Chapter 47 The Substitute
Time Rewind
Demon Palace
"I heard that Buzhou Mountain is going to send a young cultivator over."
"He's just a kid, what's there to be afraid of?"
"I don't think someone who dares to assassinate the Demon King must have some skill."
As Po Wang listened, he couldn't help but roll his eyes at the last sentence. "Chu Fengliu, can you learn how to punctuate properly? The way you're with us makes us look uncultured."
Chu Fengliu's handsome face stiffened. "Pah! You uncultured bumpkin, what right do you have to talk to me like that? You should take a good look at yourself..."
"Shut up!" A sharp shout rang out from outside the door, and the group immediately fell silent and looked towards the doorway.
In the Demon Realm, day and night are indistinguishable, the environment perpetually shrouded in darkness. Yet, a ray of light seemed to gather around the young woman. She strode in, her skin as white as snow, clad in a long, fiery red dress that billowed with every step, resembling a delicate flame from afar. But this pristine fire was bound by a thick whip around her waist, a jarring incongruity that evoked the image of a thorny summer flower.
Yao Jin walked gracefully toward them, saying, "You're all so noisy, like thousands of birds chirping."
Po Wang glanced at her and burst out laughing, "Yao Jin, why did you come out with your hair like that?"
Yao Jin's usually flowing black hair was now styled into a single curl, which explained Po Wang's comment. Even when she went to the human or demon realms, Yao Jin always wore her hair in double curls, covering a pair of demonic horns on her head.
Yao Jin looked at herself in the mirror this morning and for some reason, she felt that her hair was lonely and not lively enough, or too monotonous. Her hand unconsciously touched the ends of her hair. When she came to her senses, she found that she had a single bun on her head, as if she had looked at it for a long time before she could comb it.
She was puzzled, but for some reason she liked this hairstyle very much, so she didn't take it off.
The meeting is just a bunch of rough men; they probably won't even notice if she changes her hairstyle.
Unexpectedly, as soon as I entered the door, several pairs of eyes turned to me.
Yao Jin wasn't embarrassed at all. She looked in the mirror several times before going out. Although it looked strange, it wasn't too out of place. But it was a different story if someone pointed it out.
She raised an eyebrow, making her upturned eyes appear even more aloof and cold. "What, not pretty?"
It suggests that if someone dares to say something is not good-looking, they will make the other person pay.
Po Wang glanced at it again and saw that Yao Jin's single conch shell and two horns on her head were together, making her look as childish as a three-year-old child among a group of monsters. However, her skin and flesh were smooth and her face was beautiful. Together, they had an indescribable charm. However, judging from people's expressions, he dared not say that she was childish, otherwise he would anger his ancestors and they would whip him.
Po Wang Lian Sheng said he dared not, "What nonsense, Yao Jin, you look good no matter what."
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and Yao Jin was already pretty, so how could she not look good?
Chu Fengliu chimed in, "Yes, yes, don't listen to that roughneck. He's uncultured and doesn't know how to appreciate things, that's why he's laughing."
Yao Jin ignored them and asked Chu Fengliu, "What were you arguing about just now, chattering away?"
“Alas, isn’t it because Father is about to ascend to the Heavenly Demon realm, and his realm is loosening and his demonic energy is too strong, which has attracted the attention of those cultivators?” Chu Fengliu continued, “Mount Buzhou is the leader of the immortal sects, so of course it should be the first to be affected, but I don’t know why those elders didn’t come but sent a young cultivator instead.”
That's how it is between the Immortal Realm and the Cultivator Realm. Any unusual activity on either side will attract the other's attention, and any sudden or powerful development will be nipped in the bud. This ensures that the two sides are not too far apart in strength, thus maintaining a relatively even balance of power.
The Demon King had been stuck in this realm for too long, and suddenly his demonic arts broke through. Yao Jin was taken aback. She didn't even hear what was said after that, and walked into the hall where the Demon King was. "Father broke through his realm? I have to go see Father."
But just as Yao Jin entered the Demon Palace to search for the Demon King, a group of demons roared outside. Po Jun, who had been standing silently to the side, darkened his eyes and rushed out first.
"Hiss, what is this?" Chu Fengliu only saw a black shadow. You should know that Po Jun relied on his good brains and was not diligent in his cultivation. When going into battle, Po Jun was usually the one who arranged the troops in the back.
Po Wang also sensed something was wrong. He narrowed his eyes, extended his demonic soul, and a moment later coughed up blood. "A cultivator has arrived."
"My God, is the opponent that strong?" Chu Fengliu was extremely shocked.
