I Quit Being This Female Lead (GL) - Chapter 63

Since leaving Longevity Village, Xuan Ji had been traveling for two days and one night. She dared not blink along the way, terrified that the slightest lapse in attention would cause her to lose the clue to her Junior Sister’s whereabouts.

Following the scent of the Demon Race, Xuan Ji arrived at this town. She had originally intended to rest, found an inn, and planned to eat a meal, gather her strength, and then search for Mang Ke. But now…

Why did she walk into the inn only to see a powerful Demon Lord standing right in front of her?

A bead of sweat trickled down Xuan Ji’s temple. She hadn’t rested in a long time. If she fought recklessly, she might lose her life, but if she didn’t fight, everyone in the entire town would be doomed.

Sniffing slightly, Xuan Ji caught the scent of spiritual power regenerating on Xun Fangyun’s body.

She had replenished her demonic energy!

Xuan Ji bit her lip. This demon must have harmed people, and perhaps she had killed countless individuals without Xuan Ji even knowing.

“Why are you here?” Xuan Ji felt that if she didn’t act, the thousands of people in the town would become this demon’s next meal.

Xun Fangyun’s black eyes stared at the woman in blue before her. She blinked and asked, “Do you know me?”

Clang—

A cold flash of light appeared as Xuan Ji drew her sword and pointed it at Xun Fangyun. “With that disgusting scent on you, it would be hard not to know you, wouldn’t it?”

The people eating in the inn turned their heads to watch the scene.

“What’s going on? Is the opera troupe here?”

“What kind of play is this, the Legend of the White Snake?”

“Is that woman the little green snake?”

“I don’t know. What’s happening?”

“Hey! Isn’t that badge pinned to the young lady’s waist from a cultivation sect?”

“Wow, are opera troupes so elaborate now?”

Seeing the crowd of onlookers growing, Xuan Ji couldn’t help but frown. These ants didn’t understand the dangerous individual they were facing. They even called her an opera troupe! Had they ever seen such a heroic-looking opera troupe?

Xun Fangyun naturally noticed the onlookers as well. She frowned and said to Xuan Ji, “Put your sword away. I don’t want to draw attention.”

Xuan Ji said coldly, “That sounds so nice. Tell me, are you the Demon Lord who was sealed in the Western Mountain Cave?”

“Wow, it’s not the White Snake. What play is this?”

“Demon Lord? Sounds incredibly powerful!”

“Didn’t they say the Emperor is coming soon to search for the Demon Heart Blood? This must be adapted from that event.”

“Are opera troupes so dedicated these days? Miss, which troupe are you from? We’ll come and support you another day!”

“Yeah, yeah, we’ll support you!”

“Especially that cultivation disciple, she acts so realistically!”

Xun Fangyun: “…”

Xuan Ji: “…”

If this continued, the inn would probably turn into a teahouse.

Xuan Ji gritted her teeth and said to Xun Fangyun, “Let’s go outside. Don’t hurt the innocent.”

“Oh?”

Xun Fangyun sneered. “Innocent? These innocents are my sustenance. If I kill one with every move, how many moves do you think you can withstand?”

Xuan Ji frowned. “You…”

Xun Fangyun took a step forward, closing the distance to Xuan Ji. “Little girl, put your sword away.”

She placed her finger on the tip of Xuan Ji’s sword and said, “The next time you are so impolite, it won’t just be the sword that shatters.”

As soon as her voice fell, Xuan Ji saw her sword begin to crack from the tip. In an instant, it had shattered all the way to the hilt, falling onto the bluestone floor with a crisp sound.

Xuan Ji: “…!!”

Her sword!

Xun Fangyun ignored her and brushed past her. The moment she walked by, Xuan Ji felt a buzzing in her mind, with thousands upon thousands of voices roaring and screaming. The sounds were grating and piercing, as if she had fallen into hell!

In a flash, Xuan Ji felt a metallic sweetness in her throat. Her legs gave way, and she knelt directly on the ground, spitting fresh blood from her covered mouth and nose, staining the front of her robe.

Xuan Ji gritted her teeth and watched Xun Fangyun leave, secretly cursing in her heart.

Was this the difference in power?!

Meanwhile.

The pawnshop clerk looked at the rusty ‘Demon Subduing Pestle’ in Mang Ke’s hand. After staring for a long time, he rolled his eyes and said to Mang Ke, “I say, madam, are you joking? Even the scrap collector at the village entrance would complain about the rust on this. Are you bringing it to a pawnshop to challenge our patience?”

Mang Ke hurriedly said, “Don’t look at how rusty it is; it’s actually very powerful.”

The clerk waved his hand. “No, no. This is a pawnshop, not a scrap collection point. Please look elsewhere.”

He then walked away, ignoring Mang Ke no matter how much she called after him.

Mang Ke sighed softly. It seemed this item was unsellable.

“Young lady.”

Just as Mang Ke was about to turn and leave the door, she heard someone sitting at the pawnshop entrance call out to her.

Mang Ke followed the sound and saw a white-haired, long-bearded old Daoist sitting at a fortune-telling stall. He was looking at Mang Ke, or more precisely, at the ‘Demon Subduing Pestle’ in her hand.

“That thing of yours is not of the human realm. Carrying it around so openly, you should be careful not to attract something unclean.”

