If I Can't Win, Can't I Just Give Up?

Upon hearing this, Yudie looked at her mother with a hint of confusion.

"Mother, do you really not need me to come along?" she asked.

Su Qing shook her head. "There's no need. Stay with Chaoyan and help clear out any minor demons that try to escape."

Yudie remained silent.

Chaoyan, hearing Su Qing's words, knew that her godmother likely wouldn't listen to her objections. Thus, she didn't try to persuade her further, only saying, "Then you must be careful, Godmother... Even with Sister Jingyue and the Daoist helping, those two great demons won't be easy to deal with. Please do not be careless."

Su Qing couldn't help but smile at Chaoyan's words. She reached out and patted the girl's head.

"Don't worry. I am much stronger than you and far more cautious. How could I be careless? You should look after yourself first! Once the fighting starts inside, Jingyue and I won't be able to watch the perimeter. So, the demons outside will mostly depend on you and Yudie."

Su Qing's meaning was exceptionally clear.

Both Yudie and Chaoyan understood. Yudie pursed her lips, finding it a bit of a hassle... she knew her mother wanted to train Chaoyan, but having to be dragged along every time made her feel somewhat gloomy. After all, rather than training her strength alongside Chaoyan, she preferred to stay quietly by her mother's side, ready to be used whenever necessary.

Chaoyan, on the other hand, didn't pay much mind to such trivialities. She nodded heavily and gave a serious promise.

Seeing that neither Yudie nor Chaoyan had any objections, Su Qing set off toward the Lotus Flower Cave with Jingyue and the Daoist.

While on the road, Su Qing sent a voice transmission to the Daoist.

"You must have heard what I said earlier. Once we leave, tell your mountain-patrolling demons to withdraw. Then, find some demons to fight Yudie and Chaoyan. Send whoever you like, as long as they aren't significantly stronger than those two girls. Don't worry about hurting them. I believe someone as clever as you should understand the intent behind this."

Hearing Su Qing's words, the Daoist—who was actually Silver Horn—broke into a cold sweat. This task sounded simple and exceptionally lenient, but if he accidentally injured those two women, he suspected Pingding Mountain would truly be leveled.

However, he didn't dare refuse. Firstly, he lacked the courage; secondly, he was afraid of truly offending the person before him. As the saying went, he was currently a demon, not Taishang Laojun's boy... If the immortal before him wanted to kill him, she wouldn't even blink. The reason she was speaking to him so peacefully now was surely because she had her own plans... and another reason was likely her curiosity regarding his identity.

After a moment of thought, the demon let out a long breath and said, "I understand. I will certainly handle this matter for you, Senior Sovereign."

Silver Horn finally gritted his teeth and agreed. He understood that rather than refusing and offending her, it was better to follow her wishes. At worst, he would just send some weaker demons to deal with the girls. Although this was a bit unfair to his subordinates, it was a much better outcome than having all of Pingding Mountain wiped out.

Seeing Silver Horn agree, Su Qing nodded and said no more, simply following him toward the Lotus Flower Cave.

Before long, Su Qing and Jingyue arrived at the cave entrance with Silver Horn. The demons guarding the entrance were completely unaware of what had happened, assuming their king had tricked someone into coming. They immediately offered their congratulations and hurriedly opened the doors.

Watching his subordinates' behavior, Silver Horn felt a wave of panic in his heart. He didn't dare speak out of turn, only hoping his subordinates wouldn't provoke this great trouble-maker.

The cave doors opened, and Su Qing's group walked into the Lotus Flower Cave without hindrance. Jingyue walked beside Su Qing, her mind still filled with countless doubts. At the same time, she began to suspect the Daoist's identity. Since he could get the minor demons of the Lotus Flower Cave to open the doors and welcome him so warmly, she felt that, barring any surprises, this Daoist was likely one of the demon kings in disguise.

She wanted to warn Su Qing, but then she realized: if she could see it, how could Su Qing not? Thus, she became curious about what Su Qing was planning.

She didn't believe Su Qing was going in to die. Although she wasn't sure of her sister's current strength, there was no doubt it was far beyond her own—an existence she could only dream of reaching. Moreover, Su Qing had been exceptionally calm throughout the journey, acting as if she had everything under control, which naturally made Jingyue trust her even more. She felt her sister had likely mastered the situation long ago, which was why she could be so relaxed.

As for what Su Qing's actual plans were, she simply couldn't figure them out.

The group walked on, quickly passing through the throngs of demons and arriving at the main hall of the cave dwelling.

Just as they entered the hall, an old demon with a golden horn and golden skin, dressed in golden armor, walked over with a loud laugh.

"Second Brother is truly impressive! To think you tricked the pilgrim into coming here without lifting a finger! As expected of my brother..."

Golden Horn spoke as he walked forward, intending to give Silver Horn a hug. He didn't know what had happened; he had only heard from a messenger demon that Silver Horn had returned victorious after tricking the pilgrim. He had timed his arrival to praise Silver Horn.

However, as Golden Horn spoke and laughed, the expression on his face froze. He went stiff on the spot. Cold sweat began to pour down his back, and he wished he could tear apart the minor demon who had reported the 'good news.'

This wasn't Silver Horn tricking someone back; this was clearly Silver Horn being escorted back under duress.

After a moment of shock, Golden Horn didn't have time to think. He hurriedly reached for the Purple Gold Gourd to deal with Su Qing. He believed that no matter how strong she was, she wouldn't be a match for the Purple Gold Gourd. After all, it was a treasure belonging to Taishang Laojun.

Golden Horn's idea was good, but Su Qing was one step ahead. Just as he pulled out the gourd and the words 'Azure Spirit Sovereign' were about to leave his mouth, Su Qing casually cast a spell, freezing him firmly in place.

