Chapter 43 I'm going to be my substitute, how exciting! Is it Master? ...
Jiang Yuemian looked at the face reflected in the water and felt satisfied; it resembled her former face by about 50%.
After she committed suicide in the God-Exorcising Array, a wisp of her divine consciousness was protected by 001 in the system. As time passed, she gradually regained consciousness. 001, having somehow obtained the information, placed her divine consciousness on a celestial herb. It took a hundred years for her to take human form.
She looked around at the environment she had lived in for the past hundred years and sighed. She didn't know which realm the small mountain belonged to, and she hadn't seen a single cultivator come here all these years. There were many demons on the mountain, but since she hadn't taken human form, they couldn't speak to her.
Sigh, Jiang Yuemian sighed again. The best course of action now is to go and see how her relatives and friends have been doing all these years since she left, especially A Que.
Thinking of Ah Que, her sparkling eyes seem to hold all my tenderness; even just thinking of her name melts my heart.
Afterwards, Jiang Yuemian got up from the stream. She spoke to 001, who quickly identified a path leading down the mountain for her.
......
"Sigh, what's the point of having a library in our demon realm? And those civil service exam questions, I can't even understand them. I'm a bull demon, not the God of Literature."
"Who can argue with that? I wonder what His Majesty has been up to all these years."
Listening to the complaints of the ox and the chicken, Jiang Yuemian had a better understanding of the situation. The Venerable One they were talking about must be a very important person. He even set up a library, which meant he greatly admired her. Otherwise, he wouldn't have set it up in the demon realm.
Jiang Yuemian continued slurping noodles in a very good mood.
"Shh, keep your voice down. His Majesty is like a madman. His human master has been dead for five hundred years, and who knows what he's up to. The other adults have found many similar people over the years, but His Majesty has chased them all away."
Jiang Yuemian paused, her hand holding the chopsticks still.
"That's right. If you ask me, the Moon-Gazing Immortal Venerable is doing great things for the world and deserves respect. It's just that our Demon Venerable... I really can't say anything about him."
"Let's go, let's stop talking, we still have work to do this afternoon."
The chicken demon got up and hooked his arm around the bull demon's neck. The bull demon replied with "Let's go, let's go," and the two quickly walked away arm in arm.
Jiang Yuemian remained motionless for a long time until 001 called her, at which point she came to her senses.
Oh, it's Ah Que.
She was first startled, then felt heartache.
How could she not feel heartbroken? Ah Que cared deeply for her, even opening a civil service exam preparation course and library in the demon realm on a whim. However, upon hearing that they had found many substitutes for Ah Que, she was both delighted by Ah Que's unwavering loyalty to her and somewhat saddened. Ah Que was such a good person; she dared not imagine how he had survived the past five hundred years.
He endured countless hardships to ascend to the position of Demon Lord while being a half-demon.
Jiang Yuemian remained motionless, but her beautiful face could not be hidden, and two people in the distance spotted her.
"Hey? Look at that woman, doesn't she look like that one?" A short, stout man said to the tall, thin man next to him.
The tall, thin man took a closer look and exclaimed, "Wow! It's so similar!"
He winked at the short, stout man, who immediately understood, and the two of them pretended to walk towards Jiang Yuemian.
Jiang Yuemian was about to get up and leave when a hurried voice came from behind her.
"Wait! Miss, please stop!"
Jiang Yuemian turned her head in surprise and saw two men, one thin and one fat, running hurriedly, as if afraid she would run away. Jiang Yuemian stopped and didn't understand why they were stopping her. Although one should be careful when traveling, that was for others. As for Jiang Yuemian? Others were the ones who should be worried.
Two men had already reached Jiang Yuemian, and she waited for them to speak.
Sure enough, the tall, thin man couldn't wait any longer: "Miss, do you...want to rise to the top in one step?"
Jiang Yuemian paused. It had been a long time since anyone had spoken to her like this. She was always the one who helped others rise to the top, but unexpectedly, after five hundred years, the tables had turned and it was her turn. Jiang Yuemian smiled and decided to see what they had to say.
Seeing Jiang Yuemian smile, the two men immediately felt there was hope, and their smiles became even more sincere. The middle-aged man spoke up: "Miss... it's like this, let me tell you, we have a benefactor, and your appearance resembles that of the benefactor's lover, except that she has long since died."
Oh, Jiang Yuemian understands now, it's about substitute literature. Strange things happen every year, but this year there seem to be more than usual. Besides people hiring substitutes to please A-Que, there are even other people looking for substitutes? She just doesn't know if it's the person themselves who wants to, or if their subordinates are after money and status. Regardless, Jiang Yuemian looks down on such people and disdains associating with them.
Jiang Yuemian's expression turned indifferent, losing interest: "No need, I'm not fortunate enough."
Upon hearing Jiang Yuemian's words, the two men paused for a moment. This girl was indeed a person of noble character, and they admired such a person. However, they had finally encountered someone who looked so much like her, and they certainly couldn't let her leave. Otherwise, how could they explain to their superiors? They still needed to reason with her and appeal to her emotions.
"Girl, think it over again. If this succeeds, you can get anything you want, whether it's cultivation resources or anything else, even the stars in the sky."
Jiang Yuemian stopped them from continuing and turned to leave.
The two people behind them didn't give chase. You can't force a relationship. If the other person isn't willing, it's all for nothing even if they see the Venerable One. But, sigh! They should think of a way to explain things to their superior.
"Sigh! Let's go! Keep looking, we'll eventually find something His Majesty likes."
Your Excellency? Jiang Yuemian stopped in her tracks.
"etc!"
The two men turned to leave, but upon hearing those two words, their eyes lit up again. Could it be that the girl had changed her mind? They thought to themselves, who wouldn't want to be the Venerable One's confidante?
