Chapter 24: Does this count as having slept together?

Returning home, Luo Zhou was still gripped by fear.

Fang Ningshuang was both manic and insane, yet her strength was terrifying. He had to go tomorrow; otherwise, she would come to kill him.

How could he have encountered such a madwoman?

The Dragon-Slaying Sting, the sinking sword of the sect...

This sect must be the Heaven and Earth Dao Sect. He had to learn about it from his classmate, Wang Heyu.

Wang Heyu's ancestors were most likely, just like his own, great figures from the Sinking Sword lineage of the Heaven and Earth Dao Sect.

Later, they fell into decline, and their descendants drifted here, but hidden within their bloodline was the divine ability, the Dragon-Slaying Sting.

That explained everything!

As for tomorrow—should he go?

He had to go. If he didn't, he would die!

Fang Ningshuang was desperately looking for excuses to kill him. He had to go!

But why did he have such a strangely familiar feeling toward her?

It was strange indeed!

June 24th. Continued clear skies. Nine days left!

Luo Zhou got up, practiced his cultivation, and checked the time. It was about time. He headed toward the area behind the City Lord's Manor.

On the way, he thought for a moment.

He couldn't go empty-handed.

He fed the Blood Parrot with purple crickets; perhaps if he fed Fang Ningshuang as well, she wouldn't want to kill him anymore?

Along the way, Luo Zhou went on a massive shopping spree.

Rice crackers, sachima, oven-baked fruits, eel buns, white sausages, spicy ginger radishes, icy snow melon balls, snow-cold water, apricot slices, plum ginger, honeyed sweets, sand-dusted balls, fragrant sugar fruits, honeyed carved preserves...

He bought a portion of every delicious thing he could find.

He would stuff this little madwoman until she burst!

Carrying large and small bags, Luo Zhou headed to the place where they had met yesterday.

Not only did he bring various delicacies for Fang Ningshuang, but he also brought ten purple crickets for the Blood Parrot; he wouldn't neglect that either.

Liu Changlong was scheduled to arrange things for him on the first of next month; that should be fine.

As for the Old Crocodile Dragon, waiting for the rain to shoot it dead should also be no problem.

Only one Blood Parrot remained. With ten days left, he had to find a way to destroy it.

Despite Fang Ningshuang's appearance, the Blood Parrot never approached him, giving him no opportunity at all.

Therefore, he had to come today to seek an opening.

When he arrived, Fang Ningshuang did not appear.

Luo Zhou didn't mind and began feeding the purple crickets to the Blood Parrot.

The damn thing ate them as soon as they were offered, gorging itself.

However, it absolutely refused to come within ten feet of Luo Zhou, denying him any chance.

A moment later, Fang Ningshuang appeared silently. The madwoman emerged behind Luo Zhou.

"You're here?"

"I'm here!"

"I brought you lots of good food—rice crackers, sachima, oven-baked fruits, eel buns..."

Fang Ningshuang said haughtily, "Stop talking! I won't eat a single bite! I am the daughter of the City Lord of Cuiling City; do you think I lack for food?"

Her words left Luo Zhou speechless with frustration.

"If you won't eat, then great! I'll eat them myself!"

Luo Zhou began eating on his own. Fang Ningshuang truly didn't take a single bite; she just watched him eat.

The two of them sat there, neither in opposition nor in conversation, just idling.

They exchanged a few words here and there, but nothing serious.

As they spoke, both eventually lay down on the grass, watching the white clouds in the sky.

From time to time, they would discuss what shape a cloud took, or what animal another cloud resembled...

Fang Ningshuang still had her episodes. One moment, her telepathy would urge her to kill him, and the next, she would lose the urge; one moment she would drift toward the South Mountain, and the next, her connection would inexplicably cut out...

Luo Zhou had gradually adapted. Whenever he felt she was about to kill him, he would change the subject, and Fang Ningshuang would forget in an instant...

Sometimes, she would go completely blank, showing no reaction and ceasing to speak altogether!

