Chapter 212 | I, Liu Xian, Am Not a Divine Dragon

The relationship between Su Qing and the Bull Demon King might sound a bit distant...

But it wasn't actually that far removed.

At the very least, the Bull Demon King's intervention this time was enough to prove a few things.

If they had dared to mock Su Qing for being the Dragon Palace's son-in-law before, they now had far more to consider.

The Dragon Palace was indeed powerful... but it still needed them, their strength, and their cooperation.

Thus, they could get away with being a bit unruly.

But the Bull Demon King was different.

He didn't have nearly as many concerns!

His personal strength aside... the key was that among this group of demon kings, except for the few close to him, the Bull Demon King didn't care about the rest. He would kill them without a moment's hesitation.

Just look at the Tiger-faced Demon King.

If the Old Dragon King hadn't intervened because he didn't want a death at his birthday banquet, the tiger would be dead by now.

In summary...

These demon kings didn't want to provoke the Bull Demon King!

After all, no one wanted to follow up the Old Dragon King's birthday banquet with an invitation to their own funeral.

Consequently, the assembly of demon kings fell silent.

None dared to speak out of turn.

The Old Dragon King didn't speak either; he just gave Su Qing a long, deep look before quietly taking a seat to the side.

The Old Dragon King, whose seat at the head of the table had been taken, had originally intended to say something to make her move... but now?

He planned to wait until they finished talking before bringing up anything else.

"It really is quite unexpected..." Su Qing said softly, looking at the Bull Demon King.

She didn't immediately revert to her usual demeanor.

This wasn't over yet!

She would at least finish playing the part for the rest of the banquet.

The Bull Demon King laughed heartily. "Actually, there were things I didn't expect either. Wukong often said his eldest sister was gentle and soft-spoken, but I never imagined you had such a side to you. What's even more surprising is that you've become the son-in-law of the Dragon Palace!"

Hearing this, Su Qing smiled and shook her head. "Everyone has a side that others don't see, don't they?"

"That's true... but thinking about it, my sixth brother is incredibly powerful. The eldest sister who raised and taught him could hardly be ordinary, could she?"

The Bull Demon King raised his cup with a chuckle and said:

"Still, Old Bull has to say this: if you ever need a hand with anything in the future, remember to come find me. Both my wife and I will do our utmost to help!"

Su Qing offered a faint smile, finding the situation slightly amusing.

She wasn't surprised that the Bull Demon King assumed she was the one who had trained Sun Wukong.

After all, their master forbade his disciples from revealing his name once they finished their studies.

So, when the Bull Demon King asked the monkey about his lineage, Wukong must have laughed it off and dodged the question.

Naturally, after a few such encounters, the suspicion would fall on her.

It wasn't particularly strange for him to think she was the teacher.

However, one thing did surprise her: she hadn't expected the Bull Demon King to be married already.

She had assumed it would be a long time before this old bull married Rakshasi!

After all, Red Boy in Journey to the West didn't look that old.

But on second thought, it wasn't hard to understand.

They were all demons, after all.

Su Qing reined in her wandering thoughts and raised her cup with one hand. "Certainly."

She drained the cup in one go.

Old Bull spoke again. "Alright, this is the Old Dragon King's birthday banquet, after all. I won't hog the spotlight any longer. Everyone, eat and drink. Just don't cause trouble like those two demon kings did earlier. If anyone else dares to stir things up, don't blame me for thinning the ranks of the world's demon kings even further!"

At those words, the demon kings quickly averted their gazes and went back to their food and drink, not daring to utter another word.

Seeing how the demon kings had settled down.

Su Qing's brows quirked up as she thought to herself, "Well then, it looks like my job for today is done. This has certainly saved me quite a lot of trouble."

Although Su Qing was surprised that things had turned out this way, she didn't mind it.

After all, for her, this outcome held more benefits than drawbacks.

The only pity was that her thunder had been stolen, and her plan to use this opportunity for some combat practice had gone up in smoke.

As for intimidating the demon kings...