Like a cultivator's divine soul, a demonic soul, once spread out, can be sensed by anyone within its range. As one of the Four Demon Generals, Po Wang's cultivation is among the best in the Demon Realm, and his demonic soul is incredibly powerful; ordinary cultivators wouldn't even notice it. Yet, his demonic soul was only gone for a short while before being forced back. How could Chu Fengliu not be alarmed!
Forget about their usual bickering at this moment. Chu Fengliu, supporting Po Wang, hurriedly asked, "How many people came? Why are they so ruthless?"
Po Wang's face darkened unusually, and he remained silent.
Chu Fengliu thought that the enemy had sent a huge army, and his expression immediately became extremely tense.
The difference between cultivators and demons becomes apparent at this moment. Demons are known for their precision and ruthlessness; they might rush in and kill without any apparent reason. But righteous cultivators are usually very concerned with reasons and reputation. If they can surrender at the last moment, they can save their lives. Yet now they are killing without a word...
These two things are all so abnormal that Chu Fengliu felt like the sun had risen in the west today. He couldn't help but frown and look up at the door.
Chu Fengliu's brows furrowed deeper and deeper. Po Wang, thinking he had made some new discovery, clutched his chest and frowned as well. "What's wrong? Is there a problem?"
The Demon Realm has no day or night, so even if Chu Fengliu wanted to, he couldn't tell. He pondered for a moment and then looked away. "No."
Breaking through illusions: ...
Chu Fengliu secretly rejoiced and continued, "You haven't answered the question I asked you earlier. How many people were on the other side, and what were their cultivation levels? Did any Buddhist cultivators arrive?"
Buddhist practitioners are naturally resistant to darkness, so if a Buddhist practitioner comes here, it's best not to leave for a while.
Po Wang waited and waited, only to be met with these few questions. He almost choked on his breath. He rolled his eyes and said, "Why don't you use your demonic powers to see for yourself?"
Chu Fengliu yelled, "My cultivation is inferior to yours. You're already injured, why should I bother? Isn't that just courting death?"
Po Wang suppressed his urge to kill his companion and used his internal energy to heal his injuries.
Chu Fengliu became anxious when he saw that Po Jun had sat down and ignored him, but he didn't dare to go out rashly. There must be quite a few people coming from the other side, so he decided to wait for Po Jun to return or for Yao Jin to come out first.
*
Inside the hall
Yao Jin walked lightly into the house and called out, "Father."
Upon hearing the voice, four young female demon servants happily came forward, "Miss."
"Miss has arrived."
"Is Miss here to see the Demon King?"
These four demon servants are Spring, Flower, Autumn, and Moon, with the character "Sunny" appended to their names. They each have their own unique personalities, but without exception, they are all beauties, and more or less resemble Yao Jin.
Yao Jin felt the fragrant breeze getting stronger and stronger, and the unpleasantness from being suffocated by a group of smelly comrades disappeared. She couldn't help but laugh and say coquettishly, "Sister Chunqing, I heard that Father's skills have made a breakthrough, so I came to see him."
Yao Jin was favored by the Demon King, who adopted her as his goddaughter, and several of his demon servants also called her "Miss." Chunhua and Qiuyue, along with several other maids, had served the Demon King for over a thousand years, watching Yao Jin grow up; it wouldn't be an exaggeration for them to call her "elder sister."
Chunqing was the oldest among them and had a calm personality. "Yes, the Demon King is taking a nap on the bed in the back room. If you don't have anything urgent, Miss, you might as well wait."
Yao Jin had only come to congratulate her father and had no urgent business, so she waited. Suddenly, Hua Qing exclaimed, "Who did this hair? They've made Miss look like a three-eared cat!"
The three-eared cat is a unique monster in the demon realm. Its original form is an extra ear compared to a regular raccoon dog, and it still has an extra ear even after transforming. The group looked over and burst into laughter.
Chunqing lovingly pulled Yaojin down to sit and took her hair out of the bun. "If you ask me, even if Miss doesn't like being served, she should still have a maid by her side to help her with her hair and makeup. Otherwise, if she wants to do a new style like today, there will be no one to help her."
Yao Jin's head was gently combed, and she comfortably squinted her eyes. Several other maids then massaged her shoulders and legs. After serving her for a while, Yao Jin suddenly had a vague image in her mind. She hummed in agreement, "Then find someone young, preferably someone whose family has served people for generations."
Qiu Qing was massaging Yao Jin's legs when she heard this, and she gently frowned, "Slavery for generations, that sounds so bitter."
Yueqing scoffed disdainfully, "What's so special about that? It's her good fortune to serve Miss. But why did Miss choose someone so young?"
Yao Jin didn't know where this idea came from. She thought about it for a while, but then felt a headache and felt depressed. So she simply stopped thinking about it. "Young people are good at playing with me. The people in the Demon Realm are always fighting and killing. I'm tired of it."
