When Demon Lord Luan Hua returned to the Demon Cave, he found the palace servants running around in a panic, and bone spirits flying about in the sky.
"Bone Phantom? What are you doing?"
Upon hearing his voice, Gu Piao lost her balance and nearly fell flat on her face.
"My...My Lord? How come you're back so soon?"
Looking at Gu Piao's panicked expression and then glancing around, Luan Hua knew something was wrong.
"Tell me, what exactly happened?"
Gu Piao was the chief steward of the entire Demon Cave, so something big must have happened to make him so flustered.
Gu Piao swallowed hard, then knelt down with a thud. "Gu Piao is so sorry, sir! Madam... oh no, Miss He, she... she's disappeared!"
"Oh?" Luan Hua wasn't too surprised.
"Tell me more details." The Demon Lord made Gu Piao stand up, and the two talked as they walked.
"It was...it was the maid who took care of Miss He. This morning, she went to call for her as usual, but when she opened the door, she found that Miss He had disappeared! After I found out, I immediately mobilized everyone in the palace to search for her, but they still couldn't find her."
Gu Piao desperately suppressed his inner panic and made himself appear normal. He knew all too well how much the lady meant to the Demon Lord Luan Hua. Although it was still uncertain whether this lady was really her, the fact that she had been lost under his watchful eye was absolutely unforgivable!
But Demon Lord Luan Hua's performance was different from what he had imagined.
He simply uttered a faint "I understand."
Gu Piao couldn't help but wonder, could it be that the Demon Lord has become numb with grief?
“You don’t need to worry about this, and you don’t need to blame yourself,” he said.
"But……"
"It's alright. There are still many things in the Demon Cave that need your attention. Go do what you're supposed to do."
"Yes." Since the Demon Lord had spoken, Gu Piao couldn't say anything more.
Luan Hua arrived alone at He Banjian's courtyard. The maids trembled in fear at the sight of him, but he paid no heed and strode into the room.
She has hardly changed since He Banjian first arrived.
The blankets on the bed were neatly arranged, and all the jewelry on the dressing table was present.
It seems she wasn't greedy for money.
He casually picked up a book from the table; it was a work by a wandering knight-errant about local customs and traditions. There were also several other books of different contents next to it.
You wouldn't guess she's a studious person.
He silently put the book down.
"Guard the courtyard well and don't allow anyone to enter. Report any disturbance to me immediately!"
The maids didn't dare to raise their heads, "Yes! Demon Lord!"
Just as Demon Lord Luan Hua was about to rest, Gu Piao rushed in with a panicked expression.
"What's wrong now?"
"My lord! The Immortal Venerable has arrived!"
The Demon Lord rubbed his temples. "Let's go and see what he means."
Unlike the tense atmosphere last time, Immortal Venerable Jinyun was sitting in the pavilion drinking tea, while the maidservant serving him couldn't help but steal glances at him.
The two locked eyes.
"Doesn't Yixiantian have any tea? Come and have some with me."
"The Liangshan drink in the Demon Cave has a unique flavor."
"..."
"Speak, what exactly do you want?"
Jinyun Immortal Venerable stood up. "I am not doing this for any other reason than to be entrusted by someone. I heard that the Demon Lord took my disciple's precious pearl, and I hope that the Demon Lord can return it to its rightful owner."
"A precious pearl?" Demon Lord Luan Hua grinned. "Is this it?"
A crystal-clear blue bead appeared in his palm.
"Exactly." Jinyun Immortal Venerable nodded.
Demon Lord Luan Hua instead withdrew his hand, saying, "I refuse to give it to you."
"What does the Demon Lord mean by this?"
“Once I got it, it’s mine. You say it’s your apprentice’s stuff, what proof do you have?”
Jinyun laughed in anger at his words, "The Demon Lord is truly shameless."
Luan Hua didn't take it seriously. "What do you mean by shameless? This is the rule of the underworld. If you have the guts, come and rob me. What you get is yours."
Jinyun suppressed his anger. "Hehe, only today do I realize what the Demon Lord's life principles are. It turns out the Demon Lord just loves to steal other people's things."
His gaze sharpened.
"I'm afraid you took that person away from you, rather than letting them go with you willingly."
Luan Hua hadn't intended to bring this up, but Jin Yun suddenly touched a nerve, and he immediately flew into a rage.
"How dare you!"
With a loud crash, the stone table shattered, and teacups and teapots clattered and fell to the ground.
