24 Night Wing

Li Qinglin left, but Night Wing didn't follow him out. She still stood straight on the spot and showed no intention of speaking or sitting. Li Qingjun didn't know what to do with her. She needed to talk to Qin Yi, but she couldn't talk freely with Night Wing around. So she said, "I'll need some privacy here."

Night Wing disappeared without so much as a bow.

Li Qingjun shook her head. "I have no idea where my brother found this young guard. She's quite a good fighter, but she's very odd. I don't understand that strange cape she wears all the time. Hey, are you really going to keep her as your guard? It's a little inappropriate…"

Qin Yi ground his teeth. "You were complimenting her on how quiet she was earlier! And now that she's gone, you've changed your stance completely!"

Li Qingjun made a few grunts and wondered why she even said those things. After a pause, she said, "Considering what happened to my oldest brother, my second brother probably won't have any spare energy for other activities. If you're bored, you're welcome to come to my residence. It's right…"

Qin Yi said, "I won't get bored. I lived alone when I was back in the village, anyway. I can be at home for a month on end, reading books and making medicine. By the way, can you find me some books to read? And you promised you'd get me some herbs and a furnace…"

Li Qingjun didn't see that coming. She said grumpily, "Ask the servants to get them for you!"

She stormed off after that.

Qin Yi was baffled. Was that all she wanted to talk to me about in private?

He wondered if he had said the wrong thing. Instinctively, he knew that Liusu was going to laugh at him, so he acted first—he stuffed the spiked club under his bed.

Liusu didn't know whether to laugh or to cry. This was the first time it saw Qin Yi acting so silly. He was usually very calm and careful, which only made his cover-up attempt more conspicuous.

On any other day, it really would've laughed at him. However, for some unknown reason, it kept its silence today, as though the incident reminded it of some old memories.

Before long, Night Wing reappeared.

This time, she gave Qin Yi a strange look. His relationship with the princess seemed to have confused her.

Qin Yi also fought back his frustration and looked at Night Wing in resignation.

He couldn't believe that she had decided to stay and actually thought of herself as his bodyguard.

"If I remember correctly, I said no to the offer. You're not my bodyguard." Qin Yi heaved a sigh. "You're a capable demon of the Transformation Stage, so don't you need to keep up appearances? You shouldn't do everything you're told. I almost injured you earlier. Aren't you mad at me?"

"Keep up appearances?" Night Wing said coldly. "I gained my intelligence in a confused state and walked into Donghuazi's demon-refining formation following my heart. I only figured out the purpose of my life when I saw all the demon bones on the ground. Appearances mean nothing to me."

Her indifferent tone and mature reaction was a strange contrast to her childish appearance, and Qin Yi was intrigued. "What was that about?"

"I used to be an ordinary snake, but Donghuazi's demon-transforming miasma accelerated my mutation process and gave me intelligence as well as these wings. He's been setting up demon-transforming miasma everywhere to create minor demons so that he can take their demon elixirs for his own use. With the medicine he creates, he can increase his cultivation level and prolong his life. That's what we were created for."

There was a faint look of hatred on her face, but the indifference was more prominent, both towards herself and others. Qin Yi pursed his lips. The girl's creation was a tragedy; no wonder she acted more maturely than her looks.

People of her age should be going to school rather than talking about killing and human bones.

He sighed.

That was what Donghuazi's demon-transforming miasma was for. He wasn't trying to bring chaos to this world nor was he trying to cultivate his own power. He only wanted to kill the demons for their elixirs, so that he could use it for his own cultivation. Minghe was right to say that Donghuazi was relentless with demons. He had every reason to be.

Night Wing went on. "I don't know what happened, but I made breakthroughs very quickly, and that demon-refining formation failed to keep me inside. I broke out with all my power, but I was barely breathing when I got out. His Royal Highness saved me, and he even gave me a name. He said I was a tender feather overwhelmed with trepidation in the darkness of the night."

Qin Yi was amazed. "So, Li Qinglin is the artsy type."

"What's 'artsy type'?"

"I mean, I didn't think he would pity demons."

"It wasn't pity. I offered my allegiance with a blood oath and begged him to save me. He found out that I had escaped from Donghuazi's formation and thought I could be of use…" Night Wing sounded sad. "Your peach wood sword wanted to kill me earlier, but he didn't try to stop it. Maybe I should've died…"

Qin Yi had a faint idea of why Li Qinglin didn't stop the sword—it would've probably been better for him if Night Wing were dead.

There went Qin Yi's fantasy about the pretty snake and her savior, and he was a little crestfallen. Shaking his head, he said, "If you were created by Donghuazi's formation, he must have some way of controlling you. Will you be able to handle him?"

"You're correct. Moreover, most of my skills came to me spontaneously when I was still confused. I have very little knowledge about cultivation nor do I know many principles. Because of that, His Royal Highness has been very disappointed with me."

Qin Yi believed that cultivation theories weren't the only things this girl was lacking. She probably had little knowledge of everyday life and had to pick up things slowly after she came here. He wondered how much of her precocious vocabulary took after Li Qinglin; it didn't sound cute at all.

However, he found Night Wing useful now.

At least, he knew Donghuazi better than before.

Moreover, she understood Li Qinglin. Since she had no loyalty or reverence for Li Qinglin, she had no trouble telling Qin Yi how Li Qinglin thought.

She was indeed very helpful. He was no longer in the dark, but she also came with a lot of baggage.

Qin Yi finally asked, "Do you know why I didn't want you to be my bodyguard?"

Night Wing smirked. "Because I'm ugly. Next to Princess Zhaoyang, I'm like a winged monster standing next to a real phoenix."

"You're too young for that. Why do you even care?"

Night Wing remained silent with a dead-pan face.

Qin Yi said, "It has nothing to do with how you look. I actually find your wings amazing. I'd like to have a pair of them myself."

Night Wing's eyes flickered.

Qin Yi went on. "I didn't want you because a very powerful cultivator discovered your existence. Hanging out with me may get myself killed. My advice is to run for your life…"

The look on Night Wing's face finally changed. "You knew."

"So did you!" Qin Yi laughed. "I see that you had another reason behind coming to me today."

Night Wing didn't reply. She lowered her little head and stared at the tips of her shoes. It seemed that she was abashed, which amused Qin Yi. This little girl might be nonchalant, but she was a lot more thin-skinned than Li Qinglin.

That explained it. Qin Yi knew he wasn't attractive enough for a powerful demon to fall in love at first sight. She wanted to stay with him to preserve her own life, because she mistakenly thought he was a capable man…

Qin Yi said. "Was that the only reason Li Qinglin wanted you to stay with me?"

"Not exactly…" Night Wing spoke in a low voice. "I really think His Royal Highness thinks very highly of you."

It was very obvious. The way Li Qinglin treated Qin Yi was in stark contrast to how he treated her.

"Is he really that obsessed with Donghuazi?" Qin Yi asked curiously. "He's willing to give away a powerful demon just to win me over to his side?"

"Of course he's willing to do that. He can give you a lot of things you want, not to mention me, a demon who's not one of his own kind. Moreover, I see Donghuazi as my archenemy as well. No matter who I work for, it doesn't make a difference in his plot against Donghuazi," Night Wing said decisively. "Kicking Donghuazi out of his shrine is His Royal Highness' greatest obsession, even more so than sitting on the throne."

Qin Yi was even more curious. "That badly? Has Donghuazi made a move on him…? Well, never mind."

Night Wing didn't understand what he was suggesting, and her face remained expressionless.

After pondering for a while, Qin Yi finally said, "Listen, let's drop the bodyguard thing. It wouldn't be appropriate for us to stay alone together all the time. However, we can be friends. I'll have a lot of questions to ask you about Donghuazi."

Qin Yi had so many secrets to keep, so of course he couldn't let Night Wing stick around. The look in Night Wing's eyes softened when she heard those words, and she nodded. "I'm not His Royal Highness' bodyguard either. We're more like partners at work…" She then showed him with hand gestures. "I have a little courtyard of my own. You can find me there."

The way she made invisible drawings with her little hands finally made her look like a girl of her age. It was as if she was showing off something she was very happy with. Qin Yi chuckled and said, "You can find me here, too. You listened very carefully when I told the story of Journey to the West. Did you like it?"

Night Wing grew shy and suddenly vanished.

Qin Yi was amazed by the effect of Journey to the West. Li Qingjun, Li Qinglin, and Night Wing had all immersed themselves in the story in different ways. They probably all saw themselves in the story.

When Qin Yi was alone in the room again, the spiked club slowly rolled out from under the bed. He stared at it and didn't know what to say. Despite all the things he wanted to talk about, he remained silent.