A Little First Love Shock for the Demon Lord - Chapter 16.1

The Ferryman replied coolly,

“I don’t know anyone named Ying Ning. But nineteen years ago, there was indeed a child with a similar aura who once boarded my boat.”

“How did that child die?” Minglou immediately asked.

Behind the veil, the Ferryman gave an enigmatic smile.

“If you seek the cause, go find the one who sowed the seeds. Whether the fruit borne is a sunken vase and a broken hairpin, or a pair of intertwined wings, that all depends on the choices you make.”

As her voice faded, the mists over the River of Forgetfulness thickened until both the boat and the Ferryman vanished into the sea of fog.

Luo Su looked completely baffled and asked, “My Lord, what did she mean?”

Minglou didn’t answer—because he didn’t fully understand either. He simply wanted to know how Ying Ning had died in her past life. Yet the Ferryman’s cryptic talk of broken hairpins and intertwined wings was

hardly a direct response. Anyone would be confused.

Still, Minglou began to piece a few things together. He had always wondered why his powers seemed to resonate with Ying Ning. Perhaps her early death in a previous life was linked to that very mystery.

As he pondered, Luo Su interrupted again.

“My Lord, what should we do next?”

Snapping out of his thoughts, Minglou replied with a heavy tone,

“The Dream Demon is dead—Yu Qianxun must know that by now. He’ll surely head to the Secret Palace to test me. You stay there for the next few days and be ready for him.”

Luo Su nodded repeatedly but then hesitated.

“Can we trust what the Ferryman said? Is Chen Wuxiu really not in the Underworld?”

Minglou replied,

“I’ve dealt with those in the Underworld before. The Lord of the Underworld has stripped them of their ability to lie. Whatever they say is true. Yu Qianxun doesn’t know this, though. If he thinks Chen Wuxiu’s fragmented soul is still here, then we’ll use that to mislead him. Feed him clues, keep him chasing shadows. The longer we stall, the more power I can recover.”

At the mention of power, Luo Su couldn’t help grumbling.

“This could’ve been over in seven days, but you’ve dragged it out so long just for that woman…”

“I am not doing this for Ying Ning!” Minglou snapped through clenched teeth, then narrowed his eyes dangerously at Luo Su.

“Lately, don’t you dare fall asleep with your eyes closed. I’ve already recovered 30% of my strength. I may not be able to handle Yu Qianxun yet, but I sure as hell can deal with you.”

Hearing this, Luo Su quickly laughed nervously.

“I was only concerned about you, my Lord! You’re so dashing and powerful—I just don’t want you getting distracted by a mortal woman.”

Minglou scoffed.

“Don’t worry. I haven’t lost my mind.”

Changing the subject, Luo Su asked,

“Then how do we leak clues to Yu Qianxun?”

This needed careful thought. Yu Qianxun was cunning—too direct and he’d grow suspicious.

After a moment, Minglou raised an eyebrow and said,

“Go find Zhuzhu. That damned spider is well-informed and remains neutral. If she spreads the word, Yu Qianxun will take it seriously.”

At this, Luo Su’s face fell.

“My Lord… can’t we think of another way? I really don’t want to see Sister Zhuzhu…”

Minglou looked puzzled.

“Why? Isn’t she quite fond of you?”

That question sent Luo Su spiraling.

“Her kind of fondness is twisted!“

He wailed, then buried his face in his hands as he described his ordeal:

“She said she wanted to keep me company, but all she did was lure me into an ice cave, strip me to the waist, and make me hold up two 200-pound boulders in horse stance! When I couldn’t lift them, she pinched my chest! No rest, no water! She even said that any man without a good physique didn’t deserve to live!”

Minglou couldn’t help thinking—yep, twisted indeed.

Luo Su was just a delicate shaman who spent his days playing with herbs and medicine, not someone built for this kind of torment.

Considering it was all because of him that Luo Su got caught up with Zhuzhu, Minglou couldn’t offer much comfort, but he did give a symbolic pat on the shoulder and decided to shelve the Zhuzhu plan for now.

But just as they stepped out of the Underworld, Minglou suddenly froze, his expression darkening.

He turned and asked in a cold voice,

“How did you escape from that spider anyway?”

Luo Su answered truthfully,

“I told her I was worried about you and wanted to check in. She let me go without fuss.”

Minglou’s expression grew colder.

“With her temperament? That doesn’t make sense.”

Luo Su blinked.

“I don’t know what she was thinking…”

Without warning, Minglou raised his left hand, and a stream of dark energy formed into a black serpent, coiling tightly around Luo Su.

The icy snake slithered up his body, and Luo Su froze, afraid to move.

Suddenly, it stopped at his back. With a vicious hiss, it lunged—not at Luo Su’s flesh, but at something hidden beneath his skin.

