The Villainous Demon Lord’s Handbook for Success: Rebirth - Chapter 15

The shadow vanished around the street corner in an instant. Ning Fuyi stood frozen for a second before bolting toward the spot.

“Yiyi! Where are you going?” Behind her, Liu Wenzhu looked back anxiously. Finally, unable to remain at ease, she hiked up her skirt and followed Ning Fuyi with large strides.

The two ran across two streets before Ning Fuyi finally stopped. She ducked behind a pile of baskets in a corner, peeking out secretly.

“What are you looking at?” Liu Wenzhu whispered as she came to a quiet halt.

Ning Fuyi’s eyes were fixed forward. The white shadow from moments ago was now surrounded by several burly men. One of them cursed in a language Ning Fuyi didn’t understand, then grabbed the creature by the scruff of its neck and hoisted it up.

“Little thing sure can run. Run again! Go on, run!” Another man swung a long whip, lashing it several times. The creature let out a series of shrill whimpers. The sound was so piercing that Liu Wenzhu’s eyes immediately reddened, and she indignantly grabbed Ning Fuyi’s wrist.

“Is that a puppy? How can they lay a hand on such a small dog!” Liu Wenzhu had always been soft-hearted and couldn’t bear to see weak things bullied. She was about to rush forward when Ning Fuyi stopped her.

“Wait,” Ning Fuyi said. Although her voice trembled slightly and her heart was a whirlwind of emotions, she remained calm. “These people are from Dongyue. Their tribesmen have traversed mountain forests to hunt beasts since childhood; they are notoriously ruthless. Moreover, their cultivation levels are clearly above the Transformation Realm. If the two of us use force, we are absolutely no match.”

Liu Wenzhu squeezed Ning Fuyi’s hand. She couldn’t help but look at her friend; the girl’s side profile carried its usual youthful air, yet for some reason, she sounded unnervingly composed.

It was as if a girl who had always needed protection had grown up overnight.

Liu Wenzhu hesitated before asking, “Yiyi, you seem to recognize it.”

The puppy before them, barely an arm’s length, was covered in mud and blood. It looked like a tattered doll, a miserable sight. At a glance, one could tell it was the most ordinary mortal dog with not a shred of spiritual power. The only thing that could be called special was the black pattern on its tail, winding from the base to the tip.

In the cultivation world, such animals were usually raised or captured to serve as fodder for spiritual beasts.

Ning Fuyi said nothing. She didn’t want to lie to Liu Wenzhu, but she didn’t know how to explain it either.

“His name is Ping’an,” Ning Fuyi answered.

A Ping’an—Peace—who was anything but peaceful. He was also the last living thing to accompany her in her previous life. Before that, although Ning Fuyi had practiced the demonic path, her nature hadn’t been completely eroded by hatred; she still possessed some sense of good and evil.

That was until the little white dog, who usually only knew how to eat and sleep, used his tiny body to block a heavy sword infused with the immortal power of thousands. After that, she no longer cared for good or evil.

That night, she recklessly stormed the Six Great Sects alone while thunder rolled across the Four Seas and Eight Desolations. She sat atop the Kunlun Tower for three days holding Ping’an’s cold, tiny body. For a full month afterward, lightning and thunder flashed within a thousand miles, and a black haze blotted out the sun.

From then on, the Six Realms gave her a title: The God-Slaying Demon.

“Ping’an,” Liu Wenzhu’s voice broke Ning Fuyi’s reverie. She repeated the name thoughtfully. “Then what should we do?”

“Follow them,” Ning Fuyi tilted her chin.

The men had put the puppy into an iron cage and were heading back the way they came. Ning Fuyi and Liu Wenzhu quickly activated invisibility talismans, held their breath against the wall, and waited for them to pass before reappearing to follow.

The men stopped at the most bustling main street. The road was wide enough for dozens of palanquins to pass side-by-side, but currently, both sides were lined with vendors. With all the spiritual tools and beasts on display, even the widest road felt cramped.

The vendor taking up the most space was the Dongyue group. Over a dozen profound iron cages, several meters tall, sat on the ground. They held many spiritual beasts, but most were injured and huddled weakly in corners.

Occasionally, passersby would glance at them, shake their heads, and walk away.

The lead burly man set the cage with the puppy aside and lashed the profound iron cages with his whip. The ear-piercing sound provoked the spiritual beasts inside, and they began pacing agitatedly.

“Spiritual beasts gather the essence of heaven and earth; they are pure beings. The Liu family raises many, but I’ve never seen a scene like this. They are too much,” Liu Wenzhu said. Raised in a wealthy household, she was innocent and was only now witnessing the world’s cruelty.

“It has always been this way; such is human nature,” Ning Fuyi said softly. She took Liu Wenzhu’s hand and stopped in front of the cages as if they were just passing by.

Seeing customers arrive, the Dongyue men immediately changed their faces, welcoming them with smiles. “The two young ladies don’t have contracted beasts yet, do you? These are all mid-level spiritual beasts freshly hunted from Tongchuan. Take a look; if you fancy one, the price is negotiable.”

Ning Fuyi looked around expressionlessly, even staring at a Black Bird for a moment, before walking past the iron cages and stopping by the ordinary cage.

“Miss, that one isn’t…” The Dongyue man started to explain, but Ning Fuyi interrupted him.

