According to Sang Ying’s knowledge, the North Wilderness demon king was a sturdy, imposing fierce male, who climbed to the demon king position a few years ago through brute force, his reputation impressive.
But…pregnant?
Sang Ying imagined that beautiful scene, immediately felt uneasy, shook her head: “Are you certain it’s pregnancy? Not some other trick?”
Xiao Lingzhou laughed: “What you can think of, that demon king thought of too. So guess why the North Wilderness demon king came to South Libo?”
South Libo specialized in gu sorcery. Making a male demon pregnant would naturally make them suspect demonic gu. Coming to find the South demon king was reasonable too.
But since he’d already found the South demon king and still captured so many female cultivators, it meant it wasn’t gu-poison.
“The North Wilderness demon king was unconscious at the time, only vaguely remembering a young human female, high cultivation.” Xiao Lingzhou took a sip of pear juice.
Sang Ying understood, not sure of the target, so capturing people everywhere. Any young female cultivator brought back unconscious.
She bit the sweet cake again. High cultivation female cultivators…no wonder the four major families’ young girls were taken. Good thing she was weak, or she might’ve become a target too.
Sang Ying was genuinely curious now. A male demon pregnant, caused by a human female cultivator.
“Senior sister how have these years been?” Xiao Lingzhou asked.
Sang Ying was startled, replied: “Pretty good?”
After years apart, she’d softened some, smiling: “Lengmian’s sword path progressed, just keeps a wooden face. Laba’s been running around everywhere. I can’t go out much, so he manages branches all over.”
Lengmian and Laba were demons Sang Ying picked up, younger than her.
After marriage, Lengmian stayed beside her as guard. Laba excelled at socializing, always chattering like a trumpet, managing branches everywhere.
Both had names—Lengmian was called Chi Yan, Laba (“Trumpet”) was Feng Zhao, but Sang Ying always forgot names, giving nicknames based on personality. Over time, even Jingxi and Xie Lingyu called them that way.
Xiao Lingzhou propped his chin, eyes wistful: “junior sister really excels at picking things up.”
One Xie Lingyu wasn’t enough, she picked up two more.
Sang Ying also sighed. She still couldn’t break the habit of picking things up, though she was trying to control it.
Half a year ago met an unconscious youth, last month found a sleeping rabbit, last week bumped into a sleeping child…she didn’t take any home though, managed good restraint.
“The merchant association…is yours?” Xiao Lingzhou asked.
Sang Ying nodded. With Xiao Lingzhou there, no need to hide. Bad reputation didn’t matter anyway.
Xiao Lingzhou laughed: “junior sister’s impressive, doing big things quietly.”
They chatted awhile, Xiao Lingzhou suddenly asked: “What about Xie Lingyu?”
Sang Ying found it strange: “You should know without asking me, right? Isn’t he the talk of the town? Xie Lingyu the prodigy, just took first place in Heaven Ranking recently.”
“I don’t mean that,” Xiao Lingzhou leaned closer, eyes narrowed watching her: “I mean you and him. Confessed your feelings yet?”
Sang Ying’s heart *thumped*, but her face stayed composed, raising her chin high: “Which eye did Second Senior Brother see me liking him with? Just because we married doesn’t mean anything. It was just a delaying tactic. He’s just my little follower. I’m the boss of Minghua Mountain, how could I possibly like him? Second Senior Brother’s really overthinking this. It’s impossible, absolutely impossible.”
“…”
Xiao Lingzhou watched her trembling eyelashes, laughing helplessly: “Right, Brother overthought.”
“So when are you planning to divorce?”
Sang Ying froze: “Divorce?”
“Yeah.”
Xiao Lingzhou leaned on the carriage, crossing his arms: “You and Xie Lingyu only have the name of spouses but no reality. No feelings either. He will eventually like another girl. When that happens, how will you two get along?”
Xie Lingyu…liking another girl.
Sang Ying was dazed for a moment, chewed on those words, felt a faint ache at heart. But Xiao Lingzhou was right. If Xie Lingyu had someone he cherished…what then?
“It’s all without feelings anyway, just a delaying tactic. Swapping partners changes nothing, just more familiar people are more trustworthy, but who says only he’s familiar?”
Xiao Lingzhou watched her with a smile: “Big Senior Brother’s in seclusion. Isn’t your Second Senior Brother still here? If junior sister said some sweet words, asked me, I could consider sacrificing myself to help.”
Sang Ying slapped his face, pushed him away, disgusted: “No. You’re too ugly. I’m afraid I’d faint at the wedding.”
Xiao Lingzhou hummed: “Your Second Senior Brother’s actually a heartthrob. Used to get love letters daily in sword class.”
“Forget it. Your taste is beyond redemption.” He pulled the carriage to the edge, lifted the curtain: “I found some good ones for you. Pick whichever you like.”
Sang Ying got out and saw a line of handsome youths and young men, all with beautiful faces, giving only slight nods when they saw her.
Cold, taciturn, emotionless…Sang Ying suddenly realized these men were all modeled after Xie Lingyu.
She couldn’t help but cover her face: “Second Senior Brother, what exactly are you doing?!”
Xiao Lingzhou rested on her shoulder: “Look which one interests you directly. Don’t worry, I’ve vetted them personally. No romantic history, clean, faithful, treat wives well. After marriage, they only listen to their wives, tell them east and they won’t wander an inch toward west [1]tell them east, they won’t go west (rang wang dong bu hui wang xi, 讓往東不會往西) (Idiom), someone perfectly obedient, who does exactly as told without deviation jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3389880_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3389880_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });. Or if junior sister wants them all…” *Hiss!*
The girl stomped his foot hard, turned and walked. Xiao Lingzhou quickly caught up, keeping pace.
