Chapter 4: Manor Level 4

Ai Ling wanted to go to the Demon King’s Cave, and Fluffy Ball was very happy about that. No matter her motive, at least its primary job as an assassination guidance system had finally progressed—just a tiny bit.

After crawling out of the cave, Ai Ling finally picked that bunch of yellow grapes and eagerly took a bite…

“Pleh! Pleh!” Still bitter and astringent.

Fluffy Ball shook its head. “I already told you, there are almost no tasty fruits in the universe. Otherwise, why would everyone just drink nutrient solution?”

Ai Ling held the bunch of yellow grapes and thought for a while. Something felt off. No way fruits in the interstellar future tasted worse than the ones from her time. Unless these species had reverted to primitive types. After all, all the delicious fruits on Earth were bred through generations of artificial cultivation.

Thinking of this, she confidently put the fruit into her basket and patted her chest to reassure Fluffy Ball:

“Don’t worry, once I save up enough exchange points, I’ll redeem a fruit tree or two, and all these fruits will become delicious. I guarantee you won’t be able to stop eating.”

Grafting and cultivation? That’s nothing to her.

Fluffy Ball only rolled its eyes and ignored her. It had seen through her—this girl had no brain and bragged all day without any preparation. Whatever, as long as she didn’t delay its promotion, it didn’t care.

Ai Ling crawled around under the fruit vines for a while and finally found a thinner vine. She pulled it out by the roots and placed it in the basket.

She planned to grow a whole orchard. Once she exchanged for proper fruit saplings, she would graft and cultivate them slowly.

Just imagining the day her little manor would be filled with beautiful and tasty fruits made Ai Ling so happy she wanted to dance.

Yep, she’d better head to the Demon King’s Cave quickly to earn more exchange points.

According to Fluffy Ball, the Demon King’s Cave was right in the middle of this forest. Actually, it wasn’t far anymore.

Ai Ling wasn’t in a rush, so along the way, she gathered a lot of herbs, fruit saplings, and seeds of crops with potential for improvement.

Her manor wouldn’t just have fruit trees—it would also need a herb garden, plantations, a livestock ranch… everything she had ever dreamed about.

Stopping and going, she finally reached the area near the Demon King’s Cave just as dusk approached.

The vast red clouds on the horizon bathed the whole world in a pink hue. It was like they were walking through a pink fairytale—mountains were pink, trees were pink, Fluffy Ball was pink, and Ai Ling looked even more pink and tender.

Ai Ling giggled again and tried to grab Fluffy Ball, insisting on calling it: “Fluffy Ball!”

Fluffy Ball didn’t like it, so the two chased each other around playfully for a while. Suddenly, several loud booms—“BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!”—rang out, and Ai Ling instinctively dropped to the ground.

“What happened? Did the Demon King spot us?” she asked Fluffy Ball, terrified.

Fluffy Ball shook its head. “Impossible. The Demon King hasn’t left the cave on his own in nearly ten thousand years. I suspect it’s other Xi Slayer in action.”

“Ah?” Ai Ling panicked. “Then let’s get out of here quick—we can’t be caught in the crossfire!”

Fluffy Ball gave her a sideways glance. “Aren’t you being a little cowardly? Xi Slayer are supposed to help one another. What if the Demon King only has one breath left before he dies? Or what if a fellow Slayer is in mortal danger? At a time like this, you have to go check—it’s basic professional ethics for a Xī Slayer.”

Ai Ling obviously didn’t feel that way. In moments like these, survival was more important, okay? And judging by the videos, the other Xi Slayer didn’t exactly inspire sympathy. Why would she risk her life to save one of them—just a hairy orangutan.

After waiting a while and hearing nothing, Ai Ling stood up and patted the dust off her clothes.
“Alright, professional ethics and all that. Let’s go take a look.”

She turned around, basket on her arm, and started walking.

“You’re going the wrong way. It’s this way!”

“Nope, I’m not. It’s definitely this way.”

“No, you’re wrong. The explosion just now clearly came from this direction.”

“No no no no no, you definitely heard it wrong. I clearly heard it from this way.”

“……”

BOOM!

Another loud blast exploded just ahead to Ai Ling’s right. A laser cannon hit the ground not far from her, sending Fluffy Ball fleeing with a whoosh. Ai Ling got a face full of dirt.

What the heck? That coward Fluffy Ball ran off the moment there was danger, yet it still dared lecture others about “professional ethics.”

