Coming out of the wine shop, it was already half an hour later. Afterward, she walked many more places, understanding the current state of this ancient imperial capital fairly thoroughly.

As Su You had said, ancient times revered the Human Emperor. From all corners of the world, strange races and foreign clans all submitted to him. Cultivation sects flourished, and the demon clans’ powerful families lived in seclusion. For a time, life was peaceful and calm.

Who knew that over seven hundred years ago, unexpected changes arose, and ‘demons’ were born into the world.

They cultivated a unique demonic arts path, growing strange black-red patterns on their foreheads – bloody patches – surviving by absorbing malevolent energy. Since they were newly born with no one to control them, many sought convenience and speed by maliciously creating accidents, toying with people’s hearts. When malevolent energy accumulated to its peak, they would slowly enjoy their feast.

Later, two demon islands were born – Qiongzhou and Mandong. Qiongzhou was led by Demoness Zi Peng, while Mandong was ruled by the extremely violent demon Tian He, who had a human body with a snake tail. From their birth, the two sides fought continuously for a hundred years, involving many innocent people.

A hundred years ago, the Human Emperor summoned the two demon lords to discuss this matter. But the demon clan had only existed for a hundred years and was still exploring this world. They came as summoned, imitating proper etiquette to pay respects to the Human Emperor, yet showed no reverence, even addressing him as “you” and “I” in conversation.

When the Human Emperor demanded they restrain their people and cease fighting between the two islands, both almost unanimously refused. The demoness even declared, “The demon clan’s nature is to follow only one master. Internal strife continues until death.”

The Human Emperor became angry and left with a flick of his sleeves.

Like every newly born race, the demon clan stumbled forward into the world. Most were ignorant, acting on instinct, but such instincts were unacceptable to the human race.

Seeing the demon clan’s strength steadily rising while they remained ignorant of propriety, human relationships, and worldly opinions, this was like a sharp thorn in the Human Emperor’s eye.

To remove this thorn, the Demon Slaying Bureau was newly established in the imperial capital.

But this was destined to treat symptoms, not the root.

Every morning court still had ministers complaining bitterly. Every state and region seized upon the word “demon” to exaggerate and make issues, claiming they fed on human blood, were decorated with human bones, and were utterly mad without reason.

Thus came the scene written on that paper in their mission.

Xue Yu went to the Spiritual Treasure Pavilion and bought eight spiritual pearls used by ancient cultivators for communication. Unlike spiritual talismans, each pearl could only be used once before becoming useless.

Their lodging place was on West Lane, with a plaque reading “Lu Residence,” located at the end of two long alley corners. The estate was sizeable but situated secretively, as if deliberately hidden.

On the way back, dawn was breaking, and pedestrians began moving about. Xue Yu asked two of them about the Lu Residence news. One shook his head, while the other was a servant working at a mansion on the same street, a neighbor.

Rolling up his sleeves and yawning, he said: “That household is very mysterious. They say cultivation sect people live there, but we’re not clear on specifics. We occasionally see red light flashing, and once at midnight, there was earth-shaking commotion, though it quickly subsided.”

Seeing Xue Yu asking about this, the hunched servant kindly said: “You’re from outside, right? Don’t fear these things. Recent years in the imperial capital often have such phenomena. Many immortal masters have come down from the mountains, frequently helping us fearful people.”

“Don’t be afraid.” Seeing Xue Yu alone and wearing a veil, he comforted: “Speaking of which, demons haven’t been as rampant as before these years. They just like excitement and often come out to scare people. If you encounter them, don’t resist – cry a few times and act pitiful, and you can mostly escape disaster.”

Xue Yu thanked him and walked forward along the seemingly endless alley.

Stepping on a blue stone brick with slight cracks, she stopped, looking at the space interwoven with demonic energy, glancing up at the blue-gray sky, saying neither lightly nor heavily: “Come out.”

Two people descended lightly from the sky, both wearing half-masks, revealing deep red chaotic blood patterns on their foreheads. Seeing Xue Yu, they showed no courtesy, but their manner wasn’t natural – rather stiff. The leader stepped forward: “My master requests the demoness’s presence.”

A flash of surprise crossed Xue Yu’s eyes.

