One light, drifting sentence after another fell into the ears of the Demon Heart.
The long-forgotten sensation made it tremble repeatedly. Kneeling on the ground, it knocked its head several times in succession. “Y-Your… Your Excellency, please forgive me.”
Xiao Jingchen lazily lifted his eyelids and glanced at the quivering Demon Heart. “Forget it.”
Unhurried, he poured the cup of tea he had just intended to hand over into a flowerpot. The plant within visibly withered and shriveled at once. “But if what you say is true, then I and the Heavenly Dao are enemies?”
“Of course!” The Demon Heart was filled with righteous indignation. “We are irreconcilable with them! She stole your noble demonic bone! She is utterly despicable!”
“If I’ve lost my memories and entered reincarnation, then the Heavenly Dao should have as well,” Xiao Jingchen let out a soft chuckle, a faint gleam rippling through his smiling eyes. “In that case…”
He casually tossed the empty teacup onto the table. It rolled a few circles before coming to a steady stop beside the teapot.
The gentle light in his eyes vanished. The smile at the corner of Xiao Jingchen’s lips deepened.
“Then find her… and kill her.”
“As for Dao bones or demonic bones, I’m not interested in such things. It’s just that the name ‘Heavenly Dao’… hearing it makes one want to…”
He paused, then slowly enunciated three words in a soft tone.
“Destroy her.”
This aligned perfectly with what the Demon Heart had hoped for. It was overjoyed—its master was still as rebellious as ever. Excellent.
“Your Excellency is wise!”
Its eyes spun as it seemed to come up with a plan.
“My lord, tomorrow night, I have a way to lure the Heavenly Dao out!”
“I’ll release a bit of demonic aura. Among those drawn here, not all will be the Heavenly Dao—but the one who is clearly the kindest, most saintly person in the entire world, that must be her.”
“For countless ages, the Heavenly Dao has always been like this—step on an ant, and she’ll lament the sentience of all beings, heal it, shed tears, and blame herself endlessly.”
“She is kind… and foolish. The easiest to find.”
“Rest assured, my lord. This time, we will definitely kill the Heavenly Dao.”
At that moment, in the Prime Minister’s residence.
Wen Shuyu had been scolded by Prime Minister Gu for a full hour before finally returning to her Qingzhu Courtyard.
“What do you mean, you tied up the Crown Prince and dragged him to a brothel? Have you lost your mind?! What if he had lashed out in anger and hurt you?”
“Do you even realize your mistake? If not for the Empress Dowager and the Empress protecting you, just the act of kidnapping the Crown Prince to a brothel would have been enough for His Majesty to have you executed!”
“For the next three days, you are not to leave the residence! And from now on, you are not to chase after the Crown Prince again! What if you anger him and he hurts you? If you die, I won’t want to live either—you’re trying to take your father’s life!”
“With so many men in the capital, why are you fixated on the Crown Prince? You can’t even beat him—what if he hits you?”
Listening to words that were nearly identical to the scolding she had received from the Empress and Empress Dowager, Wen Shuyu simply nodded the entire time. “Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.”
In the end, just like she had done in the palace, she firmly promised she would “never do it again” before finally being allowed back to her room.
The moment she entered, she saw Little Six floating in midair.
Looking troubled, Little Six paced back and forth. “That’s not right… it shouldn’t be like this… You shouldn’t be a waste, my lord. Give me your hand, let me check your spiritual power.”
Wen Shuyu extended her hand. “Here. There’s nothing to check.”
Little Six reached out its tiny paw to probe her spiritual energy—then suddenly jumped up in shock.
“Demonic bone?! My lord, why do you have a demonic bone and demonic energy inside your body?!”
“Where is your Dao bone? Did that despicable Demon Lord steal it? And then maliciously implant a demonic bone into you, trying to lure you into becoming a demon?”
“Demonic energy interferes with a person’s mind! Aside from demons, anyone else who comes into contact with it will be affected. My lord! How have you felt all these years? Are you alright?!”
Panicked, Little Six inspected Wen Shuyu from head to toe, as if a heavy stone were pressing down on its heart.
This was bad. What should they do?
The Heavenly Dao had lost all her Dao bones and now had chaotic demonic energy and a demonic bone inside her.
Those damned demons—if it ever saw the Demon Lord, it would definitely kick him to death. Too despicable.
