She turned over, “I’m going to sleep. You should leave. I’m not in the mood to talk to you right now.”
Xiao Jingchen stood up and, before leaving, left two sentences: “Wen Shuyu, I will protect you well. What happened with the Blood Talisman must not occur again, and there will be no second accident of falling into the pond.”
“As for what you entrusted me with tonight, I will have someone take care of it.”
Wen Shuyu, lying on the bed and watching Xiao Jingchen’s retreating figure: ?
She didn’t remember entrusting him with anything just now.
She had only pretended to be pitiful, casually said she liked him, hoping to win him over in one move, but still failed.
She hadn’t asked Xiao Jingchen to do anything for her.
Meanwhile, in a beggar’s den far from the Eastern Palace.
Demon Heart, eager to prove himself, was diligently distributing porridge tonight, having already moved through six different beggar’s dens. In front of his stall stood a sign that read: “Wen Shuyu sent me here…”
He let out a sinister “Heh heh heh” laugh, occasionally breaking into a villainous cackle: Once His Majesty regains his memories, they will dominate the world and destroy the Heavenly Dao, hahahaha.
The beggar waiting beside him for porridge: ?
Although the princess is kind-hearted, why would she send someone with mental issues who laughs inexplicably to distribute porridge?
The beggar was puzzled.
After a while, Demon Heart finished distributing the porridge here and prepared to move to the next beggar’s den when he saw a communication talisman floating toward him.
His Majesty’s voice sounded from within: “I will send someone else to handle the porridge distribution. Return to the Eastern Palace. I have other matters for you.”
Demon Heart burst into laughter instantly, overjoyed.
Excellent! His Majesty had finally remembered him. This time, he was surely going to assign him, the brilliant and mighty one, a grand task!
It must be related to destroying the Heavenly Dao!
A surge of demonic energy quickly gathered, and Demon Heart vanished, heading toward the Eastern Palace.
In the study of the Eastern Palace, Xiao Jingchen lightly flipped through the scroll in his hand, page by page, searching for something.
Demon Heart materialized and knelt on the ground: “Greetings, Your Majesty.”
Xiao Jingchen lifted his gaze, set down the scroll in his hand, walked over to Demon Heart, and personally helped him up.
His voice was gentle and carried a hint of a smile: “You’ve worked hard these past days.”
Demon Heart was overwhelmed by the unexpected honor, his face beaming with joy: “Not at all, not at all. It is my honor to serve Your Majesty.”
For millions of years, this was the first time Demon Heart had received such treatment—being personally helped up by His Majesty. So, even after losing his memories, His Majesty could still be this courteous. He was thrilled.
The corners of Xiao Jingchen’s lips still held a faint smile: “I have a matter I need to entrust to you.”
Demon Heart knelt down again as if injected with adrenaline, his voice enthusiastic: “This subordinate is duty-bound! Please give your orders, Your Majesty!”
Xiao Jingchen looked at him with gentle eyes: “Since you are a Demon Heart who has lived for millions of years, you must be well-informed. Go and help me find a way for mortals to achieve eternal youth and immortality, just like cultivators.”
Demon Heart was puzzled: “Your Majesty, why are we looking for this?”
The curve of Xiao Jingchen’s lips deepened: “Haven’t you always wanted to destroy the Heavenly Dao? Think about it. The Heavenly Dao takes maintaining the order of the Three Realms as its duty. If mortals were to become immortal, wouldn’t the laws of the Three Realms fall into chaos? The Heavenly Dao would surely appear, and then we could kill her.”
“Everything I do is naturally for the grand plan of reviving our demon clan.”
The Demon Heart suddenly understood, his tone growing even more excited: “Your Majesty is truly wise! To conceive such a cunning plan—you are indeed the ruler of the demon race! Leave this matter to me! I will return to the Demon Realm and the Heavenly Realm to search immediately!”
Remembering something, the Demon Heart hesitated: “But Your Majesty, one day in the Heavenly and Demon Realms equals a year in the mortal world. If I am away from your side for a year, I fear…”
Xiao Jingchen’s voice was as clear and pure as jade: “It is of no consequence. You are acting for our grand scheme. What does a year or two matter? Once I slay the Heavenly Dao, restore my demon form, and unify the Three Realms, you will be my most capable subordinate. I will grant you titles and nobility, placing you above all others.”
The Demon Heart’s eyes lit up, his smile impossible to suppress: “Yes! I will go at once!”
Filled with passion, he turned and headed straight for the Demon Realm, vanishing from the spot in the blink of an eye.
Completely unaware that he had been thoroughly deceived, his lord had rambled on for so long all for the sake of a woman, with no grand scheme whatsoever.
So much so that when the Demon Heart returned later, he discovered that the woman was actually their mortal enemy, the Heavenly Dao.
He had even distributed porridge in the beggars’ quarters in the name of the Heavenly Dao and sought methods of immortality for the Heavenly Dao. He wished he could have strangled himself on the spot, overwhelmed with heart-wrenching regret and remorse.
…
As for Wen Shuyu, over the next two days, aside from visits from Prime Minister Wen and Empress Gu, she spent the rest of her time “recuperating” in the Plum Garden.
Xiao Liu was pondering the matter of the Dao bone when he noticed Wen Shuyu beside him flipping through her Forty-Two Stratagems. Turning his head, he happened to see the first two stratagems.
The first was “Proving Sincerity with Life,” which referred to the Blood Talisman. The second was “The Self-Injury Stratagem to Win Hearts,” likely involving the fall into the water and feigning misery.
Xiao Liu scratched his head, unable to contain his curiosity: “My lady, what is the third stratagem?”
Following Wen Shuyu’s gaze, Xiao Liu saw a bronze incense burner in the shape of a crane holding a lingzhi mushroom placed on the nearby purple sandalwood table. Wisps of incense rose from the burner, its fragrance drifting like soft gauze throughout the hall, permeating every corner.
Based on his understanding of his lady over this period, Xiao Liu’s heart sank: “My lady, you wouldn’t be thinking of putting Passion Potion in the incense burner, would you?”