The Demon Venerable Is Delicate and Charming (GL) Chapter 53

Zhou Du’s face went stiff. His panic was fully exposed. He gave a dry laugh, stammering, and sweat soaked his palms. He hurriedly looked away. “No… what fighting? You heard wrong.”
Li Lingjiang gave an “oh.” Her tone lifted. Carelessly, she let go of him and took out a handkerchief to wipe her hand. “Is that so?”
“Zhou Du.”
Her voice became even softer, soft and light, yet for no reason it chilled his heart. Zhou Du’s hair stood on end. “What is it?”
Li Lingjiang’s voice was like a ghost, drifting near and far, constantly pricking at his nerves. In a daze, he heard her ask, “Tell me. What does fighting each other mean?”
“Fight… each other.” Zhou Du repeated the words one by one. His mouth opened and closed. Several times, he almost spoke. A trace of reason still remained, and his fingers dug into his palm. “It is…”
“Zhou Du.” Wen Si called him from not far away. His expression looked no different from usual. “What is wrong? Why are you sweating so much?”
“Ah!” Zhou Du snapped back. His throat was dry. Every swallow burned painfully. Only then did he realize what he had said. He was an inner disciple, but his foundation was not good. He had gotten in muddleheadedly and always worked with fear. Wen Si’s call was like a reminder.
Zhou Du met Wen Si’s eyes. The other man’s gaze was full of comfort. Zhou Du suddenly calmed. He breathed in small mouthfuls. “Fighting each other only means an internal saying of ours. After all, there is a wall between us and these later disciples. We have a rule. If we can successfully leave No-Return Mountain, there will be a money reward. But the amount is limited, so there are rankings. Naturally, when we go back, we have to decide the order. It would be too fake to say people do not care about money.”
He did not dare look into Li Lingjiang’s eyes. “It is only that the others do not know. We were selfish, so I hope Fellow Cultivator Li will keep it secret. As for what I said just now, you should have seen it too. I behaved badly and was just finding an excuse.”
Li Lingjiang laughed softly. She stood and looked straight at Wen Si. Her words were for Zhou Du. “I will believe it for now. I am only an outsider. I cannot interfere with sect matters.”
She lowered the veil. Before leaving, she added, “But really, no one would believe it even if I said it.”
Zhou Du’s smile faded. He lowered his head, his gaze drifting. He murmured, “I know… I know.”
Seeing Li Lingjiang leave, Wen Si strode to Zhou Du and crouched in front of him. He squeezed Zhou Du’s shoulder, then patted it. “Relax. Do not lose your nerve. Some things, once they happen, should rot in your stomach.”
His gaze softened. “Besides, we are all here.”
Zhou Du nodded blankly and murmured, “The magic artifact will only choose a small number of people. I only left myself a way out in advance.”
Wen Si watched him for a while and did not mention the topic again. His tone was gentle. “Eat a fasting pill, or you will lose strength from lack of water. If there is a problem, come to me.”
“All right.” Zhou Du lowered his head and nodded obediently.
“My Lord, did you find out anything?” Yin Wu sat on the ground and looked up at Li Lingjiang. The burning sunlight did not disturb her sight.
Li Lingjiang tucked her hands in her sleeves. After thinking for a bit, she told Yin Wu what had just been said.
Yin Wu propped her chin in her hand. “What a clumsy excuse. But it is enough to get by for now. As for the fighting each other… could they be planning to fight among themselves? It does not seem like it. If there really will be fighting, why did they stay with us at the time? Will they join together to deal with us?”
“The strength we have shown far surpasses theirs. I am also thinking about why they wanted our protection on the road, yet never relaxed about the magic artifact. Now that it has come up again, it still does not make sense. From this, they should still be holding some card in their hands.”
Li Lingjiang continued, “The balance of the six realms cannot be broken. We still need to rely on them to find the magic artifact. If I acted more forcefully, I might simply lock them up and interrogate them, but that would ruin the order of things. The Immortal-Entering Sect entered No-Return Mountain. There must be a way for them to pass news to the outside. They are the first group. More will keep coming after them.
“No one outside knows who the artifact will finally fall to. Greedy people will keep charging in. Breaking this trap is the most important thing right now. These people have woven one lie after another. As long as we reach the end, everything will fall apart on its own. What keeps worrying me is that we know too little, and the situation is not in our favor. If some sudden change appears…”
She did not continue. Yin Wu understood. After a few quiet seconds, she asked, “Then is My Lord afraid they will turn the tables on us at the end?”
Hearing this, Li Lingjiang laughed for no clear reason. A little spirit suddenly lit her brows. “This is still the Demon Realm’s land. I do not worry about them, and I will not be afraid of them. Yin Wu, you are thinking too much.”
Yin Wu also laughed low in her chest. She took out the picture books she had collected earlier and fanned Li Lingjiang with them. “This awful place is too wicked. My Lord, do you want to rest for a while? It does not look like we will set out soon.”
She reached out and lightly lifted Li Lingjiang’s veil. Her expression was serious. “You are sweating. Is the gauze uncomfortable?”
If her identity had allowed it, Yin Wu would have wanted to destroy this cursed sun directly. It looked so demonic that it could not be anything good. When she had come here before, it seemed this thing had not existed.
