"What? Me?" Lu Zhaozhao felt this was a bit outrageous. What could be wrong with the Demon Clan that the Eight Great Clans couldn't solve, and that they could only seek help from an unknown junior of the Nvba Clan?
“Of course.” Cheng Sangji took over the conversation, his gaze fixed on Lu Zhaozhao, as if trying to take in every change in her expression.
Lu Zhaozhao looked at him calmly and said, "Oh? Brother Chengsang's words really pique my curiosity."
Cheng Sangjie remained silent for a long time, seemingly unsure how to speak, before finally turning his gaze to Changyu Lanshan.
Unlike Cheng Sangjie, who would ponder his words a hundred or eighty times before speaking them, striving for perfection, this person was different.
Changyu Lanshan stepped forward and said directly to Lu Zhaozhao, "We need you to lure the Demon King away."
"Demon King? Who is that?" Lu Zhaozhao was a little puzzled, wondering why another unfamiliar person had appeared.
"Don't pretend you don't know! I saw it all that day!" Changyu Lanshan was getting anxious when she denied it. "You came into the city with him, and he even helped you when we were competing. It's obvious that your relationship is not ordinary."
His words brought a sudden realization to Lu Zhaozhao's mind. The only one who could have entered the city together was Wen Sheng. But how could Wen Sheng be the Demon King? Lu Zhaozhao couldn't understand.
Cheng Sangji noticed her confusion and offered her a way out: "Miss Guan Nan has been living in seclusion for a long time, so perhaps she is not very clear about these things. The demonic path is extremely lively these days."
“That’s right!” Jie Yi of the Ji Meng clan added indignantly, “The Demon Lord wanted to reorganize the demonic path, but the former Demon King disagreed and was killed with a single sword. He then let a little monster next to him succeed him as Demon King and established a new standard for dividing the demon and monster races. Now, even the eight major races are going to be transferred from the demon race to the monster race.”
"What are the criteria for this classification?" Lu Zhaozhao asked curiously.
Jie Yi said irritably, "Those with physical bodies are demons, and those with ethereal bodies are monsters. All eight major clans have beast bodies and are therefore considered demons, but your Nuwa clan has no classification and is therefore considered a monster."
Lu Zhaozhao nodded in understanding. Actually, she thought this division was quite good, simple and clear, but for the sake of her life and safety, she held back from saying it.
Nan Rongrui said uneasily, "Actually, this is nothing. We don't care whether it's a demon or a monster. It's just that he gave the new demon king the right to lead the demon race and didn't allow him to set up a private army. Not only did the eight clans suddenly have a superior, but he also wants to abolish the army that they have invested so much in over the years. Isn't this just trying to gradually erode the eight clans?"
Her words were terrifying, and those around her showed signs of lingering fear. Seeing this, Lu Zhaozhao also lowered her head and pondered the whole matter.
Seeing her lower her head, Nan Rongrui assumed she had been persuaded. Taking advantage of their previous acquaintance, he stepped forward, grasped her hand, and coaxed, "We won't make things difficult for you. Just distract the Demon King when we make our move. If we fail, just pretend you know nothing, and no one will suspect you."
Her words were both reasonable and emotional, and she seemed to be genuinely putting herself in Lu Zhaozhao's shoes. However, Lu Zhaozhao knew that if she failed, no one present would let her escape alone.
Secretly relieved, Lu Zhaozhao thought to herself: Luckily, I'm not really Guan Nan, nor am I a member of the Nvba clan. If something unexpected happens, I can escape by changing my identity, and even if they trace me back to the Nvba clan, they won't find a trace of me.
That's what I thought in my heart, but I still had to leave room for ambiguity in my words.
Lu Zhaozhao began to bargain: "It's not that I can't help you, but as you said, that Demon King is a close confidant of the Demon Lord, and I'm just a nodding acquaintance with him. It would be even more difficult for me to get close to him and build a good relationship."
She looked up at Cheng Sangji, who understood and continued her sentence: "Don't worry, this selection of the personal guards is the opportunity. The eight great clans already control most of the Ming Palace's army, and the Demon Lord certainly doesn't want to see members of the eight clans mixed in with the personal guards. But without the pressure of powerful clans, his subordinates might not be obedient. Therefore..."
He looked at Lu Zhaozhao, who understood the meaning behind his words and said, "Therefore, the Nuba Clan, which has a prestige comparable to the Eight Clans, is the best candidate for this important position. Moreover, our clan has been detached from worldly affairs for a long time and has no foundation in the Ming Palace, making us the most suitable candidate."
Cheng Sangji nodded and smiled slightly. Their eyes met, and they both read the intentions in each other's eyes, as well as the ambitions that were deeply buried.
