After Marrying the Disabled Demon Lord as a Substitute, I Ran Away with His Child - Chapter 50

Chapter 50

Xuan Mo knew all about the whispers. He knew how many people hated him, envied him, and cursed his name behind his back. For a Demon Venerable, this was as natural as breathing.

Usually, if people stayed quiet, they lived. If he heard them, they didn’t.

By that logic, he had no intention of letting Zuo Siqiu go. He wasn’t about to give her a pass just because they had shared a “forced marriage” in the Xuan Cloud Sect. He was going to make sure she understood the price of betrayal.

However, Xuan Mo didn’t kick the door down. Before he killed her, he decided he had plenty of time to enjoy the spectacle of Zuo Siqiu struggling to survive as a lone woman in the harsh mortal world.

He drifted to a corner of the courtyard and sat cross-legged atop the perimeter wall, invisible and expectant, waiting for the “good show” to begin.

Two women Zuo Siqiu and Zuo Mudong suddenly buying a courtyard in a random corner of the city was like blood in the water. Such “weak” and “wealthy” targets were bound to attract the local predators.

Sure enough, at the mouth of the alley, three burly men were squatting and exchanging intel.

The leader, a man with fierce features and eyebrows that slanted upward like wings, growled, “You sure those two little ladies have no backing?”

The rat-faced man beside him nodded eagerly. “Positive. I’ve followed that one for days. She just goes to the market for daily supplies. No contacts, no meetings. If she had a background, she wouldn’t be wandering alone this long!”

The third man chimed in, “The one who stays home never leaves either. At most, she stands at the door to call their big rooster back inside. Boss, if we don’t move now, someone else will snatch them! They don’t even have a shop or a trade, yet they have money for houses and chickens? Their savings must be massive!”

“Fine,” the fierce leader grunted, standing up. “We robbed them today.”

They marched down the alley with practiced arrogance. The neighbors, seeing them coming, slammed their doors and bolted their locks.

…

Zuo Siqiu was currently at her doorway. A neighbor, an older auntie, had stopped by to borrow a couple of eggs. The moment the auntie saw the trio approaching, she shoved Zuo Siqiu back into the yard, slipped inside herself, and barred the gate.

The auntie frantically looked around, grabbed a heavy piece of firewood from the kitchen, and stood guard in front of Zuo Siqiu, trembling but resolute.

“How did you three get targeted by them!” the auntie hissed.

Zuo Siqiu peered over her shoulder at the closed gate. “What’s wrong with them?”

“You shouldn’t have said you bought the house, and you shouldn’t let your rooster wander!” the auntie scolded. “Anyone can see you have silver. These thugs live for this! They’re going to rob you blind!”

“Doesn’t anyone stop them?” Zuo Siqiu asked.

The auntie spat. “For normal people, yes. But that leader? His brother is a cultivator in the immortal realms! Even the City Lord gives them a wide berth. He only bullies the weak and outsiders. No one will help you.”

Zuo Siqiu looked at the auntie standing protectively in front of her with a wooden stick and felt a wave of warmth.

Atop the wall, Xuan Mo’s lips curled into a cold smirk. Zuo Siqiu can’t use immortal weapons on these mortals without exposing herself. I hope these three mortals show some spine. Let them give her hell so she realizes how good life was back at the Xuan Cloud Sect.

He was practically vibrating with anticipation to see her burst into tears, kneel, and beg to come home.

CRACK!

The flimsy wooden gate groaned under a heavy kick. The bolt snapped, and the doors flew open, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Zuo Siqiu patted the auntie’s shoulder. “Auntie, let me protect you. I’m younger, after all.”

“What are you saying?” the auntie cried. “Look at how thin you are! You can’t stop them! Don’t worry, my husband will be here soon. He’s strong; he’ll drive them off!” Despite her brave words, the auntie’s legs were shaking.

The thugs stepped in, sneering at the firewood in the auntie’s hand.

“Old woman, get lost,” the leader barked. “Don’t meddle, or I’ll rob your house next!”

“You wouldn’t dare!” the auntie yelled. “My man won’t let you get away with this!”

In the corner, Zuo Siqiu’s “man,” Xuan Mo, darkened his expression. He stayed still, but Zuo Siqiu took a step forward, shielding the neighbor.

“Why are you breaking into my house?” she asked calmly. “To bully a weak woman?”

“At least you’re self-aware,” the leader laughed. “Hand over your silver. If the amount satisfies us, we leave. Simple.”

Zuo Siqiu’s disguise made her look plain and unassuming, so the thugs weren’t interested in her looks, just her money. But Zuo Siqiu wasn’t about to part with a single copper! She had a “gold-swallowing beast” in her belly to raise.

She looked at her broken gate, cracked her knuckles with a series of satisfying pops, and smiled at the three robbers. “Hand over money? In your dreams. I’d like to see who exactly isn’t going to ‘get away with this’!”

The auntie was horrified. “Girl, what are you doing? Don’t provoke them! One of them is twice your size!”

The rat-faced lackey lost patience. “Boss, why bother talking? Just grab AGH!”

With a sharp cry of pain, the man went flying backward. He slammed into the wall across the alley with a dull thud and crumpled into a ball on the ground, groaning.

Xuan Mo, watching from the wall, let out a silent snort of derision at the incompetent mortals. Then, his face darkened as he realized Zuo Siqiu was handling this just fine. “Useless,” he muttered under his breath.

Zuo Siqiu looked at the leader. “Are you continuing? If not, leave the money for a new gate and get out.”

The leader was livid. He was a relative of a cultivator! He walked tall in this district. If he left money for a gate, he’d lose all his street cred. He spat in his palms and began to wind up for a punch, but Zuo Siqiu was faster.

She launched two kicks—one for the leader and one for the remaining lackey. Two more screams followed as they were pinned against the wall, landing right on top of their groaning comrade.

The neighbor’s auntie stood frozen, staring at Zuo Siqiu. This girl looks so frail, but she’s a powerhouse! Those kicks… even my husband couldn’t do that!

Zuo Siqiu stepped out, pinning the leader’s neck with her foot. “Are you paying for the gate now?”

The three of them trembled, wailing in terror, “We’ll pay! We’ll pay!”

Xuan Mo, who had half-stood up to intervene, sat back down. He glared at the three failures with “iron-into-steel” disappointment, then turned his predator’s gaze back to Zuo Siqiu.

Fine. Since the mortals can’t do it, I’ll take her life myself.

Xuan Mo clenched his right fist, a terrifying aura beginning to gather in his palm.