Yu Ling’er had her mouth stuffed with red dates, her cheeks bulging round, and she continued indistinctly: “Otherwise, like before, just don’t want Wei Jie anymore and secretly run away again. Didn’t you say you wanted to go somewhere like Lingshan Mountain to live in seclusion? With our fox clan protecting you, hiding in the mountains, even if you become demonized, no one will come to harm you.”

Xiaoxiao turned to look at Ling’er: “I’ve already become demonized, and you’re helping me escape – aren’t you afraid of aiding tyranny and releasing a tiger back to the mountain?”

Yu Ling’er answered without thinking: “Our old ancestor really did aid tyranny – that was Daji, and her ending wasn’t too good… but she was also following Goddess Nuwa’s orders…”

Perhaps feeling she had spoken inappropriately about the fox clan’s blessed deity, Yu Ling’er quickly stopped, then grabbed her fox-ear-shaped hair buns: “Ah, forget it, I can’t just watch you die!”

Xiaoxiao knew this little fox hadn’t learned human hypocrisy yet. When Yu Ling’er said she would help her regardless of the consequences, she was sincere.

She was moved and pinched Ling’er’s tender face: “Don’t worry, with you all treating me so genuinely well, I can’t bear to become demonized! I need to find a way to expel the Demon Pearl from my body!”

In the original trajectory, it was Wei Jie who became demonized and had the Demon Pearl.

Since he could eventually separate the demonic nature from his body in the form of a Demon Pearl, she should also be able to find a way to expel the Demon Pearl.

Today, she lost control and temporarily let the Demon Pearl occupy her body entirely because her consciousness was stripped away by backlash when fighting that Ghost Sect member.

When she regained her sanity, with Wei Jie’s inner core helping, she again suppressed the Demon Pearl.

However, she had completely underestimated how vast the power gap was between herself and the Ghost Sect’s Wan Lian Shi, nearly having her soul seized without any ability to fight back.

Speaking of which, she should thank the Demon Pearl. If not for the Demon Pearl’s demonic outbreak, then she might have been completely controlled by that Wan Lian Shi.

For some reason, Xiaoxiao had a premonition she would encounter this Wan Lian Shi again. She didn’t want today’s complete helplessness to repeat.

Today’s disaster also made her re-examine the reality that the Lingshan Talismonger Sect’s foundation had always been weak and unstable since its establishment.

Master had originally evolved his talisman characters from Wan Lian Shi’s Ghost Sect talismans. So, how exactly should she use these half-understood modified talisman characters to defeat that Ghost Sect master?

Thinking of this, Xiaoxiao fell into deep thought…

Speaking of Wan Lian Shi, who fled back to Lord Can’s palace, he couldn’t care about treating his facial wounds and immediately rushed to see Lord Can.

Lord Can sat in his study chair, admiring a painting. In the painting was a golden phoenix with a long tail soaring through nine heavens and clouds.

When he looked down at Wan Lian Shi’s face, his brow couldn’t help but furrow: “Who wounded you? Why is the wound so festered?”

Wan Lian Shi had been feeling burning pain on his face. Hearing Lord Can say this, he looked into the bronze mirror beside the study.

The wound that had originally just been slashed by sword qi had, in just the journey back, already festered so deep that bone was visible!

Wan Lian Shi’s teeth itched with hatred. If he had fallen to some great power or high master, so be it.

But what was that, Cui Xiaoxiao? A poor imitation of the Ghost Sect! If she hadn’t suddenly been possessed by demons, he would have skinned her and made her into talismans by now!

But when Lord Can heard that Cui Xiaoxiao had become demonized and wounded Wan Lian Shi with a demon-subduing sword, he excitedly stood up abruptly!

The Life and Death Record’s remnant pages only showed people and events related to Lord Can himself. Those unrelated would be hidden and not displayed.

So Lord Can didn’t know that someone had replaced Wei Jie in becoming demonized.

Now, those remnant pages, because of the disruptor who was “born in the wrong era,” no longer displayed anything.

This made Lord Can, who had relied on the remnant pages for so long, very uncomfortable.

For this scheme, he had planned for so long – how could he be willing to fail at the last moment? Must he always be one move behind heavenly fate?

