After the Villainess Awakens

You Zishu watched from the Hall of Punishments as Leng Mushi stood trial before the assembled elders. But he was no longer the same man she had once forced to his knees with her silver tongue.

He had assumed this training mission would be like any other, even taking place in the familiar setting he had visited countless times. Yet, this time, everything felt different.

The disgust he once felt for Leng Mushi, for her impropriety, for forcing him to kneel, for her eloquent lies that led to his three-month confinement in the forbidden grounds – it was now replaced by a desperate hope that she would fight back, that she would twist the truth in her defense just like she had before.

But the girl before him, now gaunt and dispirited, seemed as fragile as a flickering candle. To every accusation leveled by the elders, she bowed her head obediently. "I admit my guilt."

Even as the elders argued fiercely over her punishment, she remained kneeling, her gaze lost on some unseen point beside her.

You Zishu's heart skipped a beat. During the last trial, Xiao Mian had knelt by her side. Was she…

He clutched Xue Ling, his spirit sword, tightly in his one hand. He remembered the day he had accidentally sliced open her back with it. The look in her eyes then held a hint of pleading, the kind of intimacy reserved for friends.

They had faced death together, so they should be considered friends. They were, after all, fellow disciples.

Over the years, he had fought alongside countless others, witnessing both the rise of brilliant talents and their tragic falls. Yet, never had he withdrawn his sword once it left its sheath, nor had he felt so moved by anyone's plight.

Could love truly be this destructive, this consuming?

Was it worth it for her to sacrifice her cultivation, her very future, for Xiao Mian, even if it meant endangering the world?

The elders soon reached a verdict. Despite her influence, even Hua Yan Yue, who outranked even the sect leader Zheng Ping in certain matters, could only secure a sentence that spared Leng Mushi's life and her place in the sect.

She was to be confined to Jade Green Grotto, a desolate place behind the forbidden grounds, for three hundred years. It was a place of harsh extremes, scorching in summer and freezing in winter, cut off from the temperate climate of Tai Chu Mountain. Nothing grew there, not even weeds, and even demonic beasts rarely ventured into its depths.

Most importantly, spiritual energy was scarce there, making cultivation near impossible. You Zishu's grip on Xue Ling tightened and loosened countless times, his palm slick with sweat. Finally, he stepped forward and knelt in the center of the hall.

"Disciple objects. The spiritual energy in Jade Green Grotto is thin. If Senior Sister… If she is sent there, she won't be able to reach the Moonlit Stage within three hundred years. Her lifespan will run out, and she will die there." You Zishu bowed deeply to his master, a man he had never dared to address with such familiarity. "Senior Sister contributed to sealing Blood Demon Mountain. Her crime does not deserve death."

"This punishment… It's no different from killing her."

"Insolence!" Zheng Ping, enraged by his eldest disciple's defiance, slammed his fist on his armrest.

Third Elder hurriedly interjected, "It's my fault. If I hadn't accidentally crushed my elder's jade pendant, she wouldn't have been able to keep the Heavenly Demon's parasite in the Healing Courtyard for so long. We should have returned it to the forbidden grounds sooner. Perhaps the Heavenly Demon would have awakened earlier, and we wouldn't have had to reinforce Blood Demon Mountain. We could have fought it directly!"

Third Elder's blatant attempt to shift blame only twisted the expressions of the assembled elders. As he finished speaking, Tian Xuzi, the usually stoic elder, sighed. Although he remained silent, the matter of Xiao Mian, his disciple, weighed heavily on him. He had been the first to imprison Xiao Mian in the forbidden grounds, but that didn't mean he felt no pain. His recent melancholy was a testament to that.

Hua Yan Yue, instead of pleading for leniency, simply sat with her arms crossed, her gaze fixed on Zheng Ping. Her stare was so intense that it made his scalp crawl. Finally, she spoke, "This sinner has been diligently refining most of the sect's pills. The quality has been excellent. It doesn't matter if she's imprisoned until death. We can simply change the low-level disciples' pill distribution from once a month back to once every six months."

Her words caused a stir, even among the disciples standing in the hall. The distribution had indeed increased from once every six months to once a month in the past year, and the quality was undeniably superior, greatly benefiting their cultivation.

If it were to revert back to the old schedule, especially with the looming war against the demons, their situation as low-level disciples would become dire.

Following You Zishu's lead, the usually unyielding disciples of the Hall of Punishments, who wouldn't hesitate to reprimand a female cultivator for wearing an extra flower in her hair, dropped to their knees one after another, led by Yin Qiao.

"This disciple also believes that three hundred years of imprisonment is too harsh a punishment for Senior Sister."

Leng Mushi couldn't help but lift her head. First You Zishu, then the disciples of the Hall of Punishments… When had she become such a popular senior sister?

"Perhaps we can allow her to atone for her sins through pill-making." It was Tian Xuzi who spoke. He stroked his beard, his face stern. He had never paid much attention to Leng Mushi, finding her stubborn nature somewhat disagreeable.

But now, even this old ancestor couldn't bear to see her imprisoned for life. So he proposed this alternative.

The elders had no further objections. Zheng Ping, unwilling to push his luck, readily agreed. He had a feeling that if he remained obstinate, his senior sister would not only glare holes into him, but she might also refuse to refine pills out of spite, which would be a disaster.

And so, the final verdict was passed down. Leng Mushi was sentenced to three hundred years in Jade Green Grotto, with the possibility of sentence reduction. This reduction, of course, would be determined by her pill-making output. It wouldn't be a life sentence.

