Chapter 43: There’s No One Like Yin Buqi in This World

Just as she finished dressing, Yin Buqi’s tall figure appeared behind her.

His arms reached around her, gently wrapping a veil over her face.

Jiang Niannian was startled and looked up at him in confusion.

Her face was hidden behind the black veil, with only a pair of bright, almond-shaped eyes visible.

Yin Buqi said, “I heard that demon enjoys skinning its victims. With Niannian being so beautiful, we can’t let it start thinking about you.”

Jiang Niannian looked at his stunningly handsome face, which seemed otherworldly in its beauty.

She thought to herself, “…Who do you think is more likely to attract attention? Are you even aware of your own charm?”

…

It was a dark and windy night, perfect for murder and arson.

The once bustling street was now deserted, shrouded in a thick white mist.

Yin Ci walked along the street, a cold wind brushing past him.

Instinctively, he gripped the sword at his waist, thinking to himself, “Senior Brother Jiang, is really something! We agreed to hunt the demon together, but he sleeps like a dead pig and can’t be woken up. Fine, I’ll kill the demon myself and head back to the Rimuli sect to claim credit. Let those cowards see what true bravery looks like!”

Turning a corner, he entered an alley, where a strong fragrance filled the air.

Yin Ci squinted, peering through the mist.

He could vaguely make out the silhouette of a woman.

As he approached, he could hear the woman softly sobbing.

Yin Ci frowned, feeling a bit wary.

He kept his distance and asked, “It’s late at night. Why aren’t you sleeping? What are you doing out here alone?”

The woman continued to cry, looking delicate and pitiful as she raised her head to look at him.

Her face was stunning, like a lotus emerging from water.

Yin Ci was shocked, “Miss Tang?”

Tang Murou, looking pitiful, rubbed her ankle as if afraid he would leave her.

“I was out with the others to hunt the demon, but we got separated, and I twisted my ankle. Could you carry me back? I… I’m scared to be alone.”

“Women are such trouble,” Yin Ci muttered. Seeing that she was one of their own, his suspicions faded, but he couldn’t just leave her there.

His frown deepened as he ran a hand through his hair.

“Alright, get on.”

Tang Murou smiled sweetly, thanking him, “Yin Ci, thank you. You’re so kind.”

Carrying her out of the alley, Yin Ci walked along the street, but something felt increasingly off.

The person on his back seemed to grow lighter, and her body felt wet, as if she had just come out of water.

He hadn’t had much experience with women, but he had heard his father say that women were made of water.

Tang Murou suddenly spoke, interrupting his thoughts, “Yin Ci, do you think I’m beautiful?”

Yin Ci grumbled, “All women look the same. What’s there to see?”

“Is that so… Let me show you what I really look like.”

As she spoke, Yin Ci heard the sound of flesh tearing behind him. His heart skipped a beat as he stiffly turned to look back. In the dim moonlight, he saw a pair of lifeless eyes floating in the air!

“Damn! What the hell is this?!” Yin Ci violently threw the thing on his back to the ground.

Looking down, he saw his clothes stained with blood.

He quickly formed a hand seal, summoning a flame in his palm.

Only then did he see that the “person” he had been carrying seemed to have been burned, with a withered, blackened, and scarred body.

The dim light made it blend into the night, making the first thing anyone noticed the pair of blood-red eyes.

“What kind of demon dares to harm people!” Yin Ci steadied himself, thrusting his sword forward, its light shining brightly.

The demon, however, seemed unbothered, still smiling as a bright red tongue shot out from its blood-stained lips, moving like lightning!

It was a tongue!

The blood-soaked tongue skillfully entangled with the sword, and taking advantage of Yin Ci’s surprise, it even licked his face.

“Good boy, why are you so rough with me? Let your sister give you a kiss, okay?”

“I’ll kiss your mother ass!” Yin Ci shouted, channeling his spiritual energy into the sword, slicing the tongue in one swift motion.

