If one had to say which character left the deepest impression on Jiang Yin in the book, it would definitely be Chu Nanci.
As a nine-tailed fox demon, he was undoubtedly a great demon, and at the same time, he was also the biggest villain in the entire story.
This fox was not merely bad. The most crucial point was that he had an almost pathological obsession with anything that could bring him pleasure.
The reason he constantly created predicaments for the male and female leads was simply because the way they struggled again and again in the face of death amused him.
It could be said that Chu Nanci was a thoroughly twisted lunatic who committed evil purely for his own pleasure.
Jiang Yin would rather encounter the blood demon and the puppet demon at the same time than run into this bad fox.
However, she quickly calmed herself down.
Most likely, it was because the fox demon illusion created earlier by the blood demon had left a shadow in her mind that made her think of Chu Nanci. But upon careful consideration, the great demon that Xue Zhuang’er mentioned, the one that appeared at night, could not possibly be him.
Chu Nanci never chose a specific time when he wanted to kill. Moreover, in the book, his interests were always centered around the male and female leads. Xie Huaian, as a supporting male character, had no presence in his eyes whatsoever. Even if she had taken Xie Huaian away in advance, it would not attract his attention.
Besides, according to the plot, Chu Nanci should have just gone through a joint pursuit by several major sects. At this moment, he was probably hiding somewhere, tending to his injuries.
She steadied herself, took out a fire striker from her bundle, and relit the candle. Then she carefully asked Xue Zhuang’er, “Xiao Zhuang, do you know what kind of demon that was? What did it roughly look like?”
“Yes, I’ve seen it!” Xue Zhuang’er squatted down and used his finger to draw the shape of the demon beast on the damp ground, where the rain had seeped into the soil. “It had big pig ears, a cow’s nose, its teeth were black and stained with red blood. One eye was green, the other was yellow, and it walked on two legs like a person.”
As the boy described it, a grotesque outline gradually took shape on the ground.
Jiang Yin frowned and examined it for a long time, searching through her memory, yet she could not find any great demon in the original text that matched this description.
However, there were countless demon beasts on the Eastern Profound Continent, and not every single one had appeared in the book.
“I’ve only seen it that one time. My mother said it’s a monster that comes out at night to eat children. I was afraid of being eaten, so I didn’t dare go out anymore.” As Xue Zhuang’er spoke, he shrank his neck. “It’s very late. I need to go to sleep. Sister Jiang Yin, you should go to bed early too.”
Before closing the door, the boy’s childish face was set within the shadow of the narrow gap, repeating over and over, “Don’t go out… whatever you do, don’t go out… you’ll be eaten…”
“Creak.”
The old wooden door finally shut, and the last wisp of wind brushed against Jiang Yin, making her shiver in the middle of a summer night.
Wasn’t this supposed to be a restricted romance novel she had transmigrated into? Why did it feel like a horror story?
Rubbing her arms, now covered in goosebumps, Jiang Yin suddenly realized a more practical problem.
“Wait! Where am I supposed to sleep?!”
Her voice was drowned out by the torrential rain outside, and Xue Zhuang’er did not hear her.
But the other person in the room did.
Chu Nanci generously lifted the blanket and patted the empty space beside him. “Come here.”
The house was already crude, and the bed was even narrower, measuring just a little over one meter in width. Jiang Yin looked at the cramped space, her voice wavering slightly. “Isn’t that… a bit inappropriate?”
Chu Nanci asked in confusion, “Why would it be inappropriate? Aren’t you and I an unmarried couple?”
Jiang Yin had just thought she was in a horror story, but the young man’s words made her realize once again that she had transmigrated into a restricted novel.
To make the dual cultivation between the male and female leads more reasonable, the author had set the level of openness regarding relationships between men and women here to be similar to modern times. As long as there was mutual affection, they could be together.
Her current identity was Xie Huaian’s fiancée. Not to mention simply sleeping together, even actually sharing a bed in the fullest sense would not be an issue.
No wonder he had not resisted her approach at all just now.
Thinking of the kiss that had almost gone too far earlier, Jiang Yin’s cheeks could not help but grow warm. She found an excuse for what she had said earlier. “My sleeping habits aren’t very good. I’m afraid I might disturb you.”
Chu Nanci said, “I don’t mind.”
What else could Jiang Yin say? If he did not mind, could she really insist that she did?
She blew out the candle and slowly climbed onto the bed.
Jiang Yin had thought that sharing a bed with a man for the first time would make her too nervous to fall asleep. But listening to the steady sound of rain outside, and thinking about how her first task had been successfully completed, her mind relaxed. After exchanging a few words with the young man, exhaustion and drowsiness washed over her like a tide.
She did not even have time to say good night. Her voice grew softer and softer, until only the sound of her even breathing remained.
After confirming that she had fallen asleep, a fox tail slipped out from beneath the blanket, wrapping around one of the girl’s arms and pulling it to rest on Chu Nanci’s waist.
