The Villainous Demon Lord’s Handbook for Success: Rebirth - Chapter 19

Ning Fuyi froze for a moment. Though she was puzzled, she could only do as she was told, nimbly flipping down to the ground and walking slowly to her side.

Although she could not see, she could judge the direction based on the sound.

“Crouch down,” Chu Qingqiu’s voice rang out again.

Ning Fuyi followed suit and half-squatted, reaching out her hand. Before she could touch the warm body, a sharp “smack” hit the back of her hand, making her flinch from the pain.

Just as she was about to grumble internally about how difficult she was to serve, a soft sensation touched her wrist. Chu Qingqiu’s fingertips, stained with a hint of cool sweat, gripped her wrist and pulled it forward.

Slowly, she touched something cold. The object’s surface was smooth, and she could feel the faint patterns on it upon closer inspection. Ning Fuyi felt a surge of confusion. Moving further down along the object, she touched a patch of smooth, tender skin, and the body in front of her suddenly shuddered.

She reflexively pulled her arm back, hiding her hand behind her back.

Strange, we are both women, what am I panicking for? A moment later, Ning Fuyi furrowed her brows in bewilderment.

“Are you hurt?” she asked.

Chu Qingqiu gave an affirmative hum. She seemed to have little strength left to speak, her voice drifting as if it would scatter with the wind. “The beast’s fang is poisonous. My celestial body is damaged, and I cannot pull it out myself. I need you to pull it out for me.”

Ning Fuyi nodded. She reached out again, her hands gripping the beast’s tooth which was as thick as a thumb. With just a slight movement, she heard Chu Qingqiu’s breathing grow heavy.

“Why won’t you let me look? Doing it like this will hurt you,” Ning Fuyi stopped her movements.

“Stop talking nonsense,” Chu Qingqiu said.

Fine then, Ning Fuyi thought. She summoned her immortal power to wrap around her hands and then pulled with all her might. A squelching sound rang out as the beast’s fang was yanked out. Simultaneously, blood splattered out, two drops landing on her face.

Chu Qingqiu abruptly closed her eyes and leaned back in pain, yet she gritted her teeth to suppress any sound from her throat. It wasn’t until blood overflowed from the corner of her mouth that she regained her breath, though it was so rapid that it sounded like low moans to Ning Fuyi’s ears.

Ning Fuyi paused for a moment, then quickly threw the beast’s tooth away and spread her palm over the wound. A faint light flickered on and off, easing Chu Qingqiu’s pain.

The young girl was blindfolded, revealing only her high nose bridge and cherry-like lips. Two drops of blood stained her lotus-white skin, and a stray lock of hair fell as she tilted her head slightly to listen to Chu Qingqiu’s condition.

Chu Qingqiu stared at her face in a daze. After a long time, she averted her gaze and spoke again.

“Bai Lin’s blood can neutralize the poison.”

Ning Fuyi nodded. She rose lightly and manifested a small bottle, following the scent of blood. The White Tiger was very cooperative, proactively nuzzling against Ning Fuyi.

After collecting the blood, Ning Fuyi returned to Chu Qingqiu’s side and handed her the bottle.

About half an incense stick of time later, the silk ribbon over Ning Fuyi’s eyes loosened on its own and slid down her nose.

A figure in white sat collapsed on the ground, her clothes stained with much blood. Chu Qingqiu was sitting under a rock, her long hair scattered. Her handsome face was devoid of color, and it was obvious at a glance that she was severely injured.

A bloodstain had soaked through the white clothes on her chest; the beast’s fang must have been lodged there.

Then what I touched just now was… Ning Fuyi suddenly felt a wave of heat in her cheeks, but she quickly diverted her attention and didn’t dwell on it.

Chu Qingqiu’s clothes were also torn, her outer robe currently draped precariously over her shoulders as if she had just finished putting it on. Perhaps that’s why she wouldn’t let me look earlier, Ning Fuyi thought.

Typical Chu Qingqiu, caring about appearances even when faced with disaster, Ning Fuyi curled her lip.

However, given that both Chu Qingqiu and Bai Lin were injured to this extent, the beast tide from earlier must have been terrifying. Yet she herself was not only unharmed but had even recovered her immortal power, showing she had been well-protected.

