Chapter 4

Night fell, a crescent moon hanging high.

Li Jiangying lay on the bed, quietly opening her eyes. Her gaze was clear, without a trace of sleepiness.

Beside her, a curled-up woman was tightly hugging her arm, her disheveled long hair tangled with hers.

This was precisely the Mad Devil Venerable of Moon Shadow Devil Palace, Li Yueying.

To be honest, Li Yueying was unexpectedly easy to coax. After the meal, Li Jiangying had only needed to go along with her by saying a few “I missed you”s to successfully charm Li Yueying into gifting her the Gold-Jade Blade Garment.

Li Jiangying changed into the clothes of this place to make herself less conspicuous. Then, she coaxed her into playing hide-and-seek, buying time to pack a small bundle, which she hid under the bed.

However, Li Yueying was exceptionally impatient. After barely three minutes, she couldn’t stand it anymore and burst into the room, finding her Jiangying.

Determined to make her escape under the cover of night, Li Jiangying naturally had enough patience to play with her late into the night. Then, using tiredness as an excuse, she coaxed her to sleep.

Li Yueying clutched Li Jiangying’s arm, lying on her side, her bright red lips stretched in a grin, her eyes shining brightly at Li Jiangying: “I want to sing for Jiangying.”

“No, no, no need for that trouble.” Li Jiangying politely declined her offer.

Li Yueying wouldn’t easily give up. Dragging Li Jiangying further into her embrace, she insisted stubbornly: “I want to sing for Jiangying!”

Li Jiangying’s brows furrowed slightly as she met her gaze. In the end, unable to overcome her stubbornness, she had no choice but to lie reluctantly in the curve of her arm and listen to her softly humming a tune near her ear.

The melody of this tune sounded a little familiar…

Li Jiangying thought for a long while, then suddenly had an epiphany. Why did it sound a bit like “Let Us Sway Twin Oars”??

Never mind. Li Jiangying pretended to have been sung to sleep. After a while, Li Yueying quieted down. After another while, Li Jiangying secretly cracked her eyes open just a sliver, only to stare straight into a pair of wine-red pupils.

Thankfully, Li Jiangying was accustomed to staying calm. Only then did she not cry out in fright.

She quietly closed her eyes again, not letting Li Yueying discover she was feigning sleep.

After who knows how long, Li Yueying finally shifted position. It seemed she was about to entangle herself around Li Jiangying again. Anxious, Li Jiangying smacked her lips with her eyes closed, pretending to still be fast asleep, and turned over in the most natural manner possible.

Conveniently, she also used her foot to brace against Li Yueying’s leg.

Li Yueying hesitated for a moment, then ultimately, feeling aggrieved, hugged Li Jiangying’s extended arm and fell asleep.

This time, Li Jiangying deliberately stayed awake until late into the night. Only when she felt the steady, rhythmic breathing of the person beside her did she open her eyes.

Sure enough, Li Yueying was sleeping soundly.

Li Jiangying quietly tried to pull her arm free but found Li Yueying let out a small, soft hum, hugging her arm even tighter and snuggling closer.

After a moment’s thought, Li Jiangying grabbed her pillow, pretending it was her arm. She pulled and stuffed it in simultaneously, slowly freeing her limb.

Once the deed was done, Li Jiangying wiped the sweat from her forehead.

Fearing the little madwoman might wake up midway, Li Jiangying had been exceptionally meticulous. Her heart had been tightly wound the entire time—it had exhausted her.

Quietly and carefully, Li Jiangying stepped onto the floor, retrieved the small bundle hidden under the bed, and finally cast a silent glance at Li Yueying, who was tightly hugging the pillow. Inwardly, she said a quiet farewell.

Farewell forever, little madwoman.

Then, cautiously yet nimbly, she slipped out without looking back.

Vaguely recalling the way she came, Li Jiangying fled in the direction she remembered.

But this fallen Devil Palace was frighteningly vast. As much as Li Jiangying didn’t want to admit it, she had to accept that she was lost.

No, she had clearly been heading in the same direction the entire time. So why couldn’t she get out no matter how she tried?!

Li Jiangying was frantic, breaking out in a sweat. By her own estimation, she had been running with her head down for nearly an hour. Even if this Devil Palace were huge, she shouldn’t be unable to escape!

Li Jiangying was somewhat dejected. She parted a clump of grass, and suddenly, a large shadowy mass appeared before her.

Her first instinct was that she’d run into a wall. But she quickly realized this patch of shadow could move!

The shadow swayed slightly, causing Li Jiangying’s heart to leap into her throat. She didn’t flee immediately; sometimes, that could provoke a creature with no intention to pursue into changing its mind.

Li Jiangying’s arm tensed. She gripped the dagger in her palm tightly, her eyes wide and unblinking as she slowly looked up.

Then, she discovered that standing before her was a person tall and burly like a wall!

Instantly, a bead of cold sweat slid down Li Jiangying’s forehead.

The newcomer had their back to the moonlight, their body shrouded in shadow. Li Jiangying couldn’t make out their face or expression, but judging by their silhouette, it was definitely neither Li Yueying nor Liang Yiman.

Who was this? Sister Jiang? Or some other subordinate of the Devil Palace?

The oppressive feeling this person gave Li Jiangying was incredibly heavy. Unlike Li Yueying and Liang Yiman, who knew magic and could fight and kill but were at least outwardly pleasing to the eye and deceptively attractive…

This person was visually estimated to be about 1.9 meters tall, as stout as a bull. Just from build alone, she could probably take down ten Li Jiangyings with one punch.

