The Demon Lord is My Dark Moonlight [Transmigration Novel] - Chapter 23

The “incident” between Gu Jinli and Shen Chigui came to a halt when the latter, face pale with fury, brushed off her clothes and stormed out.

Nangong Jinyao returned shortly after. Her face was grim, and her entire aura was one of bitterness and defeat—so much so that she didn’t even notice the weird vibe in the room.

“…”

What happened? Gu Jinli felt Jinyao’s eyes lingering on her several times, her expression full of hesitation. Gu Jinli decided to approach her and find out what was wrong.

“W-w-what’s… wr-wrong?”

After weeks of adaptation, she had finally learned how to express herself in short, condensed bursts. In emergencies, she could even force out a few coherent words like “What to eat,” “Asleep yet,” or “What happened.”

It was a monumental leap forward.

“Xiao Wu…”

Looking at the child leaning in with such utter trust, Nangong Jinyao’s heart ached. She instinctively reached out and stroked Gu Jinli’s head. Staring at the young girl, she whispered, “You’re ten years old this year, aren’t you?”

“…”

Ten? I guess so? This body was so malnourished it was hard to tell its age by size alone. Gu Jinli nodded vaguely and pressed: “D-d-did… something h-happen?”

“If you had a chance to leave, Xiao Wu, would you take it?”

It was as if she were asking Gu Jinli, yet also asking herself. Nangong Jinyao didn’t wait for an answer, continuing to murmur: “This village is fine in its own way, but it’s just too poor… so desperately poor.”

“Three months without rain. The fruit in the mountains is dwindling. Every time we fetch water, we have to walk such long, long mountain paths…”

Her rambling voice was thick with bitterness and resignation. Even without knowing the specifics, Gu Jinli knew—based on Jinyao’s expression and the whispers she’d gathered from the other children—that a crisis had arrived.

This village truly was worshipping something. And they, the outsider children, were likely the offerings.

Though it had only been half a month, Gu Jinli had pieced together the situation. This was a bizarre place with no young adults or infants—only the elderly and children. The children were divided into “locals” and “outsiders.” The group in the thatched hut were the outcasts, children abandoned at the village entrance, accepted by the community yet never truly belonging.

Run, Xiao Wu!

While she was lost in thought, Nangong Jinyao suddenly sat up straight. She grabbed Gu Jinli’s arm, her expression grim. “Xiao Wu! You must run away tonight! You know the mountain paths from our foraging trips. This time, run toward the areas we’ve never visited! Just go!”

What?

“…”

Gu Jinli stared at her, stunned. She hadn’t expected the Young Mistress to say something so selfless. Judging by that look of grim determination, the decision had been agonizing.

Why? Why are you telling me to run?

“The village decided to hold another sacrifice in three days. You were chosen as the offering.”

Fearing the child wouldn’t understand the gravity of it, Jinyao whispered the harsh truth: “To be an offering means you will die. Second Sister doesn’t want to see you die. So… run! Leave this place! Escape!”

“Stay alive, Xiao Wu.”

******

Stay alive, Xiao Wu!

In that moment, Nangong Jinyao’s sincere plea made her seem like a truly reliable, heroic elder sister. She pulled a dry, palm-sized wheat cake from her tunic. It was old and slightly blackened, but in this village, it was a rare luxury—enough to last a person several meals. It was clearly Jinyao’s emergency stash, yet she pressed it into Gu Jinli’s hands.

“Take it and go!” Jinyao gritted her teeth, hiding the sorrow in her eyes. “This is the last thing I can do for you.”

“…”

How did things escalate so quickly? Holding the dry cake, Gu Jinli felt dazed. This afternoon they were picking berries; tonight she was a fugitive.

Should I really go? She looked at Jinyao, hesitant, but eventually nodded.

“I-I-I…” I know.

Pointing at the sky, she used her simplified speech to say: “M-m-m… mid-night.” The sun had just set; it was too early. She would leave under the cover of deeper darkness.

“Good. At midnight.” Jinyao stroked her head, feeling a flicker of relief. She knew a stuttering child would struggle to survive alone, but a slim chance was better than the certainty of death. She had done her best for Xiao Wu.

******

Hours passed. Once the other children in the hut were sound asleep, Gu Jinli—prodded by Jinyao—crept to the door.

I’m really doing this…

She swallowed hard, waving Jinyao off to indicate she could handle it. She slipped out, eased the grass door shut, and turned toward the mountain. The moon hung high, bathing the path in a silvery light. She had walked this route dozens of times; even in the dim light, she knew the way.

However, just as she reached the foot of the mountain, a dark shadow lunged from behind a tree and snatched her.

“Little Stutterer, where do you think you’re going?!”

That lazy drawl and the iron-like grip… Gu Jinli didn’t even need to look to know who it was.

“…”

Shit! Someone tell me why Shen Chigui is here?! Her face went pale as she froze.

“L-l-l… let g-go!”

Stuttering out the words, Gu Jinli tried to use her “hand signs” to express her intent. But whether it was the wind, the darkness, or pure malice, Shen Chigui didn’t budge. Instead, she twisted Gu Jinli’s arm behind her back.

Now, with only one hand free, Gu Jinli couldn’t even gesture.

“Y-y-you! Y-y-you…!” Are you toxic?! Struggling fruitlessly against the hold, Gu Jinli’s eyes turned red with fury. She bared her teeth and glared at Shen Chigui as if she wanted to carve her up.

“What? Have something to say?” Shen Chigui light-heartedly laughed. “Not sleeping at midnight, skulking around here like a ghost.”

Skulking? I’m running for my life! Gu Jinli fumed. She was caught before she even touched the mountain, and it was all because of this brat. What are YOU doing out here in the middle of the night?!

“D-d-die!”

Since her arm was pinned, Gu Jinli leaned into the momentum. She threw her entire body weight against the other girl, clinging to her like a piece of wet paper.

“What are you doing?!”

Shen Chigui, unaccustomed to such sudden intimacy, instinctively loosened her grip and stepped back to regain her space. But Gu Jinli was faster. The moment her wrist was free, she latched onto the lead even tighter, wrapping her limbs around her like a vine.

“Y-y-you… g-g-g… go to h-hell!”

Cursing and clinging to the girl of similar height, Gu Jinli effectively neutralized Shen Chigui’s movement. And she didn’t stop there. Realizing she could take Shen Chigui with her, she didn’t hesitate. She began dragging and shoving the lead toward the mountain path.

If she left the lead behind, the brat would definitely blow her cover! She might as well take the trouble with her! Besides, in this illusion, the lead had no special powers—they were on equal footing.

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