BookMe Chapter 99 : You Say I Am a Demoness
Chapter 99 : You Say I Am a Demoness
Chapter 99: You Say I Am a Demoness?
Five days later, within Qizhou.
Mount Taimang lay less than three hundred li from Qizhou City, yet it stretched across Yunzhou, Qizhou, and Linzhou—spanning three provinces.
It was a necessary passage to the capital and also a strategic stronghold, a place every military force would contest.
If the Great Azure Mountain was the frontier of the Human Race, then Mount Taimang was the grand pass upon which their survival depended.
More than six hundred years ago, a generation’s Dragon Emperor stepped into the Divine Realm, established a dynasty, and relied on the formidable pass of Mount Taimang to wage bloody war against the Demon Race, pushing their territory thirty thousand li outward.
He drove the Demon Emperor into a panicked retreat, forcing the establishment of the Demon Kingdom to contend with the Human Race.
It was precisely because of this that the current vast territory of the Human Race, stretching one hundred thousand li, came into being.
Unfortunately, that Dragon Emperor spent his entire life battling the Demon Race. Though unmatched in combat power, he did not live to the three-hundred-year limit of the Divine Realm before passing away.
The Mountain Front Inn stood eighty li outside the great pass of Mount Taimang.
At this moment, the inn bustled with noise. The aroma of wine and meat filled the air, making it exceptionally lively.
“A woman should stay at home, supporting her husband and raising children. Wielding blades and sticks—can that still be considered a woman?”
A burly man drained his bowl of wine in one gulp and slammed it heavily onto the table. “This world belongs to men to conquer. Women should bear children and follow men as their guiding principle.”
“This has been the unchanging truth since ancient times!”
“Bang!”
A wine jar flew through the air and shattered against the man’s head. Fine liquor splashed everywhere.
A crisp and pleasant voice rang out above him, accompanied by the rich scent of wine: “Say another word of nonsense, and you can forget about keeping that head.”
“It’s Yao Sanniang…”
“Yao Sanniang? The one who killed her own husband and roams the jianghu?”
“Shh… don’t talk. That woman is fierce!”
Seeing the speaker, many lowered their heads.
Even the burly man who had spoken earlier turned his face away and muttered, “I wasn’t talking about you. I meant that so-called Number One Beauty of Qingzhou.”
“Exactly, exactly!”
Someone tried to smooth things over. “I wonder what kind of beauty that Number One Beauty of Qingzhou has, to make even the Sword Saint of Cangshan fall for her.”
“Isn’t that right? The Sword Saint of Cangshan has slain demons for twenty years—who in the jianghu doesn’t know his name?”
“And yet such a heroic figure actually went to the capital for a woman and defied an imperial decree.”
“It’s all that demoness’s fault! What kind of person is the Sword Saint? Even the current emperor has issued edicts praising him multiple times.”
“If not for that demoness, how could a towering hero like the Sword Saint act like this?”
“Brothers, the Sword Saint has slain tens of thousands of demons. We cannot let a woman ruin his reputation!”
“That’s right! This time, that demoness must pay the price!”
“Hmph! That demoness bewitched the Sword Saint—she deserves to die!”
“The Great Yu Imperial Dynasty has enjoyed four hundred years of peace. We cannot allow a demoness to act recklessly!”
Amid the noisy clamor, a carriage approached from the distance.
Twelve mounted guards surrounded it. Its speed was neither fast nor slow.
Once past the great pass of Mount Taimang, half the journey would be complete. Another five thousand li ahead lay the capital.
“They’re here!”
“That’s the carriage of the Li Family of Qingzhou!”
As soon as the exclamation fell, with a rustling sound, figures rushed out into the wide open ground before the inn.
All eyes focused on the approaching carriage.
“The Great Yu Imperial Dynasty has had four hundred years of peace—it must not be ruined by a single demoness!”
“We people of the jianghu value righteousness above all. We cannot allow this demoness to pass!”
“The Sword Saint of Cangshan is a hero of the Human Race and a great figure of the jianghu. We cannot let a demoness tarnish his name!”
“We have trained in martial arts for decades—how can we allow a demoness to act so brazenly?”
With voices that made no attempt to hide themselves, figures holding weapons blocked the road.
Men and women, young and old—no fewer than a hundred people.
Each face burned with anger, as if indignant for the four hundred years of peace of the Great Yu Imperial Dynasty.
Or perhaps they sought justice for the renowned Sword Saint of Cangshan.
Inside the carriage, Yuan Qing laughed uncontrollably. “Hahaha… they’re calling you a demoness!”
“They even say you bewitched the Sword Saint of Cangshan!”
