After Switching Bodies with the Villainous Demon Lord - Chapter 21
Duan Ze’s eyelid twitched. He tightened the grip he was about to release and lifted the fox back up in front of him.
“You know who I am?”
“That’s right.” The fox’s pair of blue eyes narrowed, flashing a sly glint. Its big fluffy tail swayed slightly behind it.
Judging from everything, he had a strong feeling the person in front of him was that powerful cultivator.
Duan Ze narrowed his eyes as well, a flicker of killing intent rising within.
He really hated being threatened, especially when the other party had the upper hand in information. The fox had just broken his seal and clearly lost some cultivation in the process—definitely not a match for him now. Maybe he should just take this chance to get rid of the little beast?
The fox crossed his front paws, full of confidence as he declared, “You’re the Xuejiang Immortal from the Muxue Sect!”
In the whole world, the only people who could subdue him so quickly were Duan Ze, that Demon Lord from the Demon Realm, and this one.
The Muxue Sect was about a thousand li from Cangyu Sect—not exactly far. The old ancestor of Muxue, Xuejiang Immortal, had been a close friend of Duan Ze in the past. Their behavior and expressions might be similar—it made sense. Plus, word had it Xuejiang Immortal had just emerged from seclusion recently.
Among those who could walk alongside Duan Ze and have this level of cultivation, it had to be Xuejiang.
Duan Ze had been ready to attack, but after hearing the fox’s “guess,” his movements silently faded away.
Xuejiang Immortal was a background character in the original novel—only mentioned by name as a powerful cultivator. There wasn’t much info on him.
But the original host had been pretty familiar with him. On the surface, Xuejiang seemed reserved and inexpressive, but in reality, he was vain, overly confident, and loved joining in the fun—completely opposite to the original host’s low-key and reserved demeanor.
Later on, while continuing his cultivation, Xuejiang somehow developed a massive trade network across the mortal world, the cultivation world, and even the demon realm, turning Muxue Sect into a richer force than even the Four Great Sects.
They had hung out a lot back in their prime, but once their cultivation levels rose, they often went into seclusion for decades or even centuries. Schedules never lined up anymore, tea and sightseeing dates grew fewer, and their friendship faded over time.
In the fifty years since Duan Ze transmigrated, he hadn’t heard a single word about Xuejiang—until now. Hearing the name again felt like a blast from a previous life.
A quiet laugh slipped from his lips. He released his grip on the fox’s scruff and said, “Was it that obvious?”
Chi Xiuzhu didn’t expect to guess correctly. Before he hit the ground, he turned back into human form—crimson robes making his snowy-pale face appear even more striking. He casually dusted off his sleeves.
Xuejiang was human. Unlike Duan Ze.
Now that the fox had confirmed the man’s identity, he suddenly felt incredibly gross. A nauseous churn flipped his stomach. He only held it together for two breaths before rapidly casting over ten purification techniques on himself and even swallowed a cleanse fruit to scrub himself inside and out.
Once done, Chi Xiuzhu cupped his fists a little awkwardly toward the man.
“Understandable,” Duan Ze waved it off with a generous air, totally forgiving the fox’s earlier rudeness.
He jumped off the lotus artifact, nudged a pebble at his feet with the tip of his shoe. The pebble flew high and, the next second, a muffled grunt came from a tree in the distance—a person tumbled out of it.
He gave Chi Xiuzhu a glance.
“If you’re done, then you can go.”
Now that the guy knew he wasn’t Duan Ze, there was no reason for him to keep hanging around.
Without waiting for a reply, Duan Ze walked straight toward the stalker.
The person clutched his chest and got up with some difficulty. It was Xie Qingyu.
Looking up, he met Duan Ze’s gaze.
“Who are you?”
Xie Qingyu didn’t bother acting. “I know you’re Big Brother Zhu, the one who’s always around my Shizun. No need to play dumb. I saw everything you two did outside the ruins.”
“Oh? So you followed me just to sneak attack? Didn’t get beat up hard enough last time?” Duan Ze nodded slightly, looking completely unbothered.
“No.” Xie Qingyu clenched down on his temper. That hit earlier hadn’t broken any bones, but he was sporting a nasty bruise.
