Chapter 122 122 It stuck out its tongue and licked the tip of her nose...
Four sets of footprints, meaning that the creature that was hiding here and spying on her must have been a four-legged animal.
Of course, what would appear in such a place is more likely to be a monster.
The small footprints meandered crookedly into the depths of the flower bushes. Lu Yuanyuan leaned forward and followed them, parting the obscuring branches and leaves. Strangely, she discovered that the footprints were getting fainter and fainter until finally, the traces disappeared completely.
It evokes a scene—this thing runs and gets lighter and lighter until it finally takes flight.
Lu Yuanyuan: "..."
Lu Yuanyuan couldn't help but look up at the sky, pondered for a moment, and then placed her hand next to the footprints, discovering that each plum blossom was not much larger than her thumbnail.
Is this someone's pet that ran away from the palace? Or is it the true form of some monster?
Is it because the demon race still harbors suspicion towards her as their envoy, and therefore sent someone secretly to investigate her true situation?
Lu Yuanyuan stared for a while, then shook her head, rubbed her fingertips together, and dust fell with a soft rustling sound.
Well, whatever their origins, they're nothing to fear. After all, generally speaking, the strength of a monster is positively correlated with its size, especially for monsters whose original form is a land beast. When magical attacks fail, everyone will eventually have to fight using their true forms. At this time, monsters like bears, lions, and tigers will show a unique combat advantage, and their size is also more likely to expand as their demonic power increases.
Although we didn't catch it in the act, these footprints show that this thing isn't much bigger than an average cat, so there's no need to worry about it.
.
The next day.
During her seven years on Jin'ao Island, Lu Yuanyuan had developed an unwavering healthy lifestyle, and was even teased by Immortal Lord Qionghua for being too boring like an old woman.
Even in a different place, her biological clock remained intact. At the stroke of midnight, Lu Yuanyuan slowly woke up and looked out the window, only to find a gray, gloomy sky instead of bright sunshine.
Lu Yuanyuan sat up and rubbed her forehead.
On her first night in the demon realm, she actually slept quite well, without a single dream until dawn. Perhaps it was because the light there was always dim, and people tend to sleep better on cloudy days.
It is said that the demon race has a very different schedule from the demons, with the midnight hour being their most energetic time, and it being common for some nobles to sleep until the sun is high in the sky. But today is clearly not a day for sleeping in.
Lu Yuanyuan threw back the covers, got out of bed, washed her face, and then heard a knock on the door: "Immortal Lord, are you awake?"
Lu Yuanyuan nodded: "Come in."
Today is the festival of the demon race—Gladiator Day.
Last night, she used the time before going to bed to learn about the origin of this day.
Xuanzhao was the second city that resisted stubbornly in the past and was eventually reduced to ashes by the High Priest. Now, it is the most prosperous central city of the demon race. Of course, the palaces and towers in the city are all newly built.
The Gladiator's Day was created to commemorate this victory. The demon race doesn't follow the peaceful and tranquil ways of the cultivation world; most are quite warlike. On Gladiator's Day, whether commoners or demons with official positions, everyone can participate. This both showcases the demon race's martial prowess and boosts the morale of the entire population. The first-place winner receives a reward and may even be recruited by the Demon King, achieving a direct leap in rank.
The competition was not held in the Demon King's palace, but in a specially designated arena in Xuanzhao City.
Lu Yuanyuan was fully prepared and met up with her people, arriving at their destination at the agreed time.
Upon seeing the scene, she felt a sense of shock.
This is a large, open-air stadium similar to a football field, but instead of a green field, the center is a patch of black sand. Towering stone pillars and rows of stone steps surround it on all four sides, serving as seating and capable of accommodating tens of thousands of people. Standing outside, you can hear the clamor inside, like a pot of boiling water, the air thick with excitement.
As soon as the demon official saw them, he quickly stepped forward with a beaming smile: "Please follow me, esteemed celestial envoys, I will lead you to your seats."
