Ye Piaoling was furious at the sight.
She immediately pointed at the cage and scolded, “Your Highness, you absolutely must not agree to it! This dragon is full of lies—it just tried to trick me into going in earlier…”
“Moreover, a creature that would abandon its principles and recognize you as its master just for food—ah—will surely betray you for food in the future! Such a dragon is utterly untrustworthy!”
The evil dragon said, “Once a monster beast forms a Blood Oath Contract with its master, it can only remain loyal to the end and cannot betray them even in death.”
“Correct.” Di Xiulan pondered for a moment.
“Then let it be done this way.”
Ye Piaoling said with a trembling voice, “Regent King, I urge you to be kind!”
Upon hearing this, the evil dragon let out a “geigeigei” laugh: “Kind? The man before you is the most despicable and shameless devil! He possesses not a shred of kindness!”
Di Xiulan walked over to Ye Piaoling with his hands behind his back, leaned down gently, and brought his enticingly curved lips close to her ear.
He said softly, “Be good.”
“Close your eyes, and it’ll be over soon.”
Ye Piaoling: “!!”
Ye Piaoling couldn’t help but curse, “How shameless! You’ve stripped the bamboo shoots bare from the mountain!”
Di Xiulan: “…”
He frowned. “What did you say?”
Ye Piaoling said angrily, “I said you’re untrustworthy! What you promised was to give me the belt, not…”
“Of course, this king can give you the belt right now.”
Di Xiulan clapped his hands, and a Shadow Guard presented the belt.
Ye Piaoling took a look—it was indeed the one Di Xiulan had worn that night.
The man’s slender hand took the belt, lifted it, and wrapped it around Ye Piaoling’s waist.
As if packaging a toy, he leisurely fastened the belt around her.
Once done, he reached out and gently stroked her, his movements tender and affectionate.
“Now that this king’s transaction with you is complete, I can feed you to the dragon.”
Ye Piaoling: “…” You’re quite something.
After saying this, Di Xiulan was about to throw her into the cage.
“Geigeigei!!”
The evil dragon laughed heartily over there, eagerly opening its large mouth, adjusting its angle, and preparing to receive the offering.
“Wait!” At the critical moment, Ye Piaoling suddenly cried out, “Regent King! If I die, what will you do if you fall into slumber again in the future? Without me, will there still be someone who can break your curse?”
The man’s hand paused, and he looked down at her.
Ye Piaoling lowered her voice and said, “For someone of Your Highness’s high status, there must be no shortage of people on the Glazed Continent who wish to kill you but cannot! Usually, they are no match for you, but once your Slumber Curse strikes and you lie unconscious, if your enemies happen upon you, they will surely seize the opportunity to assassinate you… That’s why, last time, you hid in that secluded cave.”
Ye Piaoling laid out the pros and cons: “Although I broke your curse last time, I cannot guarantee it won’t strike again in the future! If you fall into slumber once more, you will still need me… I can grant you the freedom of curse breaking!”
Di Xiulan said calmly, “You have already told this king the method of curse breaking. What use is there in keeping you?”
“…”
Ye Piaoling choked for a moment, then quickly said, “Yes, I did reveal that curse breaking involves three steps: a kiss, a ‘what the heck,’ and a mask… But there are intricacies to it. It’s not something just anyone can succeed at. Take the first step, for example—it requires a very, very special technique…”
Di Xiulan cast a sinister glance at her: “Technique?”
Ye Piaoling: “…”
What was with the overwhelming disdain in his tone? Did he think her kissing skills were lacking?
Ye Piaoling swallowed hard and retorted indignantly: “Do you know how much pressure there is in kissing someone who doesn’t breathe? How much psychological trauma it leaves afterward? Ordinary people simply can’t handle such a thing! And what seems like a simple act is actually quite intricate—angle, force, everything has to be just right, otherwise you wouldn’t have been awakened…”
“And I, only I have successful experience in this. If someone else tried, they’d definitely fail. So you absolutely must not feed me to the dragon now!”
“…”
After listening, Di Xiulan furrowed his brow and pondered for a moment.
“That does make sense.”
Ye Piaoling: “Exactly!”
Di Xiulan: “Then this king will wait a while longer. If the Slumber Curse does not recur, I’ll feed you to the dragon then.”
Ye Piaoling: “…” You really are a clever little devil.
The evil dragon in the prison cell remained in its posture, eagerly awaiting its meal.
Its dragon whiskers twitched, its mouth gaped wide, drool pooling all over the floor…
Seeing Di Xiulan release the young girl, it flew into a rage, rearing up and roaring:
“You can wait, but I cannot! Di Xiulan, I’ll give you only this one chance. If you don’t let me eat her tonight, you’ll never be able to form a contract with me!”
“Is that so?”
Di Xiulan smiled faintly.
With a backhanded wave, a sharp arc of light shot straight at the evil dragon.
“Oww—”
The dragon cried out in pain and immediately coiled back into the corner of its cage.
It curled its entire body into a ball, whimpering softly.
A fierce dragon shedding tears.
Ye Piaoling: “…” It looks so pitiful.
To be able to make such a massive evil dragon cry with a single slap, Ye Piaoling’s gaze toward the man instantly held a mix of fear and admiration.
The key was, he had been smiling the whole time he acted, and his smile was so tender and affectionate, appearing particularly twisted…
“Your Highness the Regent King, since you’re busy tormenting the dragon, I won’t disturb you any further!” Ye Piaoling said, bowing and scraping.
“Hmm.”
Di Xiulan responded indifferently, his voice as alluringly gentle as ever.
“Ah! Your Highness, just call me if you need Curse Breaking!”
Ye Piaoling offered a sycophantic smile before turning and running off.
Time to make a quick exit.
Behind her, Di Xiulan’s thumb moved slightly, and a wisp of invisible, colorless Spiritual Power silently flew out, slipping into the young girl’s body.
Ye Piaoling felt nothing and continued running straight ahead.
The evil dragon in the cage poked its head out, sniffing, and said: “Why can’t I sense her aura anymore? What Restrictive Seal did you place on her, blocking her presence entirely?”
“To keep you monster beasts from constantly craving her body,” Di Xiulan said calmly. “This king still has use for her.”
Evil dragon: “…How despicable!”
Di Xiulan ignored it any further. As he turned to leave, he instructed Liang Yun:
“Send someone to follow her and see what she does with this king’s belt.”
“Yes!”