After the matter was over, Lu Zhaozhao was sent out of the bamboo grove courtyard. In their words, she had to keep her distance from them, and it would be better if there was a lot of tension between them, so that she could win the Demon Lord's trust.
As Lu Zhaozhao walked along the secluded path, she thought to herself: This Demon Lord is really no good at being a demon. So many people below want to rebel, but the only one on his side is Wen Sheng, who seems to have no ambition.
Thinking of Wen Sheng, Lu Zhaozhao felt another bitter smile.
Little did she know that this seemingly simple-minded, pale-faced boy was actually the Demon King who struck fear into the hearts of the Western Regions.
"Who cares about all that? I just want to get back."
Lu Zhaozhao looked up and shielded her eyes from the glaring light. She felt a knot in her heart, but then she remembered that they had promised to do their best to help her win the election in the courtyard, and she felt relieved.
Meanwhile, some people were still in the bamboo grove courtyard.
"Do you really believe her?" Tudanxi asked Chengsangji.
Cheng Sangji shook his head, and Tu Danxi hurriedly said, "Then why don't you..."
“If you don’t believe him, that old fox certainly won’t believe him either,” Nan Rongrui interjected.
Tudanxi looked at Nanrongrui on the left and Chengsangji on the right, and said with some annoyance, "I know you two are smart. Since that's the case, one of you should come and explain this to me."
Nan Rongrui glanced at Cheng Sangji and said, "It is obvious that Guan Nan came here not voluntarily, but was forced by us. According to Changyu Lanshan, he saw Guan Nan and Wen Sheng being intimate outside the city that day. When he tried to attack Guan Nan, Wen Sheng retaliated, which shows that their relationship is not ordinary."
“But she didn’t even know that the person she was traveling with was the Demon King.” Tu Danxi scratched his head, still not understanding.
"Who knows back then? Anyway, she definitely knows now." Nan Rongrui fiddled with her nails, somewhat casually. "Now she has two paths in front of her. One is to cooperate with us, which is naturally the best; as for the other, if she doesn't think highly of us, she will probably tell Wen Sheng what we talked about today."
"What should we do? Have we alerted them?" Tudanxi was greatly alarmed.
Nan Rongrui curled her lips, gave him a disdainful look, raised her hand and tapped his head, saying, "Are you stupid? The Demon Lord already dislikes us. Whether this happens or not, we are still at odds with him. Even if Guan Nan says something, so what? Without evidence, they can't stop us in Ming Palace City."
Tu Danxi scratched his head and just stared at Nan Rongrui silently, not daring to say anything.
Nan Rongrui continued, "To be honest, even if she really cooperates with us, we can't trust her completely. After all, the alliance of the eight clans is not strong enough, let alone the Nuwa clan, which hasn't suffered any losses yet. Besides, if it succeeds, how will the Western Region divide the spoils? The eight clans can't even balance such a big piece of the pie. If Nuwa is added, I'm afraid the Western Region will be plunged into another bloodbath."
She seemed to have thought of something, shivered, and turned to look at Cheng Sangji: "Second brother, what do you think of this matter?"
Cheng Sangji did not answer her question directly, but simply said, "I have my own arrangements," and then walked out of the courtyard, leaving Nan Rongrui and Tudanxi looking at each other in bewilderment.
After a long while, Tudan asked uncertainly, "Is he angry?"
Nan Rongrui shook her head, only reminding him to keep his distance before leaving, so that no one would notice.
She, Cheng Sangji, and Tudan Xixiang were, in human terms, cousins, and because of this relationship, the three clans frequently interacted privately. However, to maintain the appearance of a balance of power among the eight clans, their relationship was not made public. After the incident involving the Diaogu clan, this relationship became even more of a secret.
In Nan Rongrui's eyes, Cheng Sangji was almost demonically intelligent. When the Diaogu Clan suffered a calamity, he was only ten years old, yet he managed to stabilize the situation and persuade his elders to take over the clan. Over the years, he led the Diaogu Clan to prosperity, making him the elder brother she respected most. As for Tu Danxi, he displayed exceptional talent in cultivation from a young age, but in his dealings with others, he was like a child, a younger brother who needed her care.
Over the years, both the Western Regions and the Eight Clans have undergone considerable changes, but the only thing that remains unchanged is their friendship. She originally thought that life could continue like this forever.
However, things didn't go as planned, and the Western Regions were about to undergo a major change.
She looked up; the light was dazzling today. She hadn't seen such good weather in a long time, and she wondered if she would ever have the chance to see it again.
But no matter what, she will definitely protect all three clans, she definitely will...
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