It seemed that the venue was already full of people, and it wouldn't be convenient to pass in front of them, so the master of ceremonies led them through the indoor corridor. Finally, they came to a door, where the master of ceremonies stopped and said, "Your seats are right here, gentlemen."
Lu Yuanyuan nodded, walked out the door, and was immediately dumbfounded when she saw the scenery around her.
The demons arranged for them to sit in such a central place—the demon king sat to the west, his trusted ministers were on his left, and their seats were on his right.
If this were a concert, this would be the section with the most expensive tickets. And right now, their seats on both sides were full, making them stand out especially since they were the last to appear.
Lu Yuanyuan could feel that as soon as they showed their faces, countless eyes shot over at them. The lively discussion around them froze for a moment, and everyone blinked as if trying to see something out of them.
Lu Yuanyuan glanced in the direction of the Demon King, who was also looking over and gave her a slight nod. Through the blue curtain, Lu Yuanyuan noticed that Xiao Ruo was also there today, dressed in her finest attire, holding a golden fan, and sitting next to Ji Shuo.
The distance was a bit far, so there was no need to walk over and say hello. Lu Yuanyuan nodded to him, and after a brief exchange of glances with Xiao Ruo, they each turned away as if nothing had happened.
She took her seat in the front row, and the others followed suit. Yue Hong sat down next to her as a matter of course.
He didn't seem to sleep well last night; there were faint dark circles under his eyes.
Shortly after, a long, drawn-out horn sounded in the sky. The gladiatorial games had officially begun.
The first two contestants to appear were both enormous demon race members, clearly brute force type fighters. At the sound of the command, they pounced on each other and began to fight. The audience's attention was quickly drawn to them, and deafening cheers surged like waves.
Yue Hong, who was seeing this scene for the first time, was also captivated, holding his breath and leaning forward.
The demon maids brought them some snacks, which were not delicate pastries, but rather hearty and fragrant roasted meat skewers.
Lu Yuanyuan opened the box and noticed something bulging under the leaves containing the roasted meat. Slightly surprised, she held her breath and silently pulled the item out—it was a list.
The list clearly outlined the opposition and neutral demon ministers. I really don't know how Xiao Ru managed to get these names in.
This secret letter was delivered at the perfect time. With so many important figures attending this gladiatorial contest today, it's a good opportunity to get to know them, and to make it easier to win them over and target specific individuals.
Lu Yuanyuan raised her eyes, her gaze sweeping over several familiar faces in the seats to her left. General Zuo was drinking and talking to a boy beside him. The boy looked to be only thirteen or fourteen years old, with long, bright red hair, and a large hammer that looked very similar to General Zuo's weapon was leaning against him.
A few seats away in the same row as him sat a demon in a blue robe and jade belt, his two pairs of bat wings folded. He had a faint smile on his face and was listening to a subordinate report something. Lu Yuanyuan recognized him at a glance; this was the real person behind the statue at the city gate—the Right General.
According to Xiao Ruo's information, General Zuo is tyrannical and volatile. He killed many of the Demon King's subordinates before surrendering. Even after joining the Demon King's camp, his hot temper caused friction with many others. General You, on the other hand, is shrewd and considerate, but even more ruthless. It is said that during the war, he disagreed with his elder brother on whether to fight or surrender. He personally killed his brother, absorbed his brother's forces, presented his brother's corpse, and opened the city gates to surrender to the Demon King. In this conflict, he is considered neutral.
Although these two monsters are of equal rank, they have never seemed to get along, and there is a tendency for them to clash head-on.
Afterward, Lu Yuanyuan gradually memorized the appearances of some more monsters. Finally, her gaze shifted further out and she saw a group of people wearing bamboo hats. The foreign visitors to the Gladiator's Day weren't just these cultivators; there were also evil cultivators from the Food Kingdom.
