A Little First Love Shock for the Demon Lord - Chapter 12

When Xiao Bao saw Ying Ning, he perked up and wagged his ears in delight. But the moment he realized it was Minglou carrying her out of the dense forest, he let out a harsh, braying cry.

Thinking Xiao Bao was simply worried about her, Ying Ning quickly tried to soothe him.

“Xiao Bao, I’m fine,” she said gently.

But Xiao Bao ignored her words. Instead, he pointed a hoof at Minglou, then angrily scraped the ground with it.

“I really am fine, don’t worry,” Ying Ning said again, smiling.

Seeing that she clearly wasn’t on the same wavelength, Xiao Bao drooped his head in frustration.

Minglou, however, understood.

He shot Xiao Bao a cold glance, then strode forward with Ying Ning in his arms, not even pausing as he passed the donkey.

Realizing that Minglou intended to take Ying Ning away, Xiao Bao tilted his head and, with a loud grunt, bit down on Minglou’s belt, trying to stop him. But with a flick of Minglou’s fingers, Xiao Bao was frozen in

place, unable to move or even open his mouth. All he could do was watch helplessly as Minglou carried Ying Ning away.

When they passed the donkey cart, Ying Ning hurriedly spoke up.

“You can just put me in the cart.”

Minglou responded coolly,

“Put you down? I’m sending you off.”

The words sent a chill down Ying Ning’s spine.

He still wanted to “send her off”? What exactly did that mean?

Completely confused, she hesitated before asking,

“Then why did you save me earlier if you’re just going to… send me off?”

“You can’t die,” Minglou said grimly. “If you die, I’ll get a headache.”

“So… you’re not sending me off to die?” she asked carefully.

Minglou stopped in his tracks, frowned, and looked at her.

“When did I ever say I was going to kill you?”

Realizing he had no such intention, Ying Ning relaxed. She patted her chest and explained,

“Where I’m from, ‘sending someone off’ usually means… to the afterlife.”

Minglou wasn’t familiar with human expressions. It was the first time he’d heard this one.

Ying Ning then smiled sweetly and looked up at him.

“So what did you mean by ‘sending me off’?”

“To the Demon Realm,” he said.

Ying Ning blinked in confusion.

“Why are you taking me to the Demon Realm?”

“Because…” He trailed off.

Should he tell her the truth? That he wanted to take her back to refine her spiritual essence? If she figured out what that meant, she’d probably go berserk.

After a pause, he cleared his throat and gave a different explanation.

“You said you didn’t want to be bothered by demons anymore. I can help you fix that.”

Ying Ning’s eyes lit up.

“You can?”

“Of course. I am the ruler of the Demon Realm,” he said.

He wasn’t lying—once he removed his magic from her, the demons would no longer be drawn to her.

As he thought about this, he heard Ying Ning murmur softly,

“You really are a good person.”

The comment rubbed Minglou the wrong way.

“I’m a demon,” he corrected coldly.

“Then you must be the kindest demon of all,” Ying Ning said sincerely. “You’ve saved me more than once.”

Minglou glanced at her, then looked straight ahead without a word.

He was born a demon—words like good and kind had nothing to do with him. Once they reached the Demon Realm and she learned what he really intended, she’d take those words back in an instant.

So, he said nothing and continued walking, face cold.

But just as he took another step, Ying Ning tugged at his sleeve.

“No, I can’t go to the Demon Realm yet!”

Minglou’s patience was wearing thin.

“What now?”

Ying Ning looked back at her donkey cart.

“I promised Shopkeeper Du I’d deliver tofu today. I have to get it there.”

“You think I care about your damned tofu?” he snapped.

Ying Ning knew he didn’t, but she still muttered under her breath,

“But I care…”

Minglou sneered,

“I don’t care whether you care or not.”

With that, he took a step forward.

“If I miss this delivery,” Ying Ning said, sighing, “Shopkeeper Du might never buy from me again. He might even stop letting me set up my stall outside his inn.” She looked up at him with big, pleading eyes. “But that’s my problem. I shouldn’t burden you with it. I’ll figure something else out, don’t worry. I won’t starve just because I lost one customer.”

Minglou froze in place, listening to her ramble.

Why did he suddenly feel so… stifled?

Frowning, he closed his eyes and gritted his teeth.

“So if I let you deliver the tofu, you’ll stop fussing?”

