TDIC 02

Chapter : 2

Li Lingjiang had met too many people; her energy was far less than before. She couldn’t remember who the little immortal in front of her was, but she could tell that his spiritual power was weak and that he was injured—he posed no threat to her.

She lowered her eyes, feeling drowsy. “This isn’t a place where immortals should stay. I can’t even remember if I know you… Let’s go.”

The little immortal panicked at once. He wiped the tears from his eyes and hurriedly explained, “My name is Yin Wu. I only ascended a little over a hundred years ago. I once had the honor of being saved by Your Excellency. A few days ago, I heard that the ruler of the Demon Realm had been replaced and learned that you would be here. So I walked all the way from the Southern Neighbor to Mount No-Return to repay Your Excellency’s kindness.”

Li Lingjiang still lacked the energy to respond. She had saved many people casually—this was nothing to her. There were those who wished to repay her, but she had rejected them all. Now, with her fate already determined, why waste time on someone who was about to die? Besides, the distance from the Southern Neighbor to Mount No-Return was great—even with magic, it would take a day to reach. By foot…

She sighed lightly. “It’s not that I don’t want to keep you, it’s that I don’t need anyone to take care of me. I saved you unintentionally—you don’t need to repay me.”

Hearing this, Yin Wu hung his head in disappointment, and tears flowed uncontrollably. He raised his sleeve to wipe them, choking back sobs as he said, “Your Excellency, I really won’t be a burden. I’ve memorized almost all the plants, birds, and beasts of the Demon Realm. I can cook, clean, and do many other things. Please don’t reject me.”

“I can learn anything you teach me. I’ll do whatever you ask. I’m obedient and well-behaved. Please let me stay—”

Li Lingjiang’s hand slowly tightened. The small white dragon in her arms let out a small cry, whimpering as it burrowed into her embrace.

The little immortal was strikingly beautiful, and when he cried, his eyes turned red. Afraid of annoying her, he controlled his voice, sucking in tiny breaths. Li Lingjiang leaned against the black dragon, using up some energy to lift her gaze toward him. She was very tired and didn’t want to persuade him further—after all, she hadn’t always refused taking people in.

In truth, demons were not picky about food. She could have accepted immortal food if she wanted. It was just that there would be an extra mouth to feed—one immortal and one dragon. Once she left, this bond would dissolve. But if she sent him away now, he might not find a place to stay.

“Fine.” She remained silent for a few seconds, then turned and slowly walked inside. Pain in her abdomen made her fingertips tremble. “Come in and wash up.”

Yin Wu’s eyes lit up, momentarily forgetting to cry. He ran over, unable to believe it, and asked, “Your Excellency, you’re… letting me stay?”

She had thought he would have to beg much longer.

Li Lingjiang answered with a breathy “Mm,” and stepped onto the stairs. After just a few steps, she bent over and coughed, covering her mouth with her sleeve, brushing away the bright red blood at the corner of her lips. The black dragon, too large in size, shrank once more at that moment, becoming roughly the same size as the white dragon in Yin Wu’s arms.

Sensing something was wrong, it flew anxiously around Li Lingjiang, lowly whining.

“Your Excellency, what’s wrong?” Yin Wu panicked and tried to help, but she brushed him away with her sleeve.

Li Lingjiang gave the black dragon a reassuring look but still couldn’t stand straight. “Don’t worry about it. The house is simple, and many things inside are not yet arranged. If you find it uncomfortable, you don’t need to inform me when you leave. If you’re willing to stay, I won’t interfere—but you don’t need to focus too much on me either.”

She knew her own condition well. She had been a king for over a thousand years, and even fallen, she did not wish for too much attention or charity. She had never liked socializing, and aside from necessary negotiations, she didn’t have many friends.

Yin Wu was not foolish. He withdrew his hand and obediently said, “Understood, Your Excellency.”

He looked at Li Lingjiang anxiously, afraid that he might lose this chance. But after all, it was Li Lingjiang—she straightened slightly, stepping up carefully. Looking closely, one could see the weariness in her black pupils.

The house on Mount No-Return was made of wood, but with magic reinforcement, it did not rot over the years. Li Lingjiang pushed open the door; inside, a faint scent of incense drifted—a rare calming incense of the demon clan, which could be harmful to others. The Gemini Star must have been here before; a large package sat on the wooden table, and the bed remained as she had arranged it.