She knew five-star missions might be dangerous, variable, and unpredictable, but this reversal truly exceeded her expectations.

The five-star mission’s identity card was clear from the start – the three characters “Demon Slayer” were impossible to mistake.

So what was happening now?

“Where?” Recalling the fire-and-water relationship between the two demon lords, Xue Yu’s tone wasn’t gentle; her trailing note pressed flat, revealing extreme impatience.

“The demoness should come with us two.”

After speaking, they spread demon flame wings and flew skyward. Using some sound-concealing spiritual treasure, they flew steadily without any fluctuation, escaping. Xue Yu raised her palm, sealing the path with array lines, following behind.

Moments later, in a small, elegant courtyard, the three landed one after another. The lush green flowers and grass on the ground shed their disguise the instant Xue Yu landed, revealing their true appearance.

The courtyard’s beautiful scenery, small bridges, and flowing water all became torn paintings slashed by sharp weapons. Sparks exploded, revealing black mountains inside, ink-like water, and crimson flowers with sharp thorns dripping unknown fluids. Everything visible seemed eerily forced together.

Among the crimson flowers leaned a figure with a handsome human male face, but from the waist down was a thick, powerful snake tail coiled into a gleaming mountain. Occasionally slapping his tail, those flowers were flattened root and all, spattering mud three feet high.

When he looked toward Xue Yu, his deep gray pupils narrowed vertically – a wary, instinctive hostility between similar beings.

Xue Yu understood – this was Mandong’s demon lord Tian He.

“Are you still pretending to be human now?” Tian He’s voice was raspy as gravel, giving people the feeling of being targeted by a predator with no escape when he stared.

Xue Yu’s eyes flickered momentarily, then she walked toward him, sitting in the opposite chair. Next, she calmly removed the veil from her head, casually placing it on the table before looking up and asking: “Summoning me so grandly – what do you want to say?”

Tian He’s snake tail thrashed restlessly twice. After staring at her face for a long while, he smiled wickedly and contemptuously: “Meeting without shouting and killing – I thought you’d changed.”

He continued: “So bold – turns out it’s just a split body.”

While he spoke, Xue Yu observed silently. Her previous series of actions was all deliberate. She wasn’t careless, but this mission gave her the feeling of following an already-occurred ancient timeline. Like now, she simultaneously held both Zi Peng’s and the demon slayer’s identities, yet spoke and acted in her usual tone.

Even this face belonged to Xue Yu herself.

But Tian He didn’t realize anything was wrong.

Whether the two people in the wine shop earlier or Tian He now, all were throwing out clues one after another – the former revealing the current general situation, the latter revealing that she was Zi Peng’s split body.

As if regardless of what the mission-takers did, even if they stayed secluded, these already-occurred events were already done. They only needed to follow this path forward to learn everything they wanted to know.

But this was a five-star mission.

Xue Yu wasn’t doing missions for the first time. She knew what difficulty those five twinkling stars represented. Even if they had to supplement the entire storyline bit by bit, spending a year or more, she wouldn’t find it strange.

She refocused, carefully observing the red pattern on Tian He’s forehead. It was indeed blood-bright red. Unlike spiritual power, the demon clan’s demonic energy was black, thick, and deep in color like ink.

“If this is all you wanted to say, I won’t accompany you further.” Xue Yu moved to retrieve the veil from the table and leave.

Tian He’s fingertip moved, and the veil was heavily swept to the ground. He slapped his snake tail, uprooting the remaining dozen flowers, his eyes flashing with murderous intent.

After a moment, seeming to realize killing a split body was meaningless, he said: “Zi Peng, what you want to do doesn’t concern me. Marry whoever you like, as you please. But since you’re marrying Marquis Ding Jiang and will live long in the imperial capital, you should give me the other Demon Origin Stone.”

“You and I both know this item concerns our life and death. Once obtained and destroyed by humans, from now on, half as many demons will be born in the world.”

The meaning was clear enough that even Xue Yu, ignorant of the full picture, could easily guess some things.

The demon clan had two Origin Stones, held respectively by Demoness Zi Peng and Demon King Tian He.

The Origin Stones concerned the demon clan’s survival plan. If both stones were gathered and destroyed, no new demon children would be born, and within a thousand years, the demon race would be completely extinct.

