The Demon Venerable Is Delicate and Charming (GL) Chapter 57

Li Lingjiang tightened her hand. The sparks hopped by themselves into Yin Wu’s other hand, then suddenly burst into fireworks. The little figure that looked very much like Yin Wu began hopping in circles. Seeing that the other little figure ignored it, it plopped down on the ground, stretched its two short legs upward, and burst into tears.
A smile appeared in Li Lingjiang’s eyes. She reached out and pinched the little figure between her fingers. There was no burning pain on her skin. Yin Wu seemed very familiar with this spell. When the little figure was lifted by her, it still struggled in the air. After failing, it drooped its head in defeat.
Little Black seemed to have never seen such a scene before. It stretched its head and neck out to look, only for the white dragon to bite its neck and drag it back. The white dragon even stared at it faintly. Little Black immediately shrank its neck and sadly buried its head in the hollow of Li Lingjiang’s neck.
“My Lord, is it cute?” Yin Wu snapped her fingers, and the little figure instantly vanished in steam. “Please do not be unhappy.”
The smile in Li Lingjiang’s eyes had not faded. “I am not… I will not be.”
Her words did not connect very well, but Yin Wu still nodded in satisfaction.
Yin Wu stood and wanted to pull Li Lingjiang up from the ground. “My Lord.”
Li Lingjiang looked at the palm offered to her. After stopping for a few seconds, she placed her hand on it. Yin Wu immediately held it and very carefully pulled her up.
Then Yin Wu took the water flask out of her storage pouch and watched Li Lingjiang drink without blinking. Her gaze was serious and focused. In other people’s eyes, it would seem as if her eyes could hold only Li Lingjiang.
Ling Xin watched for a long time. The disturbance from Li Lingjiang’s abnormal condition had not been small, and many people had sent curious looks over. He glared each one back. At first, Wuzhi had stopped him from going over. When all was said and done, Li Lingjiang was still a crippled former Demon Venerable. Ling Xin now held a high position, so he had to avoid too much contact as much as possible.
Even Shuang Zixing relied on the trust and prestige Li Lingjiang had built over a thousand years. Before Li Lingjiang stepped down, she had paved every road for him, trying to let him walk smoothly.
His My Lord, even in this condition, still had to be guarded against by others.
Ling Xin was unwilling. Yet Li Lingjiang herself was willing, even if only on the surface.
Seeing Li Lingjiang’s mood improve after Yin Wu coaxed her, he turned his back and crouched down again by the card game among the three others. He gave a sad sigh. Feng Luan patted his back. “Do not be sad. Being sad will not help.”
Ling Xin: “…”
“Did you go study somewhere?”
Feng Luan smiled shyly. “Mm-hmm.”
“…”
They rested for almost four hours before they recovered. In the middle, they had to jog again. Sometimes, a pit appeared under someone just after they crouched down. It was both maddening and absurd, and they had to immediately call everyone to rush forward.
They could only do their best to keep from drifting off course. One by one, they leaned on each other like they had aged more than ten years, staggering forward.
Their water supply was already starting to fall short. Fasting pills had to be taken at least a day apart.
Someone had felt unwell for a long time after taking too many. Wen Si was so angry he confiscated them all.
They moved forward in stops and starts, still dodging sudden attacks now and then. The flow-time dial was more than half spent again. The blazing sun hid everything that should have turned dark. They slowly grew used to this rhythm, but the strain on their bodies still led to arguments.
“What do you mean? One mouthful of water per person, and you drank more than twice as much as us! Why did you not do this the earlier times? It just happened to be my turn when you drank that much, right? If you want to start trouble, say it directly. There is no need for such disgusting little tricks!”
Liu Ying drew her sword and pressed it against the other person’s throat. Her eyes turned cold. With a twist of the blade, a line of blood instantly appeared.
The other person clutched his neck and looked at Liu Ying in disbelief. “You!”
Liu Ying laughed with a hum. She had been holding back anger with nowhere to put it, and he had just happened to walk into her path. Compared with him, her strength was more than enough.
“I only drank a little more. Why are you being so petty?” The male cultivator’s name was Bai Cang. His looks were not bad, but he was not likable at all. This was far from the first conflict between them in the sect.
The sunlight reflected a cold gleam from Liu Ying’s sword. She licked her cracked lips. “A little? Bai Cang, then what if my hand slips, and I accidentally kill you? What would you say then?”
Bai Cang also drew his sword and faced Liu Ying. He cursed, “If it were not inconvenient, I should have spat in it. You strut around every day. Who does not know those filthy thoughts of yours?”
“Say it clearly. What thoughts?” Liu Ying had been struck in a sore spot. She ignored Wen Si, who had already started walking over, and raised her sword to fight Bai Cang. “You had better explain yourself!”
Bai Cang’s anger rose too. For a while, the two fought fiercely, and the others could not rashly step in. Wen Si hurried over. His face was cold. Finding the right chance, he threw his short blade with force. A ringing sound came, sparks flashed briefly, and the two were stopped.
“If you do not want to live, I can send you to your deaths now.” Wen Si shouted in a low voice. His martial strength was not higher than theirs, and his wrist was trembling slightly at this moment.
“Are we not short on water? Yet you still have so much energy to fight?” Wen Si tossed a water flask down from his waist. “Think it over yourselves. Day after day, besides fighting among yourselves, what else can you do? If you have this much energy, use it to think about how to escape this place.”
Liu Ying stabbed her sword hard into the sand. She looked sideways at Mu Mianmian, who was hiding nearby. In only a moment, a group had gathered around Liu Ying to comfort her.