Unlike them, who only arrived in the Southern Territory yesterday, these evil cultivators have been here for half a month.
The Food Kingdom is a nation in the mortal realm, but it's not located on the mainland of Yong or Yan; rather, it's an island nation in the middle of the sea. Due to years of war and cultural isolation, the mainstream practice there is a bizarre and sinister cultivation method. Because it's not accepted by the orthodox tradition, it has formed its own independent system within the Food Kingdom and rarely interacts with the outside world. This time, they actually took the initiative to send people to the Southern Territory as guests, seemingly seeing the Ghost Emperor's resurgence and finally intending to get involved in this mess.
However, these evil cultivators from the Food Kingdom will not participate in the negotiations between Jin'ao Island and the demon race, so they can be ignored.
Just then, a loud shout brought Lu Yuanyuan's attention back to reality.
It turns out that the match had already progressed to the final game of the first round.
She had heard about the rules of the Gladiator Day—each round and each match was timed. Killing an opponent earned two points, and breaking their weapon earned one. If no winner was decided in a round, both competitors were eliminated. The fastest to defeat the enemy earned the most points. Ultimately, the top ten advanced to the final round.
At this moment, after a fierce battle, the black sand below was a scene of devastation. The defeated monster lay on the ground howling in agony, his blood soaking the sand, only to be quickly drained. As soon as the bell rang to end the match, several demon soldiers skillfully carried him off. The victor was not faring much better; one of his legs had been severed by some sharp weapon, and he was screaming in agony.
Yue Hong let out a breath, leaned back, and shook his head: "That's cruel. He's actually quite strong, but without a leg, even if he advances, it's useless. There are even more experts in the finals, he's bound to die."
Lu Yuanyuan said, "It's not so easy to join the Demon King's ranks. They should have been mentally prepared before participating in the competition."
Perhaps cruelty and the law of the jungle are also part of the demon race's culture. This kind of direct competition result not only greatly stimulates the demon race's fighting spirit, but also allows these outsiders to experience the power of the demon warriors firsthand.
Yue Hong twitched the corner of his mouth: "That's true, you could say fortune favors the bold."
Just as Lu Yuanyuan was about to respond, she suddenly felt as if a gaze was fixed intently on her. Her eyelids twitched sensitively, but then the feeling of being stared at suddenly disappeared. Looking up, she noticed that someone had appeared beside the Demon King.
Through the layers of dark blue curtains, she couldn't see the person's face, only a wide sleeve, the dark corner of which peeked out, revealing a pale hand.
Who is that?
Come to think of it, when she was recognizing faces today, she didn't see the legendary high priest at all.
Could it be that person?
For some reason, Lu Yuanyuan's heartstrings twitched. But just then, the bugle call for halftime sounded.
As agreed, their friendly match between Jin'ao Island and the Demon Realm would be held before the finals.
Now is the time to think about other things, not when she needs her here more. Lu Yuanyuan cleared her mind of distractions and focused her gaze. She saw the demon clan's master of ceremonies walk down to the sidelines and say, "Immortal Lord Lingheng, our demon clan has decided on our participants. Since this isn't a real gladiatorial contest, we'll have a best-of-three format, stopping short of a full-blown duel. May I ask which immortal envoys you will be sending to fight?"
Lu Yuanyuan remained calm and named three people.
As the head of the delegation, it was best for her not to participate, both morally and logically. The logic was the same as the Demon King not personally fighting against the junior officers of Jin'ao Island. Therefore, the participants had already been decided: one was a model disciple of the Shu Mountain generation, another was Fu Xinguang, and the last was a celestial envoy from Jin'ao Island.
The Shu Mountain disciple was handsome and about twenty years old. He held his sword, straightened his back, and walked off the field.
But at the same time, the demon race sent out a teenager, the same red-haired boy who had been standing next to General Zuo earlier.
Lu Yuanyuan was somewhat surprised: "They actually sent such a young contestant?"
