Hundred Demon Ancient Kingdom, a remote place a thousand miles away from Demon Emperor Immortal Mountain.
Along a quiet ancient path, dense bamboo groves made it difficult to find one’s way, where a small house with a courtyard stood.
Under the morning mist, it was shrouded in an even more mysterious aura.
Inside the small house, a plump gray raccoon dog lay resting on a bamboo bed, snoring with snot bubbles puffing out of its nose.
To the right of the bedhead, a Sugar-Coated Hawthorn Skewer with many hawthorns was leaning at an angle.
Everything was so peaceful and tranquil.
But—
“Bang bang bang!”
A short and harsh knocking sound shattered the quiet.
The plump raccoon dog scratched its ear, clicked its mouth twice, and while turning over, lazily covered its head with the pillow in its arms.
Obviously, it heard the noise, but it had no intention of leaving its bed or doing anything else during this rest time.
However, the knocking grew louder and even escalated, with faint sounds of wood cracking.
Finally unable to endure it, the raccoon dog sat up with a thud, threw the pillow on the ground, eyes wide open in anger, teeth clenched, clearly on the verge of an outburst.
Or rather, it had already started venting.
“Damn it, knocking so early in the morning! I finally get one day off a week, can’t I just rest in peace!” it cursed while opening the small house door, heading toward the courtyard gate, “You better be the Empress herself, or I’ll slap you…”
With a creak, the door opened, and it looked up at the visitor in its original form.
At first, it hadn’t realized, but once it did, it was frozen in place, unable to say the words it had been holding back, its mouth twitching involuntarily.
No way… wasn’t I just a raccoon dog?
How did I end up being a jinx?
In front of him stood a woman dressed in a splendid golden-red phoenix robe, her lowered gaze, and charming fox eyes radiating imperial authority.
Her long black hair reached her waist, elegantly tied up with a peach blossom-shaped hairpin, with a few strands falling over her chest.
A petal-shaped cinnabar mark adorned her forehead, emanating a dignified and graceful aura.
He instinctively avoided her gaze, repeatedly closing and opening the door in disbelief.
But after confirming several times the seven red-and-pink fox tails behind her, he immediately knelt on the ground, tearless yet wanting to cry.
Damn it, it really is the Empress, and I still can’t get a proper rest…
“What’s the matter, Hu Delu? Are you not welcoming the two of us mother and daughter?”
The woman in red lowered her eyes, not speaking aloud but asked in an ethereal ventriloquy tone, “Or were you up to some guilty business so early in the morning?”
Mother and daughter?
The Princess is here too?
No, I should explain first!
“No, no, how could I not welcome you? I, Hu Delu, look forward to your arrival every day.”
Looking forward to you coming to turn my six-day workweek into one day, so I can have more time to bask in the sun and sleep…
His figure shimmered into his usual human form, nodding and kowtowing, making a gesture of invitation, showing eagerness.
“Oh? Looking forward to me? This is the first time I’ve heard such words, sounds rather pleasing.”
She walked in leisurely, scanning the flowers and plants around before heading straight toward the pavilion, “But the humans said something—honest advice is harsh to hear, while pleasing words are just flattery. What do you think, minister?”
“Well… it can’t be generalized. After all, some humans aren’t exactly good either.”
Hu Delu answered while pouring tea for her.
“But I am undoubtedly loyal and sincere toward Your Majesty.”
Saying this, he pushed forward a cup filled seven parts with tea.
“See, the tea is poured to seventy percent, leaving thirty percent for goodwill. This is the finest Tea Leaf; please have a taste.”
The woman in red glanced at the tea, summoned a trace of spiritual energy to lift it to her lips, and lightly sipped before nodding.
The fragrance was rich but not overwhelming, like a lingering ancient melody in the mouth, intoxicating and delightful.
“Not bad at all.”
“Hehe, glad you like it. I have plenty more, I’ll bring some for you to take away…”
Hu Delu’s expression brightened, standing tall and patting his chest proudly, but as he turned, his face darkened again.
Not far from the small house, the Empress’s daughter who had not appeared before was standing there.
