The Demon Lord Is Carrying My Child - Chapter 21

Ji Shutao set Zhuang Yi down and scrambled, crawling and rolling, to check on Chen Li’s condition. Fortunately, the Eldest Senior Brother was still alive.

After moving Chen Li to lean against a tree, she slumped onto the ground, contemplating what to do next. Although no more monsters were coming, staying here was clearly not a long-term solution. She was utterly exhausted; it was impossible for her to carry three people down the mountain.

Yet, if she were forced to choose between the three of them, she simply could not bring herself to do it.

Ji Shutao felt a splitting headache. Having been running for her life these past few days, she suddenly thought with self-deprecation that this was much more “exciting” than her former days of climbing trees and slacking off.

There was another sound from up ahead. Whatever it was, it moved extremely fast. Ji Shutao gripped the Qingyi Sword in her hand, holding her breath as she waited for the thing to approach, hoping to catch it off guard.

Ji Shutao swung her sword directly at the creature’s head, but to her surprise, it was lightly parried. The Qingyi Sword flew from her hand. Waiting for Ji Shutao now was nothing but a dead end.

She closed her eyes, preparing to meet her end, but then she heard Cun Ming’s voice.

Cun Ming’s voice was full of joy: “Little Junior Sister, why are you here? Where are the Eldest Senior Brother and the others?”

“Second Senior Brother, why are you here?”

The heart that was about to jump out of her chest settled firmly back into place. To go from such a height to such a depth was nothing short of an emotional rollercoaster.

Cun Ming had already spotted Chen Li and the others behind her. Disregarding the question, he pointed at Chen Li, who was leaning against the tree with his eyes tightly shut, and asked Ji Shutao, “What happened? What’s wrong with Eldest Senior Brother?”

Ji Shutao waved her hand feebly: “Let’s get down the mountain first.”

They returned to the town where the Ye Manor was located and checked into a random inn. Zhuang Yi was unconscious, Chen Li was heavily injured, and Ye Xiaoge was intermittently running a fever likely from catching a chill during the night.

Ye Xiaoge was easy to handle; a regular doctor would suffice. But for Chen Li and Zhuang Yi, Ku Mu would have to make a trip down the mountain.

In his letter, Cun Ming described the situation as extremely dire, stating that if Ku Mu did not arrive quickly, the Eldest Senior Brother might lose his life. In truth, he wasn’t exaggerating much.

The letter was sent in the morning, and by noon, Ku Mu had arrived.

The Eldest Senior Brother’s life hanging by a thread was a matter of utmost urgency; he could not afford to delay.

Ku Mu placed his hand on Chen Li’s wrist. The more he checked the pulse, the tighter his brow furrowed. He looked at Ji Shutao: “Did Eldest Senior Brother use the Soul-Burning Technique?”

After Cun Ming sent the message, he had gone back up the mountain once more to look for Wu Huo. Ji Shutao was left to care for all three patients.

Ji Shutao nodded with difficulty.

The Soul-Burning Technique comes at the cost of the practitioner’s own life. For a short period, it can grant one’s techniques immense destructive power, but the practitioner might lose their life immediately. No one would use such a method unless they were driven into a corner.

Ku Mu had just arrived and didn’t know the full story. To think that someone could force Eldest Senior Brother to use the Soul-Burning Technique just what kind of desperate situation had they been pushed into?

Ku Mu remained silent. Once Ku Mu went silent, it meant the situation was grave.

Ji Shutao asked anxiously, “Sixth Senior Brother, is Eldest Senior Brother going to be okay?”

Ku Mu sighed and said, “Fortunately, Second Senior Brother already transferred spiritual energy to him. I will administer a life-preserving spiritual medicine, and after that… I’m afraid we’ll have to ask Master to step in.”

As long as there was a way, Ji Shutao breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s good, that’s good.”

Once things were settled with Chen Li, Ji Shutao took Ku Mu to Zhuang Yi’s room.

When Ku Mu first entered, he didn’t recognize the girl lying on the bed. But as he drew closer and took a look, his pupils suddenly dilated. Wasn’t this the Demon Lord, Zhuang Yi?

On the night Demon Lord Zhuang Yi attacked North Chen Mountain, Ku Mu was in the back mountains gathering a type of spiritual grass that only appears at night and was the first to run into her. He was originally devoted to medicine and was not skilled in fighting; within a few moves, he had been struck by Zhuang Yi until he coughed up blood.

Ku Mu was on high alert. He even pulled Ji Shutao, who was already standing by the bedside, toward him. “Little Junior Sister, do you know who this person is?”

“I know. It’s Zhuang Yi.”

“You know she is the Demon Lord Zhuang Yi, yet you dare to stay so close to her?”

“Sixth Senior Brother, Zhuang Yi was heavily injured trying to save me. She only came to North Chen Mountain to find me. Sixth Senior Brother, can you please save her?” Ji Shutao’s eyes were full of pleading.

The word “Impossible” was on the tip of Ku Mu’s tongue, but looking at Ji Shutao’s face, he couldn’t say it.

Little Junior Sister must have been possessed by a ghost.

Fine, fine. A healer has a benevolent heart.

Ku Mu sat down, but before examining her, he asked Ji Shutao a question: “Little Junior Sister, what on earth did you go through? Do you not realize that there isn’t a trace of demonic energy on Zhuang Yi?”

