The Villainous Demon Lord’s Handbook for Success: Rebirth - Chapter 22

That face had appeared before her once and had stayed for a long time, only then she wasn’t called Man’er, but Du Baishuang.

The supreme treasure of the Celestial Mountain, the Crane amidst the clouds, Du Baishuang.

“Yiyi, what are you dazing for!” Beside her, Liu Wenzhu, who was locked in combat with the man, shouted urgently. Only then did Ning Fuyi shake off her memories. She shoved the girl behind her and summoned her immortal power with both hands to block the nine fox tails surging toward them.

The tails looked fluffy and soft, but upon contact, they felt like iron hammers covered in thorns. The impact left a metallic, bloody taste in Ning Fuyi’s throat. She barely managed to withstand one strike, only to see the nine tails shift positions, seemingly determined to crush her to death.

“Again!” Ning Fuyi cursed loudly. Pulling the girl along, she retreated repeatedly, ducking toward Chu Qingqiu in her desperation.

“Divine Lord, save me!” she shouted shamelessly.

As soon as she spoke, Chu Qingqiu was already standing before her. Several white silk ribbons, like white snakes, coiled around the woman, intercepting her rampaging tails while simultaneously sending her flying. The woman crashed heavily against the wall.

She rolled to the ground, blood staining her bodice.

“You are no match for this deity,” Chu Qingqiu stood in place, letting the white silk fall softly like drifting snow. She had reverted to her female form, her features cold and aloof. “Surrender quietly.”

“Bah! You two-faced liar!” Seeing her true form, the woman realized she had been tricked and began to swear profanities, only for the white silk to gag her after a few words.

“And you,” Chu Qingqiu said. The white silk rose again, binding the man fighting Liu Wenzhu. He was thrown against the wall in the same manner, letting out a muffled groan as a second wave of blood sprayed out.

The speed was so great that Ning Fuyi couldn’t help but want to applaud. These two were like ants in Chu Qingqiu’s eyes. Throughout the entire process, she had held the White Bone flute in her hand without even moving it.

“Speak. Why did you kidnap these people?” Chu Qingqiu asked.

The man didn’t answer; instead, he spat on the ground.

“Why waste your breath on them?” Ning Fuyi couldn’t stand it. She stepped forward, gripped the man’s chin to tilt his face up, and delivered a barrage of slaps until his face and head were beet red and blood dripped from his nostrils.

“Brother Huo!” Seeing the man being beaten, the woman suddenly lunged forward, shielding him and taking a punch from Ning Fuyi. Ning Fuyi stopped immediately, raising an eyebrow at the woman protecting the man.

I thought they were just partners in crime, but it turns out they’re a devoted couple, she sneered.

“If you won’t talk, someone else will.” Ning Fuyi stood up, supporting herself on her knees. With a wave of her hand, several wisps of immortal power scattered out, unlocking the profound iron cages.

Most of those imprisoned were covered in wounds; some even had broken legs, lying there moaning and wailing. There were men, women, old and young. Only a few, likely recent captures, were relatively healthy. They cautiously pushed open the cage doors but didn’t dare step forward.

They hadn’t had time to see clearly before, but such a tragic sight was now unbearable to witness.

“Immortals, please, seek justice for us!” A sorrowful cry rang out as a young man finally rushed forward. He knelt on both sides, kowtowing heavily, only to be caught by the quick-handed Liu Wenzhu, who wept with him.

“This is the world-renowned Divine Lord Chu Ling. Whatever happened, you may tell her,” Liu Wenzhu said softly.

“Divine Lord Chu Ling,” the man took a deep breath, his eyes wide with fury as he looked at the captor. Tears streaming down his face, he said, “I was originally an ordinary herb in Tongchuan that cultivated into form by gathering the essence of heaven and earth. Who knew that shortly after taking form, I would be captured and brought here? Aside from me, everyone else here from the Spirit Tribe was hunted and captured. Imprisoned in this dark place, people come almost every day to pick us out. Those chosen are taken away to be consumed alive!”

“Consumed alive?” Liu Wenzhu froze in shock. Although she had heard of people committing such evils, witnessing this bloody scene in person was still a massive shock.

Though they were the legendary Spirit Tribe, they appeared completely human—how could anyone lay a hand on them?