Would Chu Qingqiu really protect her like this just because of a single sentence from Ning Changfeng? Once or twice, Ning Fuyi could treat it as her being truly faithful to her word, but now she had actually risked her life to enter the Ghost’s Eyes and didn’t forget to treat Ning Fuyi’s injuries despite being gravely wounded herself. This was not something a simple “entrustment” could explain.

It seems there are many secrets hidden within this life’s Chu Qingqiu, Ning Fuyi thought to herself while staring at the reddened tip of Chu Qingqiu’s nose.

She finally developed an interest in seeking out the truth.

“Where there is one beast tide, there will be a second. There is too much scent of blood here; it won’t be long before more demonic beasts are attracted. If we don’t leave quickly, I fear both of us will perish here today,” Chu Qingqiu said as she pressed against the rock and slowly stood up.

Ning Fuyi instinctively reached out to support her, but Chu Qingqiu shifted her hand’s position in mid-air, silently dodging the touch.

Ning Fuyi’s hand froze awkwardly in the air. She snorted in her heart—if she didn’t want to be touched, Ning Fuyi didn’t want to support her either.

Seeing Chu Qingqiu stand up, the exhausted White Tiger whimpered and transformed back into a cat. It lay on the ground and began to snore. Chu Qingqiu spread her palm slightly, and the White Tiger turned into a point of light, falling into a bead on her wrist.

That was a Mindfulness Bead, a treasure of the world said to be able to contain all things. Ning Fuyi had one in her previous life as well.

“Let’s go,” Chu Qingqiu said.

During the journey that followed, Chu Qingqiu did not make a sound, merely walking forward with her back to Ning Fuyi. On the contrary, Ning Fuyi suddenly became quite talkative, speaking of everything from celestial signs to the local terrain. Although Chu Qingqiu didn’t respond once, Ning Fuyi didn’t let the conversation drop.

“Divine Lord Chu Ling, how much further is it?” Ning Fuyi shifted Ping’an to her other shoulder.

“I do not know,” Chu Qingqiu finally spoke.

“My legs are about to break,” Ning Fuyi said as she jogged a few steps to walk side-by-side with Chu Qingqiu, only to see Chu Qingqiu proactively shift half a step to the other side.

Determined not to have contact with me, is it? Ning Fuyi thought to herself, and then pretended to casually lean toward her side.

“Is the Divine Lord’s injury anything serious?” Ning Fuyi made small talk.

“It is nothing,” Chu Qingqiu said with a cold face, her pace shifting again.

“Divine Lord…”

“Watch out!” Before Ning Fuyi could finish her sentence, she heard Chu Qingqiu’s sharp cry. Then, a white silk ribbon wrapped around her waist, dragging her entire body behind her.

A deep pit, wide enough for a person, suddenly appeared where Ning Fuyi had been standing. Dust flew through the air, making it impossible to see.

“Get back!” Before Ning Fuyi could say anything, Chu Qingqiu spoke again. With a flip of her palm, a smooth white jade flute appeared. When she raised her hand again, the jade flute transformed into a slender long staff, glowing with a soft white light.

This was Chu Qingqiu’s magical tool, White Bone. Ning Fuyi obediently retreated until her back was pressed against the rock wall.

When she looked up again, her heart suddenly skipped a beat. The dust scattered, revealing Chu Qingqiu’s figure within the rolling smoke. Her dark hair swayed and her long robes fluttered like a white eagle with its feathers spread; she was breathtakingly beautiful.

Her immortal power spread out majestically, showing no trace of her previous weakness.

Simultaneously, a world-shaking beast roar rang out. Ning Fuyi had never heard such a terrifying sound. A single roar made her dizzy, and her heart felt as if it were being gripped tightly. Her knees went weak, and she nearly slid down the rock wall.

She quickly circulated her power to protect her heart, allowing her to barely stand straight and witness the horrifying scene.

In front of Chu Qingqiu stood a demonic beast—or perhaps “demonic beast” was insufficient to describe its horror. If there truly were a God of Malice in this world, this would be it. The sharp horns on its head were like two high peaks, and its fur was like needles, with severed limbs hanging from them, emitting a foul, turbid aura.

