Chapter 117: Golden Dragon-Locking Ring (Part 5): I Just Want to Kill Someone

Her voice wasn’t loud, audible only to the two of them, so it didn’t draw any attention. Mu Qian Tan wasn’t surprised by the question. Seeing the full-faced confusion and caution on her face, she said straightforwardly, “What do you think?”

Shang Shan muttered, “I don’t know.”

Mu Qian Tan said, “In the mortal world, there’s a suicide method called swallowing gold, meaning eating gold will kill you. Would you do that?”

Shang Shan rubbed her belly. “I’d like it.”

“You know yourself and still ask? Apart from looking human, what else about you is human?”

Her gaze swept over the red satin pig-nose snake on the wide-brimmed hat. Mu Qian Tan condensed an Ice Epiphyllum Flower in her palm. To avoid further questions, she made up another explanation. “Panxiang Yin lived to be one or two hundred years old. Even in such a high position, she still said the world was too big, with many existences she had never understood. What’s wrong with you being a little strange? Why get hung up on whether you’re human or something else?”

She stuffed it into the girl’s mouth and said, “Don’t talk about this kind of thing out loud. Aren’t you afraid of being overheard?”

Her mouth was stuffed full, the tip of her tongue feeling the icy coolness as the melting ice water carried a faint sweetness. Shang Shan held the flower in both hands and took a few bites before looking up to ask, “Then, if I grew a tail and horns and became strange, would you not want this disciple anymore?”

Mu Qian Tan said disdainfully, “You’ve never been normal to begin with.”

Hearing this answer, Shang Shan relaxed. “That means you won’t abandon me. Good, I’m not worried anymore.”

Mu Qian Tan had thought she would pester endlessly, determined to figure out her own identity. She crooked a finger and flicked her forehead. “Now you’re not obsessing over it.”

Shang Shan said, “I don’t mind what I look like. I’ve always lived like this, and even if I change, I’ll still be me. I asked you because right now, the only thing I care about is whether you’ll throw me away. I’m Shang Shan, and I want to be your Shang Shan even more. Since you say you won’t, then it’s fine.”

Mu Qian Tan’s index finger moved slightly as she let out a soft hum.

In her life, she had dealt with too many people who liked to beat around the bush. She was used to them saying half of what they meant, stripping away all unstable emotions, mixing in politeness, jokes, sarcasm, and lies.

It wasn’t just her; almost everyone she met was like that—even children had innocent little lies. No one would say what they really thought outright.

Dealing with this stupid dragon, though she was often left speechless by her silly actions, had one major advantage: this girl spoke without any twists or turns, always the most direct, unadorned plain speech.

If anyone else said such words, they would seem insincere, making one wonder if there were ulterior motives. But this stupid dragon wouldn’t. Even if her intentions were shady, she’d say them straight out. Her words went straight from brain to mouth without processing—what you heard was exactly what she thought. There was no worry of two-faced behavior.

Her heart was even bigger than her stomach. Far beyond sincere, she was transparently foolish.

Mu Qian Tan didn’t like her heaven-blessed, pampered protagonist status, but she admitted that communicating with her was far more relaxing than with others.

After finishing one Epiphyllum Flower, Shang Shan pressed her palms together and held them up. “If you could give me one more flower, the Cat Official would thank Master.”

Mu Qian Tan rolled her eyes lightly and kicked her knee. “Scram.”

Holding two handfuls of Epiphyllum Flowers, Shang Shan returned to the mural in high spirits, eating the ice and even giving one to Qin He. Fu Li was still explaining, and inadvertently, they circled the Beast Arena once and returned to the front gate. Most of the guests had already entered, with only a few stragglers walking slowly.

Fu Yuzhu also arrived at the side of the gate, still wearing the black dress from last night, with a half-cloak and single-arm silver armor. Her golden hair was tucked into a headdress, like soft golden trees. As the family head of this massive Fu Clan shrouded in source mist, she resembled a tiger or leopard poised to strike. Those emerald eyes merely gazed faintly at people, yet hid a feral wildness that wanted to tear them apart and devour them.

“The star alignment isn’t right this year. At least thirty percent of the city’s offerings will have to be returned. Get this done quickly.” She adjusted her black gloves, a glint of cold light at the corner of her eye, and instructed Xi Chen standing beside her. “Have those transcription Little Immortals from Book Sea Pavilion gone in?”

Xi Chen pressed her thin lips together and nodded cautiously.

Fu Yuzhu said, “What did they give this year?”

The distance to the two wasn’t far, so they could hear their conversation clearly. When Book Sea Pavilion was mentioned, Mu Qian Tan automatically recalled the original plot.

In the book’s world map setting, there was a very strange place called All-Under-Heaven Booksea Pavilion.

The people there didn’t resemble the world’s cultivators, who spent all day trying to advance their cultivation. Instead, they devoted all their energy to collecting as many books from the world as possible. Everyone revered knowledge, loved books, and respected them. Every corner of the sect was filled with books—even specially built high-rises for storage. Unknowingly, it had developed into the largest library in the Immortal Realm, the default holy land for all things book-related.

