Wings

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Qin Yi had not been bored for long before Li Qinglin came looking for him early the next morning.

Qin Yi had not slept properly these past few days. That night, he slept until the sun was high in the sky. While he was still asleep, Li Qinglin waited outside the door without disturbing him.

When Qin Yi woke, he had no idea Li Qinglin was outside. He leisurely washed up and tidied himself until he was neat and presentable before opening the door, intending to practice his club techniques. At a glance, he saw Li Qinglin standing in the courtyard admiring the flowers, with a black-clad young maid of twelve or thirteen quietly standing behind him.

Qin Yi froze for a moment. Soon, Liusu's voice rang out in his Sea of Consciousness. "He's been standing there for over an hour. He even stopped others from calling you."

Then why didn't you tell me while I was washing up? Qin Yi held back from saying that to it. He could only put on a smile and go greet him. "How could I let His Highness the Crown Prince wait outside the door?"

Li Qinglin withdrew his gaze from the flowerbed and looked at Qin Yi with a smile. "Don't talk nonsense. I'm not the Crown Prince yet."

"Close enough..." Qin Yi said. "If not you, then who?"

Li Qinglin did not respond to that. Instead, he studied the Wolf Tooth Club in Qin Yi's hand with an odd expression. "Carrying a Wolf Tooth Club out first thing in the morning... Are you practicing martial arts?"

Qin Yi's face burned with embarrassment, and he could only say, "You'll be seeing it often from now on. Come in and sit?"

Li Qinglin laughed. He walked into the room shoulder to shoulder with Qin Yi, while the little maid followed close behind them.

Qin Yi did not pay much attention to the maid. Young maids of that age were probably nothing unusual in ancient times. What did make him feel genuinely pleased was Li Qinglin's attitude. He imagined that Zhuge Liang, waking from his spring slumber in his thatched cottage and seeing Liu Bei outside, had probably felt something much like this. He could understand the feeling behind "thus moved, he pledged himself to serve the late Emperor," regardless of how much of it was mere performance.

But while Zhuge Liang had labored for his master all his life, Qin Yi had no desire to do the same.

Just as his thoughts drifted, a Rainbow Light suddenly flashed from the corner of the room where the bundle had been placed.

Qin Yi abruptly realized what it was—the Peach Wood Sword!

There was no time to think of anything else. The Rainbow Light was swift as startled lightning. In the blink of an eye, it shot past Qin Yi and stabbed toward the maid behind him.

The attack had come too suddenly. Even Li Qinglin's martial skill could not react in time. His hand had only just made an instinctive blocking motion when the sword whistled past. The maid behind them transformed into Black Light and rapidly retreated, evading the Rainbow Light. The Peach Wood Sword relentlessly changed direction and continued its pursuit.

The Black Light was incredibly fast. Qin Yi's eyes could only make out a black shadow darting back and forth. He had not paid attention to the maid's appearance earlier, but now he could vaguely see that, while fleeing the Rainbow Light, she had spread a pair of black wings. As she rose and swooped, she resembled black lightning.

Qin Yi immediately recalled Li Qinglin's account of the Crown Prince's assassination attempt. "I only saw a Black Shadow flash past, and then Eldest Brother..."

He said nothing, merely turning to look at Li Qinglin.

Oddly enough, Li Qinglin said nothing either. Instead, he watched the Black Shadow and the sword tangle with each other with great interest.

"This is a demon," Qin Yi finally said.

"It is," Li Qinglin replied as though it were only natural, leaving Qin Yi momentarily speechless.

As they spoke, the Rainbow Light of the Peach Wood Sword grazed the Black Light. A faint trace of blood appeared where the blade had passed, and a black feather drifted to the ground.

The little maid let out a "Wuh" and fell to the floor. Her pair of wings instinctively wrapped around her head as she shut her eyes and waited for death.

A little loli... crouching with her head covered... In that instant, Qin Yi did not even know what he was thinking. Almost entirely on instinct, he swung the Wolf Tooth Club. "Stop!"

The seemingly unrelated action caused the Rainbow Light of the Peach Wood Sword to suddenly hover behind the girl's head, no longer moving.

The Rainbow Light faded, revealing the Peach Wood Sword. It fell to the floor with a smack and bounced twice. Its tragic appearance seemed to be asking Qin Yi, What the hell are you doing...

Li Qinglin was actually still smiling. "Brother Qin's method of withdrawing his technique is somewhat unique."

Qin Yi solemnly asked, "She's one of yours."

"Yes," Li Qinglin said.

"And you didn't stop it even when she was about to die?"

"I knew Brother Qin would spare me the embarrassment and withdraw the technique."

