How to Handle a Sickly Yandere Demon God - Chapter 9

The mountain path was rugged, and the horse-drawn caravan moved rather slowly. Some time ago, the official road had been inexplicably blocked, yet no one had bothered to repair it. To travel from Xuan City to the capital, one had to take this route, but it was far from safe, as bandits frequently roamed the area.

Qi Danxuan, confident in her cultivation at the mid-stage of Qi Refinement and anxious not to miss her elder brother’s birthday in a month, had insisted on setting out at this time despite all objections.

Halfway along the road, the caravan suddenly came to a halt. Puzzled, she called out, “Uncle Jiang, what’s going on?”

“Miss, there’s a young woman here who wishes to see you.”

A woman? How could a woman appear out of nowhere in this desolate place with no inns or shops in sight?

Suspecting it might be a bandit trap to block the road, Qi Danxuan tightened her grip on her longsword and lifted the carriage curtain. There, standing ahead, was an elegant and strikingly beautiful woman, cradling a small black dog in her arms.

Her heart leaped with joy, and she hurriedly jumped down from the carriage to greet her. “Senior Sister! What are you doing here?”

Xu Xingxing hadn’t expected to run into an acquaintance either. This person could be considered something of a fan of Xu Xing’er and was the only friend in Xu Xing’er’s otherwise monotonous sword-training life.

She often pestered Xu Xing’er to discuss sword techniques. Though it was called a discussion, it was more of a one-sided instruction from Xu Xing’er, with little noticeable improvement.

Since they were acquainted, things would be much easier.

As Qi Danxuan approached, she pointed at the dog in Xu Xingxing’s arms and asked, “Senior Sister, is this your bonded spirit beast?”

Xu Xingxing nodded.

“I heard the sect leader was absolutely furious. He was even prepared to go to the Spirit Beast Mountain himself to teach you a lesson, but it took Immortal Gu’s persistent persuasion to calm him down. However, the rest of us suffered for it.” She pouted, looking utterly adorable. “We trained so hard that my arms still ache.”

She pulled Xu Xingxing into the carriage, her words tumbling out nonstop like spilled beans. “When you were severely injured, I wanted to visit you several times, but you were in Immortal Gu’s medicine valley, and I don’t know how to ride a sword. Later, when you finally came to Sunflare Mountain, I saw you arguing with the sect leader and didn’t dare approach. But who would have thought you’d move even farther away to Spirit Beast Mountain…”

Xu Xingxing maintained a polite smile on her face, but inwardly, she was growing increasingly anxious: How could this girl talk so much that not even a needle could find a gap to slip through?

As they drew closer to the bandits’ ambush site, she abruptly covered Qi Danxuan’s mouth. Seeing the innocent, wide-eyed look Qi Danxuan gave her, she quickly explained her plan.

Her spiritual sense had detected a group of people lying in ambush not far ahead of the caravan, likely bandits.

She had thought to blend into the caravan and then pretend to be captured, which would allow her to enter the bandit stronghold without raising suspicion.

However, she and Xiao Hei had argued over whether he should transform into a puppy.

Her reasoning was that the arsonist was also in the stronghold. If Xiao Hei entered in his true form, he would be recognized, alerting their enemies.

Xiao Hei flatly refused, and no amount of persuasion made any difference.

With time running short, she took matters into her own hands and, with a single thought, transformed him into a puppy.

This method had been taught to her by Yue Baiyin. A master held significant control over their spirit beast, including the ability to command its transformations.

The moment Xiao Hei became a puppy, an overwhelming killing intent radiated from him, nearly suffocating her.

Steeling herself, she resorted to cuddling, hugging, patting his head, and rubbing his belly, all while showering him with sweet talk, until his anger gradually subsided.

But now, the Xiao Hei in her arms was unusually quiet, refusing to acknowledge her from start to finish.

After hearing her story, Qi Danxuan was quite excited, feeling that all her years of training could finally be put to use. She immediately sharpened her metaphorical blades, brimming with fighting spirit.

Once Qi Danxuan informed Uncle Jiang, they fell silent and waited quietly.

Before long, the lead horse let out a long neigh, and the caravan instantly descended into chaos.

Xu Xingxing and Qi Danxuan exchanged a glance, pricking up their ears to listen to the familiar lines being shouted outside:

“This road belongs to us, these trees were planted by us!”

“If you wish to pass through here, leave your toll behind!”

What followed unfolded naturally. Qi Danxing and Xu Xingxing took the lead in surrendering, bringing out their valuables to offer up. Then, they waited to be tied up and taken back to the bandit stronghold. They had even rehearsed their emotional progression: first fear and terror, then kneeling and begging for mercy, and finally numbness and despair. Unexpectedly, this crucial step in the process got stuck.

After the bandit leader ordered his men to carry away the valuables, he said to them, “Alright, scram.”

