The Demon Venerable Is Delicate and Charming (GL) Chapter 15

The wind by the window stirred again. The temperature on No-Return Mountain seemed to drop by several more degrees. Even inside the invisible barrier, the oil lamp looked as if it were about to burn dry, ready to be blown out by the last faint breath.
The rise and fall of Li Lingjiang’s chest was very small. She put out the lamp, curled her legs inward, and her gaze gradually cooled. Her fingertips hooked the thin quilt that had fallen to the side. Lying on her side with her eyes closed, she said softly, “Go wash your hands. It is late. Hurry and rest.”
Yin Wu stood beside her bed. The screen that had been placed there on purpose now made the space especially dim. Her expression hid in the dark, and her eyes watched Li Lingjiang’s side profile without blinking. She keenly sensed the rise and fall of Li Lingjiang’s emotions, but she did not panic. She bent down, caught the corner of the thin quilt with her fingertips, and gently covered Li Lingjiang with it.
Her breathing was extremely low. Since her goal had been achieved, she could ignore this little bit of defiance. Yin Wu bowed slightly, stepped back a few paces, and leaned steadily against the screen. Her hands were folded behind her back, and her waist rested against it. The curve revealed by her belt was especially clear. She narrowed her eyes and stared at Li Lingjiang for a while, like a hunter crouching in the dark. Without a sound, she hooked the corner of her lips and quietly withdrew.
Soon, only Li Lingjiang’s breathing remained in the inner room. Li Lingjiang calmly opened her eyes. Fine sweat slid drop by drop down her neck and sank into one suppressed breath after another.
The moment Yin Wu left the barrier, she heard arguing outside. It was much brighter there. Out of respect, the four people had blocked the inner room very tightly, which made the outer space seem much larger. With some disgust, she waved a hand and blocked the sound coming through the window. Narrowing her eyes, she looked at the four people gathered around the table. Each sat with proper posture, as if handling some great affair of state.
Yet she clearly heard Feng Luan call, “Four bamboo.”
Ling Xin played a one dot with a face full of worry and irritably tapped the edge of the table. Wuzhi, who looked calm and steady on the outside, chuckled, pushed both hands forward, and happily stretched out his hand.
“I won! Pay up!”
Qi San had even taken off his black robe, revealing a rather handsome face. His pupils were completely black, and staring at them for too long was somewhat unsettling. At this moment, however, it was not hard to understand his depressed mood as he propped up his chin and helplessly took out money.
Yin Wu: “…”
She more or less understood why another layer of screen had been added.
Yin Wu made her footsteps a little heavier. Ling Xin noticed and immediately turned his head warily. Seeing her hands covered in blood, he grew nervous at once. “Demon Lord, she-”
“She is fine.”
Yin Wu bowed. Smiling faintly, she turned and drew water to wash her hands. With her head lowered, she said, “It got on me when I applied medicine for Demon Lord. It is no trouble.”
Hearing that medicine had already been applied, Ling Xin let out a slight breath of relief. Still, he continued to size up Yin Wu from the corner of his eye. He had just sat down when Wuzhi knocked on the table.
“Where is yours?”
Ling Xin’s expression changed. He almost spoke through gritted teeth. “I am about to lose even my underwear!”
From the beginning until now, he had lost every hand. He did not know whether these old fellows spent all day with nothing to do but play mahjong.
Yin Wu observed his expression and raised one brow with interest. Wuzhi was so pleased that even his butterfly wings spread. His true body was extremely beautiful. The pair of wings were blue like the brilliance of the deep sea, shining under the light. It was just that as they fluttered, powder kept falling from them. Yin Wu even believed without hesitation that Ling Xin might tear those wings off in one grab.
Ling Xin’s eyes suddenly shifted. He looked at Yin Wu. “You, come here.”
“Me?” Yin Wu pointed at herself uncertainly, then still walked over full of questions.
Ling Xin grabbed her wrist and directly pulled her into the chair. Then he stood to the side as if nothing had happened. “Play two rounds for me.”
Yin Wu: “…”
As expected, all species became the same once gambling went to their heads.
Before she could agree, the others became unwilling. Wuzhi propped his head on one hand and looked at Ling Xin mockingly. “Do you still have any family fortune left to wager?”
After saying this, he patted his clinking storage pouch and spread his hands innocently.
Feng Luan added, “Besides, she is of my immortal race. What reason is there for her to play for you?”
Qi San sat to the side with his hands tucked away, silent, the meaning in his eyes unclear.
Ling Xin had just been about to speak when Yin Wu suddenly said, “I have something I can use as a stake.”
