CH 15

How had he managed to jump into Ying Qianqiu’s arms…

The moment he met the silver haired man’s eyes, Ji Ning couldn’t help but feel nervous. Ying Qianqiu’s character was a dark and unpredictable abyss. His eyes glittered like candlelight, causing those who approached him to feel a sense of danger, as if he could see through their very soul. 

Ying Qianqiu didn’t blink, gazing at Ji Ning in his arms, his blank expression unchanging.

Was there any chance he had recognised Ji Ning…

The tip of Ji Ning’s tail trembled slightly and he couldn’t help but bury his head into it. Although he had hidden his face to protect his identity from Ying Qianqiu, it appeared as if the small animal was simply afraid of the man.

The possibility of Ying Qianqiu recognising him should be non-existent because inside the Xuanhuan fantasy novel this world belonged to, ‘Devil Saint’, it was fixed common knowledge that resurrection from the dead was impossible. 

The higher the cultivation level of the practitioner, the longer their lifespan. At the highest of levels, they were almost immortal and had many mechanisms to continue their existence. However, once dead, their soul would be annihilated from the world. It would no longer exist. Neither reincarnation nor revival were possible.

Because of this, practitioners in this world did not pay attention to resurrection after death, but madly pursued the path of longevity. In the original novel, Ying Qianqiu’s master was murdered causing him to fall onto the devil’s path. Years later, he slaughtered the twelve aristocratic families who were responsible for his master’s death. But he only killed them for revenge and made no attempt to summon his master’s soul. Thinking about it, in the original novel Ying Qianqiu didn’t even believe in resurrection.

Even though the current Ying Qianqiu had used the twelve families as blood sacrifices in an effort to summon his soul, Ji Ning wasn’t sure whether Ying Qianqiu actually believed it would work…

Ji Ning felt conflicted. After leaving this world, he had never thought Ying Qianqiu would so desperately try to summon his soul with only a fleeting chance of success. Furthermore, it was never mentioned in the original book that Ying Qianqiu’s hair colour changed to silver and Ji Ning didn’t understand why it had happened. Could it have something to do with the soul summonings?

Despite his doubts, it was because the chance of successfully summoning a soul was so low that Ji Ning felt assured he wouldn’t be recognised. Plus, during the blood sacrifice, he had seen other monsters who had survived by chance, which stopped his arrival in the cave from appearing too suspicious.

Therefore he shouldn’t have to worry about this world, once he went back he probably wouldn’t return here again…

Once Ji Ning had finished his silent deductions, he poked his head out of Ying Qianqiu’s arms, wanting to return to the table. After all, the current Ying Qianqiu was no longer the quiet and gentle boy he used to be, but a demon lord with a volatile temperament. Ying Qianqiu could randomly kill him at any time.

But who knew Yun Dao’s character was so wild, she actually pushed the scrolls that covered the table onto the floor and lightly jumped on top of the table. She half knelt, staring straight at the cub in Ying Qianqiu’s arms and said, 

“Let’s see where you try to run now.”

Oops, he was trapped.

Ji Ning had started to move out of Yun Qianqiu’s arms, but frightened by Yun Dao, he shrunk back inside, grabbing the front of Ying Qianqiu’s clothes and refusing to leave.

Future had promised it would resurrect him if he died, so he would rather be murdered by Ying Qianqiu than suffer from a humiliation that would be more painful than death. 

The shivering white cub hid inside Ying Qianqiu’s arms. No matter how shameless Yun Dao was, she didn’t dare grab it. If she angered Ying Qianqiu she would definitely be confined for a few days.

“Qianqiu…” Yun Dao elongated the syllables and said with a flattering smile, “Now that you’ve caught him, can you give him to me?”

Ying Qianqiu silently raised his hand to grab the fur on the back of the cub’s neck to hand it over to her.

Seeing that he was about to fall into the girl’s clutches, Ji Ning quickly threw away his dignity. With a forceful swing of his body he hung upside down and grabbed Ying Qianqiu with all four of his paws. There was a pleading look in his eyes and he even called out a few times, begging him not to give him to Yun Dao. 

