The Demon Lord Is Carrying My Child - Chapter 5

Ji Shutao’s ears twitched. She seemed to hear a faint sound a noise like a mouse scurrying that would have been impossible to detect without listening intently.

Had she not been lying lazily on the floor, she likely wouldn’t have heard it at all.

It was strange; although the sun hung high in the sky and its light fell truly upon her, Ji Shutao could not feel a single hint of warmth. The floor, in particular, which had felt somewhat cool when she first lay down, had gradually become bone chillingly cold.

Nothing under the broad daylight of a high sun should grow colder and colder.

The situation was very wrong. Clutching her belongings to her chest, Ji Shutao stood up to look. A massive surge of white fog was rolling in from the end of the street, swallowing the houses. Soon, everything became blurred and unrecognizable.

Beichen Mountain was often shrouded in celestial mist, but that was merely green peaks draped in cloudy gauze, adding a touch of ethereal beauty. It was nothing like this white fog, which felt as though it could devour everything in its path.

Ji Shutao’s heart hammered against her ribs. Her intuition had always been sharp, and she knew this white fog was definitely dangerous.

As the fog drew closer, the faint sounds from before grew louder. It sounded like a multitude of people laughing. Ji Shutao no longer cared about the items in her hands; she dropped them all and fled for her life.

To think she was a disciple of Beichen Mountain a place so many looked up to and the personal disciple of Yu Chu at that. Now, she was reduced to running away, terrified by a mere patch of white fog.

“If I survive this calamity, I will definitely practice my cultivation diligently and make a name for myself under heaven,” Ji Shutao muttered, pressing her hands together in a fervent prayer. Truly, one regrets how little they’ve read only when it’s time to use the knowledge, and one realizes how little they’ve practiced only when it’s time to fight.

She ran and ran, but the street felt dozens of miles long. Even though she felt she had covered a great distance, she was still trapped within the street. The only change was that the shops had turned into residences of varying heights. Several houses had two large red lanterns hanging before their doors. This white fog was unlike any ordinary substance; it seeped into every hole and crawled through every crack. Aside from running forward, Ji Shutao had no way to avoid it.

When the white fog was only a few dozen meters away, her strength gave out. She could only lean against a pillar, gasping for air.

Inside the white fog, Ji Shutao saw a mass of something gray and white tearing at itself. It looked like a cluster of baring, clawing, monstrous faces. The monstrous face opened its mouth wide, lunging toward Ji Shutao as if to swallow her whole.

In her desperation, Ji Shutao pushed open a random door and ducked inside. She didn’t care if the fog seeped in; she just didn’t want that monstrous face to enter.

As the sun began to set, Zhuang Yi was wondering why Ji Shutao had not yet returned. Just then, she heard guests at the neighboring table talking animatedly about recent eerie occurrences.

“That white fog is truly terrifying. Anyone who goes in never comes out.”

“But I heard the fog specifically picks young girls to eat.”

“Regardless,” one man said, pouring a cup of wine down his throat, “if this fog isn’t removed, our peaceful days are over.”

“Excuse me,” Zhuang Yi said, appearing suddenly before their table. The two men jumped in fright. “What is this white fog you were just speaking of?”

Seeing that Zhuang Yi was a traveler and a woman, the two men explained the situation and repeatedly warned her to be careful.

Some said monstrous faces grew within the fog; others said they heard bursts of laughter emanating from it. Zhuang Yi sank into thought. If this white fog truly existed and Ji Shutao had been gone this long…

Could it be…

Zhuang Yi’s gaze sharpened. She sprinted out. Indeed, she saw a soaring surge of demonic energy toward the east of the city. After questioning a few people and learning there were many shops in that area, her expression darkened further.

I hope Ji Shutao is alright.

After Ji Shutao locked the door, she lugged a large rock from the courtyard to block it. Just as she was about to leave, she heard a highly eerie laugh. The sound pierced her ears, making her scalp tingle and her hair stand on end.

She glanced up at the sun in the sky, wondering how such ghostly things could appear under the clear light of day.

