Chapter 2#
The Little Waste Tames the Sinister Demon King (02)
Xiao Wu looked at him eagerly and continued.
“Once you go to the demon realm, it will be difficult for you to return to the human realm. Although your parents have your eldest brother to look after them, they still lack someone close to their heart. Why don’t you… give me the Ling family token? In the future, I will take good care of them on your behalf.”
Ling Yan raised an eyebrow slightly.
So it was the token he was after.
A hint of mockery flickered in his tea-colored eyes. He looked directly at the other, his voice soft as he countered.
“Why should you take care of my parents for me?”
Hearing this, a bashful flush rose to Xiao Wu’s face. He lowered his voice and murmured, “Naturally, because our hearts are as one. If you weren’t going to marry into the demon realm, you ought to have… ought to have married me.”
Ling Yan was getting a little tired of standing. Holding the cat, he leaned lazily against a nearby willow tree, casting a sidelong glance at Xiao Wu as he asked.
“You love me?”
Xiao Wu grew excited at once, thinking the matter of the token had taken a turn. He quickly pledged his loyalty: “Of course! I love you, I’ve opened my heart to you—”
Before he could finish, there was a sudden swish—
A hand shot through Xiao Wu’s chest like lightning, then leisurely withdrew a still-beating heart from within his body.
Xiao Wu choked out a mouthful of blood and managed to utter a single “You” before his body went limp and began to fall backward. Just as he was about to hit the ground, that hand again plunged into his chest cavity, groped around for a moment, and pulled out a lung leaf.
Bang—Xiao Wu’s corpse hit the ground heavily.
Ling Xiaoqi immediately wailed: [Big Brother! You need to maintain your persona!]
[What persona?]
[The waste! You’re a little waste in this world, completely without spiritual power!]
Ling Yan was stunned for a moment. He looked down at his own hands, now stained with blood, then glanced at the heart and lung on the ground. Palms upward, he moved a little spiritual force—a faint wisp of energy flickered.
He tried again, and another wisp appeared.
Then the force dissipated without a trace.
Ling Yan smiled faintly and soothed, [See? I’m still a little waste.]
Ling Xiaoqi was completely baffled: [Then how did you kill Xiao Wu? He was a high-level Human Yellow Spiritual realm expert!]
[Does pulling out a heart or lung require any spiritual power?]
[Then what does it require?]
[Speed, accuracy, ruthlessness.]
[…]
Ling Xiaoqi fell utterly silent.
Ling Yan looked at his bloodstained hands with a slight frown, a touch of disgust on his face—if he’d known it would come to this, he wouldn’t have done it with his bare hands, getting himself so messy.
He lowered his gaze, seeing the black cat in his arms staring at the blood on his palm. Casually, he brought his hand to the cat’s mouth.
“Lick it clean.”
The black cat raised its head, a flicker of elusive light passing through its golden pupils. It gave a soft “Meow,” then actually lowered its head and carefully licked the bloodstains off his hand, one by one.
Ling Yan raised an eyebrow slightly.
He had only been testing it on a whim, not expecting the cat to be so intelligent and truly understand his words.
The barbs on the cat’s tongue scraped lightly across his palm—not painful, but leaving a tingling, astringent sensation.
In a short while, the blood was all licked away, leaving only damp traces of saliva. Ling Yan’s tea-colored eyes dropped slightly as he glanced at the corpse beside the willow tree. He took a token from his sleeve, tossed it carelessly onto Xiao Wu’s body, and said blandly.
“In consideration of you having ‘opened your heart’ to me, consider this token a gift.”
Saying this, Ling Yan walked slowly to the riverbank nearby, crouched down, and began to wash his hands. Even though the black cat had licked off the blood, he still felt an unpleasant stickiness lingering on his skin.
The river reflected his exquisite profile—
Tea-colored peach-blossom eyes, a straight nose, gracefully shaped lips. Even just a silhouette was enough to captivate.
