My Disciple Wants to Tease Me Every Day - Chapter 87

After so long in pursuit, so long that Gu Yunlu thought she would never struggle between hope and despair again, in that moment, her heart which had sunk beneath the muck started beating one last time like the final radiance of the setting sun.

 

She made a seal, sending Di Jiufeng’s soul away with a rare gentle manner.

 

She picked up Di Jiufeng’s lax body and walked slowly to the coffin, then knelt down before Ning Guang’s body. “I’m still jealous of you, so jealous I’m going crazy, but I admire you more… Ah, I truly admire you.”

 

Gu Yunlu pulled out the treasure stored in her lapel, softly caressed her outline over and over, then mumbled, “Say, if I took your appearance, would my Youyou like me? Would she be able to put aside this obsession, would she live a stable life with me? My jealousy would be calmed, I would never have to chase her shadow again, from the north to the south, the heavens to the earth, never coming to an end.”

 

“I want to try it so much…”

 

Gu Yunlu mumbled, like she was sunk into a trance.

 

Di Jiufeng, who she had sent away, experienced a boundless dark. The next time she opened her eyes, she saw a hand holding a painting brush.

 

“A-Feng, you’re awake?” It was an unfamiliar voice, but with an extremely familiar tone. Di Jiufeng slowly propped up her head and followed that arm up to a slender neck, slightly pointed chin, snow-pale skin, and slanted phoenix eyes. It was Ning Guang, but also not – it was her in the ancient witch’s true form.

 

“En, I’m awake. What are you painting?”

 

Though it was a different face and a different identity, the familiarity carved into her bones had not changed a bit.

 

She was a bit hazy from sleep, her entire body boneless. She rubbed her eyes, still leaning on her arm, but before she finished, Ning Guang – no, she should call her Xuan Ming – pulled her into her arms. “I’m painting a portrait of you. Didn’t you say that you wanted to fill my room with portraits of you?”

 

“Tsk, how could I say something like that?” Di Jiufeng pursed her lips in distaste.

 

“Alright, then I must have said it.” Ning Guang did not refute her. She leaned down and pressed a kiss to her cheek. “I already finished, do you want to see?”

 

The painting on the table was partially rolled up like a scroll. The exposed part was a strange yet familiar face. It was the face of Di Jiufeng’s soul, the appearance reflected in her second body.

 

“You painted me quite beautiful, I commend you.” Di Jiufeng patted Ning Guang’s hand, grabbed one end of the scroll, and slowly drew it open.

 

At first, the expression on her face was still normal, but then, her face went red and white in turns, before a blush burst out on her face, dying her neck pink. “How shameless?!”

 

Di Jiufeng grabbed the painting and tried to tear it, but Ning Guang reacted quickly and snatched her hands away. “Don’t you think it’s very beautiful? If we hang it at the head of our bed, it’ll add quite the sense of aesthetic, no?”

 

“Pah! Aesthetic for you!”

 

“Of course, I thought you would like it too.” Ning Guang’s unruly claws dug in through the sleeves of Di Jiufeng’s loose robes, unstoppable. Di Jiufeng was just about to struggle when they heard hurried footsteps from outside. “Clan leader, we’re in trouble, the armies of the righteous and demonic paths have split up and surrounded our tribe’s territory! They’re making a clamor outside, demanding you hand over the method to ascension!”

 

“Didn’t I already say that I don’t have the method to ascension? Why are they here again?”

 

“They, they, they’re not saying you have it, they’re saying Jiu, Mistress Jiufeng has it, they want her to go out and face them.”

 

“Impudent! Who do they think they are, they demand A-Feng go and face them!” Ning Guang drew away her hand and slammed it on the table. “Go activate the Immortal-Slaughtering Array! If they dare to come, then they’re not going back!” The ghostly form snarled behind her, making even the sky outside rumble with the sound of thunder.

 

The messenger was given an awful fright and his legs went soft, nearly tripping over the threshold.

 

The door was closed, and other than their breaths, there was not a sound to be heard inside the room.

