Demonic Cultivation: Devouring Ten Thousand Demonic Beasts
Chapter 13: Cleaning up the mess

Chapter 13: Cleaning up the mess

Langtian slowly stood up, one hand braced against the wall to steady himself. His body still ached and throbbed, but at least he could walk now. The pill that Senior Sister had given him had truly worked like magic, though it did come with a few odd side effects.

He reached for the black robe she had handed him and gently unfolded it. The fabric was soft, cool, and surprisingly clean. As he draped it over his shoulders, it fell around him in flowing layers. It was a little too big—its long sleeves drooping past his wrists and its hem brushing his ankles—but it felt comfortable and sturdy. It was even infused with a faint, comforting scent of dried herbs and a hint of smoke, like a mix of medicine and firewood. The smell reminded him of an alchemist’s room.

Before he could adjust the robe properly, Yue Ling stepped closer. Without a word, she began fixing the robe for him. Her fingers were quick and gentle as she tugged the folds into place, straightened the collar, and tightened the sash around his waist. She even brushed off his shoulder, then gave his chest a little double tap—pat, pat.

She stepped back to admire her work. "Hehe, just as I thought—it looks good on you," she said with a bright smile.

Then her eyes widened with realization. "Oh wow! You’re even taller than me now!"

Yue Ling raised her hand and stood on tiptoe to measure the difference. Sure enough, Langtian was half a head taller than her. "I can’t believe the little boy from ten years ago has grown so much!"

Langtian’s face flushed red. "Th-thanks, Senior Sister Shangguan..." he stammered, quickly looking away.

Yue Ling chuckled and then turned toward the mess he’d made earlier. The shelves had toppled over, and various ingredients were strewn across the floor. Without a single complaint, she crouched down and began tidying up—setting the shelves upright and gathering scattered herbs and papers into a pile.

Watching her calmly clean up after his mishap made guilt churn in Langtian’s chest. "I-I’m sorry," he muttered, lowering his head.

"Don’t worry. It’s not your fault," Yue Ling replied gently, without even turning around.

She retrieved a shallow bamboo basket from a corner of the room and knelt gracefully, her sleeves brushing the ground as she picked up the scattered pills one by one. Mixed in with them were crushed herbs, tiny spirit stones that shimmered faintly with qi, and a few oddly shaped beast parts—fangs, bone fragments, dried claws.

"Let me help you," Langtian offered, kneeling beside her to carefully scoop up a handful of crushed herbs.

Yue Ling gave him a soft smile. "It’s fine. These are just some dried ingredients I was processing anyway," she said as she continued sorting through the mess.

But then, as they both reached for the same small bone fragment, their hands bumped together.

Langtian froze. His fingers brushed against her skin—smooth, cool, and impossibly soft. Their eyes met.

Time seemed to stop for a heartbeat. Up close, she looked even more beautiful.

Yue Ling’s voice broke the moment. "What’s wrong? Are the pill’s side effects still bothering you?" she asked, dropping the bone fragment into the basket.

Langtian jolted back to reality. "N-no, it’s nothing!" he blurted out quickly, his voice cracking as he turned his face away to hide his embarrassment.

Yue Ling tilted her head, giving him a puzzled look. "Then why’d you suddenly space out like that?"

"I... It’s just that I still can’t believe we’re meeting again like this..." he admitted in a shy mumble.

Yue Ling paused, then shook her head with a knowing chuckle. "You silly junior brother," she teased softly.

She stood up and dusted off her hands. Langtian finally exhaled, realizing he’d been unconsciously holding his breath.

Her eyes drifted to the shattered stone table lying in pieces on the floor. "Well," she sighed, "looks like I’ll have to carve a new one soon."

Langtian scrambled to his feet, back straightening with sudden urgency. "Senior Sister, leave that to me!" he exclaimed, his eyes gleaming with determination.

Yue Ling raised an amused eyebrow at him. "Sure," she replied with a smirk, "but let’s finish cleaning up this mess first."

She walked over to the corner and picked up a broom, then tossed another one to him. Langtian fumbled but managed to catch it. The broom was handmade—rough but sturdy, woven from dried branches and straw and bound together with twisted vine cord.

Yue Ling giggled. "You know, it’s funny—I actually made an extra broom just this morning for no particular reason. It’s like the heavens knew you were coming."

"R-really?" Langtian asked, blinking in surprise.

She gave a snort of laughter and waved her hand. "No, no, I’m just kidding! I was just bored, okay? I ended up making a bunch of random stuff."

"O-oh... I-I see," Langtian mumbled, smiling awkwardly as his cheeks warmed.

And so, the two of them began sweeping side by side, the soft rustling of straw bristles against the stone floor filling the air in a comfortable silence.

______________________

A few minutes later, with the shelves repaired and the room mostly tidied up, Yue Ling gave Langtian a light tap on the shoulder and smiled.

"Alright, little junior brother, let’s head out!" she said cheerfully.

"Yes!" Langtian agreed with a nod.

They were just about to step through the door when something tugged at the back of Langtian’s mind—something odd. He paused mid-step. "Wait, Senior Sister... where did you get these clothes?"

He glanced down at the black robe again. The fabric was high-quality, definitely not something one could find in a cursed valley full of demonic beasts. If that was the case, then where had this silk robe come from? And more importantly, the color and style of it reminded him of something unsettling.

It looked just like the garb of the evil sects—those dark-robed cultivators who practiced the dark arts. Dressed like this, he and Yue Ling suddenly resembled a pair of wandering dark-art practitioners.

Before Langtian could say anything else, Yue Ling turned and grabbed him by the wrist, as carefree as ever. "Just follow me, and I’ll show you around!" she said brightly, tugging him along.

"O-okay..." Langtian muttered, still puzzled.

And just like that, they stepped out of the house together.