The Villainous Demon Lord’s Handbook for Success: Rebirth - Chapter 16

Chu Qingqiu stared fixedly at the bloodstains. Her left hand rose slowly, and shards of celestial light shaped like feathers gathered from the heavens, flowing into her heart. From a distance, it looked like a brilliant galaxy descending at dusk, connecting heaven and earth into a single expanse.

As the last sliver of orange-yellow light faded, the feathers vanished. Chu Qingqiu finally straightened her back, her face pale, looking significantly weaker in an instant.

“Qiu Yi,” she called out. As soon as she spoke, the tall woman shattered the void with a soft “crack” and appeared before her.

“Master!” Qiu Yi immediately saw the blood on Chu Qingqiu’s hand and the corners of her mouth, becoming instantly tense. “This…”

“It is nothing,” Chu Qingqiu shook her head. “Where will the North Court disciples pass through on their way to Tongchuan?”

Chu Qingqiu had always been the strongest in Qiu Yi’s eyes, as well as the person she respected most. Seeing Chu Qingqiu in this state, Qiu Yi’s heart twisted in a knot, but she didn’t dare ask questions. She could only grit her teeth and answer, “I heard they will rest for a night in Furong Town and enter Tongchuan early the next morning.”

Hearing this, Chu Qingqiu nodded. “Good. You may leave.”

“Master, are you going to Furong Town? Take Qiu Yi with you. I am not at ease with you going alone,” Qiu Yi suddenly bowed her head, shouting out boldly.

“With my cultivation, what is there for you to be uneasy about?” Chu Qingqiu took a step forward, and the bloodstains on her body vanished without a trace. “Furthermore, the Yunjisun Sect is not safe. I am leaving you here so that if anything happens, you can send word to me.”

“But…” Qiu Yi wanted to say more, but the warmth of a palm suddenly pressed onto the top of her head, sealing her remaining words inside.

“Be good,” Chu Qingqiu patted her head, then brushed past her, leaving behind a faint fragrance.

Chu Qingqiu was rarely this gentle. She was usually so cold she lacked any warmth, never even speaking a soft word. But from some unknown day, she seemed to have changed slightly, yet also seemed as if nothing had changed at all.

Qiu Yi felt somewhat dazed. She touched the top of her head longingly. When she turned around, only a thin darkness and leaves blowing through the air remained on the cliff.

In distant Furong Town, a farce had just begun.

The little white dog seemed to sense danger, struggling violently and crying out in a shrill, desperate voice. But the more pitiful its cries, the more excited the surrounding crowd became, clapping and cheering. The giant lion in the cage also smelled the scent of food; its mountain-like body suddenly rose, letting out a roar as it opened its blood-red maw.

Unexpectedly, just as the hand holding the puppy was about to let go, the once-jubilant Dongyue man’s expression suddenly turned to terror. He began to scream in agony, and the surrounding crowd also cried out, scattering in a frantic escape.

The giant lion, which had been trapped in the tiny cage just a moment ago, had somehow broken open the door. Without the suppression of the profound iron cage, its body expanded instantly. It let out a long roar toward the sky, and a fierce wind rose, blinding everyone in its path.

“Quick! Form the array!” the Dongyue man shouted to his companions, but as he turned, his face was splashed with flesh and blood. After wiping it away, he discovered with horror that the companion who had been standing behind him was now lying in a pool of blood. He hurriedly summoned his weapon, but the giant lion, battered and scarred from torture, was far more manic than usual. It ignored the long blade in his hand and charged at him like a collapsing mountain.

This wasn’t the end. As the giant lion regained its freedom, the restrictions on the other iron cages also vanished. Dozens of scarred spiritual beasts broke out of their cages simultaneously, let out a collective, frantic roar that sounded like a mourning for ten thousand beasts.

“How can this be!” The Dongyue man was scared out of his wits by the maddened beasts. He could no longer use his skills; his legs went soft and he knelt on the ground, yellowish urine soaking through his trouser legs. The giant lion’s mouth opened and closed, and the man vanished from the spot, leaving behind only a stench of blood.

Li Chao’an had never seen such a scene. She covered her mouth and screamed, her delicate body nearly fainting. It was Shao Bing who held her up. The three were so terrified they forgot their immortal arts, running with the crowd while crying and screaming. Li Chao’an accidentally tripped and was leaped over by a spirit fox, which caught her trouser leg in its teeth and dragged her away to an unknown location.

Liu Wenzhu was also terrified, tears streaming down her face like rain from eaves.

“Yiyi, Yiyi, wake up!” She shook Ning Fuyi. However, Ning Fuyi seemed to have lost her soul, remaining motionless while black mist continued to pour from her palms. Liu Wenzhu tried to carry her away, but despite her own strength, she couldn’t move Ning Fuyi an inch.

