trade?
What transaction?
“You can’t take what you want from my daughter for no reason. You should give something in return.” Li Zengqing kept staring into her eyes, and He Banjian saw her take out a gourd the size of a palm.
"If you agree to what I'm about to say, I will separate that Demon Lord's soul and put it into your body."
"All the suffering my daughter will endure in the future will be transferred to you. Your fates are intertwined. If her life is in danger, you cannot live alone. If she dies, you will die in her place. How about that?"
This is blatantly an unfair contract term!
He Banjian felt a lump in his throat after hearing what Li Zengqing had said.
"Of course, she is the young master of my Li family, and there will be a group of people protecting her. I am just informing you of the specific situation, but the problems you are worried about will not occur."
He Banjian thought about it carefully.
That makes sense. Given Li Mingke's status, her family shouldn't put her in danger, especially since she has the protection of Immortal Venerable Jinyun. However, if she lacks the Demon Lord's essence, she will still be considered an imposter.
“Okay, I promise you!” Her gaze was firm.
Since it was a decision made long ago, there's no going back. No matter how bumpy the road ahead, she will continue to stride forward.
“Very good.” Li Zengqing opened the gourd and poured out a small insect that looked like a black pearl.
"This is a 'child gu' (a type of poisonous insect). It will take effect immediately once you consume it."
The tiny insect curled up in He Banjian's palm, and she stared intently at it. Once she swallowed this Gu poison, her fate would be in someone else's hands.
Is it worth it?
This deal?
She bit her lower lip lightly, then tilted her head back and swallowed the Gu worm whole.
Forget about whether it's a good deal or not, she has no way out! As long as she becomes the real Lin Banjian and makes the Demon Lord or the Immortal Lord fall in love with her, she can...
At this moment, Wu Xilan had already brought Li Mingke in. Li Zengqing touched his daughter's pale face and fed her the mother gu.
"Alright, I've already consumed it. When will you give me that fragment of soul?"
She, He Banjian, was determined not to make a losing deal!
"Don't rush, now is the time."
...
He Banjian finally understood why Li Zengqing had made that request and even made him swallow the Gu worm.
The pain of having one's soul separated is unbearable!
The Demon Lord's soul was enveloped by three layers of power.
The outermost layer was the seal placed by the current Dragon Roar Saint Lord, who was also Li Zengqing's mother. The second layer was the half of Wu Xilan's cultivation that she used to suppress. The third layer was Li Mingke himself. Only after peeling away all three layers could one finally see the Demon Lord's soul.
Unlike physical pain, the tearing of the soul brings a torment that can drive one mad.
Now, all of these have been transferred to He Banjian by the Gu worms.
Even the physical reconstruction she had undergone was nothing compared to the soul-wrenching pain she was experiencing now.
She was soaked through, her clothes were drenched, and she looked as if she had just been pulled out of the water. Her back arched involuntarily, and her fingers and toes were curling up as hard as they could.
He Banjian bit down on the pillow beneath him, suppressing the groans and shouts that were about to burst from his chest.
She could vaguely hear them talking.
"We need to hurry, the Demon Lord should have already noticed..."
"Don't worry, sister, the formation outside the island has been activated..."
"It should be able to hold them off for a while..."
Despite her head throbbing with pain, she could still make out what they were saying.
The Demon Lord has arrived?
It must have been summoned by that fragment of soul...
So that's how he identified her; no wonder the Demon Lord was so indifferent to her back then...
It's okay, she'll become the real Lin Banjian soon!
Finally, she sensed something was wrong.
The feeling of her soul being invaded by a foreign object was unpleasant. She raised her long neck like a swan, and all sounds disappeared into the pillow and blankets that covered her mouth and nose.
Hoo-ha— Hoo-ha—
That soul was rejecting her body.
No, she must make this soul obey her!
Her inner strength surged toward that soul like a tsunami, tightly enveloping it within her own soul, and disregarding the pain, desperately squeezing it deeper into her soul.
Suddenly, she felt a powerful external force helping her to do all this.
A heavy seal was placed on her soul, and that part of her spirit finally stopped struggling.
Her entire soul was still trembling, and she was breathing deeply.
After an unknown amount of time, she gradually calmed down.
it's all over.