Left hand holding Sugar-Coated Hawthorn Skewers, right hand holding a jar of Tea Leaf, leaning against the bamboo doorframe with a joyful expression.
The young girl wore a white long dress; intricate embroidery on her sleeves faintly visible as she moved.
Her glossy black hair cascaded over her shoulders like a waterfall.
Her fox eyes, amber like the Empress’s, lacked the imperial dominance, instead shining with clarity and purity, like a bright moon and fresh breeze on earth.
“Uncle Hu, your hawthorns taste really good. I took quite a few just now, hope you don’t mind?”
The girl greeted cheerfully, her pink tail wagging adorably behind her, “And the tea, I heard you were bringing some to mother, so I helped fetch it. How am I, clever enough?”
Her cute voice made the somewhat speechless raccoon dog sigh deeply, helplessly waving his hand.
Honestly, he didn’t care much about the hawthorns; he could make more if needed.
But the Tea Leaf—he was extremely protective of it—three hundred years dormant, three hundred years sprouting, and another three hundred years to mature.
Truly rare.
He had planned to give the Empress only a small bag, but judging by the current situation, the girl probably emptied all his reserves, and he wouldn’t get any benefit out of it—losing both wife and soldiers, caught in a dilemma.
Oh well… she is the Princess after all.
Mischievous as she may be, she even calls me uncle.
Sigh…
“Huai Zhi, as long as you’re happy, uncle is fine.”
He said this, then turned to the Empress, poured himself a cup of tea, drank it, and no longer put on the “humble subject” act, speaking plainly.
“Tell me, your visit—is it about that human Yun Mu?”
The Empress nodded without much surprise at his sudden change.
“Yes, the day of the Prophecy is near. Is he safe?”
“Sigh, rest assured, he is fine. The little trouble he ran into before has been handled. But…”
Hu Delu lowered his voice, stealing a glance at Tu Shan Huaizhi playing with the medicinal herbs in his courtyard, “Are you sure you want to wait until the day to bring him back? By then, he will be blind. Though we can extend his life, are you confident there’s a way to restore his eyes?”
“Since the Prophecy sets the time, it means Yun Mu’s Fate is fixed. Naturally, I cannot change it at will.”
She paused slightly, a faint smile curling at her lips.
“Moreover, I never said there is no way. When the time comes, if he is willing, not just a pair of eyes, even ten pairs won’t be a problem.”
Uh, that brutal?
Hu Delu twitched his mouth, laughing helplessly.
“This Fate… sigh… fine, fine. Anyway, try to keep it from the Princess for now. She probably won’t want him to become blind. Other than that, don’t worry… I’ll bring him back when the time comes.”
Though he didn’t fully agree, he didn’t say more.
“Once this is over, I expect you to repay the favor. Don’t forget.”
“Rest assured, a promise once made is unbreakable. I never go back on my word.”
The woman in red stood up, glanced at the young girl not far off, smiled softly, and then headed for the door.
“Let’s go, Huaizhi. That boy is unharmed, so you can relax now, right?”
The quiet voice made Tu Shan Huaizhi blush deeply.
She dropped the herbs she was holding, looked at Hu Delu not far away, and felt deeply ashamed.
“Mother! There are other demons here too, what are you saying? Honestly!”
With a playful scold, she ran to catch up.
Only the raccoon dog demon remained in the courtyard, face blank.
What other demons?
She was calling me uncle just now… that girl…
He muttered a few words to himself but didn’t move to see them off, just watched the two leave.
Thinking of some things, he couldn’t help but find it laughable.
Tu Shan Yunxi, Tu Shan Yunxi, since you trust the Fate so much, why did you ignore the Prophecy back then, killing the sister who should have become Empress and taking her place?
Why did you ignore the opposition of the demons, sacrificing an entire great realm and using a tail as a medium to give birth to a so-called daughter, Tu Shan Huaizhi?
And now acting like this again—it’s so contradictory that this raccoon dog can’t understand it…
Forget it, why think so much?
My brain wasn’t good to begin with.
Time to sleep.
Hu Delu waved his hand and was about to return inside when he heard the knocking again.
Damn!
Will it never end?
A vein bulged on his forehead.