The beast’s eyes were big, dark and round, like two black onyx stones. Its small body trembled, as its fluffy tail swayed to and fro, and even intimately swept across the back of Ying Qianqiu’s hand a few times, as he shamelessly acted coquettish.

“…”

The silver haired man paused his movements.

For some reason, he was reminded of the youth in his memories. He had been spirited and beautiful, always so arrogant in front of others, yet allowed Ying Qianqiu to see his soft side. 

“You are my fiance…”

The youth had just won a tournament held between several of the larger families and celebrated with his friends and family until late in the night. Later, he had drunkenly broken into Ying Qianqiu’s room, grabbed the collar of his sleep shirt and pressed him into the bed.

The young boy was drunk, his face flushed and his eyes a little red and watery. He spoke arrogantly, acting as if he wanted to teach his fiance a lesson, but didn’t seem to realise his words no longer carried any real force and only made Ying Qianqiu stare at him with a heated gaze.

Lf rja ys atf klcvbk, yea kfjxfcfv ys atf jimbtbi, tlr ybvs riewqfv jmgbrr Tlcu Hljcdle jr tf tjio-mibrfv tlr yfjealoei fsfr jcv ktlrqfgfv lcab atf fjg bo tlr yfagbatfv. 

“Tbe atlcx P vlvc’a cbalmf? Tbe ajixfv jcv ijeutfv rb wemt klat atja ulgi ogbw jcbatfg ojwlis.”

“Ktja kjr ws jeca’r bcis vjeutafg, ws mberlc, ktb P’nf yffc mibrf ab rlcmf mtlivtbbv.” Tlcu Hljcdle gjlrfv tlr tjcv ab ragbxf atf ybs’r tjlg jr tf ijeutfv jcv ktlrqfgfv, “Rba ab wfcalbc rtf’r bcis olnf sfjgr biv…”

“I don’t care.”

The boy tried to straighten up several times but couldn’t lift himself, so had no choice but to remain leaning on Ying Qianqiu. He tried to act nonchalant about it but couldn’t quite hide his embarrassment, saying petulantly, 

“Since your marriage contract is with me, you should only care about me and ignore everyone else…”

Normally he was strict and overbearing while training others, but at that moment, on the bed with his fiance, he acted like a spoiled child.

Ying Qianqiu laughed in a low voice. The youth glared, annoyed by his laughter, but the next second Ying Qianqiu gently kissed him on the lips.

“Of course I only care about you…” 

Ying Qianqiu sat up, hugging the boy in his arms, and whispered in his ear.

“Asides from you Xiaoxiao, no one else will enter my eyes again.”

The silver haired man lowered his eyes and dropped the hand that was offering Ji Ning out, saying, “Don’t be ridiculous.”

After hearing this the girl simply sat cross-legged on the table, her pale legs poking out from beneath her black gauze skirt, refusing to leave until the cub was handed to her. 

“Qianqiu, I’m not joking. If you don’t let me see if it’s male or female, how can I name it?”

Having said this, she was almost certain the little thing was male. Otherwise, why would it avoid her? It was a clever little thing.

“Yingxue.” Ying Qianqiu put the cub in his lap, lightly stroking its head with slender fingers, “Just call him Yingxue.”

“Yingxue…” 

The girl frowned, the beast ears on her head moving.

She didn’t like the name very much, but since Ying Qianqiu had spoken she couldn’t argue anymore. If it was a big deal, she would just give the little thing a nickname…

Yun Dao was thinking hard about what nicknames she could use when she felt her centre of gravity shift. Before she realised it, she found herself floating in midair, swept away by Ying Qianqiu’s profound qi out of the floating carriage. She was then gently placed on the ground as the gauze curtain pulled shut, isolating the carriage from the outside world.

Yun Dao wasn’t surprised, usually if she stayed for too long, Qianqiu would eventually send her out. She understood that Qianqiu was busy and was used to it, but… 

“Huh…”

She glanced around the area but didn’t see the cub, which meant it must still be in the carriage with Ying Qianqiu.

Qianqiu had personally named the little guy and let him stay while she had been kicked out…

The girl stood there, dumbfounded. 

Had she-had she fallen out of favour?!

Because the restoration of his soul would take a while to complete, Ji Ning had to stay in the Xuanhuan world for a few days. He had nothing he was supposed to do and could enjoy the time leisurely. One benefit to this was that he had become very accustomed to the body of the snow beast cub and had improved both his agility and flexibility.

Not to mention, the world felt soothingly nostalgic…

Ji Ning licked the fur on his body without any direction, like a real cub. 

This wasn’t even the first time he had become an animal. In the martial art world, he had spent most of his time as a little fox. In the apocalyptic world, he had been a mermaid from beginning to end and had almost forgotten how to walk on two legs when he entered the next world, constantly feeling the urge to crawl along the floor.

After smoothing out his fur, he walked to Ying Qianqiu’s side peacefully and received a head pat. He lay down beside Qing Qianqiu’s legs, sleeping on the hem of his clothes.

Over the past few days, Ji Ning had quickly gained a permanent place in Ying Qianqiu’s carriage. At first, because Yun Dao wanted to capture him, he was forced to take refuge in Ying Qianqiu’s space but Ying Qianqiu never rejected his presence and let him in every time he stood outside the carriage and pawed at the curtains.

This gave Ji Ning felt a familiar sense of security and peace of mind. Even though the current Ying Qianqiu had become a formidable demon lord with the blood of countless people on his hands, he still carried a shadow of his past. Back then, they had found Yun Dao and raised her together. 

The familiar scent of Ying Qianqiu also helped to eliminate the slight feeling of estrangement Ji Ning had felt. After a few days, he would regularly enter Ying Qianqiu’s carriage to take a peaceful nap.

Ji Ning had been lying on the hem of Ying Qianqiu’s robe, curled into a snowball and close to falling asleep, when he heard a familiar voice from outside the carriage.

“Qianqiu, I’m here, let me in.”

Why is that child, Yun Dao, here again? 

Hearing the girl’s voice, Ji Ning hid under the hem of Ying Qianqiu’s robe, creating a small bulge in the fabric with only the very tip of his white tail poking out.

He knew it was useless to hide but every time he burrowed into Ying Qianqiu, he protected him from Yun Dao.

Ying Qianqiu was the same as usual and refused to let Yun Dao enter at first, but this time she was very persistent and insisted she had something important to discuss until Ying Qianqiu finally acquiesced.

“What’s the matter?” He asked. 

“Today we’re going close to Tiandu city, right?”

Yun Dao asked excitedly, “I want to take Yingxue out for a walk and find him a Huaxing pill. I promise I’ll hide my identity and won’t cause any trouble, so can we go?”

Tiandu city was one of the five largest cities in the mainland, located in its centre. It was prosperous with a large auction market, meaning it wouldn’t be difficult to find a Huaxing pill there.

Although Yun Dao had a mischievous personality, she was by no means stupid. On the contrary, she was extremely smart and wouldn’t start a fight she couldn’t win. Additionally, it was unlikely she would meet an enemy that could outmatch her, as not only was she strong, she also carried many magical weapons given to her by Ying Qianqiu. 

So after a moment of consideration, Ying Qianqiu nodded slightly, warning her, “Be careful.”

“Don’t worry, I know my own strength.”

Yun Dao winked, she had long heard that Tiandu city was strictly ordered and powerful, comparable to its own country. The strength of the Tiandu city lord was even more infamous, a well known powerhouse within the mainland.

Both they and the twelve aristocratic families wanted to have the Tiandu city lord on their side, but the lord stayed neutral and would not help either group. Under these circumstances, it was obvious that the city lord shouldn’t be offended. 

“Let’s go. Yingxue, come with me, sister will take you to buy a Huaxing pill.” The girl flipped up the corner of Ying Qianqiu’s robe, revealing the ball of fur inside and leaving him nowhere to hide.

Ji Ning continued to pretend to be dead. This was because he was very reluctant to take a human form. He was worried his appearance after the change would look too similar to his original appearance, which would be troublesome.

The cub didn’t move. Ying Qianqiu’s cold eyes swept over him before he picked up the cub and started stroking its white fur. Slowly, the cub relaxed, spreading out its belly trustingly. The cub was then handed over to the girl.

“I’m seriously going to fall out of favour…” 

The girl muttered to herself, but she didn’t take it to heart. After all, she loved the cub very much herself and wanted to buy him a Huaxing pill.

Carrying the cub, she stepped out of the carriage and used her qi to transform her body, hiding her animal ears and tail. She no longer wore her daring, flirtatious dress but had changed into a beautiful martial arts uniform. Dressed so modestly, her playfulness disappeared, and she looked like the dignified eldest daughter of a martial arts family.

Choosing a more docile monster to be her mount, she flew down from the sky with the cub, landing just outside Tiandu city. Walking through the city gate, it took no time to find an auction house and buy a Huaxing pill.

It would take a while to react and then recover from a Huaxing pill and the process was somewhat painful, so she didn’t immediately feed it to the cub, but decided to give it to Yingxue when they returned to the carriage. 

Up till then, their journey had been very smooth and Yun Dao didn’t intend to cause trouble. However, on their way back she encountered several unpleasant things. When passing by a few teenagers, they smiled and gave her a flower. While it was not an excessive move, it implied a sense of intimacy that she wasn’t interested in.

She dropped the flower with a stiff face and was about to turn and leave when she paused, glancing thoughtfully at the backs of the teenagers, her eyes flashing with a strange light.

“Interesting…”

The girl stroked the cub’s fur and muttered to herself. Ji Ning didn’t know what she was referring to, but as a beast he had a strong sense of smell and could also tell that something was wrong. 

The bodies of the teengaers carried the scent of corpses.

Yun Dao left the beast mount in a stable. In the language of the beasts she told Ji Ning not to make a sound as she quietly followed the group of boys.

“These are children that belong to the last three remaining aristocratic families.”

Relying on her higher cultivation level, Yun Dao wasn’t afraid of being discovered as she muttered to the cub, regardless of whether it understood her or not. 

“The twelve aristocratic clans are not of the same mind, they are also divided into factions. For example, these three aristocratic clans are close because their cultivation methods are derived from dark arts that have been rejected by the other nine clans.”

“One of those boys is a child of the Xiao family, part of the corpse refining faction. Tiandu has a long history of bloodshed, and there are many large tombs nearby. If those kids gathered together, maybe they came to look for a corpse…”

Yun Dao’s pretty face split into a sinister smile.

“Although I don’t dare kill here, it wouldn’t be difficult to steal some treasures from these children. It would be good to take their cultivation practices as well, so even if they’re bold enough to return to their clan, they still wouldn’t live for long.” 

How did the lively and lovely Yun Dao from back then become this? What had Ying Qianqiu taught her all these years…

Hearing her speak, Ji Ning felt a burst of heartache. If he hadn’t known Ying Qianqiu was the protagonist of this world, he would have assumed he was the villain.

The teenagers hurried ahead and soon left Tiandu city. Yun Dao accompanied them all the way. In order to eavesdrop on their conversation and get more information, she blew a deep breath and let their voices drift down the wind tunnel to her ears. Even Ji Ning could vaguely hear them.

“Qilang, whose body are you looking for this time? You refused to say before, but now you have to tell us.” 

“I know how your Xiao family refines corpses. The more powerful they were in their lifetime, the stronger the refined corpse will be. You’ve been keeping this one secret for so long, you must have found an extremely powerful tomb.”

“You’re right, the tomb this time….look at this silver coin.”

“This…what’s written on it? We’re not from the Xiao family, why would we know ancient Chinese?”

“This is the language of the ancient Xia empire, from over two thousand years ago. It says, ‘Great Xia, Emperor Qin Ruwang.’” 

“The Xia empire? As in, the Xia empire they say once dominated the entire world!?”

“Yes, it’s from the Xia empire. And if this silver coin was out here, then close by we’re likely to find the tomb belonging to the missing Emperor of Xia, Qin Ruwang!”

Great Xia empire? Qin Ruwang?

Hearing these two names, Ji Ning’s head snapped up, eyes wide in disbelief. 

As the worlds of novels were merging, it wouldn’t be surprising to hear news of any of the protagonists, but he never would have imagined he would hear that name under such circumstances-

The protagonist of the ancient court novel, ‘To Become an Emperor’, Qin Ruwang.