"Jinyun, watch your words." His gaze was like an ice pick, piercing straight at the person in front of him.
"Am I wrong? A despicable person like you deserves to be despised by everyone. How could anyone willingly follow you?"
This sentence was like a spark that fell into a pile of wood, instantly igniting everything.
He tilted his head to dodge Luan Hua's palm strike.
"Are you sure you want to fight me? I noticed a long time ago that your internal energy is unstable and your strength is not what it used to be. Besides, we're in a demon's lair now. Are you going to destroy all the hard work you've put in over the years?"
Luan Hua stared intently at him, wishing she could devour his blood and flesh, but gradually stopped.
“I didn’t come here to fight, I just want that precious pearl.” Jinyun stretched out his hand.
"Heh heh." Demon Lord Luan Hua let out a cold laugh.
Suddenly, a beam of azure light shot toward Jinyun Immortal Venerable. He raised his hand, and a blue bead lay quietly in his palm.
"Here, take this bead. Tell your good apprentice Li Mingke that this bead is what I'm returning to her."
Jinyun placed the disguise pearl into the brocade pouch.
“Oh, right, there’s one thing you did say right.” Luan Hua chuckled softly, “I’m the kind of person who loves to snatch things. If I set my sights on something, I’ll definitely take it.”
"She used to be your fiancée, but now I've taken a fancy to your apprentice."
A chilling aura instantly erupted from Jinyun Immortal Venerable's body.
"One day, I'll kidnap her!"
You'd better watch out!
In just a few words, the balance of power shifted dramatically.
The people in the Demon Cave were terrified by the powerful bursts of energy emanating from the central Demon Palace and fled in panic.
☆
Li Mingke had just returned from his sister Li Pinyue's courtyard when he found the maids in his room packing his belongings.
"What are you doing? Does anyone want to go home?"
Youju was folding clothes for her without even looking up. "News came from the front yard that Immortal Venerable Jinyun has arrived. You'll have to go back to the Immortal Sect with him soon. Young Master, you can just ignore everything, but we have to pack your things, right?"
"Huh?" Li Mingke's mouth dropped open. "My master is back so quickly? It's only been less than a day!"
Wasn't the Disguise Bead in the Demon Lord's hands? Her master snatched it back as soon as she got there.
She applauded her master, who truly deserved to be called the best in the world; even the Demon Lord could only suffer a humiliation.
Sure enough, Li Zengqing's personal maid Yingxue came in and personally put the disguise bead on Li Mingke.
"The patriarch said to learn more from the Immortal Venerable and not to overthink it."
"Okay, okay." Li Mingke personally saw Yingxue out.
Before she could even stand properly, the maids swarmed around her, some combing her hair, some changing her clothes, and some putting on her shoes. Before long, a handsome young man appeared.
Li Mingke casually grabbed a fan, opened it with a "whoosh," and exclaimed, "Hey, I'm back again!"
The maids watched her posing in front of the mirror, speechless.
When Li Mingke arrived at the front hall, her mother, Li Zengqing, was talking with the Immortal Venerable Jinyun. Upon seeing her, she looked delighted.
"Mingke, come quickly! Quickly thank the Immortal Venerable!"
Li Mingke lifted his robe and knelt on one knee, "Thank you, Master!"
Jinyun Immortal helped the person up, saying, "I am your master, this is what I should do. Speaking of which, I should apologize for putting you in such a dangerous situation."
Li Mingke was filled with trepidation and said, "It is this disciple's stupidity that has nothing to do with Master!"
After exchanging a few more polite words, Li Zengqing invited Immortal Venerable Jinyun to stay for dinner, but was refused.
“I’ve been away long enough. There are still many things in the Immortal Sect that I need to take care of. Mingke is not fully recovered yet, but she can recuperate in the First Line of Heaven. My friend is a highly skilled doctor and can also treat her.”
Having said that, Li Zengqing did not try to persuade him to stay any longer.
As he stepped outside, Li Mingke waved to the Li family members in the distance.
Seeing her reluctant expression, Youju's friends comforted her, "It's not like the young master isn't coming back, don't be sad."
“I’m not sad, it’s just that she’s not as good as she is at home outside. You all saw it, she came back with injuries this time. I’m just worried about her.”
"It's alright, we have the Celestial Venerable. He will protect our young master."
Li Pinyue listened to their chatter and silently stroked the spear in her hand.
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