Li Jiangying felt bitter inside.

The newcomer said nothing. Unable to read their intentions, Li Jiangying tentatively took a step back.

No reaction!

Li Jiangying’s heart leaped with joy. She took another step back. Suddenly, she heard the high-pitched, delicate voice of a young girl.

“Who are you?”

Li Jiangying discovered in disbelief that this voice—belonging to a twelve or thirteen-year-old girl—was coming from the person standing before her, as tall and burly as the Bull Devil King!

She swallowed nervously and whispered, “I’m just passing through. Accidentally got lost. Do you believe me?”

The person replied: “Oh.”

‘Oh’? What does ‘Oh’ mean? Did she believe her or not?

Li Jiangying tightened her grip on her dagger and put on a fake smile: “If there’s nothing else, I’ll be on my way.”

The person remained silent.

Li Jiangying didn’t dare trust her easily. Still facing her, maintaining a calm, fake smile on her face, she retreated at a not-slow pace.

And the person seemed to have believed Li Jiangying’s words. It was just that…

She suddenly reached out and slapped her belly with thumping sounds, like beating a large drum, then yelled loudly: “Mama! I’m hungry!”

Startled by her, Li Jiangying couldn’t help but curse inwardly, “Damn!” Caring no longer about startling anyone with sudden movements, she turned and bolted.

But it was too late.

Li Jiangying had just turned around when she saw a long-haired woman in a black robe, standing there like a mournful, ferocious ghost.

The night breeze brushed through her disordered long hair, a few strands falling across her delicate, beautiful face. She was as beautiful as the distant, unattainable moon—and yet, there she truly stood, beneath the moonlight, right before Li Jiangying’s eyes.

And those blood-red pupils were silently gazing at Li Jiangying, shedding tears.

Not long ago, she had worn a smile as innocent as a child’s. Now, her face was filled with desolation.

Li Jiangying inwardly cursed her bad luck, her heart pounding nervously.

Li Yueying, who had followed her here at some unknown time, began to tremble. The trembling grew more violent. Tears soaked her entire face. Unable to bear it, she raised her hands and clutched her own hair, beginning to scratch and claw at it anxiously.

“Jiangying, Jiangying…” she called out in a panic.

The more she called her name, the more Li Jiangying found her chilling. She forcefully suppressed the fear in her heart and forced herself to lift the corners of her mouth to feign compliance: “Devil Venerable… No, Yueying. I had urgent need to relieve myself in the night and accidentally got lost.”

But the Lord of the Devil Palace, clearly in an abnormal state, was not as easy to fool as the giggling little madwoman from the daytime.

She clearly didn’t believe it. Staring fixedly at Li Jiangying, she revealed a twisted expression that was half-crying, half-laughing. She began to anxiously gnaw at her own palm. The skin was bitten through, leaving trails of bright red liquid.

“Jiangying, Jiangying, Jiangying… Jiangying!” Her calls grew faster and more urgent. Finally, she let out a sudden, shrill cry, and in the next instant, her entire being was right in front of Li Jiangying.

Before Li Jiangying could even see her movements clearly, she found herself pulled into a cold, ghostly embrace.

She instinctively struggled. As expected, she could not break free.

Li Yueying’s current state reminded her of the female fiend she had met at their very first encounter. Li Jiangying couldn’t help but grit her teeth in terror, praying that Li Yueying would quickly revert to that silly little madwoman state.

It might have been annoying, but at least it wouldn’t give her the gut feeling that she was about to die in her arms!

The wind howled past her ears. At a speed that left afterimages, Li Yueying forcibly carried Li Jiangying back to the bedchamber.

Li Jiangying was thrown onto the bed by her.

Why did this plotline feel so familiar?

Li Yueying, meanwhile, paced back and forth beside the bed. She walked extremely fast, her expression twisted. Shedding tears continuously, she called “Jiangying,” one hand scratching fiercely at her own hair and neck. Fresh wounds appeared, and bright red flowed down, only to heal rapidly again shortly after.

She ceaselessly repeated this process of self-harm and swift recovery. Her other hand was raised before her, covering her mouth.

Li Jiangying watched her silently, stealthily hiding the dagger back into her sleeve.

She didn’t dare act rashly, so she had to keep her eyes fixed on Li Yueying. It was then she noticed that the speed at which Li Yueying’s wounds recovered seemed to be gradually slowing down…

Could it be she was starting to weaken?

After who knew how long, Li Yueying finally broke free from this neurotic state. She suddenly stood still and quiet, silently watching Li Jiangying for a moment.

Conditioned by instinct, Li Jiangying flashed an innocent smile.

Li Yueying walked towards her. Opening her arms, she embraced her Jiangying, who was sitting on the bed.

“Jiangying.” she said softly. “You’re so bad. You lied to me again.”

“I’m sorry.” Li Jiangying replied in a heavy voice.

“But it’s okay. I…”

Her voice abruptly cut off. The Lord of the Devil Palace, tears still not dry on her face, looked down in shock at the woman pulled into her embrace.

The person she treasured so deeply in her heart was gripping a dagger tightly with both hands, having forcefully stabbed it into her chest, right at her heart.

Li Jiangying was silent for a moment, then let go. Clang! The dagger with its bent tip hit the floor.

“Sorry, I didn’t do it on purpose. Do you believe me?”

She had just been afraid of missing an opportunity and acted on impulse.

It seemed she had chosen the wrong moment.