After Abandoning the Ruthless Dao Swordmaster - Chapter 17
Inside the formation of the Heaven-Worshipping Ceremony, Pei Jiuzhi grabbed his sword and stood up.
Around him, the golden light of the formation gradually dimmed, and the transmission of energy from the Immortal Island came to an end.
The talisman bird hidden in Wu Su’s brocade bag still retained a trace of his aura, allowing him to sense the evil energy that suddenly surrounded Wu Su.
As he hurriedly walked out of the formation, his long sword began to radiate a trail of light.
Behind him, the Eldest Princess and the Crown Prince chased after him.
“Jiuzhi, what happened?”
“There is a demon in Yundu City.” Pei Jiuzhi said coldly, his clothes swirling in the wind created by his quick pace.
“The demons are sealed underneath Yundu. Even if one appears, just let the Imperial City Division go look for them.” The Eldest Princess tried to persuade him.
As they exited the altar hall, Xu Ling came running over to them. He knelt on the ground and reported in a hurry.
“Ninth Highness, the girl you wanted to bring to the Riyue Pavilion was captured by the evil demon lurking in Yundu——”
Before he finished speaking, Pei Jiuzhi had already mounted the white horse stabled outside the hall, and spurred the horse to ride away.
The Eldest Princess and the Crown Prince stood frozen in place, looking at each other in confusion.
“Girl…when did Jiuzhi meet a girl?”
——
In an inconspicuous inn elsewhere in the city, Wu Su and Wei Li were thrown to the ground, tightly bound by the black energy.
Wu Su frowned in pain as her already injured body fell roughly on the hard floor.
Wu Su originally wanted to use magic to break free of the black energy, but her magic power was meagre and the demon was too strong. Her resistance was useless.
Wei Li was still screaming loudly, but her voice only reached to the edge of the courtyard before being absorbed by an invisible barrier.
Wu Su’s ears hurt from the piercing cries, and the throbbing pain in her injured arm probably meant that it was bruised again.
She was already more fragile than ordinary humans. In front of monsters like this black energy, she might as well be made of paper.
The black cloud circled Wu Su and Wei Li twice, sniffing at the sides of their necks and chests, like a dog looking for food.
Finally, the black energy “sneered” at Wu Su, as if to express that she was not delicious.
Of course Wu Su is not delicious to these monsters. The energy contained in her body cannot be integrated with the spiritual energy of this world.
If other monsters tried to eat her, they would feel like they were chewing a piece of tasteless wax.
Wei Li cowered, trying to lean towards Wu Su.
But Wu Su didn’t want to get too close to her. She avoided her, trying to keep as much distance between them as possible.
After inspecting his food, the black energy suddenly drew itself together, and coalesced into a human form.
Unfortunately, the black energy binding them has not disappeared, and it still prevents them from moving.
When demons take on human shape, they usually choose appearances that are bewitching and seductive, because such images are more likely to confuse humans.
This evil black energy was no different. In an instant, a gloomy and handsome man appeared in front of them.
When he lowered his head, they could see that his eyes were entirely pure black. Under the moonlight, they shone with a faint and sharp light.
This image was extremely strange, and Wei Li was so frightened that she began screaming again.
The evil demon pressed his heart and muttered doubtfully to himself: “Why, after eating two people’s hearts, is it still useless?”
“Did I eat too fast?” Answering his own question, he turned around, grabbed the two women still restrained by black energy, and dragged them inside.
Wu Su’s eyes darted quickly around the room, and was a little surprised when she saw two familiar faces.
One person was Qiu Xu, the doctor who had treated her at the City Guard’s office.
The other person was the woman who helped her learn to read in Yundu Library, however she was not wearing the simple grey robes that Wu Su had always seen her with before.
She was now wearing the military uniform of the Imperial City Division, and her long hair was tied up high with a red ribbon.
Since her hands, feet and mouth were sealed, she could only glare at the evil demon in front of her, and try to protect Qiu Xu behind her.
The evil demon threw the four of them into a small courtyard. The black energy that bound their bodies loosened and re-formed into a cage, locking them up.
Chains formed around their ankles, restricting their movement.
The demon reached into his sleeve, and pulled out a sharp knife with a long and slender blade.
He angled the snow-clear blade into the moonlight, using it as a mirror to inspect his reflection.
