flattery

Cui Heng lowered his head, his face cold and silent. Wang Xiaoxia's body, riddled with holes, was still his nightmare. Every time he thought of it, he felt heartbroken. It was precisely because he understood her pain that he had left her alone for the past year, wanting her to live freely.

"Good boy~" Wang Xiaoxia teased, gently stroking the strand of silver hair.

Her face gradually turned cold, and a chilling hatred began to rise within her. She withdrew her hand and resolutely walked towards the door.

Cui Heng grabbed her arm and pulled her back into his arms.

"I'm sorry," he murmured, lowering his head to kiss those lips once more.

His warm breath brushed against Wang Xiaoxia's face. She stared at him, wide-eyed, her heart, which had finally calmed down, beginning to pound again. No, she couldn't do this! She raised her hand and slapped Cui Heng hard across the face, her voice filled with anger:

"presumptuous!"

Cui Heng kept his head down, and a palm-sized mark instantly appeared on his face.

“I love you, little one,” he said.

Wang Xiaoxia fled as if he were running away.

She fled all the way back to the Demon King's palace, and from afar she saw the Bad Guys still guarding the door. She quickly tidied her hair, pretended nothing had happened, and lightly landed beside him, quietly asking:

"How is it inside?"

The villain suddenly turned around and smiled at Wang Xiaoxia:

"You came back just in time. That old monster is asleep. You just need to quietly go in and bring Lan Ge back."

"Okay," Wang Xiaoxia replied.

She gently opened the door a crack, and inside, the Demon King's snoring was extremely loud. She quietly slipped through the crack, walked to the bedside, and gently patted Lan Ge's arm.

Lan Ge woke up from her sleep, sitting up half-asleep. Wang Xiaoxia looked her over and found a hickey on her neck. She frowned slightly, pinched her own neck to make a mark, then shook her hand and used her magic to make the clothes on the ground float into the air and fit Lan Ge's body perfectly.

"Go!" Wang Xiaoxia whispered in her ear.

Nalan Ge obediently went out in a daze. As soon as she reached the door, she fell headfirst into the arms of the Bad Man and was carried away by him. It is likely that when she woke up in the morning, she would not remember what happened in the night. The kiss mark on her neck was also gently wiped away by the Bad Man without leaving a trace.

Lan Ge was originally an ordinary woman who was sold into a brothel at a young age. She contracted a sexually transmitted disease from a customer, and the madam, disliking her for being too old and unattractive, refused to spend money on treatment. Seeing her health deteriorating day by day, she simply threw her into a mass grave. In her delirium, her soul wandered to Wangyue Pavilion, where she stayed to wait for her beloved to return. When she died, she was emaciated, and it took her nearly two years at Wangyue Pavilion to gain some weight, and her figure became somewhat similar to Wang Xiaoxia's.

Lan Ge's voice had been sealed before she even arrived in the demon realm, so she couldn't make a sound. The seal would only be lifted after she returned to Wangyue Pavilion, at which point she would be reincarnated.

It wasn't until the next morning, when the Demon King awoke, that he realized his side was empty. He abruptly sat up and saw Wang Xiaoxia sitting in front of the mirror, doing her hair. Only then did he relax and greet her with a smile:

"Why are you up so early?"

Wang Xiaoxia put down the wooden comb in her hand, turned around, and smiled gently at the Demon King:

"My husband is awake? I am a woman who has never seen the world. I am so grateful to you for taking me into your family and giving me a place to live. I am timid and dare not disobey the rules of etiquette. I will try my best to be diligent."

"It's alright, you can sleep as long as you want as long as I'm here," the dog said dotingly.

He stood up and strode over to Wang Xiaoxia, placing his hand on her slender shoulder. Looking down, he saw a red mark on Wang Xiaoxia's neck and caressed it.

"Did I hurt you yesterday?" he said.

Wang Xiaoxia gently stroked that broad hand and shook his head:

"I feel joy in my heart and mind, and I do not feel any pain."

The fierce man leaned down, his hot breath brushing against Wang Xiaoxia's neck, causing her to involuntarily close her eyes and turn her head to one side. A feeling of disgust welled up within her, yet she had to forcefully restrain herself. The fierce man lowered his head and kissed the hickey again, murmuring softly behind her:

Would you like to do it again?

Wang Xiaoxia frowned slightly, but when she opened her eyes, her face was full of tenderness:

"If my husband doesn't attend court in the morning, people will say it's my fault!"

As if he hadn't heard, Aohen buried his face in Wang Xiaoxia's thick hair and sniffed it for a long time before reluctantly raising his head:

"That's fine, we have a long future ahead of us!"

Wang Xiaoxia grabbed Ao Hen's hand and rubbed it affectionately against her face, neither speaking nor letting go.

For a moment, Aohen didn't know what was wrong with her. He slowly squatted down, tilted his head back, and looked at Wang Xiaoxia with a gentle expression:

"What's wrong, Madam?"

Wang Xiaoxia remained silent, turning her head away as a tear fell onto Aohun's face.

Aohen panicked immediately, wondering why the little one had suddenly started crying.