Every gaze fell on her, curious to see what Yin Wu could take out.
Yin Wu slowly found the red thread Li Lingjiang had once given her from inside her sleeve and waved it in front of everyone. “Here. Will this do? Demon Lord said this is that person’s magic artifact.”
The moment the red thread appeared, they recognized it. Ling Xin looked at her in disbelief, his eyes full of impossible. His lips moved, but in the end he said nothing and turned his face away in silence.
Wuzhi was the first to return to himself. He nodded. “It will do. You little immortal have sincerity. We will play with you ourselves.”
Qi San suddenly added, “If you lose it, it will not be returned.”
Feng Luan’s expression tightened, but he did not speak. This was an artifact of the immortal race. When Li Lingjiang had obtained it back then, even she had treasured it greatly. The ruler had slept for a long time, and now the artifact could not be seen in the world at all.
Rare indeed.
Yin Wu lowered her head and pressed her lips into a smile, as if embarrassed. In a soft voice, she said, “I will follow the rules. I simply do not know how to play very well. Honored lords, please be forgiving.”
A sly light flashed through her lowered eyes, then quickly vanished.
Li Lingjiang woke very early. She sat up. The surroundings were still dark, and she did not know what time it was.
With difficulty, she supported herself and got off the bed. Clean clothes hung on the screen, a simple set of black. She touched them. They were not the set she had brought. Li Lingjiang steadied her breath. Her face had improved quite a bit. She removed her inner robe. The garment slid from her shoulder, and she hooked it down with her foot, her ankle rising and falling with the movement.
She put on the outer robe and tilted her head to tie the cords. Her lowered eyelashes trembled lightly. The clothes were simple and fit much better. She tied the belt, and her waist was clearly outlined. She tidied her collar. Both ears moved, and footsteps quickly approached from behind her. Li Lingjiang put both hands behind her back and braced herself against the screen. Almost leaning sideways, she looked warily toward the person who had come.
Yin Wu seemed startled by her reaction. At first, she froze, then laughed. She slowly turned her back, and the two dragons on her shoulders also knowingly lowered their heads. “Demon Lord, it is me.”
Li Lingjiang’s beast ears trembled, and the gauze shook with them. She slowly breathed out. “I was too sensitive.”
She straightened and curved her eyes. “Did you prepare the clothes?”
“Cloth I won. I had it made in a hurry.” Yin Wu’s eyes turned. Like she was asking for praise, she bit her lip and took a snow-white shoulder cape from her storage pouch to show her. “Demon Lord, the weather is much colder today. Wearing this will make you much warmer.”
Li Lingjiang accepted it with an unreadable expression. The cape had some weight, and the fur used was not ordinary, but she had never seen it before. She did not move and only asked, “What fur is it made from?”
Yin Wu had just removed the barrier. She pushed open the screen, and the faint morning light shone over half her face, blurring its edge. Casually, she said, “Rabbit fur.”
“Rabbit-” Li Lingjiang swallowed the rest of her words. Realizing something, she moved her gaze over in confusion and saw Feng Luan curled up on a chair, two bald ears covering half his face.
Sensing her gaze, Feng Luan barely revealed his eyes and pulled at the corner of his mouth. With a sobbing tone, he said, “It is fine, Demon Lord. The weather is warming. I was due to shed.”
Li Lingjiang: “…”
For a moment, she had no words. Looking at the other two, she found their complexions were not very good either. Only Ling Xin still looked fairly spirited. With confusion on her face, she rubbed the soft white fur and suddenly understood something. Startled, she looked at the clothes on her body and felt they were very much like Qi San’s black robe.
The robes worn by a Ghost Realm official were all refined from thousand-year ghost energy. Every piece was difficult to make. She did not know how Qi San had been willing to give it to her.
Seeing Li Lingjiang lower her eyes as if thinking about something, Yin Wu smiled gently. She took the cape and draped it over her. The cape had been specially made large, covering half of Li Lingjiang’s face. Paired with her white hair, it made her look a few points more delicate than usual and made her face appear even smaller.
“What is Demon Lord thinking?”
Li Lingjiang lifted her eyes to look at Yin Wu. After a hoarse pause, she asked, “How did you get it?”
Yin Wu laughed softly and explained in a low voice, “Lord Ling Xin lost at mahjong and pulled me in to play a couple rounds. My luck was too good, so I won.”
