Senior Brother, Could You Comfort Me?

"Xiangxiang!" Wen Maimai cried out. "Get out of the way!"

Several female cultivators covered their eyes, afraid they would see the gruesome sight of Ning Xiang being torn to shreds.

They were even more afraid that if Senior Sister Ning and Senior Brother Su could not hold the beast off, they would be next!

"Awooo-"

Huh? Why did that sound a little off?

Zhou Ruoxue opened her eyes and peeked through her fingers.

The bloody scene she had expected was nowhere to be seen.

Wen Maimai jumped up in excitement. "You're amazing, Xiangxiang!"

Only then did the female cultivators dare to uncover their eyes.

The demon beast that had been spouting arrogant nonsense moments earlier was now caught in a net of fire, dangling in the sky.

The Earth-Fiend Demon Lion struggled violently inside the fiery net, spewing demonic qi and tearing at its cords with his claws and teeth. Yet the net did not budge, and Ning Xiang looked perfectly relaxed, as though she were flying a kite.

Everyone: Holy shit, is Senior Sister Ning just picking through vegetables here?

Wen Maimai: My Xiangxiang is the best!

Su Lang: Junior Sister, you've put on the whole show yourself. What am I supposed to do?

The Earth-Fiend Demon Lion flew into a rage and unleashed a stream of colorful language from the sky. "￥%&@..."

Ning Xiang said, "Swearing is a bad habit, you know. You'll set a bad example for the little ones, so I'll have to teach you a tiny lesson."

With that, she recited an incantation, and the fiery net abruptly tightened. Several sharp cracks rang out, presumably the sound of bones snapping, and the Earth-Fiend Demon Lion squealed like a pig being slaughtered.

Everyone rubbed their necks, as though their own bones had been crushed.

Ning Xiang sighed, sounding exasperated at his failure to amount to anything. "Look at you. Ten years ago, I beat you until you were scattered like fallen blossoms and flowing water. Ten years later, you're already in late Core Formation, so how have you not improved at all?"

The Earth-Fiend Demon Lion howled and sobbed, reflecting on his failings in midair.

Ning Xiang withdrew the fiery net, and the Earth-Fiend Demon Lion fell with a thud. He tried to scramble up on all fours, only to tumble face-first into the dirt. Giving up the struggle, he buried his face in the soil and wriggled his fat body.

"Hmm, what a chubby fellow who doesn't like keeping clean."

The Earth-Fiend Demon Lion: Do you have any manners?

Ning Xiang walked over and looked down at the Earth-Fiend Demon Lion from above.

"Be careful, Xiangxiang!" Wen Maimai called.

"Tell me. How did you cultivate your demon core, and how did your cultivation shoot up to the third tier in just ten short years?"

The Earth-Fiend Demon Lion said bitterly, "You treacherous human cultivator! I won't tell you! Kill me if you can!"

"I've never heard a request like that before. I'll grant your wish, then."

As Ning Xiang spoke, she conjured a ball of flame in her right palm, sending waves of heat rolling through the surroundings.

"I'll talk! I'll talk!!!" the Earth-Fiend Demon Lion howled, tears and snot flying everywhere.

Afraid his tears and snot would splatter her skirt, Ning Xiang backed away several steps in disgust.

Everyone: Where's your dignity as a Third-Tier Demonic Beast?

"Half a year after you left, the corpse of a Great Demon fell into Thousand Calamities Valley. The demon qi and demonic qi from his body seeped into the valley's soil and living creatures. By absorbing that qi, I managed to form another demon core. After that, I cultivated for ten years and finally reached the third tier."

"Boo-hoo-hoo! Why can't I beat you even now that I'm at the third tier?"

Ning Xiang toyed with her fingers and gently blew on her nails. "So what if you're at the third tier? You said yourself that you only advanced thanks to a Great Demon's corpse. How much of that cultivation is truly your own?"

Su Lang's gaze fell on Ning Xiang's fingers, as white as jade. He wondered whether they would feel as soft as a ball of snow if he held them in his palm.