Wen Shuyu shrugged and patted its head. “It’s fine, it’s fine. Demonic energy or whatever—ten lifetimes of reincarnation and I’ve been perfectly fine.”
“But there’s no way I could be the Heavenly Dao. I don’t possess any of the required qualities—kindness, compassion… none of that exists in me.”
Little Six: “…”
It immediately retorted, “You must be. A thousand years ago, you perished together with the Demon Lord for the sake of all living beings. After that, your three souls and seven spirits scattered across the mortal world, reincarnating for ten lifetimes until now.”
“Otherwise, how do you explain a mortal having memories of ten lifetimes? Even possession or transmigration couldn’t happen ten times in a row!”
“My lord, our current priority is to find the Demon Lord who has also entered reincarnation, and then—”
“Then torture him until he reveals the whereabouts of the Dao bone, and once he does, kill him with a single strike!” Wen Shuyu finished its sentence. “Right?”
With a knowing look on her face, she left Little Six stunned, wiping imaginary sweat from its forehead.
“My lord, you are the Heavenly Dao. In storybooks, we are the ultimate righteous side. We can’t just kill people casually. If we can guide him toward goodness, that would be best. These are all things you once taught me.”
Wen Shuyu spread her hands. “See? That’s why I said I can’t possibly be the Heavenly Dao. I’d just kill him to eliminate future trouble. Guide him? Does he deserve it?”
Little Six: “…”
This was bad.
Its Heavenly Dao… seemed to have grown crooked in the mortal world.
Well, maybe not crooked—more likely influenced by the demonic energy inside her, amplifying her darker emotions.
Thinking this, admiration filled Little Six’s eyes once more. “As expected of the Heavenly Dao! Others who are affected by demonic energy and demonic bones would fall into demonic corruption, destroy the world, and harm all beings. Only you… just like the storytellers in teahouses say—you’ve become a bit more lustful, a bit more arrogant, with a worse reputation… but still redeemable.”
Wen Shuyu: “…” Fine. Whatever you say.
Thus, throughout the entire next day, Little Six thoroughly experienced what “crooked” truly meant.
By nightfall, as dusk settled in—
Everything proceeded according to the Demon Heart’s plan.
Outside the capital, in a desolate area filled with beggars—
A ragged youth lay on the ground, his face covered in wounds beyond recognition. His entire body was drenched in blood, barely clinging to life as he crawled toward a few dirty steamed buns scattered on the ground.
When Wen Shuyu arrived from the Prime Minister’s residence, Little Six spoke to her from within her mind:
[It’s him! He has a trace of demonic energy—he might be the Demon Lord. Good thing I sensed it in time and brought you here.]
[He looks so miserable! So much blood! He must have just been beaten by a group of people. Even his food was thrown far away.]
[Heavenly Dao, he doesn’t seem to be living well. While he still has no memories, let’s take him back and properly guide him. Maybe he won’t become a demon again.]
Just as the boy’s frostbitten, bloodied hand was about to reach a dirty bun—
Suddenly—
Wen Shuyu stepped forward and, right before his eyes, crushed the bun beneath her foot.
She took out a pristine handkerchief, lifted his disfigured face, and locked eyes with him, speaking each word clearly:
“My bone-measuring bell is ringing. It’s a spiritual artifact—it can determine a person’s aptitude.”
“You have hands and feet and decent talent, yet you neither cultivate nor support yourself. Instead, you crawl around like a dog, begging and allowing others to bully you into this state. I have never seen such a useless person as you.”
“If you have no food, then go snatch it from those who bully you—instead of letting them take yours. If you can’t snatch it, then steal. If you can’t steal, then find a way to kill them all. You are so cowardly and useless—no cultivation, no stealing, no fighting, no killing. Do you deserve to eat?”
“Even a passing stranger like me thinks you’re worthless. That alone proves just how useless you truly are. You can’t even manage being a beggar properly—being bullied into this state. Fool!”
Little Six: ???!!!
Xiao Jingchen, who had followed the Demon Heart’s terrible idea and disguised himself as a beggar boy, waiting here for the Heavenly Dao to take the bait: “…”
The Demon Heart hidden within Xiao Jingchen: ???
Wait—who the hell is this? This is straight-up demon behavior…