How to Handle a Sickly Yandere Demon God - Chapter 13

The assailants charging at her suddenly halted their movements. As the deer’s cry echoed loudly, a black liquid began to seep from the orifices of the people in the stronghold. The thick fluid splattered across the ground, dissolving like water, unable to coalesce again.

A perfect opportunity!

She concentrated her spiritual energy onto her sword blade, and countless illusory sword shadows materialized in the air. As soon as she finished her incantation, a myriad of swords shot forth, pursuing the demonic creatures on the ground.

The air was thick with the dissipating essence of the demons. It was unclear how much time had passed when the sky gradually brightened. Only then did she find no trace of the demons left in the ice cavern.

Utterly exhausted, she collapsed onto the ground, turning her head to look at Xiao Hei, who had stood guard outside the ice all night. Beside him, Qi Danxuan, tears welling in her eyes, was leaning against the ice wall, shouting something. Luo Zisheng, holding the white deer, also wore a face full of concern.

She raised her hand to dissolve the ice wall and released the restraints on Xiao Hei. Only after seeing the people around her gradually regain consciousness did she allow herself to fall into a deep, peaceful slumber.

When she awoke again, she saw Qi Danxuan sitting by the bed, her eyes red and swollen from crying. “You scared me to death, Senior Sister! What was that thing?”

Luo Zisheng, noticing she was awake, knelt down excitedly and said, “Thank you, Immortal, for saving our stronghold!”

Xiao Hei, standing by the door, seemed lost in thought, neither looking at her nor uttering a word.

Xu Xingxing opened her mouth but found it dry and parched, likely due to the excessive expenditure of spiritual energy. After all, in last night’s battle, she hadn’t used her familiar spells but had simply relied on sword strikes to slay the demons.

Qi Danxuan hurriedly brought over a cup of water. After drinking it, Xu Xingxing quickly urged Luo Zisheng to rise and then asked, “Was anyone in your stronghold harmed?”

“Three people died.”

Luo Zisheng frowned slightly, his expression pained, but he quickly composed himself and reassured her, “If it weren’t for you, Immortal, our stronghold would likely no longer exist today.”

“What about the white deer?”

“It’s in my room. It insisted on waiting here for you to wake up so it could thank you, but it was too weak, so I took it back to rest.”

Xu Xingxing propped herself up and asked, “Why is the white deer so weak? Do you have any idea?”

“The physician I summoned said that Chu Xue is an extremely benevolent spiritual beast. The people in the stronghold have committed too many wrongdoings, yet they worship it as a divine creature, which has caused it to suffer backlash,” Luo Zisheng said with deep remorse. “I once tried to send it away, but it secretly returned. Now its condition is worsening, and I have no way to help it…”

“That’s one reason.”

When she had treated the white deer the day before, she had examined its entire meridian system. Having studied under Yue Baiyin for several months, she immediately identified the problem.

Demons have demon cores, and beasts naturally have beast cores.

But the white deer’s beast core was only half-formed.

“You mentioned that when you were young, you were attacked by a wild beast in the mountains and nearly died?”

Luo Zisheng nodded.

“Do you remember how you survived?”

“I only remember seeing Chu Xue while I was unconscious. I don’t remember anything after that. When I woke up, I was back in the stronghold.”

“When did you first meet Chu Xue?”

“Very young, around five or six years old. I often went to play in the forest and saw Chu Xue a few times. After bringing it food a couple of times, we became familiar.” Luo Zisheng seemed lost in memory, his gaze softening. “I thought it was as white as snow, so I named it Chu Xue. How did you know we had met before?”

Xu Xingxing didn’t answer but gestured for him to come closer.

Luo Zisheng was slightly puzzled but obediently stepped closer.

“Closer.”

Xiao Hei by the door lifted his gaze to look over.

Luo Zisheng’s face flushed slightly, but he dutifully moved nearer. Xu Xingxing extended two fingers and pressed them against his neck, closing her eyes to examine his meridians.

Sure enough, she found the answer within his body.

“Simply put,” Xu Xingxing said, sitting up straight, “the White Deer gave you half of its inner core, which is why you survived back then.”

Luo Zisheng’s body stiffened instantly, and he stared at her in disbelief, as though he hadn’t heard her clearly.

“The people in your village worship it as a divine beast, but they’ve also placed you in the position of a divine beast. Though committing evil deeds will cause backlash to it, if it were alone, it could simply leave. Yet it secretly returned, most likely to absorb the backlash from your body into its own.”

“During the time you sent it away, did you experience any discomfort?”

Luo Zisheng looked dazed and murmured, “Yes…”

At that time, he frequently suffered from high fevers, lying in bed for over half a month. Toward the end, he was already unconscious and delirious. In his hazy state late at night, he even mistook the first snow by his bedside for a hallucination brought on by his fever.

“Good, the root of the illness has been identified. Now it’s up to you to decide what to do next.”

Knowing Luo Zisheng would seriously consider it, Xu Xingxing clapped her hands and began shooing everyone out. “Clear the room, clear the room. I need to sleep.”

Seeing Qi Danxuan’s reluctant expression, Xu Xingxing smiled and pinched her cheek. “Tomorrow, I’ll escort you out of these mountains so you can make it to your brother’s birthday celebration.”

Only then did Qi Danxuan’s face brighten with a slight smile.

