After Marrying the Disabled Demon Lord as a Substitute, I Ran Away with His Child - Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Zuo Siqiu felt miserable. Her body was so hot she feared she might actually burn to death from a fever.

In her haze, she rediscovered that “ice block” from the night before. But today was different; the ice block was surrounded by wisps of cool air, much like a refreshing air conditioner in the height of summer.

Zuo Siqiu immediately lunged forward and hugged the “air conditioner,” her hands poking and prodding it incessantly. “Turn the cooling up! Higher! Make it colder!”

However, the air conditioner—much like the ice block from the previous night—kept struggling. Zuo Siqiu could only cling to it for dear life, mumbling, “Don’t drive me away. I’ll die if I leave. I’ll die…”

Fortunately, the air conditioner had a conscience. It stopped pushing her away, and as she pleaded for more cold air, it released even more ethereal coolness. These wisps of cold air swirled around her like mist. When she reached out to grab the mist, the air conditioner told her to stop.

Zuo Siqiu looked at the air conditioner and huffed softly, “When you’re fierce, you look just like that Great Demon.” Then she snuggled back in. “But you’re better than him. You’re a good person.”

Having issued the “Good Person Card,” Zuo Siqiu felt she could ask for more. “Can you… make my heart cool down too? And my stomach? There’s a fire in my belly. I can see a ball of flame.”

Xuan Mo listened to her blurred mumblings and closed his eyes, letting out a deep, long breath. Eventually, he wrapped his icy spiritual energy around her. Only then did Zuo Siqiu finally shut her chattering mouth and fall into a quiet sleep.

…

The next day, Zuo Siqiu woke up still feeling slightly unwell, but much better than before. She stretched her arms and rolled over, only to see Xuan Mo’s dark face. He sat in his wheelchair, staring at her on the bed with eyes so full of condensed killing intent that it felt only inches away from her skin.

Zuo Siqiu shrank back instantly. She didn’t know what had happened, but she knew apologizing first was never a mistake. “I’m sorry, Lord! I was wrong!”

Xuan Mo: “…”

The room remained silent for a moment before Xuan Mo spoke to someone behind him. “Go check on her. I suspect the fever has fried her brain.”

The person behind him was the Demon Doctor, who had rushed back overnight, sacrificing several precious magical treasures to make the trip in time. Although he wasn’t usually in the sect, he had heard all the legends about the Leader and the Madam. Seeing them now, he thought the rumors were true: they were indeed very affectionate.

He stepped forward. “Madam, allow me to take your pulse.”

Zuo Siqiu extended her hand. “I think I have a fever. My body is burning. I took a Body Recovery Pill yesterday, but it didn’t seem to help.”

The Demon Doctor placed his fingers on her slender, porcelain wrist and smiled. “For an illness, one must take the right medicine.” He looked every bit the gentle, kind doctor, but his mind was reeling: The Madam is too cute! No wonder the Leader likes her so much. How can a cultivator have a ‘fever’? And how could a Body Recovery Pill not cure it? What a silly Madam.

A moment later, his smile vanished, and his expression turned serious. Seeing this, Zuo Siqiu felt her heart sink. “Is it terminal?”

The Demon Doctor felt a sharp “backstab” from someone’s gaze and immediately understood. “No, it’s just that it’s my first time seeing such a pure Fire Spirit Root.”

Zuo Siqiu breathed a sigh of relief. “I suppose I have some talent. Controlling fire for alchemy is very smooth for me.”

The Demon Doctor followed her lead with some praise before saying, “It’s just a bit of ‘heat.’ You’ll be fine soon after taking some medicine.” He handed her several ice-blue pills.

As she took them, a piercing chill spread through her palm. Instead of pain, it felt as refreshing as eating a popsicle in summer. Being a half-baked alchemist herself, she could tell these were high-quality pills. “Is it a waste to give these to me? Am I really just having a normal fever?”

The Demon Doctor fabricated an answer: “This will regulate your internal Fire Qi and stabilize your spirit root, making your future tribulations easier.” Zuo Siqiu nodded, assuming her internal “fire” was just too strong.

…

However, when the Demon Doctor was alone with Xuan Mo, his diagnosis changed completely.

“Lord, the Madam has been poisoned.”

Xuan Mo nodded; he had already guessed as much the night before. “Will your pills cure her?”

“No,” the doctor replied. He was actually quite confused. Weren’t the Leader and Madam “active” every night? That poison could be easily solved through dual cultivation. Why was the toxin still in her body?