A massive spider the size of a human head was torn from his back, thrashing wildly as its six glowing green eyes flickered menacingly.

Minglou’s face turned grim. He slashed the spider in two with a flick of his hand. The serpent dissolved into smoke.

Luo Su stared in horror at the twitching spider corpse.

“Where… where did that come from?”

Minglou clenched his jaw.

“That damn spider put a tracking spell on you. High-level. Hard to detect. It let her see and hear everything you did.”

Luo Su paled.

“That means… she knows you’ve awakened?”

Minglou nodded grimly.

“She’ll either go straight to Yu Qianxun or come here looking for trouble.”

Luo Su smacked his head.

“How could I be so stupid! I never should’ve come!”

“Too late for regret,” Minglou said calmly.

“Focus on how to deal with her now.”

Luo Su nodded, deep in thought—then suddenly looked stricken.

“My Lord… there’s a third possibility I just thought of…”

Minglou frowned.

“What?”

“We came from Ying Ning’s house… right?” Luo Su said slowly, each word heavy with dread.

“Do you think… she might go there?”

The two stood frozen, eyes wide, speechless.

A beat passed.

Then Minglou kicked Luo Su hard.

“If anything happens to her, I’ll bury you with that damn spider!”

________________________________________

Crystal-clear water dripped steadily from the freshly washed clothes, filling the small courtyard with the clean scent of soapberry.

Ying Ning stood under the shade of the drying rack, shielding her eyes with one hand as she gazed up at the clear blue sky.

It was a beautiful day—hot sun above, but a gentle breeze blew, and the distant summer hills were a stunning jade green.

Stretching under the sunlight, Ying Ning took a look around her cozy courtyard.

“Floors swept, donkey shed cleaned, laundry done…”

She counted her tasks and clapped her hands cheerfully.

“Finally, time to rest!”

She was about to pour herself a cup of water when a cat meowed outside.

It reminded her of Little Li.

She hurried to fetch a small bowl of water, and, noticing she still had some pumpkin porridge left, brought that along too.

A chubby orange cat was sitting by the gate, licking its paw. When it saw Ying Ning approaching, it gave a soft meow.

She squatted down and placed the bowl in front of it. The cat sniffed, then began eating earnestly with its pink tongue.

Petting its head, Ying Ning sighed.

“I wonder how Little Li is doing… I’m worried she might hurt someone if she gets too worked up.”

The food and water were quickly gone. The orange cat looked up and let out a long, expressive meow.

Ying Ning chuckled and scratched under its chin.

“If you know Little Li, please tell her not to hurt anyone. Lots of people love kittens. She doesn’t need to lash out.”

The cat actually nodded—as if it understood—then twisted its plump body and trotted off.

Ying Ning stood in place, stunned.

What is it with all the spirit cats lately?

Just as she was heading back inside with the empty bowl, a voice called down from the roof.

“So, you’re the woman who’s going to perform spiritual cultivation with Minglou?”

Ying Ning looked up. A woman dressed in sheer black sat casually on her roof, legs swinging, her face painted with heavy rouge.

“Are you a friend of Minglou’s?” Ying Ning asked.

The woman toyed with a lock of her long hair and smiled.

“Friend? Hardly.”

Then she vanished in a blink and reappeared in front of Ying Ning.

“My name is Zhuzhu. Minglou is my man.”

Ying Ning’s eyes widened.

“So… you’re his wife?”

Zhuzhu tilted her chin proudly.

“Something like that.”

Ying Ning smiled brightly.

“Are you here to see him? He left, but said he’d be back. Why not stay for some tofu pudding while you wait?”

Zhuzhu frowned, clearly displeased.

“Aren’t you upset? With me being that close to him?”

Ying Ning looked confused.

“Why would I be upset?”

Zhuzhu pressed on, unwilling to let it go.

“What’s your relationship with him?”

“We’re friends,” Ying Ning answered honestly.

“He’s saved me many times. He’s a good person. So, we’re good friends.”

“A good person?” Zhuzhu looked stunned, then burst out laughing.

“You think he’s a good person? Hahaha! That’s the funniest thing I’ve heard since Yu Qianxun farted in the palace throne room!”

As she laughed, she reached out to drape her arm around Ying Ning.

Before she could touch her, a wave of cold energy sliced through the air.

Zhuzhu hastily dodged—but not before her sleeve was torn. Had she been a moment slower, she would’ve lost her arm.

She turned in alarm to see Minglou standing in front of Ying Ning, his blade, Shadow-Slayer, already drawn, face dark.

“You dare lay a hand on someone of mine? Are you tired of living?”

Zhuzhu immediately put on an innocent look.

“My Lord, you wrong me! I was just chatting with this lovely girl.”

She leaned sideways and waved playfully at Ying Ning behind him.

“Isn’t that right, Sister Ying Ning?”