Fu Xinguang had moved to sit next to her and said, "Although he's young, he's not easy to deal with. Did you see him make a move just now?"
Lu Yuanyuan paused for a moment, feeling a little embarrassed, and said, "I didn't look at it much."
Fu Xinguang shook his head, indicating that everything was alright, and explained, "That child is called Riyan. He is General Zuo's adopted son. I heard that he has had terrifying strength since he was a child. After becoming General Zuo's adopted son, he also received his adoptive father's true teachings. He entered the finals in his first competition last year, and this year... he entered the finals in second place. Moreover, none of the monsters he just competed against left the arena alive. I just saw his moves, and he was indeed ruthless."
As expected, as soon as the match began, Lu Yuanyuan understood why Fu Xinguang had made that judgment. Despite being just a child of normal build, he wielded the giant hammer with incredible agility, and combined with his superhuman strength, he smashed large craters into the sand with resounding thuds. The Shushan disciples, considered among the best of their generation, were quickly overwhelmed. Before long, the sword flew from their hands, and they were sent flying, barely managing to regain their footing before vomiting a mouthful of blood.
No one died in this round, but the outcome was clear.
The Shu Mountain disciple was helped back by his companion, still looking ashamed. Lu Yuanyuan patted his shoulder to comfort him, then looked down at the field and saw that Riyan was still carrying his hammer, standing lazily on the sand.
Fu Xinguang stood up and said in a deep voice, "Aren't you going to change your players?"
Riyan scoffed, his voice clearly audible: "What's the point of changing? It's a waste of time. I can take you all down by myself."
His expression was exactly like that of General Zuo.
"Alright, then I, Fu, will have a go at you."
Fu Xinguang summoned his sword, which floated into the arena like a crane.
In the second round, the battle finally became less one-sided. However, it must be said that while the kid's strength gave him the right to be arrogant, he was still somewhat inferior to the more experienced disciples. Moreover, Riyan was not just a smart but also a brute; realizing that brute force could not win quickly, he began to cautiously dodge and defend, and his dodges were quite agile.
This game was incredibly close, keeping everyone on the edge of their seats. Finally, as the clock struck midnight, Fu Xinguang emerged victorious.
At this moment, a sarcastic voice came from afar. It was General Zuo: "I never thought that you immortal envoys, who are so much older than my son, could only fight a child to a standstill and only narrowly win at the last moment."
A Shushan disciple who was a close friend of the boy who played in the first round couldn't hold back and retorted, "Then you should ask why your son only hides when he encounters a strong opponent, wasting a lot of our time."
In the culture of the demon race, such language, devoid of vulgarity, is considered quite refined. General Zuo didn't seem offended and simply snorted.
Lu Yuanyuan's brows slowly furrowed.
General Zuo's words gave many demons pause for thought. The Golden Turtle Island Immortal Envoy, who was to compete in the third round, was much older and more powerful than Fu Xinguang. If he won, it would be seen as bullying the weak in the eyes of the enemy.
General Zuo sent his adopted son to compete, and he was indeed invincible no matter what, even if he lost, he had a reason. It also helped his adopted son gain fame.
Just then, Yue Hong suddenly stood up: "Let me go!"
Everyone was taken aback.
But Yue Hong seemed to have guessed what Lu Yuanyuan was going to say, so he squatted down, looked at her and said, "Auntie, believe me, I will definitely win."
He rarely called her aunt. Lu Yuanyuan was taken aback, and suddenly saw Yue Hong wink at her with a confident look.
Lu Yuanyuan thought for a moment and said, "Okay."
Yue Hong is not one to speak without reason; has he really found some winning formula?
But when the match began, Lu Yuanyuan found that things weren't as she had expected. Yue Hong summoned his weapon, a spear, but as soon as the fight started, he seemed to have lost his will to fight, constantly dodging and retreating nimbly. On a few occasions, when pushed too far, he even rolled awkwardly on the ground.
