Chapter 16.1: The combination of two drama queens (1)

Back in the cave, Han Shengyao devoted herself to cultivating on the thousand-year old ice bed. But while she was meditating in her sea of divine consciousness, she would always recall the little beast that circled around her.

Will Shuang'er get used to it?

After all, it was her first time living in an unfamiliar environment

Han Shengyao's mind flashed back to the mean look Bai Wan gave Lin Qianshuang when she took her away. The more she thought about it, the more worried she became.

Bai Wan has a scheming mind. This time, she brought her disciple to a new residence, where she might try to put on airs and intimidate her. How else could her disciple survive if she fails to gain a foothold in the Demon Emperor's harem?

She felt increasingly upset as she thought about it. The state of confusion brought on by thinking about all sorts of messy ideas caused her breath to become erratic.

Knowing that her current state was not suitable for cultivation, Han Shengyao simply stepped down from the bed and pushed open the door of the cave.

A flood of translucent moonlight from above illuminated a vast expanse of white mountains. The cold wind made her calmer and more conscious.

Snowflakes whirled heavily in the sky on the mountain tops like a myriad of feathers, gradually burying the traces of battle between her and her disciple with the thickening frost and snow.

————Master, I'm leaving.

When her disciple turned and left, the desolate look on her face emerged in her heart.

Han Shengyao finally couldn't resist the thought of visiting Lin Qianshuang and vanished into the falling snow.

Tianyi Hall.

Lin Qianshuang was led by Right Protector Su Qing to the entrance of the side hall she was assigned to.

Instead of entering the magnificent hall, she went to look at the thousands of frost trees transported to the periphery by the Demon Emperor.

Under the night breeze, the ancient trees towering the sky set off a circle of silver waves. The frosty white trunks emitted a faint white light, and the lilac-colored pure demonic energy lingered among the lush branches and leaves.

Lin Qianshuang closed her eyes as she sensed the influx of demonic energy gathered around her. When she opened her eyes once again, her face had a touch of joy.

The demonic energy was so pure that just by inhaling a mouthful, the operation of her magic core in her dantian(1) accelerated a ton. Compared to her previously slow progress, her current cultivation speed was also several times faster.

Coincidentally, she had yet to practice in detail the sword technique Du Shuang had given her, and now was a good time to do so.

Lin Qianshuang's eyes flickered slightly. She broke off a random lowered branch from one of the frost trees and walked to an open space.

One by one, sword-wielding figures appeared in her sea of divine consciousness. She held up the branch and began to imitate each sword gesture.

Compared to the battle at Jiuyang Peak, her sword technique was much more fluent and her originally disordered pace was lighter as she slowly improved due to her gradual comprehension of sword intent.

The frost white leaves fluttered chaotically around the woman in white sword dancing with the branch among the trees. Her steps were sharp and she fluidly changed her posture as if she was wielding a sword. The tree branch in her hands gradually corroded under the eruption of demonic energy, which she subconsciously condensed into a dark purple sword.

Lin Qianshuang came out of her reverie and looked at the sword solidified with demonic energy in surprise.

Gathering the energy and condensing the sword, she has broken through the first layer of the Penglai immortal sect's Floating Sword skill.

"Unbelievable, Miss Lin is actually practicing the sword skills from that group of stubbornly righteous people. This wonderful sword technique has really opened my eyes."

The sound of clapping came from behind.

Lin Qianshuang turned around and saw Bai Wan standing not far from her. Those pitiful apricot eyes stared unblinkingly at her waist, making her feel as if something was wrong.

Did her clothes become disordered while she was practicing the sword technique?

Lin Qianshuang thought and subconsciously took a look at her clothes. The waistband was still properly fastened around her waist and hadn't fallen off.

Bai Wan's previous tone had a mix of appreciation and sarcasm when she taunted her. Her line of sight moved from Lin Qianshuang's waist to her face.

Just now, she wasn't looking into Lin Qianshuang's sword dance, all she saw was the slender, soft and extremely flexible waist in front of her that fluidly changed into various postures. She didn't know if the beautiful face that made her jealous, stained with a thin layer of sweat, was intended to be seductive.

Thinking of the banquet where Lin Qianshuang rose from underwater like a lotus flower, she was moved, much less the demon cultivators present at the time.

'A demon born to seduce men!' Bai Wan secretly cursed in her heart again and approached Lin Qianshuang as usual.

"Bai Wan, why don't you leave? This is my bedchamber."

Lin Qianshuang looked at Bai Wan with vigilance as the sword in her hand dissipated into the air.

It seems that the white lotus did not remain in the Frostwood Forest until so late at night just to reap the benefits of her demonic energy.

"Don't think that just because you saved my life, I will forever remember your great kindness. I still remember the time when you scratched my face, and the Demon Emperor refused to see me for two days."

The only remaining frailty in Bai Wan disappeared. She tore off her disguise completely, walking up to Lin Qianshuang as she warned her in a provocative tone, "Miss Lin, bear in mind that I am the future Demon Empress, and you, like your master, will only be completely disgusting in the Demon Emperor's eyes."

Listening to Bai Wan's childish words, Lin Qianshuang only felt bored and kind of cliché'd. Such words spoken between love rivals will appear in every novel.

She casually patted Bai Wan on the shoulder and leaned back on the rough bark of the ancient tree. She felt a little tired and couldn't help but yawn as she lazily said to her, "Rest assured Miss Bai I will never steal your position as the Demon Empress. Furthermore, I'm not interested in the Demon Emperor."