But such a demand, to lifelong mortal enemies, was either offense or provocation.

Two hot-tempered demon lords might very well fight if they disagreed.

Xue Yu formed loose snow threads in her hands. Thanks to her previous life’s enlightenment and obtaining the Sentient Formation, her cultivation had naturally risen all the way, even beginning to approach her previous life’s strength.

She didn’t know if Zi Peng and Tian He had fought in that storyline, or what the result was. But privately, without understanding the enemy’s strength, she didn’t want to rashly fight an unfamiliar demon.

But things had developed to this point – it wasn’t something she could avoid by saying she didn’t want to. Xue Yu prepared her defenses and said coldly, “This is impossible. I can’t produce it.”

Tian He dangerously narrowed his eyes: “Humans have a saying: ‘Marry a chicken, follow the chicken; marry a dog, follow the dog.'”

“Now, do you want to stand with humans against your own people?”

“Nonsense.” Xue Yu finished speaking and said, “Mind your own business.”

After speaking, she stood to leave. Tian He didn’t stop her, only swayed his snake tail and added leisurely: “If the demon clan suffers great calamity because of your stubbornness, you’ll be the sinner of the entire race.”

Xue Yu’s steps stiffened.

No one had ever said this to her, but in her heart, she had said it to herself thousands upon thousands of times.

Suddenly hearing similar words again gave her a feeling of being in another lifetime.

Watching Xue Yu exit the small alley, the subordinate who had brought her earlier approached Tian He. His forehead’s red pattern was vivid, too exquisite – observing closely for long made one think the pattern wasn’t grown but painted. He asked Tian He: “Master, just let her go like this?”

“What else?” Tian He glanced sideways, irritably slapping his subordinate’s head: “The imperial capital is like an iron barrel now. Who knows if that scheming old emperor has set traps to catch me? She’s a split body – am I not? Neither can defeat the other, and we’d both get injured. What’s the point of fighting?”

The subordinate’s eyelids drooped from the blow, like some furious, hidden endurance, but from Tian He’s angle, it appeared as subservient compliance, no different from usual. The subordinate paused, then hesitantly asked: “Then… then leave the Origin Stone with the demoness?”

“That person is most shrewd – the Origin Stone must be in her most trusted place.” Tian He said: “She’s bewitched by that Marquis Ding Jiang. Watch and see – even if this secondary body marries Marquis Ding Jiang, her main body will enter the imperial capital. Then we’ll send people to Qiongzhou’s Curtain Cave to search. The Origin Stone is eight or nine out of ten hidden inside.”

“As for Zi Peng’s split body.” The human-faced, snake-bodied demon squeezed out a cold laugh from his nostrils: “My demonic energy is so dense. The imperial capital is full of those senseless demon slayers. She won’t need a quarter hour after leaving here before they attack her.”

“Heh, though those things are wicked enough.” Tian He licked his lips: “The various demon-repelling medicines, demon-wounding arrows, and demon-suppressing arrays they’ve made are quite troublesome. Without the main body appearing, it’s enough to give a secondary body trouble.”

Thinking of that scene, his mood improved: “Being deceived is fine too. The demon clan only needs one demon lord. As for Zi Peng, romantic love suits her, and she enjoys it herself.”

That subordinate’s eyes were profound. Standing behind Tian He, he thought coldly, truly worthy of a race with only a hundred years’ experience, revealing everything in just a few sentences.

Indeed, as Tian He said, Xue Yu now walked at a fork in the road, observing the surrounding terrain with a grave expression.

She encountered a problem.

Such dense demonic energy – no matter whether she used dust-cleansing techniques or concealment treasures, that aura couldn’t be removed.

After Xue Yu used the dust-cleansing technique for the third time and found no effect, she completely stopped.

She realized it wasn’t that the dust-cleansing technique was useless, but that her current identity had encountered this situation in this ancient, complex storyline.

If her guess was correct, someone might follow this demonic energy to find her next.

Xue Yu’s gaze extended from the long alley. She had noted the path coming – over a wall, west from the other side, turning a section would reveal Lu Residence’s shadow.

Not far.

At her tenth step, sudden urgent wind-breaking sounds came from behind. With a “whoosh,” Xue Yu had been waiting for this. She immediately dodged sideways, tumbling several times in the air, her clothing swirling in pieces, avoiding that swift arrow.