Seeing that he had taken the initiative to fight, and that he was one of Lu Yuanyuan's people, Riyan was initially a little wary. But when he realized that his opponent was so much weaker than Fu Xinguang, he switched from defense to offense, bravely swinging his hammer and charging towards Yue Hong. Heavy "bang bang" sounds rang out incessantly. If any of them landed on Yue Hong's head, his head would surely turn into a bursting watermelon.
A low chuckle rose from the demon race's side, and a mocking smile appeared on General Zuo's lips.
The disciples of Mount Shu and the immortal envoys of Jin'ao Island were all dumbfounded, some even covering their eyes, unable to bear to look.
Only Lu Yuanyuan didn't look away. She leaned forward, watching the trajectory of the two fighting in the arena, and suddenly realized something.
With the ringing of a bell, this farcical match finally came to an end. Both were panting heavily, but neither had been seriously injured. However, everyone had witnessed the entire match; Yue Hong had essentially been toying with Ri Yan, running him around the field like a cat or a dog.
Riyan hoisted the sledgehammer onto his shoulder and laughed loudly, "I thought you were so tough, you coward! You just said I only knew how to dodge, but compared to you, I'm truly inferior..."
Before the words were even finished, a series of cracking sounds suddenly filled the air. Everyone froze, and then saw a crack suddenly appear on the hammer on Sunfire's shoulder. Then, like dominoes, the crack exploded into a dense spiderweb pattern, and finally, the hammer shattered.
Sunfire was also stunned. When he came to his senses, he flew into a rage and roared, "What's going on!"
With the weapon shattered, the outcome of this round was decided. The dejected Shu Mountain disciples snapped out of their daze, jumped up excitedly, and rushed forward to surround Yue Hong.
Lu Yuanyuan quickly got up, ran downstairs, and grabbed Yue Hong's arm: "Are you alright?"
Yue Hong's lips were slightly cracked, and his clothes were torn in several places at his elbows and knees, but he didn't care at all. Immersed in excitement, he held her hand in his own: "Did you see that? I told you I would never let you down. I won!"
“I saw it, I saw it with both eyes.” Lu Yuanyuan wiped the dust off his cheek with her sleeve, stared into his bright eyes, and smiled, “Well done.”
The hammer of the sun didn't crack for no reason.
From the very beginning of the match, she noticed that Yue Hong was deliberately holding back. His cultivation wasn't so weak that he couldn't even withstand a single move, nor was he a coward. Soon, she realized that every time Yue Hong dodged, seemingly clumsy, he was intentionally guiding Ri Yan's hammer swing, using the lower part of the hammer to strike his spear and certain specific spots on the sand—the spots where fragments of weapons from the first round of the competition were scattered.
Yue Hong smiled and sat down next to her, whispering, "I noticed it in the first round of the competition. He had a chip at the bottom of his hammer, so I came up with this method to widen the crack."
Lu Yuanyuan pinched his cheek.
Off the field, Riyan clutched his broken hammer, seemingly deeply humiliated, gritting his teeth.
The Demon King smiled and said, "It seems the outcome has been decided."
The Right General, who had been observing from the sidelines, then spoke up: "Your performances were truly impressive. It's just a pity that the time was too short. I hope there will be another opportunity to see such a wonderful competition in the future..."
This was the first time Lu Yuanyuan had heard this guy speak, and his effeminate voice was quite distinctive.
She smiled and returned the same polite remark.
This friendly match ended in victory for the monks, which was the best possible outcome.
When the finals began and the surrounding attention shifted away from the cultivators, Lu Yuanyuan remembered the interruption she had received earlier, and she looked up in the direction of the Demon King.
The spot next to the Demon King was now empty.
That person left.
The gladiatorial day matches continued into the evening. Sunfire's weapon shattered, seemingly a major blow; despite being a favorite to win, he ultimately finished only seventh.