Jiang Yuemian: "The Venerable One you're talking about is..." Could it be A-Que?
The tall, thin man immediately replied, as if afraid Jiang Yuemian would slip away at any moment: "Of course it's the Demon Lord. The Demon Lord has a white moonlight who looks very much like you, young lady. This time, we are also acting on orders from our superiors..."
Before she finished speaking, Jiang Yuemian understood the implication: these officials must have nothing better to do than find a substitute for A-Que? She was still right there; if A-Que dared to let anyone else touch him, she would make him regret it.
"Okay, lead the way."
Jiang Yuemian spoke calmly, suppressing the anger in her heart.
Strangely enough, Jiang Yuemian felt she was a strange person. She wanted A-Que to be well, but the thought of A-Que finding someone else after her death made her furious. Yet, if A-Que didn't find someone else, she felt he would be truly lonely. Jiang Yuemian couldn't understand it, and ultimately transformed these feelings into love and possessiveness—a unique possessiveness towards A-Que.
Having figured this out, Jiang Yuemian instantly felt relieved. Yes, that's right. No matter how much time had passed, Shen Que could only belong to her, and only she could touch him. Even if she died, Shen Que would only be able to live a life of widowhood. That's just how domineering she was.
......
Jiang Yuemian followed the two men to a small courtyard. They told her to stay there for the day, and that someone would come to help her with her grooming and dressing. They would then introduce her to the Emperor in the evening.
After closing the door, Jiang Yuemian didn't care about her image and lay down on the bed.
[Mianmian! Are you really going to see that kid Chen Que later? Dream on.]
She even needs to groom herself, does she really think she's some kind of lord? Speaking of which, he used to be the one serving Mianmian.
Jiang Yuemian hummed in agreement.
She was a little sleepy and wanted to take a nap, so she told 001 to be quiet, then pulled the covers over herself, preparing for a good night's sleep to recharge for the night ahead. After all... she wanted to see how Ah Que would react. If he really had touched someone else while she was away, she would definitely punish him properly, and how she punished him was up to her.
Jiang Yuemian slept soundly, perhaps because she was truly exhausted, or perhaps because she had only recently taken human form and her current body couldn't support her powerful soul. In any case, when she opened her eyes again, Jiang Yuemian heard a knock on the door, followed by a voice coming in.
"Young lady, your servants will help you with your hair and makeup."
"Come in." Jiang Yuemian's voice was a little hoarse, probably because she had just woken up.
With permission granted, the people outside rushed into the house. First, several demon maids carried things in their hands, and then two male demons carried in a large wooden bucket.
Jiang Yuemian immediately understood and asked, "What should we do first?"
One of the maids, a rabbit demon with one ear sticking out, replied, "Miss, of course we should serve you while you bathe first."
She raised her hand to dismiss the male demons, and then went to help Jiang Yuemian change her clothes, but Jiang Yuemian quickly stopped her hand.
The rabbit demon was taken aback.
Jiang Yuemian explained, "I'm not used to it, I'll do it myself."
So the rabbit demon smiled knowingly, then blushed and let Jiang Yuemian take off her clothes and enter the water.
After Jiang Yuemian finished bathing and emerged from the water, the maids began to divide the work: drying her hair, changing her clothes, and doing her makeup. Before long, Jiang Yuemian was dressed up.
Jiang Yuemian looked at herself in the bronze mirror. Her eyebrows and eyes were like a painting, and her face was lively and charming. With makeup, she gained a touch of charm. She was truly a beauty of unparalleled grace.
The rabbit demon's eyes widened, its ears twitching on its head: "Girl, you're so beautiful..."
Jiang Yuemian laughed, and that laugh made the rabbit demon's face turn even redder.
Hmph, just wait and see, the real show is yet to come.
......
"Hey, why don't you go and try to persuade them?"
"I won't go, I won't go. You go if you want to. I wouldn't dare to offend His Majesty."
"Then I won't go either, I don't want to get scolded."
Two young servants chirped softly beside the main hall.
In the very center of the hall sat a man in red robes. His captivating peach blossom eyes were now misty, for he held a pot of wine in his hand, indicating that he was drunk.
He drank it down in big gulps until suddenly he choked on the alcohol.
"Cough...cough..."
He felt wronged instantly, and smashed the wine pot. The loud bang silenced the servants, and no one in the hall dared to utter another sound.
The person in the main hall was Shen Que. He just wanted to have a drink, but he didn't expect that even the wine would bully him and make him unhappy.
He couldn't help but think that if his master were here, he certainly wouldn't let him get so drunk; he would definitely keep an eye on him, and might even punish him...
But Master is no longer here.
His eyes darkened again, and he muttered softly, "Master...please discipline me..."
In the end, no one dared to answer.
His Excellency became even more insane after drinking, spouting nonsense, and no one dared to engage him.
Outside the main hall, Jiang Yuemian was instructed by the tall, thin man to be careful with her words and actions once inside. She complied outwardly, and the tall, thin man then gave the guards a wink, allowing her to enter.
As Jiang Yuemian entered, she walked step by step towards the man in red in the middle. It was A-Que, but he seemed to be drunk...
Over the years, he has grown taller and his cultivation has become more profound, but he doesn't seem to be living a good life.
With each step Jiang Yuemian took, the hair ornament on her head swayed with her movements.
"jingle--"
The noise startled Shen Que, who frowned and looked up to see who was disturbing his drinking.
Then, his impatient expression froze.
Ah, is that Master? Master has come to his dream.
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Author's Note: Here I am, baby! Can I make up for the extra chapter with the nutrient solution when I get home? Or maybe I can wait until I go to VIP chapters and update for two days straight with 10,000 words each. I'll make up for it anyway. [doge emoji with rose in hand]
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