My Demon Lord Junior Sister Is Pretending to Be Good to Seduce Me - Chapter 25.1

The Trap

“Oh, right, right,” the man said with a simple smile, “Keep it a secret, keep it a secret.”

“I ask you, where did these women and children disappear?”

“Uh… at first it was in the outskirts. Initially, everyone thought they were eaten by wolves, but later they found the bones of those corpses were all intact, and could still be pieced together.”

“Later, Wang Village, which is next to the outskirts, started losing women and children.”

“As of last night, people started disappearing within the city as well.”

Lin Yumo popped a piece of butter candy into her mouth, the kraft paper in her hand folded back and forth, finally forming a small triangle.

She knew there was a place in Qingzhou, not far from the villages outside the city, and not too close to the city itself.

It should be an abandoned place. If they lit a candle there, it might attract the Demon Clan.

“Get ready. I’m taking you to a place,” she stood up and stretched lazily, saying, “Let’s go stake it out.”

She tossed the kraft paper onto the table, a hint of sadness in her brows.

Mu Xuewei followed her upstairs. She easily sensed Lin Yumo’s mood but couldn’t say anything to comfort her.

After all, she didn’t know her past in Qingzhou. She could only follow behind her anxiously, as if to say: I’m here for you.

Lin Yumo hung her accessories on her waist. When she turned around, she met Mu Xuewei’s eyes, and her heart skipped a beat. She froze for a moment. Was Mu Xuewei worried about her?

Was her mood that obvious?

Lin Yumo shrugged and curved her eyes, signaling that she was fine.

Seeing her smile, Mu Xuewei also smiled without saying a word.

Lin Yumo’s fingertip tapped the two water-ink style jingling bracelets on her left wrist. After standing still for a long time, she took one off her wrist.

Besides the Kunwu Sword, this pair of bracelets was the only thing her mother left her.

She let out a long breath and said awkwardly, “…This journey is dangerous. If you wear it, I can sense your location. If something happens, I can come find you…”

“No,” Lin Yumo frowned slightly, her voice dropping, “You… you’d better not get into trouble.”

“Did Senior Sister willingly give this to me?” Mu Xuewei took it, her fingertip just touching the two characters “Yu Mo” carved on the inside of the bracelet.

“It was willingly, but not a gift,” Lin Yumo’s hand rested on the Kunwu Sword. “When we return to Purple Bamboo Forest, you must remember to give it back to me.”

Mu Xuewei lifted the bracelet she had put on, carefully examining it. The black and white layers within the bracelet were like the balance of Yin and Yang, yet completely natural and extremely lustrous.

Mu Xuewei nodded with a smile, “I’ve noted it.”

Not far from the village was a large courtyard. The plaque on the door was broken, with two words “Diāolóu ( Blockhouse) written on it. The words “Xiǎozhù” ( Small Retreat) had long been weathered away by the wind and rain.

Pushing open the red gate, the first thing one saw was a thick loquat tree, which was unfortunately dead.

Lin Yumo walked in first. In this vast courtyard, it was just her and her mother years ago. After more than ten years of not returning, such decay was expected.

However, despite the expectation, when she stood there herself, it was disheartening. The people were gone, and the empty place brought back memories.

Under this loquat tree, she had seen Xu Mo practice her sword. And the Kunwu Sword Intent her mother cultivated was far from Lin Yumo’s frosty coldness.

It was sorrow.

No leaves remained intact where her sword blade passed.

Even the trunk of the loquat tree occasionally had two scars.

So, one reason for the loquat tree’s death had to be attributed to Xu Mo.

Later, perhaps Xu Mo also realized this and simply stopped practicing her sword. In the end, she almost personally broke the Kunwu Sword.

Lin Yumo closed her eyes and said, “Light some fires.”

With the firelight and people, they would wait for those people to walk into the trap themselves.

Qingzhou at night was chilly. In this desolate courtyard, even the wind blowing felt like a ghostly chill, making one’s back feel cold.

What Lin Yumo didn’t tell them was that this time, it wasn’t the Demon Clan walking into the trap; it was her walking into the trap.

She wanted to try and see the person behind it,

instead of just those small-fry Demon Clan members.

She faced the mirror, pulled off her hair tie, and had unknowingly changed into the clothes of a common girl.

To make it more believable, she even applied makeup. Although her application was a bit poor, Lin Yumo thought it was acceptable. After all, she had used everything those girls were supposed to use.

She walked out of the room and was spotted by Mu Xuewei.

Mu Xuewei was noticeably stunned for a moment, then couldn’t help but laugh, “Is… is that Senior Sister?”

She gently took Lin Yumo’s arm, pulled her back into the room, had Lin Yumo sit in front of the mirror, and shone a candle on Lin Yumo’s face.

