Only Fang Yi and the dog remained in the living room. Oh… no… it was the Celestial Princess and the Young Underworld Prince.
“I say, Young Underworld Prince, why are you dressed like this? Disguising as a human is already an insult to us deities, but you even transformed into a dog? Whose idea was this? Your father’s? Or Dong Yue’s?”
Fang Yi smiled contemptuously, thinking that although this fellow was the son of Dong Yue’s subordinate, his prestige in the Netherworld actually surpassed that of his father King Yama. Sometimes Bei Yin and the Five Ghost Emperors would turn a blind eye to the things this little guy did.
Back then, she had also considered building a good relationship with him to gain his assistance. Who would have thought he would dare to ignore her attempts to curry favor.
This was treatment that others in the Nine Heavens couldn’t even dream of, yet here in the Netherworld she couldn’t even handle a twenty-thousand-year-old brat, making her feel somewhat resentful.
Later, she accidentally discovered that the person this young prince liked was actually Ni Chang, which made her even more jealous.
Why did everyone here like this lowly, humble Mortal Soul Ni Chang, while ignoring the innate Celestial Goddess? Long Chuyao simply couldn’t understand – Yan Lie was like this, King Yama was like this, Bei Yin was like this, and even the aloof and noble Dong Yue viewed her with special regard.
Were the eyes of the Netherworld deities all bad? Or were their minds not quite right either?
She looked at Yan Lie lying on the carpet wagging his tail, gave a strange smile, quietly walked behind him, and stepped hard on his tail.
Instantly, Yan Lie’s miserable scream echoed through the living room. Ni Manxin quickly poked her head out from the kitchen: “Ye Yue, what’s wrong?”
Fang Yi fake-smiled, glanced at the completely bristled Yan Lie and said with a laugh: “Ni Chang, I accidentally stepped on him lightly just now, and this happened.”
Ni Manxin walked over, looked at the black-furred Ye Yue, and patted his head: “Look, Fang Yi only stepped on you lightly, was it necessary to scream so loudly? You must have been a pampered little dog in your previous home, unable to bear the slightest grievance. I’ll go heat up some milk and bring it for you to drink. Wait here obediently for me, understand?”
After speaking, Ni Manxin glanced at Fang Yi, using her eyes to ask if she wanted a cup of milk too.
Fang Yi shrugged, looking at the little dog in Ni Manxin’s arms with a meaningful smile, and said: “I’m going back to my room. You and this dog should spend some quality time together! Hahaha!”
Not understanding her meaning, Ni Manxin carried the little dog into the kitchen. Seeing that the milk on the stove was already heated, she quickly poured it into a bowl and placed it before the dog: “Eat quickly, you must be hungry!”
Yan Lie barked like a dog a few times, lowered his head and wagged his tail while drinking heartily.
Just then, the front door slammed open and Shen Yuan stumbled in holding a liquor bottle.
Seeing a little dog lying in the kitchen, he immediately smiled and walked over, half-jokingly saying: “Good daughter, where did you get this dog? Just yesterday I said I wanted to eat dog meat, and today one appears in our home. Tomorrow we’ll stew it directly – perfect for nourishing me.”
Hearing this, Yan Lie felt his hair stand on end. He didn’t know what sin he had committed – first being mocked by Fang Yi wasn’t enough, then she stepped on him; being stepped on was bad enough, but tomorrow he would actually become a dish on the dining table. What kind of terrible idea had he come up with? At this moment, Yan Lie was suffering in silence.Ni Manxin quickly scooped up the puppy and hid it behind her back, staring sternly at her father. “Dad, I don’t care how wild you are outside, but don’t even think about laying a finger on this dog at home. I won’t allow it. How could you even suggest such a thing about such an adorable puppy? Look how frightened you’ve made it…”
Shen Yuan watched his daughter’s furious expression but couldn’t be bothered to engage further. He headed straight up the stairs, saying, “If this creature dares to relieve itself anywhere it pleases, don’t blame me for turning it into stew.”