“This creature is rather special.” Ning Fuyi’s eyes widened. she crouched down and waved at the puppy. The puppy whimpered and hid deep in the cage.

These people had traveled the world for years. If she didn’t make them feel they were getting a good deal, they would surely become suspicious and wouldn’t sell the puppy to her easily.

The Dongyue men exchanged glances, seeing the disdain in each other’s eyes. These two girls were wearing Yunjisun Sect robes; they were clearly disciples out for their first experience. They knew nothing and were the easiest to fool.

Especially the one before them, who looked barely in her early teens and only had a Mortal Realm cultivation. She was actually treating an ordinary dog like a spiritual beast. If they sold it to her at a spiritual beast’s price, wouldn’t they make a huge profit?

So the leader bowed and scraped with a fawning smile. “This is an unformed infant beast. If the young lady wants it, it will cost ten water jades.”

“Ten water jades?” Liu Wenzhu blurted out in anger. “Even an ordinary high-level spiritual beast only costs seven or eight water jades. Don’t try to cheat us!”

“How can you call it cheating?” The Dongyue man was clearly experienced. “An unformed infant beast’s level is unknown; it’s a gamble. It’s a willing trade. If the young lady is willing, take it; if not, let’s not sour the mood.”

Ning Fuyi suddenly stood up and took out an exquisite, translucent water jade, waving it before him. “Because I think this ‘spiritual beast’ is somewhat special, I’ll give you one water jade. If you want to sell, take it. If not, it won’t stop others from having better ones.”

The Dongyue man acted as if he were in a difficult position. After hesitating for a long time, he finally nodded. “Fine, let’s just say it’s fate with the two young ladies. Take it.”

With that, he opened the cage, hoisted out the dying puppy, and handed it toward Ning Fuyi’s arms.

Ning Fuyi pressed her lips together. Her ears were filled with the sound of her own heartbeat as she carefully reached out to take him. Unexpectedly, a domineering voice suddenly came from behind, interrupting the man’s movement.

The Dongyue man jerked his hand back and looked toward the source with a fawning smile, his eyes lighting up.

Ning Fuyi had already recognized the voice. Cursing inwardly, she reached out to snatch the white puppy, but with her mere Mortal Realm cultivation, how could she be a match for someone who lived on the edge of a blade? The man dodged her like shifting clouds and mist; she couldn’t even touch the puppy’s tail.

“Shopkeeper, wait. How much for this spiritual beast?” Li Chao’an asked crisply. She was accompanied by several attendants and wore a gold-threaded robe with wide sleeves, a cloud-brocade cape over her shoulders, and her hair tied in four hanging buns.

Seeing her attire, the Dongyue man knew she was wealthy. His attitude became more than twice as fawning as before, his face wrinkling into a mountain of flesh. “Take a look, Miss! These are all top-quality mid-level spiritual beasts. You can take them for ten water jades!”

“Give me my spiritual beast first. It won’t stop you from soliciting others,” Ning Fuyi said with a frown.

“Wait a moment, Miss, just a moment.” The Dongyue man was deeply cunning. He brushed her off with words but didn’t move his hands; instead, he turned around, pretending to tidy the cages.

“These spiritual beasts of yours look quite lifeless. They aren’t all sickly, are they?” Li Chao’an looked at the cages with disdain. Meanwhile, many people noticed the commotion and gathered around; the once quiet stall suddenly became lively.

“How could that be? It’s only because mid-level spiritual beasts haven’t reached the state of Inedia yet and haven’t been fed today. They’ll liven up once they see food.” The Dongyue man whistled, and someone uncovered a burlap-draped cage, pulling out two lively chickens and ducks.

“Wait, I don’t want those.” Li Chao’an gave Ning Fuyi a malicious look. Her slender finger slowly moved toward the puppy in the Dongyue man’s arms as she smirked. “I want to feed that to them.”

“Li Chao’an!” Liu Wenzhu’s eyes widened in anger. “What are you doing?”

Li Chao’an ignored her. She winked at the hesitant Dongyue man and untied a coin pouch from her waist. Opening the drawstring, she revealed a bag full of water jades. “If you feed it to them, all of these are yours.”

Several gasps came from the surrounding crowd. The Dongyue man’s eyes glazed over. He immediately nodded repeatedly, almost drooling. “Yes, yes, yes! This lowly one will feed it right away!”

At the same time, the crowd started egging them on, urging the man to hurry. Under the crowd’s pressure, the Dongyue man happily gripped the white puppy by the scruff of its neck and made a move to throw it into the profound iron cage, right by the mouth of a giant lion.

Liu Wenzhu looked for Ning Fuyi in a panic, only to see the girl standing calmly in place, her hands resting by her legs, lightly tapping a rhythm.

She had never seen Ning Fuyi like this. There seemed to be no rationality in her eyes; she was like a poison-dipped sword, radiating hatred and ferocity from every inch of her skin.

“Yiyi…” She hurried to grab Ning Fuyi’s cold hand, but the hand suddenly stopped tapping. Several wisps of black smoke rose silently from the ground, crawling up the profound iron cage like snakes, noiselessly prying open the copper lock.

At the same time, eight thousand miles away, the sound of a flowing flute suddenly stopped. A woman in feathered robes swayed for a moment, nearly falling.

She pressed her jade fingers to her lips. When she pulled them away, her hand was stained a striking, vivid red.

Support The Villainous Demon Lord’s Handbook for Success: Rebirth