After Being Entangled By the Obsessive Heroine [Quick Wear] - Chapter 37.2

Xian Ning lay exhausted on the bed, a cool cloth on her body sending shivers through her, but she couldn’t open her eyes.

“It’s alright. Go back to sleep.”

Qin Rong’s voice was soft, and her movements were even softer as she meticulously wiped Xian Ning’s body clean.

She had wanted to bathe with her in the cold spring, but the forgetfulness spell on Xian Ning hadn’t been lifted yet. To avoid a repeat of their previous incident, she had brought a basin of the spring’s water and was now gently cleaning her instead.

This would help ease her fatigue, and the wound on her back would heal faster.

Xian Ning shifted, her mind half-asleep. She wondered why Qin Rong went through all this trouble when she could just use a simple spell.

Once Xian Ning was fast asleep, Qin Rong moved everything aside and lay down beside her, fully clothed.

Xian Ning, sensing the warmth next to her, instinctively snuggled closer. A faint smile touched Qin Rong’s lips as she held her gently.

She was afraid of making Xian Ning uncomfortable, so she didn’t dare to hold her too tightly.

After a long, silent while, Qin Rong kissed Xian Ning’s forehead, her voice as deep and distant as the ocean tide.

“I hope you’ll always be safe and happy.”

“And I hope you’ll always remember me, and think of me.”

Qin Rong admitted to herself that she was a terrible person. She didn’t want anyone else to be with Xian Ning; she wanted her to spend her life tied to the memory of her.

“Never forget me.”

Xian Ning felt a sudden chill and reached out instinctively, only to find her hand grasping at empty air.

She thought Qin Rong had just gone out for a moment, as she often did, but she never returned. The moon climbed high into the sky, but Qin Rong was still gone.

Xian Ning’s sleep was restless, filled with strange and chaotic dreams. She woke up with a pounding headache, the room pitch black, giving her the feeling that she was blind again.

As her eyes adjusted, she realized she was in bed. The birdcage was still in the room, but the lamp hanging inside was no longer lit.

The lamp was a semi-spiritual artifact, powered by spiritual energy, and the fact that it was no longer shining meant its energy had run out.

A powerful sense of dread washed over Xian Ning. She didn’t even stop to put on her shoes before rushing out into the courtyard. Usually, at this time, Qin Rong would be preparing food for her.

But tonight, there was nothing. Without the moonlight, the courtyard was pitch black and eerily quiet.

“Qin Rong! Qin Rong!”

Xian Ning searched every corner of the courtyard, but there was no one.

No one answered. Qin Rong was gone.

It was a long time before the realization hit her: Qin Rong had abandoned her and left.

A gust of night wind blew past, and her head began to pound as if a drill were boring into her skull. Xian Ning forced herself to calm down, tidied herself up, and headed down the mountain to find Li Zhao.

*******

In recent days, the demon race had been attacking relentlessly. The elders were all away fighting, and her master was in seclusion. The only person she could turn to was her Second Senior Brother.

Li Zhao was already in bed when he heard the knock. He quickly put on his clothes and opened the door. The moment he saw Xian Ning, he knew something was wrong.

“What happened?”

Xian Ning stared at him, tears welling up before she could even speak. “Qin Rong is gone.”

Li Zhao led her inside and lit the bamboo lamp on the table, then asked if anything had seemed strange about Qin Rong before she left.

Xian Ning recounted everything she could think of, and Li Zhao’s expression grew serious.

“You knew she was turning into a demon, right? The demonic energy had already invaded her heart. By all accounts, she should have lost her mind long ago. It’s a miracle that she held on for this long.”

Xian Ning’s eyes grew even more tearful, and she choked on her words. Of course, she knew. The demonic energy had once been hers, but Qin Rong had forcefully absorbed it into herself to protect her. Why was she so foolish?

“Second Senior Brother, do you know where she might have gone? Her condition is unstable, we have to find her quickly.”

