To flee or not to flee—that was the dilemma that ensnared Luo Jinxi. Her parents had taught her to be a person of integrity, yet here she stood, caught between her upbringing and her current reality. Wearing a distressed expression, she slapped her own thigh in frustration. How was she supposed to decide? Should she really save a demon?
Qu Weiyin, despite being a demon, didn’t seem all that bad. Her back, once smooth, was now covered in bloody scars, much worse than Luo Jinxi’s own minor scratches. With a heavy sigh, Luo Jinxi resolved to help and pulled Qu Weiyin’s partially submerged body out of the water.
Qu Weiyin moaned softly, her face etched with pain. Her wounds were pale from being in the water, and Luo Jinxi, after a moment of thought, gently lifted her, making sure her injured back didn’t touch the ground. She recited a water-repelling spell to help.
Contrary to her hard exterior, Qu Weiyin’s body was surprisingly soft. Luo Jinxi held her tenderly, even squeezing her hand a bit, which felt like cotton. Her scarred shoulders evoked sympathy. Luo Jinxi applied healing herbs to the wounds, covered Qu Weiyin with her own outer garment, and then lifted her onto her back.
Unsure of where to go, she knew they couldn’t head to any populated area, as their pursuers would be on the lookout. Yet, they couldn’t stay here either. As Luo Jinxi walked, Qu Weiyin’s head rested on her shoulder, her long hair occasionally brushing against Luo Jinxi’s arm.
Through her peripheral vision, Luo Jinxi could make out Qu Weiyin’s long eyelashes and the blood-red mark on her forehead. Such a beautiful woman—how wonderful it would be if she weren’t a demon.
From the long night until dawn broke, Luo Jinxi walked tirelessly along the river. Only when a shaft of milky morning light appeared at the river’s end did Qu Weiyin finally open her eyes.
She stared at Luo Jinxi’s profile for a while before realizing where she was. The girl’s shoulders were slender and not fully developed, yet they bore strength. From this angle, Qu Weiyin could see the fine hairs beneath Luo Jinxi’s ears.
Qu Weiyin looked down at the garment draped over her. Sensing her movement, Luo Jinxi sighed in relief and said, “You’re finally awake.”
Qu Weiyin was still in a daze; she had expected Luo Jinxi to leave. After all, who would be foolish enough to save someone who might kill them?
“Those people didn’t catch up,” Luo Jinxi added, adjusting Qu Weiyin to keep her from slipping.
Qu Weiyin remained silent, her throat feeling blocked. Unable to speak, she gave up and rested her head back on Luo Jinxi’s shoulder. The girl, aside from her pretty face, seemed ordinary—just a random capture with no special traits. Yet, Qu Weiyin felt a faint, unfamiliar warmth in her heart. It had been a long time since anyone had shown her such kindness.
Luo Jinxi frowned, looking into the distance, her pink lips pressed in confusion. “Is this the right direction? It seems we’re going farther off track.”
It is,” Qu Weiyin replied, tapping Luo Jinxi’s arm and attempting to sound cold. “You can let me down. I can manage this distance.”
Luo Jinxi nodded and gently helped Qu Weiyin to her feet. Once standing, Qu Weiyin wrapped the garment around herself, looking slightly irritated. She had never found herself in such a disheveled state, with weak legs, messy hair, and a body covered in wounds.
“Why didn’t you run?” Qu Weiyin asked, not looking at Luo Jinxi as she walked ahead, her face expressionless.
Luo Jinxi hurried to keep up, instinctively scratching her head at the question, mumbling, “I thought, at least you’re protecting me. I can’t be so cold-hearted.”
Qu Weiyin chuckled lightly, her phoenix eyes glinting as she glanced at Luo Jinxi. “Don’t flatter yourself.”
When the water surged around them, Qu Weiyin had instinctively grabbed the young girl a few times, but only because she knew Luo Jinxi was from the Wuhui Sect and had acted on impulse.
Qu Weiyin had traveled the world for many years, her exterior becoming tough and indifferent, shielding her from anyone trying to get close. The river roared beside them, its murky waters swirling like gray-yellow flowers, splashing onto the shore and soaking Luo Jinxi’s cloth boots. Qu Weiyin reached out to pull her along, indicating they should move further inland.
“What is your name?” Qu Weiyin suddenly asked, breaking the silence. Her tone, amid the sound of water, seemed less cold.
“My surname is Luo, Luo Jinxi,” she replied softly, a bit surprised by the question.
Both Qu Weiyin and Luo Jinxi were utterly exhausted, with no energy left to fly on their swords. Their pace on foot was painfully slow. After several hours, Luo Jinxi finally waved her hand in surrender, expressing her exhaustion and inability to continue. Qu Weiyin, silent but understanding, no longer urged her to keep moving and instead found a tree to rest against.
Luo Jinxi sighed in relief, her footsteps lightening as she collapsed onto the ground, indifferent to the dust covering her, and quickly fell asleep on her back. After finishing her meditation, Qu Weiyin’s gaze drifted to the sleeping girl. Having shed two outer garments, Luo Jinxi was now dressed in thin layers. Her slender neck tilted as she slept deeply, completely unguarded and vulnerable.