Su Qing had never claimed she could successfully cow them all on her own.

She had even warned the Old Dragon King in advance, so whatever went wrong now had nothing to do with her.

She had done everything she could; she'd fulfilled her part of the bargain to the best of her ability.

After the interlude.

The banquet continued.

Su Qing sipped her wine and ate, glancing at the Old Dragon King out of the corner of her eye.

She could tell he was a bit frustrated; the result likely hadn't met his expectations.

However, the Old Dragon King didn't say anything to Su Qing...

Nor did he press her for anything.

He just looked like he was contemplating how to proceed with the rest of his plans.

Su Qing's lips curled into a faint smile. She gave a small shake of her head and ignored him, returning to her food and wine.

The rest of the banquet proceeded quite smoothly.

No other demon king dared to stand up and cause trouble.

Once the Old Dragon King realized his original plan had gone off track, he quickly formulated a new one.

Then, Su Qing watched as he shamelessly and relentlessly squeezed those demon kings for all they were worth during the feast.

Naturally, the Dragon King wasn't extorting mere money, but things far more valuable than gold.

The demon kings were obviously very displeased, but their irritation meant little.

Those who had initially stuck their necks out to step on the Old Dragon King had picked the wrong target and were now the ones being trampled.

No one else dared to join in or create a scene now.

Even those who were truly incensed and wanted to give the Old Dragon King a hard time didn't dare take it too far, limiting themselves to a bit of back-talk at most.

As for directing their ire toward Su Qing?

They didn't have the courage for that.

They hadn't seen Su Qing's true strength, but they definitely knew they couldn't afford to offend the Bull Demon King.

Of course, quite a few demon kings, thinking of the 'big picture,' tried to introduce themselves and befriend Su Qing.

But without exception, every single one failed.

The male demon kings were kept at a distance of a thousand miles... while the female ones managed a few words, it was never more than a polite exchange.

Su Qing did this not just to maintain her persona and finish the act for the banquet.

It was primarily because she had no intention of having any extensive dealings with these demon kings.

There were many reasons for this.

The simplest were that she didn't want to meddle in unnecessary affairs and the fact that her current identity was different.

The demon kings who were rebuffed by Su Qing were naturally very disgruntled.

But no matter how upset they were, they didn't dare follow in the footsteps of the Tiger-faced Demon King.

All they could do was grumble internally or whisper curses with their brothers behind her back.

Some, who were truly fuming, even wondered if they should find an opportunity to teach Su Qing a lesson...

But for now, they only dared to think about it.

After all, no one knew Su Qing's true power.

Unless some sacrificial pawn stepped up to test the waters for them.

Just like the Tiger-faced Demon King and his companion had.

Su Qing naturally didn't know what these demon kings were thinking, nor did she care.

She simply waited in silence for the banquet to draw to a close.

Time ticked away, second by second.

Soon, evening arrived.

At this hour, the banquet was finally nearing its end.

After all, all good things must come to an end.

Besides, the guests at this feast had been itching for it to finish for a while now.

So, when the time felt right, many demon kings began to take their leave.

As the guests prepared to depart, the Old Dragon King naturally feigned a desire for them to stay longer, fulfilling his duties as host.

Seeing the Old Dragon King's hypocritical attempts to detain the demon kings, Su Qing's lip twitched. She stood up, ready to leave the banquet hall as well.

But just as she was about to leave, the Bull Demon King called out to her.

He seemed to want to say goodbye.

"My wife is still waiting for me at the manor, so Old Bull will be heading back now. Take care of yourself," the Bull Demon King said with a laugh, rubbing one of his horns.

Hearing this, Su Qing naturally didn't try to stop him.

"Then safe travels. Go back and spend time with your wife. Take care."

The Bull Demon King nodded. "Then Old Bull is off!"

As he spoke, he reached down and hoisted the Tiger-faced Demon King off the floor.

"But before I go, I have to deal with you," the Bull Demon King sneered. "Leaving you alive this long has given Old Bull quite the guilty conscience."

Hearing this, the Tiger-faced Demon King descended into a complete panic.

