Cohabitation with Sword Spirit-Chapter 312 - 49: A Confession Met with Rejection
"Mr. Wang Jiu, please, you must listen to my explanation. This is all a misunderstanding. I truly meant no disrespect to you. In my heart, you will always be that mentor who disciplines me lovingly... oh, no, with a strict adherence to the Heavenly Way, in the Sword Cave."
In the Forest District, Li Chaolu, with a face full of sweat and cheeks flushed red, walked beside Wang Jiu, earnestly explaining, "And what they called ’meat-wen’ isn’t what you think; it refers to rich content and well-developed characters, like a fine work akin to frost-dropped beef. Of course, I don’t dare say my work is that good; it’s just a few casual strokes in my spare time..."
Shen Qingming interrupted bluntly, "Stop explaining; your nonsense isn’t fooling even me. How do you expect to deceive Ah Jiu? Hmph, do you really think we don’t know what ’meat-wen’ is?"
Wang Jiu asked, "What is ’meat-wen’?"
"..." Shen Qingming paused, slumping her shoulders. "Forget it, just consider it as a fine work like frost-dropped beef."
"Is that so? Then using your cultivation downtime to engage in literary creation and receiving praise from book club members as far away as Shen City is quite an achievement." Wang Jiu sincerely praised, "Chaolu, your talent in cultivation may not be extraordinary. Even in the Jiuzhou Era, you would likely stop before reaching the Heaven Shattering Realm. In today’s Xiangzhou environment, you may never reach the end of the Human Realm. So rather than worrying about ascension, you should use your pen and words to leave an artistic treasure on the annals of human civilization."
Wang Jiu’s earnest and heartfelt advice almost brought tears to Li Chaolu’s eyes.
"Mr. Wang Jiu, you, you are truly too gentle..."
"Providing appropriate guidance to students and teaching according to their abilities is a basic duty of a mentor." Wang Jiu replied modestly, "Although I don’t know much about human literature, and I can barely write, you’re welcome to consult me if you encounter any writing problems in the future."
"I definitely will! In fact, I’m currently conceiving a fanfic, with a main character based on you, Mr. Wang Jiu, so I have some questions about your details. Please don’t misunderstand; it’s purely for literary creation, not to invade your privacy."
"Sure." Wang Jiu was very cooperative.
"May I ask if you support cross-species romance..."
Before he finished speaking, Shen Qingming elbowed him in the side.
"Don’t go too far just because Ah Jiu is naive! I’m still here!"
"Hmph, sooner or later..."
While speaking, the group followed the maid through a transitional passage and entered a new scene.
Compared to the previous pavilion and towering ancient trees, this scene was narrower, just about ten zhang square—a tea room with dozens of cushions arranged in circles, surrounding a central podium. Already, ten or so people were seated, and some greeted them upon entering.
The maid introduced, "This is a private space for Three Lives Stone fanfiction enthusiasts. During each book club, we share some excellent fanfics and invite creators to share their creative experiences and read exciting passages on stage."
"... Read exciting passages?" Li Chaolu immediately broke into a cold sweat again.
"Indeed, such as the passage where Zhao Lu first intimately encounters Wang Wine in the torture chamber. We hope you can read it aloud, so the author’s emotions imbued in the text can be vividly brought to life."
"No, that’s not necessary; I merely wrote it casually without any real emotion, haha..."
"Oh, come on, don’t be modest. Our fanfic area enthusiasts have read countless high-quality fics day and night, becoming quite discerning. For a piece to earn the approval of more than half is not easy. However, your work, though only received today, captured everyone’s hearts immediately upon reading. You wrote beautifully about Zhao Lu experiencing pleasure amidst pain, and finding joy in torture. This incredible contradiction, expressed with your sincere and elegant words, astonished many of us, so we wanted you to share your creative experience."
The maid’s sincere praise made Li Chaolu wish she could just disappear on the spot, especially with Shen Qingming glaring at her judgmentally, making her even more ashamed and indignant.
"Truly siblings, eh?"
"Don’t mention that dead fatso! I have nothing to do with him!"
Shen Qingming sneered, "Whether you’re related or not, even a blind person can see."
Meanwhile, the maid egged her on, continuously encouraging Li Chaolu to bravely take the stage, and rallied the other book club members to cheer her on.
Being watched by dozens of earnest eyes in the fanfic area, Li Chaolu was truly in a dilemma.
Fortunately, the girl, with an Intelligence Index exceeding 3.3, had a flash of inspiration and came up with an idea.
"I wonder if I could read a different section instead; I’m a bit embarrassed to read those passages in front of familiar people."
This request wasn’t unreasonable either. The maid pondered for a moment, consulted with a few other book club members, and agreed.