Li Lingjiang couldn’t use her magic, so she went over and snapped the incense with her hand. Sparks landed on her bandaged hand, but she felt no pain. She exhaled and calmly put everything in order.

“There’s a well in the backyard; the water is clean. Wash yourself. If you don’t have spare clothes, I have a few new ones you can wear.”

She didn’t lift her head, her breathing slow, half commanding, half informing.

She had lost much weight; many of her clothes were loose. She now had to tighten the straps to keep them from falling, yet they still hung baggily.

Yin Wu was about the same size as her, perhaps even slightly taller, so the clothes would fit.

The wooden house had only two rooms: one for resting and one for bathing and cooking. In the past, Demon Lords at this stage usually didn’t eat, so the kitchen had rarely been used, but Li Lingjiang had still prepared a fair amount of food.

She moved to the side and grabbed a wooden basin and towel. The black dragon returned from outside, carrying half a bucket of water in its mouth, skillfully pouring it into the basin. After putting down the bucket, it sat on the table, looking up obediently.

Yin Wu was still sniffling, hesitating a few steps away, biting his lip as he watched Li Lingjiang.

She unwrapped a small section of the bandages on her right hand. Her gaze darkened as she put her fingers into the water. Soon, the clear water turned bright red. Unsteady, she held onto the table, withdrawing her hand. Her fingertips were unrecognizable, as if the skin had been scraped off, blood continuously seeping out.

Yin Wu’s heart ached, and his recently controlled tears flowed again. He whispered, “Your Excellency… Does it hurt?”

It did—

Li Lingjiang shook her head indifferently and rewrapped her hand. This was a torture method of the demon clan—soaking in water while being slowly cut. The pain had caused her to faint several times. She had been hung on iron frames for a long time, suffering excruciating agony. She barely remembered afterward, only that the Gemini Star had hurriedly taken her to the demon healer, and she had been delirious from fever. After waking, she refused to stay anywhere else.

Her memories of this pain were now hazy. She no longer remembered whether it hurt. Her body was wrapped in special bandages to stop bleeding; once removed, her injuries would return. Still, she felt uneasy.

Li Lingjiang moved to the bed and collapsed onto it, casually saying, “Cook whatever you want. I’m tired. Don’t call me if there’s nothing important. If you’re sleepy, there’s a small wooden bed over there—sleep on it.”

Yin Wu sniffled, his voice hoarse, and murmured “Mm” before turning to leave.

Li Lingjiang suddenly remembered something and called him in a breathy voice, forcing herself to sit up. Leaning against the wall, her pale face looked like she might vanish any moment. She coughed a few times. “Bring me that little dragon of yours.”

“Okay.”

Yin Wu hurried over and carefully placed the little white dragon beside Li Lingjiang. He clasped his hands behind his back, looking at her innocently, as obedient as could be.

The white dragon’s hind legs were badly injured; it could barely walk and crawled shakily toward her. The black dragon, unhappy, bared its teeth and anxiously climbed the bed, growling.

Li Lingjiang patted the black dragon’s head in reassurance. “Xiao Hei.”

Yin Wu widened his eyes and said in a raised tone, softly, “My dragon is Xiao Bai!”

“It’s mine—I found it when it was very small. It had been abandoned, so I took it back. It was carrying me when we flew here, but we ran into trouble and fought others. It got injured protecting me. If only I were stronger…”

The little immortal grew downcast as he spoke.

Li Lingjiang realized he was still only a hundred years old—innocent and simple-minded. She didn’t dwell on it. After checking the injuries, she tilted her head with a frown. “Do you know about Dragon Grass in the Demon Realm? There’s some here in Mount No-Return. You can use it. If the wounds don’t heal quickly, you can nurture them with your spiritual power.”

She didn’t want to say more. Her face had a slight flush, her eyes gradually growing cloudy with exhaustion. She fell asleep, lying openly before Yin Wu without defenses, perhaps because she didn’t care.