The unevenly drawn eyebrows, the yellow eye makeup more noticeable in the warm candlelight, and the opaque red on her cheeks, like the stiff blush of a clay doll sold by street vendors.

She had also deliberately drawn a crooked huadian (forehead decoration) between her brows. Overall, she hadn’t missed anything a typical woman was supposed to have.

If there was one thing done well, it was the lipstick, which was slightly better and not so terrifying.

Who could tell if Lin Yumo was human or ghost?

Mu Xuewei took out an embroidered handkerchief, moistened it, and wiped the colorful mess off Lin Yumo’s face.

“Senior Sister wants to use herself as bait, why didn’t you let me go?”

Good question.

No matter how Mu Xuewei was viewed, she was the most suitable candidate to be the bait.

But Lin Yumo didn’t want that.

She didn’t want her to come into contact with the Demon Clan.

She also didn’t want her to be in danger.

“You’re too weak,” Lin Yumo felt that strength was a good excuse.

Mu Xuewei pursed her lips, picked up a stick of qingdai (dark pigment for drawing eyebrows), and slowly drew on Lin Yumo’s brows stroke by stroke. Unfortunately, before she could finish, the sound of clashing weapons came from outside.

Lin Yumo stood up, lifted her skirt with slightly clumsy hands, and ran out. She closed the door and slapped a talisman on it, “Don’t come out!”

She picked up a charred firewood stick from the ground and swung it towards the masked man, deliberately missing him by an inch, acting like a helpless young girl.

Lin Yumo struggled, not forgetting to yell for help.

The man grabbed Lin Yumo’s wrist, clamped down on her, and wrapped the purple Immortal-Binding Rope around Lin Yumo. He shouted to the people around him, “Hey, enough! Let’s go!”

Lin Yumo gave Shen Zhuli a look, glancing towards the room.

On the way, Lin Yumo’s head was covered with a black cloth sack. She heard the gurgling sound of a river, and could only barely remember the route by the sound.

“Holy cow!” Lin Yumo couldn’t help but curse. She was always well-mannered and rarely swore, and even less frequently swore aloud.

It was just that Lin Yumo, who was originally being carried, was suddenly thrown heavily onto the ground. Her back slammed hard against a sharp-edged stone. With such a violent collision, anyone would be angry.

The next moment, the sack on her head was roughly yanked off, accompanied by a warning, “Behave!”

“Pffft.” Lin Yumo spat out the hair hanging by her mouth. This was why she didn’t like having her hair down…

…it was simply too much in the way.

She lifted her eyes and glared at the person in front of her, then suddenly remembered her image as a “fragile woman,” quickly retracted her gaze, lowered her eyelashes, and coughed softly.

If anyone asked who taught her this “fragility,” it was probably Mu Xuewei, but it was a bit like an unsuccessful imitation.

The Demon Clan member was initially intimidated by her gaze, but only for a moment. He then coldly snorted and, before leaving, didn’t forget to retaliate by kicking Lin Yumo.

It hurt so much that she felt like throwing up the day before yesterday’s meal.

Damn it.

Lin Yumo pinched her own thigh, forcing out tears through sheer willpower.

She gritted her teeth and endured the kick.

After the person left, she looked at the group of women and children in front of her, feeling a knot in her heart.

In her previous life, she was only concerned with comfort and enjoyment, which led to the outcome at Mount Xuanling. At that time, she hadn’t noticed any of these undercurrents.

But now, the Demon Clan’s ambition to rise again was clearly exposed.

Yet, she felt that these things could not be controlled by Mu Xuewei at this age. They wouldn’t be things she would do.

A golden bell tinkled from far to near. A woman walked towards Lin Yumo barefoot. Her toenails were painted red, and a golden bell hung on her ankle. She wore a long dress as red as maple leaves, the collar of the dress slightly open, revealing a patch of fair skin.

She had three purple demon marks on her cheeks. She suddenly stopped in front of Lin Yumo and remained motionless.

Lin Yumo lowered her head, feeling uneasy in her heart. Had she been discovered?

She suddenly squatted down, lifted Lin Yumo’s chin, forcing Lin Yumo to look her in the eye.

Her five fingers exerted slight pressure, pinching Lin Yumo’s chin painfully.

Suddenly, her purple eyes flickered with a hint of desolation. It was only a fleeting moment before she smiled seductively again, “Little girl, you look so much like an old acquaintance of mine.”

“No, an enemy.”

Lin Yumo didn’t dare to move or answer her. Saying more would only lead to more mistakes at this time, so closing her mouth was the best way to save her life.

“What is your name?”

The woman’s thumb pressed against Lin Yumo’s lips, smearing her lipstick.

