My Disciple Wants to Tease Me Every Day - Chapter 51

: Familiar
Even tied up over a bonfire, cursed and battered by the crowd, the expression on the young woman’s face did not change a bit. She was warm and kind all the way through, like she would not be afraid even if the sky fell.

Until in this moment, the villagers brought up that accomplice, and the green-clothed woman’s face suddenly grew pale.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about! You can say I have the heart of a wolf and the lungs of a dog, you can say I’m an evil fiend, I’ll admit it all, but I truly do not have an accomplice! You can burn me to death, but I still insist that everything I did was to save your lives! I never wanted to destroy this village, I never wanted to harm you!”

The green-clothed woman finished, then slowly closed her eyes. Her brows twitched, like she was determined to burn her bridges behind her.

Seeing her refuse to cooperate, the villagers exploded in anger. The staffs in their hands thundered on the ground, torches waving back and forth in front of that woman’s face.

“Witch! You still refuse to confess! Do you think we don’t know?! You would go to the cave to the north every night and stay there until dawn. At first, we were not suspicious, we just thought you went there to study medicine, but one day, Auntie Wang’s grandson followed you out of curiosity! Then, we found out that you were not going there every night to study medicine to save people, but to meet with a lover.

We don’t want to mind who you fool around with, but we never thought that you would wallow in the filth with an evil spirit! A plague descended on our village, all because you had no restraint!

Witch, don’t think you can hide it any longer! Chen-ge has already taken people there!

Today, we are going to catch you red-handed! You and your lover will never be able to do evil again!”

They spoke with righteous indignation, and some furious villagers even dumped a basin full of black dog’s blood onto her body.

Thick and pungent blood dripped hotly down her cheeks, mixing with the warm tears she could no longer hold back, making her seem even more wretched, even more pitiful.

The green-clothed woman shook her head as hard as she could, finally unable to hold back her sobs. “No, no, she is not an evil spirit, she is a good person! Without her, our village could not have survived until now!”

“Shut your mouth! You still want to quarrel?! You traitorous thing, we saw it with your own eyes! Half of that monster’s body has turned to bone! Do you think you can hide it any longer?!”

The villagers were already at the extent of their rage, they would no longer listen to any explanation.

Furious roars echoed through the air, shattering the green-clothed woman’s pitiful pleas.

After watching until now, Di Jiufeng had figured out a few things, and pity rose in her heart as she watched that green-clothed woman. Di Jiufeng wanted to save her, but she was afraid that if she acted, she and Ning Guang would get tied up, unable to return to their original world.

She hesitated for a moment.

But just then, a fearful cry sounded from the path behind her.

Di Jiufeng turned to see a person wrapped in grey smoke hurtling over on all four limbs. Through the heavy grey fog, Di Jiufeng could barely see that half her body was only white bones, foul pus and blood spilling all over the ground, leaving a trail behind her.

“Is she…” Di Jiufeng was going to ask if she was of the witch race, but the Ning Guang who could practically read her mind guessed what she was thinking a step ahead of her.

Ning Guang shook her head and said, “She is not of the witch race. Though her power resonates with mine, it is very strange, she is not of the witch race. There is not a trace of witch race blood in her veins.”

As she spoke, that person had already burst through to the front. She was like a mad wolf, howling and crashing back and forth through the crowd of people.

Seeing her in this state, the villagers scattered like birds with cries of fear.

As the packed crowd pushed back and forth, the torches rolled onto the heap of firewood. Because it had already been doused with oil, a ring of fire rose up with the first touch of a flame. Crimson fire burned from the outside in, the blazing warmth making the very air begin to twist.

“Why are you here? Go back, you can’t stand the light!”

Across the sea of fire, that ball of grey smoke grew blurrier and blurrier, but this very faint shadow made that green-clothed woman’s tears begin to fall as if they had breached a dike. She choked on soundless sobs, unable to get out any words other than muttering, “Go!” over and over.

The green-clothed woman was so desperate that her voice began to crack.

The person wrapped in grey smoke tilted her head and looked at her for a while, then slowly moved back.

“Go… go and don’t come back… leave this place… live your own life.” Her eyes were fixed on the other, a wisp of barely-detectable despair mixing with the relief in her gaze.

She forced herself to smile, but before her lips could even curl, her eyes flew wide open.

––The person in the grey smoke moved several meters back, and right afterwards, stopped, and shot forwards. Like a bolt of lightning, she leaped through the air. Through the raging sea of fire, the roiling smoke, she landed before the green-clothed woman like a deity from the heavens. It seemed that she was very afraid of fire. Her limbs curled in around her, and even the grey smoke around her body grew thin.

“I, I… I, won’t, go.” Di Jiufeng finally heard the person in the grey smoke speak.

It was like speaking was very difficult for her, the words mumbled and unclear, like she was holding a date in her mouth.

