Chapter 21-Part 2

Ge Jin hesitated for a moment: “That demon disguised itself as someone familiar to deliver medicine to me, and I let my guard down…”

“I see,” Teng Yuyi nodded, “Ah, this demon’s tactics are truly insidious, impossible to defend against.”

“Exactly,” Ge Jin sighed in embarrassment, “It was my own carelessness. My lord, I can’t hold on much longer, please give me a hand.”

She extended a slender, pale arm and looked at Teng Yuyi with hope in her eyes.

“Coming,” Teng Yuyi quickened her steps, walking towards the window with a bright smile, raising something in her hand.

Ge Jin’s expression changed instantly.

She saw Teng Yuyi holding a stubby brush, which was now being thrust straight towards her face.

Before Ge Jin could dodge, her complexion changed under the moonlight, her skin emitting a faint golden glow.

She froze, her voice turning cold and eerie: “What gave me away?”

Teng Yuyi, although lucky to have struck first, was filled with terror.

She dodged back quickly, saying, “Why would I tell you that?”

She had been suspicious from the start.

Ge Jin had just been kidnapped by the demon, and even if she had been rescued, she should still be unconscious from the demon’s poison—like Juan Erli, who had only woken up after a long while.

Teng Yuyi herself had passed out after being poisoned by the demon before.

Knowing this, Lin Chengyou would never have carelessly left an unconscious person behind, even if he was not the most empathetic person.

Yet, this fake “Ge Jin” suddenly appeared at the window, looking perfectly fine.

The woman began to laugh softly, lowering her arms.

As she raised them again, they had changed color.

Upon closer inspection, her arms were densely covered with shimmering scales, and in the blink of an eye, they transformed into golden wings.

Half of her face still resembled Ge Jin, but the other half had sprouted feathers.

Her large wings reached toward the window, as if she desperately wanted to come inside.

However, every time she touched the window frame, it seemed as if an invisible barrier was stopping her.

Huo Qiu turned pale and quickly moved to protect everyone, urging, “Young Master, we must go. I’ll find a way to stall it. The Taoist priest should be nearby—once outside, just call for help.”

E Ji and He Mingsheng scrambled to escape, but their terror caused them to collapse to the ground in fright.

Teng Yuyi’s heart pounded, “We should stay inside. Taoist Qi Zhi set up a formation in this room, and if the demon could get in, it wouldn’t have needed to disguise itself as Ge Jin to trick us. I bet there’s some sort of barrier on the doors and windows—look, it’s struggling to get in.”

Huo Qiu realized this made sense and quickly dragged the trembling He Mingsheng, who had crawled to the door, was back inside.

Meanwhile, the feathers on the demon’s face grew denser, and its form became larger until it fully transformed into a giant bird, completely blocking the window.

Under the room’s light, its blood-red claws hooked onto the windowsill, and it let out eerie shrieks.

Suddenly, it lifted one talon and pointed its sharp claws at E Ji.

E Ji’s eyes glazed over, and she began walking toward the window.

Teng Yuyi, realizing the danger, shouted, “Huo Qiu, stop her!”

Huo Qiu rushed forward, but E Ji had gained enormous strength.

Before he could get close, she swung her arm and flung him aside.

Huo Qiu flew across the room and crashed into the bed next to the table, breaking it with a loud bang.

“Huo Qiu!” Teng Yuyi shouted in alarm.

He Mingsheng’s teeth chattered uncontrollably, and he kept glancing around in terror.

“Where’s the Taoist priest? Help! Help, Taoist priest!”

Before he could finish, the demon outside the window suddenly let out a terrible scream.

A large net of golden light descended from the moonlit sky, vast as a curtain, covering the creature tightly.

“Do you understand?” Lin Chengyou’s voice came from outside.

“Now I understand. This is its true form—the golden flood dragon earlier was merely its incarnation.”

“If you understand, then close the net.”

Suddenly, Jue Sheng shouted, “Senior brother, it’s too strong! I can’t hold onto it!”

“If you can’t hold it, jump into the water. I’ll catch you from below. Its feathers can’t touch water—once it falls in, we’ll have the advantage.”

Jue Sheng must have followed the advice, for with a loud splash, he jumped into the water.

Thankfully, the plan worked, and the demon at the window was dragged down.

Teng Yuyi wiped the sweat from her brow, only then realizing she was drenched in sweat.

E Ji staggered, nearly collapsing, but Huo Qiu, having climbed back to his feet, rushed over to support her.

Teng Yuyi barely managed to sit down at the vanity.

Her legs still felt weak and powerless.

From outside came the roaring sound of water, like a torrential rainstorm.

The golden shadows and red lights intertwined, creating an eerie scene.

The battle seemed evenly matched, with every noise sending a shiver through her.

Several times, He Mingsheng tried to flee, but Teng Yuyi stopped him.

E Ji, too frightened to escape, huddled behind Teng Yuyi.

It was unclear how much time had passed, but eventually, the outside gradually quieted.

Teng Yuyi stared out the window.

It seemed like dawn was approaching, the stars slowly fading as the sky turned a faint blue.

After fighting for so long, she wondered if Lin Chengyou had captured the demon.

Her mind was full of uncertainty when, suddenly, the window darkened. Something lunged toward it again.

In the dim morning light, golden flashes gleamed—it was unmistakably the demon.

This time, for some unknown reason, it easily reached the window frame.

Teng Yuyi’s hair stood on end.

Could it be that Qi Zhi’s formation had lost its effect? If it got inside, everyone in the room would be doomed.

He Mingsheng and E Ji panicked again, while Teng Yuyi rushed to the window, stabbing her sword at the intruder.

“How dare you come back!”

The thing outside had almost made it in, but, startled by the sword, it grabbed onto the window frame instead.

Only then did Teng Yuyi realize it wasn’t a demon, but a person draped in the golden net from Qingyun Temple, his body glowing with a golden light.

“You again?” Lin Chengyou gritted his teeth.

Teng Yuyi quickly withdrew her hand.

“I thought it was the demon. I didn’t realize it was you, Daozhang.”

But it was already too late—Lin Chengyou, trying to dodge the sword, lost his balance and fell with a splash, creating a large wave in the water below.

Teng Yuyi leaned on the window ledge and looked down.

Lin Chengyou, a skilled swimmer, soon surfaced, wiping his face and glaring up at the window before turning to swim toward the shore.

Just then, the sound of running footsteps echoed down the corridor.

Jue Sheng, soaking wet, and Qi Zhi, with water stains all over, entered the room, carrying a large net between them.

Inside the net was a person, motionless and dripping with water.

“Senior brother,” they called as they entered.

“Huh? Senior brother isn’t here?”

Huo Qiu coughed, “Your senior brother is still in the water.”

Jue Sheng and Qi Zhi were taken aback.

They bent down to place the person in the net on the floor.

As soon as the net loosened, the person rolled out—it was Ge Jin.

He Mingsheng and E Ji huddled together in fear.

“A demon!”

Qi Zhi quickly reassured them, “Don’t be afraid. This is the real Lady Ge Jin. Our senior brother just saved her. Earlier we were all frightened. The demon was summoning its companions to fight us and, at the same time, tried to sneak in and harm you. Fortunately, none of you fell for its trick, or else you would have been seriously hurt.”