Ku Mu recognized her by her face, but Zhuang Yi was currently just like an ordinary person, without a hint of demonic energy.

Ji Shutao was stunned. Seeing her reaction, Ku Mu knew she hadn’t realized.

Ku Mu took Zhuang Yi’s pulse and discovered something earth-shattering: “!!! She’s pregnant?”

“Yes, the child is mine.” Ji Shutao’s tone was very natural as natural as if she and Zhuang Yi had already spent many years together.

Ku Mu had not yet recovered from the first shock before falling into the next.

“Little Junior Sister, do you know what you are doing?” Ku Mu questioned Ji Shutao furiously, his finger trembling as he pointed at her face.

Ji Shutao met his gaze without fear. “I have never known more clearly what I am doing than I do now.”

“Do you know how severe the consequences will be if Master finds out you’ve done this?”

“I know. But no matter the consequences, I will not let go of Zhuang Yi’s hand.”

Little Junior Sister is crazy, she’s gone mad. Ku Mu was so angry he couldn’t speak. It was one thing for her to be mischievous normally, but now she actually dared to get mixed up with the Demon Lord, even having a child.

If Yu Chu found out, he might strike her dead on the spot.

By the time Cun Ming returned, Ku Mu had already left with Chen Li. Cun Ming was a bit surprised: “Left so quickly?”

“Sixth Senior Brother thinks I’m beyond saving for falling in love with Zhuang Yi. He didn’t want to see me, so he left in a huff. What about Seventh Senior Brother?”

“Couldn’t find him. I’ve nearly turned the entire mountain upside down.”

Ji Shutao poured a cup of tea and handed it to him. Cun Ming took it and downed it in one gulp. Placing the cup on the table, he asked, “How is Zhuang Yi?”

“Even though Sixth Senior Brother thinks I’m beyond saving, he still examined her and left some spiritual medicines he refined himself.”

“To be honest, when I first heard it, I also thought you were beyond saving.”

Ji Shutao laughed. “I also think I’m beyond saving.”

Ku Mu told her that while heavily injured, in order to protect the child in her womb, Zhuang Yi had used all her demonic energy on the little fellow. She was now just like an ordinary person.

Ji Shutao thought that between them, Zhuang Yi must have been the first to fall in love. She herself had realized it too late and owed Zhuang Yi so much, having caused her to be injured repeatedly. In all her life, Ji Shutao had never felt such a sense of defeat.

If one cannot even protect their wife and child, how can they speak of being a lover?

Seeing the fire burning in Ji Shutao’s eyes, Cun Ming coughed and asked, “So, what are you going to do?”

“Wait for Zhuang Yi to wake up and ask her where she wants to go. I must stay by her side.”

“Fine. I’ll go look for one more round this afternoon. If I still can’t find him, I’ll have to go back and report to Master.” Cun Ming seemed to have expected Ji Shutao to make such a decision.

“Let Master make a trip to the Cangyou Pavilion.”

“What does this have to do with Cangyou Pavilion?”

Cun Ming and Ji Shutao hadn’t had a chance to go over the events since coming down the mountain and getting treatment, so Cun Ming didn’t know that the mastermind behind this was the Cangyou Pavilion.

Ji Shutao told Cun Ming everything the sacrificial altar, the various traps on the mountain, and so on.

Even Cun Ming was momentarily stunned after hearing it. He spoke with some difficulty, “Little Junior Sister, this is just Zhuang Yi’s subjective speculation. Without physical evidence, we cannot cast suspicion on the Cangyou Pavilion. They won’t admit to it either.”

In fact, they might even throw mud at Zhuang Yi, and even North Chen Mountain might not be spared.

“I have evidence.”

This was unexpected for Cun Ming. “What evidence?”

“Cangyou Pavilion once tried to use incantations to control ‘Human-Bears’ (Renxiong). To that end, they captured all the Human-Bears in the world and brought them to the Pavilion. At the time, because Human-Bears were extremely aggressive and man-eating, causing the people to suffer, this act by the Cangyou Pavilion was considered a great service to the world.”

“You saw Human-Bears?”

These creatures were named Human-Bears because their posture and facial features closely resembled humans. The reason Cun Ming and Ji Shutao knew about them was that they had encountered one while down the mountain once; that incident had terrified both of them. Later, they heard the announcement from Cangyou Pavilion about capturing them all.

At the time, Ji Shutao and Cun Ming had even cheered. Now that times had changed, they finally realized the Cangyou Pavilion’s wild ambitions.

“The woods on that nameless mountain were full of such Human-Bears, and they seemed to have become even more violent. Human-Bears are extinct everywhere else, all held within the Cangyou Pavilion. So, doesn’t that constitute a direct connection?”

Because Chen Li’s final move had been so destructive, the Human-Bears surrounding them had almost all been turned to dust. Thus, Cun Ming, who arrived later, saw neither corpses nor living creatures.

Cun Ming knit his brows. “The fact is, when I went up to look for Seventh Junior Brother, I also went to that forest. There was nothing left inside.”

Cun Ming told Ji Shutao that after he went chasing out, he quickly lost his way and kept going in circles in the same spot until he saw the light from the mountain top.

Ji Shutao bit her finger, suddenly feeling a surge of unease.

Support