"Su Muchan," the girl in the ice-blue dress replied.
As the name left her lips, the stars in Jing Mingxuan's eyes grew even brighter. Su Muchan—that was the name of the Demon Empress from the original novel. He had asked for her name first specifically to avoid any mistakes, and now he knew he had made the right choice. The Demon Empress was a powerhouse in the Great Emperor Realm, even more formidable than the heroine herself.
More importantly, in the original story, while the Demon Empress’s attitude toward outsiders gradually grew cold and lost its innocence, she always remained pure and simple-hearted with those she considered her own, especially the first male lead. As long as he managed the relationship correctly, the Demon Empress would be his strongest trump card in this world. Surely, that was ten thousand times better than becoming a disciple of the heroine?
Jing Mingxuan’s blood surged, his heart racing with excitement. He knew that if he missed this chance with the Demon Empress, he would never again have such an opportunity to defy his fate. He was determined to take her as his master.
Many years later, the Demon Empress would look at their two babbling baby daughters with a face full of happiness, memories of the past surfacing in her mind. She would never forget that at her lowest point, when she had lost all confidence, a young man in a moon-white brocade robe had given her a chance to be a master.
***
"Do you have any other requirements?" Su Muchan asked, her voice soft and gentle, fearing that she might frighten the handsome youth before her.
Jing Mingxuan nodded slightly. "I do."
In an instant, Su Muchan’s heart leapt into her throat. The surrounding cultivators also turned their gazes toward them, filled with curiosity.
"After I become your disciple, you must only be good to me. You are not allowed to be good to anyone else," Jing Mingxuan said, his tone grave.
In the original novel, the Demon Empress treated the first male lead incredibly well. How well? The most striking example was that even the heroine couldn’t compare. He wasn't some fool who enjoyed wearing a green hat; since he was going to take the Demon Empress as his master, he had to guard against that outcome.
Of course, if it were someone else, they might later deny what they had promised. But Su Muchan’s character was such that her word was her bond, and her actions always matched her promises. Because of this, the end of the original story saw the first male lead ask, "Do you remember the promise you made to do anything for me?" The Demon Empress had replied that she did, feeling a sweetness in her heart and believing he intended for them to become cultivation partners. Instead, the first male lead told her that because she endangered the world, she must die.
At that moment, the Demon Empress’s Dao heart collapsed. Although she fought off the heroine, after learning that the first male lead truly loved the heroine, she had let out a miserable laugh and taken her own life.
At the time, Jing Mingxuan had been so furious he had cursed the author for such trashy writing. In his view, the Demon Empress should have died in battle, not killed herself over a broken promise. The plot was simply disgusting. But this also benefited him in this life; as long as Su Muchan agreed, it was nearly 100% impossible for the first male lead to tempt her away.
"I promise you!" Su Muchan’s innocent, crystal-clear voice rang out.
The cultivators present all twitched their mouths, shock plastered on their faces. They were stunned, first that Su Muchan had agreed, and second that she was so incredibly simple-minded. Shouldn't a demonic cultivator be cunning, cruel, and indifferent to the lives of others? Why was this one so different? Many of the cultivators who had previously rejected her invitation now felt a pang of regret.
Jing Mingxuan revealed a satisfied smile. "I have one final request. If you can agree to this, I will formally become your disciple."
Suddenly, the curiosity of Su Muchan, the heroine, and all the cultivators reached a fever pitch. They were all wondering what kind of request it could possibly be. Surely, this final demand must be even more outrageous than the last.
"Tell me!" Su Muchan flashed a faint, sweet smile, her voice sounding like celestial music.
Sensing the heat of the many gazes upon him, Jing Mingxuan didn't keep them waiting. He chuckled warmly and said, "I am a jealous man. Therefore, my master is only allowed to have me as her one and only disciple. You cannot take on anyone else."
The heroine and the crowd of cultivators were stunned. Generally, a person only had one master, but Jing Mingxuan was flipping the logic: he wanted it so that a master could only have one disciple. Surely no master would accept such a thing—at least, the heroine knew she certainly couldn't. Even with her broad-mindedness, she couldn't accept it, so she assumed the Demon Empress wouldn't either.
*Hah!* Young man, you've really shot yourself in the foot! The triumphant heroine didn't notice that the looks in the eyes of the other cultivators had shifted toward something resembling reverence. To dare to stand against the customs of the world like this—he was a brave man indeed!