The demon seemed enraged, opening its mouth wide to reveal two rows of sharp, densely packed teeth. It lunged at Yin Ci with incredible speed, closing the distance in an instant.

Yin Ci’s heart pounded wildly, blood rushing through his veins.

“This is it! I’m done for!”

In the blink of an eye, a long sword came flying through the air!

“AhhhhhhHHHHH!”

The demon let out an ear-piercing scream.

The sword had pierced its chest, with blood pooling at the sword’s tip and dripping to the ground.

Yin Ci turned his head to see a figure with black hair and red eyes, dressed in dark robes, gracefully moving under the moonlight.

It was Yin Buqi, the one who had defeated him and claimed first place in the Immortal Alliance Conference.

Yin Ci’s legs gave way, and he sat on the ground, lowering his head.

He knew deep down that the gap between him and Yin Buqi was too vast.

Although he was already among the best in the cultivation world, Yin Buqi was even better.

Someone like Yin Buqi, once seen, could never be forgotten.

He was like a fallen evil immortal. There is no other like him in this world.

The demon, despite its high cultivation, pulled the sword from its chest and turned to flee.

Yin Buqi didn’t even glance at Yin Ci.

He picked up his sword and leaped forward to pursue the demon.

The two dark figures darted through the mist at a speed too fast to follow.

Jiang Niannian, who had arrived later, helped Yin Ci up from the ground and asked, “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine.”

Yin Ci shook his head, still lost in his thoughts, a bit dazed.

“Then you should head back. I’ll go help Buqi.”

Jiang Niannian let go of him and turned to leave.

“I—I’ll go with you.”

Meanwhile, Yin Buqi had chased the demon to a riverbank.

Seeing that the demon was about to dive into the water, he flipped through the air, landing in front of it.

However, as he swung his sword, he hesitated slightly.

Even though he knew the thing in front of him wasn’t Jiang Niannian, the face that bore a nine-tenths resemblance to hers made him falter.

In that moment of hesitation, the demon slipped past him and disappeared into the water.

When Jiang Niannian and Yin Ci arrived, they saw the demon escaping and felt a twinge of regret.

“We almost had it.”

Looking up, they saw Yin Buqi standing there, seemingly lost in thought.

Jiang Niannian asked in confusion, “Buqi, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

Yin Buqi sheathed his sword and said, “That thing can easily hide its aura and change its appearance. It’s neither fully demon nor devil—I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“That wasn’t a demon or a devil,” a male voice came from within the mist.

“Who’s there?!” Yin Ci drew his sword, ready to fight.

“Don’t attack; I’m on your side.”

A man slowly approached, his black hair tied with a white ribbon.

He wore a robe of moon-white silk, with a white jade flute hanging at his waist.

Yin Buqi instinctively stepped in front of Jiang Niannian.

“My name is Song Shi. I’m also one of the cultivators entering the Secret Realm for the trial.”

Song Shi walked to the riverbank and glanced around before continuing, “When a person dies, their body decays, and their soul becomes a ghost. Some spirits don’t enter the underworld and instead linger in the living world, or they leave the underworld at night to haunt the living. These are called ‘Yin Spirits.'”

Jiang Niannian asked, “So, to put it simply, those who enter the underworld are ‘ghosts,’ and those who don’t are ‘Yin Spirits,’ right?”

“Exactly,” Song Shi replied.

“How do you know this?”

“I enjoy reading strange tales and curiosities.”

Suddenly, Yin Ci asked in confusion, “Hey? Why are the lotuses in this river all green? Are they demonic flowers?”

Song Shi sneered, “If you read more books, you wouldn’t ask such a stupid question. These lotuses are called ‘Jinling Green Blossoms.'”

His tone was mocking, dragging out his words.

Jiang Niannian thought to herself, “This guy’s sharp tongue is on par with Shen Yu’s.”