None of the people present were ordinary, so they heard more or less all of this. Their lips hooked in bitter smiles. How was it luck? After losing at first, they had all refused to accept it, and the stakes had grown larger and larger. In the end, they had lost both the bride and the soldiers. Yin Wu had even rushed overnight to make the clothes and shoulder cape, then generously displayed them for everyone to see and sincerely thanked them.
Li Lingjiang choked on her words. In the end, she said nothing, only looking at Yin Wu helplessly. She touched the gauze on her hands, drew back her smile, and turned to them.
“When do we set out?”
Qi San bent slightly at the waist. “Whenever you wish to set out.”
“Me?” Li Lingjiang was silent for a few seconds. Still with that cold, detached expression, she pushed the door open with force.
The fog on No-Return Mountain had grown much heavier, almost hiding the winding road ahead. The unseen bright color of the sun was blocked by the edges of the towering mountains. The mountain range rose from the ground and wound into the distance with no end in sight. Its borders were blurred, and tens of thousands of souls seemed to be running toward the depths. Dead branches and fallen leaves made chilling sounds in the wind.
Li Lingjiang stood straight. Her gaze seemed to reach very far. The wind gradually grew stronger, blowing her sleeves into motion. She faintly raised a hand to block her face without changing expression. Her white hair blew backward with the wind. She lowered her eyes and breathed out slowly.
Yin Wu slowly raised her hand. Li Lingjiang’s hair fell between her fingers and tangled there, then drifted away lightly. Yin Wu closed her hand, but she failed to catch it.
“Demon Lord.”
Yin Wu called her.
Li Lingjiang turned her head, her face gentle. “Mm?”
Yin Wu smiled, and her small sharp fangs were especially eye-catching. “The wind is strong. Be careful not to catch cold.”
Li Lingjiang did not know whether she heard clearly. She turned her head again and slowly walked toward the crowd. No one could see the badly wounded body from before. Every step she took was very steady.
The group all stood up one after another. Many people huddled together, holding one another, their eyes red and full of fear.
Wen Si’s face remained fairly normal. He stood and bowed respectfully to Li Lingjiang, issuing a sincere invitation. “Fellow cultivators, would you be willing to travel with us?”
Feng Luan stepped out and looked over coldly. “Reason.”
Wen Si sighed and stiffened, his face showing difficulty. “You should know something of it. Last night, many living souls entered this place. They were right before our eyes, wandering back and forth with all kinds of deathly appearances. Though they did not attack us, it was clearly abnormal. Many people were frightened.”
He did not dare pause. “This Wen wishes to ask everyone to go together. We can help one another and at least keep each other company. After all, it is a task from our sect, and we have no choice but to complete it.”
Yin Wu knew about this matter. They had sensed unusual movement before. Hundreds of living souls with blank eyes had slowly passed in front of the wooden cabin like walking corpses. Their mouths made tearing, hoarse sounds. The moment their drool fell, it turned to mist in the air. After they vanished into the thick fog, they began walking again from the start, repeating it over and over.
But Qi San had checked and found no danger, so they had set it aside for the time being and had not acted rashly.
Hearing this, Li Lingjiang gave Wen Si a few more looks. This person spoke skillfully. First, he explained their situation, then softened his stance. Inviting them to travel together was indeed a good method. To Wen Si’s group, it was like finding several powerful helpers. To Li Lingjiang’s side, it meant having many bodies to die in their place.
Interesting.
Since the Immortal-Entering Sect had specially sent him, his strength would likely not be too low. More importantly, his mind turned quickly, and he handled worldly matters very flexibly. As for strength, Li Lingjiang quietly swept her gaze over several plainly dressed people and memorized their faces. It was them.
A fate-changing magic artifact was indeed tempting.
She did not state her position. Ling Xin and Wuzhi looked at each other, and the meaning in their eyes went without saying.
Ling Xin paused for a few seconds before answering, “Very well. I hope we can help one another from now on.”
Wen Si did not speak. As if yielding, he lowered his head and pressed his lips into a smile.
After waiting a while longer, the crowd gradually stirred. Two dragons flew beside Li Lingjiang. To outsiders, they were said to be flying wyrms. Since their forms had changed, that was enough to fool most people.
Once the surroundings settled, the sounds of discussion gradually grew louder. Li Lingjiang did not crowd into the group. She leaned against a quiet place to rest her mind. The frequent gazes thrown toward her made her frown in discomfort. She glanced from the corner of her eye, coughed dully twice, and ignored them.
Yin Wu keenly noticed. Her eyes turned cold. She fixed on the source, and her gaze suddenly became dark and fierce. Like a warning, she swept it over. Her eyes seemed to hold chains that could seize a life, frightening someone with a single look.