She lay on the bed, stiff as a corpse.
Li Zengqing looked at the lifeless girl lying on the bed, sighed, and then brought over a bowl of honey water.
The sweet, moist spoon touched He Banjian's lips. Like a traveler who had finally seen an oasis in the desert, she leaned in and swallowed unconsciously.
Her eyes gradually regained focus.
First, she saw a woman's hands holding a small carved bowl. Then, her gaze moved further and she saw another girl lying on the bed. Unlike her, the girl seemed to be having a beautiful dream. Several adults surrounded her, seemingly performing some kind of examination on her, their expressions a mixture of worry and joy.
Suddenly, tears streamed down her face.
Tears streamed slowly down her face, across her exquisite features, and finally disappeared down her collar, never to be seen again.
This was the first time Li Zengqing had ever seen tears flow from those eyes. Coupled with that face, she finally understood why those two people had been so crazy back then.
"Has the Demon Lord arrived yet?" she asked, turning around.
"We've arrived. He's trapped in the formation and is trying to break through it, but at one point he suddenly went berserk. Clearly, his senses have been disrupted," Long Yin Shuangshuang continued her sister's words.
“Very good.” Li Zengqing nodded, and then said to He Banjian, “I can’t let the Demon Lord enter the island, so you can’t stay on the island for too long. I need you to lure him away.”
He Banjian raised his eyes.
“He Banjian, no, I misspoke, Lin Banjian, you are a smart man, you know what to do next.”
She called her Lin Banjian, letting her know her identity.
The girl nodded slightly.
She lay in bed and saw Li Mingke being lovingly picked up by the man and then turned and went to another room.
She looked away.
"Thank you..." The voice was hoarse, as if it had been scraped by gravel.
"I'll have a maid take care of you. Once you've rested, you can begin your grand plan!"
Li Zengqing also turned and left.
When Long Yinshuangshuang saw her sister come out, she asked her, "Sister, what about Mingke's eyes..."
Li Zengqing interrupted her, "I know, let's leave it at that for now. He Banjian's eyes are not good enough for my daughter. I'll find a suitable pair of eyes later."
Li Zengqing's face was cold, and he felt agitated at the thought of his daughter's inability to see for some time.
"Please take care of me during this time, Shuangshuang," she said.
"Don't worry, sister. I plan to take Mingke to Xizhou Mountain Villa for recuperation. It's a great place to relax and unwind, with spring-like weather all year round."
"Thank you, Shuangshuang."
...
Because of the Heroes Ranking, Demon Lord Luan Hua led the people of the Demon Realm to meet with the Immortal Sect. Just as everyone was gathered together to discuss the talents of this year's generation, he suddenly felt a shock from the depths of his soul.
My wife!
This feeling is definitely true!
Ignoring the occasion and leaving everyone behind, he left his seat and flew towards the direction he sensed.
Gu Piao was chatting and laughing with a beautiful young lady from the immortal sect when he suddenly saw his master leave, which startled him.
"My lord!" Sensing the strange looks around him, he hurriedly followed, but the Demon Lord disappeared in the blink of an eye.
People have already started whispering.
This won't do; we can't lose face for our lord!
He clasped his hands in a fist salute to the sect leader, saying, "My master left in a hurry for a reason, and I hope everyone in the sect will not blame him."
The sect leader stroked his beard and asked, "With the Heroes Tournament about to begin, what is the reason for the Demon Lord's departure?"
The sect leader is determined to get to the bottom of this!
This is a major event that only takes place once every few years. How could Luan Hua, as the leader of the Demon Realm, act so recklessly?
Given the Demon Lord's situation, it's inevitable that the Sect Leader will compare him to the Immortal Venerable Jinyun, who is often mentioned alongside him.
Look at the talents of our immortal sect! They are the true role models for the world!
There could only be one thing that could make the Demon Lord act this way. Gu Piao forced himself to speak:
"My lord sensed the lady's summons and had to leave. This is a serious matter, so please forgive him, everyone in the immortal sect."
Jinyun Immortal Venerable, who had been listening to the various compliments with great boredom, instantly snapped back to his senses upon hearing Gu Piao's words.
Wait, he said...
lady?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com