He had spent every waking moment of the day trying to figure out how to escape... but despite his efforts, he hadn't succeeded once.

Now that his death was imminent, he was overcome with terror.

He tried to break free, but he had failed all day; how could he possibly succeed in these few remaining moments?

He was dragged out of the banquet hall by the Bull Demon King.

As if intentionally putting the tiger's wretched state on display, the Bull Demon King walked very slowly as he left.

He ensured the tiger's undignified behavior was witnessed by every demon king in attendance.

Not all demon kings were fools.

They understood perfectly well what the Bull Demon King intended with this display.

Su Qing, of course, also saw through the Bull Demon King's plan...

She couldn't help but chuckle inwardly.

"I really underestimated him... It turns out the Bull Demon King not only has a brain but is also exceptionally thorough. I suppose it makes sense; without such skill, he wouldn't be such a powerful demon king, nor would he have married a woman like Rakshasi. A pity about his troublesome son, though."

The troublesome son was, of course, Red Boy.

If Su Qing remembered correctly, Red Boy was an absolute nightmare to handle...

He had caused no end of trouble.

Thinking this, Su Qing gave a slight shake of her head. "Forget it, why worry? Red Boy hasn't even been born yet."

After the Bull Demon King left, Su Qing, who had already intended to go, prepared to depart.

Seeing Su Qing leaving, the Old Dragon King naturally spoke up to try and keep her there, or at least stall her.

But he was only halfway through his sentence when he realized she had already vanished.

Old Dragon King: "..."

Watching Su Qing's disappearing figure, the Old Dragon King shook his head and muttered to himself, "Fine, fine. I was the one who asked her to act this way, and most of my goals have been achieved anyway! No need to go looking for more trouble."

The Old Dragon King let out a long breath, then turned back to see off the other demon kings.

Today had arguably been the most painful day of interaction between the Old Dragon King and Su Qing.

Worst of all, he couldn't even complain.

Because he had brought it all on himself.

After leaving the banquet hall.

Leng Xiang reverted to her human form and followed by Su Qing's side.

She couldn't help but chuckle. "Master, it seems your plan to test your strength has fallen through again?"

"It doesn't matter... there will be plenty of opportunities in the future." Su Qing smiled, then added, "But... on one point, I think you were right, Leng Xiang."

Leng Xiang looked slightly confused and tilted her head. "What does Master mean?"

"About my personality, of course."

"About being dominant?"

"Exactly." Su Qing said with a grin. "To be honest, it's actually quite refreshing. By setting aside some unnecessary emotional intelligence and being assertive, I can completely ignore those demon kings trying to chat me up. It’s saved me a lot of trouble!"

"And it works quite well for turning down the Old Dragon King, too."

Leng Xiang nodded. "Does Master intend to maintain that personality then?"

"Huh? Of course not. I only plan to use it when necessary. After all, I'm not schizophrenic. How could I suddenly switch to an entirely different personality?" Su Qing said, amused. "But... if you like it, I could show it to you occasionally."

Leng Xiang froze for a moment, strange thoughts unbiddenly popping into her mind.

Her face flushed a faint red.

Seeing this, Su Qing asked suspiciously, "What strange things are you thinking about now?"

"N-nothing," Leng Xiang hurriedly shook her head. "But if that is what Master wishes to do, Leng Xiang doesn't mind at all. Please, command me as you will, Master."

Su Qing gave Leng Xiang a strange look, then gave a slight nod and said no more.

They returned to the guest room.

Sitting on the bed, Su Qing couldn't help but wonder if any demons would come looking for trouble after this.

She wasn't afraid of trouble; in fact, she almost hoped someone would try something.

It would give her a chance to test her strength.

But if not, it didn't matter...

Worst case, she would just keep practicing on her own.

Becoming the 'Sword God of Shili Slope' wasn't out of the question either.

Time flew by.

The next day.

Su Qing had only been awake for a short while and had just finished washing up.

A Yaksa arrived to inform her that the Old Dragon King wished to see her.