NOVPUBNo Demands
Xu Shulou? That Xu Shulou from Dustless Island?
The cultivators in line immediately cast admiring glances at the male cultivator who had shouted. Impressive, brother! Haven’t you heard? She recently beheaded an elder from the Lingxiao Sect, and you dare seek vengeance against her? Your cultivation must be formidable too!
The male cultivator, sensing the crowd’s attention, straightened his back with pride.
Bai Roushuang sneered. "What nonsense about 'searching high and low'? My senior sister has never hidden her identity—she’s Xu Shulou of Dustless Island. She’s been right there on the island all these years, and yet you never showed up to seek revenge. What’s with the empty threats now? Are you counting on the ship’s security to step in and mediate before things escalate? Let me tell you, you’ve miscalculated. If my senior sister truly wanted to kill you, by the time anyone intervened, you’d already be a corpse."
"Who are you? What do you know?!" the male cultivator roared.
Back in the cave, when Xu Shulou had fought Wei Xuandao, she had summoned her lifebound sword. But in the end, she had killed him with Shao Nian Kuang. Her lifebound sword refused to return to its sheath without tasting blood, so she had left it hanging at her waist. Now, she ran her fingers lightly over the hilt. The male cultivator averted his gaze, looking anywhere but at her.
Tch. How boring. The crowd quickly saw through his bluster. Those who had already paid their spirit stones dispersed, while those still in line shot him disdainful looks before ignoring him altogether.
"……"
When he fell silent, Bai Roushuang sidled up to Xu Shulou. "Senior sister, who is this guy? What’s the grudge between you two?"
Xu Shulou craned her neck to study the male cultivator carefully, racking her memory. "I can’t remember."
"I get it," Bai Roushuang patted her shoulder. "Too many debts to keep track of, huh?"
"Don’t say that. As the saying goes, 'It’s better to resolve grievances than to create new ones,'" Xu Shulou sighed, suddenly worried about setting a bad example for her junior sister. "I’ll strive to be a more peaceful person. Don’t follow my lead."
"……" Who could possibly follow your lead? That concern is entirely unnecessary.
Just as Bai Roushuang was about to retort, the cultivator collecting spirit stones interrupted. "May I ask the young lady’s name?"
She composed herself, gave her name, and accepted the name card and an exquisitely carved red bracelet from the attendant.
"Every guest boarding the ship receives a bracelet," the attendant explained with a smile. "This red one signifies top-tier status. With it, you’ll have access to all the ship’s dining halls, taverns, gambling houses, and more."
Bai Roushuang glanced at the cultivators ahead who had already paid and were preparing to board. Sure enough, each wore a similar bracelet, though the colors varied—blue, green, and others.
The two thanked the attendant and fastened the bracelets around their wrists. Since they had booked the most expensive rooms, a guide was assigned to escort them aboard.
As Bai Roushuang flew up to the ship, she noticed a gangplank lowered for the mortals who had purchased tickets. Their figures, laden with bundles and luggage, soon shrank to mere specks in her vision.
The rooms, priced at a thousand top-grade spirit stones, were impressively spacious. The entire deck housed only two suites. Inside, the sisters found two distinct styles—one elegant, the other opulent—but both featured a square soaking pool filled with hot water. The beds were luxuriously soft, as if made of clouds, and the rooms were equipped with clever little spirit arrays for convenience. The guide explained their functions: one could simulate nighttime for daytime sleepers, complete with soundproofing; another mimicked ocean breezes, allowing guests to enjoy the sensation of sea winds while soaking in the pool. Useless, perhaps, but undeniably amusing.
Bai Roushuang marveled. "The master of Nevernight City truly has a knack for ingenuity."
"They say he’s a business prodigy," Xu Shulou chuckled. "Every venture he’s pursued has succeeded—except for one teleportation array."
"What teleportation array?"
"One that could instantly transport people thousands of miles away."
"Sounds incredibly useful," Bai Roushuang mused. "Why didn’t it work out?"
"Because something went wrong in the process. Those teleported always arrived missing limbs. Though treatable, most cultivators weren’t fond of the experience and preferred the old-fashioned method of flying on their swords."
Bai Roushuang raised an eyebrow. "Most?"
Xu Shulou laughed and poured herself a cup of warm fruit wine at the tea table. "Mmm, not bad."
A calming incense burned in the censer, filling the air with a warm, soothing fragrance.
Bai Roushuang peeked inside and noticed an extra portion of unburned incense set aside for guests who wished to take some home.
The guide had advised them to wait until the ship set sail before exploring the deck, so the two lounged in recliners by the window, basking in the sunlight and chatting idly as they waited.
Xu Shulou handed the wine jug to her junior sister. "By the way, when Wei Xuandao was executed the other day, I noticed Lu Beichen seemed... off. Did you find out anything—"
Bai Roushuang cut her off softly. "Senior sister, we’ve already ended things."
Xu Shulou blinked. "When?"
"Six months ago. You were in seclusion at the time."
"Why?"
