The Demon Lord is My Dark Moonlight [Transmigration Novel] - Chapter 6

When faced with danger, dig a hole and bury yourself. This was likely the most bizarre maneuver among all transmigrators and task-takers in history—a league of its own.

Yet, because of this very move, Gu Jinli actually managed to “lie” her way into the final circle.

Starting from the fourth day, the situation in the courtyard had reached a fever pitch. The sudden increase in exotic and demonic beasts was overwhelming. The final day was even more extreme; even monsters with human appearances and intelligence were released into the fray. Their arrival pushed the chaos to its absolute peak.

Those still breathing in the courtyard were no longer just lucky; they were either exceptionally strong, incredibly cunning, or possessed of some specialized ability. None of them were to be trifled with.

Finally, the moment of revelation arrived. On the evening of the seventh day, the City Lord’s Head Steward, flanked by several attendants, pushed open the gates and stepped into the courtyard, which now reeked of iron and rot.

“How many are left alive?”

Holding his nose at the entrance, the Steward did a quick sweep and got his answer.

“Not bad this time. Four survivors.”

Gazing at the four figures slumped in the corners—so caked in blood that their original races were indistinguishable—the Steward narrowed his eyes and beckoned the men behind him.

“Quickly, take these four down and get them cleaned up.”

Every three months, the “Gu Kings” screened from this slaughter would earn an audience with the City Lord. They would sign a soul contract to become part of his elite forces, serving until their last breath. This was how the City Lord and the Great Clans maintained their power; survivors of such environments were one-in-a-million elites. Moreover, with four survivors coinciding with the Young Lord’s birthday, the City Lord would surely be pleased.

Just as he was thinking this, the Steward watched as two slender shadows emerged from behind the building in the southwest corner. As the tall and short figures drew closer, their malnourished, frail appearances were laid bare for everyone to see.

Such spindly girls looked like they could be crushed with a single hand. They didn’t look like victors of this game. Yet, inexplicably, they were alive.

“Careful, Big Sister.”

Forcefully dragging a clearly reluctant Gu Jinli, Shen Chigui offered a sweet, considerate reminder as they walked: “There are bits of flesh everywhere on the ground. It’s very dirty.”

Dirty? She has the nerve to say that?

The two of them were currently covered in dust from being buried, but it was painfully obvious they hadn’t been through the “baptism” of slaughter. In an environment like this, appearing unscathed was a death wish for drawing aggro!

Thinking of this, Gu Jinli felt like weeping. She hissed through gritted teeth, “If you want to come out, come out by yourself! Why are you dragging me into this!”

In the original plot, the nine-year-old lead—who hadn’t yet awakened her bloodline—also used a few tricks to “stay low” until the end. Fortunately, there were five spots available, so while the Steward was surprised, he didn’t care enough to interfere. It was only after leaving this courtyard that the lead’s legendary life truly began.

But now… there were only five spots, and now there were six living people. One didn’t even need to think to know what would happen next. Gu Jinli felt a deep, soul-shattering exhaustion.

“Don’t worry, Big Sister.”

As if seeing through her fear, Shen Chigui’s grip on her arm didn’t loosen an inch.

“I like Big Sister very much. I will definitely protect you,” she said.

She looked so cheerful, as if she actually had the power to back up her words. Anyone else might have been fooled, but as her “Mother,” Gu Jinli knew exactly what the lead’s combat value was at this stage: she was a devious little brat who knew how to play people but couldn’t win a fair fight to save her life. If she didn’t throw Gu Jinli out to die first, it would be a miracle of mercy.

“…”

Forget it, whatever!

Anyway, Gu Jinli had secretly saved a new file last night. If things got too hairy, she’d just reload and make a run for it earlier. She was strictly against enduring non-human torture! The lead knowing about her special constitution was one thing—the girl would just use it for her own schemes—but if the others found out, she’d be destined for the dissecting table.

*****

“So, what is the meaning of this?”

Seeing two extra people appear, the Steward narrowed his eyes, and the smile on his face chilled.

“The City Lord said he only needs five people. Since there is an extra one now, it means the game isn’t over yet.”