Three or four immortal-like elders approached together, followed by a youth who had just shot that arrow with pursed lips.

The leader’s eyes flashed like lightning as he sternly said: “You collude with demons?”

Xue Yu extremely disliked this type who indiscriminately attacked without distinguishing good from bad. She frowned: “Within the imperial capital, under the Son of Heaven’s feet, you randomly attack and harm people?”

“The Son of Heaven protects citizens with kind hearts, not your kind of foreign race that has existed for a hundred years and caused chaos for a hundred years.” The youth spoke, nocking, aiming, and shooting in one fluid motion – almost brutally unreasonable as second and third arrows followed closely.

“The Human Emperor bears Heaven’s mandate. Even for the demon clan, he should exercise tolerance, guidance, and teaching duties.”

“Presumptuous!” The elder shouted: “Absurd talk.”

Xue Yu caught the arrows barehanded. Upon reaching her hands, the arrows became ice-colored cracks, quickly turning to fragments. Seeing this, the leading elders became grave, no longer standing by but acting together to surround Xue Yu in the center.

Those elders attacked ruthlessly, the youth even more so. Xue Yu coped among them, initially with ease, until they jointly arranged a complex barrier specifically targeting the demon clan. Xue Yu’s movements became slightly sluggish.

In that sluggish moment, the elder shouted to the youth: “Right now!”

The youth squinted, aiming at Xue Yu, his arrow leaving the bow.

As if all coincidences prepared for this arrow, in Xue Yu’s dilated pupils, that arrow gleamed coldly, aimed straight at her brow. At the critical moment, she softly uttered: “Ice Condensation.”

Thousands of snow threads appeared from nowhere, surrounding her in a domineering strangling posture. That arrow slowed obviously as if stuck in mud. But finally, it avoided vital points, grazing past Xue Yu’s left hand side, spattering bright blood.

Snow threads like overwhelming snow gently engulfed those several adults and one child.

Xue Yu watched coldly. When turning to exit the alley, she touched the scratch on her arm, thinking: So in ancient times, that demoness named Zi Peng, near her wedding date, somehow split off a secondary body, infiltrated the Demon Slaying Bureau to become one of the eight, then was discovered by Tian He. They met unhappily, and afterward she was surrounded by several demon slayers and hit by an arrow.

Story events were self-propelling. Rather than being mission participants, they were more like observers, seeing things more directly and clearly.

Based on current developments, only three things remained: first, Marquis Ding Jiang and Demoness Zi Peng’s wedding in fifteen days; second, those two locked letters; and third, regarding the mission’s only hint, “Mei” should naturally emerge.

Xue Yu thought all the way. Before entering Lu Residence, she brushed the torn fabric on her arm, forcibly locking away the bloody scent, then crossed the threshold.

Upon entering, she heard Nine Phoenix and Shen Jingshi interrogating someone like a double act.

The steward’s eyes were unfocused, his mind unclear, clearly under some technique, not yet awakened.

“So this mansion was specifically set up for the Demon Slaying Bureau. The Bureau acts under imperial command with seven leaders, and a female demon slayer was added a month and a half ago, correct?” Shen Jingshi pressed close to the steward, asking.

Due to the technique, the steward wanted to vomit whenever he spoke. He retched several times, his mouth full of bitter water, lips pale, mumbling: “Yes, yes.”

Nine Phoenix held paper, recording these messages in flowing script.

Shan Shu saw Shen Jingshi moving about constantly, occasionally whispering with Nine Phoenix, and couldn’t help patting the two books in her hands: “Shen Jingshi, behave yourself. Stop swaying – you’re making me dizzy.”

“I’m dizzy too.” Nine Phoenix continued without looking up: “Sometimes Shen Jingshi is like that what’s-his-name, that little youth called Chao Nian beside Xue Yu – so talkative my head buzzes.”

Writing and writing, she stopped her brush and called to Lu Qin standing aside: “Trouble the young Kunlun master to grind some ink – mine’s dried up.”

Lu Qin, who had been ordered around at least ten times this morning, sighed resignedly and went to get some.

