A Little First Love Shock for the Demon Lord - Chapter 11.2

The sound of a baby’s laughter drifted through the air, and Ying Ning immediately knew the cause of the sinister wind.

The hanged ghost. The scorpion monster. And the two-headed baby.

The tongue dragged Ying Ning to a thick tree and hung her high. The hanged ghost lay sprawled across the trunk, grinning with pale, ghastly satisfaction as it slowly slithered toward her.

Unlike Xiaoli, these three weren’t here just to torment her—they wanted to devour her.

One hand clawed at the tongue to keep from choking, and with the other, Ying Ning yanked the axe from her waist. Summoning her strength, she swung the weapon over her head, slicing through the tongue. The

severed limb recoiled, and Ying Ning fell hard to the ground. Gasping for air, she coughed violently, then scrambled to her feet before she had even caught her breath.

She ran—any direction would do. She had no idea where she was anymore. The God Tablet was useless now. Her cloak could conceal her aura, but not protect her. The axe in her hand could buy her moments, not salvation.

If Minglou were here, she thought suddenly, none of these monsters would dare show their face.

But she quickly pushed the thought away.

She couldn’t depend on Minglou. They had only just met—and he was a demon, after all.

Her thoughts scattered as her foot caught on something, and she crashed to the ground with a cry.

Turning her head, she saw what had tripped her—a bloody umbilical cord stretching across the forest path. At the other end, the two-headed baby was crawling toward her at an alarming speed.

Ying Ning tried to get up, but pain shot through her ankle—the fall had worsened her injury. Just the slightest movement was agony.

The baby was nearly upon her.

Suddenly, a giant colorful beaver leapt from above, landing between her and the monsters with a thud. Its massive frame shielded her completely.

“No one touches the kitten!” it roared angrily.

The two-headed baby lashed its umbilical cord at the beaver, while the hanged ghost slithered closer with its tongue extended. Behind Ying Ning, the scorpion monster blocked her retreat.

Xiaoli crouched low, raised her rear, and prepared to pounce.

As the three monsters charged, Xiaoli sprang into the air and slapped the two-headed baby aside with a mighty swipe. But in the same instant, the hanged ghost’s tongue wrapped around her and flung her across the clearing.

Xiaoli hit the ground with a painful thud. Ying Ning instinctively looked over in concern.

But before she could call out, the umbilical cord wound around her ankle again. The hanged ghost’s tongue choked her neck once more.

She raised her axe to defend herself, but the scorpion monster struck with its pincers, knocking the weapon from her grasp.

The tongue and cord pulled tight, stretching Ying Ning’s body upward like a puppet. The scorpion raised its sharp claws, aiming them directly at her heart.

Ying Ning looked up.

No sun. Just shadows cloaking the sky, swallowing every color.

Just like her life, she thought.

A strange calm washed over her. Perhaps she’d always known this day would come. After all, only she understood how difficult her life had truly been.

She sighed inwardly and began to close her eyes.

Then a cold flash pierced the gloom.

The demons halted. The scorpion claw hovering over her chest had been sliced clean off, falling to the ground with a sickening thud.

The scorpion monster screamed. The others stared in confusion.

A sharp wind tore through the forest again—stronger, colder, and far more terrifying than before.

“I leave for a little while,” came a cold voice through the trees, “and you’re already tangled up with filth again?”

Minglou.

The moment they recognized him, the three demons released Ying Ning and turned to flee—but stopped dead in their tracks.

Ying Ning sat frozen on the ground, still trying to process what had just happened. Minglou appeared before her in an instant.

Gone was the flowing robe. He wore a sharp black outfit, his long hair tied neatly with a simple crown. Despite the sleek look, his face remained cold, shadowed by fury.

Ying Ning shrank back under his gaze.

He seemed pleased by her reaction and gave a slight smirk—though it vanished as quickly as it came. His eyes turned icy as he faced the demons.

“You dare lay a hand on my little treasure?” he said darkly. “You really do have a death wish.”

He raised his hand casually.

With a snap of his fingers, one of the baby’s heads exploded in a shower of bl00d and bone. The other shrieked in agony before the entire body disintegrated into ash.

Even worse than the nightmare demon’s death.

Ying Ning, having never seen such carnage, turned pale on the spot.

