Although this girl was young, her abilities were not to be underestimated. Hu Yunqing didn’t want to offend her and could only explain, “That human’s looks are on par with our Fox Clan, and she’s a Water Spiritual Root cultivator.”
“Oh, just a Water Spiritual Root? I have one of those right by my side, nothing special.” After speaking, Shangguan Qinghuan still offered her an idea, “Doesn’t the Fox Demon Clan have the Love Gu? You should secretly give it to the Wolf Demon King to consume.”
Hu Yunqing clutched her handkerchief and nodded. “Alright then. I’ve troubled you, Elder.”
Just as Shangguan Qinghuan was walking out of the main hall, a Thousand-mile Sound Transmission Letter Talisman flew over.
“Sect Master! Something terrible has happened! The Secret Realm has ended, but not only did Senior Sister Ning not return, Senior Brother has turned into a Black Dragon Demon Beast! He told me to tell you that if he doesn’t see Senior Sister Ning within three days, he’ll raze the Joyful Union Sect to the ground. He also said something about the Fox Demon Clan being next. I have no idea what he means.”
—From: Wen Hai.
“…” Shangguan Qinghuan’s expression turned quite grim. But in an instant, it cleared up again. With a thought, she turned and walked back into the main hall.
“Elder Shangguan, why are you back again?” Hu Yunqing asked, quite startled as she nibbled on a pastry.
“Your Majesty, do you remember what kind of clothes the human you captured was wearing?”
“Uh, I think it was red clothes, very brightly colored! At a glance, it was clearly not the proper Taoist Robe of a righteous cultivator.”
“…” Shangguan Qinghuan was speechless. No one in the Fox Demon Clan knew that she had established the Joyful Union Sect in the human realm. Never mind, she wouldn’t hold it against her.
“Your Majesty, is that Water Spiritual Root human in the palace? I shall accompany you to have a look.”
Hu Yunqing was pleasantly surprised and agreed.
…
“Miss Cui, wake up, quickly! Look ahead, it’s that person from the Joyful Union Sect.”
Cui Xian opened her eyes. The feeling of sleeping in a prison cell for a day was not pleasant. She raised her head and looked haggardly at the newcomer, a wave of anger rising within her. “Hey, what kind of path did you lead us on? You got us captured by demons!”
Ning Jinyu had dismissed her maids and walked in alone. She sighed at the sight of the disheveled group and said softly, “My name isn’t ‘Hey,’ it’s Ning Jinyu. Miss Cui, don’t blame me. If you all hadn’t been chasing me, would I have run around randomly?
“Now I’m down on my luck too. Do you have any way to contact the people from the Sword Sect? I can help you send the message out, and then you can just rescue me along with you.”
“…”. Cui Xian and Peng Jing exchanged a look, then took out a talisman from within their inner robes and passed it through the narrow bars of the cell door.
After stowing it away safely, Ning Jinyu asked for clear instructions on how to use it. Only then did she offer a few words of comfort and leave.
“I just hope the Saintess sees this letter and comes to save us soon,” Peng Jing sobbed, wiping her tears.
…
“Miss Ning, it’s time to return to the palace.”
Ning Jinyu nodded, clutching the talisman as she followed the maids back. She needed to find a place with no one around to cast the spell and release the Talisman Dove.
Another two days passed. Under the subtle, constant surveillance, Ning Jinyu was growing anxious. In another two days, her period would be over, and then things would get truly miserable.
“Miss Ning, Her Majesty the Queen has returned to the palace and wishes to see you.”
Speak of the devil!
Not just anyone could enter the Queen’s palace. These guards could at most follow them to the gate and wait outside.
Ning Jinyu followed the maids into the Queen’s palace. It was luxurious and extravagant. Just before stepping through the main entrance, she clutched her stomach, her face pale and pained. “You two, please help me inform the Queen that I need to use the latrine right now!”
The maids frowned, but seeing that her pain didn’t look feigned, they could only agree.
Ning Jinyu scurried away, found an empty space, and burned the talisman. The talisman transformed into a white dove and flew away.