“These two are utterly brutal. If they capture a beautiful woman, they bewitch her mind and place her in this Ruyan Pavilion to deceive the public. On the surface, it’s a brothel, but in secret, they run a human trafficking business. Countless tribesmen have died at their hands. We beg the Divine Lord to save us from this living hell!” The man wailed, prostrating himself.

Hearing his account, Chu Qingqiu’s grip on her White Bone staff tightened. Her lips were pressed thin, and her eyes were filled with fury.

In the next instant, the white jade staff elongated abruptly, pressing against the man’s throat. The surface of the ice-cold staff actually ignited with white flames, illuminating the entire cellar. However, the woman again shielded the man, looking as if she were determined to die for him. Chu Qingqiu, losing her patience, loosened the white silk gag and said sharply, “You are also of the Fox Tribe, yet you capture your own kind for the sake of a man. Just how cold is your heart!”

“Cold-hearted?” The woman’s clothes were disheveled and her hair was a mess, yet she was breathtakingly beautiful. The flower patterns in her eyes glowed faintly. “This is love.”

“Since the moment he picked that Emperor’s Daughter flower and handed it to me, my heart was deeply rooted in him. He said that once he cultivates to immortality, he will go into seclusion with me on the Celestial Mountain. This is the love of a lifetime for a single couple. What do tribesmen matter? How could people like you—who speak of the common people, righteousness, and decorum at every turn—ever understand!”

The cellar fell silent for a moment, save for the occasional sobs of the spirits.

“Madwoman,” Chu Qingqiu said after a pause, frowning.

Even Ning Fuyi found these words preposterous. She looked at the man shielded by the woman and clicked her tongue: “He’s so ugly, and you’re so deeply in love just because he gave you a chrysanthemum? If I gave you a room full of white chrysanthemums, wouldn’t you love me to death?”

“Shut up!” the woman said with disgust.

Ning Fuyi shut her mouth.

“Oh wait, how could I forget? You’re different,” the woman suddenly turned her gaze toward Chu Qingqiu, her red lips curving upward as she stood up slowly. “You have someone hidden in your heart, and you have also done things that betray decorum.”

Chu Qingqiu’s nails nearly dug into her palms. Her peach-blossom eyes gazed coldly at the woman, the touch of red at the corners of her eyes becoming more pronounced.

Liu Wenzhu and Ning Fuyi exchanged a look, both seeing surprise in the other’s eyes. Even to Ning Fuyi, Chu Qingqiu was extremely upright—where could “betraying decorum” possibly come from?

“You fell in love with someone you shouldn’t have…” The woman’s voice became seductive, like a whisper intended to stir the soul. She stared intently at Chu Qingqiu and walked toward her.

While those two were locked in their exchange, Ning Fuyi had long since lost her patience. She scanned the ground, picked up a palm-sized stone, weighed it, and threw it straight at the woman’s forehead. The woman let out an “ouch” as a bruise appeared on her fair forehead.

The soul-stirring sensation vanished instantly. Chu Qingqiu was startled, then her fury surged even higher. The white jade staff traced a semicircle in the air, and she struck the woman back to her original spot with a single blow. How could the woman’s physical body withstand a strike from Chu Qingqiu? Her eyes rolled back immediately, and she rolled to the man’s feet like a bundle of rags.

Ning Fuyi was startled by this sudden outburst. She had never seen Chu Qingqiu so enraged, nor had she ever seen her display murderous intent. But at this moment, Chu Qingqiu seemed like a different person. Though she was dressed in elegant white, she was as ruthless as a God of Malice, her strikes capable of killing.

The white jade staff, burning with white fire, spun in the air and slashed vertically toward the man’s crown. His lower body was bound and he couldn’t dodge. In the nick of time, he actually reached out and grabbed the woman to block the blow for him.

“Dammit,” Ning Fuyi cursed. Chu Qingqiu’s eyes grew even colder. The moment the white jade staff fell, dozens of white silk ribbons rose from the ground, their soft edges turning into sharp blades. In the blink of an eye, they pierced through the man’s heart.

The man stared in shock, his body going limp instantly. The two bodies fell together; from a distance, they looked as if they were leaning against each other.

The others hadn’t reacted yet, and it was only after a moment that they relaxed. The captured Spirit Tribe members burst into tears. Standing with Liu Wenzhu, Ning Fuyi couldn’t quite describe the feeling in her heart.

“How can there be such a stupid person,” Liu Wenzhu clenched her fists. “Love should be protection, not an excuse to harm others.”