“Xu Mu,” Lin Yumo said almost without hesitation. Only a fool would say her real name. It’s just that the character Mu seemed a little abrupt, but never mind, it didn’t matter.

The woman was stunned, and her smile grew wider. She brushed aside Lin Yumo’s hair, smiling alluringly, “My name is Mu Li. The Mu from Xu Mu, and the Li  from separation. Remember that.”

“When you return alive, I will definitely take you to the Demon Clan for dual cultivation with me.”

Lin Yumo???

Was she seen through? Had she discovered that she was a cultivator?

Before she could react, Mu Li raised her hand and commanded, “Take them all away!”

These bound women and children were shoved into a prisoner cart, which was then covered from head to toe with a black curtain and pulled towards the direction of the city. ☆

And the people pulling the cart were surprisingly government officials.

Lin Yumo sat in the prisoner cart, resting and recuperating. She frowned. This was troublesome now.

She had to kill the demons and set fires without alarming the citizens. Difficult, difficult, difficult!

Along the way, they passed that river again, but the sound of the water was more rapid.

After a bumpy stretch of road, they finally stopped.

Lin Yumo’s ears were filled with the cries of children and the wails of women.

However, they didn’t know that no matter how loudly they cried, the people outside couldn’t hear their screams.

The black curtain was yanked off the cage, and the sudden light that entered blinded Lin Yumo. She raised her hand to shield her eyes and saw a horrifying sight through the gaps between her fingers.

Several children were hung high above a large iron pot. Inside the pot was boiling, hot oil, bubbling with white foam.

And the women were tied to a nearby torture rack and were being skinned alive.

Fresh, tender skin was still attached to the veins and arteries.

Lin Yumo fought back the nausea in her stomach, observing the surroundings.

Were they refining corpse oil? Lin Yumo looked at the human skin being thrown into the pot, still stained with bright red blood and flesh. A wave of nausea surged up again.

She had read in ancient texts that some Demon Path cultivators in the Demon Clan could control “Hollow Men.”

The so-called Hollow Man was created by extracting a person’s heart while they were still alive and using a special forbidden technique to refine a body that felt no pain and only knew killing and conquest. To better protect this body, it would be clad in armor.

And to maintain the armor, it would be coated with this specialized corpse oil.

It was said that during the War between Immortals and Demons decades ago, cultivators suffered greatly because of these Hollow Men.

Lin Yumo mused internally: Didn’t they say this thing was also forbidden in the Demon Clan? Why has it appeared out of thin air again?

Just her luck to run into it.

Lin Yumo’s finger twitched. The Immortal-Binding Rope on her loosened enough for her to slip out.

Before she could move, the Immortal-Binding Rope suddenly tightened again, pulling her even tighter.

Lin Yumo turned her head, becoming alert.

She met that pair of purple pupils, which made her heart tremble.

Mu Li didn’t speak, but her lips moved slightly, and Lin Yumo saw two words: “Don’t move.”

It didn’t sound like a kind warning; it sounded like a provocation.

Lin Yumo put on a simple, honest smile, indicating that she hadn’t done anything.

“Clang—” With a loud noise, an inner door behind the large pot opened, and a masked person walked out. Behind the mask, a head of silver hair flowed down. Judging by her figure, she seemed to be a woman.

Her voice was somewhat aged and cold, “Why are you crying? Being able to contribute to the Demon Clan is worth living for.”

She slowly shifted her gaze to Mu Li and said coldly, “Mu Li, I’m leaving this to you. I’m returning to Nine Abyss.”

Mu Li looked at her with cold eyes, completely devoid of the seductiveness she had moments ago.

The silver-haired woman suddenly put her hand on the inner door, paused, and slightly turned her head, “Don’t forget the most important thing.”

Mu Li clenched her fists, her knuckles cracking. Only after taking a deep breath did she say, “Understood.”

Mu Li walked closer to the cage again, staring at Lin Yumo. She squatted down, and her purple demon eyes held a hidden killing intent, seemingly looking through Lin Yumo at another person.

A person she could hate to the bone.

But that hate was different. Lin Yumo clearly sensed that within Mu Li’s hatred, there was also love.

“Bang—” With a crash, two Demon Clan members were kicked to the ground. The wall in front of Lin Yumo was pierced by a sword energy, and even the large pot was split in half. The corpse oil and unrefined human skin inside spilled onto the ground, mixing with the dirt and emitting a putrid smell.

“Go!” A green sword flew directly at the cage’s chains, and the black chains shattered all over the floor.

Suddenly, the Demon Clan members guarding the area stirred, drew the curved knives tucked into their waists, and collectively attacked Shen Zhuli and Li Shuangxing, who had trespassed.

