Following Hong Yanzhi back to the room, Lin Xue was still lost in the shock of witnessing an entire family beheaded right before her eyes.
The image of Tian Bo, that elderly rat demon, pleading for his grandson’s life kept flashing in her mind.
This Hong Yanzhi was truly merciless.
The family of her own personal maid—she gave the order and had them all beheaded, not sparing the slightest sentiment.
With herself now by Hong Yanzhi’s side, she had to be even more careful.
Hong Yanzhi sat down in a chair, closed her eyes, and didn’t speak for a long while.
It was unclear whether she felt any guilt in her heart for that maid named Pingping.
Night gradually deepened.
Hong Yanzhi opened her eyes and commanded Dingdang and Guangdang to guard the door and not let anyone in.
Then, she ordered Lin Xue to follow her, heading deeper into the room.
Only then did Lin Xue discover that there was a not-so-big, not-so-small cave behind her room.
Within the cave, there was actually a natural hot spring, bubbling with steaming water.
Hong Yanzhi stood at the edge of the spring and spread her arms wide.
Lin Xue stared at her blankly, not knowing what kind of madness she was up to.
Hong Yanzhi turned her head to look at Lin Xue, frowned, and said, “Why are you standing there in a daze? Hurry over and help this young lady change her clothes!”
Lin Xue was stunned for a moment, then came to her senses.
So the tigress was going to take a bath.
She hadn’t expected such a benefit.
Looking at Hong Yanzhi’s proud and haughty figure, she couldn’t help but feel her heart flutter.
Having lived two lives, it was the first time a woman had ever taken the initiative to ask her for help undressing.
Lin Xue immediately stepped forward, a bit excited and fumbling clumsily as she untied Hong Yanzhi’s belt and helped her out of her clothes.
Hong Yanzhi stood bare, proud and graceful, her curvaceous body exposed to the air. Behind her round hips trailed a fluffy cat tail, giving her a unique allure.
Lin Xue stared with wide eyes, her heart racing, unable to stop herself from swallowing hard.
This was someone else’s body.
It was different from looking at her own.
Lin Xue felt her nose grow hot and nearly got another nosebleed.
The beautiful sight before her helped wash away much of the bloody image stuck in her mind.
Hong Yanzhi tiptoed into the hot spring and slowly sat down in the warm water, letting out a comfortable sigh.
She turned her face and found Lin Xue still standing at the shore, eyes shining as she stared fixedly at Hong Yanzhi’s body immersed in water.
Hong Yanzhi frowned and scolded, “Why are you just standing there? Hurry up and take off your clothes and get in to scrub my back!”
Lin Xue froze when she heard this.
Huh? I have to take my clothes off too?
Undress in front of another woman?
How embarrassing.
Besides, her lower half was now a snake’s body—if she took off her clothes, what a terrifying sight that would be.
But seeing Hong Yanzhi’s urging gaze, she bit her lip, reached out to untie her belt, and took off her Daoist Robe.
After all, she had to serve as a maid for a month by her side—these things couldn’t be avoided.
She lowered her head to look at her own body.
Her upper half was fair and delicate, but below her willow-thin waist was a long snake’s body.
It looked quite awkward.
She really wished she could grow a pair of legs soon.
She swayed her snake body, slid into the water, picked up the scrubbing cloth by the pool, and began to scrub Hong Yanzhi’s back.
Lin Xue carefully scrubbed every inch of Hong Yanzhi’s body, satisfying both her hands and eyes.
Especially when facing Hong Yanzhi’s generous chest, her nose nearly spouted blood again.
The only imperfection was that she kept getting scolded by Hong Yanzhi for being clumsy, not as good as Pingping.
But considering these rare benefits, Lin Xue bore it.
The fragrant and dazzling scene lasted for nearly half an hour.
The two demons left the hot spring, went ashore, dressed, and returned to the room.
Hong Yanzhi sat on the bed and pointed to a cupboard in the corner, saying,
“There are beddings inside, which Pingping used to use. Take them out and lay them on the floor. You’ll sleep by my bedside at night—it’s convenient for serving me tea and water.”
Lin Xue grumbled in her heart: Your bed is so big, what’s the harm in the two of us squeezing together? So stingy.
She took out the bedding, spread it by the bed, and lay down.
Hong Yanzhi was a bit tired today as well, and soon fell asleep.
Lin Xue lay on the bedding, thinking: Her first day at Xixia Mountain had passed more or less safely.
There were still twenty-nine days left.
Lying on the bedding that still carried a faint woman’s scent, she couldn’t help but think of Pingping the demon girl, feeling quite sorry for her.
Not only was she ravaged by that young master Tigerzi, but her brother, seeking revenge, ended up implicating the entire family in being beheaded.
She herself had to be careful, never to follow in Pingping’s footsteps.
After all, Zhang Zongnian’s life was now tied to her own.
