… perhaps this discovery was where it all began.

I also encountered a group of human traffickers when I left the Mulberry Forest Secret Realm.

He continued.  They claimed to be collecting resources for the Bao Lai Pavilion but were actually kidnapping handsome or beautiful low-level cultivators. I’m not sure if the two incidents are connected.

All eyes turned to him at once, filled with concern.

Yan Jiuzhi’s gaze softened.  Don’t worry. Those lackeys are all dead.

Cang Min frowned and quickly sent a report to the main sect. This matter had to be shared with the other righteous sects as well.

The heretics you encountered all had grotesque, distorted features,  Cang Min said grimly. That proves they’ve already been using these arrays widely.” His brow furrowed so tightly it could crush a fly.

This trip was supposed to be a simple visit to acknowledge their sect’s extended family who would have thought they’d uncover something this grave?

He glanced at his master, who sat calm and unbothered, as though none of this surprised him.

Was this truly a coincidence. Or had the old man foreseen it all?

Cang Min straightened, voice solemn.  No matter who these so-called ‘lords’ and ‘Evil Sovereigns’ are, they’re nothing but festering rot in the Xuancang Realm. We’ll wipe them out, every last one.

The once-languid patriarch now sat upright, his face turning grave.

These arrays truly are ingenious. They allow heretics to grow stronger quickly but they also quietly channel demonic qi into the cultivator’s body. At first, it’s subtle, almost undetectable. But once the corruption accumulates.

His eyes turned cold.

They lose their reason. In time, they become mindless beasts that live only to kill and devour flesh and bl00d until their bodies finally collapse into decay.

This is no small matter. It concerns the balance of the entire Xuancang Realm. The fact that you discovered it is a great service to the righteous path.

Chengyuan Patriarch’s gaze settled on Yan Jiuzhi, meeting his eyes steadily.

Whether it’s collusion between the heretics and the demons, or the demon clans stirring trouble behind the scenes, remember this: as cultivators of the righteous path, you must put the people first. Destroy evil, uphold the Dao, and restore light to this world.

Yes, Patriarch!” everyone responded in unison, bowing deeply.

They all understood that demonic cultivators and the demon race were not the same.

The former were still human, merely corrupted. But the demon race they were born enemies of mankind.

Demons fed on human bl00d and spiritual essence. The two races could never coexist.

If this truly involved the demon race, then the entire cultivation world would have to unite. No single sect could stand alone against such a threat.

When Li Xi finally awoke, the moon hung high above the eaves.

Today had been her first true glimpse into the darkness of the cultivation world. For someone who came from a peaceful modern age, the shock ran deep.

Knock, knock, knock.

Three gentle taps sounded at her door.

Li Xi opened it to find her third senior brother standing under the moonlight tall, straight as a pine, cool as jade.

Still… why did someone that good-looking have to watch her cultivate all the time? Couldn’t she be lazy just once?

The silver moonlight brushed across Yan Jiuzhi’s face, softening his features. His voice was quiet but firm.

Junior sister, moonlight essence is gentle and pure. It’ll nourish your overdrawn dantian and help you recover faster steady your foundation.

In other words: don’t even think about slacking off.

Li Xi could only accept her fate, following him to the courtyard beneath the osmanthus tree where they usually meditated.

Golden blossoms perfumed the air, and the bright full moon bathed them in a pale silver glow.

Tilting her head up at him, Li Xi’s voice was small and a little pitiful.

“Senior brother… I got hurt today. And I bled a lot too.”

She pitifully raised her right hand for him to see.

Under the moonlight, Yan Jiuzhi’s gaze fell on that small, pale hand.

After treatment, only a faint pink scar remained near the base of her thumb. It would likely fade completely in a few days if left alone.

Still… this must’ve been the first time the little girl had ever been hurt.

Her first real battle, too. She’d always been a bit delicate, and she was still so young it was no surprise she’d been frightened.

He took out a jar of healing ointment and gently applied it to her wound, his voice low and steady.
“Were you scared today?”

“Yes.” Li Xi’s emotions were tangled and heavy. Those heretics were disgusting the way they looked, the things they said, the things they did… all of it!

She clutched tightly at her senior brother’s sleeve, her knuckles turning white.

If not for his usual teachings and guidance, she never could’ve fought someone two whole realms above her. “I wasn’t scared while fighting,” she admitted softly, “but after it was over, I was.”

There had been more than one heretic. And that one with the greasy mustache  the way he’d mentioned his ‘lord’

If her senior brother hadn’t been there  what would have become of her?

She didn’t dare think about it any further.

“Then make yourself stronger.”

Yan Jiuzhi looked at the anxious, unsettled girl and spoke in a gentle voice.
“Little junior sister, you have excellent talent. As long as you keep working hard, growing stronger is only a matter of time.”

Li Xi nodded firmly. Yes she could become stronger. She wouldn’t stay weak forever.

In that instant, all the fear and dejection vanished from her face, replaced by a spark of pride. “Senior brother, I defeated that heretic today using sword energy!”

I saw.” Yan Jiuzhi’s eyes softened with warmth. “You did very well.

He’d been keeping an eye on her the entire time, and seeing her successfully unleash sword qi had genuinely pleased him.

Then… when I get stronger,” she asked hesitantly, “will I be able to beat sword cultivators?

Huh?

My little brother joined the Changning Sword Sect! Senior brother, I can’t lose to him.

A flare of determination rose in her chest. “I have to be stronger than him!”

Yan Jiuzhi:

Is it because your parents favor your brothers more? He asked after a pause.

Among mortals, sons were often valued over daughters. Though the Li couple did dote on their youngest daughter, they still placed more expectations on their sons.

“No,” Li Xi said through gritted teeth. “I used to be the one who beat him up. If I can’t anymore, how am I supposed to keep my authority?

So that’s what this is about.

Yan Jiuzhi couldn’t help a small laugh. “Sword cultivators have to raise their swords it’s an expensive path. Most of them are dirt poor. You, on the other hand, are training to be an alchemist. You’ll be rich. Doesn’t that already make you superior?

After a beat, he added lightly, “And if you really can’t beat him, I’ll do it for you.”

“That won’t do,” Li Xi said immediately. “I’ll fight my own battles.

She was going to be an alchemist who could also throw a punch.

Yan Jiuzhi’s eyes curved with amusement. He took her hand and guided her back into meditation beneath the moonlight.

Even though her cultivation still progressed steadily while she slept, good habits were worth keeping.

As for the matter of the heretics he’d tell her more about it tomorrow.