Luo Zhou wondered: if he struck her at such a moment, would it kill her?

But it was just a passing thought...

Unknowingly, did he seem to be going mad himself?

For some reason, Luo Zhou actually quite liked this feeling.

Since his spiritual awakening and the hundred days of constant peril, every moment and every day had been a reminder. While Luo Zhou appeared calm, the sight of the Death-冥 Spirits covering the ground—especially the cries of the countless children from the Canal Gang—had turned even a good person into a lunatic!

This moment was his most comfortable and relaxed time.

Lying there like this, Luo Zhou felt as though he might fall asleep.

In a trance, he suddenly sensed that Fang Ningshuang wasn't refusing to eat because she didn't want to.

She *couldn't* eat. She couldn't eat anything; something was wrong with her body.

Her only source of life came from the nourishment provided by her pet, the Blood Parrot.

On the fifteenth of every month, the Blood Parrot would consume humans; that was the food that kept the two of them alive...

However, things had changed recently. The purple crickets he brought were like little treats, making them both less hungry.

No food, madness, torment, being misunderstood by kin, personal agony, loss of memory, mental insanity...

Every moment, every second, Fang Ningshuang seemed to be living in hell.

Sometimes, when she lost her mind, she would lash out and hurt people. Even her brother, who cared for her most, had had an arm torn off by her, leaving him wailing in pain!

Luo Zhou's heart trembled uncontrollably; he could hardly believe it.

In his mind, the City Lord's daughter—a favored child of heaven—was actually in such agony!

But how could he sense her inner thoughts and memories?

Luo Zhou shook his head, refusing to dwell on it...

Suddenly, Fang Ningshuang spoke: "If you lie to me again... your parents died long ago. Yesterday, no matter when you went home, no one would have scolded you, because you are alone! No one cares for you or loves you. And just like me, you are going to die. You only have ten days of life left. No one will even know when you die; only when you rot and the stench spreads will you be discovered. But no one will bury you; you'll just be sent to the mortuary...!"

Luo Zhou felt Fang Ningshuang's memories, and Fang Ningshuang felt his...

Luo Zhou said nothing; he only let his tears fall as he lay there watching the clouds.

Instead, he said, "Look, does that cloud look like a horse...?"

When he returned home that evening, Uncle Cheng Yu was waiting at his door.

They had found the Crocodile Dragon.

Luo Zhou shook his head and said, "In a few days. I have things to attend to these next few days!"

He didn't dare wander aimlessly now; he had to accompany Fang Ningshuang.

Uncle Cheng Yu wanted to say more, but after catching a glimpse of Luo Zhou, his body shuddered involuntarily. He immediately lowered his head and left.

Luo Zhou did not know that, without realizing it, he had been tainted by Fang Ningshuang, carrying a trace of that demonic, murderous intent within him.

It was a murderous intent so potent it could kill a Qi-Refining cultivator, causing the lives of ordinary people to tremble and recoil in avoidance!

Terrified, Uncle Cheng Yu didn't dare say another word and turned to run.

Unaware of this, Luo Zhou returned home and continued his cultivation.

After some thought, he contacted Akula, asking him to deliver fifty purple crickets the next day.

June 25th. Clear skies. Eight days left!

Luo Zhou went there with the purple crickets and fed them one by one.

Fang Ningshuang appeared at some unknown point, watching him feed them.

She said nothing, but there was an indescribable sense of satisfaction in her.

It was as if she were very full!

The random murderous intent that appeared that day was also half of what it had been yesterday.

The two of them chatted idly before eventually lying down to count the clouds again.

They were not far apart on the green grass. This leisure made Luo Zhou feel exceptionally comfortable; before he knew it, he had fallen asleep.

He didn't know how long he slept before waking up. He wasn't dead...

Dead? What death? What was he thinking?

Fang Ningshuang suddenly asked, "Does this count as us having slept together?"

Luo Zhou laughed loudly and said, "I don't know! Let's say it does?"

