The Demon Venerable Is Delicate and Charming (GL) Chapter 35

The group behind arrived much later than Li Lingjiang had expected. Only when the road was almost too dark to see did she hear many people talking in lingering fear.
“Heavens, I almost fell and died just now!”
“If Senior Brother Wen had not grabbed me, I would have turned into a pile of white bones.”
“Why did it suddenly break? And did you notice? Such a large piece fell, but there was no sound. Could it be…”
“Stop guessing nonsense. Senior Brother Shen already said it was only meant to scare us. You frighten yourselves all day. Before the mission is even finished, you will scare yourselves to death.”
“Speaking of that, why have I never seen Senior Brother Shen before…”
“…”
Hearing this, Wen Si suddenly turned his head. His eyes grew much sharper. The open warning in them made everyone close their mouths and lower their heads, avoiding his gaze.
He took a deep breath and spoke in an especially stern voice. “Know what should be said and what should not be said. I do not want to remind you every single time. If you have time for this, why not think about how to improve your own strength? You have seen it yourselves. It has only been a few days, and such a short road has trapped you as if chains were binding you.”
Wen Si pointed lightly. “I cannot take care of every person every time. Senior Brother Shen cannot either. Even if other fellow cultivators are willing to help, can you guarantee you will escape danger every time? This time, you nearly fell off a cliff. Next time, you may be eaten by demon creatures. If you have no strength, speak less. If you do have strength, I will even give you this team leader position.”
His words left everyone speechless. They froze in place until Wuzhi spoke from behind. “Are we going or not?”
Wen Si came back to himself and smiled. “We are.”
Halfway along, the ground had suddenly collapsed. The crack had spread so fast that ordinary people could not react. More than half the road broke away, leaving only a very narrow stretch. A person had to turn sideways to pass, and one careless step meant falling.
Someone in the middle had slipped. Shen Duoyi had reacted quickly and pulled them back with his long whip. Wen Si had also caught one person with brute force. Because of that, they had lost quite a bit of time.
They were outside the moonlight, blurry and unclear, when they finally saw someone waiting ahead.
The back of Beiluan Mountain was long. At its end was a huge resting place. What drew the eye even more was the winding stone staircase. Broken stones lay everywhere with no pattern, and under the gloomy pressure, the place felt especially suffocating.
Li Lingjiang stood before the stone steps. Her pure white outer robe stood out clearly in the dark night. Her white hair fell over her shoulders, and her red lips had a different kind of beauty. Her brows and eyes were cool and distant. When she looked at people, there was little emotion in her gaze, yet she carried a natural sense of pity. Even standing still and merely watching was enough to make the heart sink.
“Is anyone hurt?” Li Lingjiang went straight to the point.
Wen Si shook his head. He was clearly much more tired, but he still cupped his fists and bowed. “Everyone is still well. It was only not very smooth.”
Li Lingjiang lowered her eyes. She turned slightly aside and swallowed. “Go in first. I checked it, and there should be no problem. The cave is large enough for everyone to rest properly.”
“Thank you.”
Li Lingjiang nodded slightly in response.
After a full day of traveling, everyone was already exhausted in body and spirit. The recent danger had shaken them even more, so they all walked inside.
Yin Wu was at the back of the crowd. Only after the people scattered could Li Lingjiang see the three of them.
Li Lingjiang’s gaze quickly moved over Yin Wu, but she greeted Wuzhi first. “What happened?”
“Nothing much. The road split in the middle.” Wuzhi walked to Li Lingjiang’s side and quietly told her about Shen Duoyi. He also added, “Your little immortal suddenly said she wanted to find you. I did not let her, so she sent her dragon.”
Li Lingjiang’s breath slowed for an instant. “Mm.”
Wuzhi smiled with unclear meaning and teased, “I will not disturb you two. Lord Qi San, let us go in and look around too.”
“…”
Only after the two left did Li Lingjiang put her attention on Yin Wu. She then realized Yin Wu had been staring at her for a long time without looking away. Not only that, Yin Wu’s expression was not warm like before. It was more like appraisal and displeasure.
Li Lingjiang lowered her hand and looked down at her own clothes. There did not seem to be anything special. She frowned. “What is wrong?”
Yin Wu did not move. She only asked from a distance, “My Lord, that outer robe is nice. If I had thought more carefully, I should have watched over you and made you wear more.”
Every word sounded like self-blame, but Li Lingjiang tasted something unusual in it. She thought it was probably perfunctory.
Li Lingjiang did not speak. She pressed her lips together and instead hooked the outer robe with her hand, pulling it closer and wrapping herself tighter. This movement inevitably exposed the bloodstains on her palm.
Yin Wu’s pupils trembled. She strode over, her expression and tone softening. She grabbed Li Lingjiang’s arm and pulled her over without using much strength. Feeling Li Lingjiang’s lowered body temperature, she froze. Only then did she properly see Li Lingjiang’s face.
The person she had been carefully nursing had already been blown pale by the cold wind, but now the rims of her eyes were red, and her cheeks carried an unhealthy flush. Li Lingjiang’s gaze had lost focus. With only a little support, Yin Wu felt as if Li Lingjiang needed to lean on her just to stand. The color on her lips was not healthy either. It was blood that had not been wiped clean in time and had been casually smeared there.
