The Demon Venerable Is Delicate and Charming (GL) Chapter 49

By the time they found a place to stop, it was already the latter half of the night. They were not far from the forest. After finding a flat place, they casually rested. The ground was dry and cracked. Only when they truly sat on it did they feel the bone-piercing cold. Startled cries rose one after another by instinct.
Li Lingjiang sat on Yin Wu’s clothes. The young immortal had moved faster than her and now wore only a thin inner garment. The biting wind struck Yin Wu without mercy. From the start, Li Lingjiang’s gaze could no longer leave her easily.
Li Lingjiang sat on the ground with her knees bent. Feeling uncomfortable, she stretched forward a little, then leaned closer to Yin Wu.
This was the first time she had taken the initiative to move closer.
Li Lingjiang’s body temperature had always been very low. Even just being near her made it clear. Yin Wu looked over in surprise. She sat still and even leaned slightly toward Li Lingjiang. “My Lord?”
“Are you not cold?” Li Lingjiang rubbed the fabric of Yin Wu’s inner garment with her fingertips. Before them was a fire, but the unpredictable wind had already weakened it until only sparks flickered.
Yin Wu gave a very soft “Ah.” Looking at Li Lingjiang’s obvious worry, her brow furrowed, an extremely wicked thought suddenly rose in her heart. She supported herself on the ground and slowly moved closer. The corner of her mouth curved as she said on a breath, “My Lord, do you think I am cold?”
Li Lingjiang lowered her head slightly. She lifted her eyes to look at Yin Wu, who was close enough to touch. Without a word, she drew back a little and shook her head hoarsely.
The young immortal laughed again. All the breath she exhaled stopped on Li Lingjiang. The layers of gauze wrapped around Li Lingjiang’s neck now seemed to carry a damp, sticky feeling. Her gaze fell on Yin Wu’s eyes as she watched the other woman come closer and closer.
The familiar breath almost swallowed her. Li Lingjiang followed Yin Wu’s hand, which had been placed beside her shoulder and now began sliding toward her back. The young immortal’s movement was light and slow, as if deliberate, making her a little uncomfortable.
Li Lingjiang tightened her legs. She did not move, but secretly gripped her robe. The young immortal was still drawing closer. Li Lingjiang could even clearly see the line of Yin Wu’s throat moving when she swallowed. Her beast ears trembled in shock, as if she could hear that movement clearly.
The bones of Yin Wu’s fingers were long. Perhaps because fire spells wrapped around them, even this light touch could make a person feel as if they were burning. Li Lingjiang’s breathing trembled for no reason. Her fingers curled. She lowered her eyes and half closed them, sensing the young immortal gradually wrap her arms around her. It had clearly taken only a very short time.
The other woman’s body warmth kept staining her. It forcefully swallowed her and gave her no time to struggle. Li Lingjiang dazedly felt that Yin Wu gave her a very strong pressure. She could not resist and could not break free.
Yin Wu held her whole body. In that instant, Li Lingjiang suddenly realized how thin she had become. The other woman could easily hide her in her arms. They leaned closer and closer, drawing nearer with every breath.
Li Lingjiang suddenly gave a soft hum. With both hands, she pushed against Yin Wu’s shoulders and moved her outward a little. She turned her face aside, seeming confused, yet the feeling was truly there. She called quickly, “It hurts…”
“What?” Yin Wu’s expression changed subtly. “Did I hurt you?”
Li Lingjiang let go. The stinging feeling still remained on her body. She moved her lips, and only after a while did she speak. “No. Your body temperature is too hot.”
“It hurts a little.” Li Lingjiang’s expression did not change when she said it, but the meaning in her words made Yin Wu curve her lips in satisfaction.
The young immortal covered her face in frustration and hurriedly explained, “Sorry, My Lord. I did not know you would… I deliberately raised my body temperature.”
By the end, she had grown downcast, twisting her fingers in self-blame. She spoke timidly and softly. “I am not cold. My Lord does not need to worry. When I was human, my body temperature was different from ordinary people.”
“After ascending, it became even more so. Instead, it is you. Why is your body so cold?”
Li Lingjiang tucked her hands back into her sleeves. She did not take issue with Yin Wu’s already excessive actions and only said dully, “My body was cold by nature. After the serious losses from before, I could not recover in time, so the coldness worsened.”
Yin Wu said, “Oh.” She sat cross-legged and rocked back and forth slightly. “Then you must take good care of yourself now.”
The warmth Yin Wu had left behind gradually faded. Li Lingjiang pinched her fingers and looked at the many people sleeping against one another. She asked softly, “What did you do in the human world before?”
Yin Wu did not hesitate at all. “I used to be in Yihong House. Because I lost my parents when I was young, the madam bought me when I was very small.”
Li Lingjiang’s expression changed slightly. She gave a soft “Ah.” “So that is how it was.”
“Do not worry. I was only a helper. I delivered rouge and powder for the women, fetched water, and things like that.” Yin Wu scratched her head and smiled. She coughed lightly. “I would be beaten and scolded by the madam and the others, but that is all in the past.”
Li Lingjiang turned her face to look at her. Suddenly, she asked, “With such good looks as yours…”
Halfway through, she realized the question was improper and barely stopped. But Yin Wu had already understood what she meant. A smile appeared in Yin Wu’s eyes, then quickly faded.
