Chapter 32 Chapter 32 It's broken, it's mutated
Xiao Sui's body was like iron; he wasn't pushed away at all. Instead, he grabbed her calf with his hand.
The warmth flowed down her legs and into her cold limbs, driving away the chill and pain of the entire night, and she felt a sense of longing for it.
But she couldn't be a burden to Xiao Sui, nor should she put him in danger because of her.
Ning Qi gritted her teeth and pushed his shoulder again.
This time, Xiao Sui was truly swayed by her, but he turned around and revealed his back, saying to her, "Please come up, let's leave here first, okay?"
It was almost a coaxing tone.
Whether it was her imagination or something else, she felt that Xiao Sui's voice sounded a little choked up.
Ning Qi lowered her eyes; his broad back seemed to possess an allure, making her unconsciously want to lean against him.
She asked the system in her mind, "Will I mutate? Can you stop it?"
The system was silent for a moment, then said, “Based on my data analysis, the probability of you becoming a zombie demon is 99.99%. If the mutation occurs, I cannot stop it.”
It's almost 100%.
"No, you can't even guarantee the safety of the mission takers?" Ning Qi asked anxiously.
"All sorts of unexpected events can happen in mission worlds, and it's common for mission takers to fail and leave the world prematurely," the system said calmly. "Haven't you encountered this situation before?"
Ning Xi paused for a moment, then quickly deflated. Yes, she had come to this world because she had failed a mission in a small world.
But what was the reason for her failure?
"If the mission fails, another mission take over and you can start over." The system pulled her thoughts back. "Don't worry, once you leave this world, I will continue to find other mission worlds for you to farm points."
Ning Qi slumped her shoulders. Even the system said so, so it seems that her time in this world is really running out.
She watched Xiao Sui's retreating figure, bit her lip, and made up her mind: "Don't worry about me, just leave."
“Princess, I will never leave your side.” Xiao Sui turned around, his tone firm.
No, if she fails her mission, she might at most leave the small world, but Xiao Sui could lose his life.
She raised her chin, adopting the airs of a princess, "You're just my servant, don't you even listen to me? Don't you understand your place?"
Xiao Sui's body stiffened for a moment, and Ning Qi had no way of knowing the expression under his veil.
But after she said such hurtful things, he should turn around and leave.
"He'll restart with the new mission taker, so you don't need to worry about him," the system said coolly.
"You mean he has to go through the ordeal of having his tendons severed and his eyes gouged out again?" Ning Qi frowned, looking worried.
She didn't want to see either outcome.
Is there really no other way? Could she be that 0.01%?
Before receiving a response from the system, Xiao Sui stood up and suddenly moved closer to her.
A gentle breeze swept by, and suddenly everything went dark. Xiao Sui's arm was already wrapped around the back of her legs.
"Huh?" Ning Xi was stunned for a moment. Her perspective suddenly rose and she was far away from the ground. She lost her balance and hurriedly hugged the neck that was so close to hers.
Once she calmed down, she looked down at their posture and blushed slightly. Xiao Sui actually picked her up with one hand and let her sit on his arm.
"Xiao Sui?" She nudged his strong arm.
The undulating muscles and the scalding heat emanating from the layers of fabric made her mouth feel dry.
“Princess, I will not be infected,” he said. “Even if you become a corpse demon, it will not matter.”
Ning Qi was skeptical. "Really?"
Xiao Sui looked up and said, "It's true."
The veil fell away, and Ning Qi finally saw his face clearly in the dim sunlight; there were still traces of dried blood on his lips.
Her gaze continued downwards, and sure enough, she saw his bare neck.
Did he forcibly break the seal to save her?
A warm current surged into her heart, like being gently tickled by a soft feather, making her feel intoxicated.
Ning Qi could no longer push him away, so she could only say, "Fine, I'll go with you, but if I turn into a corpse demon, you must put me down and leave immediately."
Xiao Sui bit his lip, lowered his head and did not answer her. His veil once again concealed his expression, and he quickened his pace while holding her.
As dawn broke, orange sunlight peeked out from behind the mountains, dispelling a thin layer of mist, and the strange sound returned to my ears once more.
Ning Qi immediately whispered, "The Corpse Demon is here again."
Xiao Sui nodded.
"It seems there's more than one." Ning Qi frowned. She seemed to hear several voices, all heading in their direction.
Xiao Sui drew his long sword and stopped in place.
The surrounding bushes rustled, and soon three dark figures appeared around them. Their faces were covered in blood, their bodies were damaged to varying degrees, and their pupils were completely black, making them look extremely frightening.
Ning Qi unconsciously hugged Xiao Sui's neck tightly, "Why don't you put me down first? I can walk by myself."
The only response she received was Xiao Sui's tightened muscles, which pressed even more tightly against her calves.
"Don't worry, Princess, I can handle it," he said.
