Conquering That Great Demon Lord [Xian Ni Fan Fiction] - Chapter 6

Chapter 6 : Bathing

“Senior Brother, did you have some different opinion of me earlier? Did I do something wrong again?” Li Muwan asked with genuine sincerity.

Wang Lin didn’t understand why she was suddenly being so direct, but her question seemed to see right through his heart.

Wang Lin didn’t want to entertain her unreasonable behavior and accelerated his flight, leaving Li Muwan behind. The thread of Divine Sense he hadn’t withdrawn yet continued to monitor her movements.

Despite her best efforts, Li Muwan couldn’t keep up with him, only managing to follow from afar until they reached the Cave Residence. As soon as she landed and put away her Flying Sword, Wang Lin had already entered the Stone Chamber and closed the stone door.

Staring at the sealed Stone Chamber, she grew increasingly frustrated. Wang Lin sat in meditation, concentrating his mind, and through his Divine Sense, he saw her poor complexion and heard her muttering indistinct words.

Li Muwan adjusted her emotions and busied herself arranging the several pieces of coral she had collected in the outer stone chamber, reorganizing the layout.

She placed the coral Wang Lin had seized from the Qiongqi beside the table where she usually refined pills, then selected two more from the remaining corals to place elsewhereone on each side of his Stone Chamber.

The rest she left for Wang Lin, though she was still angry. She didn’t know what madness had taken the Fiend today. Normally, if she said or did something wrong and the Fiend’s favorability decreased, she would accept it without complaint.

But today was completely unreasonableshe wouldn’t accept it!

Even though she needed to win him over, she still had her dignity and bottom line! Her lively, beautiful face puffed up with anger, clearly furious.

Wang Lin withdrew his Divine Sense, a subtle, indescribable emotion stirring in his heart. He closed his eyes to regulate his breathing through cultivation, calming his thoughts.

“Blood Moon, take these in to him,” Li Muwan said, tossing spirit fruits to coax Blood Moon into delivering them.

Blood Moon ate the spirit fruits obediently, but being intelligent, it could sense human emotions. Wang Lin had clearly been in low spirits when he returned earlier, so it lingered hesitantly outside the Stone Chamber with the corals.

Li Muwan rewarded it with a few more fruits, but unable to resist its greed, Blood Moon eagerly went to take them. She raised an eyebrow and withdrew the fruits, saying, “You can have these when you come back.”

The Spirit Beast drooped its head in disappointment and had no choice but to obediently deliver the corals.

***

For three consecutive months, Li Muwan went out daily to collect dew, always having the Spirit Beast deliver it to Wang Lin’s Stone Chamber. Upon returning, she devoted herself entirely to pill refining.

Meanwhile, Wang Lin faced unprecedented difficultythe three Frost Pills refused to merge into one.

Several bottles of dew sent by Li Muwan were placed in the chamber, and the Sound Transmission Jade Slip had shown no reaction for three months. He took it out from his Storage Bag and confirmed that the transmission spell hadn’t dissipated.

There was nothing wrong with the jade slip, so why had there been no sound for three months?

He gazed thoughtfully at the stone door for a moment, then closed his eyes and used his Divine Sense to locate her.

Li Muwan had just finished refining a batch of pills and was tidying the medicinal ingredients and pill recipe jade slips on the table when she noticed a pile of exquisite, flawless, high-quality shells placed in the blind spot behind the Pill Furnace.

“These are…” Li Muwan picked up one and held it in her palm, “the seashells Senior Brother retrieved that day…”

She clenched one tightly in her hand and cast a determined glance toward Wang Lin’s Stone Chamber. “It’s been three months already, and there’s still no movement from his secluded cultivation…”

[Soul Pearl: Fiend favorability change, 10%]

[Li Muwan: The Fiend is…? Why did it suddenly increase?]

The stone chamber door opened, and a tall figure came into view. Wang Lin stood fixed in the center of the room, casting a thoughtful glance at Li Muwan who was lost in thought before the table. His eyes narrowed slightly as he strode directly toward her, step by step.

The strange, overwhelming pressure made Li Muwan sense ill intentions. Combined with her recent failed cultivation attempts and the sudden rise in his favorability, could it be… Could it be…

Practitioners of the Death Curse Technique needed to collect women’s Primordial Yin. This fiend had been staying in the cave residence for so long and frequently went outit was entirely possible he had been draining female cultivators’ Primordial Yin outside.

Was it her turn now?