Ying Ning’s eyes sparkled. She nodded vigorously.

He turned and walked back to the donkey cart, placed her gently on it, then sat beside her. With a snap of his fingers, he released Xiao Bao from the immobilizing spell.

“Thank you,” Ying Ning said gratefully.

Minglou crossed his arms and replied coldly,

“No need to thank me. I didn’t let you go for your sake. I just want some peace and quiet.”

“Mm-hmm!” Ying Ning nodded cheerfully, then turned to Xiao Bao.

“Let’s go, Xiao Bao!”

With an exaggerated sigh, Xiao Bao flicked his tail and started pulling the cart.

They hadn’t gone far when Ying Ning turned to Minglou.

“Minglou, don’t you know magic? I’ve seen you appear and disappear in an instant. Why aren’t you using it now?”

Minglou didn’t even open his eyes.

“Don’t get any ideas. I’m not wasting magic to send you to Shopkeeper Du.”

“Actually…” Ying Ning hesitated. “I was thinking you could just teleport the cart there. That way, we’d save a lot of time—and then you could take me straight to the Demon Realm.”

She giggled.

“Though if the cart suddenly appeared at the inn, Shopkeeper Du might be scared out of his wits.”

She didn’t notice Minglou had opened his eyes, his face now completely dark.

Why hadn’t he thought of that? He could’ve just sent the cart ahead alone!

Just then, Ying Ning began humming a little tune, her soft voice drifting into his ears.

He looked at her involuntarily.

The road was bumpy, and the cart jostled slightly. Ying Ning’s feet dangled off the side, swinging gently with the motion.

A breeze stirred. She tilted her head up, eyes closed, a smile blooming across her face. Her dimples came and went in the sunlight.

Minglou stared silently, his heart slowly calming.

Forget it. This wasn’t so bad after all.

________________________________________

By the time they arrived at the inn, Ying Ning was worried Shopkeeper Du would be angry about the late delivery. But to her surprise, he wasn’t upset at all. In fact, the moment he saw her, his face filled with concern.

“Ah Ning, what on earth happened to you?” he asked, eyeing her from head to toe.

She followed his gaze.

Her cloak was torn, the pale green dress she’d worn that morning was filthy, and there were two enormous paw prints on her chest. She looked like a mess.

Still, she smiled and said lightly,

“I just tripped on the road. Nothing serious.”

Shopkeeper Du frowned.

“Be more careful, will you… Ai.”

Then he turned and beckoned to a young worker inside the inn.

“Come help with the tofu!”

The young man ran out and got to work. Ying Ning turned to Shopkeeper Du, embarrassed.

“I twisted my ankle. I’m afraid I can’t help carry today.”

He waved it off.

“I’ve told you before not to help with the heavy lifting, but you never listen. This guy’s fast—no need for you to strain yourself.”

As he spoke, his eyes fell on Minglou, who stood beside her with a dark and imposing air.

“And this is…?”

“He…” Ying Ning looked at Minglou, mind racing. She couldn’t exactly say this is the Demon King, so she quickly lied,

“He’s my cousin.”

The words had barely left her mouth when Minglou muttered, clearly displeased,

“Cousin? I don’t want to be your cousin.”

Shopkeeper Du looked baffled.

“Not your cousin? Then what is he?”

Ying Ning’s smile faltered, unsure how to respond.

Minglou glanced at her, then replied coolly,

“She’s my little treasure chest.”

The moment he said it, everyone around them—including Shopkeeper Du, the inn worker, and even nearby passersby—gasped in shock.

Shopkeeper Du’s eyes bulged. After a long pause, he slowly leaned toward Ying Ning and whispered,

“Ah Ning, I know it’s about time for you to find a man, but you’ve got to pick carefully. A lazy freeloader who sees you as a walking moneybag isn’t someone you should get involved with!”

Ying Ning’s smile grew even more awkward.

“Shopkeeper Du, you misunderstand. He’s not—”

But before she could finish, Minglou cut in coldly,

“What misunderstanding?”

Shopkeeper Du just shook his head at Minglou, then looked back at Ying Ning’s foot.

“My nephew’s been studying medicine. He’s here visiting. Let him take a look at your ankle.”

Ying Ning tried to refuse, but before she could speak, Shopkeeper Du shouted,

“Yuétái, come out for a second!”

