Chi Ji's voice was not loud, but it pierced A Lian's head like a needle.
Her eerie tone was like a sudden cold wind, instantly making A Lian feel as if she had fallen into an ice cellar.
Her thoughts froze. Realizing she had misspoken, A Lian fell to her knees with a thud, slamming her head heavily against the dark iron floor to kowtow in apology.
"A Lian was wrong."
"Please appease your anger, Princess."
"Please appease your anger, Princess."
"Please appease your anger, Princess..."
Chi Ji was impatient and said irritably, "Get out."
A Lian felt as if she had been granted a great amnesty. She hurried to thank her, wiped the blood from the floor with her sleeve, and retreated respectfully while clutching her bruised forehead.
Hiding her disheveled face, she didn't dare delay for a moment as she went to find 'Bai Mang'.
Even now, her heart was still pounding with lingering fear.
She knew that the previous maidservant who served the Princess had been driven away simply for displeasing her.
The next day.
In the back garden of the Crimson Demon Palace, a patch of freshly turned soil appeared.
That same year, the grass growing on that patch was as green as pearls and stood significantly taller than the surrounding greenery.
The carriage driver was a man who looked to be in his forties.
Seeing the maidservant suffer, he couldn't suppress a look of schadenfreude and spat under his breath.
"Bah... serves you right, you little wench."
As fellow servants of the Princess and ordinary heavenly demon race members, their cultivation levels weren't that different. However, this wretched girl, relying on her proximity to the Princess, had always been arrogant.
She was constantly looking down her nose at them.
He had been sick of her for a long time.
Inside the carriage, after the maidservant withdrew, Chi Ji took deep breaths and exhaled slowly, trying to calm her chaotic thoughts.
She didn't know why, but even after escaping danger, she remained restless.
Something felt off, yet she couldn't put her finger on it.
She raised her hand to touch her cheek, which had long since lost all sensation, then took out the wine flask. She pulled the stopper and took a shallow sniff.
After hesitating repeatedly, she took another small sip.
"Father was right," she murmured despondently. "The wine outside the Demon Abyss is indeed stronger than the wine inside..."
On the other side.
Having finished cleaning the battlefield, Xu Xian decided to play the good Samaritan to the end. He helped the Crimson Demon Guards skewer the corpses of the evil cultivators onto long spears.
Then, he hung them all on the sand walls of the small town.
Dozens of corpses.
Hung there bloodily, they added a touch of eeriness to the town shrouded under the crimson sky. A casual glance was indeed quite chilling.
After helping out, he exchanged a few polite words with the Crimson Demon Guards and prepared to leave, looking for an opportunity to sneak into the Blazing Fortress.
Originally.
He had planned to enter with Chi Ji's group.
But now, he had changed his mind. Setting aside the overwhelming pressure of traveling with Chi Yan, he really didn't want to spend another second looking at that arrogant maidservant, who was barely a fifth-stage greater demon master.
These people.
None of them were good folk. Following them might not be a good thing; traveling alone was better.
But just as he stepped out of the town's gate, the maidservant named A Lian appeared before him.
The woman hovered in mid-air, looking down at Xu Xian. Her posture was dignified and proper, but the disdain in her eyes hadn't diminished at all.
In fact, Xu Xian caught that her previous contempt and disgust had been replaced by resentment and hatred.
Bizarre.
What is wrong with these people?
She said coldly, "The Princess commands you to travel with us. Follow me."
Xu Xian's confusion doubled. He asked in a heavy voice, "What did you say?"
Maidservant A Lian ignored him and turned to leave.
Xu Xian was speechless and grumbled to himself.
'Is she crazy?'
A Lian's sharp, piercing voice drifted back lightly.
"If you don't want trouble, keep up."
Xu Xian narrowed his eyes, a flicker of coldness passing through them. After a brief moment of deliberation, he followed.
She was right.
He really didn't want to invite trouble.
On the way, the little book spirit communicated via thought, warning Xu Xian, 'Master, be careful. There's killing intent in that wench's eyes. She probably wants you dead.'
Xu Xian didn't ask further. It wasn't just the little book spirit; he had felt it too.
He just couldn't understand where this killing intent came from.
He hadn't provoked her or offended her, so what was the deal?
Could she be stingy about the money? That made no sense; she was just a servant. It wasn't her own money being spent.
Or... was she jealous of his talent and wanted to kill him for his belongings?
Quite likely.
If it wasn't that...
Then she really was mentally ill.
And if she was sick, she needed treatment. Xu Xian just happened to have a medicine that could cure all the ailments of the living.
He sneered and said to the little book spirit, 'Heh... we'll see who kills whom.'
Xu Xian arrived.
He saw the large carriage parked at the Blazing Fortress; it was very grand.
It was probably worth a lot of money.
However, having stayed at the Wendao Sword Sect for fifteen years, he wasn't interested in such flashy things at all.
Weak people loved complicated displays; when strength was lacking, they used pomp to make up for it—this was exactly that.
It wasn't as fast as sword control.
It couldn't carry as much as a Cloud Boat.
And he had to feed four horses.
He had heard from people in the sect that in places like the Central Plains, some families and secular dynasties did the same, only the demon horses were replaced by spirit beasts.
But if someone gave Xu Xian one, he would definitely take it.
Just to sell it for money.
To be honest, if he didn't need to enter the Blazing Fortress, he would have summoned the Sword Tower, unleashed Yellow Spring Burial and the Heaven-Burning Sparrow, beaten Chi Yan to a pulp, slaughtered A Lian, and given Chi Ji two slaps across the face.
And then...
This carriage would be his.
Of course.
It was just a thought. It wasn't that his strength didn't allow it, but the situation wasn't right.
Xu Xian was summoned, but Chi Ji didn't grant him an audience; he just stood outside.
A moment later.
Chi Yan came by, lifted the carriage curtain, and chatted with Chi Ji inside.
He didn't forget to block the sound with his divine sense so ordinary people couldn't hear, but the little book spirit actively leaned in.
Pressed against the two of them, it heard everything clearly.
They were saying that Chi Yan had to stay behind to investigate some matters, as per the instructions of Chi Ji's father.
He told Chi Ji to head back first and arranged an escort of thirty Crimson Demon Guards for her.
He specifically warned her not to be willful and not to cause any more trouble for His Eminence.
These were the Crimson Demon's original words. After the recent ordeal, Chi Ji had reined in much of her usual arrogance and obediently agreed.
Finally.
Chi Yan glanced at Xu Xian and asked Chi Ji what she was thinking and how she planned to settle him.
Chi Ji said Bai Mang seemed quite clever and skilled, so he might be useful on the road and should be kept for now.
Chi Yan didn't say much more, but he cautioned that since they didn't know Bai Mang's background, they should be careful.
If he only wanted money, that would be fine, but he feared the man might have other motives.
Chi Ji said Bai Mang didn't seem like that kind of person.
Xu Xian thought to himself that her judgment of character was spot on.
Chi Yan, however, said that one can know a person's face but not their heart, adding that Xu Xian was no saint and certainly no ordinary man. He basically said a lot of bad things about Xu Xian.
Xu Xian furrowed his brows, thinking to himself.
'This old thief is practically begging for death!'
In the end...
Chi Ji had A Lian find a demon falcon for Xu Xian. The demon horses flapped their wings, pulling the carriage over the high wall.
The Crimson Blazing Flag led the way.
A corner of the formation opened, and the fortress soldiers bowed in greeting.
Mounted on the demon falcon, Xu Xian swaggered into the Demon Abyss just like that...
Rate on N.U.