The disciples of Mount Shu were overjoyed with their victory, their excitement lasting all day. The immortal envoy from Jin'ao Island managed to control himself somewhat, but he couldn't hide his delight either. Back at the palace, everyone was still discussing what had just happened.
Lu Yuanyuan coughed and said, "The formal meeting will be held tomorrow. Everyone, don't stay up too late, go to bed early."
Fu Xinguang stepped forward and echoed with a serious expression, "We'll do whatever your Immortal Lord Lingheng says."
Everyone turned to look at them, obediently replied "Yes," and went back to their rooms.
Although she had just told everyone to get some rest, Lu Yuanyuan found herself unable to sleep after washing up in her room, and her cheeks felt hot.
Hopefully, tomorrow's negotiations will go as smoothly as today's.
She stepped onto the terrace, intending to enjoy the evening breeze for a while, but after standing there for a while, she felt that gaze upon her again.
And they came from the same place.
At first, Lu Yuanyuan pretended not to notice and leaned against the railing. But she soon realized that this time was different. The previous times, the thing that had been peeping at her would quickly leave. But this time, even after she counted to a hundred, it was still there, hidden in the grass below.
Lu Yuanyuan lowered her eyes, gripped the railing with her fingers, tapped it lightly, and suddenly flipped over, gently landing down.
But this time, she didn't head straight for the flower bushes like she did last night. It was as if she had just come down for a walk, strolling around the garden and even reaching out to touch the flower buds on the branches.
As if thinking she hadn't noticed him, there was a rustling sound in the flower bushes, but the thing didn't leave.
At this moment, Lu Yuanyuan suddenly let out a low groan, clutched her chest, as if she felt some kind of intense pain, and could no longer stand up. Her body went limp and she collapsed onto the grass.
The faint scent of grass wafted into her nostrils. Lu Yuanyuan closed her eyes tightly, curled up in a ball, and remained motionless.
After a while, she heard a very faint rustling sound, as if something was emerging from the flowers, approaching her step by step, getting closer and closer...
The instant she vaguely sensed that the other person was right in front of her, Lu Yuanyuan suddenly opened her eyes. Her clear-headed expression showed no sign of unconsciousness, and she quickly reached out and grabbed him.
She wanted to see who this thing that had been spying on her was.
She was certain she hadn't missed; at such close range, she couldn't possibly have missed even with her eyes closed. A large clump of soft hair brushed past her fingers. However, when she closed her fingers, she only grasped air.
Lu Yuanyuan's breath hitched, and a brief feeling of disbelief flashed through her mind.
...They missed?!
impossible!
Lu Yuanyuan lunged forward again, relying on the lingering intuition in her palm, and reached her hand into the flower bushes. This time, she finally managed to grab something.
She grabbed the thing, and it thrashed about twice. Lu Yuanyuan braced herself against the grass with one hand, straightened up, grabbed the thing by the back of its neck, and pulled it out.
When Lu Yuanyuan saw its true appearance, she was stunned.
What comes into view is a coat of fluffy, snow-white fur.
It had triangular ears, pink ear cartilage with two tufts of soft hair, and a pair of wet eyes looking at her innocently.
It's a little fox.
Lu Yuanyuan: "..."
Her gaze fell down and she noticed that the fur on its rump was standing on end. She unconsciously raised her other hand and pinched it, only to touch something strange.
Tail?
It turns out that this clump of fur wasn't fluffed up, but rather many tails spread out like flowers.
Lu Yuanyuan paused for a moment, and for some unknown reason, she began to count the number of tails.
Touching and pinching it, counting it over and over, it always has nine tails.
When she touched its tail, the little thing didn't struggle and just stared at her without blinking.
Lu Yuanyuan's eyelids twitched, and she finally realized that this was not a good thing. She withdrew her hand from its bottom, but for a moment she didn't know what to say, so she just stared at it.
Suddenly, the little thing stuck out its tongue and licked the tip of her nose.
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