It was so comfortable that he remained in that state until the afternoon. In a trance, Luo Zhou once again sensed Fang Ningshuang's inner world.

It felt as if he were in a fairyland, surrounded by an extraordinarily beautiful environment.

The Heaven and Earth Dao Sect, the Pearl-Bright Radiance, Duqiong Peak!

In that moment, Fang Ningshuang felt immense terror, her legs trembling uncontrollably.

It wasn't just her; there were three other identical women around her. They were all maidservants of this peak, performing miscellaneous tasks for the outer disciples of the Heaven and Earth Dao Sect...

A figure seemed to be walking slowly before them, selecting something.

She couldn't see clearly, couldn't understand, couldn't make sense of it!

Only then did she know who it was!

The Golden Core True Person and Master of Duqiong Peak, Fairy Nanchun!

"You will do. You are ordinary; at most, you will ascend to the Foundation Establishment stage. There is no loss if you die. I grant you this opportunity! This little thing born this time might be a Blood Parrot of the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands. A Demon Lord's pet! This is your great fortune! If it isn't, you are just an ordinary person anyway, so there is no loss. Pay attention in your next life."

The voice was gentle; one could tell Fairy Nanchun was a great beauty!

But to Fang Ningshuang, it brought nothing but absolute terror and despair!

It meant her life, her family, her future, and everything she had was vanishing.

Yet, she could only endure it, forced to speak with respectful joy: "Thank you, True Person! It is this disciple's honor!"

She had to suppress her grief and maintain a tone of extreme happiness, because she had to protect her family—her father, her brother, her sister, and her most beloved little brother!

For some reason, Luo Zhou's tears fell—anger, pain, and sorrow!

Then, Fang Ningshuang suddenly said, "Li Haitian must die!"

Luo Zhou felt her memory, and she felt his!

June 26th. Clear skies. How many days left...?

What did the days matter? What use were they?

Luo Zhou came to the place again and slept on the ground with Fang Ningshuang...

This time, he brought eighty-three purple crickets. It wasn't intentional; it was all Akula could catch.

Unexpectedly, Fang Ningshuang said, "Don't bring any more. It's tired of them; it won't eat them anymore!"

"It"—the Blood Parrot. The Blood Parrot of the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands. The entity that Fairy Nanchun had forced upon Fang Ningshuang, the existence that had changed the course of her life!

As if sensing Luo Zhou's thoughts, Fang Ningshuang smiled bitterly

"It's not a Blood Parrot of the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands; it's only from one Heaven and one Earth. It's a defective product. On the second day, we were discovered, and it was deemed worthless. We were expelled from Duqiong Peak, and I was ruined, unable to cultivate within the sect. The sect could have facilitated my reincarnation. But my father couldn't bear to let me go; he brought me back to wait for death at home. I know it's secretly eating people. I tried to stop it, but it was too hungry. When the hunger reaches its limit, I lose all control... I am no good person either. I have harmed my family; I tore off my most beloved brother's arm. I am the Demon of the Round Moon!"

Luo Zhou didn't know what to say. He said nothing and did nothing.

After a thought, he said, "Come, let's sleep a little longer!"

"Look, does that cloud look like a horse?"

In a daze, he didn't know when he returned home. He didn't cultivate today; he just sat there blankly.

June 27th. And...?

And what?

Nothing...

Luo Zhou rose blankly, wanting to go back there again.

Suddenly, a realization struck him!

In a flash, he understood!

Why did Fang Ningshuang feel so familiar? Why could he understand her so clearly?

Because Fang Ningshuang was not a person; she was a Death-冥 Spirit!

She was the first person the Blood Parrot had eaten. On the day the Blood Parrot was discovered, she had already died—she had died long ago!

It was just that her Death-冥 Spirit form had been fused with the Blood Parrot, and she was being manipulated by it!

She simply didn't know it; she was still struggling desperately, fighting to live!

But the more she struggled, the more she suffered!

No wonder she felt as though she were in purgatory at every moment!

How bitter!

Luo Zhou could not stop his tears from falling!