Ji Shutao walked quickly toward the inner rooms. Although no one lived here, the house was swept perfectly clean without a speck of dust. The cleaner it was, the deeper her suspicion grew.

Was this an illusionary array, or did such a street truly exist?

Earlier, the area had been bustling with people. Even if she had been deep in thought, she couldn’t have failed to notice herself turning into a street like this.

Since things had come to this, she had to find a way out first. Any illusionary array could be broken.

In just a few moments, the white fog had permeated most of the house. Ji Shutao’s vision was filled with a hazy white. When she turned her head, she came face-to-face with that grinning monstrous face.

Ji Shutao leaped three meters high and, without hesitation, delivered a roundhouse kick straight into the monster’s face.

As the saying goes, don’t hit someone in the face. Another saying goes, don’t strike a smiling person. Yet another says, if you don’t know how to laugh, then don’t.

Dashing through a side door, Ji Shutao wished she could kick that face one more time.

Though it was smiling, there was a chilling aura about it that made it look utterly grotesque.

Ji Shutao ran forward rapidly, glancing back occasionally for fear of another “death stare” with the face. Suddenly, her hand was grabbed.

“What the hell? You monster actually have hands?” she cursed, using the momentum to grip the hand, intending to use brute force to hurl the creature away.

However, upon touching it, she felt a very familiar coolness. Ji Shutao asked with a trembling voice, “Zhuang Yi?”

“It’s me.”

Hearing the affirmation, Ji Shutao breathed a sigh of relief. She immediately added, “Why didn’t you say anything? You scared me to death.”

She couldn’t see where Zhuang Yi was, yet she felt inexplicably safe.

Zhuang Yi did not speak. She let go of the hand. Ji Shutao saw several flashes of purple light from Zhuang Yi’s direction; she was likely using a spell to break the illusionary array.

A moment later, Ji Shutao found herself back on the busy, bustling street. People came and went around her, and no one noticed her at all, making her feel as though she had just woken from a dream.

Zhuang Yi stood a short distance ahead. When Ji Shutao walked over to her, she finally saw that Zhuang Yi was holding a stone.

Zhuang Yi opened her hand, and the appearance of the stone gave Ji Shutao a jolt.

Though it was only the size of a palm, the stone was densely covered with several human faces. Clustered together, they formed a large, monstrous face that was still grinning. Ji Shutao got goosebumps just looking at it and quickly looked away.

“I have heard there is a strange mountain in the world that produces human faced stones. They can laugh and are good at bewitching,” Zhuang Yi said, placing the stone on a table and pointing with a slender finger. “This should be one of those human-faced stones.”

“Can it also create illusionary arrays and carry white fog?” Ji Shutao still didn’t dare look. She didn’t believe such a small stone could cause such a massive disturbance.

“No.”

“…Huh?”

“This kind of thing can only cast hexes. Aside from that, it understands nothing else.”

“Then…”

“The one who set the illusionary array is someone else.”

“My enemy?”

“If this kind of stone is ground into powder and used in medicine, it can make a person lose their memory.”

Hearing this, Ji Shutao seemed to understand something.

“You suspect the person who set the array is the same person who injured me and forced me to take medicine to make me lose my memory?”

The possibility was small, but not impossible. That person had come straight for Ji Shutao and possessed such a stone; their intentions were certainly malicious.

According to the locals, the fog had already consumed many women. In any case, destroying it would be a service to the people.

And so…

Ji Shutao weighed the options: Was Zhuang Yi trying to avenge her, or was she trying to eliminate a public menace?

Clearly, it was the former.

“Are you alright today?” Ji Shutao asked suddenly.

“Hmm?” Walking ahead of her, Zhuang Yi turned back in confusion. “What’s wrong?”

“I mean, that illusionary array was so powerful, yet you broke it so easily. Are you okay?”

“Are you praising me?”

Ji Shutao began to doubt if she had expressed herself clearly. However, thanks to Zhuang Yi today, she certainly deserved the praise.

“I am praising you.”

With her eyes curved into smiles, Zhuang Yi headed downstairs.

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