“Stay together, with, you. You, I, we, won’t separate…” Reaching out a hand that was only white bones, she tore at the ropes with all her strength. It was like she did not understand anything at all, did not know how to untie knots, did not know how to use tools. Seeing that she could not tear away the ropes after several tries, she opened her mouth to bite them.

Flames licked closer, burning her finger bones. She shivered in fright, her whole body darting back.

“Fire, fire.. I, I’m, not afraid…” She shook violently, her whole body curled into a ball. She was a bit afraid to get close, but seeing that person tied to the pillar, she suddenly clenched her fist. She spoke with certainty, and though her movements were slow, she walked over step by step, no sign of cowering back.

“I, will take you, away…” She split open her mouth and used her dull teeth to bite at the rope.

Her cheeks, one flesh one bone, grew blurry with blood and flesh.

With tearful eyes, the green-clothed woman tried to stop her, but her hands and feet were tied tight. She could only shout herself hoarse, unable to do anything at all. “Go! Don’t mind me! Go back, you can’t stand the light, you can’t stand fire, go…”

As if to prove her words, the grey smoke surrounding the person before her grew thinner and thinner. Without the protection of the smoke, the piercing light burnt patches of ash onto her body like liquid poison. She let out a raspy cry of pain, but did not retreat, only biting into the ropes with even more strength.

Finally, ground down by her teeth, the ropes finally broke.

“A-Yi, hold on, to me…” She turned around, her back towards Lu Yi. She turned and looked at her until Lu Yi climbed onto her back, then rushed towards the outside of the sea of fire on all fours. Most of the wooden platform had already collapsed, tongues of fire wreaking havoc all around. They could not break through even after several attempts.

“A-Yi, it’s hot.” They circled through the flames, trying to figure out how to burst out, but the circle in which they could move was too small. There was nowhere to get a running start.

They were trapped.

Seeing this scene, the villagers gathered back around!

“You came just at the right time! You two evildoers can die together.” They gathered back around from all four sides, pouring the remaining oil into the midst of the flames all at once.

The already raging flames were incited by the oil, writhing as if to rip apart the sky itself.

The person in the smoke ran around in circles in fright, scared by the fire, shaking so much she nearly couldn’t stand. She wanted to hide, but thinking of the person on her back, she hurriedly controlled herself. She mumbled, “A, Yi, A-Yi, don’t be, afraid, I’m, here.”

She reached up and patted the person on her back. Seeing the fire grow higher and higher, she clenched her teeth, raised Lu Yi high on her shoulder, then for the first time, she moved upright on two legs, clumsily rushing into the sea of flames.

The fire was impassive, and did not pity lovers. The moment they rushed in, the flames wrapped the grey smoke-covered person in their midst.

The grey smoke around her was no match for the raging flames. In only a moment, they disappeared into thin air. “A-Yi, A-Yi, it’s not hot!” She howled, but her hands raised Lu Yi above her head with all her strength.

Di Jiufeng could no longer bear to watch.

She didn’t care what the consequences were, she only wanted this pair of lovers to get a good conclusion.

“Ning Guang, I…”

“It’s alright, you can do whatever you want to do, as long as you are by my side.” Taking her Shifu’s hand, she flew them both down. With a sweep of her sleeve, Ning Guang extinguished the sea of flames, then wrapped the two people in demonic energy and flew off into the distance.

“You, you…” Lu Yi looked at the two, and thousands of words melted into a simple word of thanks. She said, “My two benefactors, this Lu Yi will engrave this act into her memory. I will repay you, I would not hesitate to go through water and tread on fire. But right now, could you take us to the cave to the north of the village? Chu Yi is the sacrifice of the suppression array, she cannot leave that cave for too long.”

They flew out of the village, following Lu Yi’s directions. As soon as they stepped into the forest which hid that mountain cave, a wave of demonic energy hit Ning Guang straight in the face.

It was a very pure demonic energy, even the ancient witch’s power was rejuvenated by a significant amount.

After placing the two down by the cave and before they walked in, Ning Guang suddenly stopped. Her gaze was a bit unfocused and blurry, like she had suddenly thought of something.

“Ning Guang, Ning Guang, are you alright?” Di Jiufeng called quietly by her ear.

Hearing her Shifu’s voice, Ning Guang finally came back to her senses. She turned to look at her and said, “It’s so familiar. A-Feng, I think I’ve been here before.” She took another look at the mountain cave, that sense of familiarity springing up unbidden as if it had been carved into her bones. She could even say how many forks there were in this cave, and where they all lead.

“A-Feng, I cannot remember where this place is, but I have definitely been here before.”

Di Jiufeng took her hand and comforted her in a gentle voice, “If you cannot remember, then don’t worry, let’s go in and take a look.”

Notes:

This chapter was translated by Lily.