Xuan Mo saw through the doctor’s confusion but didn’t bother explaining that he and Zuo Siqiu had never actually done the deed. He simply said, “This is the Bixia Sect Master’s scheme. He wants her life. If I engage in dual cultivation with her now, it won’t save her—it will kill her.”

The Demon Doctor understood instantly. “I see. I was wondering why such a poison was used when the cure is so simple. So there was a deeper trap.” He paused, thinking. “But Lord, does the Bixia Sect Master truly know the grade of the Madam’s Fire Spirit Root? If it were just an ordinary or even high-grade root, she would be easily harmed by you. But my investigation shows she has a Super-grade Fire Spirit Root. As long as you control your energy properly, you can not only neutralize the poison but the Madam can actually heal your body.”

Xuan Mo’s pupils contracted. He truly hadn’t known Zuo Siqiu could cure his paralysis.

The Demon Doctor’s mind was already filling in the blanks. He sighed, “The Lord truly cherishes Madam. Were you afraid that dual cultivation would damage her cultivation and spirit root, which is why you never let your spiritual energies merge?” He added, “It’s actually fine. You could even ‘borrow’ some manuals from the Hehuan (Joy) Sect to help.”

Xuan Mo nodded. “I understand. I heard Yan Jiaojiao hasn’t returned from visiting her lover for three days. Go check if she is alright.”

The doctor was puzzled. “It’s only been three days…” Usually, Yan Jiaojiao would disappear for months.

“Since Zuo Siqiu arrived,” Xuan Mo noted, “she comes to check on her every single day.” Even at her busiest, she would ask, “Did the Madam and the Leader get along well today?”

…

The Demon Doctor found that Yan Jiaojiao had also been poisoned. She wasn’t a Fire Spirit Root user, so the toxin was just a “carrier” in her, causing her no real harm.

When he found her, Yan Jiaojiao looked thoroughly satisfied. But the moment she heard the doctor was checking on Zuo Siqiu, her eyes lit up. “Is Madam pregnant?!”

“…” No wonder the Leader thought she was acting weird.

Once the doctor explained the poisoning, Yan Jiaojiao’s satisfaction turned into murderous rage. “That damn Fu Gui! She dared to use me to target Madam? That’s more vicious than killing me!” She threw on her clothes and bolted. “I’m not letting her off!”

Back at the sect, Zuo Siqiu was “walking her husband” (the rooster), who was hunting grasshoppers. These were special grasshoppers Zuo Siqiu had caught in the Demon Realm using Xuan Mo’s token. She waved at Yan Jiaojiao, but the latter was in a rush and disappeared quickly.

Soon, news spread: “Yan Jiaojiao and Fu Gui are fighting!”

Zuo Siqiu frowned and led her rooster toward Fu Gui’s cave. She was worried about Yan Jiaojiao, but also curious. Plus, Fu Gui was the “bait” for her plan; she couldn’t let her be killed yet.

She arrived to see Fu Gui’s dwelling in ruins. Fu Gui was no match for Yan Jiaojiao and was quickly subdued and dragged away. Zuo Siqiu hurried back to Xuan Mo’s cave for first-hand news, but he wasn’t there.

He was in the Demon Prison.

Fu Gui was chained to spirit-locking shackles. Yan Jiaojiao delivered a kick that scattered half of Fu Gui’s ghostly energy.

Fu Gui spat out black blood, looking like a broken dark flower. “I didn’t expect to die at the hands of my own sect. It’s a relief, in a way.”

Yan Jiaojiao snarled, “You knew we’d kill you, yet you dared poison me to target the Madam? There are plenty of ungrateful wolves in the Xuanyun Sect, but I’ve never met one daring enough to use me! You’re asking for death!”

Fu Gui wept. “I want to die. I’ve wanted to die for a long time. But I cannot. I have no choice. You’re right, there are no good people in this sect, and I am one of them. I’m just doing what most disciples would do. If I die now, I accept it. I deserve it.”

Yan Jiaojiao moved to finish her, but Xuan Mo stopped her. “Why did you do it? What is the Bixia Sect Master using to threaten you?”

Fu Gui shook her head. She couldn’t say. If she had the courage to speak, she wouldn’t have done it in the first place.

Xuan Mo was not a patient man. If she wouldn’t talk, it meant the pain he was inflicting wasn’t yet greater than the pain she feared from the Bixia Sect Master. He unleashed his icy, freezing pressure, surrounding Fu Gui.

Fu Gui felt as if she had fallen into an ice cellar. Every bit of cold air was like a needle piercing her skin, flesh, and soul. She trembled in agony, screaming as veins popped on her neck. But the pain didn’t stop.

If only she could die. At least then, she wouldn’t have to endure this anymore.