“You lot decide amongst yourselves who stays.”

Tossing out those words, the Steward and his attendants retreated to the gate, looking ready to leave at a moment’s notice.

“Damn it!”

The victor in the southwest corner was the angriest. He had fought and bled for days, finally reaching the end of this hellhole, only to find people had been hiding right under his nose. It was a slap to his pride.

Staring fixedly at the two frail shadows, his eyes turned bloodshot as he hefted his axe and charged toward them. He would kill these two himself to claim his final victory!

“Big Sister, someone is coming.”

Detecting the movement out of the corner of her eye, Shen Chigui’s expression remained unchanged. She suddenly asked with curiosity, “If a fight really breaks out, will Big Sister help me?”

She paused for a beat, not waiting for a reply before continuing, “You probably will, right? Even though you dislike me, you’re a kind person. You won’t just leave me behind, will you?”

This monologue made Gu Jinli speechless. She looked down at her arm, which was still firmly trapped by the girl’s grip, and said with a twitching lip, “Maybe you should let go before asking that. It would make it feel a bit more authentic.”

“How could Big Sister say that?”

Turning a deaf ear to the request, Shen Chigui’s ability to ignore others had clearly reached a legendary level. As the axe-wielding man drew closer, Gu Jinli’s face turned white with terror. She had no doubt the lead would push her out. Her survival instinct kicked in, and she began to struggle; her nails dug into the back of the lead’s hand as her body began to shake uncontrollably.

Even if she couldn’t die… she was still terrified of the pain!

“Would Big Sister die for me?”

Her hand remained like a vice, letting Gu Jinli pinch and twist her skin without flinching. As if oblivious to the approaching threat, she stared unblinkingly at Gu Jinli, her expression so tender it was hair-raising.

“Let me go!”

“Do you want to die? If you want to die, don’t take me with you!”

“!!”

Heaven help me! Is she actually insane?! Gu Jinli was frantic, but upon catching the mocking, expectant look in the lead’s eyes, she suddenly went cold with realization.

Finally, she understood.

To this person, her struggles and desperation were nothing more than a hilarious comedy. In a world where facts were already set in stone, what did the victim’s thoughts matter?

She had been discarded long ago.

“I won’t die for you.”

Gu Jinli had never felt so calm. Staring into those beautiful, cold eyes, she sneered, “But I don’t exactly have a choice, do I?”

“You can send me to my death, but don’t expect me to go willingly.”

From the moment the System chose her to be a Task-taker, she had truly been stripped of choice. But at the very least, her heart was her own. Even if she couldn’t resist fate, and even if she were fragile enough for anyone to crush, her soul remained free.

She would compromise, but she would never deceive herself.

“No need to argue! You can both go to hell!”

The man charging toward them let out a furious laugh upon hearing them discuss who would die. These two rats, who had been hiding heaven knows where, were so weak he could crush them with one hand—and yet they naively thought they could survive? The mere thought that they had been watching from the shadows while he fought for his life felt like a personal insult.

“Big Sister is so honest.”

Sensing the shift in Gu Jinli’s mood, Shen Chigui’s expression flattened as she looked into those transparent, easily-read eyes. It was this Task-taker who had come to provoke her… yet she wore an expression as if she were the one being wronged.

How annoying.

Shen Chigui tilted her head slightly to evade the man’s attack. She was in a foul mood and saw no further reason to hide her hand.

It wasn’t clear exactly what she did, but the man—who had been wearing a look of utter contempt—suddenly gasped. His face contorted. It was as if an invisible hand had clamped around his throat; his body was hoisted into the air, legs kicking fruitlessly as he struggled against nothingness.

“You want to kill me?”

The airy words were directed at her attacker, but her eyes never left Gu Jinli.

“You aren’t qualified.”

With a sickening, sharp crack, Gu Jinli didn’t need to look to know the man was dead.

This was Shen Chigui’s signature ability: the power to seize air and condense it into invisible blades or chains. But this was a skill she was supposed to develop only after cultivating Ghost Qi. It shouldn’t be happening now. Not here. Not yet.

