“What?”

“Shen Qiyuan.” The Demon King sighed. “He once had feelings for you, which made our actions quite convenient. Now that he’s desperate to return to the Nine Heavens, he’ll step on our demon clan to accumulate merit. Today’s death of over a thousand demons is already a warning. If we don’t make him stop, we’ll only lose more of our kind.”

Liu Ruyi understood his implication but found it somewhat absurd: “I’m a demon, he’s a god. What method could I possibly have to make him stop?”

“You will find one.”

The black shadow gradually faded in the wind. The Demon King disappeared without a trace in the blink of an eye, just as he had arrived.

Ruyi wiped the tears from her face, patted her skirt, and stood up, looking in the direction the Demon King had left. Something seemed not quite right, but she couldn’t pinpoint what exactly.

However, since the major issue had been resolved and neither of them had been punished, she returned to the Immortal Gathering Inn in quite good spirits.

The moment she closed the door, someone pulled her from behind and held her on their lap: “Open your mouth.”

“Ah~” Ruyi obediently complied.

A candied fruit with a medicinal taste fell into her throat. After swallowing it, she smacked her lips: “What was that?”

“For replenishing blood.” Shen Qiyuan pinched her slender waist, his brow slightly furrowed. “You’re practically skin and bones now.”

“Distressed?” She turned her head sideways, raising her eyebrows. “Then nourish me properly.”

She was only joking, but this person cut open a wound on his finger.

“What are you doing?” Ruyi’s expression darkened. “Can’t you understand a joke?”

“Mm.” He nodded. Seeing she was about to get angry, he slowly added, “This is my answer to your previous question.”

-Distressed?

-Mm.

Ruyi was speechless.

A two-thousand-year-old demon, yet his sudden words still made her blush a little, feeling quite uncomfortable as she turned her head away.

However, this person pinched her chin and turned her head back, placing his sweet divine blood before her lips: “Don’t hold back. My body isn’t as weak as yours.”

Divine blood held too great a temptation for demons. Ruyi wanted to be polite with him, but she truly couldn’t resist the allure. While feeling angry, she licked her snow-white teeth and opened her mouth to cover his finger.

Shen Qiyuan let her suckle while his other hand gently touched the white jade hairpin in her hair bun: “Did Wei Zijue also choose this?”

Ruyi mumbled, “No, Fuman gave it to me. The one Zijue chose went somewhere – I couldn’t find it for the moment.”

Thinking of the multi-treasure hairpin that had fallen by the roadside behind the Ministry of Justice, Shen Qiyuan snorted coldly: “You certainly didn’t take it to heart either.”

“Wouldn’t dare to.” She looked at him teasingly. “When someone truly gets angry, who knows if they might summon heavenly thunder to strike me down too.”

“Absurd.” He shook his head.

Thinking of today’s events, Shen Qiyuan frowned again: “Don’t you feel something’s not right?”

“Mm.” Ruyi nodded, looking somewhat troubled. “I know something’s not right, but I don’t know what exactly.”

“You said earlier that you smelled incense before falling under the illusion.” Shen Qiyuan pondered. “Is it possible that the one who used the illusion on you was truly an immortal?”

“It’s possible, but what would be his purpose? Risking the loss of merit just to make me kill in a rage?”

“After you killed in rage, I would come to execute you.” He lowered his eyes. “Thinking this way, the purpose might also lie with me – he wanted me to fall into demonic ways, or perhaps wanted me to simply perish by your hand.”

She pursed her lips: “Could I bring myself to do such a thing?”

“You might not be able to, but what if someone was lurking nearby at the time, ready to reap the benefits?”

Ruyi fell into contemplation.

“There’s another strange thing.” Shen Qiyuan said. “My master has always told me that the Demon King’s cultivation is profound, advising me not to face him directly. But when I just received his strike, I felt he might not be as strong as imagined, though that casual strike’s demonic power was already quite astonishing.”

Speaking of this, Ruyi waved her hand: “My master was recently injured, so his demonic power isn’t what it used to be. Previously in the Ten Thousand Demons’ Cave, he pulled out the former Demon King’s inner core with a single strike, which made his reputation far and wide and led to him becoming the new Demon King.”

Listening to this, Shen Qiyuan asked again: “Has he made a move against anyone since then?”

“Later on, everyone in the Ten Thousand Demons’ Cave obeyed his commands – who would he need to strike against?” She pursed her lips. “According to our agreement, I listen to his orders. Anyone wanting to see him must first come and find me. I was the one who went to face the battle at God-Slaying Valley, too.”

“So no one knows his true demonic power level?”

After all, he was the master who had taught her for two thousand years, so Ruyi became somewhat displeased: “What are you suspecting him of? A dignified Demon King – could he be just for show? I think your master is the strange one. Logically, since he’s always supported you, shouldn’t he first ask what happened when encountering such matters? But when he first arrived, I saw he had an expression of coming to condemn.”

“Don’t blame him. This isn’t the first time I’ve brought down heavenly punishment – he inevitably thinks I’m not living up to expectations.” Shen Qiyuan shook his head.

“But speaking of which, immortal who could use illusions on me without me noticing, your master would count as one.” Ruyi pursed her lips. “Didn’t he later send word for you to enter the palace? Maybe he was attacking me on one side while drawing you away on the other.”

Shen Qiyuan also became somewhat displeased: “That’s my master, and also your former master. Don’t you know what kind of person he is? What benefit would this bring him?”

Ruyi wanted to speak but held back.

It was precisely because he had once been her master too that she would think this way.

But disciples don’t speak ill of their masters, so she was too lazy to say more.

“Right now, my master’s order is for me to please you.” Ruyi sighed. “Lucky you.”

Shen Qiyuan bandaged his finger, the corner of his eyes slightly raised: “That’s not a bad idea.”

“What’s not bad about it? I don’t even know what master is thinking.” Lightly kicking him, Ruyi said, “Let’s keep things separate – we sleep when we should sleep, do business when we should do business. Let me say this up front: since we each serve our masters, we shouldn’t bring outside matters back here to hold grudges. Can you do that?”

She spoke very seriously, but Shen Qiyuan’s expression was complex, and he didn’t answer immediately.

Ruyi became unhappy: “Can’t do it?”

“No.” Shen Qiyuan thought for a moment, then nodded. “We’ll do as you say.”

Only then did Ruyi smile and nod.

He didn’t know why, but having seen thousands of smiling faces in the world, Shen Qiyuan still felt Liu Ruyi’s smile was the most spirited, like rippling waves under a summer bridge reflecting newly bloomed peach blossoms on the shore, every bit exuding charm.

He wanted to reach out and touch, yet hesitated somewhat.

Ruyi glanced at him sideways, then slowly lowered herself, nuzzling her cheek into his palm.

“I’ve set up barriers around the inn – gods cannot see in, demons cannot enter.” She closed her eyes and said, “Lord Shen, you can never hide your thoughts from me anyway, so why continue being evasive?”