Yin Wu looked down at her, still smiling, but the meaning in his eyes subtly shifted. He studied her. Li Lingjiang had always been called a “cold beauty,” and indeed her appearance was striking. Looking closely, one could notice a black mole on her left earlobe and streaks of white hair at her temples. She had a demeanor unlike demons—more upright and sincere than many of the righteous. The once proud Demon Lord had become too thin, but in sleep, she seemed somewhat approachable.

The black dragon beside her crouched, ready to pounce on the white dragon. Yin Wu glanced lightly at it, still smiling. The black dragon’s pupils shrank and its spines raised in warning. It bared its teeth, retreating cautiously while staring at him.

Yin Wu’s tone remained gentle as before. He held the white dragon in his arms and called out with a smile, “Xiao Hei?”

Hearing this, the black dragon shivered. Feeling the pressure, it slipped into Li Lingjiang’s arms, burying its head. Yin Wu chuckled softly and made no further moves, turning to leave.

The black dragon cautiously lifted its head. Whimper—

.

Li Lingjiang dreamt again, clearly aware that she was dreaming. She sat in icy water, her fingers numb. She couldn’t stand—her body too weak. Her torso felt burning, but her limbs were freezing.

A forced blush appeared on her face as she clutched her abdomen, unbearable pain twisting her organs, sweat beading on her forehead. Her vision grew hazy. She weakly moved her legs, hoping to wake up soon—the pain was far too real.

—Ding

The crisp sound of chains pulled Li Lingjiang back to partial awareness. She looked and saw heavy chains on her ankles, clanging with every movement. She frowned, sensing danger, and the next moment was yanked backward, fully submerged in water.

She struggled, water flooding her mouth and nose, suffocating her. Her vision blurred; shallow water seemed like a bottomless sea. The chains tightened along her body, pressure from her spine to her nerves.

She blinked. Suddenly, a huge fire appeared before her, surging like waves across the water. In the blur, she saw a figure but couldn’t make it out. She gasped small breaths, consciousness wavering, when she felt warmth at her fingertips spreading through her body.

“Your Excellency! Your Excellency!”

“What’s wrong?”

Yin Wu’s voice echoed as if from far away. Li Lingjiang’s eyes shot open. Her chest heaved, and her body felt limp. Her clothes were soaked in cold sweat, sticking to her bandages.

She turned her head. Candlelight had been lit. In the dim glow, she saw Yin Wu half-kneeling, anxiously checking her condition while wiping tears and wrapping her hands.

“What are you—”

Before she could finish, a metallic taste and sudden pain tore through her body, and she instinctively vomited blood. She covered her mouth with her sleeve, stifling the sound.

Yin Wu didn’t move away in time; specks of blood splattered on his face. He wanted to help her up but was stopped again.

“It’s nothing.” Li Lingjiang propped herself on the bed. Perhaps due to the light, she noticed Yin Wu’s lips were somewhat red.

“Your Excellency,” he said plaintively but obediently stayed put. “I bathed and even cooked, but you wouldn’t wake up and kept sleeping. Now you’re feverish, sweating. I tried making the medicine, but you were having a nightmare and had undone the bandages.”

Li Lingjiang lifted her hand, remembering Yin Wu had started rebandaging her earlier. Her lashes twitched, and she gave a faint smile. “Thank you for your effort.”

Her gaze lingered on Yin Wu. The clothes he wore had been hers before, though it wasn’t like she could take them back—it was just an outer robe, nothing significant, though it still felt odd.

Li Lingjiang coughed again, forcing it down, voice rough. “Go out.”

Yin Wu misunderstood, shocked, and forgot to cry. “Your Excellency, are you sending me away? I won’t touch you again next time.”

“That’s not what I mean.” Li Lingjiang touched her forehead, still feeling feverish. She said with effort, “I mean I need to change clothes. Go out.”

“Oh… I see.” Yin Wu’s mood instantly lifted, smiling. He wiped his tears and said, “If Your Excellency needs me, just call.”

Without another word, he quickly left, leaving Li Lingjiang sitting on the bed in a daze.

Yin Wu closed the door. His face no longer had that pitiable expression. He rubbed his fingers, still smeared with her blood, casually wiped his lips, and shook his hand.

A Demon Lord, reduced to such a state.

He scoffed, eyes glinting with amusement. He murmured, “Interesting indeed.”