“Yiyi…” Liu Wenzhu was naturally timid and had now completely lost her composure. Furthermore, the beast tide was charging toward them, trampling everything in its path into the dirt. The earth shook and the sky swayed; it was terrifying.

Seeing the beasts about to trample over them, Liu Wenzhu suddenly closed her eyes and blocked Ning Fuyi with her own body, shielding the girl’s frame firmly in her arms.

“Yiyi…” she sobbed into her ear.

As if a gust of wind had blown into a chaotic black mist, a light suddenly appeared in Ning Fuyi’s groggy head, dispelling the thick hatred. The world before her became clear instantly. In a flash, two plumes of black smoke, so massive they were almost solid, surged from the earth like thick city walls, isolating the spiritual beasts on either side.

The beasts roared past, the kicked-up sand and dust floating through the air and settling on their heads.

A trace of confusion remained in Ning Fuyi’s clear eyes. Her friend’s warm tears soaked her shoulder, and it felt as though someone was tugging at the corner of her robe, pulling her off balance.

Ning Fuyi looked down. A filthy little white dog sat down with a “thud” and wagged its tail at her.

“Ping’an, you are truly ugly,” Ning Fuyi chuckled softly.

Then, her knees went weak, and she lost consciousness.

Perhaps because her mind had been stimulated by that black mist, memories that didn’t seem to belong to her appeared in Ning Fuyi’s dream. Every scene was incredibly vivid—so clear she could almost relive the physical sensations.

In the dream, she was still the notoriously infamous God-Slaying Demon. She was cursing while holding a woman, running desperately through a void of chaos as if fleeing from something lethal. She seemed to hate that woman deeply, cursing at her every moment they were together, except when the woman was asleep.

Then, when the woman woke up, she would carry her and flee again, continuing to curse.

In the dream, these days seemed to go on for a very long time. Eventually, she stopped cursing. Perhaps she was tired of it, or perhaps she simply didn’t want to anymore. Only silence remained between them. But that silence carried a powerful sadness, as if they wanted to get close but shouldn’t.

Yet there seemed to be more than just silence between them. Fragments occasionally appeared in the dream—fragments that made Ning Fuyi’s face flush and her heart race. But when she tried to see those fragments clearly, the dream came to an abrupt end.

Ning Fuyi woke with a start, tears stinging her eyes.

However, this immense sadness did not stay for long. The moment Ning Fuyi opened her eyes, she began to rapidly forget the dream and its fragments, as if someone had pulled them from her memory without leaving a trace.

Half an incense stick later, she stretched and sat up from the bed.

“Yiyi!” a sweet voice called out. Liu Wenzhu floated in from outside like a breeze, holding a bundle of white fluff in her arms. The moment the fluff saw Ning Fuyi, it gave an excited bark and jumped onto her lap, wagging its head and tail.

The puppy’s soft tongue licked the back of her hand, the same warm sensation as in her previous life. Ning Fuyi’s heart felt like a blossoming flower, brightening with sunshine. Perhaps it was a trick of fate; in her previous life, Rong Jin had found Ping’an in the mountains, but in this life, she had encountered him early.

“Ping’an,” she called out in a high-pitched voice. The ball of fluff then used its short legs to bounce into her embrace. Ping’an had been washed clean by Liu Wenzhu; except for his tail, he was snowy white all over. His wounds had been bandaged, and his round, moist eyes stared out, looking exceptionally beautiful.

“Yiyi, yesterday you…” Seeing her smile, Liu Wenzhu finally felt at ease to ask.

The smile on Ning Fuyi’s face froze for a moment, then she said softly, “I cannot explain this to you yet. In the future…”

Liu Wenzhu lowered her beautiful eyes, and two shallow dimples appeared by her lips. “Fine, I have no intention of forcing you. I simply feel that we are each other’s best friends in this life; you used to discuss everything with me first.”

“I only hope you know what you are doing and do not hurt yourself. Don’t worry, no one else saw what happened yesterday, and I won’t say anything.” Liu Wenzhu took a pancake from her sleeve and tucked it into Ning Fuyi’s hand. “Eat quickly. The Flying Eagle Boat departs in fifteen minutes.”

“I’m sorry,” Ning Fuyi said quickly, taking the still-warm pancake. Liu Wenzhu had a sensitive nature, but she was very transparent in her dealings, often making Ning Fuyi feel inferior by comparison.

“It is only right to say sorry; you scared me to death yesterday.” Liu Wenzhu winked at her and rose briskly. “But do you know where Li Chao’an was found?”

“Where?” Ning Fuyi bit into the pancake, her eyes widening.

“A fox den!” Liu Wenzhu couldn’t help but cover her mouth and giggle. “She was carried all the way back to Tongchuan by that spirit fox, and she even broke her leg on the way. When Senior Brother Xue Chi found her in the fox den, she had been fainted from fear for a whole night. Poor Senior Brother Xue Chi from the East Court—he just arrived in Tongchuan and already has to send her back for treatment. A wasted trip.” Liu Wenzhu’s eyes curved into crescent moons.

