Back To When The Demon Lord Was A Beggar - Chapter 9

“How about I teach you the Art of Sword-Slinging once we return from the Central City?” Zhishi Yi asked, his voice softening. His eyes were filled with tenderness, feeling that his previous tone toward Chu Nanzhen had been a bit too stern.

Hearing this, Chu Nanzhen slowly looked up. A slight smile played on his lips as he squinted and teased, “Fine then. I’ll have to trouble the City Lord to give me plenty of guidance. I’m a slow learner, so don’t say I didn’t warn you, I wouldn’t want you getting frustrated.”

There was nothing wrong with being corrected when one spoke out of turn. If one persisted in an error, that was when real disaster struck. The embarrassment Chu Nanzhen felt was only fleeting, quickly pushed aside, just as it was now, as if nothing had happened.

Zhishi Yi nodded with a smile, then turned to Gu Yu. “Go prepare a carriage, and pack some food while you’re at it. Bring some talismans as well, they’re bound to be useful.”

Gu Yu bowed respectfully. “Understood.”

“Sword-riding is much faster than a carriage, why choose the slow way?” Chu Nanzhen looked at Zhishi Yi, his gaze filled with confusion.

“Do you remember the toxic mist above the Foggy Forest?” Zhishi Yi reminded him. “Without spiritual power to protect your body, inhaling too much would cause sudden death. Taking a carriage means we don’t have to pass through the mist layers.”

Having no power really meant one couldn’t do anything at all.

“City Lord.” Gu Yu’s efficiency was remarkable. In a short moment, she had brought a carriage to the front of the manor. Unfortunately, while there was a carriage, there was no driver, which meant they couldn’t leave yet.

She stepped forward and looked up with determination. “City Lord, please let this servant accompany you on this trip. If there is danger, I can protect the Young Master to some extent.”

Chu Nanzhen wanted to say “no need,” but before he could speak, Zhishi Yi beat him to it with a nod. After staring at her for a moment, Zhishi Yi said, “Her cultivation is not low. With her around, we can rest easy.”

Upon hearing this, Chu Nanzhen frowned, feeling a bit defiant in his heart. However, since it was ultimately for his own good, he eventually nodded.

With Gu Yu driving, the two sat inside the carriage. Following Zhishi Yi’s orders, some food had been prepared in a snack box. Halfway through the journey, Chu Nanzhen’s eyes began to drift toward it. He had woken up early today and hadn’t eaten a thing.

Now his stomach was beginning to grumble. Chu Nanzhen stared at the food box, smacking his lips, still debating whether or not to speak up. After another moment, he looked at Zhishi Yi with a “wronged” expression, as if saying I’m so hungry, I want to eat, may I? without actually asking.

But Zhishi Yi perversely wanted him to say it. He curled his lips into a light smile but remained silent, raising an eyebrow at him. He pretended not to understand, asking, “Why is the Young Master looking at me like that? Is there something on my face?” He even made a show of raising his hand to wipe his cheek.

“…”

This was clearly intentional! Chu Nanzhen could see right through it. Whether in the past or now, he had never borrowed things or asked others for food. Even though he was starving, he still couldn’t bring himself to say it. To say it to Zhishi Yi felt embarrassing, but if he were to say it to anyone else, his heart would only feel a sense of low self-esteem.

“You’d rather starve than speak up?” Zhishi Yi said calmly. “Just say what you want. As long as it’s something you desire, I would offer even the stars in the sky to you.”

Over the years, the people who had been kind to him were few and far between. The stall owner who handed him an orange in the Central City was one, and now Zhishi Yi was another. Chu Nanzhen pretended to be impatient, letting out several “aiya” sounds in a row. He pointed at the food box and said, “Who wants to hear your empty promises? I’m hungry, can I have a bite of what’s inside…”

“It’s all yours.” Zhishi Yi smiled and pushed the food box in front of him. “I have never made empty promises to anyone, especially not to you. You may ask me for anything, there’s no need to be polite.”

You may ask me for anything, there’s no need to be polite, Chu Nanzhen mimicked sarcastically in his head.

Clearly, Chu Nanzhen still looked unconvinced, though his hands didn’t hesitate for a second as he opened the box. Zhishi Yi wasn’t in a hurry either, merely stating, “You’ll be able to verify the truth in the future.”

Several pieces of pastry were placed in two crystal-clear plates. Rather than plates, they looked more like cups. The exterior was like clear water, feeling as cool as a river to the touch, while the interior was a deep sea-blue, with countless tiny points of light shimmering within.

Immediately, Chu Nanzhen’s attention was caught. No matter how he looked at it, this didn’t seem like something from the Qiming Kingdom, but he didn’t ask.