But simply being the best wasn’t enough for them. So Book Sea Pavilion specially assigned transcription Little Immortals, who brought gifts to visit major immortal sects or mortal great clans to copy rare books that couldn’t be bought or taken away—even ordinary, nutrient-less talkbooks weren’t overlooked.

Thus, wherever there was paper with writing, you might see these transcription Little Immortals. The forces approached for copying rarely refused—not because the gifts were lavish, but because even copying a single book granted the right to access Book Sea Pavilion’s materials.

It was the ultimate collection compiling the world’s experiences. Whether profound knowledge on cultivation, demon-hunting, pill-refining, or basics like immortal sect distributions, family heads, historical gossip, demon realm maps, or even miscellany like how to get along with friends or manage marriages—it had everything you’d ever need.

Mentioning it alone wasn’t that important, but Book Sea Pavilion’s specialty was that it housed that Evil Book depicting the Sacrificial Formation.

This was the first place Yao’e Immortal thought of after developing wicked thoughts toward the Female Protagonist—a place to find the sacrifice method without alerting others. It ultimately took three months to successfully locate that book.

Though the result proved the formation was still wrong, it was an important clue. If Mu Qian Tan couldn’t obtain the spirit medicine to heal her heart in the later plot, she would have to visit Book Sea Pavilion to find that Evil Technique.

Xi Chen beckoned backward and took a gift list from a transcription Little Immortal, respectfully handing it over. Fu Yuzhu didn’t take it but glanced at it in her hand. “Got it.”

She tucked the paper away, and Fu Yuzhu asked again, “Have those relatives arrived?”

Xi Chen made a hand gesture, probably meaning they were almost there. The meaning was clear, but Fu Yuzhu still said, “Speak.”

Her movement paused, Xi Chen lowered her head, and after a moment, she said, “Madam.”

She appeared to be a mute who couldn’t speak, and even if she did, it would be a distant, rejecting tone. But unexpectedly, her voice was the opposite of her cold demeanor—soft and warm. It didn’t match her exterior at all, which explained why she didn’t like to talk; speaking reduced her intimidation.

Fu Yuzhu said, “Mm, they’re almost here. Go receive them.”

Xi Chen froze, lowered her head, unwilling to carry out the order. Fu Yuzhu didn’t look at her. “This is Radiant Palace. No one can harm me. I don’t need your protection. Go do your job.”

Xi Chen buried her head lower and drew a black leather whip from her waist, presenting it with both hands. Fu Yuzhu finally looked at her, her gaze intentionally or not sweeping toward their side. “You want me to punish you in front of guests?”

On this point, her most loyal guard refused to yield. Fu Yuzhu couldn’t let such a minor issue stalemate. She said, “We’ll talk about it tonight,” then turned her head to call another attendant to receive the guests, replacing Xi Chen for the task.

Shang Shan bit into the ice flower and asked, “Isn’t this her home? Why still need close protection? Who would dare touch the family head?”

Qin He said softly, “It is her home, but there are outsiders here after all. That’s the risk.”

“Who are the outsiders?”

“Us.”

“Oh, oh, oh, almost forgot.”

“Cough cough…” A faint coughing sound came from nearby. Mu Qian Tan looked over and saw Jiang Zhouyao coughing softly, with spots of blood on the flower-embroidered handkerchief in her hand, like blooming plum blossoms.

“You,” without alarming the juniors ahead, she said lowly, “did you spit up blood?”

Jiang Zhouyao’s smile was as gentle as ever. “This one was careless and bit my lower lip, so it bled a little.”

Mu Qian Tan said, “You didn’t speak or eat. How could you bite it?”

Jiang Zhouyao put away the flower-embroidered handkerchief. “Just a small wound. It’s nothing.”

First a hand injury, then a lip injury, and now entangled by that little bastard Fu Li. It seemed Feng Ling Immortal clashed with this place—everything was going wrong for her.

Perhaps because they rarely spent time together after arriving at the palace, Mu Qian Tan felt like it had been ages since she’d heard her speak. Just as she wanted to ask about it, a black shadow flashed before her eyes. She quickly looked up and saw a person flying over, slammed to the ground by gravity and sliding far away. On closer inspection, it was the attendant Fu Yuzhu had just sent to receive the guests. Before they could figure out what happened, a loud, rapid burst of hoofbeats charged toward them.

Everyone turned to look. It was a golden short-haired youth. His features were somewhat handsome, his skin fair, but his face was full of ferocity. His white armor lacked any righteousness, instead exuding the irritability of someone with crooked intentions. This wasn’t a carriage path, yet he rode a white horse charging wildly. Residents not yet entered could only dive out of the way in undignified poses. He clearly saw them but showed no restraint, mercilessly cracking the whip to make the horse gallop madly, knocking over a group of attendants who hadn’t dodged in time.

