Transmigrated Into A Waste Who Married The Villain. Chapter 33: Humans and Demons

“Got it!” Luo Jinxiao joyfully darted out but quickly paused, wide-eyed as if she had misheard. “Wait, save the tree demon?”

“The tree demon only possesses demonic energy, no malevolent energy; it has never harmed anyone—I can feel it. Moreover, the demonic energy from that day is completely different from this,” Qu Weiyin insisted, her brow furrowed as she urged her onward.

Without hesitation, Luo Jinxiao leapt into the air, her faintly azure figure soaring straight into the crowd, trailing with a silver light like a shooting star, directly shattering the formation. The Qingyan Sect disciples were caught off guard and tumbled into a heap.

“Who dares interfere here!” cried a veiled woman, springing into action with glinting cold light emanating from her sword, pointing its tip straight at Luo Jinxiao.

“Sorry!” Luo Jinxiao raised both hands in a show of non-aggression, offering a sheepish smile to indicate her lack of ill intent.

Seeing Luo Jinxiao clad in deep blue robes, resembling a cultivator, with a graceful appearance and a charming, innocent smile, the woman relaxed her weapon, raising her voice instead. “Fellow immortal, this tree demon has cultivated for a thousand years, transcending the human realm, bringing calamity upon the world. It must be removed. Please step aside and don’t block our path.”

Luo Jinxiao kept her hands raised and continued to back up until she was standing at the foot of the tree. “I mean no harm. However, if you are searching for the root cause of the troubles plaguing Pingxi Town, you might have the wrong target. It would be better to investigate thoroughly first, to avoid harming the innocent.”

Hearing this, the woman scrutinized Luo Jinxiao for a moment and shook her head. “You misunderstand, fellow immortal. Even if we misjudge, this demon has hidden in the human realm for too long; it will eventually bring disaster. We see you are young, so we will not argue with you; please step aside.”

“Wait, let’s talk a little more,” Luo Jinxiao said, glancing up at the moon. It still wasn’t noon, and the malevolent demon shouldn’t have arrived yet, so she smiled again and added, “But if it hasn’t committed any wrongdoing, killing it outright would be very inhumane.”

“It is a demon; where is the humanity in that? If you don’t move aside, we will take action!” a man shouted from the side, jumping forward with an angry expression.

As soon as he finished speaking, the man drew his sword and leapt forward, a torrent of force surging straight at Luo Jinxiao’s face. Taking a quick glance, Luo Jinxiao assessed her opponents, realizing that their cultivations were at around the Xu Chen level and posed little threat. She decided against drawing her own sword and simply countered his attack with a wave of her hand.

The man found himself momentarily speechless, his surprise visible when the seemingly young girl fended off his strike with such ease. He exchanged glances with his companions, and then they all charged forward together, hoping to overwhelm Luo Jinxiao by forming a collective formation to trap her.

Observing this, Qu Weiyin tightened her grip, preparing to lend Luo Jinxiao a hand. However, before she could act, Luo Jinxiao suddenly appeared to recite a secret mantra. The moisture on the tips of the grass and leaves in the woods instantly froze into frost, converting into sharp ice needles that shot toward the formation’s pulse points, shattering it in an instant.

The Qingyan Sect members exchanged startled glances, utterly bewildered. Qu Weiyin, seeing this, let her hand drop, her expression mingling surprise with confusion, which eventually settled into silence.

Suddenly, the tree demon started to sway its branch-like arms above Luo Jinxiao’s head and clapped enthusiastically as if quite pleased.

Caught off guard by falling leaves and branches, Luo Jinxiao momentarily felt dazed. She rubbed her head, shaking off the debris.

“Fellow immortal, how can you assist this vile demon? It’s so unethical!” the man shouted, his anger boiling.

“Yet you act without distinguishing between right and wrong, harming innocent lives and the lives of demons alike—what ethics do you uphold? If you kill merely because it’s a demon, how are you any different from the demons you speak of?” Luo Jinxiao cupped her hands around her mouth, projecting her voice loudly.

“You little brat!” The man wanted to step forward again, but he was restrained by a woman next to him.

Meanwhile, the terrified townsfolk could no longer contain themselves. Their gazes toward Luo Jinxiao turned hostile as a few of them collapsed to their knees before the Qingyan Sect members, crying out, “Esteemed immortals, we suffer at the hands of the demon every night, with people disappearing without a trace. We are in anguish! This demon has taken so many lives—please eliminate this demon and save us!”