Minglou reveled in it. After a thousand years asleep, the rush of power thrilled him.

His eyes gleamed. He turned his hand toward the scorpion monster and twisted slightly. The creature contorted grotesquely before vanishing in a puff of smoke.

Only the hanged ghost remained.

Minglou didn’t strike right away. Instead, he folded his arms and looked down at Ying Ning. “What did it do to you?”

Ying Ning trembled, unable to speak.

Minglou’s gaze dropped to her neck, where purple bruises were forming.

His face darkened further.

The hanged ghost quivered as an invisible force seized its tongue, yanking it from its throat and wrapping it around its own neck. Minglou even tied it into a neat bow.

The ghost screamed silently as it turned to dust.

Then Minglou looked toward Xiaoli.

Sensing danger, Ying Ning quickly said, “Xiaoli didn’t hurt me!”

Minglou’s eyes narrowed. “Then what about the paw prints on your clothes?”

Ying Ning looked down. Sure enough, there were two distinct cat prints.

Before she could reply, Minglou had already begun striding toward Xiaoli. The little beaver bristled and hissed defensively.

Ying Ning couldn’t let him harm Xiaoli. She lunged forward, wrapping her arms around Minglou’s leg.

Startled, Minglou looked down. “What are you doing? Let go!”

Ying Ning shook her head, then shouted to Xiaoli, “Run!”

But Xiaoli, with puffed-up pride, declared in a babyish voice, “Kitten doesn’t run! Kitten is invincible!”

Ying Ning had to scare him. “If you don’t go, he’ll pour water on you!”

As expected, Xiaoli froze. Cats hated water.

With a final angry “meow,” Xiaoli turned and scampered off into the forest.

As he vanished, the mist lifted. Sunlight filtered through the trees, casting scattered beams on the forest floor. The air grew warm again.

Ying Ning exhaled in relief.

“The cat’s gone,” Minglou said flatly. “Why are you still clinging to me?”

Ying Ning let go in embarrassment. Minglou turned away, so she couldn’t see his face—but the tips of his ears were red.

After composing himself, he crouched before her with a serious expression and tossed the God Tablet back into her lap.

“You dropped this. Are you tired of living?”

“I didn’t mean to,” Ying Ning said, gently brushing dirt from the cracked surface. “It was knocked away. But I think it’s broken—the demons weren’t afraid of it.”

Minglou gave it a glance. “It is broken. The nightmare cracked it last night, and you dropped it in a place swarming with yin energy. Of course it couldn’t hold up. Still, it can be used to summon the one who gave it to you. So keep it.”

“But Xiaoli wasn’t scared of it either,” Ying Ning said, frowning. “That was before it fell. So it must’ve been broken earlier.”

Minglou snorted. “That’s because Xiaoli isn’t a demon.”

Ying Ning blinked. “Not a demon?”

“She’s a spirit cat,” Minglou explained. “A creature that cultivated into human form. Not corrupted by demonic energy.”

Ying Ning nodded.

But Minglou quickly grew impatient. “Get up. Or do you want to sleep here tonight?”

Ying Ning shook her head, but didn’t move.

“What now?” he demanded. “You defying me on purpose?”

“No, it’s just…” she said awkwardly, “My foot’s worse now. I really can’t stand up…”

He glared at her ankle, then said coldly, “Serves you right. If you’d come with me yesterday, you wouldn’t be in this state.”

“Huh?” Ying Ning looked up, puzzled.

Why does he sound like going with him was a blessing?

Minglou saw this as a perfect chance to teach her a lesson. Let her suffer a little—maybe then she’d stop being so stubborn.

“I’m not helping you,” he said firmly. “Either crawl your way out, or stay and wait for the next monster to eat you.”

With that, he turned and disappeared.

Ying Ning sat quietly on the cold forest floor. She looked around, then down at her swollen ankle.

It looked terrible, but maybe… if she gritted her teeth…

She decided to try. And so, without resentment, she began crawling forward—just as Minglou had suggested.

She actually thought it was a good idea.

But before she could go far, Minglou reappeared, face dark as a thundercloud.

He picked her up in one smooth motion.

Ying Ning blinked in surprise. “You’re back?”

“Don’t talk,” Minglou said sharply. “I’m in a bad mood.”