The fox tail swayed gently, guiding Jiang Yin’s hand to brush lightly against his waist.
It was a faint ticklish sensation, yet far from the kind of feeling during the day that had been impossible to ignore.
Chu Nanci opened his eyes and lifted the girl’s hand before him, carefully examining it in the faint light coming through the window.
She was very thin, and her hands were equally lacking in flesh. Her fingers were long and slender, the fingertips tinged with a faint pink, her knuckles fair and delicate. They actually looked a bit prettier than her face, yet aside from that, there was nothing particularly special about them.
But why did they feel so vastly different from during the day?
It had been the same when she touched his forehead earlier. The sensation was completely unlike when she touched his waist and chest.
For the first time, Chu Nanci felt that his understanding of humans was still far too shallow.
But it did not matter. He had plenty of time to study her slowly.
…
The heavy rain lasted through the entire night, only easing in the early morning.
When Jiang Yin woke up, the young man beside her was still asleep.
It had been better when the light was dim at night. Now that it was daylight, looking at the young man’s excessively handsome face made her heartbeat quicken again.
What was she supposed to do when her target was this good-looking?
Jiang Yin decided she absolutely should not look too much. She was afraid she might lose control and make another mistake.
Lying together also made her thoughts wander, so she quickly got out of bed, putting distance between herself and the dangerously alluring sleeping man.
Only when she stepped outside did she realize that the Xue family was even poorer than she had imagined.
The courtyard enclosed by a fence was not small, and the walls were quite high, yet there were only two low earthen houses inside, standing opposite each other. The two rooms were connected by a corridor with a thatched roof. Beneath the corridor was a simple stove built from packed earth and stones, serving as the kitchen.
The room on the right had no door. At a glance, Jiang Yin could see that it was piled with firewood and miscellaneous items. It was a woodshed.
After confirming that there was no third room in the small courtyard that could be lived in, Jiang Yin looked toward Xue Zhuang’er, who was squatting at the doorway feeding the chickens, her gaze filled with guilt.
There were still a few strands of dry grass stuck to his back. It was obvious he had made do in the woodshed for the night.
Sigh.
She could not help but let out a soft sigh.
“Sister Jiang, you’re awake.” Hearing the sound, Xue Zhuang’er turned his head. When he saw her, his bright black eyes immediately curved into a smile. After scattering the last handful of chaff in his hand, he clapped his hands and ran toward the stove. “There’s porridge cooking in the pot. I’ll serve you some. My mother’s porridge is really fragrant and sweet.”
“Your mother cooked it?” Jiang Yin did not see anyone in the courtyard. “Where is she?”
“She went to the back mountain to dig some earth.” Xue Zhuang’er pointed to a corner of the house. “The rain was too heavy yesterday, and this part got washed thin. It needs to be patched up, or it’ll leak when it rains.”
Jiang Yin followed his gaze and saw that the mud at that corner of the wall was noticeably darker and damp, indeed much thinner than the rest.
And the rice porridge in the pot was pitifully thin as well.
Her chest tightened a little. This life was truly too difficult.
But Xue Zhuang’er did not seem to feel it at all. He scooped up more than half of the few grains of rice in the pot and held it out to Jiang Yin. “Sister, you eat more.”
Looking at the pure kindness in the boy’s eyes, Jiang Yin held the bowl, her voice catching slightly. “Xiao Zhuang, don’t worry. Big Sister will definitely build your family a new house, a blue-brick house!”
Fortunately, this book was set in a fantasy world. Many things were not as hard to obtain as in a real ancient setting. Even building a blue-brick house would not be too expensive.
“Thank you, Sister Jiang, but there’s really no need.” Xue Zhuang’er scratched his head and revealed a simple yet sensible smile. “If a blue-brick house breaks, we wouldn’t be able to afford to repair it.”
“Blue-brick houses aren’t that easy to break…” Jiang Yin was just about to explain that blue-brick houses were very sturdy and would not be ruined by a bit of rain when a burst of sharp, childish laughter and jeering came from behind her.
“Xue monster! What bad thing have you done again?”
“I’m not a monster!” Xue Zhuang’er immediately shouted back. “I didn’t do anything bad! I saved someone yesterday!”
“Liar! You only know how to harm people! Xue monster, liar, troublemaker!”
Several children about the same age as Xue Zhuang’er walked into the courtyard, clapping their hands as they sang a mocking rhyme in strange tones.
Xue Zhuang’er trembled with anger, clenching his fists as he shouted at them, “I said, I’m not a monster!”
Jiang Yin patted his shoulder to comfort him, then looked at the group of children and said seriously, “He isn’t lying. It was indeed him who saved us yesterday.”
His mother had saved them, which naturally counted as him saving them as well.
Hearing Jiang Yin’s words, the child at the front fixed his gaze on her, his eyes carrying a scrutiny that did not match his age.
“Xue monster, is she from your family? Is she also going to come to our house to repay your debt?”