Li Lingjiang bent a finger and wiped the sweat from her temple. “It is all right. The gauze does not absorb sweat.”
She held down Yin Wu’s hand. “This is too tiring for you. Are you not going to sleep? And it will be very hot.”
Yin Wu grinned. She held Li Lingjiang’s hand, moved it away, then let go. “It will not. I wrapped a fire spell around it, and my own body resists heat. You do not need to worry. Besides…”
She paused for a few seconds, then rubbed against Li Lingjiang’s shoulder like a big cat. “It is cool beside you.”
The heat from the rubbing made Li Lingjiang shrink slightly. She complained in a small voice, “Hot…”
“Hot?” Yin Wu had controlled her body temperature and had not meant to tease Li Lingjiang. How could she still feel uncomfortable?
So delicate.
She took Li Lingjiang’s hand again and asked carefully, “What about this? My body temperature is not high. Does it hurt now, My Lord?”
Li Lingjiang’s temperature was still rather low. Her wrist was wrapped in scorching warmth. Even when she tried to endure it, she still felt the heat was too high. It was only a little better than before.
She lowered her eyes and pressed her lips together. “It does… but I can bear it.”
After saying that, she grew puzzled herself. “How did this happen?”
Li Lingjiang pulled free of her hand and tucked it into her robe. She breathed out and suddenly felt the surrounding temperature drop a great deal. Sleepiness also gradually rose.
Yin Wu curved her lips without showing it. She made a silent “ah” and rubbed her fingertips together. She could clearly feel the blood bead taking effect on Li Lingjiang. It made the other woman more sensitive, and it made her react more strongly to Yin Wu’s touch.
Satisfaction flashed in her eyes. She took out a medicine bottle, poured out a pill, and handed it to Li Lingjiang. “My Lord, it is time for your medicine. It is the next day now.”
Li Lingjiang did not move. She stared at it for several seconds, then still took it and swallowed it. Then she accepted the water flask Yin Wu brought before her eyes and took a small sip.
Yin Wu said, “My Lord can drink freely. This flask is very precious. I found it on purpose. Before we set out, I filled it with a great, great deal of water, and it keeps well for a long time. There is no need to worry about other problems.”
She made a small request. “You cannot tell anyone. If others find out, it will be bad!”
Yin Wu honestly held the flask in her arms as if guarding a treasure. Her face was stern, but her eyes were bright enough to draw people in. She had no force at all.
Seeing this, Li Lingjiang could not help curving her lips. She let out a breath. “I will not drink more. You keep it.”
“Then I will drink a few mouthfuls.” Yin Wu did not wipe the mouth of the flask. She drank directly from it.
Li Lingjiang looked a few times and opened her mouth to remind her, then felt there seemed to be no need. Several times, she held the words back.
Yin Wu had noticed from the corner of her eye. Li Lingjiang’s lips were glossy from the water. Their color was actually pale, but perhaps because her body temperature had risen, they had turned red. Their shape was very pretty, carrying a charm that drew people in.
Li Lingjiang kept a small habit from being a demon lion. Her tongue would lightly sweep over the mouth of the bottle and wet her lips in passing. She had never noticed this herself. Yin Wu, however, watched her whenever she had nothing else to do.
When Yin Wu put it into her mouth, she could feel the dampness Li Lingjiang had left behind. It was warm. Yin Wu rarely shared a drink with anyone. No one dared do it, and she herself would not have bothered.
Li Lingjiang was the first.
She did not dislike it.
“My Lord, do you want to rest a little?” Yin Wu put away the flask and asked softly. “I will block the sun for you.”
After taking the medicine, Li Lingjiang was indeed sleepy. She easily grew feverish at night. Now there were faint signs of a low fever, but it was not as uncomfortable as before. The demonic energy that had been causing chaos in her body also seemed somewhat suppressed.
“Will you not get tired?”
“No. I will take care of you.” Yin Wu leaned by her ear and spoke. Then she padded her own shoulder with a set of clothes. “You can lean here. It should not feel hot.”
Li Lingjiang breathed softly, and even that breath vanished into the heat. With her back to the sunlight, she took off the bamboo hat. Meeting Yin Wu’s expectant gaze, she gently leaned her head over. Her voice drifted faintly. “Yin Wu, one favor is not worth you doing this much.”
Yin Wu denied her. “My Lord, you are wrong. One favor is enough to remember for a lifetime, is it not?”
The color in her eyes deepened. “I want to care for you. I want you to stop guarding against me. I want you to live well. There is still so much time. I can wait quietly.”
Li Lingjiang had heard many words like these. Different people had said them. Some close, some distant. Yet it seemed none of them had softened her heart like this little immortal she had known for less than half a month.
She eased her breath in small mouthfuls. She opened her eyes. For one instant, it seemed she was willing to lower all her defenses. Her body was controlled, and her nerves were beyond her command.
Li Lingjiang clearly felt that her life was still beating. Then she heard herself give a low “mm.”
The little immortal’s muffled laugh stirred clearly beside her ear.
Yin Wu looked sideways and lowered her gaze. A feeling rose in her heart, like the pleasure of raising something by hand.
Look. The little one has taken the bait.