A Little First Love Shock for the Demon Lord - Chapter 26.2

Noticing her discomfort, Minglou looked away and said calmly, “I just want to have a few words with you. Then I’ll leave.”

The word leave made Ying Ning pause.

She hadn’t forgotten what he said earlier—

That he would be leaving her house soon.

Her expression dimmed. “What do you want to say?”

“I promised I’d help you with the problem of attracting demons, didn’t I?” Minglou glanced out at the dusky sky. “Over the next month, you’ll need to hold my hand often. In time, you’ll stop attracting them.”

“That’s… all?” Ying Ning blinked, surprised.

“That’s all,” he affirmed.

Ying Ning smiled, her voice light. “Okay.”

Minglou looked at her closely. “Aren’t you worried people will gossip if they see us holding hands in public?”

Ying Ning gave it serious thought before answering, “Those demons are far scarier than gossip.”

There was a brief silence before Minglou added, “Once you can no longer see them, I’ll leave.”

There it was again.

Ying Ning’s fingers clenched the edge of the quilt. She forced a smile through the ache rising in her chest. “Then you’ll stay with me for another month? I should at least clean that room—”

“There’s no need,” Minglou cut in, his voice flat. “I’ll only visit during the day. I won’t be staying the night. There’s no need for us to be together all the time.”

Ying Ning looked up at him.

Back in the maze, she’d felt as if she had caught a glimpse of his true heart—something raw, unguarded. But now, he was cold again, distant, like when they first met.

Was it all in her head?

She bit her lip, hesitated for a long moment, and finally spoke, voice barely above a whisper. “Then can you tell me… why did you come to me in the first place?”

Minglou finally turned to face her.

She frowned slightly as she looked at him. “You’ve watched over me night and day. You protected me from demons, worried when I was in danger, helped me get rid of my affliction—but you never told me why.”

Why?

In the beginning, it was just about reclaiming lost power.

But now…

They held each other’s gaze in silence.

Then Minglou finally replied, his tone indifferent.

“Because I pitied you.”

He added coolly, “You’re the most pitiful woman I’ve ever met.”

Ying Ning quickly lowered her head, afraid he’d see the tears welling up in her eyes.

She bit her lip again, trying to steady the storm inside her, and forced herself to sound composed. “I see. Thank you… for everything you’ve done.”

Minglou turned back toward the window. Seeing the sky grow dim, he said in a low voice, “I’m leaving. I’ll come see you again tomorrow morning.”

This time, Ying Ning didn’t respond.

He said nothing more and disappeared from the room.

________________________________________

In the courtyard, Luo Su and Zhuzhu sat waiting. As soon as Minglou appeared, they approached him.

He looked at them briefly and addressed Zhuzhu first. “Did you take care of those people?”

Zhuzhu folded her arms and scowled. “Their memories are erased, and they’ve been sent home one by one. Do you know how much work that was? Can you send the God of War to my house tomorrow as payment?”

Minglou ignored her grumbling and turned to Luo Su. “Where’s Yu Qianxun?”

“He escaped. Even the two Demon Lords couldn’t catch him,” Luo Su said with a sigh.

Minglou paused in thought. “Forget it. Let’s return to the Demon Palace first. We’ll deal with Yu Qianxun later.”

He started walking toward the gate, but Zhuzhu hurried after him, wide-eyed. “Wait! Aren’t you living at Ying Ning’s house now?”

“Not anymore,” Minglou replied coldly.

“Not anymore?” Zhuzhu narrowed her eyes. “Don’t you like her? What happened?”

“I don’t like her,” Minglou said, expression stony.

Zhuzhu pouted. “Liar! You clearly—mmph!”

Her words were cut off as Minglou sealed her mouth with magic again. She stomped her foot in frustration while Minglou strode away, cold and silent.

Just as the three exited the courtyard, they encountered Aunt Li and a brightly dressed woman walking toward them, chatting cheerfully.

When they spotted Minglou and his companions, the woman in pink and purple frowned and asked Aunt Li, “Who are they?”

Aunt Li didn’t recognize Luo Su or Zhuzhu and looked at Minglou curiously. “Who are these two with you?”

“My subordinates,” Minglou said blandly.

“Subordinates?” the woman asked in shock. “Then who are you?”

Minglou began to answer, “I’m—”

Before he could finish, Aunt Li interrupted quickly. “He’s just a friend of our Ah Ning. Probably stopped by to see her about something.”

She gave Minglou a meaningful look, trying to signal something. He frowned, not understanding at all.

With a groan, Aunt Li dragged him aside and whispered, “That’s Sun the Matchmaker—very famous! People queue for days to see her. I paid to bring her here to match Ah Ning with a good man.”

Minglou’s frown deepened. “Didn’t you say Ying Ning was engaged? Why are you matchmaking again?”

“What do you know, boy?” Aunt Li jabbed him in the arm. “Zhuang Wensheng’s been gone for three years. That engagement is basically dead. Who knows if he’s alive? Even if he is, he probably has some other woman. Our Ah Ning is too good to waste her life waiting. I’m helping her find someone better.”

Minglou was silent for a moment, then asked, “But hasn’t Ying Ning been waiting for him?”

Aunt Li snorted. “You can’t tie yourself to one tree forever. Sure, she still has feelings, but women like Ah Ning—once a good man shows up, treats her well, stays by her side—she’ll move on.”

Minglou stood in place, as if something had just clicked in his mind.

“Are you even listening?” Aunt Li glared at him. “Ugh! You distracted me! I almost forgot something important.”

She turned to find Matchmaker Sun again.

But the moment she turned, Minglou raised his hand and snapped his fingers.

Before Aunt Li could take another step, Matchmaker Sun vanished into thin air.

Aunt Li stared, eyes wide. “W-Where did she go?! Where’s Matchmaker Sun?!”

“She went home,” Minglou said indifferently. “You should go too.”

Without another word, he turned and headed back toward Ying Ning’s house.

Luo Su and Zhuzhu followed. Zhuzhu, still silenced, glared in frustration. Luo Su had to speak on her behalf.

“Your Majesty, I thought we were going back to the Demon Palace?”

Minglou gave a small cough and replied, stiffly, “Change of plans. I’m not leaving anymore.”