Ning Qi had no choice but to give up.
The three corpse demons, seeing them like a pack of wolves seeing sheep, pounced on them all at once, baring their fangs and emitting a chilling sound.
Xiao Sui merely glanced around, and as the nearest one drew near, he swept his longsword across the corpse demon's neck, instantly spraying a large cloud of blood mist.
With a thud, its head hit the ground. It still opened its mouth wide in resentment, but could not make a sound, only a hoarse sound, and soon fell silent.
The other two pounced almost simultaneously, but Xiao Sui's sword moved with lightning speed, allowing Ning Qi to gracefully dodge them.
She only felt a blur before her eyes, and before she could see clearly, the heads of the two corpse demons also fell to the ground and rolled twice.
That's... amazing.
Ning Xi was amazed. She knew Xiao Sui was powerful, but she didn't expect him to be this powerful.
"Isn't this even more awesome than the male lead?" she asked the system in her mind.
Before the system could answer her, she suddenly felt a metallic taste in her throat, acid reflux in her stomach, and began to feel nauseous. The scene before her eyes inexplicably began to distort and turn red, and she couldn't help but vomit violently.
Although she tried her best to adjust her direction, she was too close to Xiao Sui and inevitably splashed water on his clothes.
"Sorry, I probably can't watch this scene," she said, covering her mouth.
But when he looked down, he saw that what was on his palm was not vomit, but blood.
The smell of blood quickly reached her nose. She paused, her hands began to tremble; she might be about to mutate.
Xiao Sui clearly noticed her unusual behavior, and his arm, as hot as a branding iron, held her tightly.
"Put me down." Her voice was unusually hoarse.
"It's alright, Princess. I'm the one who frightened you," Xiao Sui said, shaking his head. "I'll take you to see a doctor."
It's as if they're unwilling to admit it.
At that moment, another corpse demon suddenly sprang out from behind him, without making a sound beforehand!
It charged straight at Ning Qi, so close it was almost touching her face. Her heart skipped a beat, and she cried out, "Xiao Sui, behind you!"
In a flash, Xiao Sui raised his arm and used it to block its huge mouth.
The corpse demon gnawed at his arm, almost tearing off a piece of flesh.
"Xiao Sui!" Ning Qi exclaimed.
"I have a dagger at my waist."
Ning Qi immediately understood his meaning, her fingers groping for his lean waist, she pulled out a dagger and plunged it directly into the corpse demon's eye.
The corpse demon refused to give in despite being attacked, which made Ning Qi so anxious that tears welled up in her eyes. She drew her sword and stabbed it wildly again.
After poking it four or five times, it finally let go. Ning Qi immediately went to check Xiao Sui's arm. Its clothes were torn, and the inside was a bloody mess.
She gasped, exclaiming, "How could you use your own body to block it!"
"I'm fine." Xiao Sui seemed oblivious as he swung his longsword and plunged it into the corpse demon's head.
The corpse demon was still emitting that low, intermittent sound, like a bird mimicking human speech.
But this time, Ningqi seemed to understand what it was saying.
"Pain...flesh...hunger..." These words appeared in the intermittent voice, and then the creature fell silent along with its body.
It's over, Ning Qixin is completely devastated. She can understand the corpse demon's speech now, it must be starting to mutate.
But there was something more urgent. She pushed against Xiao Sui's chest, trying to get off him, and said in a rapid-fire tone, "Even if you don't turn into a corpse demon, your wounds are so deep, don't they hurt? Won't they get infected? Won't you get sick? You should go to the nearby county town to get it treated!"
“Together,” Xiao Sui said stubbornly.
Ning Qi couldn't break free from his iron-like arms, so she had to settle for second best and let him carry her on his back instead, which would be easier.
Xiao Sui finally put her down, squatted down with his back to her, and waited until she was comfortably lying on his back before standing up and leading her towards the county town.
During this time, Xiao Sui contacted Qianyu to reassure them that he had found the princess.
Around 9:00 AM, the sunlight became intense, and they finally saw the city gate of Yuanqing County.
The two slowly approached and soon realized something was wrong.
It was daytime, but the city gates were tightly closed, and many cultivators were still standing on the city tower.
Xiao Sui frowned.
"Who goes there?" a monk upstairs asked loudly.
“Hua Guangzong Ningxi”.
"Princess Hexi?" A cultivator on the city wall exclaimed in surprise. Immediately, people began to move around, and soon someone came down and opened the city gate.
The monk approached them respectfully, "Princess, are you alright?"
"It's alright," Ning Qi replied vaguely.
"We haven't encountered any strange villagers, have we? You don't know about the plague that's breaking out nearby. People who get sick are extremely aggressive; they bite anyone they see. We're guarding this place to prevent those sick villagers from entering the city..."