She thought further, pondering what was best to do in her current situation.
Should she hide by Hong Yanzhi’s side and carefully get through these twenty-nine days, or risk sneaking out to kill a few demons, gain some experience, collect a few Serpent Cores, and raise her cultivation level and Changsheng Jue to strengthen herself?
If she wanted to sneak out to kill demons, there was certainly no chance during the day.
Only at night, after Hong Yanzhi had fallen asleep, would it be possible.
But she didn’t know if those two guards outside would still be there.
Lin Xue lay on the bedding, pricking up her ears and listening intently for sounds outside.
She could hear two faint breathing sounds outside.
No way.
Hong Yanzhi’s door was guarded by soldiers on duty twenty-four hours a day.
There was no way she could sneak out.
Lin Xue could only give up the idea of secretly going out at night to kill demons and improve her strength.
It seemed she now had no choice but to stay by Hong Yanzhi’s side peacefully.
With this frustrated thought, she slowly drifted into sleep.
A night passed.
Early the next morning, Lin Xue was sleeping soundly when Hong Yanzhi woke her up with a kick.
She opened her sleepy eyes to see a pair of white feet right in front of her.
Hong Yanzhi, hair disheveled, sat on the bed, frowning at her with disdain, scolding, “Are you a snake or a pig? How can you sleep so much? What time is it and you’re still not up? I’m already awake, and you’re still sleeping?”
Lin Xue climbed up from the bedding, annoyed, grumbling internally: Isn’t it because you, you tigress, tossed around so much last night?
One moment you wanted water, the next you had to pee—kept me from getting a good night’s sleep.
Otherwise, would I have trouble getting up in the morning?
Under Hong Yanzhi’s orders, Lin Xue, dark circles under her eyes, tidied up the bedding, folded the quilt, brought hot water, and helped her wash up.
Hong Yanzhi kept complaining that she was clumsy, not as good as Pingping.
Lin Xue kept her mouth shut but muttered inwardly: Why don’t you go find your brother and have him bring your Pingping back.
After a busy morning and breakfast, the various demon overseers and leaders in the cave came to consult Hong Yanzhi on cave matters, and Lin Xue was finally able to relax.
Around mid-morning, the gatekeeper cat demon Yuan Ding called from outside, “Young Miss, warehouse manager Yang San Hu seeks an audience.”
Hong Yanzhi sat in her chair and ordered, “Let him in.”
A gray-bearded sheep demon entered the room.
He knelt directly before Hong Yanzhi and said, “Yang San Hu greets the Young Miss.”
Hong Yanzhi asked, “What brings you here?”
Yang San Hu stroked his long beard and said, “Young Miss, there’s a shortage of a record keeper in the warehouse. Please find someone literate, otherwise, this old sheep can’t manage alone.”
Hong Yanzhi raised her eyebrows and asked, “What about the previous record keeper?”
Yang San Hu sighed, “It was Tian Shiqi who used to keep the records. Among the little demons in the warehouse, he was the only one who could read and count and help me keep track of the goods.”
“But yesterday, he injured the young master and was beheaded. None of the others can read a word. With so many things coming and going in the warehouse every day, this old sheep simply can’t manage—everything’s piling up.”
“There’s a queue for storing and retrieving goods. Yesterday’s stock-in and stock-out hasn’t even been processed. It really can’t be delayed any longer.”
After hearing Yang San Hu’s request, Hong Yanzhi frowned.
Most demons were impatient and unruly, having no patience for reading or learning to write. If one could recognize two or three characters and write their own name, that was already impressive.
Where could she find a literate demon now?
As Hong Yanzhi struggled with this dilemma, she suddenly turned her head and saw Lin Xue, who was standing behind her, lost in thought and completely out of it, and she immediately had an idea.
She asked Lin Xue, “Hey, you snake demon.”
Lin Xue snapped out of her daze, “Ah?” She looked at Hong Yanzhi, not knowing what she wanted.
Hong Yanzhi couldn’t be bothered that she’d forgotten her manners and didn’t address her as ‘Miss’, and simply asked, “What’s your brother’s name?”
Lin Xue was puzzled. Why did this tigress suddenly bring up Zhang Zongnian?
She answered, “My brother’s name is Zhang Zongnian.”
Hong Yanzhi asked, “Can he read?”
Lin Xue rolled her eyes inwardly. Have you ever seen an illiterate cultivator?
She nodded and replied, “He can read.”
Hong Yanzhi said, “Good.”
She pointed at Yang San Hu and said to Lin Xue, “You, go with this steward Yang and Yuan Ding to the human medicine house. Let your brother out, then tell him to work in the warehouse under Steward Yang from now on.”
“I, Hong Yanzhi, don’t keep idlers on Xixia Mountain. Since he’s staying here, he’ll work for the Hong Family!”
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