Mang Ke was stunned. She held the Demon Subduing Pestle out for the old Daoist to see. “Sir, do you recognize this item?”

The old Daoist stroked his beard. “I do not recognize it, but this humble Daoist knows it is not something an ordinary person should possess. I advise the young lady to get rid of it soon.”

Mang Ke said, “I went to the pawnshop, but they didn’t want it.”

“Pawnshops are for mortals; of course, they wouldn’t want it.”

“Then what do you suggest, Sir?”

Mang Ke looked at his fortune-telling stall and understood. “Do you want to buy it?”

The old Daoist: “I do not buy. Thank you.”

Mang Ke: “How about 5 silver coins? I’ll sell it to you.”

The old Daoist: “…This is the first time I’ve seen someone selling an ancient divine artifact for 5 silver coins. Young lady, you truly are a bargain genius.”

After saying this, he turned and looked at Mang Ke. “If you truly wish to sell it, this humble Daoist can point you toward a way.”

“Tonight, at midnight, the Ghost Market, which opens once a month, will open. Take this item there to trade. You will earn much more than selling it to me for 5 silver.”

“The Ghost Market?”

Mang Ke thought for a moment and asked, “Where is the entrance to the Ghost Market?”

The old Daoist extended his hand. “Well, that requires a fee.”

Mang Ke: “…”

She knew it wouldn’t be that simple.

She searched her pocket for a long time. After buying clothes for Xun Fangyun, her pocket was empty. After a long search, she finally found a few copper coins sewn into the corner seam of her clothes by her Senior Sister, Xuan Ji.

Because Mang Ke was always so forgetful, Senior Sister Xuan Ji was afraid she would get into trouble without money when traveling alone, so she had sewn a few copper coins into her sleeve hem. They wouldn’t be much use, but they were enough for an emergency.

Mang Ke carefully tore the sewn seam, took out the five copper coins inside, placed them on the fortune-telling stall, and said, “Alright, Sir, can you tell me now?”

The old Daoist looked at the five copper coins and couldn’t help but say, “Miss, you truly are a bargain genius.”

After receiving the time and location for the opening of the Ghost Market, Mang Ke happily left the fortune-telling stall.

On her way back, Mang Ke saw Xun Fangyun walking towards her from a distance. Just as she was about to greet her, Xun Fangyun grabbed her arm, turned around, and pulled her into a small alleyway.

“What’s wrong?”

Seeing the tension in her expression, Mang Ke couldn’t help but ask, “What happened?”

“Someone discovered my identity,” Xun Fangyun said, pulling Mang Ke along. “We can’t go back to the inn. We need to find another place to stay.”

Mang Ke was startled. “What?”

Xun Fangyun explained, “I ran into someone from a cultivation sect in the lobby. She tried to fight me, so I had to strike first. The inn is probably in an uproar now. People will soon know there’s a demon in this town. We have to…”

As she spoke, she realized Mang Ke’s hand was icy cold, so she stopped and looked at her.

Mang Ke stared at her nervously. “Were you hurt?”

Xun Fangyun’s heart warmed. She smiled and said, “No, I’m perfectly fine.”

Mang Ke stood on her tiptoes and touched the still deep scars on Xun Fangyun’s face, saying with distress, “I’m so afraid of you getting hurt again.”

“I won’t.” Xun Fangyun lowered her head and kissed Mang Ke’s fingertips. “No one can hurt me at this stage.”

Mang Ke nodded, then seemed to recall something and asked, “Which sect was that person from, the one from the cultivation sect you mentioned?”

“I don’t recognize her,” Xun Fangyun replied. “She was alone, but I’m worried there might be fellow disciples in town. We need to leave first.”

“Okay,” Mang Ke said. “I bought clothes for you, actually. We can change outside of town, and I also have a place I want to go.”

Xun Fangyun was puzzled. “You’re unfamiliar with the area. Where do you want to go?”

Mang Ke said mysteriously, “I won’t tell you yet. Let’s hurry up and go.”

“Alright.”

“Speaking of which, you didn’t seriously injure that person from the cultivation sect, did you? I’m afraid it might be someone I know…”

“It wasn’t a serious injury. She has ample spiritual power and can recover in a day with self-care. I only meant to scare her.”

“Is that so…”

In a small woods outside the town, Xun Fangyun changed into the clothes Mang Ke had bought for her.

Xun Fangyun’s natural figure was tall and slender. The dark blue dress accentuated her fair skin even more. Her messy hair didn’t matter. Mang Ke took out some willow branches she had plucked along the road and had Xun Fangyun sit on a rock.

Her fingers wove through Xun Fangyun’s long black hair, watching it transform in her hands before finally being twisted into a flower shape.

“Done!”

Mang Ke looked at the Epiphyllum hairstyle she had braided for Xun Fangyun and couldn’t help but praise herself. “I’m glad I had nothing to do but play with my hair when I was the Empress. It finally came in handy!”

Xun Fangyun moved her finger, conjured a splash of water, and made it float in the air to reflect her appearance. She commented, “Not bad.”

“Hehe~” Mang Ke said proudly, “After all, I learned quite a lot here. What Jia Yun said about being able to learn things inside [the world] is truly useful. It seems she didn’t lie to me.”

Xun Fangyun nodded, then asked Mang Ke, “You said you wanted to go somewhere. Where is it?”

Mang Ke smiled. “The Ghost Market.”