Fang Yi, overhearing the father-daughter argument from her room, couldn’t suppress a sinister smirk. Yan Lie, since you insist on protecting Ni Chang, let’s see how you’ll manage that when you’re nothing but a plate of dog meat.
She had been staying here for some time without any opportunity to meet Ni Chang’s father. Though she had already gathered from Shen Nishang’s accounts what kind of man he was, she hadn’t expected to run into him like this today.
Since chance had brought them together, she might as well see for herself whether he was as useless as Shen Nishang had described.
With a sudden bang, Fang Yi swung open her door and collided face-to-face with Shen Yuan.
“Aaaah…!”
Fang Yi let out a sharp cry, clutching her swollen forehead as she crouched on the floor, moaning in pain.
“Who are you? Why are you in my house?” Shen Yuan asked, somewhat sobered as he looked at the woman sitting on the ground.
Fang Yi looked up at Shen Yuan with tearful, pitiful eyes, pretending not to recognize him. “I’m Ni Manxin’s classmate. She invited me to stay here. And who are you?”
Shen Yuan laughed. “So you’re a classmate!” After giving Fang Yi a long, penetrating look, he staggered unsteadily toward his own room.
Fang Yi sneered inwardly. From the fleeting desire in Shen Yuan’s eyes just now, it was clear he had taken an interest in his daughter’s classmate. How revolting.
Lying in bed, a sudden idea struck Fang Yi, and a faint smile touched her lips. Ni Chang, I could tear your heart out in the Netherworld, and I can do the same here in the mortal realm.
In her own bed, Ni Manxin suddenly shivered and tightly hugged the puppy sleeping beside her.
The night grew chilly. Seeing that Ni Chang had fallen asleep beside him, Yan Lie quickly transformed into human form and slipped into Fang Yi’s room.
Fang Yi was sleeping soundly when she suddenly felt an intense, piercing gaze fixed on her. She immediately opened her eyes and, recognizing Yan Lie, felt a weight lift from her chest.
“How dare you! How dare you enter my room? Since this is your first offense, I’ll let it slide. Now get out!” Fang Yi immediately adopted a haughty, princess-like tone to scold Yan Lie.
Yan Lie smirked coldly. “Princess? True, you were a princess in the Nine Heavens, but here in the mortal world, you’re nothing but a poor girl. Why should I obey you?”
Long Chuyao flared with rage. No one had ever dared to insult her to her face, least of all someone a mere twenty thousand years old. It was utterly intolerable.
She raised her hand to strike him, but her wrist was instantly caught. Turning, she saw Dong Yue gripping her firmly.
Long Chuyao wanted to complain, but Dong Yue’s cold, stern gaze left her too terrified to speak. Seizing the opportunity, Yan Lie exaggeratedly began whining about how Fang Yi had bullied him.
Fang Yi’s face instantly paled. With truth and lies intertwined, and Yan Lie’s dramatic performance, she now appeared even more despicable in Dong Yue’s eyes.
“Long Chuyao, I have tolerated you time and again to this extent. If you dare harm them again, not only you, but even the Nine Heavens shall face my wrath. You’d best tread carefully!” Having said this, he vanished from Fang Yi’s room with Yan Lie.
Fang Yi stared at the space where they had disappeared, murmuring as if lost in a trance: “Dong Yue, do you truly intend to make an enemy of me? If that’s the case, how could I possibly give up so easily? All of this is Ni Chang’s fault. Ni Chang, if you don’t die in this lifetime, I don’t deserve to be called an immortal.”
Yan Lie didn’t dare raise his head to look at the Monarch. Dong Yue gazed at him and sighed softly, then drew from his sleeve a Bone Whistle the size of a finger and hung it around Yan Lie’s neck.
He said quietly: “If Fang Yi tries to bully you and Ni Chang again, blow this Bone Whistle. I will surely come to your rescue then. But don’t be too stubborn – after all, she is a princess of the Nine Heavens, and we must still show her some respect.”
Ecstasy flashed in Yan Lie’s eyes. He had thought the Monarch would reprimand him for his reckless behavior and was at a loss. Never did he expect not only to escape blame but to receive a magical artifact as well. At this moment, he was utterly speechless.