"Is that all?"
Su Muchan's voice was soft, but to the cultivators present, it sounded like a thunderclap. What did she mean, "is that all"? This was an incredibly heaven-defying request!
Jing Mingxuan immediately realized that Su Muchan had agreed. He nodded, his expression solemn. "That’s right. Just that. Do you agree, or not?"
"Of course I agree! If it weren't for the competition with that woman, I wouldn't even have thought about taking on disciples in the first place." Su Muchan’s tone was filled with sincerity, her lack of defenses making those who had refused her earlier feel even deeper regret.
A cultivator suddenly spotted the blind spot. "Wait! 'That woman'? Could she be talking about the Empress?"
At this very moment, all the cultivators stood there with vacant expressions. They had all previously assumed Su Muchan was just a beautiful demonic cultivator looking for students, never once imagining that her strength could be mentioned in the same breath as the Empress.
Jing Mingxuan felt the countless gazes of envy, jealousy, and hatred, and the corners of his mouth curled up in triumph. "Su Muchan, from now on, you..."
Before he could finish his words, the heroine interrupted with a voice full of authority. "Choosing a master is a major decision that determines the course of one's life. Are you sure you don't want to reconsider?"
Jing Mingxuan glanced at her. The heroine was beautiful, in no way inferior to Su Muchan. But the moment he thought about how in the future she would have countless disciples and even more men, he lost all interest. He was a man of single-minded devotion, a believer in "one life, one love." His two previous requests had both served one purpose: to monopolize the Demon Empress.
"I do not!"
Before he could finish, Jing Mingxuan shifted his gaze to the expectant Su Muchan. He bowed in the most standard and respectful posture, his face deadly serious, his eyes filled with absolute sincerity as he spoke firmly.
"Su Muchan, from this moment forward, you are my Master."
The next instant, a dull thud echoed. The tall, sturdy Jing Mingxuan knelt on both knees and kowtowed three times to Su Muchan. He looked up into her peerless, jade-like face, noticing a mist of tears in her beautiful eyes. It seemed like she was moved, though Jing Mingxuan felt there were other emotions at play too.
Then, hands as soft as willow catkins grasped his sleeves, and he felt an incredibly powerful force lifting him up. In the blink of an eye, he was standing straight again.
Su Muchan wore a satisfied smile, shouting with great excitement, "Disciple!"
"Master!" Jing Mingxuan replied, equally thrilled.
Hooking his arm around the leg of the Demon Empress—he’d be unstoppable in the future!
The heroine snapped out of her daze. She had never expected that someone would actually choose to become the Demon Empress's disciple, let alone ignore her own advice. He hadn't even looked at her again after that first glance. This was something she had never experienced. Was she not beautiful? Was her presence not compelling? The answer was clearly no, but why could he ignore her? Her curiosity grew even more intense.
At the same time, among the countless cultivators surrounding the heroine, one realized this was his chance to show off before the Empress.
*Whoosh!*
A slender figure stepped into view. Jing Mingxuan’s eyes narrowed; at a single glance, he knew who this was. It was the 78th male lead, Yang Xiuyuan, the currently neglected second young master of the Yang family in Tianyan City. In the original novel, he was the heroine’s most loyal lapdog, always looking for a chance to grovel. Seeing the heroine slighted, he clearly thought this was the perfect opportunity to shine.
*Heh.* Show off? That would require Yang Xiuyuan to actually have the life to do so.
"Jing Mingxuan, congratulations on finding a master. But given your mediocre talent, I fear you’ll never be able to master the teachings of such a powerful figure, so I truly admire your previous courage and strategy."
The remark was clever—it was a backhanded insult to Jing Mingxuan that avoided offending Su Muchan directly. And while it sounded like praise, it was meant to make other cultivators feel like, "If he can do it, so can I."
Among the crowd, those burning with envy, jealousy, and hatred felt the unfairness of it all, and began to lash out.
"I remember Jing Mingxuan only has the talent of a Battle Emperor. He'll spend his whole life struggling to reach that peak, maybe not even that."
"Hahaha! Battle Emperor talent! No wonder he made those two demands. He was terrified that this demonic cultivator, who rivals the Empress, would find him wanting and dump him!"
"Tsk, tsk..."