The Qingyan Sect members hurriedly urged the townsfolk to rise, creating an uproar with no clear resolution in sight.

Suddenly, two young men among the crowd stood up, pointing at Xiu’er vehemently. “It’s her! She’s possessed by the demon! She’s the one who brought the monsters here!”

The murmurs escalated, with townsfolk whispering to one another, some unable to contain their anger, throwing their torches toward Xiu’er. She quickly covered her head and ducked, narrowly avoiding being struck. The tavern keeper, seeing this unfold, couldn’t bear to watch; he rushed forward and yelled, “Please, show mercy! She’s merely been deceived, not a demon!”

But fear and hatred had clouded the townspeople’s judgment, and more began to rise, bent on teaching Xiu’er a lesson.

Unable to touch the tree demon, they sought to punish just a helpless girl.

The calls for punishment grew louder, and the previously quiet tree demon suddenly began to thrash, its anger evident as it witnessed the townsfolk encircling the frightened girl. With a piercing roar, the tree demon expressed its fury.

Then, a figure streaked across, positioning itself in front of the trembling Xiu’er. It gradually turned into a human shape, a woman with curly dark green hair cascading over her shoulders. She floated in the air, and suddenly, the surrounding trees began to sway violently, a fierce wind engulfing the mountaintop, blinding the crowd.

“It’s the tree demon!” the disciples of Qingyan Sect screamed, moving closer. Gathering their energies, they formed a long sword in mid-air, aiming it at the tree demon, creating a chaotic scene. The demonic form of the tree began to clarify, taking shape with two legs that landed firmly on the ground. Many vines erupted from the earth, forming a natural barrier to protect Xiu’er.

With tear-streaked cheeks, Xiu’er gazed at the tree demon, and she suddenly felt at ease, collapsing onto the ground.

Luo Jinxiao also exhaled, summoning her divine sword and positioning it in front of her. She leaped up into the air, reciting a mantra, and a transparent ice wall formed around both the girl and the tree demon, like an inverted glass bowl, shielding them from external attacks.

“It’s you again! Constantly helping the demons—who exactly are you?” a furious disciple from Qingyan Sect shouted, pointing accusingly at Luo Jinxiao.

“Look up at the sky,” Luo Jinxiao replied, gesturing upward.

By now, it was nearly midnight, and what little light remained had completely vanished, the sky shrouded in an ominous darkness, thick and foreboding, like an inky cloth that could drip down at any moment.

“What is this?” the man asked, furrowing his brow.

“Demonic energy. This is what you’ve been searching for, the real demon that brings calamity to the world,” Luo Jinxiao declared, landing softly after she sheathed her sword. Clad in flowing blue robes, her brow remained tight with concern as she scanned her surroundings.

Qu Weiyin, who had been standing behind moments ago, was nowhere to be seen.

“Senior Brother, the demonic energy over there is indeed very strong; it seems she might be telling the truth,” the veiled woman said as she rushed to the man’s side, her expression betraying her anxiety.

The townsfolk witnessed the scene and, overwhelmed by fear, began to weaken in the knees, collapsing to the ground. Some fainted outright, while others, worried about their families, hastily raised their torches in a rush back toward the town.

The disciples of Qingyan Sect quickly conferred with one another. They withdrew a few members who swiftly flew back toward Pingxi Town, leaving the area desolate. As the crowd dispersed, the chaos left behind was overwhelming, and the tavern keeper knelt outside the barrier that Luo Jinxiao had conjured, his gaze vacant.

Xiu’er struggled to rise, and the usually quiet tree demon suddenly stirred. It stepped slowly toward her, extending its vine-covered arm gently to hold her shoulder and help her up.

“Demon! Vile demon!” the tavern keeper shouted frantically. Unable to break through the barrier, he rushed to Luo Jinxiao, dropping to his knees and preparing to bow. “Esteemed immortal, I am blind to the danger. Please save my daughter; she must be under the control of this monster…”

“She is unharmed,” Luo Jinxiao replied, frowning with a calm tone. “She has not been possessed—she is your daughter.”

“My daughter? How could my daughter be so close to a demon?” The tavern keeper shook his head repeatedly, refusing to accept it no matter what.

Luo Jinxiao could only shake her head. Unsure of what to do, she decided to trust Qu Weiyin’s words and focus on protecting them for the time being.