But now there was an opportunity!

With the appearance of a demon woman who had such similar experiences to Wei Jie, whose arms also showed snake scales and who wielded the Heavenly Punishment sword, Lord Can felt like a lost treasure had been recovered!

Someone with experiences like Wei Jie’s endured seven life-and-death trials.

This “seven” was quite mysterious in yin-yang studies. After death, people needed to experience sacrifices every seven days. So seven was a boundary between yin and yang.

In the original destiny, Wei Jie experienced “seven trials,” each more cruel than the last, like a phoenix rebirth from fire. Almost no one in the world could pass them, but if one endured, like the phoenix on his hand reborn from fire, one could ascend directly to the nine heavens!

But now it seemed Wei Jie had none of the experiences described on the remnant pages – how could there be phoenix rebirth?

This greatly disappointed Lord Can, who coveted his special destiny and planned to eventually usurp Wei Jie’s place.

But now it was different! Wei Jie had become unimportant too! No wonder the remnant pages showed confused destinies – Wei Jie’s destiny had been replaced early!

If this were true, Lord Can wouldn’t need to change anything, only patiently “help” that demonized Cui Xiaoxiao complete the remaining seven trials.

After she passed the seven trials, Lord Can could still take advantage when she was about to achieve enlightenment, substituting peach for plum, and replacing her to ascend to immortality!

Thinking of this, Lord Can quickly sat back at his desk, taking up his brush to write down those “seven trials” he knew by heart.

In the original destiny, Wei Jie experienced the cliff-falling snake disaster that led to his demonization, obtaining the Heavenly Punishment through severed arms, and had to endure slander and false accusations in Luoyi City.

Now it seemed that the girl had already experienced the first two, but in Luoyi City, she had accidentally exposed the ghost doctor’s true face instead of ending up bearing blood cases and a ruined reputation like Wei Jie.

Thinking of this, Lord Can smiled lightly – since Cui Xiaoxiao had already become demonized, making her reputation notorious wouldn’t be difficult!

The trial of maternal grief that Wei Jie would experience later seemed to require his efforts, but he didn’t know where Cui Xiaoxiao’s parents and relatives were…

But no rush. Lord Can had always been an extremely patient angler. Now that he was certain the fat fish was in the pond, he wasn’t afraid it wouldn’t bite the bait!

Thinking of this, he waved to summon Wan Lian Shi and gave him detailed instructions. Wan Lian Shi understood completely and nodded in agreement.

Looking at Wan Lian Shi’s festered wound, Lord Can casually picked up the paper knife on his desk and cut his palm.

When gushing fresh blood appeared, he dripped it on Wan Lian Shi’s cheek.

Soon, Wan Lian Shi’s facial wound quickly healed, and she no longer felt burning pain.

The Ghost Sect had a habit of collecting rare materials. While thanking the prince for his treatment, Wan Lian Shi couldn’t help but succumb to his addiction, greedily staring at Lord Can’s slowly self-healing wound.

Lord Can naturally understood what kind of look his domesticated jackal-dog was giving him. He smiled: “What? Want this king’s blood?”

Wan Lian Shi realized his impropriety and immediately lowered his head, saying he dared not.

Lord Can smiled as he wiped his hands with a wet cloth: “This king knows your preferences. Originally, I wanted to get you some female demon blood for talismans before you returned to the residence. Her blood can extend life, actually stronger than this king’s. Unfortunately, she escaped. But this king’s blood isn’t something ordinary people can withstand. If you’re too greedy, you’ll suffer instead… Do you understand what I’m saying?”

Wan Lian Shi naturally knew the secret history of the royal Xia family’s protection by the Heavenly Emperor. Although the blood of direct Xia family descendants could extend life, whoever caused Xia family descendants to bleed to death would suffer backlash and heavenly punishment!

So he immediately bowed obsequiously, expressing that the prince treated him with mountain-deep kindness, and how could he dare have improper thoughts?

Lord Can’s smile didn’t diminish, only saying to Wan Lian Shi: “Many of you came to my palace gates when you had nowhere else to go. You’re all capable of great things, and this king will not disappoint worthy scholars. What I’ve promised you, I can achieve! You know such days are not far off!”