As the fiend approached without any intention of stopping, and Wang Lin noticed her reaction, a wave of smug satisfaction rose within him, his lips curling into a faint, mischievous smile.

“I… I only agreed to refine pills for you. If you force me, I’d rather die than comply.”

Li Muwan crossed her arms over her chest and turned her head away in resistance.

Wang Lin saw right through her thoughts but silently changed direction as he drew near, crouching down to examine something. “Why is this flood dragon skull this color?”

Li Muwan: “…”

A false alarm.

Still dazed and blushing crimson over her own absurd assumptionswhat had she been thinking?Li Muwan explained softly, “Flood dragons are inherently poisonous. Even their blood and bones contain toxins, so this coloration isn’t surprising.” She cautiously glanced at him.

Embarrassed by her earlier reaction, she watched as Wang Lin stored the flood dragon skull in his Storage Bag. When he stood and brushed past her, Li Muwan instinctively averted her gaze, not daring to look him in the eye.

“Once I successfully achieve Core Formation, I will send you back to the Luoshui Sect.”

He was willing to send her back to the Luoshui Sect. Staring at his retreating figure, Li Muwan felt a tumult of emotions. If this fiend left, how would she proceed with her conquest mission…

Overthinking was futile. She wasn’t the sentimental type. Li Muwan wiped her face, took a deep breath, and watched as Blood Moon darted into the coral to play, carefree and oblivious.

Lately, the Sea of Demonic Cultivation had grown foggier, and even the cave residence felt increasingly damp. Sticky and uncomfortable, she recalled the warm pools of the Luoshui Sect.

Li Muwan slumped into a wooden chair, savoring a rare moment of leisure. Gazing at the other vacant stone chamber, she mused, “If only I could take a bath.”

The fiend was away and wouldn’t return for days. Li Muwan had a bathtub in her Storage Bag, and with her cultivation, heating water was no challenge. Efficient as ever, she soon had everything ready.

Fortunately, she had brought some floral soap. Having been in the Sea of Demonic Cultivation for so long, she had to use her Spiritual Power to dry her clothes each time she sweated during pill refinement. But she was inherently refined and cherished life’s comforts. If circumstances allowed, she would have long prepared a proper bathing room.

However, Wang Lin’s unpredictable comings and goings made it inconvenient. She could only seize this opportunity during his absence to truly relax.

Steam rose from the hot water in the tub. Li Muwan sprinkled in the floral soap, pink foam spreading across the surface. She had hung a curtain made of several layers of gauze in the stone chamber, and now it was drawn closed.

A silhouette flickered vaguely through the mist, as light as a veil. Water droplets trailed from her shoulders down her arms, which glistened like white jade pillars.

Immersed in the warmth, she closed her eyes, enjoying the comfort of the enveloping heat. Droplets rolling down her collarbone resembled blossoms blooming on a lake’s surface.

Li Muwan cupped water in her palms, tilted her head back, and let it trickle down her neck into the tub. Outside the curtain, Blood Moon crouched, nibbling on a corner of the gauze.

Her voice was as faint as a wisp, blending into the mist. “Blood Moon, stop fooling around.”

Blood Moon, barred from entering, couldn’t see her and could only vent its frustration on the curtain.

Suddenly, the curtain was tugged loose by its force and slid to the ground, revealing the interior of the stone chamber in full view.

A fair, jade-like arm was exposed, as if hinting at her graceful and slender figure.

Her hair, soaked and damp, clung to her cheeks. Leaning against the edge of the tub with her neck supported, she noticed the water temperature had cooled slightly. With two fingers pressed to her brow, she formed a hand seal once more.

The water in the bath tub warmed again. Soaked in the comforting heat, she grew weary and drifted into a drowsy sleep.

Unbeknownst to her, the drawn gauze curtain had already slipped away.

Blood Moon grumbled and fussed, seemingly drawn by commotion outside the cave residence. It darted out just as Wang Lin’s figure landed outside. Blood Moon leaped toward him, landing steadily on his shoulder.

Wang Lin paused briefly but didn’t shoo it away, though he showed no particular warmth toward the spirit beast.

This was the first time Blood Moon had greeted him with such enthusiasm. Yet, upon reflection, every time he returned from outside, he would always see Li Muwan waiting for him. Why was she absent today?

He strode inside, his gaze naturally falling upon Li Muwan’s usual spot, only to find it empty.

Had she gone out?

The thought crossed Wang Lin’s mindwhat could she be doing outside?

As he withdrew his gaze, he caught sight of the adjacent stone chamber.