Throughout the trial, Leng Mushi hadn't uttered a single word in her own defense. She looked at the elders who had spoken up for her, at You Zishu… Her heart felt warm, and her eyes welled up.

Releasing the Heavenly Demon's parasite was no small matter. Even with the sect's leniency, Tai Chu Sect still had to answer to the other sects.

She had caused a grave disaster and must bear the consequences. Yet, she never expected that these elders, whom she barely knew, and these disciples from the Hall of Punishments, whose faces she couldn't even recall, and even Leng Tian Yin and the others kneeling outside, pleading for her… They were all protecting her.

She lowered her head, a slow smile spreading across her face.

Leng Mushi packed her belongings and moved from the Healing Courtyard to Jade Green Grotto. The environment was indeed harsh. It was the coldest month of winter, and the grotto was even more frigid, the wind whistling through the network of caves. Leng Mushi relied solely on her pill furnace for warmth, refining pills day and night. Without it, she would freeze to death. At least the spiritual fire provided some comfort.

Her cultivation had regressed significantly, damaging her foundation and hindering her progress. However, she found solace in returning to her old routine, spending her days immersed in pill formulas. She wasn't exactly unhappy, just a little worse for wear. Even with all her disciple robes layered on, her eyelashes still frosted over.

After a long silence, the law, which Leng Mushi thought had abandoned her, must have taken pity on her beggar-like appearance and taught her how to use her fire spiritual root to keep warm.

From then on, Leng Mushi regained a semblance of normalcy. Time seemed to blur together in Jade Green Grotto. One day, she felt the ground shake and walked to the edge of the grotto, gazing at the blood-red sky.

Little Mei, who had been assigned to guard the forbidden grounds, often extended a plum blossom branch to talk to her. Fen Lian, the butterfly, also visited frequently. Leng Mushi wasn't lonely. Sometimes, she even felt like Xiao Mian was a distant dream.

"The demon generals have broken through the barrier of Blood Demon Mountain. Only two of them, though. The rest must have perished in the formation. Those two, along with a group of surviving soldiers, have gone to the Demon Realm to join the new Demon Emperor." Fen Lian, in her butterfly form, fluttered around Leng Mushi. "Your lover boy is dead for good. Aren't you going to shed a tear?"

Fen Lian was always good at reading the mood. When Leng Mushi seemed down, she wouldn't dare mention Xiao Mian. But now that Leng Mushi seemed back to her old self, she was like a chatterbox, constantly probing, urging Leng Mushi to find a new lover. She even suggested Little Mei's senior brother, who was a snake demon.

"Just imagine, a snake! You know what that means, two of those things! You've had a taste of a man now, don't you want to try?"

"Get lost!" Leng Mushi swatted Fen Lian away, ignited her pill furnace, and channeled pure spiritual energy into it, refining a new batch of pills.

She moved with the practiced ease of a street vendor selling flatbread. Once the pills were ready, she tossed them to Fen Lian. "Take them and go. If you keep pestering me, I'll tell Little Mei's senior brother that you're interested in trying out his 'two of those things'."

Fen Lian transformed into her human form, her features slightly distorted – a consequence of Leng Mushi's weakened cultivation. As her mount, Fen Lian's power was directly tied to hers.

She sashayed away with the pills. Leng Mushi glanced at the ominous red sky once more, her expression betraying no sadness. She turned and went back to her pill refining.

As night fell, You Zishu arrived.

Leng Mushi sat before her pill furnace, examining the arm she had grafted onto him using the Shadow Demon's essence. She took a small knife and began to cut away the parts that hadn't healed properly, the areas where his own flesh was being overtaken. "We need to replace this arm. We can't let it develop its own consciousness, or it won't obey your commands."

You Zishu nodded, stealing a glance at Leng Mushi before averting his gaze. This arm… It was a gift from her, crafted from the Shadow Demon's essence after he had been caught secretly visiting her.

His severed arm had hindered his cultivation. This prosthetic, made from the Shadow Demon, allowed him to recover. Even Zheng Ping was amazed by Leng Mushi's ability to refine the Shadow Demon's essence to the point where it was devoid of demonic energy. It even earned her a reduction in her sentence.

The arm had many advantages. It allowed him to pass through formations undetected, resist demonic energy, heal from injuries at an accelerated rate, and even be detached in times of crisis.

However, it had one major drawback. The Shadow Demon's essence was incredibly tenacious. Even after being refined, it remained a living entity, a parasite residing within You Zishu. It constantly drew on his blood and spiritual energy, sprouting small tendrils and even hints of consciousness.

Leng Mushi meticulously cleaned the area with the knife and applied medicine. These tasks could have been performed by any healer in the Fragrant Grass Pavilion, but You Zishu always sought her out, bringing her various spoils of war from his battles against the demons.

"I brought you something," You Zishu said with his usual stoic expression, breaking the silence. "Buns from that shop in Wanbo Town you mentioned. I sealed them with spiritual energy, so they should still be warm."

Leng Mushi paused, her hand hovering over the bandages. She had now recovered to the peak of the Starlit Stage. Thanks to the law's teachings on utilizing her spiritual roots for self-cultivation, her appearance had transformed from haggard to that of a delicate young woman in just three months.

She set the knife down, wiping the blood on a cloth. As she bandaged You Zishu's arm, she looked up at him, a playful smile on her lips. "Eldest Brother, are you trying to become Dao companions with this sinner?"

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