“I’m not a monster!” Xue Zhuang’er shielded Jiang Yin behind him. “Sun Zhuzi, don’t even think about it. Sister Jiang won’t go to your house!”
“Chirp chirp chirp!”
As loud as Xue Zhuang’er was a little chick. Just like him, it spread its tiny wings and stood in front of Jiang Yin. Its ginger-yellow fluff shone beautifully like silk under the sunlight.
Sun Zhuzi looked at the chick, which was prettier than any chick in his own home. His eyes shifted, and he pointed at Xue Zhuang’er. “Fine, Xue monster, you stole our chick. I’m going to tell your mother!”
Xue Zhuang’er said angrily, “That’s nonsense. This is Sister Jiang’s chick, not yours.”
Jiang Yin: “…Huh?”
Where did she get a chicken from?
But on second thought, this was probably just an excuse Xue Zhuang’er made in a moment of panic. Although she did not know who the chick actually belonged to, she was willing to believe it was not stolen by him.
“That’s right, this is my chick!” She straightened her back, trying to put on the authority of an adult. “Hurry up and go home. If you keep causing trouble, I’ll call your parents over!”
She thought the threat of calling their parents would restrain this group of unruly children, but not only did Sun Zhuzi not hold back, he directly rushed forward and reached out to grab the little chick.
Xue Zhuang’er instinctively wanted to step forward to stop him, but after taking two steps, he seemed to recall something and abruptly halted. He shouted helplessly at Sun Zhuzi, “Don’t come over! You’re not allowed to come over!”
But how could Sun Zhuzi possibly listen to him?
Seeing that he was about to succeed, Jiang Yin quickly reached out and scooped the little chick, which was flapping its tiny wings as if bravely facing the enemy, into her arms.
The fluffy little creature settled down once it was in her embrace. It no longer struggled, only gently pecking at the web between her thumb and index finger with its small beak. Jiang Yin felt a ticklish sensation and lowered her head, using her fingertip to move its beak away.
At that moment, a vicious glint flashed in Sun Zhuzi’s eyes. He bent down, picked up a stone, and hurled it fiercely at her.
“Give me back my chick!”
Xue Zhuang’er wanted to block it for Jiang Yin, but he was only a child after all, smaller in build than her. The stone flew past him, heading straight for Jiang Yin’s head, about to strike her at any moment.
Xue Zhuang’er was so frightened that he held his breath. His eyes reddened with panic as he stared fixedly at the stone, his mind filled with a single thought.
‘I can’t let Sister Jiang Yin get hurt! Absolutely not!’
At that very moment, the fast-flying stone suddenly wavered. Then, as if its force had been removed out of thin air, it stopped just a few centimeters away from Jiang Yin before dropping to the ground with a soft pat.
It was a close call, but no real danger. Only the mud splashed up by the falling stone dirtied the hem of Jiang Yin’s skirt.
Xue Zhuang’er let out a sigh of relief.
But when Sun Zhuzi saw that his first attempt had failed, he picked up another stone and even urged the other children to join him in throwing stones at Jiang Yin to snatch the chick.
Seeing this, Xue Zhuang’er could no longer care about his mother’s repeated warnings. Like an enraged young calf, he charged forward.
“You’re not allowed to bully Sister Jiang!”
Jiang Yin watched in astonishment as Xue Zhuang’er grabbed the troublemaking children one by one and, with effortless ease, tossed them over the fence like sandbags.
“Bang! Bang! Bang!”
Heavy thuds sounded one after another, mixed with the children’s cries of pain.
After they scrambled to their feet and ran back home in panic, Xue Zhuang’er tensed his small face and turned to look at Jiang Yin. “Sister Jiang, are you alright?”
Jiang Yin: “…”
She was fine.
But her worldview and her pride had taken a slight hit.
She looked again at the small boy in front of her, who did not appear particularly strong, then turned to glance at the shallow pits outside the fence where the children had landed. Her expression gradually changed.
Xue Zhuang’er noticed it and took a few steps back on his own initiative.
It was normal for Sister to feel afraid after seeing his strangeness just now.
But at the thought that Jiang Yin might also, like everyone else, see him as a monster, as a demon beast, fear him, and stay away from him, Xue Zhuang’er felt an indescribable ache in his heart.
Jiang Yin was the first person, other than his mother, who had ever smiled at him. If possible, he did not want her to dislike him.
But Xue Zhuang’er knew that was impossible.
He did not want to see the look of fear and disgust on Jiang Yin’s face, so he simply kept his head lowered. In his line of sight, he could see the tips of his worn, mud-stained shoes, and a corner of a light green skirt.
Its color was like the grass and trees that were everywhere in these mountains. Yet those plants never came close to him, because they were too fragile and would be broken by his strange strength.
Just as Xue Zhuang’er blinked hard to hold back the stinging moisture welling up in his eyes, that light green skirt swayed gently, like the most delicate sprout, and moved right in front of him.
Xue Zhuang’er’s heart began to pound rapidly.