In the palace of the White Kingdom, Qin Yi stood quietly outside the East Palace gate, watching the rain fall. Cheng Cheng didn’t ask him about the secret of controlling the death energy, and the tricks he had prepared went unused. They returned to the palace in silence. As soon as they arrived, Cheng Cheng went on a rampage against the Chai family, slaughtering mercilessly. The bloodshed spread from the palace throughout the entire White Kingdom, leaving a trail of blood everywhere.
No one knew how many demons had been killed in this massacre. The streets of the White Kingdom were filled with corpses, and blood flowed like a river. From above, it looked like a gruesome map of veins painted in red. Qin Yi didn’t know if Cheng Cheng’s crazed killing had claimed any innocent lives. It didn’t seem to matter to her. Her ruthless determination to kill a thousand rather than let one escape was the true cruelty of a king among demons.
Even the bones of the Kunpeng seemed to tremble. Heavy rain suddenly poured from the sky, but it was unclear whether it was weeping for the massacre or coldly washing away the blood of the demon city. Qin Yi and Ye Ling did not participate in the chaos; they simply returned to the East Palace and waited quietly.
They waited for her to finish her important task and fulfill her promise of refining pills.
“Ying Ying Ying!”
“Ying is a sound a female might make at certain times, usually just once. If it’s repeated three times, it’s a sign of foolishness.”
“Ying Ying Ying. I like it; what’s it to you?”
“My rebuttal is also because I like it; what’s it to you?”
The little ball of fluff was so angry that smoke seemed to come out of her ears as she got into a fight with the argumentative one in front of her. Ye Ling lay nearby, propping her chin on her hand, watching them bicker and laughing without a care: “Ying Ying, go for it!”
Because they were missing a lemon, the East Palace guards were regrettably down to three. Two were fighting, and one silly one stood beside Qin Yi, confused and doing nothing. Qin Yi watched the rain, and the silly one watched the rain too.
There was no snow in the demon city. The heavy winter rain was cold, and the entire palace was shrouded in a hazy atmosphere, making it look surreal. In the distance, a little palace maid passed by with an umbrella, moving gracefully in the misty rain. After watching for a while, Qin Yi suddenly asked, “Are all the palace maids foxes?”
The silly one replied, “Yeah, all the foxes in our country are directly under the king. Isn’t that common knowledge? Even a silly one like me knows that.”
Qin Yi didn’t respond, but memories of the surprise in the shopkeeper’s eyes when he saw a little fox came to mind. The shopkeeper had guaranteed he could guarantee, without even asking for a name, because he knew the fox was directly under the king, with a status that was extraordinary.
In that alley, the pavilions looked beautiful and gentle, like a mute girl stepping out from a painting of misty rain in Jiangnan. They gradually merged with the alluring and imposing shadow of the palace, transforming into the unparalleled demon king who was currently manipulating the entire demon city amidst brutal killings and the conflicts between two nations.
The silly one continued, “Originally, we aren’t supposed to live in the palace. The king really spoils the young master...”
“Young master…” Qin Yi said lightly, “I’m afraid that won’t be the case for long.”
The silly one didn’t understand the implication in Qin Yi’s words. He thought it meant they couldn’t stay in the palace for long, so he laughed and said, “Living outside is more comfortable. I always feel uneasy in the palace. The young master is great; it’s nice to be with her.”
Qin Yi smiled, “Silly brother has good taste.”
The silly one asked, “Why do you call me brother? Are you also silly?”
Qin Yi silently looked at the drizzling rain and softly said, “Yeah, I am.”
At the border of the White Kingdom, Ying Li looked at the silent Cheng Cheng, puzzled. “Your Majesty, since the two kings of Guo and Xiao have fled, now is the best time to counterattack. Are we really not going to take advantage of this opportunity to destroy them?”
Cheng Cheng was silent for a moment before shaking her head. “I’m only raiding the two nations. Once they have a king to defend them, they will surely have strong defenses in their territory. A hasty attack will lead to heavy casualties. Now that I have the initiative, it’s better to first merge the power of the three factions. They will weaken while I grow stronger, and in a few years, I can win without a fight.”
