Chapter 3 Today's Majesty...Precarious

Chi Li carried Tang Lu, whose little face was flushed from sleeping, all the way back to her own palace.

Wherever he went, the servants bowed their heads, but their shoulders shrugged suspiciously.

Chi Li's face was ashen, but her mind was racing: where exactly did things go wrong that caused her image as a dignified demon king to collapse so completely in just half a day?

Inside the sleeping quarters, the floor, paved with ten-thousand-year-old warm jade, was so smooth it could reflect a person's image, and the dome, inlaid with various spiritual treasures, shimmered with a dazzling light.

Chi Li hesitated for a moment, but in the end, she couldn't bear to just place the soft little thing in her arms on the cold, hard jade couch.

Her gaze swept over her enormous throne, which was covered with soft edelweiss, and she resignedly walked over and carefully placed Tanglu on it.

The throne was spacious enough that Tanglu curled up on it like a kitten that had found its nest, rubbed against the soft grass mat beneath her, and fell into a deeper sleep.

Chi Li stood beside the throne, watching this scene with mixed feelings.

Her throne, the place that symbolized the highest power in the demon realm, has now become... a baby tree spirit's crib?

She rubbed her temples, feeling a bit of a headache.

Raising a tree spirit is much more difficult than dealing with the petty squabbles between wolves and apes over territory.

Just then, the eunuch walked in with his head bowed, carrying an exquisite jade pot, from which wisps of white steam rose.

"Your Majesty, the Dawn Dew you requested..."

Before she could finish speaking, Chi Li keenly sensed that the little guy on the throne moved.

Tang Lu, who had been sleeping soundly, twitched her small nose slightly, as if she had smelled the most alluring scent in the world.

She sat up groggily, her eyes not yet fully open, and following her instincts, she staggered toward the jade pot in the eunuch's hand!

"Water...smells so good..." she mumbled, reaching out her little hand to hug the jade pot.

The eunuch was so frightened that he almost threw the jade pot away.

This spiritual dew contains pure spiritual energy and is what His Majesty drinks daily. Its energy is domineering. This little demon has just transformed into human form. If he drinks it directly, he might explode and die.

"No!" Chi Li reacted quickly, grabbing Tang Lu's waist and pulling her back.

"Waaah...I want it..." Tang Lu struggled in her arms, staring longingly at the pot of spiritual dew, her light brown eyes filled with desire.

Chi Li's head hurt even more.

She waved for the eunuch to leave, then, holding the restless Tanglu, patiently explained, "That's not something you can drink."

Tanglu pouted, and tears were about to fall.

Chili: "..."

She suddenly understood those ordinary parents who were at a loss when faced with their crying cubs.

"Wait." She sighed, and then vanished from the hall in a flash.

In the blink of an eye, it reappeared, holding a slightly smaller jade cup filled with a clear, translucent, and warm liquid.

"Drink this."

This is the gentlest spring water she just fetched from the source of the sacred spring.

Tang Lu took the cup, looked at it curiously at first, and then tentatively took a small sip.

The sweet and refreshing taste melted in her mouth, and her eyes lit up instantly. She grabbed the cup and gulped it down in a few mouthfuls.

After finishing her drink, she stuck out her little tongue and licked the rim of the cup, still wanting more. Then she held up the empty cup and looked at Chi Li with longing eyes: "More!"

Chi Li looked at the empty cup, then at Tang Lu's satisfied expression, as if she had basked in the sun, and her heart softened for some reason.

She took the cup and poured her another one.

After repeating this three times, Tang Lu finally let out a satisfied burp, patted her slightly bulging belly, and gave Chi Li a sweet smile: "I'm full! Thank you... Uh, what's your name?"

Chili: "..."

So after all that fuss, this little idiot doesn't even know who she is?

“Chi Li.” She tried to make her tone sound calm and even. “King of the Demon Realm. You may address me as ‘Your Majesty’.”

"Chi... Li..." Tang Lu tilted her head, trying hard to pronounce it, then broke into a big smile, "Li Li! It sounds nice!"

Chi Li's eyelids twitched.

Lili? What kind of name is that!

For tens of thousands of years, no one has ever dared to call her that!

She tried to correct him: "It is Your Majesty."

"Lili!" Tang Lu called out even more cheerfully, and stretched out her small hand, which carried the fresh scent of grass and trees, to grab one of Chi Li's fingers and shake it gently.

Chi Li looked at the delicate white hand that was holding her fingers, feeling the warmth from the fingertips. The stern correction that was on the tip of her tongue somehow got swallowed back.

...Forget it, why bother arguing with a little tree spirit who has just taken human form and whose mind isn't quite clear yet.

Lili it is, it's better than calling out "Hey, the warm one."

She had just managed to comfort herself when Tang Lu's attention was drawn to something else.

Curious, she walked over to Chi Li's ornate desk, which was carved from a single piece of phoenix wood, and poked at the jade slips piled on it, which recorded important government affairs.

“This one is shiny.” She picked up a jade slip that emitted a blue glow.

"Put it down!" Chi Li's heart tightened; inside was a report about border defense deployment!

Tang Lu was startled by her voice, and her hand loosened. The jade slip fell to the warm jade floor with a "thud." It didn't break, but its light flickered a few times.

Chi Li strode forward and picked up the jade slip. Then she saw Tang Lu standing on tiptoe, taking an interest in the shimmering glass vase on the corner of the desk that was used to decorate the palace.

Several vibrant flame flowers were arranged in the vase.

"Flower! Water it!" Tang Lu's eyes lit up, as if she had remembered some important mission.

She didn't even bother to find water; instead, she stretched out her fair fingers, and a few drops of clear liquid containing her original wood spiritual energy seeped from her fingertips, ready to drip them onto the flame flower.

"Stop!" Chi Li almost choked on her breath.

The Flame Flower thrives in hot, dry conditions; watering it with Wood Spirit Liquid is no different from using poison.

She pulled Tang Lu away from the desk, feeling utterly exhausted.

How long has it been?

He wanted to drink the domineering spirit dew, messed with the important jade slip, and even wanted to kill her flame flower with wood spirit liquid...

This is hardly like picking up a little tree spirit.

This is clearly hiring a demolition team leader who is also a plant killer!

Looking at Tang Lu, who was still blinking innocently in her arms, completely unaware of what she had done, Chi Li felt a deep sense of awe for the first time regarding the matter of "raising a child".

It seems that the greatest challenge in the Demon King's life is not territorial expansion, nor balancing the various races, but rather...

How can we ensure that this little tree spirit, whose mind is filled only with sunshine and water, survives to tomorrow?

Chi Li took a deep breath and decided to temporarily put aside the "Crash Course to Becoming the King of the Demon Realm" and start with the "Royal Palace Survival for Beginners" course.

“Listen, Tanglu,” she tried to make her voice sound gentle (though a little clenched), “first, not everything shiny is safe to touch. Second, not all plants need watering, especially not yours…”

Her words were interrupted again.

Tang Lu's attention was completely drawn to Chi Li's long, crimson-gold hair, which swayed slightly with excitement and shimmered in the light.

She reached out her little hand, grabbed a strand, rubbed it contentedly against it, and made a dreamlike sound:

"Lili's hair... is the warmest..."

Chili: "..."

The teaching failed.

His Majesty the Demon King's authority remains precarious.