NOVPUBEach Has Their Own Merits
Xu Shulou brought the little demon girl back to her room. "What should I call you?"
"...My name is Yue'er."
Judging by her slightly unnatural expression, it was likely a fake name, but Xu Shulou didn’t mind and simply nodded. "Alright, Yue'er. You can't stay in the communal quarters anymore, so you’ll stay here for now. When we dock at the next stop, the City of No Night, you can decide whether to disembark or not."
"Why... why are you helping me? Don’t cultivators despise demons?"
"I helped because I saw you needed it. Does there need to be a reason?" Xu Shulou handed her a box of snacks.
"What’s this?"
"Something to pass the time," Xu Shulou said with a smile. "I’ll step out for now. Make yourself at home."
As she was about to leave, Yue'er called out to her. "Thank you, Xu Shulou. I won’t forget this."
The girl probably had little interaction with cultivators or mortals, as her words of gratitude sounded more like a threat.
Xu Shulou couldn’t help but chuckle. "Alright. I’ll bring you lunch later. Any dietary restrictions?"
"I can eat anything," Yue'er murmured. "The food in the cultivation world is so delicious."
"Got it."
"..." Yue'er watched her leave the room and let out a quiet sigh of relief. When she was little, her parents, afraid she might sneak off to the cultivation world, had filled her head with terrifying stories of cultivators capturing demon children to roast or boil them alive.
As she grew older, she realized it was all nonsense—neither the mortal nor cultivation world lacked for ingredients, and demon children weren’t tasty enough to make it onto a cultivator’s menu.
But fear had taken root, and her parents hadn’t lied about the hostility cultivators held toward demons. Since sneaking out, she’d been constantly on edge, terrified of being discovered. Only now, alone, could she finally relax, leaning against the window to enjoy the view.
Xu Shulou left the room, visited a hairdresser for a new hairstyle, then stopped by the casino for a quick gamble. She played a few rounds of board games with others—the Go here had a unique twist: captured stones weren’t manually removed but were instead "devoured" by the opposing color. A mortal nearby marveled at the extravagance of using jade stones only once, until a server picked up a black stone and tapped it, causing it to reluctantly spit out several white stones. The white stones landed on the table and shook themselves off disdainfully.
The astonished mortal gaped. "How fascinating."
Xu Shulou smiled. She didn’t push her luck, cashing out after winning a few dozen spirit stones before strolling leisurely out of the casino.
The floor below the casino housed an opera house, where a performance was underway.
Passing by, Xu Shulou recognized the play—an adaptation of a famous mortal-world tale about a prodigal son’s redemption, its intricate web of love and hatred making it a timeless classic. It had likely been performed countless times in mortal theaters, yet the audience here watched with rapt attention.
Curious, Xu Shulou paused. When the delicate heroine delivered a flying kick to her fiancé, who had come to break off their engagement, she finally understood how this version differed from the mortal-world original.
As the slender girl proceeded to pummel her heartless father, honey-tongued stepmother, insolent half-brother, and two-faced friends into bruised submission, Xu Shulou could only wonder—who’s next?
"She’s going to fight again, she’s going to fight again!" A pair of mortal sisters nearby cheered excitedly.
Sure enough, the girl onstage next laid into the imperial envoy who had arrived to decree her as a secondary wife.
How would this even end? Xu Shulou, who had planned to leave after a brief look, settled into a seat instead, engrossed in the unfolding chaos.
The plot grew increasingly absurd. When the "delicate" heroine, after being offered up by her father and stepmother, stole her general father’s military seal, raised a rebellion, forced her father into treason, and ultimately executed him, her stepmother, and all her siblings to claim the throne, the audience was left speechless.
The original story was about a prodigal son’s redemption. So... where was the prodigal son?
Oh. When the heroine ascended the throne, the prodigal son was kneeling below, shouting, "Long live the queen!"
Absurd as it was, riddled with illogical twists—like how the military seal was far too easy to steal, or how the general father was far too dim—it was undeniably thrilling, leaving the audience stunned long after the curtain fell.
After the performance, a female cultivator bounded onto the stage, announcing this was her newly adapted script. The audience, still dazed, offered no applause or tips. Undeterred, the cultivator explained she had always loved mortal-world tales and dreamed of running a theater troupe in the mortal realm, staging only her own works.
The mortals stared at her blankly. None thought to point out the obvious—staging such a play in the mortal world would likely land the entire troupe in prison.
The cultivator shrugged. "Well, no cheers, but at least no one threw rotten eggs. Progress."
She checked her notes. "Next up is an adaptation of the mortal-world classic The Romance of the Western Chamber. Please enjoy some tea while our actors prepare."
Fearing a version where Cui Yingying wielded a broadsword against Zhang Sheng, some audience members promptly fled.
Others remained firmly seated, eager to see exactly that.