Xu Xingxing: ???
Qi Danxuan: ???

What the, ?

“Scram” meant they were letting them go? Was this part of the script?

This wasn’t how they had rehearsed it!

Seeing them standing there dumbfounded, the bandit leader grew impatient. “What? Not enough for the toll?”

He then ordered his men, “Leave them some silver. Don’t let them starve to death out here.”

??????
!!!!!!

This isn’t right, bro!

“Leave your toll behind” really just meant leaving the toll? And they’d even give them travel money?

This was the first time she’d ever encountered such humane bandits!

Wait, she’s quite good-looking, why not consider kidnapping her for her looks, bro?!

Xu Xingxing’s lips twitched. “Um, bro, aren’t you going to kidnap us?”

The bandit leader puffed out his chest proudly. “We of the Clear Wind Stronghold only seek wealth, not lives. Running into us is a blessing you’ve earned over several lifetimes. Hurry up and leave. If you dawdle any longer, you won’t make it out of the mountains before dark.”

Thanks for caring about our safety.

Wait a minute!

Xu Xingxing suddenly felt as if she’d discovered a bug. She secretly shot Qi Danxuan a look, clutched her chest, and collapsed, making sure to tuck the dog into her wide sleeve as she fell.

Xiao Hei: …

Qi Danxuan immediately understood her meaning and began wailing, “Sister! Sister! What’s wrong? Don’t scare me! Sister has always been frail, you must have frightened her! If she remains unconscious, her life could be in danger! Sister! Don’t leave me! If anything happens to you, how will I explain it to Mother and Father? If you don’t make it, I won’t live either!”

The bandit leader was somewhat startled by the commotion. He tried to interject several times but failed, finally closing his eyes and shouting, “We have a physician in our stronghold!”

After some discussion, it was decided that only Qi Danxuan and Xu Xingxing would enter the stronghold, while Uncle Jiang and the others would go down the mountain first.

Lying in the carriage, feigning unconsciousness, Xu Xingxing felt quite pleased with herself.

She secretly poked Xiao Hei in her sleeve, wanting to show off, but her fingertip suddenly stung, and she nearly cried out.

…He bit down pretty hard.

The bandits placed her in a room and went to fetch the physician. Judging by the footsteps outside, they had gone some distance.

Xu Xingxing quickly sat up, pulled out Xiao Hei, and whispered, “Brother Hei! Time for you to shine!”

Brother Hei was petty, so he kept his eyes closed and didn’t move.

Qi Danxuan remarked in surprise, “Aren’t spirit beasts supposed to be very obedient to their masters? Senior Sister, why is your spirit beast ignoring you?”

Xu Xingxing: “…”

This was utterly embarrassing.

So she cast a silencing spell on Qi Danxuan.

Ignoring the pleading look in her eyes, Xu Xingxing adopted a humble and submissive posture toward the Xiao Hei figure on the bed. “Brother Black, you’re my dear brother. Please be magnanimous and help your little sister out this once.”

Xiao Hei finally deigned to slightly open his noble eyes. Seizing the opportunity, Xu Xingxing pressed on, “Right now, we’re both trapped and can’t investigate properly. You’re our only hope. Without you, I truly wouldn’t know what to do. Brother Black, please think of how I served you every night for two months, ”

“Shut up,” Xiao Hei cut her off.

Beside them, Qi Danxuan looked disappointed: Why did she stop?

Xu Xingxing immediately fell silent, miming zipping her lips shut. Seeing Xiao Hei heading toward the back window, she quickly added, “Brother Black, don’t forget what I said about the spirit beast.”

For the first time, Xiao Hei felt an urge to flee as quickly as possible.

Once outside, he suppressed the chaotic emotions that had plagued him since transforming into a puppy and began observing his surroundings.

The sky had already darkened. The bandit stronghold was bustling with dinner preparations, likely celebrating today’s substantial gains. The feast was lavish, and the courtyard was alive with noise and excitement.

His fur was pitch black, and his body was small, allowing him to move through the courtyard unnoticed.

This dog form does have some uses, he thought to himself.

He scanned the courtyard briefly but detected no trace of the so-called spirit beast Xu Xingxing had mentioned.

Suddenly, he caught a distinct scent, a refreshing aroma of green grass.

A young man arrived late, and everyone stood up to bow in unison, loudly greeting him as the stronghold leader. After saying a few words and drinking several bowls of wine, the young leader excused himself early.

He was then stopped by the bandit who had led the day’s operation. After a brief, whispered exchange, the young man’s expression turned grave. He summoned another person, and together they headed in the direction of Xu Xingxing’s location.

Xiao Hei watched them for a moment, considering whether to follow, when a gust of wind swept by. Carried on the breeze was a stronger, more pungent demonic aura mixed with the scent of blood. He glanced in that direction, a trace of mockery flashing in his eyes, and strode toward it.