Lin Qianshuang felt a little arrogant in her heart, 'Who wants to be the Demon Empress? Whoever wants to can do so. What I want to be is the Demon Emperor!'

The expression of the woman in white was very solemn, and it could be seen from her eyes and subtle movements that she didn't care at all.

Bai Wan had seen all kinds of people since she was child and has long since honed her eye for people. She could see that the woman in front of her was not pretending, and she really was not interested in the position of Demon Empress.

However, the position of Demon Empress was clearly the lifelong pursuit of women in the Demon Realm. There was no way anyone could resist the temptation.

Unless of course, the woman in front of her already had a sweetheart.

Bai Wan's eyes wandered for a while, and a very strange idea suddenly surfaced in her heart.

She especially remembered the intimate interactions between Han Shengyao and her disciple at the banquet, including the affectionate parting at Jiuyang Peak which was by no means an ordinary interaction between master and disciple.

Could it be that...

The woman in front of her likes Han Shengyao, and it is precisely because she likes her master that she is willing to become a pawn placed beside the Demon Emperor.

Bai Wan's gaze towards Lin Qianshuang was no longer hostile, instead, it held a bit of sympathy. She was also a chess piece but Lin Qianshuang was obviously more pitiful than her.

The feeling of being sent as a gift to your love rival by the very person you like was bound to be heart-wrenching.

"I remember that there were no scars on your hand when you saved me, but when you went to Han Shengyao, a few bloodstains appeared."

Bai Wan suddenly approached Lin Qianshuang and leaned to her side, her black eyes that seemed to know everything looked at her sharply as she said, "You deliberately hurt yourself to make Han Shengyao pity you."

For a while, Lin Qianshuang's indifferent expression froze. She thought that this white lotus was a bit powerful as her small movements were seen in her eyes.

Could it be that Bai Wan suspected her relationship with Han Shengyao to be not as simple as master and disciple?

But it's better to have her misunderstand anyway. Sooner or later, she will have to get Bai Wan as her ally for the power of the three great sects of the Demon Dao behind her.

So let her realise that she's not a rival in love.

A dark light flashed in Lin Qianshuang's eyes as she uncomfortably turned her head to the side. She clasped her hands and said, "So what? It's none of your business."

"You like Han Shengyao, right?"

Bai Wan's face slightly enlarged in her view, and her protruding belly sagged to her lower abdomen.

Lin Qianshuang was startled by Bai Wan's sudden approach and was about to withdraw when Bai Wan grabbed her hand and pressed it firmly on her abdomen.

Lin Qianshuang was completely stunned by the throbbing sense of life and did not dare to pull away. She was afraid that she could not control the demonic energy at present and would hurt Bai Wan's baby.

Bai Wan came close to Lin Qianshuang's ear, glanced at the person slowly approaching from the depths of the forest and said, "Your master will arrive soon. If she knew that her good female disciple had other thoughts about her, how would she treat you?"

Lin Qianshuang clicked her tongue in her heart, who would believe it? With the cold temperament of Han Shengyao, she should be cultivating in seclusion.

Bai Wan, who after noticing that Han Shengyao was close, leaned closer to Lin Qianshuang's side with a shy face. She firmly grasped Lin Qianshuang's hand which was forced to press on her abdomen and whispered, "Don't talk or resist. Otherwise, I will tell the Demon Emperor tomorrow that you want to harm the child in my belly. That it almost lost its breath when your hand touched my child."

Lin Qianshuang looked at Bai Wan with wide eyes, countless alpacas galloped past her heart(2). What's with this white lotus? What the hell is she going to do?

After a while, her mind was on the hand placed on Bai Wan's abdomen. Why did she have a feeling that the thing inside Bai Wan's belly was not a child at all? It possessed a very foreign demonic energy which she also felt when she swallowed the pill.

"This sentimental look on Protector Lin's face is because she is thinking of sister Shengyao again, isn't she? You have such a deep-rooted love for her, yet she still abandoned you."

Bai Wan's voice sounded very clear in the quiet atmosphere.

Her soft hand, smooth as a water snake, grabbed Lin Qianshuang's other hand and touched her face. Her inky eyes rippled full of style as she gazed into her eyes with a flirtatious look and said, "The child in my belly feels uncomfortable. You rub it well and gently."

Lin Qianshuang felt Bai Wan's hand on her face seemed to be tracing her eyebrows and eyes. Her close laughter sounded clear and charming, "Your stomach feels comfortable, yet you can still touch my face, my neck, and even a little bit further down~. Hello, girly? You think that I feel like this, but how do you compare it to your feelings for sister Shengyao?"

Bai Wan held Lin Qianshuang's hand and moved further down her cheek. Her delicate body moved closer and closer to her, and the playful look in her eyes gradually deepened.

Lin Qianshuang was dumbfounded by Bai Wan's series of teasing actions. For a moment, she could not think of a solution until she suddenly saw Han Shengyao not far away dressed in red. Her whole person was like a thunderstorm, and her face lost its color.

"Master!"

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(1) T/N: Dantian - Energy center.

(2) T/N: "Countless alpacas galloped past her heart" - (草泥马) literally translated as grass mud horse. This phrase means means that the heart is very dissatisfied with what happened or what was heard, and expresses anger in the atmosphere.