Yin Wu supported her. In an instant, Li Lingjiang lost all strength. Unable to stand steadily, she fell into Yin Wu’s arms. Her head rested against the young immortal’s chest. Her rough, hot breath brushed Yin Wu’s neck, and strands of hair kept slipping into Yin Wu’s collar.
“My Lord?” Yin Wu held her hand and called in worry.
Li Lingjiang instinctively made a soft sound, light as a cat’s scratch. With effort, she lifted her eyes and pressed a hand against Yin Wu’s shoulder. But she had no strength, so it looked more like she was using Yin Wu for support.
“I…” Li Lingjiang could not speak. Her throat hurt terribly. Her tendons and bones twisted again and again, as if her intestines had been knotted together, as if she were being cut open and sewn back up. The pain made her whole body tremble. Not completely losing consciousness was already the most she could manage.
Yin Wu lifted her without much effort. Li Lingjiang quietly curled in her arms. Their figures should have been similar, but now Li Lingjiang looked much smaller. Her hand was still on Yin Wu’s shoulder, then slid weakly to the young immortal’s neck because she could not hold it steady.
“My… what happened?” Ling Xin sprang up when he saw Yin Wu carry Li Lingjiang in, and he hurried over nervously.
Yin Wu did not want to say much. “Find me a place.”
Ling Xin led her farther inside. Little Black had been resting above. After sensing that something was wrong with Li Lingjiang, he jolted and rolled to the ground, then poked his head out to look.
“When did My Lord start being like this, Lord Ling Xin?”
Yin Wu’s words were much heavier. “Did you not notice at all?”
Ling Xin clenched his hands so hard that blue veins rose. He lowered his voice. “Do you think I did not want to take care of My Lord? She was in so much pain she could not stand, yet she still would not let me support her. I would take her back and treat her properly if I could.”
“Right now, My Lord still leaves trust for you.” Ling Xin’s lips moved for a long while. In the end, he pleaded, “Please take good care of My Lord.”
Yin Wu caught a few key words. Secretly, she raised a brow. The displeasure in her heart finally faded quite a bit. On her face, she still looked tense. “I will.”
She held Li Lingjiang’s hand and found her pulse. A breath that could not be detected, unstoppable yet extremely careful, passed through Li Lingjiang’s meridians, which had begun to show signs of collapse again. Bit by bit, it repaired and steadied them. After checking once through, Yin Wu did not find what she had predicted.
It was not it. Then why?
Yin Wu was more inclined to think it came from Li Lingjiang’s uneasy thoughts over these two days and the several bold actions she had taken. None of those were things a person properly recovering from injury should do. Yin Wu gently closed her eyes and pressed against Li Lingjiang’s hand. The cold touch made her mind very clear.
She had only failed to watch her for a little while, and Li Lingjiang had made herself like this.
Yin Wu clicked her tongue, so softly that almost no one heard. She hid the gloom and irritation in her eyes. She thought she had to find a way to stabilize Li Lingjiang’s foundation first. If something unexpected happened, that would be bad.
Li Lingjiang still could not die. At least, she had to hold on for a while longer.
“My Lord seems to be showing signs of fever again. I do not dare send magic into her recklessly, so I can only use my gentlest spell to hold it back.” Yin Wu wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes. She forced her voice to sound normal and coughed dryly. “Is this outer robe yours, Lord Ling Xin? Add another layer for My Lord.”
The spells Yin Wu showed to others had always leaned toward fire, which gave people the mistaken idea that she focused on that kind of cultivation. Openly, she moved spiritual power around Li Lingjiang’s body, making the surrounding area warm.
Ling Xin sighed. With his arms crossed, he leaned against the wall and watched calmly. “No. It is hers. When she left, she did not take many clothes.”
Little Black had chosen a good place. It blocked other people’s sight, making this seem like an independent room. In this not very spacious space, only Li Lingjiang and Yin Wu were left in the end.
After Ling Xin finished speaking, he left. Little Black curled in the corner, half opening his eyes and doing his best to lower his presence. Little White lay beside him with its head buried in its body, coiled into a circle.
Yin Wu lifted Li Lingjiang and let her lean against her body. Perhaps the posture was not comfortable, because Li Lingjiang gave a soft hum and opened her eyes. They were still not clear, but at least she knew where she was. She took several deep breaths, then closed her eyes again. Her voice was extremely hoarse. “Yin Wu.”
Yin Wu’s hand was still on her wrist, sending magic into her body. She gave an “Mm.” A glowing pearl sat beside them. Its light fell sparsely on her face and was easily swallowed by the darkness.
“Do you still feel awful? You have a fever again. Tomorrow, no matter what, you are coming with me. Even if they need you, someone else can take your place. You know best what your body is like.”
As Yin Wu spoke, her voice choked. Tears slid down to her jaw, rolling there as if about to fall.
Li Lingjiang heard the sound and lifted her eyelids. She did not have the strength to look up. She only raised her hand. The young immortal held that hand and placed it against her own face, rubbing against it like a cat.
Soft, wet tears mixed into Li Lingjiang’s palm.