 

Di Jiufeng squeezed Ning Guang’s wrist and comforted her softly, “What are you getting angry for? At worst, I’ll go out and explain to them. I can swear an oath to the demon god, they ought to believe it.” Di Jiufeng looked down, her thoughts floating further and further away.

 

When she had been sent here, Gu Yunlu had only told her two things. One, “Survive”, and two, “Ning Guang might not necessarily die for real.”

 

Surviving was her requirement for being able to return, because only if she survived was there a possibility of changing her fate of becoming a lingering desire.

 

But, this was easier said than done––––

 

She didn’t know at what turning point she had been surrounded, and she didn’t know what trick Lin Yunyou had played. With the way things were going, even if she wanted to explain, no one would believe her. After all, the temptation of ascension was too great, enough to make people take risks out of desperation.

 

Di Jiufeng was vexed, her face twisted into a knot, and Ning Guang was not optimistic either.

 

Even the ancient witch could not stand against the whole world. Ants could still bite an elephant to death, not to speak of a whole mob of people blinded by greed.

 

Things had sunk into a stalemate.

 

Di Jiufeng sighed, unable to think of any plans for now. She had to hate Lin Yunyou a bit. If she didn’t keep making trouble, there wouldn’t be so many twists and turns. “Hey, don’t you think things are very strange? Why would someone suddenly spread the rumor that we know the secret to ascension?” Di Jiufeng ground her teeth, deciding to be the Su Daji toppling nations with pillow talk.

[T/N: 苏妲己, a concubine of the last Shang dynasty king Zhou Xin. She was rumored to be a thousand-year-old fox demon sent to tempt Zhou Xin into the strange behavior which led to the end of the Shang dynasty.]

 

Ning Guang did not disappoint her. She did not hesitate a moment before saying, “It truly is very strange, I have already sent people to investigate. Looking at what they discovered, it’s very likely that Yunyou did it. If it really was her, even if I would have to let down her parents, I will punish her according to tribe rules.”

 

The witch tribe’s fearful Immortal-Slaughtering Array was known far and wide. Even before it was activated, most of the crowd had been frightened into retreat.

 

They came aggressive and overbearing, and slunk off with their tails between their legs. Though Di Jiufeng felt very smug, she knew that this wasn’t a long-term solution. An array will eventually break, and however stable a dam, if someone was working from inside, it would still collapse at the first blow.

 

Di Jiufeng didn’t want to sit and wait for death, so after everyone had retreated, she carefully considered their current situation.

 

The rumors had already been spread, and everyone knew that they held the secret to ascension. Threatening the ancient witch had not succeeded, so they wanted to move against her. They would surround her, hoping to capture her alive and use her as a hostage to threaten Ning Guang.

 

Gu Yunlu had not told her where this seige would occur.

 

If it was within tribe territory, that would mean someone working from the inside let the enemies in; and if it was outside tribe territory, that would mean someone drew her out. With what she had deduced, she leaned towards the latter. After all, the ancient witch was in the tribe. Once they attacked, she would never just sit and watch.

 

Then, the question was…

 

What method had that person used to make her recklessly leave the ancient witch at so sensitive a juncture?

 

Di Jiufeng couldn’t figure it out, but it couldn’t hurt to be prepared.

 

She had no evidence, but using the attitude of Su Daji destroying the country and causing suffering to the people, she told Ning Guang, “I think so.”

 

She said, “I feel like it’s unsafe in the tribe. Yunyou went to so much effort to spread the rumors, she wouldn’t give up just like this. And, she is a member of the witch tribe, she may have already snuck inside. You must strengthen our defenses. Though this is only my guess, if it comes true, we won’t have time to regret.”

 

Di Jiufeng put on a show of “I’m afraid, wuwuwu, my intuition tells me this will happen”, and Ning Guang called her trusted confidants that very night to make the arrangements.

 

They acted in the highest secrecy. At least, all of the tribe members knew nothing about it.

 

Di Jiufeng pasted paper and stacked bricks ceaselessly, and finally made this tribal territory as impenetrable as a copper wall and iron bastion. But right after she had constructed a cozy nest, things went wrong again!