After washing his hands clean, he noticed the black cat staring intently at the river’s surface, as if focused on something. Following its gaze, Ling Yan saw a fish flickering through the water.
He couldn’t help but chuckle. “What, craving fish?”
“Meow—”
The black cat looked up at him, its golden pupils clearly reflecting Ling Yan’s figure.
Ling Yan picked up a slender branch from the side, waited for the right moment, and stabbed sharply into the water. When he lifted it, a struggling black fish was impaled on the branch.
He offered the fish to the black cat. “Eat.”
The cat looked at Ling Yan, then at the fish. Suddenly opening its mouth, it swallowed both fish and branch whole.
Ling Yan paused for a moment, then threw away the branch and gently pried open the cat’s mouth to check its throat. “Swallowing it raw? This is the first time I’ve seen a cat like you.”
“Meow—”
The cat called again.
Ling Yan raised an eyebrow. “Want more?”
“Meow—”
He picked up another branch and quickly speared a few more fish. Every strike was fast and accurate, and the black cat swallowed them all raw without exception.
After the cat had finished its meal, Ling Yan picked it up and turned to walk back to the bridal sedan.
As he passed the willow tree, Ling Xiaoqi couldn’t help but speak up.
[Big Brother, just leaving the token on his body like that—won’t it cause trouble?]
Ling Yan stroked the black cat’s back, his tone indifferent.
[It won’t. No one will suspect me of Xiao Wu’s death—after all, my persona is that of a powerless little waste.]
Reboarding the bridal sedan, the procession continued on their way.
The human realm and the demon realm were far apart. Moreover, the great war had just ended, and many powerful spiritual cultivators were severely wounded. This bridal escort consisted mostly of low-level cultivators, with few experts among them, so naturally the journey was much slower.
Even within the human domain, they traveled for seven whole days.
During those seven days, Ling Yan and the black cat were inseparable—eating together, sleeping together, sharing the same pillow.
The bridal sedan stopped again, this time in front of an inn.
The leader of the escort walked up to the sedan and said, “Second Young Master Ling, tomorrow we will enter the demon realm. At that point, we cannot accompany you any further. Please… take care.”
Ling Yan stepped out of the sedan gracefully, his expression calm.
“I understand.”
Entering the inn, he ordered hot water.
Slowly, he shed his red wedding robes until he was completely bare, revealing the elegant lines of his waist and back.
Sinking into the bath, the hot water gradually washed away the dust and fatigue of the long journey. He let out a comfortable sigh, closed his eyes, and enjoyed this moment of tranquility.
After soaking for a while, Ling Yan lazily opened his eyes—only to see the black cat had somehow jumped onto the table beside him, staring motionlessly in his direction. He had no idea how long it had been watching.
He flicked a few drops of water playfully in the cat’s direction, smiling as he asked.
“What are you looking at?”
The black cat, hit by the droplets, didn’t flinch or dodge like an ordinary cat. Instead, it continued to fix its gaze on him, a faint, fleeting glint of interest passing through its golden pupils—so quick that Ling Yan didn’t notice a thing.
After his bath, Ling Yan changed into his night robes, carried the black cat, and lounged on the couch.
He thought to himself, tomorrow he should be able to meet the so-called villain. He wondered what that person would look like.
As he mused, he gradually drifted off into a deep sleep.
Once his breathing had steadied and he was thoroughly asleep, the black cat in his arms slowly opened its eyes. Its golden pupils glowed faintly in the darkness as it quietly gazed at Ling Yan’s peaceful sleeping profile.
Gently, it extended its tongue—the barbed cat tongue had subtly transformed into a slender, forked serpent’s tongue, slipping silently across Ling Yan’s jaw.
The touch was incredibly light and quick, like an illusion.
Having done this, it closed its eyes again, rubbed contentedly against Ling Yan’s chest, found the most comfortable position, and fell peacefully asleep.