Qu Weiyin hesitated only for a moment before removing her own outer garment and gently draping it over Luo Jinxi’s chest. In her sleep, Luo Jinxi smacked her lips, her rosy, delicate lips resembling pink jade, her nose high and her long lashes fluttering like feathers.
Qu Weiyin watched her for a moment, captivated, before tearing her gaze away. Noticing that the spot where Luo Jinxi lay was uneven, she bent down, her hand trembling slightly as it touched Luo Jinxi’s body. After a brief pause, she gently lifted Luo Jinxi into her arms.
The girl was slender and light, easy to carry, though the effort strained Qu Weiyin’s own injuries. Despite her exhaustion, Luo Jinxi didn’t wake, merely murmuring softly and snuggling closer into Qu Weiyin’s embrace.
Qu Weiyin, careful not to look down, carried her to a flatter area and gently set her down. Time passed slowly, and a small black shadow appeared on the horizon. As it approached, fierce winds began to swirl around them. Qu Weiyin felt a wave of relief as she shielded her eyes from the dust with her hand. Emerging from the haze was a gigantic beast, its back several meters wide, wings stretching majestically into the sky, eyes glowing bright red, roaring with a sound that drowned out even the river.
The beast lowered its massive body upon seeing Qu Weiyin, but its demeanor changed upon spotting Luo Jinxi. It opened its maw wide, baring fangs glistening with saliva, and let out a deafening roar.
Startled awake, Luo Jinxi screamed and instinctively grabbed Qu Weiyin’s hand, retreating several steps to hide behind her.
The sudden contact startled Qu Weiyin, who instinctively wanted to pull away but managed to restrain herself.
“Qiongqi!” she called sharply. At her words, the beast ceased its roar and lowered its massive head, though its eyes remained fixed on Luo Jinxi, licking its lips.
“What is that?” Luo Jinxi asked, having never seen such a fierce beast, hiding even further behind Qu Weiyin.
“Don’t be afraid; it won’t harm you,” Qu Weiyin assured her, extending her hand as Qiongqi approached, nuzzling its ear against her palm.
Luo Jinxi finally breathed a sigh of relief, peering curiously at the beast that resembled a large cat, a hint of joy in her voice. “With it, you can return to the Demon Realm?”
Qu Weiyin’s eyes flickered, and she nodded. Leaping onto Qiongqi’s back, she looked back at the vast sky before reaching out to Luo Jinxi.
“I am not ungrateful. I will take you back to the Wuhui Sect.”
Luo Jinxi looked up at the woman standing against the light, instinctively reaching out and clasping her hands, feeling a warm connection. Qu Weiyin pulled her up with a firm grip, and Qiongqi roared softly, turning to soar into the clouds.
Her heart trembled with excitement at the speed, and Luo Jinxi spread her arms to feel the cold wind lifting her hair. Turning around, she met Qu Weiyin’s gaze.
The woman’s figure was graceful, her long, fair arms exposed, shoulders straight, waist slender—stunningly beautiful and bewitching. Watching her, Luo Jinxi suddenly giggled, dimples forming like whirlpools filled with sunlight, exuding a charming innocence.
Qu Weiyin suppressed the smile threatening to curve her lips, turning slightly away to maintain her composure. “In the future, don’t trust people so easily.”
“Aren’t you, the great Demon Lord, doing the same?” Luo Jinxi replied softly, growing curious about the legendary Demon Lord and wondering what kind of person lay beneath her fearsome reputation.
Unfortunately, she wouldn’t have many opportunities to explore further.
“It’s because I trust easily that I’ve ended up like this,” Qu Weiyin murmured, her words carried away by the wind, barely audible.
“We’re almost there,” Qu Weiyin said, gazing down at the mountains below, a hint of nostalgia in her eyes. “Little fool, let me ask you a question.”
“With your talent, though young, if you become a top master one day, will you join your fellow disciples in hunting me, the Demon Lord?”
Without hesitation, Luo Jinxi shook her head, smiling, “I dislike suffering and war. If I become someone who can rally others, I would only seek peace for the world.”
Qu Weiyin’s phoenix eyes lifted slightly, then lowered, her lips curving faintly.
“Is it time for me to go?” Luo Jinxi drew her sword, stepping to the edge, looking back at Qu Weiyin’s solitary figure standing against the wind, feeling an inexplicable reluctance.
How strange, she thought. Just a day ago, she feared the demoness would kill her once she outlived her usefulness.
Qu Weiyin nodded slightly.
“Well…” Luo Jinxi ruffled her messy hair. “When I grow up, let’s meet again.”
“I’m quite busy; I might not remember you,” Qu Weiyin replied with a slight raise of her brows, her tone indifferent.
Luo Jinxi pouted at her words, rolling her eyes before leaping into the air. Her slender figure quickly vanished into the wind, accompanied by the fiery sunset.
“You better keep your word,” Qu Weiyin murmured much later, hugging herself and rubbing her cold arms.
Qiongqi flapped its mighty wings, gracefully turning mid-air as it soared toward the setting sun. The silhouettes of Qu Weiyin and the majestic beast gradually faded into the horizon, framed by the golden, molten hues of the sunset.
(End of the Extra Story)
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