Just then, a golden light suddenly streaked across the horizon, reminiscent of the previous night’s display. This time, however, the light flickered more intensely, stretching across the sky like a long ribbon, parting the dark clouds and allowing the moonlight to pour down from the rift.

Worries filled Luo Jinxiao’s heart as she clenched her fists, her expression grave.

Qu Weiyin’s power was astonishing; even at such a distance, Luo Jinxiao could sense her immense spiritual strength. Gradually, she began to feel reassured, raising her head to look in the direction from which the commotion was coming, a smile beginning to form on her face.

“Who is she to possess such formidable cultivation?” The veiled woman, still present, exclaimed in amazement. She rushed a few steps closer, tilting her head to look up at the revealed moonlight.

“She is my Master Uncle; impressive, right?” Luo Jinxiao replied with immense pride, her eyes sparkling.

After a while—around the time it would take to burn an incense stick—Qu Weiyin returned. She emerged silently, glistening with dew, appearing right in front of Luo Jinxiao, her skirts and sleeves trailing gracefully beside her as she settled back down.

Her expression was calm, as if what had just transpired was no more than a minor incident. She stood tall and cool, her long hair rustling in the wind, exposing her delicate features.

Luo Jinxiao couldn’t help but smile wider, her lips curving so playfully it seemed like they could almost catch a fish: “Did you eliminate the demon?”

“Turned to ash,” Qu Weiyin replied nonchalantly.

“Why is your face a little flushed?” Luo Jinxiao leaned in closer. Qu Weiyin subtly dodged, looking down and turning away.

“They bowed to me,” Qu Weiyin said, her tone carrying a hint of what seemed like mild grievance.

Luo Jinxiao nearly burst out laughing at that.

Qu Weiyin cleared her throat, her gaze shifting to the tree demon and the girl. With her lips pressed together, she said, “Everyone has left now; let them out.”

Luo Jinxiao cheerfully replied with an “Oh!” and waved her hand. The icy barrier instantly vanished. The tavern keeper rushed forward to grasp Xiu’er’s arm, saying, “Come on, let’s go home with your father.”

Xiu’er turned back to glance at the tree demon, frozen in place. The distance between the two was hardly an arm’s length, yet it felt like an insurmountable chasm. The tree demon’s eyes glimmered a faint green—strange yet beautiful. It reached out with a branch, but the tavern keeper punched it back.

“Demon!” the tavern keeper yelled angrily.

Xiu’er suddenly broke free from the tavern keeper’s grip, turning back and running to the tree demon. Her slender arms wrapped around the demon’s waist as she buried her face into the tree demon’s embrace. Her disheveled hair clung to her cheeks, wet with tears.

Being both deaf and mute, she could express nothing but her sorrow, crying helplessly.

The tree demon appeared more human-like now. Its branches had transformed into smooth skin, and aside from its head and eyes, which remained a vibrant green, it resembled a graceful woman in all other aspects. With gentle movements, the tree demon tenderly stroked Xiu’er’s hair, carefully smoothing out her tangled locks.

Watching this scene unfold, the tavern keeper nearly fainted.

Luo Jinxiao was equally astonished. She had never seen such a profound bond between a human and a demon, and she instinctively turned to glance at Qu Weiyin, who wore an inscrutable expression, lost in thought.

“Master Uncle, what’s wrong?” Luo Jinxiao dared to ask.

“It seems today is when she has achieved her human form in cultivation,” Qu Weiyin replied, her eyelashes fluttering slightly, a hint of melancholy crossing her face. “I wonder if humans and demons are truly destined to be apart forever.”

“Not necessarily! I can summon fierce beasts, can’t I?” Luo Jinxiao said, trying to reassure her. She maintained a light tone.

“No, this is different,” Qu Weiyin shook her head. “You don’t understand anything.”

Luo Jinxiao felt a pang of defiance at those words, but after pondering, she concluded that she indeed didn’t grasp the full meaning of Qu Weiyin’s sentiment. She bit her lip and forced herself to appear calm. “How could I not understand? While those who cultivate seek to subdue demons, they shouldn’t forget the equality of all living beings. Besides, whom I wish to be with is my own choice, with no one else to interfere.”

Qu Weiyin turned to look at Luo Jinxiao’s profile. Though her tone seemed somewhat naive, her eyes conveyed a determination and confidence that shone through.

“Hmm,” Qu Weiyin replied dismissively, feigning indifference, but the faintest hint of a smile flickered at the corners of her lips.