 

Di Jiufeng really wanted to laugh in her face, but she couldn’t, she was a gentle and agreeable Daji.

 

“Clan leader, the righteous cultivators have sent a challenge inviting you to battle on the shores of the Dark Waters, or else they will take Yunyou’s life.”

 

“Yunyou has fallen into the hands of righteous cultivators?” Ning Guang furrowed her brow. “What time does their challenge state? Do they want me to go alone?”

 

“In half a month, they only invited you.” The guard lowered his head. “Clan leader, the righteous cultivators have set a trap. You shouldn’t accept this challenge.”

 

“If I don’t accept, won’t Yunyou die? Though she has made a mistake, her punishment can only be at the hands of our tribe. Her parents were loyal ministers of our tribe, how can I let her die at the hands of outsiders?! How can our witch tribe face the world if we let that happen?! You are dismissed, I will handle it.” She waved to dismiss the guard.

 

When he walked out the door, Di Jiufeng moved to sit by Ning Guang’s side. “What do you want to do? Accept the challenge?”

 

“Of course.” Ning Guang said.

 

“But it’s too dangerous.” Di Jiufeng pursed her lips. “They are clearly hoping to outnumber you, and you have to walk into their trap.”

 

“Don’t worry, have you forgotten I am a ghostly cultivator?” Ning Guang patted Di Jiufeng’s head, her expression gentle, like a babbling stream under the bright sun. “I am a ghostly cultivator, I can control myriads of ghosts on my own. It doesn’t matter how many people they bring. I just think that this was too timely. We just set an inescapable net within the tribe, and their side wants to draw me away.

 

The shores of the Dark Waters are not close to our tribe…”

 

They met eyes, both thinking the same thing.

 

Di Jiufeng mulled it over for a while, then placed her fingertip in Ning Guang’s palm. “Though that does make sense, I should still stay in the tribe. You can take on an army by yourself, but I cannot. If I follow you there, I might be the gap in your armor they’ll exploit to defeat you. It’s very safe in the tribe, I will stay here, and you won’t need to worry.”

 

Ning Guang had decided to go to the shores of the Dark Waters, and no one would be able to stop her.

 

The day she departed, Di Jiufeng stood at the gate until she could no longer see Ning Guang’s silhouette, before she closed herself in her chambers and refused to come out. No one thought it strange. After all, Di Jiufeng did not often wander through the tribe. It was normal for her to shut herself inside when Ning Guang was gone.

 

Di Jiufeng lay low, cooped up in her own chambers.

 

No one knew what she was doing, and no one saw her again. Until one night ten days later, ten bodies suddenly appeared in the back hills of the tribe’s territory.

 

They were the corpses of members of the witch race who had died in a wretched state. All of their eyes had been dug out and their skin had been peeled away. They were arranged seated in a circle, an array set with their skin and flesh before them.

 

Their tribe members had been slaughtered, and their bodies were not even left in peace, but used to set an extremely malicious curse array.

 

This matter wasn’t something they could handle on their own. After an intense discussion, they sent someone to invite Di Jiufeng.

 

The one they sent was a youth who had newly joined the guard. She didn’t understand the rules, so after knocking twice to no response, she pushed open the door and went inside. Di Jiufeng was lying on the bed, facing away from the door, and no lights were on inside the room. She could only faintly see by the moonlight, a slender silhouette lying under the brocade blankets.

 

“Impudent! Who let you barge in here?”

 

Di Jiufeng was not in a good mood after someone had barged into her room. Compared to before, her voice was a bit lower and rougher.

 

Newborn calves do not fear tigers, and that young guard did not back out, but only bowed in place, repeating what had happened in the back mountains in a somewhat arrogant voice.

 

“Such a major incident and you haven’t gone to the elders? Why go to me?” Di Jiufeng laid a bit lazily on the bed, not wanting to move.

