Chapter 103: Volume 1 Chapter 103 Demon Lord x Nine-Tailed Fox x Orthodox Sect Leader (8)

He hadn't escaped the lord demon beast's territory, but fortunately the nearby demon beasts also feared the lord and didn't dare come near this side even half a step.

Jiang Zhi's path was smooth and unobstructed; by the time she found the Crimson Sky Grass and returned, a thin white mist had risen in the secret realm's forest.

The verdant, dripping thousand-year-old trees blocked the sky and sun; looking up, not a trace of moonlight could be seen, and the white mist spreading like smoke obstructed the view.

Following the faint scent, Jiang Zhi made her way through the thick fog and finally found the youth hidden beneath the trees.

Even though he was severely wounded, with ferocious injuries covering his body, it hardly concealed the youth's transcendent, otherworldly demeanor.

Jiang Zhi rested her chin on her hand and sighed.

No wonder he could become the male lead of this world; in this world, only a villain could compare to him.

"Host, if you don't quickly feed the male lead the Crimson Sky Grass, he's going to kick the bucket," 777 urged.

Jiang Zhi raised an eyebrow oddly and asked: "In the plot, he found the Crimson Sky Grass by his own ability. Why, now that I've come, does he not even bother to look for it himself?"

If she never came back, would the male lead have died?

777 fell into thought: "Right… why hasn't the male lead looked for the Crimson Sky Grass? This doesn't match the plot."

Jiang Zhi felt that if it kept thinking like that, it would crash.

So she found a better excuse: "Maybe I caused the butterfly effect?"

777: "…Probably."

Approaching Huo Xiu Bai, Jiang Zhi crushed the Immortal Grass she had painstakingly plucked.

She pinched the youth's jaw with her fingers, waited for him to open his mouth, and quickly shoved the Immortal Grass inside.

Afraid he couldn't swallow it, Jiang Zhi also found a leaf of spring water, poured it into his mouth, mixed with the Immortal Grass, and watched him swallow it down.

This simple, brutal procedure left 777 staring open-mouthed.

I had thought the Host would do mouth-to-mouth, or at least feed the medicine gently.

"Actually… you could be a bit gentler," it said sheepishly.

Jiang Zhi patted the Immortal Grass juice off her hands and said irritably, "He's not a villain, so why would I be so gentle? Besides, he's unconscious—who would I be gentle for?"

That was reasonable and well-founded; 777 couldn't utter a word.

This is probably just a double standard.

She acts all soft and gentle before villains, but before the male lead she can't even be bothered to pretend.

After feeding him, Jiang Zhi was also a bit tired, but she wasn't afraid the secret realm's lord demon beast would come looking for her.

In the male lead's plot, there is no mandatory death option; otherwise the whole world would collapse.

She shifted back to her true form, lay down to one side, closed her eyes, and went to sleep.

Before she had slept long, a crying sound woke her; Jiang Zhi opened her eyes and saw the female lead, who shouldn't have been there at all.

The female lead, Gu Yan'er, was unwilling to miss the chance to follow him; after Huo Xiu Bai left the sect, she sneaked behind him and entered the secret realm.

Upon seeing the dead elders, she felt both afraid and worried.

After searching for a long time, she finally found this place.

The plot wouldn't let the female lead die, so that lord demon beast seemed to have slept away, paying no heed to the female lead who had intruded into its territory.

Jiang Zhi felt envious; for someone like her, a mere cannon fodder, just barging in like that would probably have already made her food for the lord demon beast.

"Huo brother! Huo brother! Wake up!"

Gu Yan'er wore a light blue sect Dao robe, its skirt fluttering like butterfly wings; her complexion was exceptionally pale, her eyes deep and shallow, clear as spring tea, glistening with tears.

Jiang Zhi's gaze moved from her face to the male lead Huo Xiu Bai, who was sitting in meditation, considering whether to tell her that the male lead was enduring the pain brought by the Crimson Sky Grass.

After thinking, she decided against it; she didn't want to meddle too much in the affairs of the male and female leads.

She changed her posture, curling her fox tail to shut out everything from the outside world.

After Gu Yan'er finished crying, she began to infuse spiritual energy into the youth, helping him absorb the Crimson Sky Grass's effects more quickly.

This continued until the next day, when Huo Xiu Bai slowly woke up; his injuries looked terrifying, but in fact they had already been healed by the Immortal Grass.

His body still felt a bit weak, and upon seeing the person before him, his brows furrowed tightly.

"Why are you here?"

Seeing him awake, Gu Yan'er was overjoyed, wiped the tears from her eyes, and replied, "Huo brother, I was worried about you, so I followed you all the way here."

Huo Xiu Bai sensed the spiritual energy around him, found no trace of the lord demon beast, breathed a sigh of relief, suddenly stood up, and said in a deep voice, "You'd better leave this place at once."

Upon hearing that, Gu Yan'er thought he despised her, and tears welled up unbidden: "Huo Xiu Bai, why are you pushing me away to a thousand miles? We've known each other the longest! Do I really make you dislike me that much? I even took care of you all night—can't you treat me a little better?"

Since her father passed away and he inherited the position of sect leader, their meetings have been few and far between.

Huo Xiu Bai ignored her words, lowered his eyelids, and his gaze fell upon the demon fox curled into a ball.

A hazy memory flickered before his eyes; he raised his long fingers and pinched his brow.

That memory felt like a dream, unreal.

"Last night, was it you who saved me?"

The youth's voice was low and deep, tinged with an irrepressible slight tremor.

The feigning-asleep Jiang Zhi remained utterly still, as if she hadn't heard his words at all.

Gu Yan'er's brief stupor gave way to a murmured "Yes."

Huo Xiu Bai suddenly raised his brows, looking toward Gu Yan'er, who had spoken up.

His pupils were dark and deep, and a sudden sense of desolation welled up in his heart.

The demon fox couldn't even resume its true form—how could it go look for Crimson Sky Grass for him?

But why would he have such an illusion?

"Sorry." Huo Xiu Bai bent down, lifted the demon fox from the ground, and then told her, "Let's go back first."

The youth's attitude was much better than before; Gu Yan'er couldn't believe it, recalling her own words just moments ago, her cheeks flushed then paled, she glanced at him cautiously, but the words she wanted to say remained unspoken.

They left the secret realm very smoothly.

Huo Xiu Bai handed the demon fox to her to look after, saying: "I must deal with the lord demon beast in the secret realm; you stay here and help me watch this demon fox."

Gu Yan'er couldn't help worrying, staring at him for a long time, finally nodded and said, "Huo Gege, be careful."

Huo Xiu Bai disappeared into the secret realm, leaving no trace.

"Little fox." Gu Yan'er called out, holding the red fox in her arms, squatted down and sat to one side, palms sweating, anxiously said, "Huo Gege, you'll surely come out of the secret realm unharmed, right?"

Jiang Zhi yawned, a fox tail lazily swaying, listening to the female lead's endless chatter.

Huo Xiu Bai is the male lead, so he naturally can return unharmed.

However, she too should leave.

After the secret realm plot passed, Huo Xiu Bai killed the villain's mount, the lord demon beast; Fuxue, who had entered the late Great Accomplishment stage, emerged from seclusion and sent demonic forces to investigate the cause.

When the time comes, she will follow the demonic forces all the way to the demon realm and be able to see the villain.

Gu Yan'er recalled the words of the sect disciples, lowered her head and blankly stared at the demon fox in her arms.

Huo Gege somehow brought this demon fox, which couldn't even take shape, yet could enter the main hall of his residence; inseparable from him, he even brings it into the secret realm.