A Little Tail? I'll Protect You

The Blood-Colored Plateau lay beneath a dim sky, great rifts after great rifts cutting across the land.

Wisps of thin, blood-colored mist drifted through the air.

Countless demon beasts charged out from every region, a surging torrent that kicked up dust across the sky. Boulders rolled, and the mountains rumbled and shook.

Screech!

A dazzling, resplendent streak of Sword Qi suddenly cleaved down from the horizon like a freezing river waterfall.

The void itself seemed to freeze. Wherever the Sword Qi passed, swathes of demon beasts were instantly frozen solid before turning to powder amid crisp cracking sounds.

A slender figure in a pale gauze dress arrived through the air, her skirts fluttering as she stood with her sword, swift as a Divine Rainbow.

Every demon beast blocking her path shattered beneath a single sword strike, reduced to powder filling the sky before they could even scream.

Very quickly, a path was cleared before her.

Li Mengning moved with graceful lightness, her bearing ethereal, though a trace of worry could not be concealed beneath her tranquil expression.

Countless sword shadows circled around her.

Behind her, it seemed as though an ancient sword treasury had opened. Phantom after phantom of divine swords appeared, then whistled through the air, crisscrossing heaven and earth with such terrifying sharpness that nothing could withstand their edge.

She did not know why such a massive upheaval had suddenly occurred on the Blood-Colored Plateau.

Nor did she know why countless demon beasts had suddenly gone berserk.

All she knew now was... that disobedient fellow was in danger.

Buzz!!!

Sword shadows filling the sky howled forth. Sword light surged like a sea, blotting out the sky and covering hundreds of miles.

Li Mengning's tranquil eyes swiftly swept through the various regions, while her other slender jade hand tightly held a Nine Yin Desert Ginseng Lotus that had been washed spotless.

Suddenly, behind a waist-high boulder not far away, she spotted that familiar figure.

He did not seem injured, though his face was far paler than before.

"Jiang Lan..." Her heart finally settled, and she turned into a streak of light, landing at Jiang Lan's side.

"You came?"

That familiar faint fragrance wafted into his nose. Jiang Lan glanced at her and knowingly asked the obvious.

He could clearly sense that Li Mengning seemed somewhat angry. Her face, veiled by light gauze, showed no fluctuation of emotion. She had always been like this, but she would not usually ignore him as she did today.

At the very least, if he asked her something, she would softly hum in response.

Still, he had been the one to deceive her first. Previously, without any cultivation, let alone venturing alone into the depths of the Blood-Colored Plateau, even this sudden beast tide could have easily claimed his life.

"Don't be angry anymore. I was wrong."

Jiang Lan smiled, immediately admitting fault and apologizing. "There won't be a next time."

Li Mengning's tranquil eyes fixed tightly upon his face. Then she softly uttered two words. "Liar."

She was indeed somewhat angry, but not because Jiang Lan had deceived her.

It was because he had knowingly entered the depths of the Blood-Colored Plateau despite having no cultivation, treating his own life like a joke.

"I was confident. You know I'm afraid of death—I would never casually gamble with my life."

As though he knew what she was thinking, Jiang Lan said softly, "I may not have much else, but I have plenty of trump cards for saving my life."

Li Mengning still said nothing, merely gazing at him quietly with her clear eyes.

"Fine. The next time I take a risk, I won't send you away again."

Jiang Lan felt a slight headache.

Only then did Li Mengning softly hum, then say in a low voice, "A sect will arrive here soon."

Jiang Lan understood that as well. That was why he had waited here for her. He just wondered how many Domain Breaking Talismans Li Mengning still had; they were excellent things for traveling and fleeing for one's life.

However, activating a Domain Breaking Talisman required a certain degree of strength. Originally, he had no cultivation whatsoever, so even if he carried one, it would be useless. He did not have a single one on him.

It seemed he would have to ask the Household for more later.

"Let's go..."

Jiang Lan said, then naturally and familiarly wrapped an arm around Li Mengning's slender waist, pulling her close.

It was not that he deliberately wanted to take advantage of her.

Without the talisman light of a Domain Breaking Talisman protecting him, his current physical body would not be able to endure traveling through the void. The Gale Wind would tear him apart.

The commotion on the Blood-Colored Plateau was so great, yet no one could possibly suspect that he was responsible.

Li Mengning lightly pursed her red lips, and strands of rosy color spread across the flawless crystal-like tips of her ears.

Then the void before them trembled lightly, hazy ripples spreading out as the two of them quickly vanished.

Along the way, Jiang Lan caught a faint scent of blood, which surprised him somewhat. It was not the foul bloody stench of demon beasts, but carried a strange, faint fragrance.

"You're injured?" he asked.

The demon beasts guarding the Nine Yin Desert Ginseng Lotus should not have been a match for Li Mengning.

"There were two," Li Mengning replied.

She had slaughtered two demon beasts at the Demon King level. Although she had suffered a slight injury, her strength was indeed terrifying to such a degree.

Among the young prodigies of her generation, there were probably very few who could block even one sword strike from her at this point.

In the original plot, if she had not been delayed by him and had not damaged her Dao Heart because of his death later on, it would not have been easy for the Protagonist, Lin Fan, to quickly surpass her.

Not only was this girl incredibly talented, she was also diligent and hardworking. Whenever she disappeared from sight in daily life, she was cultivating.

"That thousand-year Nine Yin Desert Ginseng Lotus is a rare heavenly treasure for someone cultivating the Supreme Profound Nether Art like you. After refining it, your strength should improve considerably," Jiang Lan said.

"You don't want it?" Li Mengning was somewhat puzzled.

Jiang Lan smiled. "What use would it be to me? I'm a cripple incapable of cultivation. Using such a heavenly treasure on me would only be a waste."

Li Mengning froze briefly, then looked straight at him with her tranquil eyes and said very seriously, "You're not a cripple..."

In her heart, Jiang Lan had never been a cripple, neither in the past nor now.

"When we return, try taking the Nine Yin Desert Ginseng Lotus," she added softly.

Jiang Lan felt that this Quasi-Saintess was truly rather stubborn.

He sighed somewhat helplessly and said, "I had you pick this Nine Yin Desert Ginseng Lotus for your own refinement in the first place. I'm still counting on you to protect me. If you don't become stronger, then if we encounter an assassin even stronger than Lin Fan, who will protect me?"

"Uncle Ying can't possibly follow me every step of the way. And you, my little tail—I can't shake you off no matter how hard I try."

Hearing Jiang Lan call her a little tail, Li Mengning stared blankly for a moment.

She really did seem like his tail. Wherever he went, she followed. Did he dislike her being this way?

"What I mean is, from now on, I can only count on you to protect me, so you need to become stronger."

Jiang Lan knew she would definitely misunderstand, so after some thought, he changed the way he put it.

Otherwise, who knew how long this girl's little mind would keep winding itself around in circles.

"Mhm..."

"I... I'll protect you."

Li Mengning was still a little dazed, Jiang Lan's words—from now on—still echoing beside her ears.

"Mhm?"

Noticing that Li Mengning in his arms suddenly seemed somewhat strange, Jiang Lan could not help but feel surprised.

"Y-you're holding me too tightly..."

Li Mengning said softly, "I... suddenly can't breathe very well."

By the time the two returned to Yuyi City in Jiangling Commandery, it was already the next evening. Twilight sank in the west, and the evening clouds blazed brilliantly like maple leaves.