Lu Qingtang glanced at the unconscious Jiang Xunbai and couldn’t help but gasp in surprise.
A beautiful woman dressed in red landed at the other end of the small boat. She smiled at Lu Qingtang, her eyes filled with undisguised desire and determination.
“Don’t worry, miss. I have no intention of harming her. She’ll wake up after we leave.”
Lu Qingtang’s eyes were filled with terror. Gathering her courage, she asked, “Wh-what do you want with me?”
The Skin-changing demon laughed heartily at her question. After finishing her laughter, she said gently, “Does the young lady still not know?”
“Being chosen by me is your good fortune—when my technique is perfected, we will merge into one. You will become me, and I will become you.”
As she spoke, the Skin-changing demon lightly moved her fingers, and Lu Qingtang was instantly restrained by an invisible force, unable to move.
The demon pulled her into an embrace, her long nails tracing along Lu Qingtang’s cheek, raising goosebumps. Lu Qingtang bit her lip hard, suppressing the fear in her heart.
It turned out the Skin-changing demon didn’t want to skin her—but to use her for cultivation.
Lu Qingtang’s heart trembled. This wasn’t mentioned in the original novel. In the original story, the Skin-changing demon captured her specifically to peel off her face and wear her skin to transform into her appearance.
Lu Qingtang nervously stared at Jiang Xunbai lying unconscious on the ground. The storm was approaching, yet there was no sign of Jiang Yijie or Su Lingyao anywhere around.
Lu Qingtang told herself not to be afraid—Jiang Xunbai would definitely wake up, Jiang Yijie and Su Lingyao would surely arrive in time, and at the very least she still had the Fu Zhi given by Jiang Xunbai and her own golden finger.
That’s what she told herself, but when the Skin-changing demon pressed her entire body against her, she still couldn’t help shivering.
The Skin-changing demon’s voice was soft and charming, naturally possessing the ability to enchant: “What are you afraid of, miss?”
Lu Qingtang bit the tip of her tongue to clear her mind. Mustering her courage, she said: “N-no, I’m not afraid—”
“Dear sister, what is this technique you speak of? Will we truly merge together?”
While trying to distract the Skin-changing demon to buy time, Lu Qingtang also attempted to extract some information from her.
How could the Skin-changing demon not see through her intentions? She chuckled coquettishly: “Miss, don’t try to delay. No one can save you today.”
As she spoke, she grabbed Lu Qingtang’s arm, preparing to lift her up and leave this place.
Lu Qingtang’s heart turned cold, and she was about to summon her system.
Just then, a light laugh suddenly sounded, followed by a young man’s clear voice: “What’s the hurry? Won’t you have a lotus seed before leaving?”
Then, a round, pale lotus seed came flying through the air. The Skin-changing demon dodged it, and a slightly cool hand suddenly grabbed Lu Qingtang’s wrist. With a gentle touch, the owner of that hand steadied Lu Qingtang securely back onto the small boat.
Furious, the Skin-changing demon turned to grab at them: “Who are you?!”
Jiang Xunbai laughed: “Your venerable self must be too important to remember trifles—you don’t even recognize me?”
As he spoke, spiritual power burst forth from Jiang Xunbai. His blue-green dress exploded with a rustle, shattering into fragments that revealed pure black robes trimmed with gold beneath.
Lu Qingtang exclaimed joyfully: “Jiang Xunbai, you’re alright?!”
Jiang Xunbai lowered his gaze to look at her, his dark, moist eyes shimmering with a smile. “Of course I’m fine. I originally intended to pry some information from her, but she was quite sharp-witted—she didn’t reveal another word.”
“But it’s no matter. With such a vicious demonic technique, now that she’s dead, no one else should know of it!”