Seeing the vessels, Zhishi Yi froze for a moment. He hadn’t seen this kind of cup in a long time. He didn’t know where Gu Yu had found them and planned to ask when they returned. He said to Chu Nanzhen, “This is a Glazed Cup.”

Chu Nanzhen nodded and brushed it off. Regardless, he was there to fill his stomach, not to admire some priceless cup.

It was already afternoon when they reached the Foggy Forest. No matter how good the weather was elsewhere, it was always gloomy and dark here. The mist in the sky was thicker than the last time they came, and the smell had become even more foul, like the stench of ten thousand rotting corpses.

Chu Nanzhen said to Gu Yu, “Wait here, I’ll go in with him.”

Though that monster hadn’t intended to kill them last time, it was clearly a very powerful demon. Furthermore, spiritual power couldn’t be used deep in the forest. If danger arose again…

Gu Yu asked in confusion, “But, didn’t this servant come along specifically to protect the Young Master?”

One thing was separate from the other.

“I don’t need to be specifically protected, it makes me look too weak. Besides, your City Lord is still here, he certainly won’t let me lose my life. You can rest easy.”

Chu Nanzhen looked up at him and whispered, “Right, Zhishi Yi?”

“Mhm.” Zhishi Yi nodded in agreement. “Wait here.”

Since the City Lord had spoken, Gu Yu couldn’t say much more. She could only respond with a “Yes” and hand the prepared talismans to Zhishi Yi.

Following their original route, they walked into the depths of the forest. The interior was still a jumble of withered branches and rotten leaves. They couldn’t see the path ahead and had to feel their way through blindly. Last time, they had walked for a long while before seeing any light, and it would likely be the same this time.

Suddenly, a gust of cold wind swept past, making him shiver involuntarily. He complained, “Where did this wind come from? This forest really is strange.”

Zhishi Yi walked beside him. “Yes,” he hummed. “The Foggy Forest is most sinister. You never know what will appear beneath your feet the next second. Perhaps a pair of hands will grab your ankles, or a rift in the ground will swallow your soul.”

“Are you cursing me or scaring me? Can’t you wish me some luck!” Chu Nanzhen rolled his eyes at him, his hands constantly groping around to push away the rotten branches blocking his way.

“I can’t bear to curse you, I want the best for you more than anyone,” Zhishi Yi said.

Saying such things in a place like this, isn’t it a bit flirtatious? Chu Nanzhen thought to himself.

This time, they had clearly been walking longer than their previous visit. It felt as if they were going in circles, unable to find the end. However, the two didn’t think much of it. After all, Zhishi Yi had just said the forest was very strange. Perhaps the Demon Mist was behind them right now, watching their every move.

The silent surroundings were gradually filled with wails and cries. It was the sound coming from the Demon Mist, it was indeed nearby. The two stopped in their tracks, focusing their minds and scanning the area, terrified that the Demon Mist might seize their lifelines in an unguarded moment.

The sensation of the wind grew stronger, as if it wanted to blow them away. They held onto each other just to stay steady. The moment their fingertips touched, their hearts raced a little. Chu Nanzhen even felt… a bit embarrassed.

Suddenly! Noisy sounds erupted all around them, chaotic, familiar, painful, and indignant…

“Stop playing tricks, come out!” Chu Nanzhen shouted loudly.

However, the Demon Mist remained unmoved.

The next second, a tragic voice drifted over, echoing in the woods. Listening closely, it was a plea for help. It said, “Save me…! Someone save me! I don’t want to die yet! Save me…” The voice gradually faded. The withered trees all around shook incessantly, making a shasha sound.

Fortunately, the two were brave. If it had been anyone faint-hearted, they probably would have fainted from fear long ago.

Then, even more cries for help came, sounding like the shouts of countless冤 souls. The noise was so loud it threatened to pierce their eardrums, forcing both of them to cover their ears.

“So noisy!” Chu Nanzhen frowned impatiently, shouting irritably.

As soon as he finished speaking, the noise stopped, and the initial silence returned. The shaking trees also quieted down along with the sound.

“Did you raise it?” Even at a time like this, Zhishi Yi was in the mood to tease.

Chu Nanzhen silently rolled his eyes behind his back, feeling speechless. Once your life is left here, you’ll behave. When that time comes, forget joking, you might not even have time to call for help.

They couldn’t pinpoint the Demon Mist’s direction and couldn’t see her, so they could only stand in place and wait for her to find them. Soon, an eerie gege sound came from all directions. A long stretch of black mist enveloped the two. This was the same black mist they had encountered last time.

Mist has no form or substance, yet it can transform into anything. When they first saw her, she was already covered in eyeballs, but this time there were even more. They were dense and extremely creepy. Chu Nanzhen clearly felt a layer of goosebumps rise on his arms, and his scalp felt a bit numb.

