Chapter 109: Soft to the Touch

Sun Qigang looked at Night Nine Demon’s expression, his eyes filled with a deep weariness. Then he spoke solemnly.

“Those above are playing a game of chess, and you are the most crucial piece. If you don't cultivate and become strong enough, you will be sacrificed. When that happens, everyone around you will perish…”

Suddenly, angry roars erupted from outside, as if trying to stop Sun Qigang from speaking further, but he continued nonetheless.

“Nine Demon, I know you have many things to protect, so you must become stronger, better. You cannot waste your talent. After all, among the people, demons, and monsters I know, you are the most outstanding!”

“With strength, you become the player of the game, not the pawn!”

Sun Qigang spoke at length in one breath. Night Nine Demon was deeply shocked, feeling that this game was vast beyond imagination.

As Sun Qigang spoke more and more, storms of thoughts surged within Night Nine Demon’s mind, constantly baptizing him. Outside, the roars grew louder.

Sun Qigang paid no heed to the furious sounds outside, only ceasing when he had said all he could, or rather, when he had finished.

“Little one, what about the Canglang Diagram…”

“Boy, explore it carefully. If you succeed in unlocking its secrets, it might help you greatly. How great? I cannot say…”

“But I can tell you this—the Canglang Diagram is powerful. You already know the previous figures, so what I want is for you to cultivate and grow stronger.”

“Cultivate?”

“Yes, cultivate. Devour the Celestial Demon Fire, seek out the proper Heavenly Dao, first subdue it, then all will be well.”

“……”

Night Nine Demon was speechless. Subdue it? What nonsense was that? His cultivation method was the Sleep-Eating Technique, not some romantic seduction art.

He looked at Sun Qigang with disdain—a typical troublemaker who could corrupt a child’s mind. Fortunately, he had kept his distance and avoided being tainted.

“All right, I’ve said all I needed to. I must now dissipate. My essence is now within you. When you use my power, remember to refine the Celestial Demon Fire into vital energy. That way, you won’t become demonic. After all, this plane is relatively low-ranking; others won’t reject you outright, but higher planes may hunt you down.”

Night Nine Demon nodded in understanding. Sun Qigang slowly faded away within the cave. The furious roars outside gradually turned into mournful laments.

Night Nine Demon sighed, stepped out of the cave, howled with Sun Qigang’s power, then turned and left.

He withdrew his consciousness from the Canglang Diagram and let out a long sigh beneath the bright moon, his vital energy suddenly surging.

Like a gigantic whale devouring tiny shrimp in the sea, white energy streamed ceaselessly into his seven orifices.

Bored, Cao Sisi emerged from her own cave. Whenever troubled, she would climb to the highest peak outside the Thousand Leaf Sect’s outer gate.

“How is he here?!”

Cao Sisi stared at the youth absorbing vital energy under the moonlight, a flicker of puzzlement in her eyes. She muttered,

“Damn it, he’s taken my spot. Let me teach him a lesson!”

She silently crept along the path toward Night Nine Demon’s location. But his hearing was incredibly sharp.

“Who’s there?!”

Night Nine Demon shouted, eyes snapping open as he looked toward the source of the sound.

“Hmph, who cares who I am? Take this!” Cao Sisi, undeterred upon being discovered, shouted angrily with a hint of coquettishness, launching a palm strike at him.

“Still the same size, but useless!”

Night Nine Demon quipped back, spinning around to strike with no mercy. The two fierce forces collided instantly.

“Bang!”

“Shameless! You don’t know how to cherish beauty at all!”

Cao Sisi was knocked back by Night Nine Demon’s palm, her face full of grievance. She glared at him.

“Hmph, you spy on my cultivation and still expect me to cherish you? Am I so worthless? I can fight back if I’m spied upon!”

Night Nine Demon snorted coldly, anger lacing his voice.

“I…”

“Hmph, what ‘I’? You’re grown up, but what good is that?!”

Night Nine Demon shot her a fierce glare, his tone icy.

“Hmm… how could I be useless? You’re… actually quite soft.”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Cao Sisi replied, causing a surge of blood to rush backward in Night Nine Demon’s chest. How could she say such things?

What did she mean by “soft”?

Night Nine Demon felt a thousand wild horses running through his mind, his face bitter as he looked at this sister with… such thoughts.

“Is that so? Soft to the touch? Want me to try?”

Night Nine Demon suddenly flashed an evil grin, appraising Cao Sisi’s figure from head to toe.

“Pervert.”

“So what if I’m a pervert? Did I eat your rice? Absorb your vital energy? Or take your heavenly treasures?”

Night Nine Demon retorted immediately, leaving Cao Sisi more exasperated. Looking at his handsome face, she could never tell he was someone who did not know how to cherish beauty.

“You…”

“What ‘you’? Enough chit-chat when I’m cultivating is a grave offense, got it?!”

Night Nine Demon’s face suddenly turned cold, his gaze icy as he scolded her like a thunderclap in winter.

Cao Sisi felt her heart swell with grievance, tears welling in her eyes. She looked at Night Nine Demon with a pitiful expression.

“You… you… not even three grandpas dare bully me, so why do you, a mere servant disciple, shout at me? I’m big, soft to the touch, so what? It’s natural…”

Tears streamed down Cao Sisi’s cheeks, her makeup smudged. She looked so pitiful that it stirred sympathy.

“Hmph, I cultivate, you spy on me, and worse, you scheme against me. I never cried, but you’re crying? And trembling and disturbing my mind? If I weren’t so kind-hearted, I’d have struck you down already!”

Night Nine Demon found her sobbing amusing and threatened her once more.

“Waaah… you… you’re bullying me… what’s wrong with me being big… you’re just jealous!”

Cao Sisi cried even harder, gazing at Night Nine Demon as if life had lost all meaning.

She even began to doubt if she was truly female. Back in the inner and core sects, and even when she first came to the outer sect, she was at the center of attention, surrounded by many male disciples.

But now…

Whenever Night Nine Demon appeared, her feminine aura vanished, and everywhere she turned, she met obstacles, feeling as if love no longer existed in the world.

Yet Night Nine Demon let her cry, closing his eyes and continuing his meditation. The night’s vital energy was abundant; his absorption was terrifying.

Watching Night Nine Demon’s cultivation speed, Cao Sisi felt the world’s malice once more. Why hadn’t she had such fortune?

But as the bright moon shifted across the sky, Cao Sisi finally looked away.