“Perhaps I should eat it in a more meticulous way. If I taste it carefully, I might be able to achieve real beauty.”
He narrowed his eyes and looked at the four people with a smile: “Who among you will be the first course of this banquet?”
Wei Li was so frightened that she stepped backwards, still crying: “I, I, I… Is there anyone here to save us?”
Wu Su was pushed aside by Wei Li’s movement. She saw the girl with the red hair ribbon struggling to get up. She had never asked her name.
But she tried to protect all three of them.
“Get away.” She stretched out her arms and continued in a trembling voice, “Such an evil monster, you will die soon.”
“Imperial City Division, City Guards – they are all hunting you, you can’t escape!” She glared at the monster, speaking loudly.
“Does it really matter if they might catch me in the future, if I want to eat your hearts right now?” The monster smiled.
“If you stand at the front, it’s going to be you.” He stepped forward, preparing to open the cage.
Behind the woman’s outstretched arms, Qiu Xu placed his trembling hands on the woman’s shoulders and begged.
“Officer, don’t… you don’t have to do this, we… we will all be killed by him tonight anyway.”
“The Imperial City Division protects the people of Yundu. As long as I am alive, I will definitely try to keep you out of danger.”
The woman’s body surged with a sudden inexplicable strength, and she shoved Qiu Xu away.
Wu Su, Qiu Xu, and Wei Li were pushed to the back of the cage. The woman with the red ribbon stood protectively in front of them, facing the evil monster.
Qiu Xu was so frightened that he shed tears, his shoulders couldn’t help shaking, and he kept whimpering: “No…”
A desolate mood spread through the cage, the kind that causes most people to shrink away, wishing they could hide in a corner or burrow into the soil.
But there is still someone here confronting the sharp blade.
Wu Su lowered her head, thought for a moment, and got up from the ground.
“Miss, no, I’d better go first.” Wu Su spoke softly.
She quietly observed the evil demon in front of her, planning to move forward and replace the woman with the red hair ribbon.
Wu Su felt that she should be able to delay it for a while, hopefully until the soldiers of Yundu tracked down the even energy.
“Ha-” the evil demon glanced at Wu Su with a sinister smile, “I don’t want you, you don’t taste good.”
Wu Su: “…”
She stood still, with two ordinary people behind her who were too frightened to stand up.
Wu Su’s current magical power was not enough to break free from this cage made of black energy.
She could only watch helplessly as the monster dragged the woman out of the cage and tied her to a wooden frame.
The sharp white knife in his hand pressed down on her neck.
In an instant, blood splattered forth onto the monster’s face. A few drops fell onto Wu Su’s pure white skirt.
The monster greedily licked a bit of human blood off his face.
The woman made a gasping struggling sound.
A stream of blood gurgled faintly as it gushed from her wounded neck.
Her eyes were fixed on the evil demon, showing firm hatred, and this light did not disappear until she died.
Finally, her struggling sounds disappeared, and the monster cut open her chest and took out a live beating heart.
In front of his eyes, there was a bloody mess. The dark blood mixed with the soil on the ground had spread to Wu Su’s feet.
Another person died in front of Wu Su.
The monster placed the girl’s still twitching heart on the porcelain plate.
Wu Su held onto the cage with both hands and stared straight ahead, her black and white eyes blank. She tried to communicate with the dying soul.
“Miss, I remember you. I couldn’t read in the library before, but you taught me.” Wu Su called to her.
“It hurts… you? Why can you talk to me?” Her voice was as thin as a gossamer thread.
“Miss, you are going to die, and your spiritual consciousness will dissipate soon. Do you have any wishes?” Wu Su asked. “It doesn’t matter who I am or why I can talk to you.”
“I……”
Wu Su saw that the monster had cut her heart into equal thin slices, licked them with the tip of his tongue, and put them into his mouth.
He seemed to be enjoying this delicious food.
Behind her, Wei Li and Qiu Xu covered their eyes, too frightened to speak. They didn’t dare to look at the horrific scene in front of them.
Wu Su heard the woman’s extremely weak voice and sensed her strong desire.
“I want to protect you. This is my duty. I may not be able to kill this monster, but I hope that you can all survive.”
Wu Su sighed softly.
“Okay.”
Wu Su had no idea what position this dead Imperial City Division officer held, but her soul was extremely pure.