Bai Roushuang sighed and recounted the story. "About half a year ago, Senior Brother Lu saved an orphaned girl. She... she held some animosity toward me."
"What?"
Bai Roushuang smiled bitterly. "Long story short, she once framed me in front of him, and Senior Brother Lu seemed to believe her. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Wait—senior sister, don’t get worked up. Put the sword down!"
"...Go on."
"Her methods were clumsy, hardly a challenge for me. I could’ve easily driven her away from Senior Brother Lu. Who doesn’t know how to play the victim?" Bai Roushuang scoffed. "At the time, more than anger, I just felt... amused. Who am I? Bai Roushuang, raised in a brothel. Did she really think she could outplay me in feigned helplessness? I looked up at Senior Brother Lu with tears welling in my eyes, ready to teach her what true mastery looked like."
"..."
"But the moment those tears fell, I suddenly wondered what I was doing," Bai Roushuang bit her lip. "Even if I won, so what? Did I truly care for Senior Brother Lu that much? I can’t quite describe how I felt—just... suddenly, it all seemed pointless. Besides, I was on the verge of breaking through to the peak of Foundation Establishment. I didn’t want distractions."
"..."
Bai Roushuang looked at Xu Shulou plaintively. "Do you understand, senior sister?"
"I understand, you don't like her methods," Xu Shulou nodded confidently. "This is the cultivation world—why resort to such tactics? If you dislike me, just come at me with a blade. If you can't win, train harder and try again later."
"That's not exactly what I meant," Bai Roushuang replied, amused yet exasperated. After a pause, she added, "Though strangely enough, there’s a weirdly fitting logic to it."
"Hmm?"
"Anyway, I told Senior Brother Lu that I wanted to take a break and focus on my path," Bai Roushuang lay on her back, gazing at the sky outside the window. "He was reluctant, but he understood."
"..."
"I tried to return the magical artifacts he gave me, but Senior Brother Lu insisted I keep them," Bai Roushuang smiled faintly. "We parted on good terms. We can still be friends when we meet in the future."
Xu Shulou leaned back in her plush chair, listening attentively.
"He treated me well while we were together, so I have no reason to resent him. I don’t blame him for saving that orphaned girl either—how could anyone just stand by and watch someone die?" Bai Roushuang murmured. "But whatever happens afterward, whether Senior Brother Lu develops feelings for her or not, it’s none of my concern. That’s between the two of them."
"..."
"Pretty uneventful story, huh?" Bai Roushuang shrugged.
Xu Shulou chuckled. "You’ve grown up."
Bai Roushuang pouted. "Only you would say that, Shijie. Others might think I’m a fool for giving up someone like Lu Beichen over something so trivial. He really is a good match—handsome, talented. If I had to nitpick, his only flaw is that he’s not very clever when it comes to women. He always favors the weaker party. And when others show interest in him, he never refuses them firmly enough."
Xu Shulou lit the small stove in the room. "My shimei isn’t foolish at all. If you like someone, be with them wholeheartedly. If it stops meaning anything to you, part ways amicably. As long as you don’t betray each other, what’s the harm?"
Bai Roushuang basked in the warmth of the stove, the cold breeze from the window brushing her face. She laughed. "Exactly! I’m not foolish. But… it’s only easy to be that carefree when you don’t expect anything from the other person."
"No expectations? That’s good." Xu Shulou smiled, feeling the warm incense in the room soften her demeanor further.
Bai Roushuang leaned over, resting her head on Xu Shulou’s shoulder. "It’s nice to have someone to talk to about these things."
"What else is a shijie for?" Xu Shulou granted her an exception. "Next time you part ways with someone, even if I’m in seclusion, you can drag me out to vent."
Bai Roushuang giggled. "That won’t be necessary. Your cultivation is more important."
Xu Shulou suddenly recalled a detail from the dreamt-up storybook. "By the way, the orphan girl Lu Beichen saved… was her name Zhe Lan?"
"How did you know, Shijie?" Bai Roushuang looked at her. "Ah, Sixth Brother must have told you. He knew about it too."
Xu Shulou blinked. In her dream, there had also been an orphan girl saved by Lu Beichen, but in the end, she failed to displace Bai Roushuang’s position. Instead, she was caught stealing and expelled from the Lingxiao Sect, only to meet a tragic end at the hands of demons.
In the storybook, Xu Shulou had tried to prove to everyone that the girl had been framed by Bai Roushuang—but as usual, no one believed her.
Bai Roushuang nuzzled closer, pouting. "I’m not heartbroken anymore, but shouldn’t Shijie at least give me the obligatory consolation?"
"Well," Xu Shulou pondered seriously before offering, "You’ll have plenty more chances to break up with other male cultivators in the future, but a room that costs a thousand spirit stones is rare. Enjoy the present."
"...Shijie," Bai Roushuang grumbled. "Promise me one thing."
"What?"
"Never try to comfort anyone again. You’re really bad at it."
Xu Shulou laughed, reaching out to smooth her shimei’s hair. "Fine."