“You!”

Gu Jinli’s eyes filled with horror. She stared at the young girl, speechless.

What is going on?!

[System! Why does nine-year-old Shen Chigui have this ability?! The plot is completely broken!]

[Answer me! What’s happening?!]

[System is currently in Idle Mode. Host, please explore on your own.]

After screaming internally for ages only to receive a non-answer, Gu Jinli’s face turned grim. She had a terrible premonition. Was it possible the lead… had also been transmigrated into? No, looking at how she used Ghost Qi, it was more likely a Rebirth.

Lord help me. Gu Jinli wanted to cry. A nine-year-old lead was hard enough, but now she was being told this was a “max-level account” in a “starter-level body.” There was truly no way out.

“Let’s go, Big Sister.”

Having disposed of the nuisance, Shen Chigui glanced at Gu Jinli and was taken aback by her ghastly complexion. “What’s wrong with you? Your face is terrible.”

A moment’s thought gave her the answer, and Shen Chigui found it amusing. Hadn’t this person just been so “unyielding”? Her “death before dishonor” act had almost touched Shen Chigui’s heart. What was this now? Deathbed regret?

“Don’t worry, Big Sister,” Shen Chigui chirped with a sweet, good-natured smile. “I won’t let you die so easily.”

“After all, if you die, I won’t have anyone left to play with~”

A Task-taker this interesting… she naturally wanted to keep her around for a long, long time.

Gu Jinli: “…”

Well, gee, thanks a lot!

*****

With one person dead, the numbers were exactly right.

As they were led out of the courtyard, Gu Jinli felt like she was floating. She allowed the attendants to take her to a room within the City Lord’s Manor to be cleaned up. The five victors were to meet the City Lord, so they were temporarily separated. Shen Chigui was led away, leaving Gu Jinli alone for a rare moment of peace.

“You can all go. I’ll wash myself.”

Dismissing the maidservants, Gu Jinli sat in a chair and stared into space for a long time. She ran through every possible ending, and none of them looked good. But as the saying goes: Soldiers come, meet them with generals; water comes, block it with earth. Things had come to this; she could only take it one step at a time.

If she remembered correctly, the next plot point involved the City Lord assigning Shen Chigui to his daughter as a personal maid and bodyguard because of her looks and talent. This move was the catalyst for the eventual downfall of the Manor.

Standing before a bronze mirror, Gu Jinli studied her reflection. Her face wasn’t as breathtakingly exquisite as the lead’s, but it was soft and pretty enough. If she were just a maid, it shouldn’t be an issue. She was, after all, a survivor of the “Hunting Match.”

The City Lord chose the lead for his daughter because she was a rare talent. Well, I can do that too! One maid or two, what’s the difference? While the Young Mistress was picky, eccentric, and loved to beat the lead, it was still safer than being sent out to the front lines to kill. Survival was the priority.

*****

An hour later, the group gathered in the main hall. They arrived just as a group of bettors was leaving—some joyful, some grieving. Gu Jinli recalled that the City Lord made a fortune on these matches. This time was especially profitable thanks to Shen Chigui’s unexpected “interference” at the end. That was likely why the City Lord was willing to overlook her “dishonorable” survival.

“You have arrived.”

The City Lord, a middle-aged man who looked to be in his thirties, sat in the high seat sipping tea. He had ruled for five years and was known as one of the most ruthless men in the city.

The Steward stepped forward and whispered the results and the backgrounds of the survivors into the City Lord’s ear. He had spent the last hour investigating them thoroughly.

“I see.” The City Lord stroked his beard. “If there are no issues, let us begin.”

With a wave of the Steward’s hand, five scrolls shimmering with golden light floated out of his sleeve and drifted before the survivors. Gu Jinli stared at the contract with a heavy heart. A Soul Contract—specifically, an incredibly unfair Master-Servant bond. Once signed, their lives would no longer belong to them. It was how the City Lord ensured absolute loyalty.

Just as Gu Jinli was steeling herself to bite her finger and sign her life away, the girl beside her stepped forward.

“Wait.”

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