Perhaps because they were already familiar, so far the imperious Miss Nine Phoenix of the demon clan was getting along well with the Sacred Land inheritors’ small group, showing no isolation or incompatibility, but rather like a fish in water, harmonious and comfortable.

“Back?” Shan Shu first noticed Xue Yu and asked: “Discover anything? You’re not hurt, are you?”

Xue Yu shook her head, skipping over the minor scratch, and detailed everything she’d encountered that day. Finally: “This mission line is developing by itself. We can’t interfere or affect anything. Just go with the flow.”

Others looked thoughtful. Shen Jingshi, responsible for interrogation, immediately shared his findings: “This mansion is called Lu Residence, Lu Qin’s estate, built with court funding. East, west, south, and north sides all have interlocking concealment arrays. When the Demon Slaying Bureau masters research demon-fighting techniques, the commotion mostly won’t be seen by the outside world, so it’s very secret and safe.”

“The Demon Slaying Bureau was personally established by His Majesty. The daggers, arrows, and poisons cultivators now use for demon elimination all come from the Bureau, making them unrivaled among the people.”

“Except for Su You as Marquis Ding Jiang, we seven all serve in the Demon Slaying Bureau with official titles.”

After he finished, Yin Ling put down the yellowed book she’d been reading for a while, shook the bell in her hand: “I agree with what Xue Yu said.”

Meeting everyone’s gaze, she said slowly: “I always feel we won’t be stuck here long, and this mission won’t be very difficult.”

Xue Yu and Shan Shu exchanged glances. If others said such things, they might not care, but Yin Ling had good luck and accurate intuition. Every time before drawing missions, she could say things like “I feel this mission will be three stars again.”

And indeed, it would be three stars.

With one and then another saying so, Nine Phoenix relaxed visibly: “Though hearing you say this reassures me, isn’t this a five-star mission?”

“We’ll see afterward.” Seeing no useful conclusions from discussion, Xue Yu scanned the courtyard: “As I said before.”

“Not behind me.” Nine Phoenix met her gaze and turned halfway, as if seeing through her thoughts, mouth corners dropping as she pointed toward the small bamboo building: “Seems to have discovered something else, organizing inside.”

Xue Yu fell silent for a moment. After a while, she pressed her somewhat dizzy temples and said quietly: “I’ll go up and look.”

Upstairs, Su You was indeed busy. The empty bookshelf space had been drawn into a mysterious array with white sand. He held a bamboo branch, frowning intently. Xue Yu also looked for a while before reminding: “It’s a binding and imprisonment array.”

Su You suddenly looked up, carefully examining Xue Yu from head to toe: “You’re back? Are you hurt?”

“Did everything go smoothly?”

Xue Yu shook her head, took the bamboo branch from his hand to complete the final strokes, then softly repeated the experience she’d told Nine Phoenix and the others earlier.

Standing close, the moment she lowered her head, Su You caught a faint sweet scent, gone in an instant.

Very much like the smell of blood.

That night, people exhausted after two days and nights decided to find rooms, meditating or resting as needed.

Upon entering her room, Xue Yu immediately cast a barrier. Sitting in the reclining chair at the desk, she rolled up her left sleeve to see that a minor scratch was rapidly corroding into a large area at visible speed, flesh rotting black like some charred wood.

Waves of sickening heat surged up.

According to her identity, she was now the demoness’s secondary body, and that arrow was specifically demon-restraining.

All things mutually generate and restrain each other. Thanks to this identity’s original owner, some discomfort was inevitable.

Xue Yu closed her eyes and leaned back against the chair. After thinking, she retrieved a copper basin and dagger from her storage ring, calmly heating the blade over the lamp. The dagger flipped a beautiful arc at her fingertips, then traced a circle along the rotted flesh’s position, clean and decisive.

Her movements were practiced, not even blinking, only involuntarily frowning at the final moment of blood flowing like a stream.

The barrier briefly fluctuated.

Xue Yu bandaged herself with white cloth, then lowered her sleeve, supporting her chin with her other elbow, trembling eyelashes in the lamplight.

Pain was secondary; dizziness was real.

Unbearably dizzy.

Until footsteps stopped before her, Xue Yu saw a circle of pine-branch-and-crane-patterned hem by lamplight. Her movements paused slightly. Looking up at him in the lamplight, then at the silently torn barrier: “Recovery’s good. Your strength has progressed again.”

