Black Lotus Female Lead, Don’t Love Me Too Much - Chapter 4

On the journey back, Song Shenshi remained submerged in the envious, admiring, and self-deprecating gazes of her fellow Haiqian Sect disciples, yet she appeared completely oblivious to it all.

Lu Xiangyu knew exactly what was going on; this person was still putting on an act and was likely quite enjoying the attention.

Song Shenshi feigned internal injuries, leaving all other miscellaneous tasks to the fellow disciples who had arrived later. Lu Xiangyu, meanwhile, curled up like a mushroom in a corner, silently observing.

None of these senior brothers were characters she recognized. Their conduct was relatively reliable; they had previously assisted Song Shenshi in repairing the arrays in the Canglang Town area. Other groups of senior brothers had scouted the nearby victimized villages—the monsters had slaughtered eight villages with no survivors, escaping through the destroyed eye of the array. The children imprisoned in the dungeon had also been brought along; most were from the surrounding villages, so they were all being taken back to the sect together.

Since there were many people, the array-cultivator disciples of the Haiqian Sect set up a formation in a safe area and summoned a small, wooden flying vessel shaped like a submarine. Everyone boarded to return.

The atmosphere inside the ship was heavy and eerie. Setting aside the children who had survived the disaster only to see their homes destroyed, even the Haiqian Sect disciples felt inferior because a junior sister who arrived later had surpassed them to reach the Immortal Forging stage. On the entire ship, perhaps only Lu Xiangyu—sitting in the middle of one side, silently munching on a crispy, fragrant roasted pancake—felt at ease.

Hey, say something! If no one talks, the audience will get bored! One-star review! Lu Xiangyu urged the plot to progress in her mind.

As if hearing her heart’s cry, a young senior brother with red patterns on his chest stood up, holding a scroll of paper. He looked somewhat awkward and nervous, suddenly coughing twice, his eyes carrying a hint of “do or die” determination.

Lu Xiangyu, along with most of the Haiqian Sect members, looked toward him. She thought to herself: This senior brother from the Array Peak should be the most senior among this group, but he’s incredibly introverted and stiff. He’s probably been cringing so hard his toes have been digging holes in the floor for a long while now.

The man braced himself and spoke: “Junior brothers and sisters, I am Yu Ming, a disciple of Hongluan Peak. Before we set off, I and a few other junior brothers used a Retrospective Manifestation Array in the village to see…” the moment the tragedy occurred.

He suddenly seemed to notice the children’s gaunt, sallow faces and their vacant, hollow eyes. He abruptly lowered his head and spread open the map in his hand.

Lu Xiangyu hid her curling smile behind the remains of her roasted pancake, holding back her laughter.

“…That monster… might not have escaped from the Demon Realm… While repairing the array eye, I discovered an extremely thin trace of demonic energy coming from another direction, and the demonic energy that left from the direction of the village not long ago shares the same source.” Yu Ming drew two arrows on the map—one pointing toward the array eye, and one leaving it.

“Senior Brother is only making a conjecture; he wants to discuss it with everyone and pool our wisdom before reporting the details to our Elders,” an array-cultivator disciple added.

“Senior Brother Yu is meticulous. I noticed the demonic energy too, but I didn’t think about where it came from. I just thought the demon couldn’t hold its bowels. I didn’t expect this layer of meaning,” said another, more informal disciple.

Someone pointed at the map, seemingly discerning a clue. “If Senior Brother Yu’s intuition regarding these two directions is correct, then the demon may have been lying in ambush for a long time at the weak point of the array between Canglang Town and Yuxi Town. Now that it has attacked the commoners and fled from Canglang Town, its direction leads toward Jiaoyan Town and Douxiang Town—the furthest from Mount Song. It might also be hiding near this mountain range.”