Xu Xingxing lay down and closed her eyes, listening as the others gradually left and the door closed. Just as she was about to drift off to sleep, she sensed someone sitting by her bedside. She reluctantly opened her eyes and said, “When I said clear the room, that included you too.”

“Xiao Hei.”

“Aren’t I your bonded spirit beast? Shouldn’t I guard you properly while you rest?”

He wasn’t looking at her. His slightly lowered eyelids half-concealed his intensely dark eyes. Though his words were teasing, his expression remained impassive.

For some reason, she could inexplicably sense that he was being sulky. But she was too exhausted and had no energy to argue with him.

“Then I’ll trouble you with that,” she said, turning on her side to face the wall and closing her eyes, forcing herself to fall asleep quickly.

Yet the more she tried to force sleep, the faster it slipped away. Just as her mind began involuntarily replaying pop songs, she gave up and sat up, leaning against the headboard. She looked at Xiao Hei, who was resting against the bedpost with his eyes closed.

“Do you have something you want to say to me?”

Xiao Hei slightly opened his eyes, feeling as though the chaos in his heart had suddenly found an outlet.

His mind was filled with the words she had uttered the previous night, “Don’t interfere”, like a curse that irritated him deeply. But now that she had asked him directly, he didn’t know how to respond.

Xu Xingxing wasn’t particularly patient. Seeing that he didn’t answer, she leaned forward, cupped his face with one hand, and turned his head toward her, forcing him to meet her gaze. “Can I trust you in the future?” she asked.

The woman’s expression was earnest, her eyes like bright gemstones, reminding him suddenly of the sea under the sunlight, exceptionally clear and radiant.

Xiao Hei’s heart unmistakably skipped a beat. Realizing this, he couldn’t help but feel annoyed:

Why did she always seem to affect his emotions so effortlessly?

He brushed the woman’s hand aside and stood up, straightening his clothes with deliberate movements. When he lifted his gaze, his eyes were devoid of any emotion, returning to his usual detached demeanor. “Why do you ask?” he said.

Xu Xingxing withdrew her hand without taking offense. “If it’s not possible, I’ll let you go.”

He flicked the bell hanging from his neck, the golden trinket rolling silently against his collarbone before stilling. His eyes filled with mockery as he curled his lips. “Let me go just like that?”

“Sorry, this can’t be removed for now. Truthfully, when I’m not around, its only purpose is to alert me if you commit evil deeds. Other than that, it shouldn’t cause any trouble.”

“Just alert you?”

“Well… after I assess the situation, I might need to temporarily suppress your spiritual power.”

Xiao Hei’s gaze turned icy. He sneered, “How utterly trouble-free.”

“Wait, why must you insist on doing evil?” Xu Xingxing rubbed her temples.

“Who are you to define my good and evil? Is your version of ‘good’ necessarily good?”

“Not necessarily, but it’s certainly better than yours.”

“Cultivators are all as self-righteous as you.”

“Thankfully, not all spirit beasts are as morally confused as you!”

“You!”

“Stop, stop, stop!” Seeing Xiao Hei nearly boiling over with anger, his pupils faintly glowing red, Xu Xingxing quickly cut him off.

Reflecting on their pointless argument felt like regressing to elementary school squabbles. She took a moment to reorganize her thoughts, softening her tone as much as possible.

“Maybe I didn’t phrase it well earlier and caused misunderstanding. Let me try again.”

Xiao Hei stared at her, impatience evident in his eyes.

That familiar exhaustion of a patient mother dealing with a stubborn child washed over her. Steadying her emotions, she spoke slowly and clearly, “I want to keep trusting you. Is that alright?”

Xiao Hei’s pupils contracted slightly, his expression freezing momentarily. For a moment, he seemed at a loss for words.

“Actually, before the White Deer incident, I trusted you completely. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been so open with you about finding the spirit beast.” This was the first time in her life Xu Xingxing had been so patient. “And I only shared this with you.”

“Perhaps because you’re my destined spirit beast, I have this innate trust in you without any guards up. Of course,” she smiled slightly, “I don’t plan to change that. I don’t want to be constantly wary around someone close to me. So, if you disagree, it might be better if I let you go.”

“Aren’t you afraid I might pretend to agree while actually…” Xiao Hei left the sentence hanging, watching her.

“No, I’m not.”

Xu Xingxing’s eyes were completely sincere. “Although I don’t agree with some of your actions, I’ve thought about your recent behavior. You simply follow your own whims and aren’t inherently evil.”

“You seem to know me well.” Xiao Hei let out a cold laugh.

“I’ve been trying to understand you better, so I’ve been contemplating your perspective. Feel free to correct me if I’m wrong.” Xu Xingxing maintained her gentle tone.

Was she wrong? It didn’t seem so. Looking at her soft expression, Xiao Hei swallowed back his sharp retort.

Seeing Xiao Hei’s aura calm down, Xu Xingxing pressed on, “If you can clearly tell me today that I can trust you, then I’ll believe in you just as before. So, will you continue traveling with me?”

Xiao Hei gazed into her clear, water-like eyes and suddenly found himself at a loss.

“What’s in it for me?” he asked, trying his best to appear nonchalant.

“Aren’t you suffering from amnesia?” Xu Xingxing chuckled, extending her hand toward him. “I’ll help you recover your memories, and you help me find the divine beast. How about that?”

Xiao Hei looked at the person before him, remained silent for a moment, then reached out and grasped her delicate hand.

“Deal.”