“I just wanted to ask you something about my shizun.” No point beating around the bush—it’d only piss this guy off more.
Duan Ze raised a brow.
“I’m not particularly close with him these days.”
“Not close anymore?”
The guy who should’ve left—Chi Xiuzhu—didn’t. Instead, he butted in.
He’d come all this way for the final treasure. Duan Ze and the man beside him had entered the ruins first. When Chi Xiuzhu and Xie Qingyu got in afterward, they were immediately teleported out—proof the treasure had already been claimed. That left Duan Ze and the one next to him with equal chances of having it.
Though Xuejiang had a slightly better shot. Duan Ze had delayed outside a bit to show them the way in, which gave Xuejiang a head start.
Even if snatching the treasure back was unlikely, he still wanted to try.
Duan Ze looked at Chi Xiuzhu chiming in again and instantly regretted not letting someone capture this fox and sell him off when he had the chance.
“We used to be okay,” Duan Ze said, eyes lowered as if sorting his thoughts, a bit of sorrow flickering across his expression. “But after missing each other so often over the years, we gradually drifted. This time, I thought he called me over for tea and scenery… didn’t expect it was just to watch him pamper his ‘good disciple.’”
That “good disciple” bit—Duan Ze emphasized it hard, enough to make Xie Qingyu’s expression shift subtly.
He had been watching Duan Ze closely since the conversation began, but hadn’t caught any slip-ups.
“My shizun’s always been a solitary type. May I ask who you are?” Xie Qingyu pressed on.
Chi Xiuzhu answered for him, “He’s the Xuejiang Immortal of Muxue Sect.”
“Xuejiang Immortal?” Xie Qingyu froze. “But I remember our sect leader said last year that Xuejiang Immortal was still in seclusion.”
Duan Ze’s heart skipped a beat, though nothing showed on his face. A wave of oppressive pressure suddenly surged outward.
Xie Qingyu immediately dropped to his knees under the weight, a trace of blood at the corner of his lips.
Chi Xiuzhu, standing off to the side, didn’t take the full brunt but still turned pale and had to use all his strength just to stay standing.
Looking down at Xie Qingyu, Duan Ze’s voice was tinged with cold anger. “What? I need to inform the world when I exit seclusion now?”
“…No, of course not. I just thought, with someone as prominent as Xuejiang Immortal returning, there would’ve been some news.” Xie Qingyu swallowed the blood in his mouth, kept up a humble front, but his words still had bite.
“Hm?” Duan Ze let out a soft, displeased noise.
Immediately, the pressure intensified, forcing Xie Qingyu to bend over further under the weight.
Chi Xiuzhu’s nostrils twitched faintly. As a great ascension stage demon, his sense of smell was extremely sharp—and he picked up the faintest hint of nervousness from Duan Ze.
The fox grew suspicious again. Add to that the fact that Duan Ze might be the one holding the treasure he was after, and he decided to back him up, saying, “You’re using last year’s info? Seriously? I got my intel from Qingxuan Pavilion—Xuejiang Immortal’s definitely out of seclusion.”
Qingxuan Pavilion was the top information house in the continent, disguised as a brothel but secretly running the most expansive intelligence network. Their accuracy was legendary.
And Chi Xiuzhu, aside from being the demon realm’s ruler, also happened to be Qingxuan Pavilion’s shadowy master. Aside from his inner circle and Duan Ze (who had read the novel), no one knew this.
Hearing that, Xie Qingyu half-believed it. He could also feel the pressure on him lighten a little. He looked up slightly and said, “Even if you and my shizun haven’t seen each other in a long time, you must still know him well. I just want to ask—does he seem… different from how you remember him?”
Different? Duan Ze’s fingers twitched at the phrasing. That question alone told him Xie Qingyu was starting to suspect the person in Duan Ze’s body wasn’t the original.
When did he start noticing?
Duan Ze instinctively rubbed the storage ring on his left hand, rapidly thinking up a plan.
Chi Xiuzhu, still watching him secretly from the side, happened to catch that small, telling motion—and his eyes darkened in an instant.