Su You’s expression wasn’t good. For the first time, he felt Xue Yu’s character was truly infuriating from the bottom of his heart.

Then came extreme bewilderment and heartache.

She never learned to show even the slightest vulnerability to anyone, keeping all difficult, angry, heavy things buried in her heart. Even when injured, speaking with others, she remained flawlessly calm and composed.

He looked down at her left arm for a long while, then said quietly: “You can’t handle it this way. Need medicine.”

This sentence – Xue Yu had heard it countless times from Chao Nian and Chao Hua’s mouths, always acting as if she hadn’t heard. She vaguely remembered that when he first followed her, he had also been encouraged by Chao Nian to bring her wound medicine, only to be coldly refused in a few sentences.

Now was different from then. Xue Yu looked at his tense, profound features in the lamplight, her eyes moving slightly. Whether feeling guilty about her earlier calm “not hurt” or for other reasons, when he reached out, the words that had reached her lips were swallowed back.

Su You’s palm finally touched her wrist – a slender section, but burning hot, nearly scalding temperature.

Xue Yu recalled the wound’s condition she’d seen earlier. Her usually crisp voice seemed strained low by high fever, her two slender brows drawing together in displeasure. Before he rolled up that sleeve section, she said: “Ugly. Don’t look.”

Su You rarely fell silent. His pupils were deep, dark, heavy, and oppressive. His profile shed its sweet disguise, almost showing inhuman coldness.

Even Xue Yu, however slow, could feel he wasn’t just a little unhappy.

Perhaps more than a little.

This made her hesitate in a silent, permissive state when facing Su You rolling up her sleeve and removing the white gauze – actions somewhat against her will.

She didn’t even say “No need for wound medicine, I’ll train my physical body.”

Su You’s movements were very gentle. Until he lowered that sleeve section, Xue Yu felt no severe pain.

He lowered his eyelashes. When looking up, it was the gloom rarely shown before her, usually disguised beneath his bright moon and clear wind appearance. Yet his words remained light: “Next time, may the young lady take me along?”

Xue Yu pressed her brow: “You’re still injured yourself.”

Meeting eyes, Su You stood, and deep, heavy pressure immediately filled and swept through the entire barrier without reservation, intensifying section by section. With his two forward steps, raging wind-like force tore, roared, and crushed everything in the room, only keeping her safely circled in the very center.

In a completely protective posture.

At the storm’s center, his black hair danced. Finally stopping beside Xue Yu again, he bent down, gazing into her eyes: “Young lady, I’m not weak. I’m stronger than you’ve seen or imagined.”

“This isn’t ten years ago anymore.”

He seemed to want to remind her in this forceful way, make her understand he was no longer that young boy with severed meridians who needed her help and protection everywhere.

Such emphasis, in the end, still concluded with him resting against that stool’s armrest, showing an obedient, upward-gazing posture.

By her ear, he used a burning, almost accusatory tone: “I’m worried.”

“Even when injured, the young lady only hides it, telling no one.”

Telling neither others nor him.

“If I had been there today, even if I couldn’t catch that arrow, at least I wouldn’t have let it land on the young lady.”

The deep meaning was mutually understood.

Moonlight like water streamed through the window, casting several quiet spots on Su You’s hand. Xue Yu heard his final syllable fall, the iceberg in her eyes nearly helplessly melting a bit.

After a long while, she patted his shoulder, lips moving: “I’ll take you.”

“Don’t be angry anymore, okay?”

After brief stillness, the man leaning by her ear breathed hotly, seeming to laugh quietly, then sensibly withdrew and responded with agreement.

After this response, pressure suddenly decreased, dark clouds retreated, and the atmosphere gradually returned to normal. Xue Yu pushed several newly organized speculations toward him, and they quietly discussed mission-related matters.

Much later, Xue Yu looked at him in the lamplight and suddenly moved her knuckles: “Nineteen.”

“As expected, I should be that demoness.”

After speaking, Xue Yu pointed to that paper. Su You looked over to see written there—

Half a month later, Marquis Ding Jiang marries Demoness Zi Peng.

Su You turned to look at her, seeming able to see through that face and romantically understand meaning beyond the words.

The demoness who would marry him in half a month.