Du Niangzi brought the six female demons from Xixia Mountain into a side room and arranged their beds.
Previously, there had been many female demons studying the Double Cultivation Art with her, so she had plenty of empty beds in the spare rooms—arranging six of them was more than easy.
When Du Niangzi returned to the main room, she discovered that her own bedroom had been taken over by Lin Xue and Hong Yanzhi.
Seeing Lin Xue and Hong Yanzhi intimately cuddled together, lying comfortably on the large bed that had once belonged to her, Du Niangzi was momentarily stunned.
She lowered her head and reported, “Master, this servant has already arranged beds for the six of them.”
Lin Xue hugged Hong Yanzhi’s waist, waved her hand, and said, “Good, you may go and rest as well. If there’s anything else, we’ll talk about it tomorrow.”
Hong Yanzhi, as if proclaiming her place as the number one servant, clung tightly to Lin Xue, her gaze toward Du Niangzi full of hostility.
Du Niangzi glanced at her own bed, a trace of resentment flashing in her eyes.
She lowered her head, concealing her hatred, and said, “Yes, Master.”
She turned and left the main house, found a small bed in another empty room, tidied it up simply, and lay down.
Lying on that shabby little bed, looking at the dimly lit room, Du Niangzi’s heart was filled with deep hatred.
She wished she could tear Lin Xue to pieces.
But now Lin Xue was her Master—her life and death were entirely at Lin Xue’s whim, and her fate was already bound to Lin Xue’s very existence.
If Lin Xue died, she would die as well.
There was absolutely nothing she could do against Lin Xue.
And if Lin Xue discovered she was plotting anything, she would certainly be punished harshly, perhaps even killed outright.
She definitely didn’t want to experience the pain of an arrow through her heart ever again.
Du Niangzi turned her thoughts over and over, wondering how she might frame Lin Xue without leaving a trace—making Lin Xue suffer, but not to the point of death, and without exposing herself.
But no matter how she thought about it, she couldn’t come up with a plan.
All she could do was fall asleep with hatred in her heart.
In the main house, Lin Xue held Hong Yanzhi in her arms. Though both were exhausted, worry clouded their hearts—they had no idea how they could escape after seven days.
They discussed it for a long time, but found no solution.
Restless, they only managed to fall asleep halfway through the night.
Time slowly passed.
In the latter half of the night, a chill wind suddenly rose within Qian Si Yuan.
Under the moonlight, a vague, translucent figure appeared in the courtyard.
The figure looked like a man, but his face was indistinct.
He was thin but not frail, his back and waist straight as a javelin.
He stood in the yard, looked around, then drifted toward the main house.
He slipped through a crack in the door, floating straight into the bedroom.
He approached the bed.
Bathed in moonlight from the window, he saw two enchanting female demons lying on the bed.
The shadow paused, seemingly confused.
Suddenly, one of the female demons opened her eyes.
The shadow instantly vanished, as if it had never existed.
Lin Xue had just fallen asleep, but suddenly felt a cold aura approaching her, startling her awake.
She opened her eyes, scanning the room warily.
But there was nothing unusual around her.
She pricked up her ears, listening intently for a long while.
Outside, all was silent, save for the chirping of insects.
From a nearby room came the breathing and sleep-talking of six female demons.
And in another room, Du Niangzi was snoring.
A puzzled look came over Lin Xue’s face.
Was it just her imagination?
Hong Yanzhi was woken by Lin Xue’s movements.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
Lin Xue shook her head, saying, “It’s nothing—probably just my imagination.”
She pulled the blanket up over herself, hugged Hong Yanzhi close, and said, “Sleep. We need to keep our strength up.”
She closed her eyes, pretending to sleep, while still listening closely to her surroundings.
After a short while had passed,
Seeing that nothing strange had happened, Lin Xue yawned and finally drifted off again.
……
An hour later, a gust of cold wind swept through the courtyard, and the javelin-like shadow reappeared.
He stood in the yard, but didn’t move immediately—instead, he made a listening gesture.
He heard snoring coming from a nearby room.
The shadow turned and floated into that room.
Inside, he looked down at Du Niangzi, whose face was full of anger even as she snored in deep sleep, and sneered.
He reached out and conjured a Barrier around them,
Then, opening his mouth, he breathed a thread of chilling energy toward Du Niangzi.
Du Niangzi shuddered, woke up, and opened her eyes.
She saw a shadow standing at her bedside.
She was instantly terrified, her soul almost leaving her body.
She leaped up, and several spider legs shot from her back, stabbing at the shadow before her.
But her sharp spider legs pierced through the shadow as if stabbing the air—there was no sensation at all.
The shadow remained, looking at her calmly.
“Who are you?!” Du Niangzi demanded harshly.
The shadow chuckled, then spoke: “The renowned Demon Physician Du Niangzi of Erlong Mountain—how did you end up giving away your own bedroom to others and sleeping in such a pigsty yourself?”
His voice was low and a bit hoarse, like wind scraping over rugged stone.
Du Niangzi’s eyes widened in disbelief as she blurted out, “Hei Feng Head Chief?”
The shadow only smiled and said nothing.
Du Niangzi studied him up and down, suspicion on her face.
She sat back on the bed, sneered, and asked, “Why would the Great Chief come to my Qian Si Yuan in the middle of the night, looking like a ghost? What secret business could you possibly have with me?”
Hei-Feng laughed. “This Head Chief cares about the Mountain Lord’s wellbeing, so I came to ask you—how many Yao-Fei are left in the Mountain Lord’s Imperial Harem? And with these new Yao-Fei, how long will it be before the Mountain Lord can make use of them?”
Du Niangzi’s face was full of ridicule. “Great Chief, this is the domain of the Er Touling Zonglie. Who on this mountain doesn’t know I belong to the Second Chief? You coming to question me about the Mountain Lord’s harem is hardly appropriate, don’t you think?”
Hei-Feng let out a hearty laugh and said, “Du Niangzi, whatever Zonglie has promised you for the future, if I, Hei-Feng, become the Demon King, I can give you the same. Why tie yourself to that wild boar?”
Du Niangzi snorted coldly. “If you can offer the same, why should I choose you, Hei-Feng Head Chief?”
Hei-Feng crossed his arms over his chest and smiled. “No, there is one thing Zonglie cannot give you, but I can.”
Du Niangzi raised an eyebrow. “And what’s that?”
Hei-Feng replied, “I’ve heard you’ve been searching for a way to reshape your form. As a Demon Doctor, you must have heard of the Yusui Huanyan Pill.”
Du Niangzi was instantly moved at the mention of this medicine.
She knew all about it.
The Yusui Huanyan Pill was a legendary elixir capable of transforming a demon’s appearance, letting them take on a new look.
She had dreamed of becoming beautiful—she’d gone to great lengths to obtain this recipe, but one Main Ingredient was far too rare, lost for many years. So while the recipe existed, not a single pill could be made.
Du Niangzi had placed great hopes in this medicine years ago, but in the end, there was nothing she could do but give up.
Now, hearing Hei-Feng mention this pill, she immediately became excited.
Her eyes shone, her face full of delight as she asked, “You have this pill?”
Hei-Feng laughed. “I don’t have the pill, but I have news of the missing Main Ingredient. If you’re willing to cooperate with me and help me ascend the Demon King’s throne, I’ll share that information with you. What do you say?”