Ying Li advised, “I’m just afraid of long nights bringing trouble. If we can completely eliminate future threats, the casualties would be worth it. I am willing to be the vanguard and scout the way for Your Majesty.”
“No need. Commander Ying, just take care of our nation’s aftermath,” Cheng Cheng said as she turned to leave. “Let them survive for a few more years.”
“Your Majesty…” Ying Li called out hesitantly from behind, finally gritting his teeth and saying, “Your Majesty is only going back to refine pills for that human… But Your Majesty, you can’t refine that pill!”
Cheng Cheng flew up and quickly left, “I have my own plans.”
In the deep of night, the East Palace’s lights remained on. The guards had disappeared, and Qin Yi was still at the window, looking towards the direction of the sleeping palace in the rain.
The palace maids said she had returned, but she hadn’t shown up. It was unclear if she was refining pills. Ye Ling stood with him, watching until the sky began to brighten.
Another day passed. It was unknown if the blood outside had been washed away. Yesterday’s life and death felt like just a dream. The palace maids were laughing and playing under the rain in the palace, as if nothing had happened.
Qin Yi kept thinking about what would happen if Cheng Huang went back on her word, didn’t give the pills, or if those pills she claimed didn’t even exist.
Ye Ling clearly knew what he was worried about and softly comforted him, “Brother, don’t worry too much. Master said she would give you the pills; she won’t lie…”
“You still call her Master, while I don’t even know how to address her,” Qin Yi said coldly. “She is a demon king, not just a common girl named Cheng Cheng.”
Ye Ling lowered her head and didn’t speak. Deep down, she felt that while Master might be a bit tricky, she wasn’t too unreasonable and could be forgiven…
She was a very easily satisfied silly snake. When she saw Master standing in front of the demon king, she had already forgiven her.
But Qin Yi couldn’t let it go so easily.
He had put his heart and soul into completing a task, holding on until the very last moment without giving up. The siblings had almost lost their lives because of it. To find out it was all just a scam and that he was merely bait in a trap felt like a bitter pill to swallow, a feeling that couldn’t be erased just by a last-minute rescue.
Looking back on how he had saved Cheng Cheng and wanted to care for her well-being after arriving in the demon city, he now felt like a fool.
If it weren’t for the promise of the pills, he would have left long ago.
“Ye Ling… I miss Qing Jun,” Qin Yi said softly. “No matter if Cheng Huang keeps her promise or not, I must go back.”
Ye Ling sniffled and didn’t respond.
“Cheng Huang’s thoughts are unpredictable. She may not have any affection for you as a master. I’m worried that if you stay here, you’ll eventually be tricked by her. You should come back with me.”
“I don’t want to go back…” Ye Ling murmured. “The demon city… is more suitable for me. Ying Ying and the others are very cute, and Master isn’t… isn’t that bad…”
Qin Yi turned around and glared at her. “Don’t you realize you might die today?”
“Wuwu…” Ye Ling squatted down, holding her head, looking very conflicted.
She really didn’t want to go back to the human world. Besides Qin Yi, there was nothing in the human world that she cared about.
In her heart, she even wished her brother could stay here, but she clearly didn’t dare to say so, or else she would be scolded by him.
“Silly snake.” Qin Yi understood her thoughts, sighed, and said no more. He just took out some paper and wrote down a spell: “This is a method to control the death energy from the Holy Desert. You can’t take it with you; you can only use it there. If you encounter danger, it can be your last resort.”
Ye Ling stood up, sniffing, and carefully read the spell before burning it.
Watching the spell burn, Qin Yi said, “Since you won’t come with me, I can only hope your Master doesn’t trick you too harshly. One day, I will come back. If she bullies you…”
“Then I’ll ride that Cheng Huang?” Suddenly, Cheng Cheng’s uniquely charming voice came from outside the door.
Qin Yi stopped speaking and slowly turned to look outside.
In the hazy rain, Cheng Cheng stood quietly, dressed in white and barefoot. Through the rain, her eyes seemed to be shrouded in mist, hiding countless words, yet not a single one could be clearly understood.
(End of Chapter)