In Jiang Xunbai’s consciousness, the system’s voice chimed incessantly: 【Congratulations, Host. Current favorability for character Lu Qingtang: 6/100.】
The Skin-changing demon realized she had been trapped, her anger deepening. Thick demonic energy emanated from her body, her human form barely holding together. Cracks began to appear on her face, as if it would peel away piece by piece the next moment.
The wind rose and clouds swirled, dark clouds pressing down heavily. The small boat rocked unsteadily. Jiang Xunbai released Lu Qingtang’s wrist and said softly, “Step back a bit. Don’t let her harm you.”
Lu Qingtang retreated several steps without hesitation.
Just then, Jiang Xunbai drew Fu Zhi from his chest. The talisman papers in his hand transformed into streams of light shooting toward the Skin-changing demon.
After the demon was severely wounded, the wind and rain intensified. Lu Qingtang struggled to keep her footing when she saw Jiang Xunbai suddenly step back to stand in front of her, whispering, “Hold onto the hem of my robe.”
Upon hearing this, Lu Qingtang immediately reached out to grasp the edge of Jiang Xunbai’s robe to steady herself.
His high ponytail fluttered in the wind, the ends repeatedly brushing against Lu Qingtang’s face, causing a tingling itch.
A string of Buddhist beads slipped from Jiang Xunbai’s wrist, glowing with golden light as it rapidly expanded. The Skin-changing demon tried to flee but was too late—bound by the Buddhist beads, she couldn’t move.
“Elder Brother.”
Jiang Xunbai called out with a laugh.
From not far away, a long sword suddenly flew over, piercing through the Skin-changing demon’s heart.
A sharp, loud noise echoed as the Skin-changing demon dissipated into ashes, leaving only a dark green bead glowing as it floated in the air.
The string of Buddhist beads shrank and flew back to Jiang Xunbai’s hand. When Lu Qingtang clearly saw the beads, an inexplicable sorrow welled up in her heart, and a tear fell with a soft pat.
Jiang Xunbai turned and saw this scene. The smile at the corners of his lips gradually faded as he sighed lightly, “Why are you crying? Were you frightened?”
Lu Qingtang wiped her tears while staring intently at the Buddhist beads on Jiang Xunbai’s wrist. Jiang Xunbai raised his hand in confusion, asking uncertainly, “Are you looking at my hand?”
“I know my hand is quite good-looking, but there’s no need to cry over it!”
Jiang Xunbai’s teasing voice reached Lu Qingtang’s ears. She laughed through her tears and scolded, “Jiang Xunbai, you’re insane.”
Seeing her laugh, Jiang Xunbai secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
“Jiang Xunbai, where did you get this string of Buddhist beads? And when did you acquire it?”
Jiang Xunbai stored the Skin-changing demon’s Yao Dan in a pouch and shrugged. “What if I said I was born with it—would you believe me?”
Lu Qingtang shook her head. “No.”
“It really is something I was born with. When I tell the truth, Miss Lu, you don’t believe me—”
“A-Xun, you’ve done very well.”
Before Jiang Xunbai could finish, Jiang Yijie and Su Lingyao flew over from a distance. Jiang Yijie beamed, his eyes full of admiration.
Lu Qingtang’s gaze finally shifted away from the Buddhist beads on Jiang Xunbai’s wrist. How could this be? Why did she feel such deep sadness and an uncontrollable urge to cry every time she saw these beads?
“Miss Lu?”
“Ah?”
Lu Qingtang suddenly snapped back to reality and found the other three staring at her. Jiang Xunbai’s eyes held a hint of mockery, Jiang Yijie wore a faint smile, and Su Lingyao’s gaze carried a trace of admiration.
Jiang Yijie repeated, “You played an indispensable role in subduing the Skin-changing demon this time, Miss Lu.”
He looked at her appreciatively, even omitting the formal address “Miss Lu,” and praised sincerely, “I never expected Qing-Tang, despite having no cultivation, to be so courageous and resourceful. Thank you for your efforts.”
