A feeling of utter powerlessness overwhelmed Qi Chengyu. She looked up and down at the person in front of her. "How did you manage to survive till now?" She could not believe such a clueless person was actually accepted by the Blackheaven Sect. Was the sect blind?

"Huh?" She probed the Spirit Qi around Shen Ying's body again. "You are actually a mortal!"

a.s.suming that it was her injuries that had prevented her from detecting Shen Ying's cultivation level, it had never occurred to Qi Chengyu that Shen Ying was a mortal without the slightest Spirit Qi. Even a maid in the Blackheaven Sect practiced cultivation, yet she did not have a hint of Spirit Qi. It seemed that she was born without any spirit roots. To be in the elite Blackheaven Sect, yet be unable to practice. She was also a pitiful person…

At this thought, much of Qi Chengyu's anger dissipated, but all this went unnoticed by the other party who had instead started pulling out the feathers of the pheasant. Immediately after, the colorful feathers began to reflect the light of the rising moon, forming a rainbow-like pattern on the ground.

Something was not right—the feathers were actually emitting light.

"Wait!" Qi Chengyu quickly grabbed the other party's hand that was plucking the feathers, and then looked at the two birds closely. Her eyes widened in astonishment. "This… these are fifth-level spirit beasts—the Bright Luan! Where did you find them?"

"By the riverside!" Shen Ying pointed her finger to the left, but after thinking for a moment she switched to the right.

The incredulous look on Qi Chengyu face deepened. Looking at Shen Ying, she didn't seem capable of killing a fifth-level spirit beast. Did some hunter capture the beasts, then abandon them by the river? She really had good luck!

"What's a spirit beast? Isn't this a chicken demon?" asked Shen Ying, waving around the bird in her hand.

"How come you don't even know this?" Qi Chengyu looked at her in surprise and then explained, "Demons are demons, beasts are beasts. Demons are originally animals that turned into demons upon gaining sentience. If they cultivate in divine powers, they can attain manifestation. Beasts are extraordinary creatures at birth but they do not have sentience. They can only attain manifestation and gain sentience if they reach a high level of cultivation."

"Oh…" She nodded. No wonder this little animal didn't speak the human language just now. "Can it be eaten?"

Qi Chengyu's mouth twitched. Was this the key point? But upon closer thought, she remembered that Shen Ying was just a mortal and really needed to eat. Therefore, Qi Chengyu formed a seal on the ground and ignited a ball of fire. "The flesh of a spirit beast is putrid, so it can only be eaten after cleansing it with spirit fire." So saying, she took over the featherless spirit beast that Shen Ying was holding and placed it in the fire to cook.

Shen Ying: Waiting obediently for food!

Qi Chengyu first cleansed the head of the beast, directly opening it with a spirit cleansing blade. Sure enough, a bright blue bead was found inside it; it was a fifth-level beast pill, and it was of the water attribute. She could not help but marvel again at this mortal's luck—just by wandering about she had managed to pick up the bodies of fifth-level spirit beasts left behind by a hunter.

She took out the beast pill directly. Such a complete internal pill was very rare. Tossing it to Shen Ying, she instructed, "Take it. Keep it carefully."

Shen Ying glanced at it and then threw it back. "No, you can have it!"

"You… you want to give it to me?!" Qi Chengyu stared at her in disbelief, the words 'Are you stupid?' all but written on her face. "Rest a.s.sured. Since I promised to let you go, I will not go back on my word. This is a fifth-level water attribute spirit beast pill, a medicine with magical healing powers. Since this beast was found by you, it is destined to be yours. I won't deprive others of their good fortune."

"No need." She had plenty of such beads.

Thinking that she didn't understand the benefits of this pill, Qi Chengyu couldn't help explaining again, "Although you are a mortal, this fifth-level beast pill is a rarity. You can benefit in many ways from it."

"Oh, then you can have it." Just take it as payment for roasting the chicken. "Is the chicken cooked?"

"You…" Gripping her palms tightly, Qi Chengyu looked at Shen Ying with a complicated expression.

