The Demon Lord is My Dark Moonlight [Transmigration Novel] - Chapter 9

How could it be the only chance?

Gu Jinli’s brow furrowed as she realized something was horribly wrong. She immediately interrogated the System.

[Didn’t I get one save every 24 hours?! Why can I only load the file once?!]

She demanded a verification of her special rewards, insisting on seeing the original gift logs.

[Retrieving data…]

[Your Special Reward: Save Slot (Cooldown: 24 hours, Loads: 1)]

Cooldown 24 hours, Loads: 1…

Wait. That “1” next to the load count was way too casual! If you weren’t paying close attention, you’d never notice it—it was tiny, shriveled up, and crammed right against the parenthesis. Who on earth would spot that?!

Gu Jinli’s psychological defense crumbled. The safety net she had been relying on was a total illusion; a grown adult’s breakdown really only takes a single second.

[Host, you possess an immortal body.]

Perhaps sensing that her soul had turned to ash, the System offered a rare, almost human-like reminder. But it was worse than useless.

Gu Jinli collapsed internally, screaming at the System: [I’m immortal, but I still feel pain!]

Strictly speaking, her “immortality” only kicked in after her life was actually threatened. She had to reach a near-death state to trigger the resurrection. But what if she wasn’t dying? What if she was just being tortured without her life being in danger?

She’d have to suffer through every bit of it. Gu Jinli was terrified of pain—she always had been. Since arriving in this world, she had suffered more than she had in her entire life. Framed, stabbed, killed, stepped on… she had already been in agony countless times without even realizing it.

“Big Sister?”

Noticing that Gu Jinli’s mood was off, Shen Chigui narrowed her eyes and stopped in her tracks. They were less than three meters apart, giving her a perfect view of the other’s shifting expressions. She watched Gu Jinli go from shock to collapse to a state of total “soul-ascending” despair. Her face was a regular kaleidoscope of misery.

“Stop acting… you just want to kill me anyway…”

Gu Jinli closed her eyes peacefully and started spamming the System in her mind.

[I don’t care, this is fraud! You have to give me compensation!!]

[If you don’t compensate me, I’m never letting this go! You don’t want me buzzing in your ear all day, do you?!]

“Hmm?”

Seeing Gu Jinli’s expression turn practically feral, Shen Chigui raised an eyebrow. “How could that be? I couldn’t bear to kill you, Big Sister.”

“What ‘couldn’t bear’? You just want to torture me!”

While screaming at the System, Gu Jinli didn’t miss the lead’s denial. She rolled her eyes and snapped, “As if I don’t know you! You’re toxic!”

If she had known she only had one do-over, she never would have exposed herself so recklessly! At the very least, she would have kept her immortality a secret. Now, this girl knew everything! From now on, she wouldn’t even get the mercy of a quick death.

“What is wrong with her?”

Before Nangong Jinyao could even make a move, she watched as the other maid seemingly lost her mind. She gripped her whip, unsure whether to swing it or not. The atmosphere was just… weird.

“Big Sister, don’t slander me.”

Truthfully, Shen Chigui was also curious. Gu Jinli’s sudden “madness” had caught her off guard. She had intended to settle the score, but her prey seemed to have snapped before she even touched her. This left her feeling a bit unsatisfied.

“How could I torture you? I like you the most…”

“Shut up! You’re not allowed to like me!”

Gu Jinli took a deep breath and blurted out, “Everyone you like dies. It’s bad luck!”

Shen Chigui: “…”

*****

Gu Jinli’s sudden outburst briefly stalled the conflict between the Young Mistress and the lead. Since her mood had been ruined, Nangong Jinyao coiled her whip in disgust and summoned her servants to get these two out of her sight.

“Take them away and watch them closely!”

She pointed at the two of them and added a specific instruction: “Lock them in together!”

Before they were led off, she straightened her dress and threw a final word at Shen Chigui. “I’ll settle the score with you tomorrow!”

*****

Considering Shen Chigui was to stay with Gu Jinli, the servants arranged for them to share a courtyard. The City Lord’s Manor had no shortage of space, especially empty courtyards near the Young Mistress’s quarters.

“Prepare some hot water for us.”

Supporting the dazed Gu Jinli into the room, Shen Chigui ordered the servants to bring water. Although they had been cleaned earlier under the Steward’s orders, Shen Chigui felt “unclean”—everything felt filthy to her.

“…”

Gu Jinli sat silently in a chair, her face grim. She didn’t say a word for a long time.

After a long walk of “calm reflection,” she had slowly begun to accept the situation. One do-over was better than none, after all. Plus, through her relentless bickering with the System, she had managed to squeeze out a small compensation.

The System had agreed to lower her pain sensitivity. For someone with an immortal body, that was far more valuable than a save file.

“Big Sister?”

Seeing the vacant look in Gu Jinli’s eyes return to its usual luster, Shen Chigui, who had been sitting opposite her for quite some time, continued her observation.

She found herself understanding this person less and less. Compared to all the previous Task-takers, Gu Jinli was truly an anomaly. She didn’t just seem to know everything about Shen Chigui; she understood Nangong Jinyao just as intimately.

How very interesting.

******

After a long, satisfying soak in a hot bath, Gu Jinli’s mind had finally found peace.

She felt like she’d truly turned a disaster into a blessing. After all, compared to a single save file, losing her sense of pain was exactly what she needed right now. No pain, no death—she was practically invincible.

With her biggest worry solved, Gu Jinli’s mood soared. By the end of her bath, she was even humming a little tune.

“Big Sister seems to be in high spirits.”

Shen Chigui pushed the door open and walked in, carrying a bundle of fresh clothes. Her long hair was damp and draped over her shoulders; she had clearly finished her own bath not long ago.

“Ack! What are you doing in here?!”

Startled out of her private ‘spa’ moment, Gu Jinli instinctively crossed her arms over her chest and sank deeper into the wooden tub.

“You didn’t even knock!”

“Is Big Sister shy? I only came in to bring your clothes.”

Placing the laundry on a nearby rack, Shen Chigui glanced at the tub with a look of genuine confusion. “We are both women. What is there to be shy about?”

True, they were both girls. But…

“That’s different!”

Gu Jinli shrank further into the water, her face flushing—though whether from the heat or the embarrassment, it was hard to tell.

“Just get out!” she urged.

Gu Jinli wasn’t used to having another person around while bathing. Back in her school dormitory days, she’d always wait until everyone else was finished before taking her turn. After figuring out her own sexual orientation, she became even more uncomfortable with others present.

If the lead were truly just nine years old, it might be fine, but the problem was that she was clearly a Reborn—an adult soul just like herself. It was only natural for Gu Jinli to feel awkward.

“Fine, Big Sister.”

Having no idea what the other was so flustered about, Shen Chigui twisted the damp ends of her hair. As she stepped out the door, she cast one last glance back at Gu Jinli.

Hmm.

She does seem a bit fairer than me.

Is that why she’s shy?

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