The Demon Lord is My Dark Moonlight [Transmigration Novel] - Chapter 27

This was the first time Shen Chigui had held her hand, right? Gu Jinli couldn’t help but steal a few glances, feeling that everything about this was just… off. Was this still Shen Chigui? It felt like she was dreaming.

But then again, wasn’t it a good thing that the female lead had become easier to get along with? Why did she feel so out of place? Was she actually a masochist? No, no, no—she was definitely a sadist. She was convinced.

“Hey.”

While Gu Jinli was lost in her wild daydreams, Shen Chigui, who was pulling her along, suddenly asked: “The thing you said just now… is that my name?”

“Huh?” Gu Jinli didn’t react immediately.

“Shen Chigui.” The girl cleared her throat and spoke succinctly: “That’s probably my name? I heard you call me that.”

Ah… Just now she had been too scared and it had simply slipped out. She had forgotten what a sharp person the lead was. This was bad.

Gu Jinli closed her eyes in frustration and said dryly: “I-I-I guess s-s-so?”

“What do you mean ‘I guess so’?” Ignoring her hesitation, Shen Chigui followed up directly: “What does this name mean?”

What does it mean? A look of blankness flashed in Gu Jinli’s eyes. Anyone else might not know, but as the “Mother,” how could she not? It didn’t mean anything; it just sounded good, so she used it. But she certainly couldn’t say that to the protagonist herself.

Shen Chigui (Late Return).

Chigui… late return… what could it mean?

Brain, work! Make something up! Gu Jinli racked her brain and scratched her head. “I-I-it’s… it’s…” Stuttering for a long while, she finally squeezed out: “W-w-wanting you to f-f-find… a p-p-place to r-r-return to.”

Yes. That was it.

Wanting her to find a place to return to?

“Is that so.” Shen Chigui’s eyelashes fluttered, and she let out a mocking laugh. “I don’t like this name.” It didn’t suit her at all.

Gu Jinli: “?”

*****

Under Shen Chigui’s lead, Gu Jinli finally arrived beneath the pear tree outside the courtyard. The tree was incredibly thick and lush; from a distance, it carried a sense of sacredness. Should I expect any less from a tree guarding an enshrinement site?

“Y-y-you mean… w-w-we’re p-p-climbing from here?” Just looking at the rough bark made her arms ache. Gu Jinli’s face was full of reluctance. “I-I-I w-w-won’t!” she protested strongly.

“We go from here.” Shen Chigui let go of her hand. Without another word, she leaped up and scaled the trunk with ease. She was as nimble as a monkey.

“Hurry up.” Shen Chigui found a fork in the branches to sit on and looked down, urging the person below: “You climbed just fine yesterday.” When she had picked up Gu Jinli outside yesterday, she had seen that she’d escaped the courtyard by climbing. Why couldn’t she do it now?

“I! Am! H-h-hurt!” Gu Jinli declared firmly, backing away with a look of horror. Yesterday was different; she was forced to do it to save her life. Now, the wounds on her arms were still raw and stinging. How was she supposed to climb?

Shen Chigui: “…”

Acting spoiled again?

Seeing that Gu Jinli was truly unwilling to come up, Shen Chigui sat on the branch and thought for a moment before jumping back down.

“Come here.” She turned around with a frown and barked: “Only this once.”

Huh? Once what? Gu Jinli didn’t quite catch on.

“?” Seeing no movement from her for a while, Shen Chigui’s expression stiffened, and she added stiffly: “Hurry! I’ll carry you up.” She even bent her back slightly.

Suddenly, Gu Jinli understood everything. “Y-y-you’re… c-c-carrying me?!”

This was… truly surprising. She couldn’t help but ask: “W-w-why?”

This didn’t fit the female lead’s personality at all! Why would she want to carry her? It would have been more “on brand” to come down and give her a few kicks.

“So many questions!” Shen Chigui turned her head and shot her an impatient look. “Stop wasting time! I’ve never seen someone as delicate as you! It’s a miracle you’ve lived this long!”

Gu Jinli: “…”

Ah, much better. That poisonous tongue confirmed it was definitely the female lead.

To be honest, this was the first time she had ever been so physically intimate with anyone, but the moment she remembered this person was Shen Chigui, Gu Jinli’s heart couldn’t help but race.

See, the female lead is way cuter when she’s lost her memory!

She actually knows how to care for people now!

Even though her tongue was still sharp, she was far gentler than her “real-world” self.

******

Even carrying another person, Shen Chigui remained agile enough to scale the branches. She gauged the height and gave Gu Jinli a quick upward jostle to steady her. “I’m going to jump now,” she said. “If you fall off, I won’t be coming back for you.”

Oh. So that was code for “hold on tight,” right? Gu Jinli understood.

She tightened her arms around the girl’s neck, pressing her body flush against the lead’s back until there wasn’t a gap left between them. Not stopping there, she hooked her legs around the girl’s waist like a vine, clinging to Shen Chigui from head to toe.