Zhishi Yi summoned the Glazed Sword and pointed it at the Demon Mist, as if warning her. Although a person couldn’t use spiritual power here, the sword was a magical artifact. It wasn’t subject to the restriction and could be considered a life-saving charm.

The two sides remained at a stalemate. After an unknown amount of time, the Demon Mist actually spoke. Every word she said sounded as if it were being forced out of her throat, messy and intermittent, making it almost impossible to hear clearly.

“What is she saying? Can’t she speak more clearly.” Chu Nanzhen was a bit impatient. He tilted his head slightly and asked, “Zhishi Yi, is there a way to kill her? She’s not a good demon anyway!”

There are thousands of demons and monsters in the world, but she was the first who could make a cultivator’s spiritual power unusable. Furthermore, it was his first time encountering such a demon, so he didn’t know the method to destroy her.

He sighed and shook his head, saying softly, “I don’t know.”

Chu Nanzhen’s gaze locked onto a sharp, withered branch at his feet. He quickly crouched down to pick it up, pointing it at her just as Zhishi Yi was doing. A flash of sharp light crossed his eyes as he said, “Since you don’t know, let’s try everything. If I can’t stab her to death, then we’ll find a way to kill her once we get out!”

Their arrival this time wasn’t rushed, but they hadn’t made preparations to deal with her. Aside from the talismans and the sword in Zhishi Yi’s hand, there was nothing else.

This was simply… coming here to die.

Zhishi Yi said to him, “Wait a bit longer.”

Wait for what? Wait for her to eat them?! Did he not want his life anymore? For a moment, Chu Nanzhen actually suspected the Demon Mist was raised by Zhishi Yi, but that thought was quickly dismissed.

“You previously said she only ate people because she had a grievance. Now that she wants to deal with us and eat us, do you still think she has a grievance?” Chu Nanzhen said crossly.

However, Zhishi Yi repeated the same words: “Wait a bit longer.”

After all, the Demon Mist hadn’t harmed them yet.

“What on earth are we waiting for!”

Since surrounding the two, the Demon Mist had been floating continuously. Those countless eyes seemed to want to see through to the bottom of their hearts. Chu Nanzhen didn’t have much patience; relatively speaking, he was quick-tempered.

“It’s Chu…” the Demon Mist spoke. Compared to those chaotic, unintelligible words just now, she spoke much more clearly this time.

The moment the word “Chu” came out, Chu Nanzhen’s heart skipped a beat. He thought to himself that a demon was indeed a demon, her first word was his surname.

“It’s… Kingdom!” The Demon Mist began to tremble as if provoked by something. The eyeballs on her body suddenly showed a look of terror, as if the two of them were something even more frightening than her.

“What kingdom?” Chu Nanzhen didn’t understand and asked in confusion.

Speaking of kingdoms, there was only the Qiming Kingdom in this world, no other to speak of. The Demon Mist really was annoying; she either spoke in a garbled mess or talked nonsense.

“She is not bad at heart,” Zhishi Yi said.

“Yes, yes, yes. Are you a demon or a human? If this demon isn’t bad, why does she eat people!”

Zhishi Yi didn’t know how to answer him. He thought for a moment before saying, “If she really wanted to kill us, why waste time. I think she wants to say something.”

Chu. Kingdom.

What could these two words represent? Perhaps she just made them up. If she wasn’t killing them now, maybe it just wasn’t time yet! Chu Nanzhen thought.

As soon as Zhishi Yi spoke, those eyes snapped open again, looking at them with a “pleading” gaze.

Chu Nanzhen: “What does this mean.” Could it be that Zhishi Yi was actually right?

Suddenly! A sharp cry echoed around them. It was the sound of a cat, coming from the trees. How could there be a cat in a place like this! He looked up into a patch of black. The next second, something fuzzy suddenly landed on Chu Nanzhen’s face, blocking his vision.

He immediately felt that something was wrong.

In the next second, the thing on his face was taken off by someone. It was Zhishi Yi, who was now holding a black cat with green pupils. A pair of innocent, large eyes darted between the two.

“Don’t be afraid, it’s a cat,” Zhishi Yi soothed.

 This cat was truly bold. Even humans could lose their lives coming here, let alone a cat.

“Let go of me! You’re the cat, your whole family are cats!” The black cat swiped its claws across Zhishi Yi’s face. Several crimson blood marks immediately appeared on his face, feeling a faint sting of pain.

Chu Nanzhen was startled and thought Oh no! He hurriedly snatched the black cat from Zhishi Yi’s hands and threw it onto the ground. Then, the black cat transformed into a human figure standing before the two.

“Stupid! So stupid!” The black cat was dressed in loose blue and white robes, which didn’t match the word “black” at all. His long red hair hung loosely without any adornment.

The only thing about him that matched was those eyes, like a cat’s, yet like a human’s.

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