Ning Xiang asked again, "What did that Great Demon look like?"

"He was a huge python, long and thick, at least a hundred meters long and thicker than that tree. His whole body was covered in hard scales. Absolutely terrifying! Oh, and he had three eyes and four claws. We all guessed he was about to transform into a dragon, but failed to survive his lightning tribulation and was struck dead." The Earth-Fiend Demon Lion's voice trembled as he spoke.

Everyone looked at the nearby tree trunk, which would take three people joining arms to encircle, and suspected the demon beast was exaggerating.

Ning Xiang walked over to Su Lang. "Senior Brother, what species do you think that Great Demon was?"

"The Heaven-Splitting Python," Su Lang said after a moment's thought. "One of the Demon King's four guardians, though he hasn't shown himself in years."

"As expected of you, Senior Brother. You really are knowledgeable!" Ning Xiang praised him, then turned back to the Earth-Fiend Demon Lion. "We'll go take a look at the place where he fell in a little while. You'll lead the way."

Overwhelmed by the joy of surviving a calamity, the Earth-Fiend Demon Lion nodded eagerly.

"But before that," Ning Xiang said with a beaming smile, "there's one more thing we need to do."

The Earth-Fiend Demon Lion trembled.

She removed the protective formation around the female cultivators and swept her gaze over all nine of them. "None of you object to my junior sister taking his demon core, do you?"

The other eight shook their heads repeatedly, their movements perfectly synchronized.

"If anyone is unwilling, feel free to speak up. Don't force yourselves."

Ning Xiang spoke gently. She was an exceptionally fair person, after all.

The eight dared not be unwilling. One after another, they declared that Fellow Daoist Wen had a chivalrous heart and heroic courage, and fully deserved this demon core.

For a moment, Wen Maimai felt as though she were floating on air.

She took a short knife and cut out the Earth-Fiend Demon Lion's demon core.

Ning Xiang applauded. "Junior Sister, you're extraordinarily brave!"

Wen Maimai said shyly, "I never realized I was this amazing either."

Bound tightly in the Demon-Binding Rope and unable to move, the Earth-Fiend Demon Lion coughed up blood. Could you please act like a human being?

"Enough nonsense. Hurry up and lead the way!"

After resting and regrouping, everyone prepared to set off in search of the Heaven-Splitting Python.

The female cultivators who had originally clustered around Su Lang now gathered around Ning Xiang instead, as though they had taken the wrong medicine.

"I feel like Senior Sister Ning gives us more of a sense of security," Zhou Ruoxue said.

The other three women from the Luo River Sect and the two from the Pill Sect nodded emphatically.

Ning Xiang: ...Fine. As long as you don't cause trouble.

[Zzt... zzzzt...]

The crackle of electricity sounded in her mind.

Only after a long while did the system's voice come through.

[Side quest activated: Receive concern from your eldest senior brother, Su Lang, and make the supporting female character Zhou Ruoxue jealous. Time limit: One incense stick.]

Ning Xiang: Meow, meow, meow?

Zhou Ruoxue did indeed exist in the original novel. The Zhou Family and the Su Family were close friends, and Zhou Ruoxue and Su Lang could be considered childhood sweethearts. The young woman's heart was entirely bound to Su Lang. Later, Zhou Ruoxue grew jealous of Jiang Miaomiao and repeatedly courted death, until Su Lang successfully killed her with a spell.

But regardless, although they were both villainous supporting female characters, Ning Xiang and Zhou Ruoxue should have had no conflicts of interest or romantic entanglements.

Wait, had this damned system bugged out? Was it reasonable to assign her this quest?

[Please do not question this system, esteemed host. You have little time remaining. Please complete the quest as soon as possible.]

Ning Xiang gritted her teeth.

"Senior Brother," she called, pitching her voice into a sweet, delicate tone.

Su Lang jolted and looked at her with a complicated expression.

Ning Xiang patted her chest. "That Earth-Fiend Demon Lion was so scary. Even thinking about him now leaves my heart trembling. Could you comfort me a little?"