Ch. 6 - The Calamity of the Nightmare Demon

The next morning, Yang Ruo jumped out of bed feeling refreshed. After all, she and Tan Jin seemed to have grown a little closer last night—she was so giddy about it that even her sleep quality had leveled up. For once, all those worries and anxieties she’d been nursing seemed to have melted away.

Until breakfast, that is.

Chun Tao dropped the bombshell that Ye Bingshang had gone missing overnight.

Yang Ruo froze.

Oh crap. I forgot a major plot point again!

The Nightmare Demon questline—Tan Jin’s very first dungeon and upgrade arc—had just been triggered.

She wasn’t too nervous, though. She already knew the “difficulty rating” of this dungeon. After making sure Tan Jin had finished his breakfast, she tugged him along to join the crowd.

Besides, she was dying to meet this so-called Daoist master, Pang Bo-tu of the Xiaoyao Sect. How could she have forgotten? If she wanted to learn talisman-drawing, why keep struggling with trial-and-error from books? Wouldn’t it be smarter to just beg a professional cultivator to teach her directly?

Either Xiao Lin or Pang Bo-tu could work.

Pang Bo-tu, though? Well, he might not be the most reliable option, but even a half-baked teacher was better than none.

So, grinning from ear to ear, she pulled Tan Jin into the main hall where everyone had gathered. The moment she spotted Ye Xiao, Ye Xiwu’s father, she immediately tucked her metaphorical tail between her legs—terrified the man might somehow sniff out that his “daughter” had been swapped.

Tan Jin’s gaze flicked to their hands, which had just abruptly separated. His eyes rippled faintly.

Meanwhile, Yang Ruo kept one eye on Pang Bo-tu’s exorcism ritual and the other on the script running through her mind.

First, Ye Bingshang and Ying Xin disappear.

Next, tonight, it’ll be Tan Jin’s turn.

In the original story, Ye Xiwu wasn’t captured unless she stayed too close to him. Which meant… since Yang Ruo still didn’t have any real self-defense skills, maybe she should just let Tan Jin face the demon solo this time.

Because, honestly, the idea of squaring off against a nightmare demon herself? Terrifying.

She couldn’t even draw a proper talisman yet, let alone use one in combat. With her half-baked skill, charging in would basically be a death wish.

Better plan: she’d just feed Tan Jin the key intel ahead of time, drill him a little on what to watch out for, and he should be fine. That way, he wouldn’t get tricked into suicide, nor would anyone need to hold his blade to stop him.

Yeah… that should work.

Yang Ruo rubbed her chin.

Did she really need to be there in person? Probably not. She didn’t want to risk her own life, and she didn’t want Tan Jin to die either—but wouldn’t a well-placed spoiler be enough?

After all, if she was basically handing him the answer key to the exam in advance, he had no excuse to flunk.

“Tan Jin, you can do this! Even without Li Susu, you’ve got this!” She mentally cheered, frantically trying to reframe her cowardice as “strategic delegation.”

After the meeting, she found out where Pang Yi and the others planned to set up their formation. Then she dragged Tan Jin back to their quarters—time to cram this poor exam candidate before the big test tonight.

This time, she didn’t hold anything back. Under the excuse of having had a “strange dream,” she laid out the whole walkthrough in detail, spoiling the demon encounter step by step.

But Tan Jin… didn’t look particularly interested. He sat there with his usual calm detachment, as though none of this mattered.

Yang Ruo: “…”

Seriously? I’m here handing you the cheat codes, but you can’t even pretend to care?

Finally, just as she was about to choke on her tea in frustration, Tan Jin said lightly, voice devoid of emotion:

“Second Miss speaks of this dream in such detail—it almost sounds as if you experienced it yourself.”

Yang Ruo nearly spat her tea all over the table.

This bastard…!

Here she was, trying to help, and he had the nerve to suspect her instead!

She slammed back, “Oh? Then what exactly do you think it is?”

Tan Jin arched a brow, his gaze cool and unreadable.

Yang Ruo instantly dodged his probing eyes. Ha. No way. Tonight, she’d be finding the safest, darkest hole possible and turtling there until Xiao Lin and his squad came back from slaying the demon.

So she simply tossed back:

And off she swaggered, big movements, big voice—though secretly she hoped Tan Jin would call her back, maybe ask her to repeat the demon-exam cheat sheet in detail. What if he missed a step? If he got himself killed because she only spoiler-dumped once, then she was screwed too.

But of course, Tan Jin never called after her.