Wan Lian Shi naturally agreed repeatedly and expressed that he would immediately do what the prince ordered.

When Wan Lian Shi withdrew from Lord Can’s study, the dark clouds in the sky hadn’t dispersed but had added another layer of ink color. It seemed a violent storm was about to descend…

Speaking of the Talismonger Sect group, they were also isolated in that farming courtyard by the continuous heavy rain.

The rain was so heavy that country roads were flooded, so despite so many outsiders suddenly arriving in the village, other villagers hadn’t noticed, and the village chief couldn’t possibly report in the rain.

For the moment, hiding in the farming family was quite concealed.

But like this endless rain, Xiaoxiao’s return of lost property was also quite unsuccessful.

When she and her rebellious disciple were alone together, Xiaoxiao tried to “return” the inner core two more times.

But these two times, like the first return attempt, although they ended up kissing messily and reluctantly parting, becoming somewhat skillful through practice… Wei Jie always “forgot” to absorb back the inner core.

This was bullying his master for being too young and inexperienced in romance!

After being fooled twice, Xiaoxiao saw through Wei Jie’s dishonesty. So for the fourth lost property return, she first drew “Yu Tiandou” and placed it against her obedient disciple’s long, solid neck.

Then Xiaoxiao smiled without warmth: “The Talismonger Sect doesn’t want waste! If you still can’t do it this time, don’t blame the master for swift blade work – you won’t need to return it ever again!”

Wei Jie raised an eyebrow at his master’s merciless sword. Any man hearing the words “can’t do it” would feel awkward, but seeing his master’s posture of expelling a waste disciple didn’t seem like joking; this time, he honestly transferred qi and absorbed the core, drawing the inner core back.

The moment the inner core left Xiaoxiao’s dantian, she instantly sensed that the Demon Pearl seemed to awaken due to a lack of suppression.

At this time, blood throughout her body was boiling. Even without looking in a mirror, she could guess her eyes had probably turned red again…

Wei Jie, having just retrieved his inner core without time to regulate breathing, immediately turned Xiaoxiao around so her back faced him, then transferred qi to her spiritual palace, helping her suppress her demonic nature together.

After finally suppressing the demonic nature with great difficulty, Xiaoxiao slowly let out a long breath. But looking down at her arm, she felt the snake scales seemed to have increased again.

Wei Jie also saw this. He comfortingly squeezed Xiaoxiao’s shoulder: “It’s okay, we’ll think of a solution…”

Xiaoxiao steadied her mind and couldn’t help looking up at Wei Jie. If not for him sacrificing his inner core to suppress the Demon Pearl’s demonic nature, she wouldn’t have known Wei Jie had long ago condensed qi into a core.

That inner core’s aura was thick and profound, already showing signs of a great master heavenly teacher.

Xiaoxiao knew that if Wei Jie had studied under a famous teacher, his achievements and cultivation would probably be much higher than now.

Unfortunately, he had carelessly and improperly become a disciple of her, a third-rate sect master.

For the first time, Xiaoxiao felt Wei Jie was being wasted and guilty for not having much to teach him, delaying someone’s promising disciple.

So this time she sincerely said, “Wei Jie, there are many capable masters in the world. With your talent, if you studied under a famous teacher, your cultivation would be better. Our Talismonger Sect has no rule about lifelong loyalty. If you meet other capable masters, you can actually take them as teachers too. I won’t blame you. After all… I haven’t taught you any skills either.”

Wei Jie looked at Xiaoxiao’s face, blinking his purple eyes slightly, a nonchalant smile hanging at his lips: “Who says you haven’t taught me anything?”

Xiaoxiao thought hard – besides some crude talisman control techniques, she hadn’t taught him anything!

Wei Jie leaned close to her: “You’re upright and punish evil while promoting good. Learning to be human from you, even this stone from a cesspit, has gained some sweetness. Study under those so-called righteous great powers? Wouldn’t master be throwing me, this stone who can’t be human, back into the cesspit?”

This hit master’s preferences perfectly! Xiaoxiao had taken some wrong turns in life, once cheating on the streets. After Tang Youshu’s moral guidance, she was deeply ashamed.