Qin Yi pursed his lips and sighed. That was not how this was supposed to go... If you hadn't said anything, and I'd taken her for an assassin disguised as a maid, wouldn't it have been perfectly normal to kill her?

He did not voice those thoughts. Instead, he turned to look at the maid. She truly was only a girl of twelve or thirteen, her face still extremely young. At the moment, she was kneeling halfway on the ground, pale-faced, her left hand clutching a wound on her right arm as she looked fearfully at the Peach Wood Sword on the floor, as if afraid it might move again.

A pair of black wings grew from her back, like a cloak. They were gathered along either side of her body now, not spread open. The black feathers gleamed with a dark luster beneath the sunlight, their tips sharp as arrows. They looked rather cool.

There were no visible demonic traits on her face. She was a delicate, pretty girl. If Qin Yi had not known she was a demon, then with her wings folded away, he could easily have taken them for some specially made style of cloak. He had seen wandering martial artists on the road dressed in strange attire before; it was nothing particularly unusual. Even Qin Yi himself had not noticed anything at first glance.

By Liusu's reckoning, she was already a demon who had successfully taken human form. That was essentially the same as Minghe's Heart of the Harp Realm, though there was likely quite a gap in their minor realms. After all, Minghe was nearly at completion, while this one had probably only transformed recently?

No matter how long she had been transformed, she was still equivalent to a human at Foundation Establishment. Without a freak like Minghe to restrain her, she could probably run rampant across Southern Li. No wonder Li Qinglin had dared venture into the mountains with such confidence, leaving her by herself... Hm...

"Brother Li..." Qin Yi's gaze lingered on the girl's face for quite some time before he carefully asked, "Aren't you going to introduce her?"

Li Qinglin's thoughts raced. Suddenly, he smiled. "This is the first time I've seen Brother Qin stare at a young lady without blinking. So you actually like this age... Shall I let her follow Brother Qin, then? Brother Qin doesn't have anyone to guard him anyway."

Liusu secretly ground its teeth as well. "Qin Yi, so you're this kind of person..."

Qin Yi remained expressionless.

"I wouldn't dare trouble a great demon of the Transformation Stage to guard me," Qin Yi said. "How long has it been since the matter of Zhang Family Village? Has Brother Li already forgotten?"

Li Qinglin smiled. "That's right. She's a demon, and one who has cultivated to the Transformation Stage. Her current appearance formed naturally, and so did the age she appears to be. She is absolutely not like Madam Zhang, wearing a painted skin."

Qin Yi turned to look at Li Qinglin, whose expression remained perfectly normal.

"I remember telling you that, in many cases, demons are less troublesome than people. People can be used, so why can't demons?" Li Qinglin said. "Ye Ling has sworn a blood oath and has always been very loyal. I just suddenly felt that you and she might get along... But this elder brother still has a word of advice. The lesson of Zhang Family Village is still fresh before your eyes. Even if you like this sort, you'd best not touch her..."

Qin Yi could neither laugh nor cry. He did not even know how to answer such bizarre words.

Li Qinglin's frankness made it seem as though keeping a demon in his household were a completely ordinary matter, not worth mentioning at all—one that could even be given away... Then again, ordinary people would not casually connect the matters of him keeping a demon and the assassination of the Crown Prince. On the surface, they had nothing to do with each other.

Even if they were connected, in theory, it had nothing to do with Qin Yi.

Li Qinglin patted Qin Yi's shoulder and smiled. "Let's go inside and talk first. Another sword isn't going to pop out, is it?"

Qin Yi shook his head. In the end, he led the two inside. He sat facing Li Qinglin, while the black-clad girl called Ye Ling stood silently behind Li Qinglin. Her gaze fixed curiously on Qin Yi, as if she were trying to see whether flowers had grown on his face.

Qin Yi's expression was calm, but his heart was beating a drum. Don't be fooled by her loli appearance... A demon's transformation was a human's Foundation Establishment! A great demon only a few minor realms weaker than Minghe, whom Liusu praised to the skies! Li Qinglin had someone this formidable hidden in his household, yet he was still going out to seek immortals for what?

After considering it, he said, "Miss Ye Ling, is it? Please, sit as well."

Ye Ling seemed somewhat surprised by his invitation. Her eyes flickered slightly, but she still stood there quietly, neither answering nor sitting.

"Tch, a three-no loli?" Qin Yi reached out, picked up the teapot, and poured tea. He no longer paid attention to her, instead turning to Li Qinglin. "You came to see me so early in the morning. You originally had something else to discuss, didn't you?"

Li Qinglin had been watching Qin Yi with an amused smile all along. Qin Yi did not dwell on the fact that he kept a demon and had even invited the demon to sit, his attitude entirely natural. Li Qinglin found that very interesting.

Perhaps he truly could speak with Qin Yi more deeply?