As he was about to crash into them, Fu Yuzhu’s expression didn’t change, making no move, as if certain nothing would happen. Xi Chen stepped forward two paces, blocking in front of her, standing firm on the spot. She slowly drew the greatsword from her waist, gripping it with both hands in front of her. Her already narrow eyes gathered a cold light like sharpened weapons, her silver armor reflecting the sun’s sharp gleam.

The youth originally wasn’t afraid of the scene and planned to pretend the horse lost control and knocked everyone over—or scare them away. But as the distance closed, he realized the person had no intention of dodging and was gradually raising the greatsword!

Everyone knew the guard called Xi Chen had demonic strength. With her steady sword strike, wouldn’t the white horse and he be cleaved in two? The youth yanked the reins, neighing repeatedly, slowly reducing speed until stopping a few steps from Xi Chen.

The white horse paced in place as the youth cracked his whip, pointing at the first attendant who had been flung away, and laughed. “Auntie, the horse I just tamed isn’t very obedient yet. It accidentally knocked over one of your people. You won’t blame me, right?”

His gaze passed over Xi Chen, clearly not taking a subordinate seriously. Xi Chen ignored him too. Sensing the danger passed, she automatically bowed and retreated behind the woman, staying vigilant.

Fu Yuzhu looked at the youth without a word, her gaze shifting slightly downward. A group approached from the end of the road—some with golden hair, some black—escorting a golden sedan in the middle. Seated on it was a pot-bellied, white-robed middle-aged man.

Mu Qian Tan recognized him. In the original work, he was called Fu Gang, Fu Yuzhu’s blood brother—same mother, different father, different hearts. His son, the horseback youth, was Fu Chi, a dimwit worthy of being a brain-damaged side character.

The sedan stopped behind the white horse. Fu Gang patted his big belly as he dismounted and immediately said, “Boys will be boys and a bit mischievous. Don’t take it to heart.”

Knocking down and injuring a bunch of people, disrespecting his aunt—in this man’s mouth, it was just “mischievous.” If it were Mu Qian Tan, she wouldn’t bother with mischief; she’d make him shed a layer of skin. But Fu Yuzhu merely said indifferently, “The ground is slippery here. Watch out for falls.”

According to the book, this was precisely her most difficult time. After her husband, Fu Jianliu—the previous family head—passed away, her succession wasn’t supported but met with waves of internal and external condemnation. They thought a woman couldn’t handle being family head, that she killed her husband, that she was a poisonous woman not recognized by the Snow Mountain White Snake. All sorts of rumors swirled like heavy snow into the palace.

At the same time, collateral branches without qualification to live in Radiant Palace—like that pot-bellied Fu Gang—coveted the family head position, even taking it for granted that their son was the rightful heir. Thus, they didn’t respect her as family head and itched for trouble if they didn’t stir something up daily.

If Fu Yuzhu didn’t truly have ability and left no flaws, they might have directly resorted to murder and usurpation, rather than constantly testing her bottom line this way, hoping she’d slip up.

Although she had roughly a hundred ways to kill someone in mind, Fu Yuzhu, no matter how displeased, could not simply clean house so straightforwardly. It would only make her already shaky reputation even more precarious, and once branded a poisonous woman, it would not be easy to clear that stain.

After all, when people saw a man’s wolfish ambitions, they never called him a “poisonous husband.” That was reasonable, a matter of circumstances forcing his hand—they could always find excuses. Yet they could not tolerate a woman taking the unorthodox path, being ruthless and merciless. Otherwise, it became “the hearts of women are the most venomous.”

Leaving aside the unresolved troubles at home, there was a pile of issues outside that needed handling, and they were even more difficult than the ones back home. Mu Qian Tan looked at the woman’s profile. She had to admit, villains sure knew how to endure. If not for her prior knowledge of the plot and the dire straits of the situation, she really would have been fooled by that calm and composed demeanor.

Fu Yuzhu could endure, but that did not mean the hot-blooded young Fu Li could. The girl’s face immediately fell as she rushed forward. “Fu Chi! You Whitehead Madman, don’t go crazy here!”

He was called the Whitehead Madman probably because Fu Chi’s hair was too short for the gold to show through, leaning more toward white. Add in the white armor and white horse, and there it was—”Whitehead Madman.”

Fu Chi yanked the reins. “Me, going crazy? Isn’t it you, Cousin Sister, who’s lost it? I heard you cleared out Seton Main Street, made all the residents shut their doors and stay inside, just to receive a few guests. What kind of VIPs are they?” His gaze swept beneath the horse, passing over several girls. It lingered on Shang Shan’s face before shifting back, finally settling on Mu Qian Tan.

“Hahahaha!” He threw his head back and laughed immediately, the white horse’s hooves clopping on the stone floor. “What kind of guests did I think they were! If it isn’t our Demonic Evil Immortal! As expected, like attracts like. Cousin Sister Fu Li, you’ve finally shown your true villainous colors!”