Lin Yumo kicked open the cage door, broke free from the Immortal-Binding Rope, and summoned her sword. Her movements were fluid and clean.

She pointed towards the wooden door opposite, “Go outside the city.”

“Alright!” Shen Zhuli said.

“Go, this way!” Li Shuangxing guided the citizens.

Swords clashed. They desperately protected the citizens, making sure they ran ahead first.

Shen Zhuli said, “Head towards the river!”

Lin Yumo was stunned for a moment, then she understood.

No wonder Shen Zhuli’s sword was called Bi Hai Chao Sheng (Emerald Sea Tide Sound)—it was a sword that borrowed power.

Mu Li walked unhurriedly at the back of the Demon Clan members, holding a circular wheel, shaped like a full moon, with a perfect arc and an extremely thin blade.

She stood still, not making a move, just standing there, as if watching a fleeing prey, with a mix of playful amusement and mockery.

The night was thick, and the river water was stained black. It rippled with the wind, wave after wave, before slowly rolling away.

Shen Zhuli floated above the river. She slowly raised the Bi Hai Chao Sheng sword in her hand, and with a shout of “Rise!”

The originally calm water surface suddenly boiled, creating towering giant waves, dozens of meters high.

The giant waves rolled into colossal water pillars, continuously roaring.

“Go!”

The rolling giant waves crashed down towards the Demon Clan members below, sweeping them into the torrent and tossing them into the sky.

“Senior Sister Lin!” Shen Zhuli called out.

Lin Yumo understood. Her sword left its sheath, and the river water beneath those people instantly turned into ice, forming crystal-clear thorns.

Lin Yumo swung her sword down.

Those thorns grew long barbs, piercing directly through the hearts of the Demon Clan members. Blood flowed along the thorns, eventually forming drops of blood that fell into the river, creating red ripples.

Mu Li, in the distance, put away her Jìmie Lún (Wheel of Annihilation), leaning against a tree, resting her head.

Suddenly, she stood up, her lips moving, her fists clenched.

“Kunwu Sword,” she murmured.

Her tone carried a hint of longing.

She flicked her red sleeve and slammed a palm strike towards the three people.

Lin Yumo reacted quickly, but before she could raise her sword to block, the palm strike made her cough up blood, and her body heavily plummeted towards the river.

Just as she was about to fall into the river, a force clamped onto her neck, violently pulling her up and carrying her far away.

Lin Yumo barely managed to open her eyelids, only seeing Shen Zhuli and Li Shuangxing struggling in the river.

She hadn’t even seen Mu Xuewei before she passed out.

 

When she woke up again, red silk curtains hung before her eyes, and there was a smell of vulgar incense that could choke a person to death.

Lin Yumo struggled on the ground twice, enduring the pain to climb up and sit on the floor.

The red curtains moved, revealing a pair of long legs. Looking up further, Mu Li’s outer garment was half-loosened, revealing her gorgeous, seductive figure.

Lin Yumo quickly closed her eyes, not daring to look further. She propped herself up with her hands, her body subtly moving backward.

It was only then that she remembered Mu Li’s words to her: ‘I will dual cultivate with you.’

She’s a lunatic.

At first, she thought it was a joke, but now, she was truly afraid. Would this crazy woman in front of her really go through with it?

Mu Li slowly walked down. She looked down at Lin Yumo, her finger scraping Lin Yumo’s face, “The Kunwu Sword, where did you get it?”

“My Master gave it to me,” Lin Yumo lied.

“Is your Master Xu Mo?” Mu Li’s expression was cold, and she increased the pressure she was exerting on Lin Yumo.

“No,” Lin Yumo gritted her back teeth, “My Master is the current Cloud Shadow Immortal Venerable—Wei Qingyi!”

Mu Li let out a soft laugh upon hearing that answer and withdrew the pressure.

She squatted down in front of Lin Yumo, her fingertip tracing Lin Yumo’s jawline down to her collarbone. Her eyes were almost manic. Her red lips slightly parted and said, “It’s fine as long as she didn’t give it to you.”

She traced from her jaw down to her collarbone, her eyes almost crazy. Her red lips slightly parted and said, “If I can’t have Xu Mo, having you is just as good.”

Xu Mo? My mother?

Lin Yumo was practically stunned. Her mother had never told her that she had such a romantic debt!

Lin Yumo quickly pulled her hand away, pushing Mu Li with all her might, “I’m me, Xu Mo is Xu Mo. You… you need to look carefully…”

Mu Li scoffed, a little disdainfully, “I know the difference very well.”

“You and Xu Mo are indeed different. You are not as attractive as Xu Mo.”

Lin Yumo looked at the Kunwu Sword thrown on the couch, wishing she could die.