As such, the yin and yang energy she provided to Wu Su was extremely powerful.
This power was so strong that Wu Su was immediately able to break free from the cage and the black energy chains at her feet.
After enjoying the woman’s heart, the monster was satisfied with his method, but it seemed that his appetite wasn’t quite sated.
“One more.” He stood up and smiled.
He opened the cage, walking in slowly, and immediately his gaze locked onto Wei Li in the corner.
“You – come here, you screamed the loudest just now, presumably to attract my attention, then I will eat you second -”
He bypassed Wu Su and went straight towards Wei Li.
“I don’t want… you, eat them, they are more delicious. I am not in good health, so my heart must not taste good.”
Wei Li hurriedly waved her hands, pointing at Qiu Xu behind her and Wu Su in front of her.
But the monster obviously didn’t have such patience. With a wave of the sharp knife, he sliced towards her flailing hands.
Several pale fingers fell to the ground, blood dripping down.
The evil demon’s eyes flashed with anger, and he reached out to grab Wei Li.
But at this time, behind him, there was a calm, stagnant aura approaching.
“Do not do that.”
Wu Su’s voice was still soft, using the same tone as she used towards Wei Li, His Highness, or anyone else.
Wu Su grabbed the terrifying monster from behind, her arms wrapped around his neck, and her cold hands pressed in front of his eyes.
Her aura was soft, calm, and firm throughout.
The evil demon suddenly became violent, and its lower body dissolved into surging black energy, climbing up Wu Su’s body to coil tightly around her neck.
“A mere human—” The evil demon spat angrily, “how dare you try to stop me.”
“I am not a human. I am entrusted with this task by others. I want us all…to live.”
Wu Su’s cold breath fell on the monster’s ears.
She grasped the tall demon from behind and stepped towards the door of the cage. Previously, she had the feeling that she was also a demon, and now this perception indeed turned out to be correct.
Her lower body had also turned into a tangled mass of black and white energy, unfolding like a spider web and actually wrapping around the monster’s body.
Wu Su dragged him into the room attached to the courtyard.
In the courtyard, Qiu Xu and Wei Li watched all this with wide eyes, until Wei Li fainted and fell to the ground due to excessive blood loss.
The doctor Qiu Xu looked down at the severed fingers that had fallen to the ground, wiped his tears, but did not try to save her.
Now, he and Wei Li both know that Wu Su is some sort of unusual creature.
She was really unnatural. From the beginning, she was unreasonably calm.
——
Wu Su dragged the monster into the room and simply stared at him.
From underneath the hem of her soft white skirt, the aura of chaos spread throughout the corners of the room.
“I will let you out when the City Guards arrive, or I run out of energy.” Wu Su winked at the evil demon.
“What kind of monster are you?!” The demon quickly dissolved into black energy again, rushing towards Wu Su.
He was already furious, and his attacks were no longer slow, filled with a decisive killing intent.
The evil energy sprang forward with another snake-like strike, slamming straight into Wu Su’s back.
The monster thought that he would definitely be able to kill this little demon who overestimated her abilities.
However, the scene that unfolded left him horrified.
The coil of black energy burst out the other side of Wu Su’s chest – yes, he had always killed people like this before.
During his swift attack, he could smell the strong scent of blood, and he could also detect the faint beating of the girl’s heart.
However, in the spot where the coil of black energy struck Wu Su, a hole appeared, matching the general outline of the attacking energy.
It was as if his body entered another space when it came into contact with hers, and then fell out the other side.
She was immune to the fatal blow.
The black energy tumbled out from the other end of Wu Su’s body. Due to the sudden inertia, it fell embarrassingly onto the ground.
Wu Su’s body could not be harmed, but the clothes she wears are ordinary fabrics.
Large holes had been ripped through the clothes on her chest.
Fortunately, the fabric was still connected at the shoulders, and hung down to barely cover her body.
Some of the fair skin on Wu Su’s chest was revealed, as well as the beauty mark… the same one mentioned in the unreadable note written by Pei Jiuzhi.
Wu Su quietly observed the mass of black energy curled up in the corner.
Under her white clothes, the energy of chaos is still swirling, and all the yin and yang energy absorbed from the woman with the red hair ribbon is being put to use.