Su Lingyao also nodded and said, “Tang-Tang, you’re truly remarkable. If you were from a demon-hunting family, you would undoubtedly be an exceptional demon hunter.”
Lu Qingtang’s cheeks flushed red from their praise. She quickly humbled herself, saying, “I haven’t even thanked Big Brother Jiang, Sister Su, and Second Young Master Jiang for saving my life last night. As for today’s events, the credit belongs entirely to Second Young Master Jiang…”
“Miss Lu, there’s no need to be so modest.”
Jiang Xunbai suddenly spoke up.
Lu Qingtang smiled and fell silent.
After the Skin-changing demon died, the dark clouds dispersed, replaced by a blazing, magnificent sunset. The four of them returned by boat.
Jiang Xunbai lowered his voice and asked, “How does Miss Lu know so much about demons?”
An ordinary mortal would have been terrified and incredulous upon hearing such information, which is why demon hunters sometimes chose to erase their memories. Yet Lu Qingtang was not only unafraid but also knowledgeable about demons—how could this not arouse Jiang Xunbai’s suspicion?
Though Jiang Xunbai spoke softly, demon hunters possessed keen senses. Both Jiang Yijie and Su Lingyao overheard him and couldn’t help but look at Lu Qingtang with curiosity.
Lu Qingtang swallowed the lotus seed in her mouth and replied vaguely, “My family has many books about demons. I often read them in my spare time.”
“Oh?”
Jiang Xunbai responded, pulling out a white jade pendant. He handed it to Lu Qingtang.
She held the cool, finely crafted pendant, on which the character “Bai” was elegantly engraved. Meeting Jiang Xunbai’s half-smiling gaze, she almost instantly deflated.
The Bai family was one of the demon-hunting clans in the world of Zhu Yao.
What was worse, this jade pendant was a token between the Bai family and her own!
Seeing Lu Qingtang clutching the pendant engraved with “Bai,” the amusement in Jiang Xunbai’s eyes faded slightly.
“Since this is a precious token between Miss Lu and her fiancé, you should keep it safe. Don’t lose it again, or you might risk your life searching for it later.”
Lu Qingtang blinked, feeling there was something odd about Jiang Xunbai’s words, though she couldn’t quite pinpoint it. She decided not to dwell on it, reasoning that he was right—she needed to keep it safe. After all, she would need it later to annul the engagement. Losing it would only cause more trouble.
That would be far too dangerous.
With this in mind, Lu Qingtang tucked the pendant close to her body.
Observing this, Jiang Xunbai’s eyes darkened. He chuckled lightly and said, “Miss Lu and Young Master Bai must share a deep bond.”
Lu Qingtang found this utterly baffling. She widened her eyes in confusion and asked, “Didn’t Second Young Master tell me to keep the pendant safe?”
Jiang Xunbai was momentarily speechless.
Su Lingyao and Jiang Yijie exchanged a glance, and she noticed a flicker of amusement in his eyes.
After a long pause, Jiang Xunbai said, “Miss Lu is right. You should indeed keep it safe.”
As he spoke, he pulled a book from his storage bag: “If Miss Lu is interested in matters concerning demons, why not take a look at this book? The records in this ‘Annals of Demons’ are more comprehensive and detailed than hearsay from others.”
Lu Qingtang immediately detected the insinuation in Jiang Xunbai’s words—he must have thought her interest in demonic matters stemmed from Bai Wujin.
Though she couldn’t understand why he would make such a connection, a smile still bloomed across her face. She took the book from Jiang Xunbai’s hand and eagerly flipped through a few pages. Noticing densely written annotations throughout the text, she realized this book might hold significant importance to Jiang Xunbai.
“I can’t accept this.”
She returned the book to Jiang Xunbai, only to see his expression shift slightly, the smile completely vanishing from his face.
Author’s note:
Tang-Tang: A top student’s notes (astonished)
Jiang TangTang: Photographic memory (smugly proud)