“Hatred is,” Ning Fuyi said plainly. She looked at Chu Qingqiu’s back—the figure was slender, upright, and lonely.

“It’s my first time seeing the Divine Lord harm someone. I thought she never killed,” Liu Wenzhu said with some trepidation.

Ning Fuyi said nothing.

The aftermath proceeded smoothly. Rong Jin happened to contact Elder Yuanming, who arrived with his team to take the imprisoned and bewitched spirits to a safe place for treatment. This was a major event, and the Six Great Sects all sent envoys to Furong Town to investigate the trafficking of the Spirit Tribe—but that is a story for later.

“Yiyi, Man’er has fainted. Should she be taken away by Elder Yuanming with the other spirits, or should we take her back to see that auntie?” Liu Wenzhu held the girl in her arms, looking troubled. “After all, that is her mother…”

“Mother?” Ning Fuyi shook her head. “How could a mortal give birth to a child of the Spirit Tribe? And that pair from earlier wouldn’t have had the guts to snatch someone off the street.”

Hearing this, Liu Wenzhu’s eyes widened in surprise: “You mean…”

“That woman was also a hunter of spirits. She likely intended to sell her to Ruyan Pavilion, but when the price couldn’t be agreed upon, she decided to throw caution to the wind and pretend to be her mother, wanting us to take back her prey for her.” Ning Fuyi’s gaze was cold.

“So that’s how it is!” Liu Wenzhu’s brows rose in anger. “I’ll notify Senior Brother Rong Jin immediately so that liar doesn’t get away!”

“As for Man’er, she is so young. I’ll take her back first and decide what to do when she wakes up,” Liu Wenzhu said.

Ning Fuyi wanted to determine if Man’er was indeed Du Baishuang, so this arrangement suited her perfectly. She didn’t object and followed Liu Wenzhu up the stairs, returning to the softening sunlight outside.

The sun was setting in the west, but it hadn’t yet disappeared, dusting the distant mountains with gold. Just as Ning Fuyi was about to take a breath of fresh air, Liu Wenzhu frowned and said, “Yiyi, look.”

She looked where Liu Wenzhu was pointing and dazed for a moment. Chu Qingqiu was walking ahead alone, her robes trailing lonely on the ground. Her shoulders were slender, and a few fallen leaves rested on them.

For some reason, the scene looked exceptionally desolate.

“Yiyi, the Divine Lord seems unhappy.” Liu Wenzhu was sensitive to such things. She bumped Ning Fuyi’s shoulder and said softly, “Go talk to her and make her feel better.”

“I don’t want to,” Ning Fuyi blurted out. Cheer up Chu Qingqiu? Only if her head had been kicked by a donkey.

“Just go! I’ve never seen the Divine Lord with that expression before.” Liu Wenzhu began to act spoiled. How could Ning Fuyi resist? After being bumped a few times, she reluctantly agreed.

“Fine, I’m going. You go on.” Liu Wenzhu got her way and left with Man’er, smiling. Ning Fuyi was left standing alone on the crowded main street, watching Chu Qingqiu walk further and further away.

Dammit, I’ve never comforted anyone before, let alone someone as cold and stubborn as Chu Qingqiu.

But it was hard to refuse Liu Wenzhu’s request.

She looked around. The surrounding stalls were selling spiritual tools and medicines, and there were no nice items to be seen. However, not far away, there seemed to be a shop selling flowers, white and yellow ones that looked quite nice.

She ran over and threw a water jade to the shopkeeper: “Shopkeeper, a bouquet of flowers.”

“Certainly, guest! Would you like a wreath or a bouquet?” the shopkeeper asked with a smile.

“Wreath, bouquet, whatever, just a bunch of flowers.” Ning Fuyi looked closely and frowned. “Why are they all chrysanthemums?”

“This small shop only has chrysanthemums,” the shopkeeper said bashfully.

“Fine, fine, just the white ones.” Seeing Chu Qingqiu’s figure about to vanish, she didn’t care to argue. She grabbed a bouquet and ran toward Chu Qingqiu.

The evening breeze blew coolly. She had reverted to her female form, her face fair and her hair flying. She stopped, slightly out of breath, in front of the despondent Chu Qingqiu.

Her phoenix eyes were wide, her dark pupils reflecting Chu Qingqiu’s silhouette. A bit of sweat glistened on her forehead as she held up a large bunch of snowy-white flowers with a beaming smile.

“Divine Lord, these are for you.”

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