“Do you have any idea? I’m a flower, and yet I’m actually being discriminated against! Those other Datura flowers kicked me out of the family tree, saying I’m not worthy of being their sister. They talked as if I actually cared!
“In two hundred years, I’m the only flower to have cultivated a human form. Those other flowers are still in the deep mountains and old forests absorbing the essence of the sun and moon. Heaven knows when they’ll ever manage to take human form.”
The Ronghua Demon spoke with intense grief and indignation.
Gu Qingyun rubbed her forehead. “Have you ever considered why you were able to take human form? This world belongs to humanity; why would the heavens allow a flower full of deadly poison to take human form and mingle with people?”
“What do you mean? It’s because I’m non-poisonous that I could take form?”
“What else did you think?” Gu Qingyun looked at her as if she were an idiot. She was truly getting a bargain and still complaining about it.
“So that’s how it is... So that’s how it is. I thought I was a naturally gifted flower with heaven-defying aptitude, and I even dreamed of one day becoming a Demon King.”
Gu Qingyun was dumbstruck. Where did this demon get such confidence? But then again, the demon wasn't entirely wrong; she did have some luck. She had managed to obtain a fragment of a spatial fold, something even Gu Qingyun didn't have.
That little carp had found a pocket dimension, but as for Gu Qingyun herself, aside from what she brought with her at birth, she had nothing.
Thinking of this, Gu Qingyun didn’t want to talk to this demon anymore. She knit her brows and said directly, “Ronghua Demon, you have two paths now. First, fight me, and we’ll go down that path you mentioned of fighting to the death.
“The second path: to wash away your sins, you will disperse your cultivation but retain your consciousness and start your cultivation over. After all, someone lost their life because of you.”
Gu Qingyun’s tone was indifferent, but to the Ronghua Demon’s ears, it was terrifying.
She didn’t want to choose either path. If she chose the first, she would most likely lose. Her spirit and form would both be annihilated, and not even her original body would remain. If she chose the second path, she would revert to her original form, and she had no idea how long it would take to achieve human form again.
She regretted it. she shouldn't have left the deep mountains. Being discriminated against was better than losing her life.
After a long silence, her voice sounded dry. “I choose the second one.”
She triggered the original inner core within her body. Following her will, the core slowly shattered. Gu Qingyun immediately used her spiritual qi to protect the demon's consciousness.
The Ronghua Demon spat out a mouthful of fresh blood as the demon qi around her began to fade. Her body became unstable, and she slowly transformed into a small flower sprout.
Gu Qingyun sighed and squatted down. “Can you still understand me?”
The sprout vigorously shook its two leaves, as if in response.
Gu Qingyun picked it up. “From now on, you will live in my courtyard and cultivate properly. Don’t resort to these crooked paths again, and strive to take human form as soon as possible.”
As the Ronghua Demon’s cultivation dispersed, the various ladies gradually woke up. Seeing the room in chaos, they ran outside in a panic, not daring to stay any longer.
...
In a certain cave, a tablet shaped like the true form of a flower demon shattered. A feminine-looking man dressed in black saw this and suddenly lashed out with a wave of spiritual qi, snapping a tree outside.
“Who is it? Who has ruined my plans again? Don't let me find you, or I will make you beg for death!
“Fortunately, I left a few other fallback plans, so I won't be completely wiped out. These practitioners of the mystical arts are truly annoying.”
It hadn't been easy to find a mutated flower demon with innate divine abilities. He had planned to let that flower demon swallow more human obsessions before refining her, but he hadn’t expected her to be killed.
...
The winter wind, carrying dust, swirled across the ground and blew into the distance. Gu Qingyun walked down the street, holding a small flowerpot in one hand.
At this time of night, there were no pedestrians on the road except for Gu Qingyun. Even the brothels that had been brightly lit just two days ago were now pitch black.
Gu Qingyun walked back to the inn. Head Constable Liu and the others had just finished eating hot pot. Seeing Gu Qingyun return, they called out to her.
“Why are you back so late? We waited and waited, but you didn’t return, so we ate first. But don’t worry, we saved some food for you. We’ll have the waiter bring out a copper pot for you.”
“In such cold weather, why did you buy a flower sprout? It won't be easy to keep alive during the winter.”
Gu Qingyun placed the flowerpot at her feet and sat down on a chair, saying softly, “Uncle Liu, let’s go back tomorrow. The matter is finished.”
Head Constable Liu was about to ask more, but the quick-witted waiter had already started serving the dishes, so he had to keep his mouth shut.
Gu Qingyun gave the waiter a few copper coins. “Thank you.”
After she finished her dinner, Head Constable Liu asked in a low voice, “Did you find the killer?”
Gu Qingyun took a sip of tea and nodded slightly. “Mhm. It wasn't human.” Her voice was extremely quiet, and Head Constable Liu had to listen very carefully to hear her.
He sucked in a breath of cold air. “Do Constable Cheng and the others know?”
Gu Qingyun shook her head. “No need to tell them. I’ve handled it. We’ll depart tomorrow morning. I’ve been out for several days, and I miss home.”
Head Constable Liu sighed. “Sigh, I don't know what’s going on. In recent years, demons and ghosts have been appearing more and more often. They existed before, but never this many.”
“Tell me about it. Every time we’re out on duty, we’re on edge,” Zhao Si also sighed.
Gu Qingyun took a sip of tea. “Uncle Liu, is it possible that because I’m here, you feel like there are too many of these things? Normally, if you encountered them, you might not live to see what happens afterward.”
Head Constable Liu: “...” That seemed to be true, but hearing it put that way really stung.
The next morning, the horses had been fed. Head Constable Liu and the others had eaten breakfast before dawn and were ready to depart. Despite the biting cold wind that made it hard to keep their eyes open, they braved the weather and mounted their horses, preparing to head back to the county.
As they rode to the city gate, they saw an official notice posted. The general content was that the murderer had been found—it was the Madame of Caixiang Pavilion, who had absconded yesterday. Anyone who could provide information would be rewarded with twenty taels of silver.
Gu Qingyun glanced at it twice and lightly nudged her horse's sides. “Hah!”
The horses joyfully galloped toward the distance. They had been stuck in the stables for the past few days, doing nothing but eating and sleeping, and had long been bored. Now that they could run, they started racing each other forward.
Gu Qingyun formed a spiritual qi shield to protect herself and Little Brown. She communicated with the Ronghua Demon through her consciousness.
“Ronghua Demon, are you all right?”
The Ronghua Demon’s leaves swayed twice, her voice weak. “I’m not dead. Can you not call me Ronghua Demon? Just call me Rongrong. Is there something you want?”
Gu Qingyun coughed lightly. “Um, Rongrong, half of the money earned by your two brothels has been distributed to the girls and young men there. The other half was donated to the foundling home. So, where is the money you made from the teahouse? Anyway, you're a flower sprout now, so you can't use it.”
Rongrong: “How can you be so shameless? You took the space fragment I worked so hard to get, and now you’re asking me for money!”
Gu Qingyun rubbed her face and continued to coax her mentally, “Not at all, I didn’t see it. Isn’t that space fragment an ownerless object? Besides, I don't plan to take the space fragment away. I intend to place it at home as a spatial node, so it will be more convenient to travel in the future.”
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