Praising Xiaoxiao for being upright and incorruptible was like praising a young woman for overwhelming beauty – the sweet words went straight to the master’s heart!

Thus, Xiaoxiao felt happy even about becoming demonized in his place.

However, after mutual flattery between master and disciple, there were more urgent matters – Siling still hadn’t been found.

Based on what they’d overheard between Wan Lian Shi and Qinhe in the forest, Siling had entered the city and almost been caught by Wan Lian Shi, but someone had helped her escape.

Xiaoxiao was very curious about who had helped Siling and where she was now.

But this answer was soon revealed.

Just as the heavy rain stopped, someone came looking for them.

The visitor was a Wei family guard, conveying an invitation from the Wei family’s old grandmother for Wei Jie to bring his masters to eat a meal at the Front River banks, not far from here.

Xiaoxiao had a deep impression of the Wei family’s last dinner invitation, so she wasn’t very interested in attending this banquet.

However, the Wei family grandmother’s invitation obviously couldn’t be refused. Looking at those silver-helmeted, silver-armored guards outside the farming courtyard, it seemed she couldn’t decline.

Had the Wei family’s information network become so well-informed that they already knew she had been demonized once and were summoning her to another Hongmen Banquet?

Tang Youshu and Yu Ling’er also wanted to go, but the Wei family messenger said the Wei family grandmother only invited two people – others absolutely couldn’t accompany them.

Hearing the guard speak so solemnly, Xiaoxiao was even more certain this was no good banquet.

The Front River’s terrain was quite interesting. On a large mountain by the river was a round, hat-like cliff that perfectly covered a section of the river like an umbrella, never seeing sunlight year-round.

Moreover, the Front River’s water seemed louder than other river flows, really not a good place for drinking and chatting. She didn’t know why the Wei family grandmother chose this place for a banquet.

When they reached the riverside pavilion, they discovered an extraordinarily beautiful woman sitting beside the Wei family matriarch.

This woman was the long-missing Siling.

It turned out that when Siling returned to Luoyi City that day, she also encountered that phantom city. Coming from the underworld and not being human, when she saw that city, what she saw was completely different from human eyes – she only felt it was filled with a rich, putrid smell everywhere.

So she avoided it and entered the real Luoyi first. But when she entered the city, she discovered Wei Jie seemed not to have entered yet.

Worried her son might enter the phantom city, she left the city again. Unfortunately, by then, the phantom city had disappeared. When she returned, she encountered Ghost Sect’s Wan Lian Shi preparing to return to the palace.

Wan Lian Shi’s external identity had always been Lord Can’s palace steward, but he spent most of his time away from the residence.

He seemed to know all the movements in the palace. Even though Siling had covered her face with a bamboo hat, he still recognized her.

This Ghost Sect was truly the nemesis of female demons! Siling was completely no match for this Wan Lian Shi, and her bewitching song was useless against him.

Just at the critical moment when she was about to be captured, a fishing net suddenly descended from the sky to trap Wan Lian Shi, allowing Siling to barely escape disaster.

After that, she dared not enter the city and wandered around its outskirts. When leaving the city, she discovered Wei family members had been waiting for her outside long ago.

It turned out that the fishing net had been personally cast by the Wei family matriarch, saving Siling’s life at the crucial moment.

When Siling originally pledged herself privately to Wei Jingling, she had completely bypassed the Wei family elders’ consent. Later, she secretly gave birth to Wei Jie in a cave behind Qilao Mountain.

So this improperly named Wei family daughter-in-law felt somewhat awkward seeing the Wei family matriarch. When these two women looked at each other, they could only think they had both lost someone they loved.

This wasn’t a pleasant memory.

Compared to her initial extreme anger upon hearing this female demon had seduced Wei Jingling, the Wei family grandmother’s attitude toward Siling now, though not warm, was still reasonably courteous – at least she hadn’t captured this demon and tied her up on the ground.

Siling understood clearly that the Wei family’s politeness wasn’t forgiveness but consideration for her son Wei Jie.

So the two women sat in silence before Wei Jie arrived, listening quietly to the rushing river beside the pavilion…

Only when Wei Jie and Cui Xiaoxiao, and other Talismonger Sect members arrived did the gathering become somewhat lively.