 

The young guard clearly hadn’t thought of this and paused for a while, before stammering out, “Of, of course we went to ask the elders, they said you would be the… clan leader’s wife, you ought to participate in major incidents such as this.” The young guard seemingly did not approve of Di Jiufeng, and that appellation of “clan leader’s wife” lingered a long time in her mouth before she unwillingly spat it out.

 

Seeing her unwillingness, Di Jiufeng did not say much else. She crawled up from bed and pushed herself up to a seated position, twirling the ends of her hair. “That makes sense, then I will go with you. Go out first, let me change.”

 

After chasing her outside, Di Jiufeng staggered out of bed.

 

She casually pulled on her robes, not even bothering to light a lantern, using the weak moonlight to examine herself in the mirror. “Tsk, not bad, quite pretty.” She poked her face from her forehead to the point of her chin, then turned left and right, examining it in the mirror for a long time, before, satisfied, she pushed open the door and left.

 

She had dallied for a long time and the young guard was getting a bit impatient. She was just about to knock again when Di Jiufeng walked out.

 

“Lead the way.” Di Jiufeng usually had a good temper, but she seemed just a bit aloof towards that guard who had disrupted her sleep. She followed this person towards the rear mountains without a word. It was like twin fires were burning in her eyes, hoping to set the back of the guard’s head aflame.

 

“Are you new? I do not believe I have seen you before.”

 

Di Jiufeng followed the guard for a while, then spoke up to ask this seemingly careless question.

 

The guard seemed to have guessed she would ask this, and the answer which had already been circling through her mind slipped out so easily. “I have been in the guard for a long time already, but I was always dispatched outside gathering intelligence. I only returned recently. It’s normal that you haven’t seen me before. After all, you don’t care about the affairs of our witch tribe.”

 

“Ah, now this is interesting.” Di Jiufeng laughed, completely disregarding her disrespect. “I was just about to ask, do you have any objections to me?”

 

“I wouldn’t dare have objections to you, you are the one clan leader likes. I would have to eaten a bear’s heart and leopard’s guts to dare have objections to you!”

 

Di Jiufeng gave another cryptic laugh, but did not say anything more in the end. She looked at the young guard for a while, measuring her height with her gaze. “There is another person who can’t stand the sight of me in this tribe, when she comes back, you can chat with her about how annoying I am.” When she finished, Di Jiufeng did not say anything more.

 

She looked all around, and felt that it was frighteningly quiet in the tribe. There were no sounds of human activity, no calls of insects, nor cries of birds. Compared to those earlier, relatively clamorous nights, it was strangely quiet today.

 

“Where is everyone else? Why haven’t we seen a single person around?” Di Jiufeng asked.

 

The guard pursed her lips and said in even clearer distaste, “There has been such a major incident, of course we asked everyone to wait at home and don’t come out, is that difficult to imagine? You don’t even understand this sort of thing?”

 

“I’m slow, okay? But our clan leader likes me.”

 

The way Di Jiufeng called her was a bit strange, but the guard did not notice. She only heard the last part, and she couldn’t resist flying into anger. “A useless person like you doesn’t deserve to be the clan leader’s wife! What love potion did you feed her to make her fall in love with you?!”

 

“I never fed her a love potion, it was the clan leader… who was blind and insisted on falling for me.” Di Jiufeng was always arrogant, so it wasn’t strange for her to say something like this.

 

The guard gave her a glare, wanting to argue, but she thought of something and turned back around.

 

She let a smug smile show where Di Jiufeng couldn’t see. “Aren’t you pleased with yourself!” She suddenly sped up and led Di Jiufeng into the rear mountains. The packed crowd had been cleared out. On the fog-covered hill, there was only the two of them and the curse array half-visible through the fog.

 

“Clan leader’s wife, please look, what ought we do about this array?”

 

The arrogant little guard finally bowed her head under the pressure of this strange array. She bent down in a half-keel, but her knee did not touch the ground. “This array is truly strange, even the elders could not break it. We had no choice but to trouble you.”

 

Di Jiufeng seemed pleased with her attitude. She lifted her chin and hummed lightly. “I won’t trouble you for thanks, the clan leader left me behind just to handle such matters.” Completely unguarded, she walked into the thick fog.