What Po Jun said was true in one respect: the people in the Demon Realm are not very cultured and talk about excrement and urine all day long, which is easy to get tired of after a while.
Chunqing was quick; in no time, her thick hair was braided into small braids. She checked the symmetry of the whip, then reached out to make appropriate adjustments. "Hmm, being young makes you easier to train. If you just want someone to play with, why not find a male concubine?"
Yao Jin was still clueless about human affairs and didn't have much feeling for male concubines. Upon hearing this, she looked disgusted and pouted, "Men smell so bad, what's so fun about them?"
Upon hearing this, Chunqing paused, her gaze falling on the bluish-purple red marks on her snow-white arms. She casually rolled up her sleeves and said, "No, there's a certain pleasure in matters between men and women."
"In short, once you've mastered human affairs, you're considered an adult."
Aside from humans, the other beings in the five realms—demons, monsters, spirits, and cultivators—have very long lifespans, often tens of thousands of years. Adulthood is generally measured in millennia. Yao Jin, who was picked up, is only a hundred years old at most, which is practically a child in the eyes of others.
But children can't stand being called small, and Yao Jin was immediately displeased by the implication. However, she couldn't take it out on Chun Qing, and she was also somewhat tempted. "Really?"
Hua Qing exclaimed "Eh!" and was about to speak loudly when Chun Qing glanced at her and shushed her.
Chunqing lied without batting an eye, "Would I lie to you, Miss?"
The heart that shook the gold was moved.
"How is it?" Chunqing conjured a water mirror, looking at the girl with affection. The mirror revealed eyes and brows that resembled twin sisters. Chunqing was the most like Yaojin among the four sisters, and was also very beautiful, but the girl on the right clearly had more delicate facial features. Her hair was usually fluffy and stiff, and would be a bit frizzy when it was down. Now, her hair was braided into small braids, which not only solved the frizz well, but also made the small braids fuller and look even blacker and shinier.
Yao Jin was satisfied with herself, so she had the idea of taking on a dressing maid. However, if she spoke up now, Chun Qing might assign someone to her. She only wanted to choose for herself, so she stroked her braid and smiled sweetly, "Sister is so skillful."
Without mentioning maids or male concubines.
Chunqing's brows furrowed, and she was about to speak. But suddenly Chu Fengliu's anxious voice from outside interrupted her.
"Yaojin, are you done yet?"
Yao Jin glanced sideways at the doorway. "What is it?"
"Someone's attacking! Come out quickly!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a gust of wind blew out.
Chu Fengliu only saw a ball of fire brush past him, stamped his foot and exclaimed "Oh!" before chasing after it, with Po Wang close behind.
The dark figures, like rows of small houses, crowded densely outside the Demon Palace. On the battlefield, it was more convenient to be in their original forms, and countless tall and ugly demons appeared in sight. They had sharp claws and teeth, and long fangs that dripped onto the ground with saliva.
A low growl sounded, and these monsters were more or less injured, some missing half of their faces, with blood gushing up like a fountain.
But whether injured or not, they all stared intently at the opposite direction.
The stench was so strong that Yao Jin couldn't open her eyes. She stopped behind the monster and didn't rush forward.
"Yaojin, wait for me." Chu Fengliu caught up from behind, panting. He was a man, and he was used to these smells, so he opened his eyes wide and hid behind Yaojin to look. What he saw was astonishing. "My God."
"Just one person?" Chu Fengliu glanced at Po Wang, who had just arrived, and said sarcastically, "Just one person, and you got injured?"
No wonder he looked so grumpy earlier.
So, Po Wang, whose healing had temporarily stopped, became even uglier. "Shut up. If you can't speak, you can cut your mouth off."
This immediately piqued Yao Jin's curiosity. She squinted and looked past the densely packed monsters.
The towering monsters and the enemy are naturally opposed, as if divided by the Chu River and Han Border.
The blood-soaked ground was a gruesome sight, littered with severed limbs and severed tongues. The dead monsters lay like mountains, stretching across the opposite side. The area was a chaotic mess of corpses, yet the sword-wielding youth exuded an undeniable aura of power.
The boy had pale skin, was very tall, had a narrow waist, and long, slender legs with clearly defined muscles. His bones bulged out as two straight lines under his gray Taoist robe. Just by standing still, one could tell that he was a sword cultivator.
She was too thin; she must not be eating properly. For some reason, this thought flashed through Yao Jin's mind. Her gaze shifted to the other person's face, but after only seeing half of the person's eyebrows and eyes, her heart suddenly burned.
Her mind was filled with Chunqing's words—"Why doesn't Miss find a male concubine?"
—Once you understand human affairs, you become an adult.
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