His deep eyes involuntarily widened. Behind the mist, in the wooden tub, rested a jade-like arm, and her upturned neck was slender and delicate.

He saw clearly: that swan-like neck bore droplets of water, slowly trickling downward.

Wang Lin stared blankly for a moment, his gaze following the droplets down to her distinctly visible collarbone. With each breath, the mist hinted at the subtle rise and fall of her curves beneath…

He snapped back to awareness, turning his face away, yet his cheeks flushed red. An unusual dryness seized his throat, and the involuntary swallow betrayed a hidden restlessness he tried to suppress.

His sharp, handsome features maintained a calm composure. Blood Moon jumped down from his shoulder, and the commotion stirred the meditating fairy from her rest.

Just as Wang Lin averted his gaze, Li Muwan awoke at that very moment. Lifting her eyelids, she met the corner of his eyes before he could fully turn away.

“Shi… shixiong? When… when did you return?” Flustered, Li Muwan suddenly manifested a garment in her hands. Glancing at the tangled gauze curtain on the floor, she felt a pang of regret.

The sudden disturbance broke Wang Lin’s composed expression.

He turned his back to her completely and sighed inwardly where she couldn’t see. “Just now.”

Li Muwan’s face flushed crimson, her words stumbling out between sobs. “You… did you… see everything?”

Wang Lin had no desire to engage with her and moved to step toward his own stone chamber.

“W-wait.” Li Muwan emerged from the tub, using magic to change into her clothes. The faint, lingering scent of flower soap from her bath wafted delicately into Wang Lin’s senses, refreshing and subtle.

He had always disdained lust, considering matters of romance beneath notice.

But Li Muwan thought differently. She feared the Fiend might misunderstand, wondering if he had seen her, how much he had seen, whether he would think she had deliberately tempted him, and if he might harbor ill intentions toward her.

“Why… why did you return so early today?” Li Muwan probed cautiously.

Wang Lin saw no need to explain himself to her and prepared to leave.

Just then, a message transmitted from the Soul Pearl.

[Soul Pearl: Detected Fiend’s favorability change: 18%]

[Li Muwan: …He must have seen everything!]

Li Muwan felt no joy in this, instead feeling as if the sky had collapsed. The fiend must have seen her bathing and developed improper thoughts, which was why his favorability had changed.

She chased after him again but kept a considerable distance. “Why aren’t you speaking? I… I only bathed in the cave residence because I saw you had left…”

“I didn’t know you’d return so early…”

“What exactly are you trying to say?” Wang Lin’s tone was cold, tinged with suppressed anger as if barely restrained.

“Did Senior Brother see or not…” Li Muwan’s cheeks flushed crimson, her voice faltering and tinged with grievance. Her restless fingers hidden in her sleeves twisted anxiously.

Wang Lin closed his eyes, calming himself before turning to look down at her. He stepped closer, “What answer do you want to hear?”

“That I saw?”

Li Muwan timidly watched him, forced to retreat several steps. Her small face was flushed red, even the tip of her nose tinged pink, evoking unwitting fantasies. Yet the one before her was a fiend, unmoved.

Seeing her like this, Wang Lin couldn’t resist teasing further, “Or that I didn’t see?”

Her peach-blossom eyes glistened with unshed tears, dewy and pitiable.

“I…” she stammered incoherently. Though her robes were properly fastened, droplets still dampened her neck, and strands of hair clung to her temples. They stared at each other for a long moment.

Wang Lin was the first to look away, swallowing imperceptibly before stating coldly, “I didn’t see.”

He then entered the stone chamber and closed the door.

Li Muwan remained frozen in place, finally releasing a sigh of relief.

[Li Muwan: Did he truly not see?]

[Soul Pearl: What matters is that his favorability increased.]

[Li Muwan: He must have seen! He’s keeping me alive because my alchemy skills are useful! If I ever lose my value, he might very well act on those thoughts…]

His claim of not seeing was a liemeant to stop Li Muwan from overthinking. He absolutely held no improper intentions toward her.

Blood Moon circled outside Wang Lin’s stone chamber. When Li Muwan called, it leaped into her arms, nuzzling against her scent.

“You were there earlierwhy didn’t you warn me when the fiend returned?” Li Muwan tugged its rabbit ears. “Did the fiend truly not see?”

Blood Moon shook its head, and Li Muwan took it as confirmation.

After this incident, she avoided appearing before Wang Lin for a long time. Even when he went out or returned, she only showed her back, never looking directly at him.

Since she didn’t seek him out, Wang Lin enjoyed the peace, remaining in seclusion without emerging.