Mu Mianmian stood in place for a while before gathering the courage to walk over. She stood outside the crowd and did not squeeze in. She had just lowered her head, thinking of something, when she felt a shadow fall over her.
She blankly lifted her head and saw Liu Ying hook an arm around her shoulder, eyes full of hostility. The moment their gazes met, Liu Ying forced herself to hold it back. Still, her tone was not very good. “Standing there, you look just like a wooden post.”
Mu Mianmian said softly, “I do not dare.”
Liu Ying frowned, making the scars on her face look a little frightening. “What is there to be afraid of? Learn. If something happens, fight directly. If nothing else works, I will stand up for you.”
“All right.” Mu Mianmian lowered her head. Her lashes cast a shadow, and no one knew what she was thinking.
This farce made the atmosphere even more stiff. They no longer dared say much. Limited supplies and danger on every side reminded them to carefully use and divide what they had.
Shen Duoyi, however, benefited from Qi San. He held a water flask and drank until he was satisfied in one go. With mockery in his eyes, he watched the others argue. Crouching beside Qi San, he bumped him with his elbow. “Why do I never see you drink water or eat? Are you not hungry? And you even generously gave me the water.”
Qi San had acted strangely earlier, insisting on Shen Duoyi’s birth date and hour. He had muttered for a long time and stared at him for ages. Although he still did not speak much, Shen Duoyi could feel a change in his attitude.
“My cultivation can support me without food or water for a long time.” Qi San’s black robe blurred in people’s eyes with the heat waves.
Shen Duoyi cursed under his breath. His eyes were full of yearning. “When can I be like you? I really want to become strong.”
“Why?”
“No special reason. If I become strong, they will not dislike me. I also would not still be only an outer disciple who knows nothing. If Heaven’s Mandate had not chosen me and given me some value, maybe they would never have brought me here.”
Shen Duoyi’s tone was full of sadness. “At this time, I might have been sweeping the stone steps in front of the sect.”
Qi San narrowed his eyes hidden in the darkness and gave a faint “mm.” He did not say more. He only quietly listened to Shen Duoyi talk on and on alone.
Suddenly, Qi San moved his fingers and kept calculating something. “Wait here. I will be back soon.”
Shen Duoyi gave an “oh” and watched him walk toward Li Lingjiang.
Li Lingjiang and Yin Wu had no interest in paying attention to what happened. The little immortal’s storage pouch seemed to have everything. When a sudden interest came, she found two thin branches from inside, shoved one to Li Lingjiang, kept one for herself, and excitedly began drawing on the ground.
“Why did you break these off?” Li Lingjiang looked the branch up and down, unable to guess her purpose for a moment.
Yin Wu sighed. She stopped moving and said regretfully, “Because I wanted to bring them back to the wooden hut and find a vessel to raise them in. I remember this plant. It blooms beautifully. Sadly, it died.”
“Enough about that. My Lord, do you want to draw with me?” She rubbed her hands together with excitement and looked at Li Lingjiang expectantly.
Li Lingjiang refused without thinking. “No.”
After thinking, she added lightly, “Bending over will be uncomfortable.”
Yin Wu suddenly understood. She slapped her forehead and muttered, “That is true. I was too careless.”
Then she continued drawing. She drew in one breath until the fight on the other side had already ended. She cleared her throat and swayed over to Li Lingjiang. “My Lord, what do you think of my drawing?”
Li Lingjiang had not moved her gaze away. She silently turned her face aside. “It is pretty.”
Yin Wu was still not satisfied. “My Lord, do you really… do you know what I drew?”
“It should be… a cat.”
Yin Wu: “…”
“It is a tiger.”
Li Lingjiang said, “A cub does look very much like a cat.”
Yin Wu’s eyes turned resentful. “It is an adult.”
“Is it?” Li Lingjiang could no longer hold back her laugh. She turned her head aside, her smile unconcealed. Along this road, her body had not been suited for such intense running. After Shi Baisheng exposed his identity, he had stayed at the very back. They understood what he meant, so they did not stop him.
Yin Wu had secretly held Li Lingjiang’s fingers. Her power, which had never stopped flowing, had reduced much of Li Lingjiang’s burden. After stopping, Li Lingjiang had only felt unwell for a while before recovering quickly.
“What are you laughing at?” Seeing her laugh, Yin Wu could not help laughing too. Then she secretly ruined her own drawing with the tip of her foot.
Qi San came over at that moment.
He brought his hands together and saluted Li Lingjiang. “My Lord.”
Li Lingjiang put away her smile. She tucked her hands into her sleeves and looked down at him. “What is it?”
“Qi San has a request. Could you help me calculate a person’s past and present lives?”
Li Lingjiang did not answer. Instead, she asked directly, “Can you not inspect the Book of Life and Death?”
Qi San gave a soft “mm.” His voice lowered. “But this person is very likely a comrade who fought beside me back then. I… cannot inspect him.”
“Tell me the birth date and hour.” Li Lingjiang was silent for a while, then still agreed.
She made no extra movement. She only stood in place. Her face suddenly paled a great deal, but she seemed unconcerned. “Qi San, it is him.”
Hearing this, Qi San froze where he stood. Then he thanked Li Lingjiang again.
He turned and left, his steps much faster. Yin Wu watched him go and suddenly asked, “My Lord, you know divination too?”
Li Lingjiang gave a soft sound. “Only a little surface knowledge. Nothing worth showing.”
She pinched the bridge of her nose. Her beast ears suddenly stood up. She and Yin Wu looked in the same direction at once and gradually became alert.