The Demon Venerable Is Delicate and Charming (GL) Chapter 26

Yin Wu was still holding the posture of pulling Bai Zhi back. For once, a trace of confusion showed on her face. After a moment, she calmly withdrew her hand. She turned and looked at Li Lingjiang. “People really are strange.”
As she spoke, she walked toward Li Lingjiang. Her eyes held a smile. “They clearly know something is impossible, yet they still insist on seeing whether it is real or false. Even we were fooled.”
Bai Zhi had not died on the way back. She had begun to melt the moment she stepped into the Life-Death River. In the end, she had no way to decide between death and life. To see her mother once, even knowing it was an illusion, she had still been willing to wager her life.
Li Lingjiang kept her hands hidden beneath her robe. She lowered her eyes to the sachet by her foot, curled a finger against her mouth, and hid a cough. Then she bent down and picked up the sachet. She held it between her fingertips and tossed it lightly upward. In an instant, it scattered and vanished.
She walked toward Yin Wu, her breath still steady. “Feelings are mysterious. Appearances are born from the heart.”
Li Lingjiang seemed to sigh. Her gaze turned to the Life-Death River. “I thought the Life-Death River had let Bai Zhi live. Only now do I know it merely let her live for that one instant. Whether it was worth it or not, only she could answer.”
Yin Wu looked at Li Lingjiang. Her smile faded. She stopped and quietly waited where she stood. She watched Li Lingjiang walk over, then pause as if worn out. Yin Wu’s eyes trembled. She reached out and supported the person who could barely stand.
“My Lord,” she called softly. “Are you all right?”
Li Lingjiang had suddenly lost her strength. Her brows and eyes drooped, and she quietly let Yin Wu hold her. It was as if she had no strength left, her whole body softening into the other’s arms. She tilted her head and breathed heavily.
A strand of hair stuck to her lips. Li Lingjiang slowly raised a hand and hooked it away with her fingertips. Her eyes were half-lowered. “Her feelings were very strong. The Life-Death River valued her far more than expected. For a while, I could not even tell whether her desire was too intense, or whether it was because of me. Being forced to share her feelings was a little too much for me.”
Empathy consumed a great deal of strength and spirit. To passively sense another person’s feelings and past suffering was painful. When Li Lingjiang had first come back to herself, she could still feel that faint grief hidden in her heart. It was Bai Zhi’s feeling, though for Li Lingjiang it had seemed to pass in only the blink of an eye.
Yin Wu lowered her eyes to look at her. Li Lingjiang’s breath brushed over her neck again and again, like a cat’s paw. “What did you see? You should rest properly.”
Li Lingjiang seemed to sigh. “Nothing much. Only someone else’s past.”
She coughed twice more. The bit of color that had returned to her face faded again. With effort, she stood straight and left Yin Wu’s supporting hand. Then she curved her lips. “Ask them when we can set out. I will sit for a while.”
Yin Wu stared at her. In the end, she said nothing else. She gave a soft “Mm” and turned away.
Only after Li Lingjiang watched her leave did pain show on her face. She drew in a breath. She had hidden it well and would not let anyone else know. In only an instant, she had gathered herself again. A presence surged up behind her. She restored her expression and turned. “Immortal Lord Feng Luan.”
“My Lord.” Feng Luan revealed the torn cloth in his hand. In the next breath, it turned to ash in his palm. “Qi San did not find Bai Zhi’s soul. It was likely devoured clean by the Life-Death River. Very few people can escape from my hands, much less an ordinary person.”
Li Lingjiang’s eyes darkened. She nodded to show she understood. “Immortal Lord, your magic is suppressed right now. Sometimes a person’s burst of strength can be frightening. Why take it to heart? Since she is dead, let the past fade like smoke.”
She showed just the right amount of weariness. “I will rest for a moment.”
Feng Luan said nothing more. He bowed respectfully and watched Li Lingjiang sit on a rock. There was still a trace of blood on her sleeve, barely visible.
He gave a low, mocking laugh, though it was hard to tell whom he was laughing at.