As he spoke, his gaze lingered on her and Xiao Sui. When he noticed the tear in his sleeve, he stopped speaking and asked, "What happened to the injury on your servant's arm?"
“He tripped and fell, and this is a cut,” Ning Qi explained, covering his wound.
The man looked at Xiao Sui suspiciously, hesitated for a moment, and finally said to Ning Qi, "Please wait a moment, I will go up and report."
While waiting, someone flew over on a sword and landed quickly. Ning Qi turned her head to look, and immediately her brows relaxed, revealing a joyful expression, "Qian Yu!"
"Princess!" Qianyu stepped forward and examined her carefully, her heart filled with concern. "Are you alright?"
Ning Qi guiltily looked away and asked, "Where are Zhizhi and Aying?"
"They're on their way back." Qianyu turned her head and glanced at the tightly closed city gate, then called out loudly, "The princess has arrived, why don't you open the gate?"
After remaining silent for a long time, Xiao Sui said, "Miss Qianyu, since it's because of my injury, please take the princess inside first."
Qianyu's gaze fell on his bite wound, and her expression immediately turned serious. She said to Ningxi, "Princess, let's go inside first."
Ning Qi hugged Xiao Sui's neck tightly, "Let's go in together."
Qianyu glanced at the two people who were tightly embracing, sighed, and called out loudly to the city tower: "I wonder if you all can bear the consequences of making the princess wait for you."
Ning Qi snorted coldly.
Upon hearing this, the guard, who had been hesitant, jogged down and opened the city gate, saying, "Please come in."
"Let's go, Xiao Sui." Ning Qi whispered in his ear, her head tilted to the side. Because of the close proximity, she could clearly see the tips of his bright red ears.
She found it strangely cute, it looked soft, and she felt a little tempted to bite it.
Someone else landed behind them. The three people who were entering the city turned around and saw that it was Yan Chongyan.
Yan Chongyan walked straight toward Ning Qi and saw her being carried on the back of the male concubine who had punched him. He frowned deeply.
"Are you alright?" He examined Ning Qi and, finding no external injuries, quickly breathed a sigh of relief. But then, glancing at the wound on Xiao Sui's arm, his voice suddenly rose, "Your male concubine has been bitten by a corpse demon."
"No," Ning Qi quickly denied.
"You must stop protecting him. The Corpse Demon is highly contagious. You are putting the entire city in danger," Yan Chongyan said sternly. "What bit him? A human or a beast?"
Ning Qi pursed her lips and remained silent.
“If it was bitten by a human-turned-corpse demon, it will mutate within two hours. If it was injured by a demon beast, it will mutate within two to ten days.” Yan Chongyan narrowed his eyes. “From what I can see, the wound on this young master’s arm was probably caused by a human bite, and he will soon turn into a corpse demon.”
He drew his longsword and blocked their way, saying, "He absolutely cannot enter the city."
Qianyu said from the side, "Young Master Yan, are you questioning the princess?"
"I wouldn't dare," Yan Chongyan said, "but I would never let such a dangerous person in, unless he steps over my dead body."
Having said all that, their determination to stop Xiao Sui was very clear.
“Then I won’t go in,” Ning Qi said crisply. “Let’s go.”
"Princess?" Yan Chongyan looked at her with extreme confusion.
"Ding, infatuation value reduced by 20." The system's voice sounded.
Ning Qi felt a little nauseous, so he patted Xiao Sui on the shoulder, indicating that he should get down on his own.
Xiao Sui half-squatted down and gently laid her down.
As soon as Ning Qi's feet touched the ground, she bent over and vomited a mouthful of blood.
Xiao Sui and Qian Yu quickly supported her from both sides.
Yan Chongyan was also startled and took half a step forward. "What's wrong?"
Ning Qi wiped her mouth and casually rolled up her trouser leg.
Yan Chongyan turned his head and asked, "What do you mean by this?"
"I was also bitten by the corpse demon. Both of my legs were bitten. I'm the one in the most danger."
The bite marks on her legs stood out starkly against her fair calves.
Qianyu shook her head, her face pale. "You'll be alright."
Yan Chongyan stood there dumbfounded, his eyes completely glazed over.
"Ding, your infatuation points have increased by twenty," the system notified again.
"No need to report my numbers anymore," Ning Qi said to the system in her mind. "Anyway, I'm about to leave this little world, so the infatuation value doesn't matter anymore."
The system fell silent.
Silence fell over the surroundings, broken only by the low sobs that Qianyu could not suppress.
“Let’s go,” she said to Xiao Sui.
Yan Chongyan's clenched fist trembled slightly as he pulled her back. "Princess, let's go into the city and find a quiet courtyard."
“We’re going in together.” She was still holding Xiao Sui’s hand.
Yan Chongyan's jaw muscles tensed, then relaxed after a moment. "Okay."
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Author's Note: Xiaoqi: Starting to feel like biting someone [eating melon seeds]
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