Fine, she sighed inwardly. Cold, arrogant, and stubborn as ever. That’s his brand. Can’t exactly blame him for staying in character.

Which meant she’d just have to overwork herself to compensate.

…

Back in the tea room, Tan Jin sat alone, slowly pouring his own tea. In the afternoon, a servant brought him a folded document.

He opened it—turns out it was the same “dream” walkthrough Ye Xiwu (Yang Ruo) had whispered at him this morning. In other words: a step-by-step replay of what had actually happened in their previous lifetime.

He already knew every beat of it, of course. He had “extra lives” worth of memory.

Tan Jin raised a brow. No ripple in his eyes. Then—whoosh. The notes went into the flames. Keeping something like that around? Dangerous.

Ye Xiwu… are you reborn?

If so, why can’t you draw a single proper talisman?

His gaze lowered. This lifetime, she didn’t even want to go with him to the Nightmare Demon’s lair. Last lifetime, she’d clung to him unto death, refusing to let go even when they were dragged off together.

Ye Xiwu, what kind of tricks are you playing at?

…

Meanwhile, Yang Ruo hadn’t just dashed off to slack. She’d carefully worded those notes—giving Tan Jin the vital hints but hiding the rest. No way was she about to write, “Oh BTW, I know you have evil bones inside you, and one day you’ll snack on the Nightmare Demon like it’s hotpot.” That kind of revelation would get her killed on the spot.

So she stuck to useful tips, left out the terrifying spoilers, and kept her little transmigrator brain safe.

But her anxiety hadn’t lessened, which was why she went straight to Pang Yi (a.k.a. Pang Bo-tu) to formally beg for talisman lessons.

If she could learn proper cultivation skills, then maybe next time—or the time after that—she’d actually have the guts to stand beside Tan Jin in a dungeon instead of just handing him study notes.

She offered Pang Yi the talismans she’d been practicing. To her surprise, his eyes lit up.

“Not bad at all, Second Miss Ye! Honestly, I feel like taking you in as my little secular junior-sister. To get this far from just reading books… your talent’s impressive.”

He flipped through more of her attempts, nodding.

He began to guide her patiently, explaining each stroke and its logic.

Yang Ruo was fascinated. The first time learning proper Daoist arts, she was practically glued to his side, peppering him with questions and—yes—genuinely complimenting him whenever something clicked.

Pang Yi, poor single cultivator, had never enjoyed this kind of pretty-lady flattery in his life. Even the yawns he usually couldn’t stop—gone. The man was energized, radiating “teacher mode.” Of course, whenever he didn’t know something, he just coughed and said, “Ah, that is one of the Dao’s profound mysteries. You’ll need to meditate on it in time. Don’t rush, or you’ll risk deviation.”

Yang Ruo nodded like a model student, writing everything down in her heart. Truly grateful.

…

Not far away, Xiao Lin stood in the cold wind, clutching his sword, worrying about Ye Bingshang, who was still missing. After a long while, his ears picked up the chatter behind him.

At first, he thought Ye Xiwu had come up with some new ploy to get close to him again. But when he turned slightly to listen… no. She was actually studying earnestly. No harassment, no schemes.

Xiao Lin’s brows lifted.

Did Second Miss suddenly… get enlightened?

On a dead, crooked branch, a crow stared down at the three below. Through it, Tan Jin received the latest news.

He ground the ink slowly, then wrote with his usual elegance: Ye Bingshang, trapped in the southern outskirts, Half-Pillow Mountain. He left the message there, same as last lifetime.

Heh. Almost the same.

Except for one thing. No—except one person.

Ye. Xi. Wu.

That baffling woman. He had no idea what game she was playing.

Did she still want to kill him, but with a new method this time? Afraid last life’s “clinging until death” strategy wasn’t effective enough, so she switched tactics to earn his trust?

Schemer. Fox.

His brows knitted suddenly. Wait… she refused to go with me into the Nightmare Demon’s lair. Was it because she already knows there’s a trap inside?

That must be it. She knows. So she bailed.

Makes sense now. Every suspicious move, explained.

Tan Jin’s lips curled in a faint smile. Dark. Dangerous.

…

Meanwhile, Ye Xiwu (Yang Ruo) was rolling around on the floor with talismans all afternoon, finally getting the hang of it under Pang Yi’s patient tutoring. By the time she dragged herself back to her own courtyard for dinner, guess who was waiting?

Tan Jin. Of course. Probably brooding about the monster’s arrival tonight.

Good boy, waiting quietly like this, she thought generously.