Is she giving me the beast spirit pill to heal my injuries? Why? I was the one who took her hostage, yet she wants to help her enemy?

"I… am a Fiendish Cultivator!" she couldn't help but remind Shen Ying.

"Ah?!" Shen Ying turned her head to look at her, frowning in uncertainty. Qi Chengyu's heart sank a little, but then she heard Shen Ying asking seriously, "Fiendish Cultivators… can't roast chicken?"

What?

Puzzled, Qi Chengyu nodded reflexively. "… We can."

"Oh, then please get on with it!"

Get on with it? Get on with what?

"Are you sure? Just like this…" Is she giving it to me? With no conditions!

"What more is there to it? Ah, do you have c.u.min with you?" I didn't know that you were such a meticulous chef… sister!

"… No."

"Oh, then we'll just stick with the original taste!" Disappointment.

"…"

Qi Chengyu felt like she was about to choke. Were they on the same topic?

This mortal really had the ability to lead people astray. Yet… she was unable to raise her temper at all; instead, she subconsciously raised the intensity of the spirit cleansing fire. She felt strange emotions stirring in her chest. A mixed concoction of bitter and sweet feelings.

Really… She really wants to give me the beast spirit pill even though I, a Fiendish Cultivator, was the one who held her hostage. Just because… she sees that I am seriously injured? How can there be such a 'stupid' person in this world! So stupid… so stupid that I actually want to protect her!

Clenching her hands, Qi Chengyu wanted to say something but didn't know what she could say. In the end, she could only snort coldly and say, "With a character like yours, you will be cheated sooner or later!" So saying, she stuffed the roasted bird into the other's arms. "Here, eat quickly! Eat quickly! By the way, what's your name?"

"Shen Ying," replied Shen Ying as she ate, not forgetting to stuff the other bird into the other's arms. "Continue with this one!"

"You seem to be very experienced in ordering people around. Is one chicken still not enough for you? I hope you don't die of overeating!" She grumbled for a while, but still took over the bird to cook. How long had it been… how long had it been since she had held such a peaceful conversation with another person? There was no fear in the other's eyes, no hatred and no disgusting greed.

"My name is Qi Chengyu, a Fiend Venerate. You seem like a person I can relate to. If you find that you cannot make it in Blackheaven Sect in the future, look for me in Ming Yin Mountain. Maybe then you can survive a little longer!" Such a stupid person like this would surely die without protection?!

"Uh-huh, huh." Shen Ying continued eating her chicken diligently.

"I just killed that hypocrite Yu Ding. If you go back tomorrow without any injury, the Blackheaven Sect will suspect you!" She glanced at Shen Ying, and a trace of worry flashed in her eyes. "You better wait a few days before returning. If they question you, just tell them the truth that the one who killed that old thief Yu Ding was me, Qi Chengyu."

"…" A certain someone was still eating chicken nonstop.

"But you don't have to mention giving me the beast pill." She turned the blue bead over in her hand. "These so-called righteous people from established sects think very highly of themselves but secretly do the dirtiest things. Don't try to tough it out! If you're afraid of saying the wrong thing, say that the pill was taken by me." In any case, she no longer cared whether one more count of killing and robbery was added to her list of crimes.

"…" It was very, very, very delicious.

"If anything goes wrong… abandon the sect and escape. This so-called orthodox and immortal sect is not the G.o.dly place you think it is. If they really want to avenge the old thief, just invite them to come and attack me in Ming Yin Mountain." She laughed coldly, then seeming to think of something, her eyes slowly turned blood red and her hands gripped her dress unconsciously. "I want to ask these famous orthodox sects this. Five hundred years ago, Yu Ding defiled my Nascent Soul body, destroyed my hundred years of cultivation and imprisoned me in the dungeons to use as a cultivation s.e.x slave. Why can't I take revenge?"

Shen Ying finally slowed her chewing and slowly raised her head to look at her.

"Why do you look at me like this? What? You don't believe that a hall master of a sect would do such a thing?"

"No… I wanted to ask, is the other chicken cooked?"

"............"

She really regretted it now. She should have killed this foodie earlier!

o(▼皿▼メ;)o