One particularly inspired viewer asked if there were adaptations like Du Shiniang Dumps Li Jia instead of Du Shiniang Dumps Her Treasure Chest.
The cultivator’s eyes lit up. "You’ve given me an idea! I’ll start writing right away!"
She dashed off, leaving the bewildered audience behind.
Xu Shulou finished her cup of deer-park tea and asked a server to notify her if the cultivator ever finished Du Shiniang Dumps Li Jia. The server, eager to please a valued guest, readily agreed.
With that, Xu Shulou leisurely left the opera house and wandered to the next deck.
This floor seemed tailored for energetic cultivators. The moment she entered, she overheard a group planning to race on their swords at sunrise the next morning.
Xu Shulou slipped away quickly. Not even her junior sister Bai Roushuang’s recent plea to watch the sunrise had been enough to drag her from her bed at dawn—let alone racing strangers on swords.
Realizing she hadn’t seen Bai Roushuang all morning, Xu Shulou headed to the deck, wondering if her junior sister was still dueling.
Bai Roushuang wasn’t there, but Xu Shulou noticed attendants distributing a peculiar pill—one that, when taken, would temporarily transform the user into a random animal for about half an hour.
Harmless to both body and spirit, even mortals could enjoy it for fun.
To prevent anyone from taking the elixirs for theft or other criminal purposes, it was stipulated that no one could claim extra or take them away—each person had to consume the elixir on the spot.
Many found the novelty intriguing and gathered to receive their share.
Xu Shulou watched the scene with amusement—chicks and ducklings scurrying about, geckos and spirit snakes slithering, swallows and phoenix-like birds soaring overhead, and even fish and dolphins swimming in large tanks prepared by the attendants. Curious, she joined the queue.
She received a plain brown pill, its transformative effects impossible to discern just by looking. Tipping her head back, she swallowed it and instantly felt her body lighten. The next moment, she spread newly formed wings and floated into the air.
Peering down, she tried to make out her feather color before fluttering to a water tank to admire her reflection. To her delight, she had transformed into a plump little bird with vibrant blue plumage.
Eager to show off to her junior sister, she circled the deck twice but couldn’t find Bai Roushuang anywhere. After a brief flight, Xu Shulou decided to return to her room. But as she reached the window, she spotted Bai Roushuang and Yue'er locked in a fierce fight inside.
She tried to intervene, but all that came out was a chirp. Realizing the futility, she settled on the windowsill, perching comfortably to watch the duel unfold.
The two traded blows—palms and swords clashing in a chaotic tangle. Xu Shulou hopped lightly along the sill, adjusting for a better view.
The little demon girl was still young, her strength no match for Bai Roushuang’s Foundation Establishment-level cultivation, yet the two were evenly matched. The demonic footwork, however, was something rarely seen in the cultivation world—unpredictable and elusive.
Observing the movements with interest, Xu Shulou instinctively tilted her head and preened her feathers, indulging in her avian instincts.
Mid-fight, Yue'er accidentally stepped on a small spirit array in the room, slipping and leaving an opening. Bai Roushuang seized the chance to press her advantage.
Bai Roushuang had clearly improved, but against unfamiliar techniques, she still seemed inexperienced. Before long, Yue'er regained the upper hand.
She needed more real combat training—with enough experience, her progress would undoubtedly soar.
Xu Shulou tucked her head under her wing, finding it warm and comforting. No wonder birds liked doing this. She then attempted a one-legged stance, testing her new body’s flexibility. When the elixir’s effects finally wore off, she returned to human form, gracefully balanced on one leg atop the windowsill.
The sudden appearance of a full-grown woman finally startled the two combatants into stopping.
"Senior Sister, there’s a demon in your room!"
"Xu Shulou, some lunatic barged in and started attacking me!"
Their accusations overlapped.
"Who are you calling a lunatic?"
"Xu Shoulou is your senior sister?"
They spoke in unison again.
Xu Shulou hopped down from the sill and casually introduced them. "This is my junior sister, Bai Roushuang. And this is Miss Yue'er."
Realizing their mistake, the two reluctantly nodded at each other, offering the bare minimum of courtesy.
Bai Roushuang then asked curiously, "Senior Sister, how did you appear out of nowhere? Was that blue bird you?"
Xu Shulou nodded and explained about the elixirs being distributed on deck.
Instead of rushing to try the fun elixirs herself, Bai Roushuang hesitated. "Then… how long were you watching?"
"About the time it takes an incense stick to burn."
Bai Roushuang glanced at Yue'er. "So, Senior Sister, who do you think is stronger? If we’d kept fighting, who would’ve won?"
Yue'er perked up at the question, ears practically twitching.
Two pairs of eager eyes fixed on Xu Shoulou.
"Hard to say," she replied impartially. "You’re both equally terrible—just in different ways."
"…"