For a moment, he could neither move nor speak, standing there like a statue. Frozen as he was, Golden Horn was drenched in cold sweat, regretting his impulsive move. He had severely underestimated his opponent. In a direct confrontation, he didn't even have the chance to fight, let alone win.

Silver Horn's heart skipped a beat at the sight. The composure he had barely managed to regain vanished instantly into tension. He scolded via voice transmission, "Brother, did you not recognize her? With our meager strength, how could we be her match? Why were you so impulsive? If you truly anger her, our Lotus Flower Cave will face a catastrophe."

Golden Horn was also filled with regret, replying via transmission, "I... Sigh, how was I to know? I didn't even get a chance to move. Second Brother, you've always been the clever one, quickly think of a way out."

"Hmph... you fool!" Silver Horn was frustrated. The trouble had been dumped back on him again, hadn't it? Despite his frustration, he had to find a way, otherwise, they truly wouldn't survive this calamity.

Meanwhile, Jingyue stood to the side, staring at the scene in disbelief. What was going on? The battle had ended before it even began? This was a bit too fast, wasn't it?

Although she knew Su Qing was prepared and wasn't worried about trouble inside, she never expected the confrontation to end so swiftly. For a moment, Jingyue felt that the distance between her and her sister was still vast. Catching up to her seemed like a mere dream. However, it didn't matter if her strength couldn't catch up... at least she had caught up to the person herself.

As she thought, Jingyue's mind wandered off again.

Returning to the matter at hand, Su Qing glanced at Silver Horn with a faint smile. She knew the two were communicating via voice transmission, but she didn't care. Her confidence in entering the demon's lair came from her own strength. Otherwise, how could she act so recklessly?

Besides, Golden Horn and Silver Horn weren't particularly strong themselves; their power mostly relied on the treasures they had taken from Laojun. Against enemies who only knew how to use artifacts, the simplest method was to prevent them from using them at all. And so, Golden Horn was easily dealt with.

Of course, even if she faced those artifacts directly, Su Qing wasn't worried about failing; it would just be more troublesome. Moreover, if she actually destroyed the treasures, it would be difficult to explain to Laojun later.

The cave dwelling fell into a brief silence. Su Qing held her hand seal and looked at Golden Horn with a smile.

"Why be so agitated? I didn't come here to kill you. I just have some questions to ask, and I'll need you to do me a small favor while I'm at it."

As she spoke, Su Qing walked up to Golden Horn and took the Purple Gold Gourd from him. This thing was indeed a fine treasure, but unfortunately, it was difficult for these two to unleash its true power.

Seeing the gourd taken from his hand, Golden Horn's back was soaked. He didn't believe a word Su Qing said. After all, whether they lived or died was entirely up to her whim.

Seeing this, Silver Horn hurriedly bowed. "Azure Spirit Sovereign, whatever you require, please just give the command. We brothers will go through fire and water without hesitation."

Silver Horn couldn't be sure of Su Qing's words, but the priority was to make her believe they were willing to help. Only then could he safely protect Golden Horn. As long as they were useful, they wouldn't be killed immediately.

Su Qing smiled. "Oh? That's what you said."

Silver Horn nodded, bracing himself. What else could he do? What would happen if he didn't nod?

Seeing this, Su Qing felt it was enough. She clapped her hands, and Golden Horn, who had been frozen, finally regained his mobility. Golden Horn immediately declared his loyalty, fearing that if he spoke too slowly, he would be finished. Both Golden Horn and Silver Horn were afraid of death; in the face of life and death, mere face was a trivial matter.

Su Qing chuckled and then said, "Alright, I understand. Silver Horn, go and do what I instructed you earlier! When you return, I have things to ask both of you."

Hearing this, Silver Horn didn't dare delay and nodded quickly. He naturally remembered what Su Qing had told him. It wasn't a difficult task, though it required sacrificing some minor demons.

Silver Horn left the main hall and sighed slightly. It was fortunate there were no minor demons in the hall; otherwise, the scene just now would have completely wiped out the prestige they had built over the years. Silver Horn felt miserable. How could he be so unlucky? He was told a pilgrim was coming, so why did such a massive problem show up instead?

Shaking his head, Silver Horn quickly gave the orders Su Qing had requested. Shortly after, he returned to the main hall to avoid letting Su Qing misunderstand that he was plotting something, especially since his brother was still in her hands.

Seeing that Silver Horn had completed the task, Su Qing nodded slightly.

"Well done. Now, I have some questions for you... answer them honestly."

Golden Horn and Silver Horn didn't dare refuse and nodded quickly.

Su Qing first asked, "Looking at you, you both seem to recognize me. Why is that?"

Su Qing was asking something she already knew, merely using it as a way to mask other matters.

Golden Horn and Silver Horn answered honestly and begged Su Qing not to tell Laojun, even offering their treasures in exchange for that promise.

"Hmph, I can't be bothered with your affairs... and I have no interest in your treasures. If I wanted them, I would just take them by force. Why would I need to promise you anything?" Su Qing rolled her eyes and spoke with exasperation.

Of course, the main reason was that she had promised Laojun she wouldn't steal their treasures; otherwise, why would she refuse such high-quality items delivered for free?

Su Qing fell silent for a moment, then asked, "Then let me ask you this: why do you want to capture the pilgrim traveling west? To be precise, why did you come to capture us?"

Golden Horn and Silver Horn answered honestly, "We capture the pilgrims because we heard that eating their flesh grants immortality. That is why we block the path here. As for targeting the Sovereign... it was a case of our eyes failing us. We failed to recognize who you were; it was a complete misunderstanding. Had we known it was you, we wouldn't have dared to lift a finger! We would have certainly invited you into our cave to be treated with the utmost hospitality as you passed by."