The Demon Lord is My Dark Moonlight [Transmigration Novel] - Chapter 16

After a rare good night’s sleep, Gu Jinli stretched—and immediately realized something was wrong. There was something in her arms.

“Shit!”

It was Shen Chigui! Her brain finally caught up; last night the lead had a high fever, she helped cool her down, and then she’d fallen asleep from exhaustion. Which meant she had cuddled the lead all night!

She hasn’t woken up yet, right? She peeked down through half-closed eyes, only to meet Shen Chigui’s expressionless face and chilly gaze.

Game over. She’s awake.

“Listen to me,” Gu Jinli blurted out, her first instinct being to push the girl away and explain loudly: “You fainted with a fever last night! I was just helping you!”

She was worried the lead would think she had some untoward intentions. She might have had thoughts before, but she hadn’t acted on them, right? Shen Chigui had screwed her over many times, but she did save her yesterday. One thing at a time; she still wanted the brat to rot and would definitely seek revenge, but she wouldn’t take advantage of her like that. That was her principle.

“I know.”

Shen Chigui stood up with the momentum of the push, glancing at Gu Jinli with a flat tone. ” I have eyes. I can see for myself.”

Gu Jinli: “?”

Wait, what’s with that tone?

“Since you’re awake, Big Sister, let’s get to work.”

Shen Chigui tilted her chin toward the space behind them. They were in the oasis, and though it was withered, many structures remained. The darkness of night had hidden the layout, but now that the sun was up, Gu Jinli realized that the “weathered stones” she saw last night were actually rows of tombstones.

“Let me take a look.”

Why on earth are there tombstones here?

Gu Jinli walked over and examined them, only to find that every gravestone was carved with text. The script was incredibly complex, resembling traditional Chinese characters but far more archaic and difficult to decipher.

“Shen Chigui, come check this out. Do you recognize these characters?”

Considering the female lead was a “Reborn,” Gu Jinli guessed she might be able to read them.

“I don’t.”

Shen Chigui didn’t even bother walking over. She stood where she was, smoothing out her rumpled clothes, and stated expressionlessly: “I’m illiterate.”

“Huh? You’re illiterate?”

The future Great Demon Venerable can’t read?

Gu Jinli looked at her with total disbelief. That shouldn’t be possible.

“You should ask yourself that.” Shen Chigui let out a cold snort and added snidely, “Aren’t you the one claiming to be my Creator?”

Gu Jinli: “…”

Oh, right.

It seemed she had indeed forgotten to specifically add a “literacy” skill to the female lead’s profile. Or rather, she had simply defaulted to the assumption that a protagonist would naturally be able to read, so she hadn’t bothered to write it in.

But thinking about it carefully, given the lead’s childhood history and environment, she truly never had an opportunity to sit down and learn to read.

“Uh… let me go look elsewhere.”

Feeling her own plot-hole boomerang right back into her forehead, Gu Jinli scratched the back of her head and beat a hasty retreat.

The oasis wasn’t very large, and she finished exploring it quickly. Aside from the area around the central lake, Gu Jinli found tombstones and the ruins of a collapsed ancient city scattered everywhere.

Clearly, this had once been a town of significant size, but it had been wiped out by some unknown disaster. Judging by the remaining traces, Gu Jinli could still see signs of its former prosperity and civilization.

What a waste.

With a slight sigh, she reported all her findings to Shen Chigui.

“There used to be a town here built into the oasis. When the town fell, the oasis gradually withered and died along with it.”

“I haven’t seen anything else of note. We can rest here for a couple of days before heading out.”

Although the oasis was dead, the ruins of the town provided excellent shelter from the wind and sand. After days of frantic trekking, finding a place like this felt like a rare luxury for recovery.

“No.”

Shen Chigui shook her head in refusal. She looked toward the distant horizon and said, “We must set out this afternoon and reach the Crystal Tower as quickly as possible.”

Unlike the others who could use magic or fly on swords, the two of them were measuring the earth with their own two feet. While they hadn’t wasted time on detours, their inability to cover thousands of miles in a day was their biggest disadvantage. They would easily be left behind. They had to travel day and night just to ensure they didn’t fall too far out of step.

Last night’s rest plus this morning was already the limit.

“…”

I knew it.

Gu Jinli let out a heavy sigh, though she wasn’t surprised. She knew exactly what the lead was thinking. The Crystal Tower was her own design; she knew how difficult it would be to navigate. Honestly, getting that natal sword required a fair bit of luck.

Now that the plot was completely scrambled and the “butterfly effect” had flapped its wings a thousand times, she could understand why the lead was so anxious.

After one last thorough check of the oasis to ensure nothing was missed, the two set off while it was still early. Along the way, they killed a desert lizard lurking near the dry lakebed and enjoyed a hearty meal.

“How much longer until we get there~?”

Gu Jinli gripped a withered branch she’d scavenged from the oasis, using it like a crutch, poking the sand with every step. Ever since the quicksand incident, she had become much more cautious. With the staff scouting the path ahead, she could avoid both hidden monsters and sand pits perfectly.

“Almost.”

It was currently the hottest part of the day; the desert temperature could reach over forty degrees Celsius. The yellow sand, baked by the blazing sun, reflected a stifling heat. Without a single patch of shade, the two of them were subjected to a full-scale heatwave.

“We’ve covered more than half the distance,” Shen Chigui said, her voice raspy as she wiped sweat from her brow. “Five days at most.”

“Your voice…”

Hearing how her tone had changed, Gu Jinli knew the girl’s illness hadn’t actually improved. She instinctively reached into her pocket and felt her parched, empty water flask.

“I’m fine.” Shen Chigui pursed her dry lips, reading the gesture and declining the unspoken offer. “Just remember to collect some dew tomorrow morning.”

Their water was nearly gone. Lately, they had survived by rationing the water in the storage pouch and supplementing it with the condensation of morning dew. In the desert, no water meant death.

“I know.”

Gu Jinli scanned the horizon, searching for a sign of life. Usually, in the desert, where there is green, there is water. But in all these days, they had only seen a few cacti on the third day, which they’d cut and stored. Gu Jinli had tried a piece; the taste was… complicated.

“Look over there!”

Reaching the top of a dune, Shen Chigui spotted a pile of rocks standing in the center of the desert. Such rock formations were rare out here, and seeing one usually meant they could finally catch their breath.

“Awesome!”

Gu Jinli’s eyes lit up. Shaking off her fatigue, she gripped her staff and sprinted forward. Because she was moving too fast, she accidentally lost her footing on the dune and went rolling down like a log until she hit the bottom.

“…”

How does this woman never learn?

Watching the entire process from behind, Shen Chigui’s lip twitched with a mixture of exasperation and resignation.

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