If Qin Rong really lost control and hurt someone, Xian Ning knew she wouldn’t be able to bear it.

Li Zhao shook his head. “Junior Sister Qin has always been a lone wolf. You’re the only one she was close to. If you don’t know where she went, then…”

She paused for a moment before continuing. “However, before Master went into seclusion, he gave me a tracking butterfly. Maybe it can find some trace of Junior Sister Qin.”

Li Zhao took a sandalwood box from his bedside table. When he opened it, a beautiful blue-and-purple butterfly emerged.

The butterfly flew out of the box, circled Xian Ning twice, and then flew out the window.

Xian Ning hurried after it. Li Zhao, worried about her being alone, grabbed his outer robe from the screen, picked up his sword, and followed her.

*******

The two traveled down Jade Purity Mountain, through the Misty Forest, and arrived at the border between the immortal and demon lands.

This central area was home to a small town where humans lived alongside a mix of cultivators and demons.

The humans were completely unaware of the larger conflict, but the cultivators and demons maintained a strange kind of balance, keeping each other in check.

Once they reached the town, the tracking butterfly stopped moving. It was unclear if the distance was too great or if Qin Rong had simply concealed her aura.

The land ahead was demon territory, so they decided against venturing further and instead stayed to gather information.

After five or six days, they learned from a few low-level demons that the demon race had been focused on nothing but war, and their numbers were dwindling. There had definitely been no new additions.

Xian Ning guessed that Qin Rong was most likely hiding somewhere in the small town.

A few more days passed, and the humans in the town became afraid. They’d lock their doors and windows before dawn, and the once-bustling streets grew desolate.

They learned that a monster had been appearing at night, not only killing livestock but also murdering people.

To stop the monster from hurting anyone else, several cultivators set out to hunt it, but none returned alive.

Word of this spread quickly across the continent, and the major sects sent their best cultivators to hunt the monster. The operation was massive.

On one hand, Xian Ning felt certain the monster couldn’t be Qin Rong, but on the other, she was terrified that it was. After all, once she had turned into a demon and she was no longer herself.

Li Zhao joined his sect’s main force, and Xian Ning secretly slipped away. She followed the monster’s tracks she had been observing for days, determined to find Qin Rong.

Whether it was her or not, she just needed to see for herself to put her mind at ease.

Near the border of the demon territory, there was a cave where the monster was supposedly hiding. When Xian Ning approached, she only saw dried bloodstains.

As she got closer, a roar echoed from deep inside the cave.

It was definitely a monster. Xian Ning could tell from the sound alone that it wasn’t Qin Rong.

Just as she was about to leave, a hoarse, unpleasant, yet familiar male voice called out from behind her.

“I wasn’t looking for you, but you came to me instead.”

Xian Ning turned around. Standing behind her was Jing Ji, his body was shrouded in demonic energy and he no longer looked human.

His face was a mess of deep lines, as if he’d been scalded with hot oil. The corners of his mouth had been torn open to his ears, and the healed scars were hideously ugly.

His eyes were full of malice, and combined with his frightening appearance, they made Xian Ning’s heart pound.

Her heart raced, but she remained outwardly calm. She looked directly at Jing Ji, while her peripheral vision searched for an escape route.

Jing Ji seemed to read her mind. He opened his mouth and laughed, a gritty, raspy sound like sand scraping the bottom of his throat, but with a sharp edge, like fingernails on a chalkboard. The sound was so jarring it made her teeth ache.

“I know what you’re thinking. Forget it. My people are everywhere. You couldn’t escape even if you had wings.”

Only then did Xian Ning realize that she was surrounded by swirling demonic energy. It was clear he had come fully prepared.

Xian Ning wanted to stall for time, but Jing Ji’s patience was wearing thin. He raised a sword filled with demonic energy and lunged at her.

Just as the sword was about to touch her, a ground-shaking roar came from inside the cave. A gust of bloody wind swept out, and the cave collapsed in on itself.

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