A handsome young man in white came jogging out of the inn.

“Yes, Uncle?”

Shopkeeper Du pointed at Ying Ning.

“This young lady twisted her ankle. Take a look.”

The man looked at Ying Ning and offered a polite bow.

“Miss Ying Ning, my name is Ge Yuétái.”

Ying Ning nodded politely.

“It’s not serious. I don’t want to trouble you.”

But Yuétái just smiled.

“It’s no trouble at all. Let me examine it. The sooner you recover, the better, and it’s good practice for me too.”

Hearing that, Ying Ning couldn’t refuse again. She nodded lightly.

Yuétái knelt before her and gently pressed her ankle through her sock.

Minglou’s brow twitched as he watched from the side.

A moment later, Yuétái stood.

“No bones are broken. I’ll get some ointment for you. Apply it on time, and you’ll heal quickly.”

Just as Ying Ning was about to nod, Minglou stepped forward and raised an arm in front of her.

“No need. I’ll have my witch doctor tend to her.”

But Yuétái ignored him and said to Ying Ning,

“Please wait right here, Miss Ying Ning.”

With that, he turned and jogged back into the inn.

Minglou was visibly irritated.

Why was he annoyed? He didn’t know. He just was.

“The tofu’s been delivered. Aren’t we leaving?” he snapped.

Ying Ning answered softly,

“Let’s wait for him. He seems to enjoy helping people.”

Just then, Yuétái returned, carrying two small jars of ointment…

“The white bottle is for external use—apply it once a day. It helps reduce swelling and bl00d stasis. The blue bottle is for oral use—take it twice a day to relieve pain,” Dr. Ge explained carefully as he handed the medicine bottles to Ying Ning.

“Thank you, Dr. Ge,” Ying Ning replied with a smile, reaching into her sleeve to take out her purse.

Seeing that she intended to pay, Ge Yuetai quickly shook his head. “I made this medicine myself—it’s not worth much.”

Ying Ning hesitated, but Ge Yuetai added with a reassuring tone, “Just try it. If it works well, come back and let me know. That way, I’ll know the prescription is sound.”

Realizing she was helping him test the medicine, Ying Ning nodded in agreement.

She asked Xiao Bao to turn around and head toward the town’s entrance. Before leaving, she glanced back at the doorway of the Auspicious Inn. Ge Yuetai was still standing there, smiling and waving. Ying Ning smiled in return and waved back. “Thank you, Dr. Ge!” she called out.

Minglou bit his lower lip, his gaze fixed on Ying Ning’s smiling face. Then he turned sharply, shooting Ge Yuetai a cold glare.

Ying Ning had already turned her eyes forward and sighed softly. “Dr. Ge is such a good person.”

Minglou’s expression darkened, and the irritation he had been holding in finally overflowed. He suddenly leaned in closer and said in a low, tense voice, “Do you think everyone is a good person? You once said I

was a good person, and now you’re saying he is a good person too. If every ‘good person’ came to live in your house, there wouldn’t be any room left, would there?”

Ying Ning stared at him in a daze, blinking in confusion.

“Did I say something wrong? Why do you seem upset?” she asked gently.

Arms crossed, Minglou looked straight ahead, frowning. “I’m not angry. I’m the Demon Lord. A mere mortal like him doesn’t have the ability to upset me…”

Ying Ning fell silent, reflecting on his words.

Could it be… Minglou minds the fact that he’s a demon?

She knocked herself lightly on the head.

How could she have been so thoughtless! Minglou has a kind heart, but he can’t change the fact that he was born a demon. That must be something he’s sensitive about. And she’d just kept saying “good person”—wasn’t that like rubbing salt in his wound?

She suddenly felt terrible—how could she have hurt Minglou like this without realizing?

Looking at him earnestly, Ying Ning said, “Actually, it doesn’t matter whether someone is a demon or a human. What truly matters is kindness. A kind heart makes us the same.”

Minglou’s cold, rigid expression flickered with a trace of confusion. “What do you mean, ‘the same’?”

“I mean,” Ying Ning said clearly, “a kind demon like you is no different from a human.”

Then she patted her chest, speaking with conviction, “In my eyes, you and Dr. Ge are the same. You’re both good people—with your faces covered!”

Her final words rang out with great force.

Minglou never expected this heartfelt declaration to come full circle… and hit him like a boomerang.