Li Chaolu immediately felt a great burden lifted off her shoulders, exhaled in relief, and then stood on the stage.
She chose to recite a piece from her article where Zhao Lu was being unusually harshly tortured in cultivation by her teacher, Wang Wine, while expressing a conflicted internal monologue.
"... Mr. Wang Wine is indeed a cold and ruthless person. Even after countless times of fainting from pain, he never stopped wielding the whip. Yet this coldness only made my heart burn hotter. I believe that one day, I will melt his ice with my true feelings. Today’s painful torture will surely become the amusement of everyday life in the future. Therefore, I will not escape nor will I treat my scars. Every scar on my body is a medal given to me by Mr. Wang Wine."
After a long monologue, there was a burst of enthusiastic applause from the audience below. The cosplaying enthusiasts each offered their praises. Meanwhile, on stage, Li Chaolu gazed at Wang Jiu with deep emotions, as if her recitation just now was a direct confession of her feelings.
Turning a potentially awkward Frost Beef reminiscence into a public confession, Li Chaolu was practically proud of her own cleverness.
Then, with a touch of shyness, the girl elegantly moved down from the stage with her long, shapely legs and came to Wang Jiu, coyly asking, "Mister, what do you... think...?"
Shen Qingming’s face turned livid: "Disgusting, unexpectedly disgusting!"
Li Chaolu unceremoniously brushed her aside: "None of your business, go eat your carrot."
On the other side, Wang Jiu held a written script distributed by a maid, his expression unchanged.
Li Chaolu felt a bit uneasy: "Mister, do you... not like it?"
Wang Jiu said, "From your fan fiction, I remembered some people I knew from before."
Li Chaolu’s heart skipped a beat: "Old... love interests?"
Wang Jiu said, "When the Demon Race first descended upon Jiuzhou, their fierce might swept across Jiuzhou like a flood, destroying everything. The fallen areas were devastated, humans in their hands like livestock... However, at this time, there were some people who not only didn’t resist but also rationalized and even took pleasure in their own suffering. They believed that being tortured by the Demon Race was an honor, willingly becoming the vanguard for the Demon Race’s invasion of humans, turning against their compatriots."
Li Chaolu was dumbfounded.
"The Zhao Lu in your text seems to have the same trait. Despite being tortured to the point of wishing for death, she instead harbors affection for that Wang Wine, a behavior that doesn’t fit the common sense of seeking benefit and avoiding harm, making one inevitably think of those past Demon Race vanguard cannon fodders."
"... Actually, Zhao Lu is for love..." Li Chaolu attempted to argue.
Wang Jiu said, "Indeed, those people back then also used reasons like boundless love to justify themselves. To be honest, I don’t quite understand this kind of love that transcends one’s own position. The Celestial Divine Sword, in essence, is similar to the Great Demon God Emperor, lacking the concept of progeny. However, I do know that love might transcend race and all boundaries, but my sword will only move for humans. So, they can love all they want, side with anyone, any race, but I will kill all living things across from me."
Though his words seemed lightly spoken, they sent chills down the spines of the two listeners.
Li Chaolu turned pale and slightly trembled: "I, I didn’t mean that..."
Wang Jiu smiled: "It’s alright, the Demon Race is extinct now."
"Yes, yes, the Demon Race is extinct now." Li Chaolu let out a sigh of relief, barely managing a smile.
"So in theory, as long as we wipe out those who are mentally entranced by the Demon Race culture, trying to vindicate the Demon Race, we will have achieved Merit Perfection."
"..." Li Chaolu once again turned pale and slightly trembled.
As a few people discretely discussed, the reading on stage continued. After Li Chaolu, the maid organized two to three more people to either read their articles or share their thoughts on the Three Lives Stone works. The atmosphere was lively, and applause was continuous. The maid was evidently the leader of the fan community, continuously guiding the rhythm of the scene, allowing the event to proceed smoothly.
About half an hour passed, and all the segments came to a conclusion. Except for the absent-minded Li Chaolu, the rest were all smiles and spoke highly of the event.
"Well, it’s getting late, and our fandom section of the event will come to an end. I’m delighted to have met everyone here and to have made new friends. I hope next time we meet, everyone will have new stories to share." 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮
After speaking, the maid announced the end of the event on stage; everyone dispersed, and the remaining time could be spent freely in other scenes.
Afterward, she specially went to Li Chaolu to chat with her a bit before turning and leaving.
In the venue, only the three members of the Li Family remained.
Shen Qingming felt the atmosphere was a bit awkward and was about to say something when a somewhat familiar voice suddenly sounded in her ear.
"I feel like that maid looks familiar."
