The Cold and Aloof Palace Master's Daily Demon-Slaying Life

Zuo Qingqiu carried her on her back, walking steadily step by step. She could feel her sister's warm breath on her neck, and her sister's thin arms wrapped around her neck.

At this moment, time seems to flow backward.

They were no longer the Purple Mansion Immortal and the dying old woman, but two sisters who depended on each other for survival, sharing a brief moment of warmth and comfort under the lively lights.

On the way back, her younger sister had already fallen asleep on her back.

His breathing was even, even with a slight snore, like a child who had just finished playing.

Zuo Qingqiu walked very slowly, afraid of waking her younger sister on her back. The moonlight shone on the bluestone path, casting their shadows long, very long.

She recalled many, many years ago, on a night just like this, when she carried her younger sister, who could no longer walk, home.

Back then, my parents walked ahead, carrying snacks and toys they had bought for them, chatting and laughing.

Back then, life was peaceful and serene, and I thought things would continue like this forever.

In the blink of an eye, her parents had turned to dust, and her younger sister was now all white-haired. She lay on her back, so light that she seemed as if she might disappear at any moment.

Tears fell silently, dripping onto the bluestone slab, and were quickly dried by the night wind.

-

Back at the old house, Zuo Qingqiu carefully placed her sleeping younger sister on the bed and covered her with a blanket.

My younger sister was sleeping soundly, and there was even a trace of childlike satisfaction on her face from watching the lanterns.

Zuo Qingqiu sat by the bed, looking at her aged and peaceful sleeping face, her heart torn between two conflicting emotions.

My sister said she accepted her fate and no longer hated her.

My sister said to let her live well and take her share of the sights with her.

Her younger sister refused her suggestion to use the power of her Purple Mansion to forcibly help her establish her foundation and prolong her life, saying that she did not want to waste her precious cultivation and did not want her to delay her path for the sake of a dying person.

So sensible, so...heartbreaking.

But how could she bear to do it?

How can you bear to watch your last loved one grow old and die in front of you?

How could I bear to let her go to the end of her life with regrets?

She's only a little over a hundred years old! If it weren't for this damned age restriction, she should have had the best years of her life and the opportunity to see so much more!

A crazy idea rose in her mind and grew stronger and stronger.

She knew that forcibly using the power of the Purple Mansion to help a Qi Refining cultivator whose lifespan was about to end and whose meridians were aging to establish a foundation was the lowest, most brutal, and most hopeless method.

Such a foundation is weak and unstable, making it impossible to make any further progress in this life, which is equivalent to completely severing one's path.

Even the worst Foundation Establishment is still Foundation Establishment, and it will extend one's lifespan by two hundred years, allowing the younger sister to remain in the mortal realm for a very long time.

Two hundred years is enough for her to do many things!

That's enough for her to find an even better elixir of life!

It was enough for her to accompany her sister through her final moments!

As long as my sister is alive, there is hope!

As for the path being cut off?

My younger sister's aptitude of grade E meant she had little potential for advancement.

As for wasting the power of the Purple Mansion?

The power of the Purple Mansion can restore, but my sister only has one life!

My mind is made up.

A resolute glint flashed in Zuo Qingqiu's eyes.

She gently helped her sleeping sister sit up and helped her sit cross-legged. Then she sat behind her, placing her palms against her back.

"Leng Qiu, I'm sorry..."

"Sister... I can't just watch you leave."

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and her internal energy surged!

The vast and pure power of the Purple Mansion, like a river bursting its banks, flowed gently yet domineeringly into her sister's already dried-up and fragile meridians through her palm!

"Ugh..." Zuo Lengqiu, who was in a deep sleep, let out a painful groan, and her body trembled violently.

Forcibly establishing a foundation is like defying fate, a process fraught with peril. The fragile meridians are eroded and widened by violent magical power, the aged body is forcibly infused with life force, and the dantian and qi sea are blasted open and reshaped by external force…

Cold sweat beaded on Zuo Qingqiu's forehead as she carefully controlled her magic, ensuring the impact was strong enough to break through the barrier while avoiding harming her sister's very foundation. This was an immense drain on her mental and physical energy.

Time passes little by little.

Outside the window, the sky changed from dark to light, and then from light to dark again.

Zuo Qingqiu's face gradually turned pale, but her eyes remained firm.

Finally, in the darkest hour before dawn.

From inside the younger sister's body, a soft "crack" sound, like an eggshell breaking, came.

Immediately afterwards, a faint but definitely present "Foundation Building" aura emanated from her body!

It worked!

Zuo Qingqiu withdrew her hand, her body swayed, and she almost fell over.

She mustered her strength and supported her younger sister.

Zuo Lengqiu's originally aged face underwent a visible transformation. Deep wrinkles were smoothed out, loose skin regained its firmness, and even the roots of her gray hair began to show streaks of black!

In just a short while, the younger sister transformed from an old woman with white hair into a middle-aged woman who looked to be in her forties or fifties and still had a charming appearance!

Although the marks of time are still visible, it is vastly different from before.

Zuo Lengqiu slowly opened her eyes.

At first she was a little confused, but then she felt the changes in her body. She raised her hand, looked at her palm, which was no longer thin and had regained some luster, and then touched her face.

Then, she turned her head sharply and looked at Zuo Qingqiu behind her, who was pale and weak.

"Sister...you..." Her voice trembled, and her eyes instantly filled with tears, "What have you done?!"

"I've helped you establish your foundation." Zuo Qingqiu forced a smile. "Now, you're a Foundation Establishment cultivator, and you can live... you can live for a very long time."

"You're insane!" Tears welled up in Zuo Lengqiu's eyes, her voice trembling with sobs and anger. "I told you I didn't want this! I don't want you like this! You're wasting your life! Wasting your cultivation! Wasting your future! It's not worth it for a useless person like me!"

"It's worth it." Zuo Qingqiu looked at her, her eyes gentle yet firm. "You're my sister. There's no question of whether it's worth it or not. As long as you're alive, it's worth it."

"But..." Zuo Lengqiu looked at her hands, a huge sadness and helplessness welling up in her heart.

"No buts." Zuo Qingqiu grasped her hand. "Your life is the most important thing. We have plenty of time. I can teach you slowly and find better spiritual herbs to help you solidify your foundation. Leng Qiu, don't refuse, okay? You've already established your foundation; the die is cast. If you still insist on dying, then my power of the Purple Mansion will truly have been wasted. The longer you live, the more worthwhile this deal will be."

Zuo Lengqiu stared blankly at her sister, at her pale yet smiling face, at the unwavering determination and deep-seated guilt in her eyes.

After a long while, she threw herself into her sister's arms and burst into tears.

"Sis...you idiot...you big idiot..."

Zuo Qingqiu hugged her and gently patted her back, just like when she was a child and he was putting her to sleep.

"Okay, stop crying. From now on, my sister and I will live a good life together."

For the next three months, Zuo Qingqiu stayed at Cui Weishan to accompany her younger sister.

Every day, she used her gentle magic to help her sister regulate her meridians and solidify her fragile Foundation Establishment realm.

The two sisters seemed to have returned to their closest childhood days, eating together, taking walks together, chatting and laughing together.