Chapter 6

He suppressed a low groan and, about to press further, swallowed the words. The True Word Technique’s backlash came too fast. If everything Jiang Yu told him was true, the spell would recoil on him.
His old injury flared up; a sickly sweetness rushed into his throat. His Adam’s apple rolled as he swallowed.
Without Shen Anzhi’s power continuing to hold her, Jiang Yu soon snapped out of the True Word Technique’s control.
Steadying herself, she glanced around and asked vaguely, “Junior brother, how did I get here?”
Shen Anzhi met her gaze, his fingertips rubbing a copper coin. “Senior Sister, my wound has flared. Please leave.”
He said ‘please leave,’ and the slamming door’s wooden plank nearly brushed the tip of her nose.
What had Shen Anzhi been sulking about?
He was like those weather dolls, mood swings on a whim, turning face in an instant.
Jiang Yu huffed at the air, stomping and punching at nothing, then lifted her chin and snorted at the wooden door.
She went downstairs and saw two people by the window on the first floor. Seated beside Gu Shuyu was a man in blue, sipping tea with her, Fang Weiyun, the novel’s male lead.
He was doing most of the talking; Gu Shuyu listened quietly.
The male lead of “Seeking Demons,” Fang Weiyun, is described in the book like this: a phoenix-headed white jade hairpin holding up long hair, a handsome face, warm amber eyes like warm jade, an upright figure.
He wore a duel-collared sky-blue robe patterned with distant mountain ripples, a osmanthus-yellow sash of plain silk at the waist, with a half-fish jade pendant and a white folding fan always in hand.
The Fang Weiyun before her looked like a perfect, one-to-one copy of the handsome man from the book; the fans were beside themselves with joy.
Jiang Yu was just admiring the harmonious pairing when a cold, oppressive presence crept up her spine and tightened at her throat.
She turned to find Shen Anzhi, the very same one who had earlier claimed illness, now standing tall and elegant at the opened door, leaning against the railing and gazing sideways. On the stairs he hovered, and their eyes met across the space between them.
The girl’s fragile voice kept ringing in his ears. His dark, indifferent gaze fell like cold rain, washing and striking; he wanted to see whether the heart beneath her jade skin was dark or red.
Shen Anzhi casually withdrew his stare, greeted Gu Shuyu as he came down the stairs, and interrupted Fang Weiyun mid-sentence. He didn’t linger and strode out of the inn. Without thinking, Jiang Yu followed him out the front door, but his figure had already vanished into the throng.
Someone tapped Jiang Yu on her right shoulder from behind.
Gu Shuyu’s face was clear and beautiful; her eyes flashed with a different light. She patted Jiang Yu’s shoulder with the air of someone who understood everything and said, “He is used to being alone. This time you were hurt and your junior brother carried you back. Cater to his tastes, buy him some sweets…”
Jiang Yu brightened at the idea. Right, treat the problem and cater to his preference.
“I understand, Senior Sister.” She smiled brightly.
As Jiang Yu turned to leave, Gu Shuyu suddenly looked hesitant and, with her lips trembling, murmured a reminder: “Junior sister, it’s better to keep your distance from Junior Brother Shen…”
Jiang Yu blinked and met Gu Shuyu’s clear eyes. She gave a soft sigh and hesitated, “You two had conflicts before, and he also…”
Gu Shuyu was warning her…
“Don’t worry, Senior Sister. I’ll be careful.” Jiang Yu winked and turned away.
*
The market’s noisy calls buzzed in her ears. Jiang Yu had a clear aim, remembering he liked chestnut-flavored treats, she asked each sweet seller on the street for a portion.
She hadn’t experienced the local customs since arriving in this world. Tired of the novelties, she turned back, and noticed a few furtive men repeatedly appearing in her peripheral vision, like shadows that wouldn’t let go.
A chill crawled from the soles of her feet up to her neck. Her heart thudded; instinctively she quickened her pace and slipped into the crowd.
The next second, a pair of hands shoved her from behind. As she stumbled, a callused hand gripped her with such strength that she couldn’t fight back. Stunned, Jiang Yu drew the ruby-set short dagger hidden at her sleeve and slashed at the arm that held her.
Cold steel flashed; the blade sank into flesh. A muffled groan of pain sounded from behind.
Calm shattered into raw intent. Her arm burned with pain and the dagger fell from her fingers. She gasped.
A hand clamped over her mouth. Jiang Yu bit down hard, panicked and desperate, and screamed, “Help! Kidnappers! Human traffickers!”
Her sharp cry snapped heads around. The man behind her quickly tried another ruse, apologizing to the crowd: “Sorry, everyone, this is my foolish sister. Please help hold her down.”
‘Held down and called foolish, what a jerk’, she thought.
Jiang Yu turned and glared, half frightened, half angry, at the plain man in black roughly dragging her. She couldn’t free her arm.
She didn’t fall into a loop of having to prove herself. Putting on a haughty, disdainful air, she scoffed and pointed at her fine clothes and his coarse hemp tunic, “I dress like a wealthy miss, look at you. Can you even afford a sister like me? Trying to kidnap me for ransom in spirit stones, were you?”
“For standing up for me, I’ll give anyone who helps a reward.” Jiang Yu’s eyes didn’t blink as she pulled a handful of silver and copper coins from her storage pouch and tossed them into the air.
In no time, the crowd surged, some scrambling for the money, others using the chance to land a blow on the man in black in hopes of a reward. A few burly young men circled and bound him. The man in black was strong; he glanced into an alley and gave a signal. Several others dressed like him leaped out, long knives in hand.
The crowd immediately erupted into chaos.