Otherwise, how could Wu Su cast such a powerful spell?
Wu Su spoke softly: “You can’t kill me.”
She can be injured, but she cannot be killed. Every fatal attack is ineffective against her.
It was as if the chaotic energy she was made of was an objective existence that would never dissipate.
Chaos can be blown away and broken into pieces, but it will always exist. As long as it has energy, it will never disappear.
“What…are you?” A human face appeared amidst the black energy.
“I don’t know.” Wu Su replied honestly.
Her calm and gentle tone made their conversation resemble a secret message whispered between lovers.
She eyed the tail end of the black energy in surprise and asked: “So your head is here, did you just hit me with your butt… or your foot?”
The evil demon could transform his whole body from energy into human form, and was deeply offended by Wu Su’s words.
He glared at Wu Su – she was extremely weak, like he could kill her with a casual attack.
And it is precisely because of this that he is unable to hurt Wu Su.
She is fragile, but eternal.
In the distance, he could faintly feel the approach of an extremely terrifying aura, so he decided not to become entangled with Wu Su anymore.
She wanted to live alongside the humans, but he refused to let her do so.
He will go out now and kill them all.
So, he gathered his energy together again, and rushed towards the door.
Perhaps because of Wu Su’s question just now, this time, he transformed the front of the black energy into his humanoid face.
Every corner of the room was covered by the chaotic energy controlled by Wu Su’s body, spreading out like a spider web.
Wu Su thought of the little spider she saw die not long ago, and she thought that she had done quite a good job at weaving this web.
The black energy collided with the chaotic energy, but his body failed to pierce through to the outside of the room.
He tumbled out face-first from under Wu Su’s chest again.
Wu Su lowered her head and looked at him. She reached out her hand, and held up the handsome human face attached to the mass of black energy.
Her breath was soft: “All the black and white energy is my body.”
Wu Su has essentially expended her body to cover the entire room.
No matter where the black energy attacks from, invariably these attacks will fail and the energy will be dumped back inside the room.
When she receives the yin and yang energy from a person, she will definitely fulfil that person’s wish.
It will definitely happen, it always will, and no one can stop it.
Now, what supports Wu Su is not her own strength, but the woman who died under a knife not long ago and had her heart ripped out.
She kept her duty in mind, and even if she died, she would die protecting the people of Yundu.
Mortals.
Wu Su stared intently at the face emerging from black energy – the other end of the black energy was still struggling to attack the corner of the room.
This scene was extremely weird, as if Wu Su had an extra head growing out of her body.
She said softly: “This is my promise to her. When the City Guards come, I will let you go.”
——Actually, Wu Su herself can’t hold on for long, but it should be enough to last until the guards come.
It’s a pity that her identity was exposed in the end.
But Wu Su still wanted to struggle.
“Don’t tell them I’m a demon, okay?” Wu Su asked.
The evil demon smiled: “You are scarier than me.”
Wu Su stared at the face in front of her with confusion: “Is that so?”
“Humans hate you, and if you think about it, they will hate me even more.” Wu Su let go of the demon’s head.
She took half a step back, and the black energy slipped away her body, coiling on the ground like a snake.
“In a sense, you are strong.” The demon said to her.
“The powerful ones are the humans who gave me this energy.” Wu Su’s long eyelashes were lowered and her voice was soft.
Wu Su subconsciously touched the brocade pouch hidden in her arms. Fortunately, the human gift she received was not damaged by the monster.
She was thinking about how humans would look at her after tracking them here.
Before that happened, she would still try to find a way to hide it.
Wu Su stood still. The black energy refused to give up, attacking her again and again. Wu Su’s clothes were torn a few more times, but she was still unscathed.
She felt a little exhausted. If the Yundu guards didn’t come soon, she didn’t think she would be able to hold on.
Eventually, she heard the noisy sound of horse’s hooves coming from outside the room, followed by the sound of a sword.
Wu Su was extremely sensitive to the sound of this sword. That night in Guanlan Pavilion, the long sword brought by the distinguished guest had rang out clearly several times.
She couldn’t be more familiar with this sound.
Is it him?
Wu Su frowned slightly and retracted the chaotic energy from the corners of the room.
The black energy was looking for an opportunity to escape. At the same time, Wu Su heard the guard outside shouting.
“Ninth Highness, be careful!”