Chapter 4

Jiang Yu gripped his hand back; the base of his palm bore a thin callus from sword practice, and using the tension in his wrist he hauled herself up.
She looked up and found his eyes clouded with unreadable emotion.
“Sister, be careful.” A soft laugh escaped Shen Anzhi’s throat, the vermilion beauty mark at the corner of his eye glowing oddly in the dim light.
He slowly gathered his breath and channeled his strength, but she felt him deliberately ease off by a fraction. Her foot missed, and she dangled suspended in air.
“Shen. Anzhi! Don’t let go!” Her wide eyes met his, the phoenix-shaped eyes gleaming with an eerie chill.
Jiang Yu’s fingertips darted into the gaps between his fingers, clinging tightly to his palm.
She could not let him drop her, she was afraid of falling!
Jiang Yu hopped on one foot, timing it perfectly to land in Shen Anzhi’s arms. Swallowing nervously, she breathed out and, without restraint, became his little pendant.
Her long lashes drooped, eyes reddened, and her dusty face broke into tears of joy. She didn’t hug him hard, but it took every ounce of her strength.
Great, she’d survived.
The familiar scent of soap on his collar filled her nostrils. From the outside he looked slender, but his chest muscles were firm and strong; his jaw, grazed, was a little red. His breathing near her ear tangled with hers before she noticed.
Her thoughts flitted back to childhood, bouncing on the horizontal bar, he’d saved her life just like that.
Shen Anzhi’s voice was low and hoarse; his gaze unclear as he looked down at the undignified way she clung to him. “How long do you plan to keep hugging me, Senior Sister?”
“For now.” She quickly let go and folded her hands behind her back as if burned, though her body instinctively trembled and leaned closer to him. Hesitantly she gripped the edge of his garment. “Junior brother, is there some misunderstanding between us?”
“What misunderstanding could there be between us?” Shen Anzhi watched where she clutched, and a faint, strange light flickered in his eyes.
She blinked back the sting at the red rims of her eyes, still trembling from the scare, and met his gaze. “You were clearly teasing me just now… I’m very afraid of heights.”
“Senior Sister.” Shen Anzhi bent a little closer and feigned innocence with a smile, then casually gestured toward the tree root he had just jumped from. The rustle of gravel underfoot, a boot kicking a pebble, “One meter; junior brother overestimated the distance.” He smiled abruptly.
In the dim light, his eyes wound around Jiang Yu like a snake coiling at her throat.
For a moment, the air went dangerously still.
Jiang Yu felt her cheeks burn. She played it cool, pretending it hadn’t been that high. “It’s nothing. I misjudged my junior brother.”
As usual in her past life she had dozed through lessons, and fate had punished her in this life by setting this monster in her path.
The Copper Coin Sword landed solidly, recalled to his hand.
Jiang Yu’s legs went weak; seeing this, Shen Anzhi curtly and somewhat impatiently steadied her.
Warmth flowed from his palm. Following the line of his knuckled hand, it looked like fine white jade touched with plum blossom, dried wolf-blood staining it all the more conspicuously.
He withdrew his hand without a trace. “Senior Sister, remember to count the spirit stones when we get out.”
Jiang Yu exhaled in relief and nodded. “Put ten thousand hearts at ease, I won’t forget.” Thinking of something, she gingerly tugged his sleeve.
“Looking back at the past, for the wrongs I did when I was spoiled… I will, ” she couldn’t bring herself to say “make amends,” so she finished, “I will take responsibility to the end.”
Seeing her “submissive” reining in her claws, Shen Anzhi’s gaze took on a complicated edge. “Senior Sister means, anything goes?” He stepped forward and leaned slightly, the shadow he cast on her a weighty pressure.
Jiang Yu gave an awkward laugh, feeling like she’d dug a hole for herself. “Except for taking my life, except for pillage and slaughter, ”
Shen Anzhi sneered, fingers flipping the copper coin between them. Something crossed his face, and without a word he flicked it from between his fingers.
Jiang Yu’s body reacted faster than her mind; she darted aside just as a wolf demon fell from the sky, its claws landing where she had just stood.
Well then, she and the monster had developed a subtle “understanding.”
She tugged at the corner of her mouth.
People do tend to smile for no reason when speechless.
She ran behind Shen Anzhi and judged their relative threats; for now, Shen Anzhi could protect her life long enough to extract the spirit stones.
“Can I use spirit stones to set up a friendly alert for the next time you get into trouble?” Otherwise it might be fatal. If he doesn’t hurt her, she might be scared to death.
“That’s not impossible.”
“One hundred high-grade spirit stones…” she added, “permanently effective.”
“Agreed.”
The wolf demon’s feral growl echoed in the dark, saliva dripping from its jaws.
Huddled behind him, Jiang Yu watched his tense shoulders under the faint glow of the bead in his palm.
That halo of light happened to illuminate this seemingly slight back that kept her separated from the terrifying creature.
“Junior brother, be careful, okay?”
At her words, Shen Anzhi’s eye corners lifted and he glanced back once, smiling suddenly. “Senior Sister would do better to watch her own safety.”
He turned to the wolf demon like a crouched beast sensing blood; the blood roaring in him ignited.
The sword flashed like cold lightning splitting the air; the wolf demon crumpled instantly. He retracted his long sword smoothly; a few sparks of blood splattered his dark robe and disappeared like ink dropped into a deep pool, no trace left.
Shen Anzhi found it tedious. He popped a candied chestnut into his mouth and began to chew slowly. The hard candy clicked against his teeth with a crack that seemed to stop the world for a heartbeat.
“Puppets, how boring.”
After killing the last one, Shen Anzhi glanced back with a chill in his eyes. “Senior Sister, are you trembling?”
There was a thrill there, a new pastime beyond bloodlust; he looked at her a touch longer than necessary.
Jiang Yu, surprised he’d noticed even her involuntary tremble, forced down her fluttering heart and squeezed out a smile. “Just a few wolf demons, ”
“Are they?” Shen Anzhi’s voice fell as he stepped toward her, lifting a lock of her hair to twirl it between his fingers. Her long lashes fluttered.
She let the hair slip through his fingers.
Earlier the wolf demon had scratched her arm, but he ignored the wound. His face, usually pleasing to look at, took on a grim look now that wolf blood had speckled his cheek.
He enjoyed watching her expressions; seeing her flinch gave him an inexplicable excitement.
Shen Anzhi laughed low. “Let’s go. Don’t waste time.”
The two of them walked into a narrow corridor, one in front and one behind.
In the dim passage, Jiang Yu could clearly hear Shen Anzhi’s breath getting heavier as his strength waned; his breathing at her ear grew more ragged, each gasp heavier than the last.
He paid no mind to the beads of blood falling on the blue bricks.
Jiang Yu stopped and tugged lightly at his sleeve, meeting his searching gaze. Though frightened, she still held on.
Shen Anzhi’s brow darkened. “Senior Sister, what is it?”
“My storage pouch has a lot of healing supplies, but I can’t tell what’s for what. Your wound can’t be left.” Jiang Yu smelled the iron tang of blood on him; her nose prickled.
“Senior Sister, that’s not important.”
Not important, he said?
“I can swear I won’t deduct your spirit stones. And your life means…a lot to your sister.” If you die we’ll have to rewind time, and there’s only one chance left, she couldn’t waste it so carelessly.
If Shen Anzhi went cold again, a rewind would be embarrassing.
“Senior Sister, do you remember how back at the sect you used to mock me as lowly and brainless?” His eyes clouded, the ember of killing intent flaring again. “Now you wear this benevolent face… it puzzles your junior brother.” He stepped forward, dark hair falling with a faint scent of blood. He lowered his voice. “Or, what performance is this of yours?”
Sensing the murderous intent leaking from Shen Anzhi, Jiang Yu took a few steps back, feeling a little disheartened. Her tone was petulant as she forced a brave front. “Hmph! My goodwill wasted like a donkey’s liver.”
Seeing her act coy and yet haughtily charming, Shen Anzhi was oddly reminded of their senior sister joking that Jiang Yu liked him.
Shen Anzhi frowned slightly.
Like?
Ridiculous.
For now he would let it slide, no spirit stones yet.
Shen Anzhi quickened his pace; Jiang Yu lifted her skirt and hurried after him silently.
She suspected the reason he hadn’t acted was likely because she hadn’t handed over all the spirit stones yet. He might lose his temper…
Blood beads rolled from his fingertips, splattering red like plum blossoms on the ground. Jiang Yu stared at the winding line of blood and felt her heart wrench.
Shen Anzhi clutched his injured arm and walked faster; his dark sleeve was soaked through, but he seemed oblivious.
“Junior brother.” Jiang Yu finally cried out. Wind tousled the hair at her forehead as she pulled out several little bottles and jars and packed them up. Whatever they were, she shoved them all into a black-gold ring carved with an orchid, a space ring, and tucked it into Shen Anzhi’s embrace.
Shen Anzhi’s long lashes fluttered as he lowered his gaze. Those dark, brilliant eyes shone with a light he had never seen.
“You’re hurt. Will you let me treat it? Besides, if you want the spirit stones you have to get me out first, bandaging it will speed recovery.” Jiang Yu bit her lip; how could someone be so oblivious to pain?
Shen Anzhi’s eyes were unreadable. He opened the storage ring and took out a bottle of medicine, sniffed it casually. No poison, normal spiritual aura, he hesitated a moment, then drank it.
Seeing him take it, Jiang Yu’s anxious heart eased.
The medicine touched the wound. Shen Anzhi squinted at the itch, and then the injury healed at a visibly rapid rate.
She freely gave him that precious medicine.
He didn’t know whether to call her foolishly generous, or…
Shen Anzhi withdrew his searching gaze.
If it had been poison, Jiang Yu would have been beheaded instantly, unaware that she had escaped death.
“Senior sister, you actually have a shred of decency…”
Jiang Yu said nothing more, feigning indignation as she walked on.
Shen Anzhi casually reached out, grabbed the back of her collar and tugged her to his side, his eyes cast down over the crown of her head. “Senior sister, don’t go, we’re just going in circles.”
Jiang Yu shivered, gripped the glowing bead tightly and edged closer to him. “Don’t scare me. We aren’t trapped in some ghostly maze, are we?”
“No,” he said. “Just an illusionary demon’s trick.” Shen Anzhi stopped; a faintly glowing copper coin spun on his fingertip. He lifted his hand and tore open a narrow passage in the void, a black tunnel with no visibility inside.
After Shen Anzhi had stepped halfway through to check it was safe, Jiang Yu followed close behind.
No sooner had they entered than a cool, damp air seeped over them, growing worse with each passing moment; an eerie wind slipped in through sleeves and lapels.
Beneath their feet there was no path, only a carpet of picked-clean skulls of all sizes, animal and human.
Seeing this, Jiang Yu simply wanted to close her eyes in peace.
According to the story she remembered, this was where the main party had fallen, the three of them, including Gu Shuyu, ended up here and, while hunting demons together, met the male lead Fang Weiyun.
Jiang Yu felt a little tearful; her gaze lingered on Shen Anzhi’s back.
Shen Anzhi walked over the skulls as if on solid ground, utterly unfazed. He turned and saw that flushed-red figure foolishly frozen, staring at him without ceasing; his heart gave a little jolt.
Shen Anzhi knit his brows slightly and called, “Senior sister.”
Jiang Yu quickly answered, “I’m here.”
“Keep up.”
“Okay.”
Jiang Yu drew her sword; her feet trembled as bone clattered against bone beneath her, the sound ringing. “Forgive me, forgive me, brothers and sisters,” she said. “We’re just passing through, no offense intended, we’ll be brief.”
Seeing her like that and not wanting to wait forever, he summoned the Copper Coin Sword and effortlessly leapt up. “Get on.”
Jiang Yu climbed up and planted herself, fingers tightening on her sleeve.
“Hold steady, if you fall, I’m not saving you, Senior sister.” No sooner had he spoken than the Copper Coin Sword rose into the air.
Jiang Yu’s fingertips trembled; she reflexively clutched Shen Anzhi’s belt. Seeing him still gazing calmly into the distance, she grew bolder and simply gripped him with both hands.
Wind brushed her ears, and suddenly strange noises slipped in, like blades slicing flesh and the tearing of sinew and bone.
Amid wolf-demon howls and lunges, a bloody figure collapsed to the ground and screamed in terror, “Help! Help me! Ahhhh, save me…”
Shen Anzhi sped up with the Copper Coin Sword; the wolves below tore at bloody, mangled flesh.
His eyes flashed; a blade of light fell from the sky, slaughtering several wolf-demons that had no chance to fight back.
Among them, the true form was a gray wolf several times larger than the puppet wolves, its coat sleek. Seeing a human, it grinned oddly and said, “It’s you who spoiled my fun, kid.”
“Your demon core is valuable,” it said, assuredly.
Shen Anzhi engaged it in a tangled sword fight.
Jiang Yu took the chance to urge the terrified man, “Run!”
Hidden puppet wolves surged from the gloom; Jiang Yu awkwardly swung her sword and struck one, but her blade, sharp as if cutting iron, wedged into a crack in its bones.
Jiang Yu stood dumbfounded.
Every unlikely thing seemed to happen to her.
She reacted, brutally kicked the wolf, pulled her sword free to scare the puppet, and then immediately turned and ran.
A feral gleam flashed in the wolf’s eyes as it leaped to catch Jiang Yu.
Suddenly, a flash of silver light at her side.