 

She did not see that once she reached the corpses, the little guard’s face suddenly split into a smile.

 

The little guard sneered mockingly, and spat “useless thing!” in a not loud but not quiet voice. As she spoke, the skinned lifeless courses suddenly began to move. Moving as one, they formed hand seals and poured surging waves of spiritual energy into the array, instantly binding Di Jiufeng in the array key.

 

“Who are you?! You’re not a guard!” Di Jiufeng could not move an inch, and could only yell and curse.

 

The panic and fear on her face made the little guard very happy.

 

The little guard smiled and arrogantly walked over with a brisk gait. “Who am I? I am the person your clan leader is going to so much trouble to rescue!” She cackled, not bothering to hide her joy. She crouched down, unruffled, looking Di Jiufeng up and down like a picky shopper looking over goods.

 

“You are indeed very beautiful, no wonder you mesmerized her so completely. But you are really too stupid, to step into such an obvious trap! I’m telling you today, I did it all, I was the one who spread the rumors, and I was the one who told them to send the challenge. For no other reason, just to lead her away and take your life!”

 

“If you want to kill me, alright! But don’t you know that the things you’ve done have pushed the witch tribe into danger?!”

 

“What about it?” The little guard did not care at all. “If the witch tribe is gone, it’s gone, as long as she is still here. Let me tell you, I don’t want any of you parasites to live and take up her time, I just want to kill you, I want to destroy the witch tribe, I want her to be able to see only me from now on!”

 

“Then you are truly too frightening.”

 

After hearing her speech, Di Jiufeng tsked, and suddenly pulled the expression of fear off her face. She looked sedately at the little guard, and confirmed once more, “If the witch tribe is gone, you will have no home to return to. Are you sure you want to destroy the witch tribe? You won’t regret it?”

 

“Of course I’m sure! How could I regret it?!” The little guard’s face was full of determination.

 

“En, alright, then there’s nothing I can do.” Di Jiufeng gave up on struggling and laid face-up on the ground, groping along the sides of her face. After a moment, she found a seam and dug her fingers inside, pulling off a layer of her face.

 

“Actually, my disguise wasn’t very good, the clan leader’s wife is much less shameless than me. But, you hate her too much, so you never examined me closely. Yunyou, you have really disappointed me…” After she peeled off her face, the ten corpses surrounding her cooperatively stepped back.

 

Yunyou finally discovered that the Di Jiufeng speaking to her was actually the captain of the guard, who had taken care of her every day, in disguise.

 

And the ten corpses surrounding her were not the cultivators who had made a deal with her, but guards holding spiritual treasures.

 

“How is this possible? It’s not possible, how could the ancient witch have guessed!” Yunyou’s expression went slack in terror for a moment, before she recovered. She glared at the captain of the guard and screamed without rhyme or reason, like the flames of fury had already burned away her senses. “Where did you get the information? Someone betrayed me! Right, someone definitely betrayed me!”

 

“No one betrayed you. Yunyou, there isn’t a wall in this world which hasn’t a crack. Don’t try to run, there’s nowhere to run.”

 

Just when Lin Yunyou tried to furtively take a step back, a soft hand laid itself on her shoulder. It didn’t use any force, but she was unable to move an inch.

 

Di Jiufeng stood behind her, a hint of pity in her gaze. And beside her was the ancient witch Xuan Ming, who should have long departed to accept the challenge.

 

“Yunyou, accept your mistake. As long as you are willing to repent, for the sake of your parents, Xuan Ming may be willing to give you a chance. You are still young, wouldn’t it be a pity to die like this?”

 

“What’s a pity? As long as I can kill you, I don’t care what price I have to pay! You must not know, but this is not all I have prepared!” Yunyou didn’t cry even after seeing the coffin, but began to laugh wildly. Di Jiufeng sensed something was wrong, and pulled Ning Guang backwards.

 

“It’s too late. I didn’t want to resort to this, but you forced me!”

Notes: