Destroy humanity!
Xiao Bai shuddered in the hot spring, nearly interrupting the Remote Sensing Monitoring.
His divine sense returned to his body. He looked around and made sure no one had noticed him.
He reconnected the Remote Sensing, carefully switched perspectives, and confirmed that he had not been exposed.
My wife did not merely want to overthrow the Snow Flame Sect—she wanted to destroy all humanity?
Xiao Bai slowly caught his breath, feeling that he had gotten himself into something a little too big.
He had thought his wife was merely a tormenting little demoness. Who could have imagined that she was actually a supervillain bent on destroying all humanity?
Xiao Bai sharply drew in a breath, and even the pool water seemed to grow a little warmer.
Those not of our race must harbor different hearts. Though Xiao Bai was a transmigrator, he was human when all was said and done. He could still distinguish his position. He would not easily betray humanity simply because his wife had fair skin and a beautiful face.
They would have to pay more!
Besides, the Heavenly Dao Grand Gift Bag was still waiting for him...
He had to thwart the demoness's monstrous scheme and let her taste the iron fist of justice!
Of course, the prerequisite for Xiao Bai having an iron fist was filling his stomach with soft rice first.
As a medicinal ingredient for curing Elder Yuhu, Xiao Bai knew perfectly well that, for now, he was merely a tool—a dose of heat-clearing medicine.
"Cultivate him properly, and perhaps he can destroy humanity"—though that had only been an excuse, it might have accidentally hit half the truth.
With the Modifier at his side, if he cultivated properly, he would certainly be able to eliminate demons and defend the Dao!
At that moment, the two people in the Underground Cave Abode had no idea that walls had eyes, and they were still discussing matters of race.
Above the pill furnace, the Black Sheep Crone bound in green smoke let out a long sigh.
"Humans are merely shells that happened to conform to the natural Dao. No one is born human. The Demon Race has never been a single race, either. Coming from the mouth of a Half-Demon, words like destroying humanity... carry far too little conviction."
Half-Demon...
Xiao Bai had discovered an astonishing keyword amid their racial theories.
Half-human, half-demon—in other words, a human demon?
My wife was a human demon?
Fine, then.
On the wall, the projection of a fox tail drifted and swayed, like wind and snow howling through the air.
Before the furnace, the demoness held a teacup, tranquil as still water, white-haired and red-cheeked.
"Perhaps I mean it sincerely."
Could she really destroy humanity? The Black Sheep Crone did not believe Yuhu's words, taking them only as an excuse for her affection toward her Dao companion.
"Your Medicine Techniques have already reached the point where you no longer need Charm Arts. Whether Dual Rest is for healing or self-amusement, I do not care whom you become partners with. Right now, we must take down the Snow Flame Sect. This is the first step of the Demon Alliance's Plan.
The fox woman, draped in white gauze, slowly raised her teacup.
"Rest easy. The tea is about to go cold."
Upon the tea's surface, peach petals sank and slowly melted, staining the tea an eerie dark crimson.
The black sheep collapsed, and the green smoke dispersed.
The woman's lips were bewitchingly red as blood.
Xiao Bai immediately terminated the Remote Sensing.
He had never expected that the first Female Lead bound by the Modifier would be no minor character. She had a completely different air from ordinary fox demons—cool and restrained, as though looking at her one extra moment through Remote Sensing risked being discovered.
Did she sincerely want to destroy humanity?
Was taking down the Snow Flame Sect truly the first step?
And what exactly was the Demon Alliance's Plan?
If he could thwart the Demon Alliance's Plan, perhaps he could obtain the Heavenly Dao Grand Gift Bag!
The Black Sheep Crone had said that her Medicine Techniques were already so superb that she no longer needed Charm Arts...
Xiao Bai thought that if she could teach him those Medicine Techniques, he would become a great alchemist.
Considering that he could perfectly comprehend any cultivation technique taught by the Female Lead, it would not be surprising if he someday refined an Elixir of Immortality.
Of course, staying alive was what mattered most right now.
Accompanying one's wife was like accompanying a tiger. He had to pretend he knew nothing, lest she murder him to silence him.
Before a demoness, you could expose your body, but you absolutely could not expose the thoughts in your heart.
Xiao Bai worked hard to calm his mind.
He also washed his face and brushed his teeth in the hot spring.
After all, the pool water flowed continuously, gushing from the springhead and slowly draining through cracks in the rocks. At the cliff's edge, it formed a clear waterfall that plunged straight down and became mountain mist.
"When did you wake up?"
Not long after, the elder returned to the poolside.
Xiao Bai, in the pool, had already washed himself spotless. His heart was immaculate, without the slightest ripple.
He turned his head and glanced at the demoness.
She had changed out of the thin gauze robe from earlier and back into the loose Blue-White Overcoat she had worn when they first met. Her hair was once again arranged in a slanting cloud bun, and her complexion had become cool, pure, and clear.
It had to be said, an elder was an elder, and an agent was an agent. After a night of Dual Rest that had pleased her, after a century-old Charm Demon had lost her body, she looked as though nothing had happened.
The vast gulf in their identities meant that their relationship was still a flower bud concealing its restless heart.
This was the legendary marriage before love, though it might also be beheading before beating...
No matter what, with the woman already like this, it would be inappropriate for the man to act coy.
Naked, Xiao Bai propped an arm against a smooth stone on the pool bank and rested his chin on his hand. Facing the sea of clouds, he said without restraint:
"I just woke up. I was thinking of looking for Elder."
Master Yuhu stood beside the pool with her hands behind her back. The sight before her eyes happened to be Xiao Bai's broad, sturdy shoulders and back.
—Though he was inconspicuous, this man's cultivation had risen from the Fetal Breath First Layer to the Fetal Breath Second Layer!
Just from one night of Dual Rest?
She was somewhat surprised.
Dual Rest could not possibly have such an obvious effect on one's cultivation advancement, yet Xiao Bai had indeed advanced.
Had he hidden his cultivation, or hidden his talent?
She almost wished she could immediately verify it through Dual Rest!
Unfortunately, it was daytime.
It would not do.
No matter what... this man was not simple.
Changing her cool tone, Master Yuhu walked closer to Xiao Bai and gently tested the waters.
"Sorry, our conversation woke you."
Xiao Bai nodded. It was fine...
My ass!
You demoness are rotten to the core!
Xiao Bai nearly fell for it. Turning sideways, he stared at the elder's innocent, youthful face and feigned surprise.
"Elder was speaking just now?"
Master Yuhu's clear face faintly rippled, like fallen leaves stirring circles across a tranquil lake. She shook her head.
"Just some muttering to myself. It is best that you did not hear it."
At once, a perfectly measured trace of curiosity appeared on Xiao Bai's handsome, innocent face.
After all, if he had heard the elder say such things and remained too calm, she would instead suspect that he had something to hide.
Curiosity was the normal reaction.
Even though he already knew the answer.
"What Elder said sounds so mysterious that this disciple wants to know now."
Xiao Bai said with a smile.
Her clear eyes, fringed with long lashes like fallen snow, swept over Xiao Bai's curious gaze. Master Yuhu remained expressionless.
"Pill refinement requires constant testing of medicine. Over the years, this naturally leaves behind chronic ailments and stubborn illnesses. And you, with your Balanced Five Elements, are a medicinal ingredient for curing my ailments."
Well, damn. You meant that you were expelling toxins into my body through Dual Rest?
Just as expected of you!
Xiao Bai feigned surprise and stood stunned for a long while before speaking.
"This disciple has only one worthless life. I hope Elder will use it sparingly."
"If the Dual Rest method is proper, a Balanced Five Elements Physique will siphon away ailments that do it no harm, since such ailments cannot cultivate."
As she spoke, Master Yuhu sat cross-legged by the pool at Xiao Bai's right shoulder.
"But you are rather special. You actually condensed these diseased lesions into cultivation... How did you do it?"
Her body fragrance, a mingling of peach blossoms, snow, flesh, and bone, seeped into his heart and lungs. Xiao Bai felt that while this demoness appeared aloof, she was actually quite approachable and carried none of an elder's airs.
So he shamelessly showed off in a humble tone.
"If even Elder cannot explain it, then it can only be attributed to this disciple's extraordinary talent."
Master Yuhu nodded and did not pursue the matter further.
The rest of their lives was still long. She had enough time to dig out this man's secrets.
Fine snow drifted down, peach blossoms flourished, and morning light intertwined with water mist to create a vast haze of rippling waves, as though spring had arrived.
"What do you want most?"
The calm female voice was like soft shaved ice in summer.
Yet Xiao Bai's answer was as cold as a freezing wind in the twelfth lunar month.
"A bride price."
Master Yuhu froze slightly. For a long moment, she failed to react, thinking she had misheard.
"...What bride price?"
What, did she want to become partners with a little immortal man for free?
This rich woman was terribly thoughtless!
It was fine. Xiao Bai patiently prompted her.
"How about one million spirit stones?"
Her clear eyes rippled faintly. Master Yuhu had not expected an Outer Sect disciple to be so impudent.
Yet for some inexplicable reason, she felt that he was likely testing her...
"You do have quite the nerve. Unfortunately, all my Spirit Stones have been used to cultivate Spirit Plants and refine pills."
Xiao Bai smiled.
"That will not do. From now on, Elder will be responsible for earning a living and supporting the family, while this disciple will be responsible for being beautiful as a flower."
"..."
Generally speaking, someone so wildly unconventional was either a fool or an expert.
Master Yuhu increasingly felt that this youth was not simple.
Xiao Bai let out a disappointed sigh.
Without a million in bride price, he could only take things slowly.
Getting some pills or cultivation techniques should still be possible.
"Forget it. If there is no bride price, then housing and transport... ahem, ahem, food, clothing, shelter, and travel must at least be settled, right? This disciple is only a mortal, after all. I need food and a place to live."
At last, a normal person's request. Master Yuhu breathed a sigh of relief, lifted her robe, and rose to her feet.
"Since we are Dao companions, we shall naturally eat together and sleep together. Come with me."
Eating and sleeping with a demoness...
Given the elder's ethereal beauty and criminally sinful figure, Xiao Bai tried hard to convince himself and reluctantly accepted sleeping and eating together with the demoness.
Once he overcame that mental hurdle, Xiao Bai, the water aristocrat of the Fetal Breath Second Layer, felt power surging through his entire body.
With a flip, he leaped ashore. With a shake, he flung off the droplets on his body.
High-spirited and full of vigor, he put on his gray servant's padded clothes, crossed the blossoming Peach Grove by the Pool, and followed the elder into the Depths of the Bamboo Forest.
The green bamboo was like swords piercing straight into the heavens, embracing one another into a vault that made the mere few dozen acres of bamboo forest seem lofty and profound.
The bamboo forest was dense outside and sparse within. A winding stone path ran east to west, with shade-loving spirit plants such as Earth Treasury Flower, Mystic Ice Grass, and Purple Dragon Ginseng planted along both sides. Hummingbirds, insects, butterflies, Wild Rabbits, and squirrels darted among them, creating a scene of spring.
Sparse flecks of snow drifted through the bamboo canopy and morning mist, landing upon the back of the elder's Blue-White Overcoat.
She looked utterly immortal.
But whenever Xiao Bai thought of the wicked figure hidden beneath that Blue-White Overcoat, immortal became demon.
Forget it. Immortal or demon, either was fine as long as she could aid his cultivation.
Xiao Bai quickened his pace, caught up with the elder, and left the bamboo forest.
To the west of the bamboo forest lay a vast Medicine Garden.
Between the Medicine Garden and the bamboo forest was a Clear Lake.
Beside the lake stood a Two-Story Bamboo Hut, backed against the bamboo forest and facing the lake and Medicine Garden.
It was the Sleeping Palace of Master Yuhu, the Pill Elder.