After disposing of the remains, she returned the way she came, looking at her arm with a bit of heartache. The red marks from where she had pinched herself had not yet faded. Alas, she wasn’t an actress; only real pain felt the most authentic.
“Miss, you’re finally back. Her Majesty the Queen has been waiting for you for a while.”
Ning Jinyu nodded and walked inside with light steps.
The woman on the main seat was the very same fox beauty she had seen beside Yan Lang that day.
However, there was also someone she never in a million years expected to see.
Wasn’t this Sect Master Shangguan!
Her eyes were filled with shock and astonishment.
Shangguan Qinghuan sighed, her voice laced with resignation. “Little Yu’er, so it really was you.”
Hu Yunqing, who had been worried, was now utterly confused by this. “Elder, what is the meaning of this?”
Ning Jinyu glanced at the fox beauty, then at Shangguan Qinghuan, and asked softly, “Sect Master-jie, are you from the Fox Demon Clan?”
“Yes. Are you afraid?”
Ning Jinyu paused slightly, then shook her head. For some reason, she really wasn’t afraid.
Shangguan Qinghuan looked at Hu Yunqing and smiled. “Your Majesty the Queen, what you were worried about will not happen. I will ask the Demon King for my disciple back.”
Hu Yunqing’s eyes widened. “She’s your disciple?”
“Mhm. You can rest easy, Your Majesty. My disciple and I have some private matters to discuss, so I won’t see you out.”
“…In that case, I shall take my leave.”
Ning Jinyu felt like she was in a fantasy. Shangguan Qinghuan beckoned to her with a finger and smiled. “How did you get captured by the Demon Clan? Didn’t Song Qingyan come with you?”
Speaking of him, though it had only been a few days, it felt like a long time since she had seen him. Ning Jinyu’s body stiffened slightly, and she nodded haphazardly.
Shangguan Qinghuan saw through her completely and said, amused, “You’re not afraid of me, a fox spirit, yet you’re afraid of a black dragon you spent every day with~”
That was the logic, but… but Song Qingyan had once… done those things to her.
Ning Jinyu knew she was getting stuck on this, but she just couldn’t get over that hurdle in her heart. What if the Song Qingyan with his memories restored was exactly the same as before?
“Shangguan-jie, can you take me away from here to stay with the Fox Demon Clan for a few days? I don’t want to go back to the Joyful Union Sect and see him for now.”
Shangguan Qinghuan hooked a finger under her chin to get a better look and chuckled. “I’m afraid not. Your Song Qingyan has returned to the Demon Race now. I expect that within two days, the Demon Race will be sending people over. You don’t know, do you? The Black Dragon Clan is born in the Forest of the Ghost Domain within the Demon Race. They are born to be the next generation of Demon Lords. Speaking of which, I know a few things about him.”
“Back when the black dragon was born, not long after the strange phenomena in the Demon Race, a black dragon came to our Demon Realm to cause trouble, killing many from the Demon Clan for sport. Then he disappeared again, supposedly going to the Human Race. In short, black dragons are inherently evil, yet they are also incredibly powerful, tsk.”
Ning Jinyu blushed with embarrassment. She had seen these things for real in the illusion. She herself was afraid to face it; she shouldn’t make others bear the burden.
“Little Yu’er, let me send you to the Demon Race. Our Demon Clan can’t afford to provoke a man like that.”
“…”, Ning Jinyu wrung her hands and nodded obediently.
What else could she do? Seeing Song Qingyan was better than staying here and seeing the wolf-headed Demon King.
The Demon King, Yan Lang, was originally very reluctant, but the woman was from the Fox Demon Clan’s side, and the recent turmoil in the Demon Race also worried him.
And so, a perfectly good Water Spiritual Root was let go.
Ning Jinyu boarded a carriage and left the Demon Clan with Shangguan Qinghuan.
Before leaving, she had also asked if they could release the people from the Sword Sect.
To this, Shangguan Qinghuan replied, “Yu’er, although I am the Sect Master of the Joyful Union Sect, I am still a demon, after all. Rescuing you has already caused this master more than enough trouble. Just be a good girl and stay put, alright?”