“Hahaha… didn’t you say he’s your master? So now it’s a master-disciple romance?”
“Come to think of it, that kind of thing isn’t rare. Back then, there was a certain Venerable who fell deeply in love with his female disciple—they even died together in the end.”
Hearing Yuan Qing’s laughter, Li Yunqing’s expression stiffened slightly.
She had thought these jianghu people blocked her path for some so-called righteous cause.
But she had never expected them to call her a demoness and accuse her of seducing the Sword Saint.
She had saved the Sword Saint—he had only stood up for her in return.
How could it have anything to do with romance?
This was clearly something deliberately spread to stop her.
Its intent was extremely malicious—ruining her reputation while dragging both her and the Sword Saint into disgrace and dishonor.
Especially the accusation of a master-disciple relationship—this was a complete violation of moral norms.
In this era, the bond between master and disciple was akin to that of parent and child.
Such a relationship would be utterly condemned by the world.
“The imperial family?”
Anger surged in Li Yunqing’s heart.
Aside from the imperial family, no one else would dare spread such claims.
And only the imperial family would benefit from it.
Otherwise, once the truth of her defying the imperial decree and rejecting the marriage became known, it would be the imperial family that lost face.
Only by trampling her reputation into the dirt could the imperial family appear noble and righteous.
Yet such accusations were impossible for a woman to refute or prove false.
This was nothing less than a case of public opinion forging guilt.
Once caught within it, no one could prove her innocence.
“Demoness! Bewitching the Sword Saint—you deserve death!”
“Demoness! This road is closed. If you have any shame, turn back now. Why make this known to the whole world?”
“Demoness! How dare you sully the Sword Saint’s name and disrupt the order of the world!”
“……”
“Ha…”
Listening to the increasingly chaotic shouting outside the carriage, Li Yunqing exhaled slowly, calming her emotions.
Reputation—she did not care much for it.
But in this era, a woman without reputation would be openly harassed by any man.
There would even be endless filthy remarks.
That was what she could not accept.
“What do you plan to do?”
Seeing her calm demeanor, Yuan Qing grew curious.
People like these could not simply be killed off.
Even if they did not speak to her face, there would be endless vile talk behind her back.
“I haven’t decided yet.”
Li Yunqing replied through voice transmission, then said aloud to Xiaolan and the others, “Stay here. There’s no need for you to step forward.”
Facing these jianghu elites, her guards were no match.
She could clearly sense that nearly all of these wandering martial artists were at the Qi Realm, with several at Qi Realm Perfection.
“Miss, be careful!” Xiaolan’s expression was tense, her eyes full of worry.
Even the guards around the carriage had sweaty palms.
Against ordinary people, armor gave them confidence—but against Qi Realm experts, one mistake meant death.
“No need to panic.”
With that, Li Yunqing lifted the curtain and stepped out of the carriage.
The moment her figure appeared, the previously noisy crowd fell into sudden silence.
All eyes were instantly drawn to that figure in purple.
She wore a slightly loose yet dignified purple dress.
Her hair was casually pinned with a flowing cloud-shaped ornament, secured by a carved jade hairpin. Strands at her temples and forehead danced gently in the wind.
Revealing a flawless face without the slightest imperfection.
Her brows and eyes were like a painting, filled with gentleness and serenity. Her entire being radiated an ethereal, natural aura.
At a glance, one could tell she was a refined and elegant young lady of a great family.
Without any makeup, her jade-like fair skin was neither seductive nor coquettish, instead exuding an indescribable tranquility.
Like the moon rising over the sea, like a clear breeze over calm waters—detached from the world, like an immortal untouched by mortal dust.
“She… she is the Number One Beauty of Qingzhou? Truly deserving of the name—”
The speaker cut himself off halfway.
They had come to block her, not admire her beauty.
Yet no one could look away. All gazes lingered on the young woman.
Her neck was smooth and delicate, her chest full and proud, her waist slender and soft, her hips rounded and alluring.
Even her loose, dignified clothing could not conceal that captivating and enchanting figure.
“Tsk… they were calling you a demoness just now, and now each of them looks like they want to swallow you whole and fuse you into their bodies.”
Seeing this, Yuan Qing whispered by Li Yunqing’s ear, “I bet if this were a remote wilderness and you were truly a weak woman…”
“This group would devour you completely—body and soul.”
“Mm… a hundred times probably wouldn’t be enough.”
Li Yunqing: “……”
Say something nicer, Elder Sister.
Speechless, Li Yunqing stepped forward slowly.
Her clear, melodious voice—soft and pure, uniquely belonging to a young woman—rang across the entire area.
“You say… I am a demoness?”