The Wei family grandmother’s eyes couldn’t tolerate sand. When her grandson approached, she sniffed slightly and smelled something wrong: “A’Jie, have you recently encountered the demon clan? And been quite close to them?”

This rich, undissolvable scent shouldn’t be from occasional encounters but from staying together constantly.

Wei Jie raised an eyebrow and said calmly, “My master saved the fox clan of Qilao Mountain. Because they temporarily lost their habitat, they’re traveling with a master for now.”

Grandmother’s eyes, hidden in wrinkles, flashed shrewdly, then she smiled at Cui Xiaoxiao: “Sect Leader Cui, absorbing the fox clan has greatly strengthened your Talismonger Sect. Congratulations!”

Xiaoxiao didn’t dare eat food served by Wei family members again and was sitting idly, bored. Hearing grandmother say this, she quickly smiled back: “What’s there to congratulate? It just added many more mouths to feed. Fortunately, they’re not all delicate and needing to be fed – when hungry, they hunt for themselves. Otherwise, even if I performed chest-breaking stone acts on the street daily, I couldn’t afford to feed them. When we find a suitable place, I’ll let them stay. My Talismonger Sect’s temple is small and can’t support too many people!”

What a joke! Just that Yu Ling’er was already a spendthrift. Sometimes when Xiaoxiao wasn’t careful, Master Tang Youshu would buy Yu Ling’er many unnecessary fancy trinkets.

Xiaoxiao felt bad about her master’s money and didn’t want her young master to have to support a money-spending little fox!

The Wei family grandmother seemed not to expect Cui Xiaoxiao’s answer to be so down-to-earth, sounding more like insincere false courtesy. So she wasn’t polite either: “This Tuyun Mountain fox clan formed good relationships with Goddess Nuwa back then, naturally inheriting many benefits from that ancient great goddess. Many people exhaust themselves trying to control the fox clan. Now that the Fox clan is willing to serve you, yet you decline like this… Sect Leader Cui, you are quite different!”

Hearing this, Xiaoxiao smiled graciously: “Old grandmother, you manage the demon-hunting Wei family inside and out, so naturally you feel the more help the better, emphasizing making full use of everything. But for a free spirit like me, as long as my disciples are well-fed and healthy with favorable seasons, anywhere is fine for idly wasting time. So with people, we only seek ‘fate’ – as for other considerations, I’m too lazy to think about them.”

This was also truthful, but hearing it in the shrewd Wei family matriarch’s ears, she heard another meaning.

This little girl was reproaching her, this old lady, for having ulterior motives in inviting them!

So hearing this, grandmother’s gaze immediately became sharp as she smiled at Cui Xiaoxiao: “Unfortunately, there aren’t many in the world like Sect Leader Cui who can come and go freely without desires. For example, my Wei family children – from the moment they’re born, they must shoulder Wei family responsibilities, unavoidably…”

Siling, who had been silent beside them, immediately stood up and said coldly to the Wei family grandmother: “Madam Wei, I wronged Jingling back then and shouldn’t have formed private bonds with him. But A’Jie left the Wei family young and knows nothing. He’s just learning some skills from his master. I fear his shoulders are too tender to bear too much responsibility!”

It seemed Siling, like Xiaoxiao, knew the Wei family grandmother wanted to assign Wei Jie tasks, and these tasks were extremely dangerous, so she didn’t want him to undertake them.

The Wei family matriarch raised an eyebrow at Siling: “What do you think I would have A’Jie undertake?”

Siling smiled bitterly: “Naturally, because your Wei family can’t conflict with the Xia royal family, you’d have A’Jie charge ahead to do things your Wei family can’t do! But that Lord Can isn’t an ordinary person – his subordinates are all extremely vicious like Ghost Sect’s Wan Lian Shi! He’s still young – how can he contend with such villains?”

Just then, the Wei family head Wei Jingfeng beside them darkened his face: “In front of my mother, where do you get to speak? Though you bore Wei Jie, don’t forget he’s surnamed Wei, not from your demon realm. Now that he’s grown, how can he continue being so carefree and wandering outside?”