As if remembering something, Yin Wu fell rarely silent for a while. She lowered her head, her eyelids dropping.
Li Lingjiang noticed her reaction and knew she should not have mentioned it. After silently sighing, she reached out, wanting to comfort the young immortal. Unexpectedly, before she could touch her, Yin Wu caught her wrist. Li Lingjiang looked over in surprise and saw Yin Wu’s face darken as she slowly pulled open her own inner garment. She tugged it downward. Her pale skin nearly made Li Lingjiang narrow her eyes.
“My Lord,” Yin Wu called.
Li Lingjiang lifted her eyes and gave an “Mm.” She shifted her body to block Yin Wu a little and asked, “What is it?”
Yin Wu sighed and forced out a stiff smile. “I never took customers. At that time, those stinking men thought scars on the body were ugly and dirty.”
She hooked a finger. On the upper part of her chest was a frightening scar. It was not long, but it looked deep enough. Yin Wu continued, “Actually, some female customers liked this kind of thing, but I refused them all.”
“Female customers?” Li Lingjiang repeated.
Yin Wu let out a light breath. “Yes. Female customers. Does My Lord hate that?”
Li Lingjiang looked at her in confusion. “Why would I hate it?”
Her gaze still rested on the scar before Yin Wu’s heart. After struggling for a moment, she still asked, “How did this happen?”
Yin Wu lowered her eyes to look at it. A sly light flashed in them. “It is also a sad story. A disobedient little thing wounded me. I was careless for a moment and fell for it. Poor me, I spent so much effort saving her, but she could not be raised tame. In the end, she bit me back. At the time, I thought that if fate allowed, I would definitely find her and make her pay it all back.”
“I did not expect that even after ascending, this scar would remain. I think this must be Heaven’s Mandate. I am destined to find her and make her return everything.”
Li Lingjiang froze for several moments. She blinked. Those words seemed to have been spoken right beside her ear, and she somehow felt the pain in her own heart. She hastily steadied herself. Wanting to help Yin Wu pull up her clothes, she only then realized her wrist was still held by the other woman.
“Yin Wu.” Li Lingjiang struggled once. Her thin lips moved lightly. “Let go.”
Yin Wu obediently released her. But when she put her hand behind her back, she shook it and wiped it on her clothes. She did not let Li Lingjiang move. Instead, she pulled her collar up herself and urged, “My Lord, you should rest. It is too late.”
Li Lingjiang calmly withdrew the hand that had been hanging in the air. She watched Yin Wu carefully for a few more seconds before giving a very soft “Mm,” so soft it was almost impossible to hear.
“You too. Rest soon.”
Li Lingjiang returned to her earlier posture. Only when she moved did she feel the numbness in her body, but she did not show even a trace of it. Instead, she closed her eyes naturally and began to rest. Her hands hidden in her sleeves silently seeped a little blood. She quietly breathed a few times and curled up in the darkness.
Bang.
The sound of a heavy object falling instantly caught Li Lingjiang’s attention. She followed the sound and looked over, then stared around at the surrounding environment in confusion.
Another dream?
This place was barren. The air was filled with a choking smell of blood. She stepped forward. Before she had taken two steps, she nearly tripped. In shock, she looked at the corpse beneath her foot and instantly realized there were bodies everywhere, stretching beyond sight.
Li Lingjiang calmed the fear in her heart. The farther she walked, the thicker the rust smell became. Almost all the corpses across the ground belonged to demons. Even the sky was covered in spreading red, pressing down until a person could hardly breathe. Every place sent out a message of deathly stillness.
“Look at your wretched state.” A voice not very familiar to Li Lingjiang sounded ahead. She immediately lifted her head to look.
The white robe was not stained with the slightest blood. The person beneath the white-robed figure’s foot suddenly forced out a mouthful of blood. Dense wounds covered that person’s whole body. Li Lingjiang suddenly felt familiarity and suffocation.
She stepped back several paces, just in time to meet the face of the person turning toward her. Li Lingjiang’s breathing stopped for several moments. The person under that foot was her.
Li Lingjiang’s eyes trembled violently. Her legs sank down beyond her control. Her palms were full of warm blood. She raised her hand. In a daze, she heard the sound of fists striking flesh again and again. She trembled for no reason and struggled to look over.
She saw herself crawling on the ground in wretchedness. Her eyes had long lost all light, empty and hollow. Around her neck was a red thread. It tightened cruelly, cutting a deep blood mark into her throat. Blood soon dripped along the red thread and fell to the ground.
Li Lingjiang could not make a sound for no reason. She covered her neck, then loosened her hand in fear at the sticky touch. She could not see that person’s face clearly and could not hear the voice clearly. She only heard a cold laugh and saw herself being seized by the throat and lifted, firmly restrained as her body left the ground. She heard herself make something like a whimper.
Her body began trembling nonstop. Her breathing suddenly lost all rhythm. Her ears rang. Pain filled her whole body until she had to hug herself. Tears fell without stopping. Still, she could not understand as she watched herself thrown several yards away, the red thread lashing her like a whip.
But why did she not remember any of this?
Who was this person?
The Sovereign?
Li Lingjiang gasped heavily and fell painfully to the ground. She gripped the earth with force, her hands full of softened blood-red mud. She heard a cold, disdainful laugh.
“What a pity, little thing. I still softened toward you after all.”