"What's wrong, Madam? Then I won't go to the morning court. I'll just stay here and keep you company," said Aohen, for the first time in his life, patiently coaxing a woman.

"No, I'm going," Wang Xiaoxia said stubbornly, gently wiping away the tears from the corners of her eyes.

The bad guys' idea worked quite well. She had a keen sense of smell and only carried a little bit of pungent medicine close to her body. Others couldn't detect it, but she could cry whenever she wanted. Wang Yue said that crying was a woman's best weapon.

The fierce beast was in a panic and suddenly didn't know what to do:

"My lady, what should I do?"

"It's my fault. Thinking of my husband attending court early in the morning, I've been all alone in this empty palace for half a day. And since I come from a humble background, I can't help but feel afraid," Wang Xiaoxia said softly, tears welling in her eyes.

Aohen was relieved; it was just a trivial matter.

“Oh! Madam, what are you saying! Since you are the master of this palace, how dare anyone disrespect you? However, Madam came to the palace alone. If I am not here, you will be lonely. Madam grew up in Wangyue Pavilion. If you feel lonely, I will bring someone from Wangyue Pavilion to keep you company these next few days,” Ao said cheerfully, his face also relaxing.

Wang Xiaoxia remained silent, pouting and looking down. She looked quite adorable, and Aohen grew even more fond of her.

"What's wrong, Madam?" Ao asked fiercely, his eyes full of tenderness.

"My husband treats me so well, I am overjoyed," Wang Xiaoxia said, her eyes lowered, and gave Ao Hen a faint smile.

Seeing Wang Xiaoxia smile, Aohen finally smiled as well, and he stood up, feeling much better.

"As long as Madam is happy, that's all that matters. I've heard that Madam has an uncle from her maternal family who lives in Wangyue Pavilion. How about I bring him here and give him an official position? What do you think?" Ao asked fiercely, his tone as if he were coaxing a child.

Wang Xiaoxia thought for a moment, then put on a troubled expression.

"Thank you for your kindness, my husband. However, my uncle was poisoned many years ago and is in poor health. He is my only relative, so he has been raised with me in Wangyue Pavilion for many years. Now that I have married my ideal husband, I miss him a little. But if you feel it is a burden, there is no need to bring him here," Wang Xiaoxia said with some difficulty.

"How could it be a burden? Since he's not in good health, just give him a minor, idle post. It's just a sinecure, he'll only keep you company," Aohen replied nonchalantly.

"Thank you, my husband!" Wang Xiaoxia immediately laughed and said.

Just then, there was a knock at the door, and a servant announced:

"Your Majesty, His Highness has come to pay his respects!"

"It's Cui Heng," Ao Hen frowned unhappily upon hearing this, muttering under his breath.

"That wretched child! He hasn't come back to see me for a whole year since He'er got married, but he's been so diligent today!"

"Your Majesty," Wang Xiaoxia stood up and gently called out, grasping Ao Hen's hand in one hand.

Aohen suddenly turned around, his expression changing to a smile as he lightly patted Wang Xiaoxia's hand:

"My lady, don't be afraid. Just call me your husband in front of others and behind your back!"

He raised his face and called out loudly towards the door:

"Get in here!"

Cui Heng then opened the door and entered. He was dressed in a purple brocade robe, his long black hair tied up high. His dark pupils first looked at Wang Xiaoxia, and he frowned when he saw the red mark on her neck. Then he turned to Ao and said fiercely:

"Father!"

He looked at Wang Xiaoxia again, and had no choice but to say, "Mother."

He didn't want to come, but he couldn't stop thinking about Wang Xiaoxia. He was also worried that the fierce beast would do something indecent to her. So he came early to check on her, and when he saw the kiss mark, he was already driven mad with jealousy.

"You wretched child! He'er is getting married, and instead of staying at the Ghost King's Palace to protect her, where have you gone off to all by yourself!" Aohen asked angrily.

"Father, you are wise! I know that you have been searching for a divine artifact, so after my younger sister got married, I went to look for it on my own. I only rushed back after hearing about your wedding," Cui Heng argued.

Aohun's attitude softened considerably. Although Cui Heng was an illegitimate child and Aohun no longer remembered what his birth mother looked like, the child was capable and always handled the tasks assigned to him well. Therefore, although Aohun had no expectations of him, he still liked him.

"Has Wu Yan been found yet?" Aohen immediately asked.

Cui Heng hesitated, glancing at Wang Xiaoxia standing next to Aohen.

The fierce-looking dog remained unconvinced.

"Speak freely, my affairs are your affairs."

Cui Heng then continued:

"We've made some progress, but it will still take some time to actually find it."

Aohen nodded and patted Cui Heng's shoulder lightly, saying:

I trust you to handle things.

He glanced at Wang Xiaoxia nestled beside him, then turned to Cui Heng and said:

"I have to go to the morning court in a little while. Your mother is bored in the harem, so you don't need to go to the morning court. Just take her for a walk around," the fierce eunuch ordered.

This was exactly what Cui Heng wanted. He didn't want to stand in the main hall listening to a bunch of old monsters nagging endlessly, and he was even happier to openly accompany Wang Xiaoxia.