A Little First Love Shock for the Demon Lord - Chapter 24
Minglou stared at her, dazed. He was slightly out of breath from running all the way here, and because of the heat, beads of sweat rolled down his forehead.
Seeing the wound on his shoulder, Ying Ning’s heart ached. She quickly grabbed Minglou’s hand and turned to run back the way she came.
Minglou let her pull him along, his gaze fixed on her the entire time, never wavering for even a moment.
Soon, Ying Ning led him into a dead end, but she didn’t stop. Instead, she continued to run straight toward the wall at the end of the path, dragging Minglou with her.
If it were anyone else, Minglou would’ve thought it absurd.
But this was Ying Ning. If she said there was a way forward, then there was a way.
Even if there wasn’t, he’d carve one out for her.
He followed her without hesitation, charging straight toward the wall. But instead of crashing into it, their bodies passed right through. Behind the wall lay a brand-new path—one Minglou had never seen before.
Ying Ning turned to him and softly put a finger to her lips. “Shh. Don’t make a sound.”
As soon as she spoke, Minglou obediently pressed his lips together, not letting out a single noise.
Ying Ning stood in front of him, watching the wall they had just crossed.
Minglou, however, quietly stared at her.
He had never seen Ying Ning in a white dress before—especially not one with so many layers and such a complex design. It was probably because it was hard to move in that kind of gown, so she didn’t like wearing it.
Still, she looked beautiful. The white fabric accentuated her flawless, jade-like skin, and her entire being radiated a light, ethereal air. The braid to the side of her head was adorable too, though the plain ribbon on it was a bit dull. It would look much better with some decoration.
Nothing too fancy—it would look tacky. But it shouldn’t be too simple either. That wouldn’t suit her. Something elegant and refined, maybe accented with pearls. Yes, and a matching pearl necklace and earrings…
He thought to himself, When we get back, I’ll definitely have someone make her a set.
Seeing that the stone beasts had passed by and moved far away, Ying Ning finally breathed a sigh of relief. When she turned to look at Minglou, she noticed he was staring at her in a daze.
Concern flickered across her face. “What’s wrong? Are you feeling dizzy from the injury?”
“It’s nothing. Just a minor wound,” Minglou answered, quickly snapping out of it. He looked away to hide the emotions in his eyes, then asked after a moment’s thought, “Where did you go? How did you get your body back?”
“Xiao Li saved me,” Ying Ning replied. “She returned my body and helped me escape.” At the mention of Xiao Li, a trace of sorrow passed through her expression.
Seeing her on the verge of tears, Minglou asked, “Who hurt you?”
Ying Ning looked at him and said softly, “To help me, Xiao Li blocked Ghostface… I don’t know how she is now. I’m just really worried about her…”
As she spoke, she pulled out a fan from behind her. “I grabbed this from Ghostface. I saw him wave it over a map, and it let him cast spells on the maze.”
Minglou looked down at the fan in her hands and immediately recognized it. “The Purple Gold Fan… Yu Qianxun really is generous when it comes to his master—willing to part with treasures like this.”
Ying Ning brightened. “So, it’s a treasure? Can you use it?”
He could. But all magical artifacts required spiritual power to activate.
Unfortunately, Minglou had already used up all of his spiritual energy earlier.
After a brief pause, he reached out to take the fan. Just as his hand extended toward Ying Ning, a drop of bl00d suddenly dripped from his fingertip.
Startled, he quickly raised his hand and caught the drop in his palm, closing his fingers tightly around it.
Ying Ning noticed the movement and asked in confusion, “What are you doing?”
Minglou let out a soft breath, leaning against the wall. He answered calmly, “I didn’t want to stain your dress.”
Ying Ning was stunned for a moment before she couldn’t help but scold him, “You’re such a fool.”
She stepped forward, gently dabbing the sweat from his temple with her sleeve.
“You demons really are strange. You think so differently from us mortals. Every time I think I’ve figured you out, you do something I can’t understand… It makes me realize I still don’t know you as well as I thought.”
Her movements were gentle, and the scent of flowers on her sleeve wafted through the air with every motion.
Minglou’s chest rose and fell, a tingling warmth spreading through him with each wave stirred by Ying Ning.
He couldn’t help but ask, “What if it’s not that all demons are strange—just that I’m the only one who’s strange?”
Ying Ning looked into his eyes. After a moment, her clear gaze shimmered with laughter.
“Then that just makes you special. And knowing someone as special as you… makes me feel special too.”
She smiled faintly, like catching a strand of moonlight and planting it deep in his heart.
This time, Minglou didn’t shy away. He quietly let her tend to him.
He wanted every bit of Ying Ning’s presence to linger with him just a little longer.
After a while, Ying Ning looked at his face, her eyes widening slightly. “Minglou, your face is so red! Are you feeling unwell?”
A flicker of panic crossed Minglou’s eyes, but he quickly composed himself. “With this fan, it’ll be easier to get out of the maze. But I used up too much power earlier… I can’t activate it just yet.”
“Then do you need to rest a bit?” Ying Ning asked.
“No need.”
Minglou reached out and took her hand, intertwining their fingers tightly. “Just hold my hand. This time, we mustn’t be separated again—understand?”
Ying Ning stared blankly at their clasped hands, her heart pounding wildly. After a moment, her cheeks flushed, and she nodded.
As they were about to leave, Minglou glanced back at the fake wall. “How did you know we could pass through it?”