Yin Wu had been paying attention to Li Lingjiang, so of course she understood what had happened. With Li Lingjiang’s current strength, empathy was clearly dangerous. Yet even Yin Wu had not reacted in time. She could only pull Li Lingjiang out as fast as possible. But it had likely damaged her foundation. Yin Wu’s eyes sharpened, and she looked heavily toward the river.
“Fellow Cultivator Li.” Seeing her come over, Wen Si immediately followed. “We can set out soon.”
Yin Wu’s face had already returned to its usual expression. A faint chill hid between her brows. She said, “There is no hurry. Everyone must have been frightened. Fortunately, many people were stopped in time. I hope everyone will temper themselves a little more. The Life-Death River is not the hard part. What comes after is where this road truly begins. May the journey go smoothly.”
When Bai Zhi had fallen into the illusion, many people had almost lost control. Ling Xin and Qi San had watched them, so nothing had happened. But if trouble started later, it would be harder to control.
How could Wen Si fail to understand what she meant? He still smiled and agreed one by one.
Seeing this, Yin Wu said no more. After she left, the crowd immediately burst into murmurs.
“Heavens, Bai Zhi just died like that?”
“That was too scary. She turned into bloody water in an instant.”
“Who knows what else is waiting for us?”
“…”
Tang Wusuo, squeezed among the crowd, trembled slightly. The copper coins in his hand clicked softly. Dazed, he thought back to the omen he had read. After a long while, he muttered, “So it truly became a prophecy.”
He rubbed the copper coins and looked helplessly at his own hands. Then he closed his eyes in gloom and tucked the coins back into his sleeve.
When Yin Wu returned to find Li Lingjiang, Li Lingjiang was putting a handkerchief into her sleeve, then looking over with a calm face. Yin Wu frowned and strode over at once. She silently held back her temper for a while, but in the end all her anger deflated. She crouched beside Li Lingjiang’s legs and rubbed her cheek against her. “My Lord.”
“Are you very uncomfortable? Why do we not wait a little longer before leaving?”
Li Lingjiang only said, “I am fine.”
Her fingers quietly tightened around the handkerchief stained with a large patch of blood. With lowered eyes, she looked as if nothing had happened. In truth, her head hurt so badly that the scene before her blurred, and even the smallest movement pulled at her skin and flesh with tearing pain. She coughed softly and silently wiped the sweat from the side of her face. “When do we leave?”
Yin Wu looked at her for a long time. Storms surged beneath those eyes, but in the end they returned to peace. She accepted Li Lingjiang’s change of subject and lifted a smile that made people glad to see it. “It will not take too long.”
Then she added, “Do not worry.”
The end of her words curved lightly.
They did not delay for long before setting out. No one dared waste more time. They feared the next place they stopped might hide another trap like this one.
Yin Wu watched the few people crowding around Li Lingjiang and followed at their side without expression.
Ling Xin still noticed that something was wrong with Li Lingjiang. After learning the reason, he insisted on staying beside her no matter what. The others also came forward to check on her. In the end, Wuzhi and Qi San dragged away Ling Xin, who still could not stop worrying.
“If I stay here, it is all the same.”
Wuzhi hooked an arm over his shoulder. “It is not the same. The view is better in front.”
“…”
Feng Luan’s ears twitched. He looked around, then mysteriously stuffed something into Li Lingjiang’s hand. “My Lord, it was my fault for only noticing your discomfort just now. I have nothing good to offer as an apology. I was afraid you might be bored on the road, so this should help pass the time.”
Li Lingjiang clearly saw his face turn red. Her words caught in her throat, and in the end she said nothing. After Feng Luan pushed it into her hands, he hurried to catch up, once again leaving the two of them at the rear.
Yin Wu stepped forward, displeasure written all over her face. “I almost thought I would not see you today. What did Immortal Lord Feng Luan give you?”
“A book.” Li Lingjiang openly flipped it open. It was, unmistakably, a vivid erotic picture book.
Yin Wu: “…”