She plopped herself at the table, spotted her favorite dishes, and with zero manners started shoveling food in, only tossing him a casual “Hey” in greeting.

Tan Jin, slow as ever, lifted his chopsticks—but his gaze stayed pinned on the completely defenseless woman stuffing her face across the table.

His thoughts were darker. If I can’t get out alive tonight… then she’s coming with me.

…

The Nightmare Demon arrived at midnight. It found Tan Jin lying on the bed.

Joy! Easy prey!

It rushed forward to snatch him up—only to discover a bonus prize: a young woman tied to him by the waist. Two-for-one deal, efficiency maxed. No need to waste time separating them.

…

Ye Xiwu blinked awake groggily. The last thing she remembered was dinner. Then—

Wait.

Wait a freaking minute.

Why was she on a bed? Why was she in Tan Jin’s arms?

She shot upright like a carp leaping from water, frantically patting herself down. Clothes still intact. Relief.

Then—hold up. Where was she? This wasn’t Ye Manor. Trees, vines everywhere, the landscape suspiciously like…

A dungeon.

Before she could process, a tug yanked her flat again. She followed the force, and—

Two waist-belts. Knotted. Together.

Ye Xiwu: ……

TAN JIN!

You bastard! Not only do I have to give you walkthroughs, you also drag me into the dungeon as your support character?

She clawed at her hair, on the verge of collapse. Finally, she sighed. Fine. There's no point in fighting.

First thing—inventory check. Did she still have talismans?

Thank god. A few papers remained stuffed in her sleeves. Her heart steadied.

Only then did she glance over at Tan Jin. Not good. His body was already blooming with Nightmare Flowers.

She froze. Wait, what the hell? How long was I out? Isn’t this dungeon supposed to start with both of us stumbling into Yingxin’s dream first?

Now? She was late to the cutscene.

So… what’s my move here?

She had no clue how to enter his dream. All she could do was fidget, praying her cheat sheet was enough for him to pull through.

And at that moment, she realized—she felt like one of those anxious parents waiting outside the college entrance exam hall. Pacing, sweating, muttering under her breath: Please don’t fail, please don’t fail…

The role might not match—she was technically supposed to be his peer, not his mom—but the feeling? Identical.

Tan Jin, come on. You can do this. Don’t make me regret tutoring you.

Ye Xiwu peeked at Tan Jin a moment longer, then decided—better to play dead than be dead. If the Nightmare Demon popped back and saw her awake, who knew what would happen? So she lay back down and pulled the oldest trick in the transmigrator survival guide: fake sleep.

Problem was… she faked it so well she actually fell asleep.

By the time Tan Jin had already finished absorbing the Nightmare Demon, she was still sprawled on the ground, snoring softly.

He looked down at her, expression unreadable. The quality of this woman’s sleep is terrifying. In a death zone, and she still snoozes like a pig in mud.

There you have it. Our great Tan Jin, master of cultivation and ice-cold beauty, had just compared the heroine’s repose to livestock. Zero romance. Negative points.

The chamber was cleared. No traps. No tricks. Just her.

He crouched beside her, studying the curve of her neck. Since you like to sleep so much… how about I let you sleep forever?

A pale hand hovered, then pressed lightly against her soft throat. Beneath his fingers, her pulse fluttered—alive, vulnerable. One squeeze. That’s all it would take. The enigma, the irritation, the woman who made him question his own past and future—gone.

Tan Jin’s gaze darkened, a predator’s patience stretching on and on. Long enough that her warmth seeped into his frozen hand.

And then—

Ye Xiwu stirred. A chill against her neck jolted her half-awake. She slapped the hand away on instinct, blinking groggily into his frigid eyes.

For three whole seconds, she just sat there, stunned. Then—

“…Huh? You’re awake?” she blurted. (Wrong question, Xiwu. Wrong question.) What she wanted to ask was Did you absorb the Nightmare Demon already? but the words died in her throat.

Tan Jin’s voice was cold as iron: “En. The Nightmare Demon is gone.”

“Oh.”

She shrank back, scooting a few inches away, hairs prickling at her neck. The aura around him felt wrong. Sharp. Dangerous. Like a sword unsheathed and pointed straight at her heart.

Why? Why did it feel like he’d been this close to killing her?

But Ye Xiwu’s brain after a nap was about as reliable as a wet matchstick. She could barely process linear thought, let alone metaphysical death vibes.

Nightmare Demon’s gone—who did it?

…Yeah, questions for later. Right now, priority one: don’t die before breakfast.

Comments