“You…”

This level of close contact was a first for Shen Chigui as well. Although she had witnessed Gu Jinli’s “clinginess” at the foot of the mountain before, this skin-on-skin proximity was a serious challenge to her patience. Her entire body went stiff.

Forget it. Now isn’t the time to be picky.

Gritting her teeth, Shen Chigui channeled that awkward energy into a spring-loaded leap, jumping from the pear tree directly onto the top of the courtyard wall.

“…”

Whoa! That was awesome! Gu Jinli felt a rush of adrenaline from the jump. It turns out that as long as she wasn’t the one doing the physical labor, this was actually fun! Shen Chigui really was the protagonist—look at that arm strength, that endurance, and that explosive jumping power. For a fleeting second, she could feel the girl’s core muscles tighten beneath her; it was pure power. She was so envious.

Shen Chigui didn’t linger on the wall. She dropped nimbly into the courtyard, and Gu Jinli landed with her.

“S-s-so… s-so cool!”

The lead’s movements were so light that Gu Jinli barely felt a bump. The praise escaped her lips before she could stop it. But the second the words landed, Shen Chigui seemed to snap out of a trance. She grabbed Gu Jinli and yanked her off her back without a word.

The speed was so sudden that a startled Gu Jinli nearly faceplanted, barely bracing herself at the last second. “Y-y-you! W-w-what was that for?!”

Back to being a psycho for no reason. I should never have expected better from her! Gu Jinli dusted herself off, her expression turning into a pout.

Shen Chigui ignored the questioning. Now that they were inside, her focus shifted entirely to the main hall—specifically, the solitary Golden Buddha. When they were tied up here before, she had observed it but saw nothing out of the ordinary. However, recalling what the stutterer had said, her pace quickened as she headed inside.

Seeing the lead march into the hall without a word, Gu Jinli immediately shut up. The horrors she had faced here were still fresh in her mind; being back was terrifying. She finally realized she was truly back in the lion’s den.

“B-b-be… b-be careful.”

Seeing the lead walk straight toward the Buddha, Gu Jinli—who didn’t even dare look at the statue’s face—felt a mix of anxiety and dread. She hesitated in the courtyard for a long time before finally, slowly creeping in after her.

“It definitely moved.”

Shen Chigui had climbed onto the pedestal in the dark, giving the Buddha a swift inspection. She noticed uneven patches around its base. She crouched and touched a sticky residue; though dried, there was no mistaking the texture. It was blood. Gu Jinli’s story was true.

So… this Golden Buddha really could move?

“C-c-come… c-come down, quickly!”

Just watching the lead’s bold movements made her skin crawl. Even if the Buddha wasn’t moving now, Gu Jinli knew exactly what it looked like when it did! From the moment she stepped into this room, her heart had been in her throat. She was like a bird startled by a bowstring, flinching at every shadow.

“We’re already here, what are you afraid of?” Shen Chigui wiped her hands to get rid of the stickiness and stood up, walking a slow circle around the statue. She was observing something specific.

“W-w-what did you f-f-find?”

Trembling, Gu Jinli shuffled from the door to the pedestal. She kept her head down, but gritted her teeth and climbed up. She was the one who had to find the Gate of Life; she had to pull herself together. This was a rare chance to investigate. The exit had to be here.

Shen Chigui watched the girl’s slow, agonizing approach but didn’t speak. She simply pointed at the Buddha’s feet.

What is it?

It was deep night, and with no moon, searching a small room in the dark was difficult. To see what the lead was pointing at, Gu Jinli ignored her fear and leaned in, her face almost pressed against the base. After a few heartbeats, she saw lines etched into the dark pedestal.

Are these marks from the statue moving?

Gu Jinli instinctively reached out to touch them. Ugh. The texture… so gross. But…

“This is…”

Suppressing the nausea from the dried blood, Gu Jinli’s fingers traced the marks. As she followed the line, her expression grew serious.

It felt like… a seam? No, in a place like this, it was more like a cabinet door.

“Let’s go,” Shen Chigui said after completing the circuit. She jumped down from the pedestal and looked at Gu Jinli. “We’ll come back after daybreak.”

“…”

Right! It was pitch black; they couldn’t see anything clearly. If they wanted to know what was hidden there, daytime was better. This place definitely held a secret.

Because her attention had been occupied by the discovery, Gu Jinli found she wasn’t as afraid anymore. She stood up to follow the lead. But as she rose, she instinctively looked up—directly into the face of the Golden Buddha she had been avoiding.

In an instant, her brain felt like it exploded. She performed a frantic somersault off the pedestal and charged straight at the lead with unprecedented speed.

“It m-m-moved! It m-m-moved!”

She wrapped herself around the girl again, clinging to her like a vine. It was as if, in her eyes, the female lead was the only thing more powerful than the monster.

Shen Chigui, now a human coat rack again: “…”

I really should have left her behind. She’s so good at pushing her luck.

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