Jiangying, that’s not fair!!!
Li Yueying hugged the tree with grief and indignation. Her expression was as exaggerated as if the sky were falling and the earth cracking. With a howl, she charged at Li Jiangying, wedging herself into Li Jiangying’s embrace without another word and starting to squirm.
“Jiangying, don’t have a secret rendezvous with her,” Li Yueying seized Li Jiangying’s hands and held them in front of her, her eyes brimming with tears. “Jiangying, have a rendezvous with me!”
Li Jiangying pressed the back of the little madwoman’s head expressionlessly, pinning her to her own leg like a live, flopping fish. “Shut up! Stop fooling around! We were discussing serious matters.”
Li Yueying: “Hsss… Hsss…”
At that moment, Cui Yu’s eyes suddenly lit up. “My abilities are insufficient, but Her Highness certainly can. Why not have Her Highness take a look at Jiangying?”
Li Jiangying felt a bit skeptical about this idea’s feasibility. “She wouldn’t mess it up, would she?”
Li Yueying had her face buried against Li Jiangying’s stomach, sniffling non-stop as she tried to burrow into her embrace. Li Jiangying, full of question marks, yanked the back of her collar with all her might, struggling just to pull her head back. “What are you doing?!”
The little madwoman had a look of pure intoxication. “It’s Jiangying’s scent.”
“No,” Li Jiangying said coldly and ruthlessly. “It’s the scent of bath beans.”
She shook Li Yueying’s shoulders, pulling her out of her self-indulgent reverie. “You come and examine me.”
Li Yueying’s eyes instantly lit up. She said eagerly, “Examine Jiangying? I want to, I want to!”
Watching her overly excited reaction, Li Jiangying couldn’t shake the feeling that the ‘examination’ Li Yueying was thinking of was definitely not the same thing. She leaned back to create some distance and warned, “No messing around. I mean, examine the circulation of my Devil Qi!”
“Devil Qi?” An almost tangible question mark seemed to pop up over Li Yueying’s head. She furrowed her brow, bit her lower lip, and suddenly plunged into arduous thought.
A moment later, Li Yueying straightened her head, faced Jiangying, and asked, her face full of genuine confusion. “Is it Jiangying’s scent?”
Li Jiangying / Cui Yu: “…”
Cui Yu chuckled awkwardly twice, trying to salvage the situation. “Her Highness’s mind is currently not yet mature, and she’s still recovering from her injuries. She really isn’t suitable to examine Jiangying right now. Don’t panic, don’t panic! I just remembered, there’s a Devil Cultivator in Fangping Town who specializes in medicine. Why don’t I take Jiangying there to have her checked out?”
Li Jiangying couldn’t help but ask, “Is it free?”
Cui Yu: “…”
Cui Yu left, looking deeply troubled. She had to go discuss the Devil Palace’s finances with Liang Yiman. That left Li Jiangying and Li Yueying holding hands, looking at the peach tree.
There was no spring in the Devil Domain. The Moon Shadow Devil Palace had once had one, but later, to save on Devil Stones, the array controlling the cycle of the seasons had been stopped. Now, the Moon Shadow Devil Palace was locked in eternal summer. Naturally, the peach trees here no longer bloomed.
Li Jiangying wasn’t sure what was so fascinating about a stretch of green leaves, but Li Yueying seemed utterly delighted, rolling around on the nearby grass. The ground was dotted with tiny, colorful wildflowers, each one smaller than the nail of a pinky finger, yet they still attracted many butterflies.
A small butterfly with yellow wings suddenly fluttered close, catching the little madwoman’s attention. She stared blankly at the butterfly. It landed on the tip of her nose, its wings slowly fanning twice. The little madwoman went cross-eyed staring at it and broke into a smile.
Li Jiangying watched her calmly, then suddenly asked, “Did you have a nightmare?”
Li Yueying turned her head to look at her, her expression dazed. “Jiangying…”
She repeated herself. “Back at the Scripture Repository, did you have a nightmare?” That overly strange, trance-like state had been hard for Li Jiangying to ignore.
Li Yueying’s long, curled eyelashes trembled slightly. Her gaze evaded Li Jiangying’s as she stared at the butterfly on her nose even more intently.
“What did you dream about?”
“I… I dreamed…”
The butterfly suddenly fluttered its wings and flew off. Li Yueying let out a small gasp of surprise and immediately tossed whatever she was about to say to the back of her mind. She spread her arms and began chasing the butterfly like a mischievous child.
Li Jiangying quietly watched her play with the butterfly. The butterfly flew higher and higher, gradually drifting further away. Li Yueying, who could have caught it, didn’t chase after it.
She stood in place, her hand raised, and said in a hollow voice, “It flew away…”
Li Jiangying no longer had the patience to stay here playing children’s games. She stood up and turned to leave. Right then, she heard the little madwoman’s lost, soft murmur from behind her.