“…”

Lu Xiangyu listened to their discussion from a distance without much curiosity. Although she wanted to glance at the map, none of the place names being mentioned sounded familiar. The Slaying of the Immortal Sword was serialized for over two thousand chapters; the protagonist’s starting sect, the Haiqian Sect of the Songshan Continent, was merely a “beginner village.” Unfortunately, she only remembered the general plot and had forgotten most of the details.

“This demon killed so many people; it is truly loathsome! Next time its tracks are discovered, I will definitely beg Master to let me join the mission!” The sword-cultivator senior brother was so angry he looked ready to draw his blade.

“This mountain range is so vast; finding its tracks will likely take a great deal of effort. If it intentionally hides like it did before, I’m afraid it won’t be easy to find…”

The senior brothers were filled with killing intent, but realizing the truth of the situation, they all showed expressions of disappointment and frustration.

Lu Xiangyu took another bite of her pancake.

“It will not hide again. Greed will drive it to strike once more.”

Song Shenshi had stood up at some unknown point. As she slowly walked over, the people around her instinctively made way. Once again, she became the center of everyone’s attention—a dazzling, radiant pearl.

Lu Xiangyu licked her fingertips, feeling a bit blinded by the radiance. Is this the ‘Protagonist Aura’? Can someone please turn off the special effects?

“It slaughtered over three hundred and sixty people across eight villages in Cangnan Town. This number is far from enough for it to reshape the body of a Blood-Sucking True Demon.” Song Shenshi looked at the map calmly, her voice devoid of emotion as she simply stated the facts. her fingertip moved slowly across the map, coming to rest on Qitian Town—the town closest to Canglang Town where the protective arrays were still secure.

“Junior Sister Song, are you certain? A Blood-Sucking True Demon…” A drop of cold sweat broke out on Yu Ming’s brow.

“…” Lu Xiangyu understood why he was so nervous.

Just as spiritual cultivators form an immortal body, where their previously refined techniques and skills converge into a grand mastery, we demon cultivators have something similar. The Blood-Sucking True Demon is one such form, and it is considered one of the more powerful types of True Demon bodies.

“If it truly is a Blood-Sucking True Demon, even if we rush to Qitian Town and identify the villages it intends to slaughter, I fear we won’t be able to protect the people there…”

“That is not the case.” Song Shenshi’s expression remained unchanged, yet others could sense a resilient strength emanating from her gentle and beautiful features, and their trembling hearts gradually began to steady.

“Though this is merely my conjecture, you senior brothers can rest assured,” Song Shenshi said calmly. “This Blood-Sucking True Demon is not a newly formed True Demon body. Since it has been able to hide for so long, it is likely a True Demon that was heavily injured and fled years ago. Its demonic soul may be incomplete, which is why it is acting so cowardly.”

As she said this, Lu Xiangyu clearly felt Song Shenshi glance at her, intentionally or otherwise. Lu Xiangyu puffed out her cheeks in indignation, while the other woman went back to pretending to study the map seriously.

Damn it, I’m being mocked!! Lu Xiangyu once again pulled out a roasted pancake intended for the refugees—not noticing she had snatched it from the hands of a child next to her—and took an angry bite.

“I understand what Junior Sister means.” Yu Ming looked at Song Shenshi and cupped his hands in a solemn gesture. He then turned to the other disciples and said, “Now that the demon’s destination is clear, returning straight to the sect is not the best course of action. Three disciples from Hongluan Peak will stay behind to maintain the ship’s enchantments; everyone else will go to Qitian Town to intercept the demon. We will also need the help of several junior brothers and sisters.” He bowed again.

“Senior Brother, of course we are going!” the others responded enthusiastically.

Song Shenshi glanced at them. Because she had ventured into the Demon Realm alone, the sect had been quite worried. Although this was technically just a reception party, they had sent seven array cultivators, six sword cultivators, and two medical cultivators—a fairly luxurious lineup. The senior brothers were all in good condition.

Song Shenshi then said, “Senior Brother Yu, leave three Hongluan Peak brothers to steer the ship. Everyone else can accompany you to Qitian Town. With me on this ship, we won’t encounter any danger on the way.”