The location Xiao Bai had remotely sensed earlier was precisely the basement beneath this Sleeping Palace!
He entered the Bamboo Hut with the elder.
The simple sitting room contained only a long table and calligraphy and paintings.
The room on the left was a study.
The room on the right was a bedroom.
The second floor was a spacious Meditation Room.
There was no balcony, kitchen, washroom, or everyday furniture at all!
The bedroom supposedly meant for "sleeping together" contained only a bamboo bed covered in dust.
In the bedroom, Master Yuhu waved away the dust and cobwebs without changing expression.
"This is the bedroom. I don't sleep often."
Xiao Bai stared blankly.
Without several decades, there was no way dust and cobwebs this thick could have accumulated.
"Fine. Cultivators are all monsters who only meditate and never sleep."
As she spoke, the bedroom had already become spotless, restored to pristine condition.
The matter of lodging was, at least reluctantly, settled.
Glancing at Xiao Bai's clothes, Master Yuhu furrowed her delicate brows.
Then she shook her head and personally brushed the snow from Xiao Bai's padded robe.
"The padded robes from the Errand Disciple Quarters are far too ugly. I only have women's clothing here. You must go to the Pill Pavilion halfway up the mountain and find Mu Yun. She will personally make you two daoist robes."
Mu Yun was Elder Yuhu's Medicine Boy. Xiao Bai had seen her a few times within the sect before. She was an innocent, lively, and proud young girl—cute, certainly, but her tsundere nature was irritating.
"Yes."
Xiao Bai nodded.
With that, the matter of clothing was resolved.
Next came the issue of transportation.
Master Yuhu continued:
"To travel between the various Inner Sect peaks, one must ride a sword. My sword will likely be difficult for you to control. You can go to the Pill Pavilion and ask the Onmyoji to custom-make a Rune Sword for you. Even someone who has not yet reached Qi Refining can wield it."
The Onmyoji was one of Hundred Herbs Peak's Core Disciples. Xiao Bai had never met him... he had only heard that he was a feminine man who looked like a woman.
As for riding a sword, Xiao Bai thought about it. Among the three great rules of living off a woman, there was no rule saying that a gifted weapon would automatically be mastered, so a sword was fundamentally unimportant.
The important thing was swordsmanship. Later, he only needed to find an opportunity to learn a move or two from an elder, and it would automatically be maxed out.
"Yes."
The moment the words left his mouth—
Xiao Bai's stomach began to growl.
Of clothing, food, lodging, and travel, he had somehow forgotten the most important thing for a mortal: eating.
A man lived for food, and food was the soul of a man. So long as it was food personally cooked by the Female Lead, or pills personally refined by her, he could absorb one hundred percent of the spiritual power within and convert it into part of his cultivation.
Clutching his hungry stomach, Xiao Bai shamelessly said:
"Clothing, lodging, and travel have all been muddled through for this disciple. Considering that this disciple worked tirelessly last night to help Elder relieve her affliction, could Elder make something for this disciple to eat?"
You worked tirelessly...
A faint flush spread across Master Yuhu's fair face, yet an inexplicable chill shone in her eyes.
She had suffered plenty too!
According to worldly customs, cooking for one's husband was also a duty a wife ought to fulfill.
Master Yuhu was not skilled in cooking, but when Xiao Bai brought it up of his own accord, for some reason, she found it difficult to refuse.
For no reason at all, she wanted to properly fulfill a wife's duties...
She had originally intended to probe this Laborer Disciple with his strange constitution step by step, yet she always felt as though she too was being tested.
Helplessly shaking her head, she asked coldly:
"What do you want to eat?"
Xiao Bai answered with an innocent expression:
"This disciple likes noodles. In three years since entering the sect, this disciple has not tasted a single bite. Could Elder make noodles for me?"
Faced with the almost coquettish gaze and tone of her young dao companion, Master Yuhu let out a soft sigh, instinctively feeling that this was a doomed entanglement.
"...I'll try using the pill furnace."
Before you continue