Its sharp teeth protruded from its mouth, revealing blood-red gums. It opened its mouth and roared in anger, sending sand and stones flying across the entire valley floor. After its appearance, the aura of all nearby demonic beasts vanished; none dared to approach within a hundred miles. This beast was terrifying beyond the simple labels of low, mid, or high level.

Standing against it, Chu Qingqiu looked as small as an ant, like a mantis trying to stop a chariot.

At this moment, even Ning Fuyi’s heart tightened. She was about to warn Chu Qingqiu to retreat, but the beast suddenly turned its head, its two blood-red eyes locking onto her.

Almost at the same time, dozens of flying spikes shot out from nowhere, heading straight for Ning Fuyi’s face, seemingly determined to kill her in one blow. Ning Fuyi’s eyes widened and she tried to dodge, but the white jade staff in Chu Qingqiu’s hand was faster. In the blink of an eye, it stood before her, spinning into a white shield that blocked the spikes.

The spikes landed with a clatter. Ning Fuyi scanned them out of the corner of her eye—each was thicker and longer than an arrow. She gripped her fists in lingering fear.

With a whoosh, White Bone flew back into Chu Qingqiu’s palm, and Chu Qingqiu herself appeared, standing directly in front of Ning Fuyi. Her ink-black hair, still smelling of blood, brushed against Ning Fuyi’s nose. It no longer carried its usual crisp fragrance, but it made Ning Fuyi daze for a moment.

“What are you standing there for? Go!” Chu Qingqiu did not linger. She gave Ning Fuyi a hard push, and her figure turned into a blur as she charged at the beast. For a time, the baleful aura and dust intertwined, completely obscuring the scene in the air, with only streaks of snowy white light occasionally piercing the dust, illuminating the valley floor brilliantly.

In those days of being bullied and insulted, struggling alone in the mud, Ning Fuyi had once hoped someone would appear to protect her behind their back like this.

But there was no one; from beginning to end, there was only herself.

Ning Fuyi’s gaze gradually turned cold and hard. She raised her sleeve to cover her nose, stepped back, and left from the side.

However, after running only two steps, there was movement behind her again. The turbid aura, almost solid, appeared behind her in an instant. A chill invaded her entire body. Ning Fuyi turned around abruptly, the piercing white light almost making her eyes water.

Chu Qingqiu appeared before her once more. Her face had visibly lost all color. Ning Fuyi’s sharp eyes noticed that the wound on her chest, which had already scabbed over, had torn open again, with blood flowing out like a spring.

Just why? Ning Fuyi closed her eyes tightly. She knew how much she hated Chu Qingqiu, but when the woman repeatedly risked her life to block disasters for her, that hatred seemed, for a brief moment, not worth mentioning.

The turbid aura struck them both. The white jade staff in Chu Qingqiu’s hand expanded like a giant pillar and slammed into the ground, barely blocking part of it. However, her injuries were too severe, and combined with the erosion of the valley’s baleful aura, her immortal power was difficult to sustain.

Thus, Ning Fuyi watched as blood flowed from Chu Qingqiu’s mouth. Then, that slender figure that had been holding on finally faltered, collapsing under the pressure of the turbid aura and falling back with her.

Ping’an, on her shoulder, let out a howl as he was tossed into a corner.

Ning Fuyi felt a surge of alarm. She quickly wrapped her left arm around Chu Qingqiu’s waist and used her right hand to release immortal power behind them as a buffer, preventing them from falling into the mud. But the beast clearly had no intention of letting them go. It roared to the heavens again, and the overwhelming turbid aura condensed into a palm in mid-air, slamming down heavily like a giant.

Fine, I won’t die a coward. Ning Fuyi cursed, and then while silently reciting the demonic path heart incantations, she moved out from behind Chu Qingqiu. She supported her with one hand and opened the fingers of the other, reaching toward the turbid aura.

In an instant, the wind seemed to stand still, and the surroundings fell into a dead silence, save for her heart beating like thunder, reminding her she was still alive.

Then, a familiar current of heat surged from her heart. An evocative and gorgeous pink light erupted from her palm, like those extremely rare sunsets in spring, continuously covering the sky filled with black haze.

“Go to hell,” Ning Fuyi blurted out.

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