“Then I am at ease, Junior Sister.” Yu Ming approved of the arrangement.

“…” Lu Xiangyu, however, felt she was getting tired of the roasted pancakes. Things were going too smoothly for them; this wasn’t fun at all.

Wasn’t anyone going to question Song Shenshi’s decision? The arrays at Canglang Town were already destroyed; the demon could have come from the Demon Realm. Besides, none of you understand us demon cultivators—why does everything Song Shenshi says go?

Fine, even if it is a Blood-Sucking True Demon, if it’s not a weakened cultivator but one in its prime, newly formed, or currently refining its demonic body, then no matter how many of you go, you’re just delivering yourselves as snacks! And the demonic energy clearly pointed toward Jiaoyan Town, yet you say Qitian Town? I’ve never seen this plot point before; no author is going to back you up on this. I object!

Splat— The roasted pancake fell to the floor.

The Haiqian Sect senior brothers had just settled their minds and were packing their things to depart when they saw a thin, round-faced girl standing among the children. She looked better fed than the kids, with crumbs still on the corner of her mouth, but her eyes were darting around in panic, as if she were seeing an extremely terrifying vision.

That roasted pancake was the one Lu Xiangyu had dropped.

“Don’t… you can’t go…” Lu Xiangyu said with tears in her eyes and a choked voice. “You are all my saviors…”

Only then did the disciples realize that while the children had been imprisoned in the Demon Realm tunnel and hadn’t seen the hellish scene of the demon slaughtering the villages, this slightly older girl was the one Song Shenshi had unexpectedly rescued in the forest—a victim who had witnessed the destruction of her home with her own eyes.

“That demon… I saw it with my own eyes going into the forest. I was so scared…” Lu Xiangyu covered her mouth as a hot tear fell. She looked at the expressionless Song Shenshi and felt a certain sense of pleasure in her heart. “I instinctively ran in the opposite direction. Luckily, I met Senior Sister Song. I begged her to teach me and take me as a junior sister; I must avenge my family.”

Oh boy, this crying, this acting—it’s a waste I’m not an award-winning actress. Lu Xiangyu lowered her head to wipe her tears and saw that several sensitive senior brothers had been moved to tears by her performance.

“Junior Sister, don’t worry. We will be fine. Even if we don’t go head-to-head with that demon, we must protect the people and set up defenses around Qitian Town,” comforted a sword cultivator in indigo sect robes.

Someone else picked up on the information in Lu Xiangyu’s words. “Senior Brother Yu, this junior sister said she ran in the opposite direction and the demon went back into the Demon Realm. Could the destruction of the array eye have been an accident? Was it actually done by the Twelve Ghost Kings’ lot?”

The crowd began to chatter and discuss again.

“Maybe it really was the Twelve Ghost Kings. But considering Senior Brother Zeng’s cultivation level—he was able to become the Eleventh King and slay the Head King—I feel like their strength is mostly hot air.”

“Did not a single one of the Twelve Ghost Kings manage to refine a True Demon body?”

Of course they did… Lu Xiangyu wanted to cry even more.

“I am not familiar with the Twelve Ghost Kings either, but I believe Senior Brother Zeng would have left us important information.” Surprisingly, Song Shenshi did not expose Lu Xiangyu, nor did she get angry that the girl had disrupted her plans. Perhaps she simply didn’t take the matter to heart.

Lu Xiangyu suddenly had a subtle feeling. Perhaps Song Shenshi was just like her—merely “acting.” Acting the part of a humble, decent, and compassionate hero.

Song Shenshi put away the map and handed it back to Yu Ming. She then took something out of her storage bag. The moment it appeared, the entire cabin was filled with the scent of blood… It was Zeng Hongfei’s blood-stained clothes and belongings.

“…” Lu Xiangyu cursed inwardly. The grilled fish I’ve been eating these past few days were stored right next to this thing! This Song Shenshi deserves to die even more now!

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