The next morning, the servants moved all of Xie Shanzhi's belongings from his original palace to Changming Palace. They didn't say anything, but they became increasingly cautious in their dealings with Xie Shanzhi.
As soon as it was light, Mu Wenxi got up to handle state affairs. Xie Shanzhi, who was easily startled, immediately opened his eyes. The next second, Mu Wenxi patted him and coaxed him back to sleep: "I'm going to handle state affairs. You sleep a little longer. We'll have breakfast together when I get back."
"Um".
Xie Shanzhi drifted off to sleep again.
At the entrance of the main hall, a special beast-drawn carriage was already waiting. It was the very intelligent magical beast that could roar loudly. Mu Wenxi patted it: "How about I call you Little Mountain from now on?"
Xiaoshan tilted his head back, his round nose looking rather cute: "Aww~"
"Shh, keep your voice down."
Xiaoshan immediately stopped barking, his eyes wide open.
Mu Wenxi smiled and said, "The little guy is really smart."
After the morning court session, Mu Wenxi rode a small hill back to Changming Palace. Upon entering the main hall, Xie Shanzhi sat in a corner by the window, holding a book, exuding the air of a young nobleman.
Days passed by like this. Mu Wenxi would occasionally take Xie Shanzhi to the winery for a drink, and sometimes they would grill a fish at the fishpond to enjoy its freshness. At night, the two of them would sleep together.
Soon, their first winter arrived. In previous winters, Mu Wenxi would take the Demon Lord and Demon Generals to hunt within the territory, but this hunt was not for ordinary prey, but for magical beasts.
The winter hunt has arrived in the blink of an eye, but unlike previous years, this year it's not about hunting, but about finding companions.
The demon generals will go to the largest realm of the demon world to find their own demon beasts as partners. The contract between the demon beast and the partner must be voluntary on both sides. If one party forces the contract, it cannot be formed.
Before setting off, Mu Wenxi stood at the front of the formation with Xiaoshan, Xie Shanzhi standing beside them, and a large group of demon generals who needed magical beasts as companions this year standing behind them.
As the formation activated, a group of people disappeared from their original spot. Mu Wenxi, Xie Shanzhi, and Xiaoshan were teleported together to a vast grassland within the territory, where the weeds were withered and a cold wind was blowing.
Mu Wenxi was highly skilled in martial arts and was not afraid of magical beasts. Xie Shanzhi, as an orc, was also very popular with magical beasts. Xiao Shan was even more so. No magical beasts bothered them as they walked along the road, perhaps because the grassland was too desolate.
Mu Wenxi, holding Xiaoshan's hand, said, "Let's just consider this a trip to relax."
"Um".
"Aww~".
Mu Wenxi took out a hand warmer from his sleeve and handed it to Xie Shanzhi. The temperature here was a bit low, and although his fur was thick, he was still worried that Xie Shanzhi would get cold.
Xie Shanzhi took the hand warmer with some surprise: "How did you think of that?"
Mu Wenxi patted Xiaoshan's head, smiled, and didn't say anything.
They continued on their way, occasionally encountering other demon generals. Most demon generals were not forced to sign contracts with demonic beasts, but there's always a bad apple in a bad bunch.
When Xie Shanzhi saw the demon general in front of him using his demonic whip to strike the demonic beast in an attempt to subdue it, he seemed to remember something.
Xie Shanzhi was getting anxious. The demonic beast had clearly made a gesture of begging for mercy, but the demonic general was still relentless. He shouted, "Stop!"
Even the small hill beside them seemed to be stirring.
Mu Wenxi snatched the demon general's whip with a burst of power: "What's your name? Which demon lord's subordinate is so ignorant of the rules? Doesn't he know that summoning a demon beast requires the beast's willingness?"
Upon seeing that it was the Demon Lord, the demon general immediately knelt down and begged for mercy.
Xie Shanzhi ignored him and tried to approach the injured monster, but the monster was frightened and attacked in all directions, making it impossible to get close.
At this moment, Xiaoshan, who was standing next to Mu Wenxi, slowly approached. The magical beast sensed the presence of its own kind and gradually quieted down. Xiaoshan noticed the magical beast's quietness and actually stuck out its tongue to lick the magical beast's wound. Unexpectedly, the magical beast's wound visibly healed rapidly within a few seconds.
Mu Wenxi: "This is like finding a treasure!"
Little Shan never expected that this seemingly ordinary magical beast would possess such abilities.
Xie Shanzhi was also very happy: "Xiao Shan is so amazing."
Seemingly hearing his praise, Xiaoshan turned his head and nodded. After the monster recovered from its injuries, it shook its head in the direction of the group and fled at high speed, leaving the demon general stunned.
Mu Wenxi suddenly lashed out with a whip, striking the demon general. The demon general let out a wail and collapsed to the ground.
Mu Wenxi: "All things have a spirit. If this happens again, you can forget about your head. This whipping is your punishment for what you just did."
Demon General: "Thank you, Demon Lord. Thank you, Demon Lord."
The two humans and the magical beast lost interest after this ordeal, left the country, and returned to the main hall before nightfall.
Mu Wenxi: "From now on, Xiaoshan will be my partner. I can't let you pull the cart anymore. How about I give you some other jobs to earn some gold?"
Little Mountain's howling was very cute.
Xie Shanzhi: "Xiaoshan is a real treasure; it can be used to heal those injured magical beasts."
Mu Wenxi: "It's feasible."
After the winter hunt, Xie Shanzhi's status in the Demon Palace rose higher and higher, because to outsiders he seemed to rise and sleep with the Demon Lord every day, and the Demon Lord treated him like a treasure.
Mu Wenxi spends her days playing with the little wolf and has no time to deal with politics. Fortunately, she doesn't have much to do to begin with, but even if she doesn't go looking for trouble, trouble always comes looking for her.
Just as Mu Wenxi was about to feed Xie Shanzhi a spoonful of rice, a demon lord barged in without any sense of propriety.
This demon lord is named Jingxin, but her personality is the opposite of her name. She acts very fast and decisively and is in charge of the affairs of the demon realm.
Mu Wenxi slammed down his spoon in a huff: "What is it?"
Jingxin was completely confused. She hadn't said anything yet, so why was the Venerable One angry?
Looking again at the Venerable One's little beauty, Xie Shanzhi was secretly laughing to himself. Jingxin glared at him fiercely, wondering if he would still be able to laugh later.
Jingxin stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Demon Lord, there is a group of people outside demanding that we hand over Xie Shanzhi."
Xie Shanzhi, who had just been all smiles, suddenly froze, his face turned ashen, and he looked at Mu Wenxi with a panicked expression.
But Mu Wenxi reassured him with her eyes: "Don't be afraid, I'll go and meet them."
She got up, but Xie Shanzhi grabbed her clothes and wouldn't let her go, so Mu Wenxi had to give up her idea of going alone.
"Would you like to come with me?"
Xie Shanzhi nodded, looking at her pitifully, and loosened his grip on her clothes to join Mu Wenxi.
The two arrived at the administrative hall. Xie Shanzhi had excellent eyesight and immediately recognized the people in the distance as members of his family. He feared he was about to be exposed.
As soon as the group saw Xie Shanzhi, they started shouting and pointed at him, saying, "Hey, Xie Qi, it really is you!"
Xie Shanzhi tried to appear calm, but the panic in his eyes betrayed his true feelings.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