“Serves her right,” Ning Fuyi felt quite happy herself. She leaned down and kissed Ping’an’s furry forehead twice, making him whimper and cover his face with his tiny paws.

Yesterday’s scene felt like a grand dream. Now that she was awake, there was nothing left of that power in her body. Ning Fuyi was somewhat disappointed, but mostly relieved, because if she hadn’t woken up in that situation, Liu Wenzhu and Ping’an would likely have been in danger. It seemed she needed to be careful of her surroundings in the future; even if she was to become a demon, she couldn’t allow herself to lose her mind.

By the time the two boarded the Flying Eagle Boat, everyone had gathered. The others only knew they had encountered a stampede of spiritual beasts. Some came over to offer greetings, and Liu Wenzhu responded to each with a smile. There was also Rong Jin, whose worry for them had resulted in two dark circles under his eyes. He nagged Ning Fuyi all the way until she became drowsy, only then stopping to shake his head and return to the helm.

Elder Yuanming, on the other hand, didn’t utter a single word of scolding. He only offered a few low-voiced words of concern before praising the two of them for being fearless at such a young age, calling them good prospects for traveling the world as heroic helpers.

Liu Wenzhu and Ning Fuyi exchanged a look and giggled behind their hands. As the sun grew hotter, the continuous hills below were replaced by a massive shadow, signaling that they had reached Tongchuan.

“So this is what Tongchuan looks like. It looks so dark and gloomy,” Liu Wenzhu shivered as she leaned against Ning Fuyi, looking at the increasingly clear trees. “What are those things that look like eyes?”

“The Ghost’s Eyes,” Ning Fuyi answered.

Liu Wenzhu gasped and covered her mouth, leaning closer. “Ghost’s Eyes?”

“Don’t be afraid,” Ning Fuyi patted her shoulder. “It’s just a name. In reality, it is a deep mountain valley. Legend says it is filled with poisonous miasma and home to ancient ferocious beasts. From ancient times to the present, anyone who has gone down has never returned, so it is called the Ghost’s Eyes.”

“That terrifying? Not even Sect Leader Mei can do it?” a female disciple with a topknot chimed in from the side.

“Of course not. Forget Sect Leader Mei, I think even Emperor Tianrui of the Penglai Realm would lose a layer of skin if he went down. However, there is someone in this world who has gone down and come back unscathed. Can you guess who?” a bald male disciple interjected.

“Who?” the female disciple’s eyes widened.

“Divine Lord Chu Ling, of course! You idiot,” the male disciple said loudly. “The ‘White Bone’ jade flute in Divine Lord Chu Ling’s hand—the magical tool that can change into a thousand forms—was fished out from these Ghost’s Eyes.”

Ning Fuyi, listening nearby, raised an eyebrow and looked down. It would have been better if she hadn’t; as soon as she looked, chaos broke out again.

The normally steady Flying Eagle Boat felt as if it had suddenly hit something and began to pitch violently. Everyone on the boat lost their footing, squatting down with shouts of alarm. Ning Fuyi was bumped by someone and nearly fell overboard, but fortunately, Liu Wenzhu was strong enough to catch her by the neck and pull her back.

“You still don’t know how to fly on a sword, hold on tight!” Liu Wenzhu shouted. The Flying Eagle Boat shook even more violently now, as if it were about to split in two. Disciples with higher cultivation summoned their swords and floated in mid-air, while those who hadn’t learned to fly on a sword covered their heads and screamed heart-wrenchingly.

“Do not move!” Elder Yuanming was also flustered. He gathered his immortal power to check the boat, but found no malfunctions. The surroundings were calm and there was no sign of anything unusual.

Ning Fuyi was bumped in the waist again. She cursed inwardly, clutching the railing. If she had known this trip would encounter so much trouble, she would have learned to fly on a sword first!

As her mind raced, the ground beneath her suddenly vanished. The once-sturdy Flying Eagle Boat had split in half, completely losing its immortal power and spinning toward the forest. Disciples who couldn’t fly on a sword screamed as they fell like dumplings along with the boat.

Liu Wenzhu stood on her slender sword hilt, one hand gripping Ning Fuyi and the other clutching Ping’an’s fur, her face flushed red with tension.

“Everyone, do not panic!” Elder Yuanming’s shout came from the distance, and then a net woven from vine leaves appeared in mid-air, firmly catching the falling disciples.

Seeing the usually unreliable Elder Yuanming finally pull through, Ning Fuyi let out a sigh of relief. However, that strange feeling of impact hit again. With no one near her side, she was suddenly knocked out of Liu Wenzhu’s grip. She soared straight over the large net, hurtling toward the pitch-black Ghost’s Eyes.

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