Ying Ning explained, “When I came out of Xiao Li’s Shrinking Earth Formation, I leaned on a wall for support—and fell right through it. That’s when I realized it was fake.”
Minglou cut in immediately, “You fell? Were you hurt?”
She shook her head and continued, “After that, I found several more fake walls, and they all led to new paths. It’s like those walls were meant to confuse us.”
She suddenly remembered something. “Oh, I heard Ghostface say this maze is only a half-finished product. Maybe that’s why he used fake walls—to trick us.”
Minglou’s eyes lit with understanding as he looked at Ying Ning. “I think I know how to get out. Let’s go find Zhuzhu.”
Ying Ning smiled and nodded, and the two of them took off running.
Minglou led Ying Ning down another dead-end, neither of them slowing as they ran straight through the false wall at the end.
Once through, Ying Ning looked at him in surprise. “How did you know this one was fake too?”
“Yu Qianxun built this maze using Chen Wuxiu’s old blueprints. But back then, the design was only halfway done—full of flaws. That’s why Yu Qianxun used fake walls to patch it all up,” Minglou explained.
“You remembered all the flaws in the maze?” Ying Ning asked.
“Yes,” Minglou replied simply, then added, “I also remember the way out.”
Ying Ning laughed. “You must be really smart, to remember something that complicated.”
Minglou had never cared much for praise from others—but hers, he took to heart. Even the pain in his wounded shoulder seemed to fade.
Just as they were about to leave, Ying Ning caught sight of several bl00d men charging toward them.
“Minglou,” she tugged his hand twice.
Minglou turned, gave a flick of his wrist to unfold the fan, and with a surge of energy, waved it once toward the bl00d men—instantly turning them to dust.
Ying Ning’s face lit up. “Your power’s back?”
Minglou nodded, his gaze dropping to their still-clasped hands.
With Ying Ning by his side, not only did his lost power return—it recovered even faster.
The two moved forward again, defeating countless stone beasts and bl00d men along the way. After a while, they finally heard a familiar scream.
“Aaaahhh! Help! I don’t wanna die! Someone save me!”
Following the sound around a wall, they found Zhuzhu caught in a web, suspended in the air. Below her, three two-headed ghost tigers snarled and snapped, ready to pounce at any moment.
Zhuzhu cried pitifully, thinking that all she’d done in life was flirt with a few men—none of whom were taken—and now she was going to die at the hands of these beasts. She felt wronged.
If I must die, she thought, at least let it be while a group of men are fighting over me—and I die laughing from watching the drama!
A strong gust of wind blew through, and the ghost tigers’ roars abruptly vanished.
Zhuzhu blinked, then looked down. Ying Ning and Minglou were standing beneath her.
Ying Ning smiled first. “Zhuzhu, are you hurt?”
Seeing hope, Zhuzhu’s eyes welled with tears. “No, I’m not hurt. Just—just get me down!”
The Purple Gold Fan spun once in Minglou’s hand before he gave a swift wave. The demon-locking web shattered instantly, and Zhuzhu fell with a loud thud.
She yelped, clutching her backside, and glared at Minglou. “Bastard! Ever heard of being gentle with a lady? Would it kill you to catch me?!”
Right after she said it, she regretted it—remembering how terrifying Minglou could be.
She snuck a glance at him and found him looking at her calmly, apparently not angry.
Soon after, she noticed the two of them still holding hands.
Looks like someone’s madness has been successfully cured. Good news indeed.
Zhuzhu jumped up and immediately clung to Ying Ning, using her as a protective charm against Minglou.
“Ying Ning, how did you come back? And how did you get your body back?” she asked curiously.
Ying Ning had to recount the whole story again. When she finished, her expression turned sad. “Zhuzhu… I’m sorry. The little spider you put on me—it died protecting me…”
Noticing Ying Ning’s sorrow, Minglou frowned and shot Zhuzhu a glance.
Zhuzhu rolled her eyes at him, then smiled at Ying Ning.
“What’s there to be sad about? That spider wasn’t alive in the first place.”
She held up her clenched fist and slowly opened it—inside was a lively little spider, hopping around.
“It was just made from my magic. If it’s gone, I’ll just give you another one.”
The spider leapt onto Ying Ning’s shoulder, waving its front legs.
Seeing how energetic it was, Ying Ning’s expression softened and turned bright…
Zhuzhu couldn’t resist reaching out and pinching Ying Ning’s cheek, just like she used to do with the calico kitten. “You’re so cute,” she said with a grin.
Before Ying Ning could respond, Minglou swatted Zhu Zhu’s hand away with an irritated glare. He then pulled Ying Ning forward and said coolly, “Let’s go. We still have Yu Qianxun to deal with.”
Zhuzhu pouted behind them. “So stingy. Go drink cold water or something.”
As she trailed after them, her eyes flicked with mischief. She couldn’t help wondering—just how far had things progressed between those two?
A curious spark lit up in her mind. Maybe it was time to help this emotionally constipated Demon Lord test the waters with his beloved.
Speeding up a few steps with a sly smile, Zhuzhu came up beside Ying Ning and casually asked, “Hey, I remember mortal girls can marry once they’re fifteen. Ying Ning, haven’t you passed that age long ago? How come you’re not married yet?”
Ying Ning paused mid-step. A shadow passed through her expression before she lowered her voice and replied, “I do have a betrothal, but…”
She didn’t get to finish.
In that moment, she felt Minglou’s grip on her hand suddenly loosen.
Turning toward him, she saw that his face had gone rigid.
And in his eyes—once so sharp and focused—the light was fading again.