“Hey, junior sister if you don’t like this batch, there are…”
“Xiao Lingzhou!”
She rarely called his name. Only when truly angry did she call him that.
Xiao Lingzhou flinched, not continuing. He watched the back of her head, pressed his lips.
Xie Lingyu that brat, what’s so good about him? Looks clean and proper on the surface, actually a beast in sheep’s clothing, dark to the bone.
Only his innocent junior sister can’t see through him, still thinks he’s really like the rumors, some immortal bearing, righteous gentleman.
If he truly treated junior sister well always, this would be fine, but clearly…
*Pfft.*
A light laugh came from a tree branch, obvious schadenfreude.
Sang Ying raised her head. Sitting on a branch was a youth in the special bright silver clothes of South Libo, single knee supporting, reclining. Skin pale to the point of gloom.
Despite smiling, his pitch-black pupils gave a spine-chilling feeling.
Was a demon, and seemed quite strong.
When had he appeared? She hadn’t noticed at all.
“Don’t laugh, be careful your skin gets stripped to make grilled skewers tonight,” Xiao Lingzhou said without good cheer, tone casual but familiar.
He knew this person.
Sang Ying felt slightly relieved.
The youth nimbly jumped down. Before Sang Ying could react, he’d leaned close and sniffed at her. Suddenly his smile deepened, pretty brows opening.
“So you turned out to be…” *Umm…*”…married woman.”
Before he could finish, Xiao Lingzhou covered his mouth and dragged him aside. Sang Ying caught only the last two words, her ears tingling slightly.
They said something to each other, then returned. Xiao Lingzhou introduced: “Little junior sister, this is the South Demon King, Yin Cha.”
Sang Ying nodded lightly.
Yin Cha looked quite interested, black eyes fixed on her, smiling: “Little junior sister, aren’t you curious about Fu Yi’s situation? I can take you to watch the fun?”
Fu Yi was the North Demon King’s name.
Xiao Lingzhou pushed his face away: “Who’s your little junior sister? Don’t shout randomly.”
“Come with me junior sister, ignore this brat.”
Xiao Lingzhou brought Sang Ying to the North Demon King’s station edge.
As for why the North Demon King stayed in South Libo not returning, Yin Cha spread his hands innocently: “I diagnosed he’s not demon-poisoned, he self-isolated in a room for days, wouldn’t see anyone. I can’t exactly kick him out.”
Sang Ying thought to herself: if he wasn’t responding to anyone, wasn’t he the one who’d given the order to capture female cultivators all across the cultivation world?
“Who knows? Not my business,” Yin Cha said, pointing off to the side. “There, we’ve arrived.”
Sang Ying’s attention was diverted, and without thinking further, she followed the two of them inside.
The moment they stepped in, she saw demons collapsed all over the ground, every one of them a subordinate of the North Wilderness demon king.
Xiao Lingzhou muttered, “That brat found this place fast,” pulling Sang Ying along to mask their presence, sneaking forward through the shadows.
Soon, Sang Ying spotted that familiar white figure, her gaze unconsciously fixing on him.
This was where the female cultivators were being held, guarded by six of the demon king’s most trusted subordinates.
Xiao Lingzhou pulled out a bag of melon seeds, grabbed a handful for himself, and stuffed the rest into her hands, pointing out each one with leisurely interest: the one collapsed on the ground was Second Brother, the one hanging from the tree branch was Sixth Brother, and the one still trembling on his feet, facing off against Xie Lingyu, was Eldest Brother.
Yin Cha grabbed a handful of seeds too, crouching down to her left, cracking them as he spoke: “These guys have really been hard at work these past few days, showing up bruised and battered every day, still hauling people in, even shouting little slogans to keep their spirits up. Almost inspiring, really.”
“…”
How was it that this group, rumored across the cultivation world as vicious, ruthless criminals, sounded like complete fools coming from their own mouths?
Come to think of it, during their idle chat on the road here, Luoqing had mentioned that the wolf demon Xie Lingyu had caught back in Beiwan wasn’t especially bright either.
Sang Ying watched from a distance as Eldest Brother collapsed before Xie Lingyu. The youth’s expression turned cold as he sheathed his sword and walked toward where the female cultivators were held.
Wait, that wasn’t right.
“The North Demon King’s subordinates aren’t strong with strategy?”
Xiao Lingzhou bit a melon seed: “Pretty obvious, right? They can’t hide people properly, bright and clear like idiots on others’ land.”
The North Demon King’s men hadn’t shown up yet, obviously he hadn’t given orders.
Then who was pulling strings behind the scenes, incorporating four major families’ property plus Jade Pool’s holy maiden, the Heavenly Ranking number one place…
Sang Ying’s heart suddenly tensed, watching the youth walking toward the female cultivators’ cell, about to push the door open. She came to her feet without thinking.
“Xie Lingyu don’t—!”
Thick, black demonic qi suddenly exploded outward, instantly wrapping everything around them.
Sang Ying’s vision was swallowed by demonic qi, couldn’t see anything.
The surroundings went eerily quiet, a moment later, Xiao Lingzhou’s voice, wind sound, water sound, rustling leaves—Sang Ying couldn’t hear any of it.
Only on her left was a shallow breathing sound.
Sang Ying remembered that was…
A low laugh, a youth’s cold breath gently grazing her sensitive ear, like a snake sliding over skin, triggering a shudder.
“Too late, little junior sister.”
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