Pleh pleh pleh!

Wiping the dirt off her face, Ai Ling turned to leave. She’d only taken two steps before hesitating and doubling back.

No, she was already here. She had to at least earn enough damage points today to make the trip worth it.

Judging the distance to be about right, she crouched down and covered her mouth to whisper a fierce threat:

“Demon King, just you wait. One day, I will kill you…”

As soon as she finished, another loud explosion echoed up ahead. Something was clearly flung through the air, and then a figure in white with long hair appeared, kneeling on the ground, one hand braced against a tree trunk.

Oh wow, it was a woman!

Ai Ling was instantly excited. She had thought she was the only human on this planet, but here was a long-haired big sister! She must also be one of tHe Xi Slayer, and it looked like she got hurt while fighting the Demon King.

Without thinking, Ai Ling grabbed her basket and rushed over.

“Big sis, don’t be afraid! I’m here to save you!” she shouted as she ran up to the figure in white.

Drops of blood seeped through the white robe and trickled downward. The person in white slowly raised their head…

At this moment, the entire world went silent.

—

Ai Ling had never seen someone so good-looking—

A man.

It was like he’d stepped out of a manga. Sword-shaped brows, eyes like phoenixes filled with strength, a high, straight nose, and a face so sharply defined it looked like it had been carved. He was ridiculously handsome—like someone not even human.

Ai Ling’s heart started pounding wildly, and at the same time, the red dot in her mind started flashing and beeping frantically—more urgent than ever before.

But Ai Ling, completely captivated by the beauty before her, had no time to care. She stammered as she looked at the man and said:

“Y-you’re hurt… Let me help you… okay?”

As soon as those words left her mouth, the red dot in Ai Ling’s mind started blinking like it was about to explode. She couldn’t take it anymore and reached out, ready to release it—

But before she could, the man moved first.

With a hand that looked impeccably well cared for, he gently tapped her forehead.

Ai Ling felt a jolt like electricity shot through her. Her whole body tingled, and the red dot on her forehead vanished instantly, going completely silent.

The man looked at her calmly with those deep, narrow eyes.

Ai Ling froze again. Those eyes were like an endless abyss, and she felt like she was about to fall right in.

But then, without a sound, the man collapsed.

Ai Ling snapped out of it and hurriedly began tending to his wounds.

Fortunately, she had a bunch of anti-inflammatory and blood-stopping herbs in her basket. She chewed them up roughly and applied the paste to his wounds, then tore off the bottom of her only T-shirt to use as bandages.

After a chaotic round of first aid, the bleeding finally stopped.

But the man was unconscious in the middle of the wild. Once night fell, the dew would soak him, and his wounds would definitely get infected. She had to find a way to bring him back to the camp.

After thinking it over, Ai Ling steeled herself. She found a long, thin wooden skewer and jabbed it into the pressure point above his upper lip. She twisted it twice.

Gradually, the man began to regain consciousness. This acupoint would temporarily give him enough strength to move, though the downside was that he’d need longer rest afterward.

But she didn’t have the luxury to worry about that now—she just had to get him back safely.

And so, the small, ragged Ai Ling supported a tall man in snow-white robes, badly weakened, and slowly helped him back to camp.

Their long shadows stretched behind them in the glow of the pink sunset.

Demon King Slayer Project — Livestream Bullet Comments:

【Never in a million years did I expect this…】

【Holy sh*t, I don’t even know if I should say this, but Number 5 might actually be the chosen one. Unreal!】

【Did she really just save He Xi? Someone explain—what the heck is happening??】

【The ultimate idiot, clearly. That Number 5 is the shame of the entire Blue Star gene pool.】

【I can’t stand this anymore. Is there a complaint hotline or something??】

【The old hag’s probably dumbfounded too. I’m dying of laughter!】

【Number 5, I… I honestly have no words for you this time…】

【……】

Aboard the starship, Luo Ling received a holographic call.

Deputy Commander Ji Wen’s face appeared, grim. “Commander, your candidate is unqualified. Please initiate the Blue Star Termination Plan immediately.”

Luo Ling’s lips curved into a slight smile.
“Deputy Commander, you’re awfully impatient. No matter what happens, don’t forget—you have no authority to override my decision.”

Ji Wen stared at Luo Ling. “Fine. I’ll wait for the day you come begging me.”

A flash of blue light, and Ji Wen vanished. Luo Ling’s eyes, glowing faint green, turned ice-cold.

“Number 5…”