“Jiangying… flew away…”
Her heart softened slightly. Li Jiangying shook her head and turned back, calling out, “What do you mean ‘flew away’? I’m still right here. Come on, we’re going back!”
“Mm! Jiangying!” Li Yueying instantly forgot her unhappiness, her face lighting up with joy as she cheered and hugged Li Jiangying’s arm.
Li Jiangying realized that the biggest short-term problem for the Moon Shadow Devil Palace was a lack of money.
Whether it was buying medicine to heal their leader, the Moon Shadow Devil Venerable, taking Li Jiangying out to seek medical treatment, or even the food that the fragile mortal needed every day—it all required money!
The common currency in the Devil Domain was usually Devil Stones—special stones that had been processed to remove impurities, returning them to a primordial state without any elemental alignment, yet full of Devil Qi. This corresponded to the Spirit Stones used in the True Martial Continent.
But the Moon Shadow Devil Palace’s supply of Devil Stones was running low. One could even say that if these few subordinates didn’t go out every now and then to earn some extra income, the Moon Shadow Devil Palace wouldn’t even have enough money for repairs on Li Yueying’s own residence.
Left with no choice, Li Jiangying called Liang Yiman and Cui Yu over and presented her proposal. “I’d like to ask you both something.”
“Feel free to ask,” Liang Yiman and Cui Yu replied, sitting upright and proper across from Li Jiangying.
They had to sit upright. After all, the one nestled in Li Jiangying’s arms, fast asleep, was their boss.
“Ahem,” Li Jiangying began. “I wanted to ask, do Devil Cultivators have high moral standards?”
Liang Yiman and Cui Yu exchanged a glance, both looking a bit awkward. Cui Yu cleared her throat lightly and said, “Generally speaking, in the eyes of the Righteous Path, we are all villains, evil demons.”
“In that case…” Li Jiangying clenched her fist and made her suggestion. “What do you two think about… entrapment?”
Entrapment: namely, using the walking, ten-thousand-fold supplement pill—Li Jiangying herself—as bait. Lure in those people lurking outside the Moon Shadow Devil Palace, seeking any opening to strike. Once the fish took the hook, they could swoop in for the ‘black eats black’ routine.
“That method isn’t impossible,” Liang Yiman said, clearing her throat twice before continuing. “It’s just that my and Cui Yu’s strength is limited. I’m afraid we wouldn’t be able to guarantee Jiangying’s safety.”
Li Jiangying smacked Li Yueying awake with a single slap, then hauled her up to face Liang Yiman and Cui Yu.
The Devil Palace boss had just woken up, her face still bearing the haze of deep sleep. She unconsciously pursed her lips and let out a yawn.
Li Jiangying smiled. “Don’t we have a ready-made paragon of power right here? With Her Highness present, I’m certain nothing will happen to me.”
Li Yueying: “Eh?”
Cui Yu said uneasily, “Her Highness is too naive and innocent. I’m afraid she won’t be able to do this job properly.”
Li Jiangying released her grip, instead cupping Li Yueying’s cheeks with both hands, making her turn to face her. “Yueying, you said you would protect me, right?”
Li Yueying nodded repeatedly.
“Since that’s the case, if bad people try to take me away, Yueying will definitely step in and stop them, right?”
Li Yueying nodded frantically.
“Good. Later, we’re going out to do something big. Yueying, you have to be a good girl and stay by Her Highness Liang’s side. Even if you see bad guys appear, don’t rush in. Only when Her Highness Liang says it’s time to save me can you come and save me. Understand?”
Li Yueying: “So complicated~”
She racked her brain, finally grasping what Jiangying meant. In short, she had to listen to Liang Yiman!
Her cheeks still cupped by Li Jiangying’s hands, her face was naturally squished, making her mouth pucker into a pout. She protested, not very happy. “Why do I hafta listen to her~… Jiangying, you’re playing favorites~.”
Li Jiangying raised an eyebrow and stared at her, tone firm. “Because only this way can you successfully rescue me.”
Li Yueying tried to pout and whine. “Don’t wanna~… I can do it myself~”
Li Jiangying’s smile faded. She said coldly, “Behave!”
“Don’t wanna!” Li Yueying’s voice was full of hurt. “Jiangying, you always side with them! Jiangying, you’re biased!”
Li Jiangying: “…” She looked at her. Those deep red, wine-colored vertical pupils held a dark, murky shade, yet also a vivid, brilliant luster. Reflected in her eyes was… entirely herself.
Li Jiangying sighed inwardly. After a moment’s thought, she said, “If you behave, I’ll praise you.”
Li Yueying: “Deal!”
Liang Yiman / Cui Yu: “…”