Li Muwan still went out daily to gather dew. She had Blood Moon deliver the collected dew to Wang Lin, who was in the midst of refining his third pill. Understanding the situation, Blood Moon never lingered after delivering the dew, returning to Li Muwan to ask for spirit fruits.

Lately, while gathering dew outdoors, she constantly felt as if eyes were watching her from behind. Li Muwan cautiously extended her divine sense for a hundred miles but detected nothing unusual.

The next day, she went out as usual. The sensation of being watched grew stronger. After collecting the last bottle of dew and storing it in her storage bag, she calmly addressed the air, “You’ve been watching for days. Do you have some advice to offer?”

From behind a massive rock, two figures emerged on flying swords. Li Muwan cautiously stepped back, her fingers hidden in her gauzy sleeves forming seals, ready to set up an escape array at any moment.

The paira man and a womanstood before her. The male cultivator in front had reached the late Foundation Establishment stage, while the veiled woman was at the 15th level of Qi Condensation.

The woman spoke first, “Senior, this is a misunderstanding. My husband and I didn’t mean to disturb your dew gathering…”

Li Muwan’s gaze carried a hint of scrutiny, with an air of feigned confidence. “Oh? So you two have been observing me for days?”

Her ability to remain in the Sea of Demonic Cultivation as a Qi Condensation cultivator was entirely due to the protection of the late Foundation Establishment stage cultivator before her. The pair claimed to be cultivation partners who had been watching her for dayslikely newcomers to the Sea of Demonic Cultivation seeking connections for protection. They had been observing her precisely because they didn’t know her background.

“We are disciples from Tiansheng Sect outside the Sea of Demonic Cultivation,” the female cultivator said with a pitiful expression. “We were expelled from our sect for forcibly forming a dual cultivation bond against our master’s wishes and fled here for refuge. Seeing how freely you move about this sea, you must have resided here for quite some time. We’ve heard the Sea of Demonic Cultivation is full of dangershow does a lone cultivator like yourself survive here so effortlessly?”

“What business is it of yours?” Li Muwan’s eyes turned cold and sharp. Just as she had stated, the Sea of Demonic Cultivation was perilous, and she wouldn’t reveal anything without understanding their motives.

Faced with her coldness, the female cultivator appeared somewhat awkward and shifted her gaze to the Foundation Establishment stage cultivator beside her.

The male cultivator naturally wasn’t intimidated by her mere early Foundation Establishment cultivation. However, she seemed to be protected by a powerful Divine Sense, making her someone not to be trifled with, so he spoke politely.

“Fellow Daoist, please don’t blame her,” he said with a cupped-hand salute. “My junior sister is rather straightforward. We reside in a cave residence not far ahead and originally intended to familiarize ourselves with the surroundings. Noticing that you collect dew here punctually every day, we initially grew wary. We hope for your understanding.”

“Might I ask what use you have for this dew?”

Li Muwan pondered. When she had previously traveled with Wang Lin, they hadn’t seen any cave residences within a thousand miles. Remaining cautious, she replied, “Dew collects the essence of heaven and earth and can be used as supplementary material in alchemy.”

“You know alchemy?” The female cultivator sounded surprised, as if she had caught onto crucial information, before coughing heavily several times.

Judging by the fluctuations in her Spiritual Power, she appeared severely injured.

“My junior sister was punished by our sect, then hunted down after leaving the mountain. Our escape here has been difficult.”

The injury was real, but its cause and authenticity remained unverifiable. Li Muwan had no intention of involving herself further. She retrieved a bottle of pills from her Storage Bag.

“This is a Peiyuan Dan. Take it for seven consecutive days, and your injuries will surely improve.”

She left the elixir without waiting for their thanks and swiftly departed on her Flying Sword.

“That person is certainly no ordinary presence in the Sea of Demonic Cultivation, Senior Brother. If she knows alchemy and we can befriend her, we might gain some support here,” the female cultivator remarked.

Li Muwan had acted cautiously, avoiding excessive warmth while offering help without inviting troublea gesture to accumulate goodwill. At heart, she was a kind and gentle woman.

“Let’s plan carefully. We still don’t know what powerful figure stands behind her. If we provoke her, we’ll surely meet our end,” the male cultivator cautioned. The two returned to their cave residence, and after taking the elixir, the female cultivator’s condition improved.

Back in her stone chamber, Li Muwan considered informing Wang Lin about their new neighbors but recalled the recent awkwardness between them. She wasn’t ready to speak to him yet.