The man in black's eyes flashed red; his form flickered between human and fox. Someone shouted, "It's a demon, run!"
People scattered in disgust.
As the demonic aura swelled it tore through the encircling cultivators, snapping their ropes inch by inch. Its breath pinned Jiang Yu's feet: "Give me your life, "
Jiang Yu tried to flee, but a chill spread and her feet were fixed to the ground by the demon's power. She clutched the yellow talismans hidden in her sleeve and flung them all; the windborne papers slapped the fox demon's face, making it leap back and lift a paw to fend them off.
The air froze.
One after another the talismans drifted and stuck to his forearm. He sneered, "Huh, is that all you've got...?"
Before he finished the sentence, the yellow talismans burst open on their own.
A smear of shadow smiled faintly, lounging atop a roof with one hand propping his cheek, languid and untamed. He curled his lips in a mocking smile, a copper coin pinched between his fingers.
The other fox demons gaped, clawing at their arms to pull the talismans off, but they clung tight and in the next instant exploded like spring firecrackers into scattered bone and dust.
The chaos died down. The remaining fox demons, seeing the turn of events, fled. By the time the Imperial Exorcist Bureau arrived to clean up, only a heap of demon remains lay where the battle had been.
Jiang Yu had barely taken a few steps when a hand yanked her into a side alley.
That's it, is she destined to go to the underworld today?
With her mouth and nose covered, she struggled and made a few muffled sounds. Tears welled at the corner of her eyes. Turning her head along the length of the stranger's fingers, her long, dense ebony lashes fluttered. "Shen..."
"Shh. Be quiet."
Jiang Yu felt unease. Seeing his hand still at her jaw, she bit down instinctively; Shen Anzhi raised an eyebrow and let go, eyeing the teeth mark with a twist of his lips. "Senior Sister, that's an awfully painful way to thank your junior brother."
Ignoring Shen Anzhi's teasing, Jiang Yu feigned calm, straightened, and put a safe distance between them suitable for running: "Junior brother may have saved me, but standing so close... my heart's nearly jumped out of my throat." She swallowed the frightening words. Suddenly she saw Shen Anzhi visibly pale, beads of sweat forming on his brow, and a streak of bright red at the corner of his mouth.
Jiang Yu's eyes widened; she grabbed his arm in alarm. "Aah, you, you're bleeding! Take one of the elixirs I gave you, quick." Please, don't die.
Shen Anzhi lifted his eyes and glanced at her almost carelessly, then pulled his arm back from her hand and casually wiped the blood from his lip. "I won't die just yet."
He wore the air of someone to whom nothing had happened. His gaze flicked to Jiang Yu like a coiled viper. "Senior Sister, would you accompany me to the Ghastly Market?"
The Ghastly Market, true to its name, is a no-man's-land for humans, demons, and immortals. It teems with all manner of strange things, and those lacking in strength rarely return.
Jiang Yu was speechless for a moment. "Junior brother, you know my cultivation is low. If I go, I'll only be handing over my head."
Shen Anzhi saw her conflicted look and gave a lazy smile. He lowered his voice to a husk and asked, "Senior Sister, don't you trust your junior brother to protect you?"
Jiang Yu forced a laugh and looked up. "No, of course not..."
"If Senior Sister doesn't trust me, then your junior brother will take his leave."
Outside the alley came the sound of hurried running. A man wearing a white mask tore at his hair in a panic and shouted angrily, "A bunch of idiots, can't even catch a useless cultivator. Quick, after her! She's dumb and rich, a foolish woman with money to spare! We can't let her get away. Catch her, lads, our whole lives of food and clothing will be sorted!"
"Boss, her aura dissipated here."
"Spread out, search, "
"There are quite a few after Senior Sister, demons and humans alike." Shen Anzhi set down the chilling words, stepped forward, and turned to leave. His glossy high ponytail swept through the air, the faded band at its base catching the wind, the reddish tips arcing like a flash of color.
She listened to the approaching footsteps, anxiety knotting her chest. Shen Anzhi certainly wouldn't care whether she lived or died, but following him might mean she "died" more slowly.
Anger prickled at Jiang Yu's teeth, but she forced herself to step close to Shen Anzhi's side, moving in front of him by a pace to huddle nearer and use his silhouette as cover, glancing back now and then to see if those behind had spotted them.
She walked while casting a sidelong glance at Shen Anzhi. "Junior brother, why do you need me to come along?"
If he truly wanted to protect her, he could have sent her back to the inn first. Could there be some unspeakable reason...?
He wouldn't be plotting to take her life in secret, would he!
Jiang Yu's body froze; she felt like fleeing.
"Didn't Senior Sister say she wanted to 'patch things up' with me?" He lowered his gaze and tilted his head toward her, his tone brimming with mischief.
"...Right, haha." Jiang Yu gave a dry laugh, then her eyes suddenly hardened, an encouraging sign, her bright gaze fixed on him. "I'll give my life and accompany my junior brother." She muttered that bravado to herself, speaking a bold line she half-feared might trip her tongue.
Shen Anzhi folded his arms and glanced sideways. "Senior Sister is usually joking. Your life, take care of it yourself. But since I just saved you, I want to ask you a small favor."
"What favor?"
"Never mind, Senior Sister has plenty of spirit stones. Buy whatever your junior brother wants."
He'd just laid his cards on the table, giving off the vibe of some rich heir.
A smile widened at Shen Anzhi's lips, but it didn't reach his eyes.
He still didn't reveal the real reason and instead played coy. Jiang Yu, left in the dark, cleared her throat anxiously a couple of times and wisely fell silent.