Same destination, different paths
The door opened, and a figure formed from black mist darted into the room, before the door closed silently.
"Have you found a way to cure Father Emperor?" The princess, dressed in a close-fitting nightgown, asked with her beautiful face as smooth as unpolished jade.
Shangguan Zhi shook her head dejectedly, "Not found yet."
"Then what are you here for?" The princess lay lazily on her side, her thick black hair draped over one of her thin shoulders.
"I'd like to ask Your Highness what you're doing. Why is there a protective barrier around Li Zhuo?" Shangguan Zhi questioned her. When she infiltrated the palace earlier, there were several arrays outside Li Zhuo's chambers designed to slay demons and evil spirits; anyone who dared to trespass would be in grave danger.
After much deliberation, he decided to go to the princess's residence to question her personally.
"How dare you! How dare you address my father by his name?" The princess suddenly stood up and retorted.
"The rules of the palace don't apply to me. I've already agreed to help you kill the Crown Prince, so why won't you let me see him?"
"Don't think you can threaten me just because you're a fox demon. I have many ways to make sure you can't see your father again." As the most beloved princess of the Joseon Dynasty, no one had ever dared to speak to her like this.
"Your Highness, do you want to force me to kill you?" Shangguan Zhijian could no longer contain herself, her demonic aura surging, stirring up a storm.
The princess was not afraid and said defiantly, "Even if you kill me, it will be in vain."
Remembering the sect leader's words, she calmed herself down and suppressed her demonic aura.
"Your Highness, please tell me directly how I can see him."
Seeing that she had softened her tone and attitude, the princess said irritably, "To tell you the truth, I didn't make those magic arrays."
"Who is it?" Shangguan Zhi almost interrupted.
The princess had many male favorites, and even those who were as beautiful as celestial beings could not hold her heart. The princess utterly despised Shangguan Zhi's unwavering devotion.
"They are two cultivators, supposedly disciples of the Misty Sect. They brought tokens and claim to be my ancestors." The princess showed no reverence and couldn't help but chuckle. "How would I know anything about ancestors? It's the historians who remember them clearly."
"I'll just let them live in the palace to protect my father, so that traitors like you won't have a chance to target him." She tapped Shangguan Zhi's chest, and Shangguan Zhi slapped her away without any politeness.
The offended princess was not angry, and kindly explained, "But don't worry, I have a great use for them."
Mentioning the Misty Sect, Shangguan Zhi sighed in frustration, her fox fur practically standing on end.
"What's wrong with you?" The princess was intrigued by his murderous look.
"Don't mention that word to me," Shangguan Zhi said through gritted teeth.
Which word? She didn't mention any names, could it be the Misty Sect?
"What, do you have a grudge against the Misty Sect?" the princess asked. Seeing that she didn't speak, she suddenly remembered her strange behavior today—her face was slightly pale, and her breathing was uneven. Was she injured?
"With your impulsive nature, it would be strange if you didn't suffer losses."
She just wanted to save Li Zhuo, so what's wrong with that?
Seeing that she was still angry, the princess teased, "Don't tell me that the people who hurt you were a brother and sister."
She described Lin Yueyao's appearance and Rong Yan's stature.
Upon hearing this, Shangguan Zhi's eyes narrowed sharply. "How did you know?"
"The ancestors I'm referring to are that pair of martial arts siblings," the princess slowly recalled, "along with a child who was a little over ten years old."
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Lin Yueyao hurt her, but all of this had nothing to do with Rong Yan.
The reason we found this place is because of the precious mirror she possesses.
She was certain it was Rong Yan's idea, after all, Lin Yueyao would never tolerate him if his identity were exposed.
"That's really true." The princess burst out laughing. "What a small world."
"Do you need me to make the decision for you?" She touched Shangguan Zhi's face; she was very beautiful, no wonder her father was so fond of her.
"No need," Shangguan Zhi declined her offer. "I have a treasure on me, and that's what they came for."
"What treasure is it? Let me see it."
“Ordinary people can’t use it, so it would be useless to you,” Shangguan Zhi explained hastily.
They kept it hidden from her; she'd seen countless treasures, if not tens of thousands, so it wasn't anything special to her.
“So, according to you, they need something from them.” The princess sat down, raised her chin, and looked at her. “You can threaten them.”
"It's hard to say. The thing that could save Li Zhuo's life is in their hands."
"I see, it is indeed a bit tricky." The princess nodded to herself.
"Never mind, I'll think of something." She wanted to go see Li Zhuo now; she had been away for so many days, and she wondered how he was doing.
It's unclear whether there are any signs of improvement.
Shangguan Zhi sneaked into the palace and stopped in a palace room.
Rong Yan suddenly opened his eyes and smelled the familiar demonic aura.
She's the fox spirit sister.
I glanced at Benben, who was fast asleep. He was so steadfast that he couldn't be woken up by anything, not even in wind or rain.
He was very relieved.
Pushing open the door, the courtyard was quiet, while the corridor was brightly lit.
"Fox Demon Sister." A woman stood at the end of the corridor. Suddenly turning around, Shangguan Zhi seemed to choke up a little. "You still remember that I am your Fox Demon Sister."
"Fox Demon Sister, what happened before was all my fault. I apologize to you on behalf of my senior sister."
She patted his head. "It's nothing. Exorcising demons is the duty of you cultivators. You don't need to apologize to me."
"But you're injured, and what about your senior uncles and the others..."
On the day Sister Fox ran away, Master Chengshan and his companions chased after her and seriously injured her.
Rong Yan only learned of these things afterward.
“Rong Yan, remember this: I hate these righteous people, but you are different. You and I are the same kind of people, so there is no need to say these words of apology.”
Hearing this, Rong Yan finally felt at ease.
"I know what you're worried about. Don't worry, I'll help you, but you have to do me a favor too." Shangguan Zhi put her hand on his shoulder. "I need to save Li Zhuo, but first I need to see him."
Li Zhuo gave his life for her, so it's only right that she does anything for Li Zhuo.
“Okay.” He readily agreed, but he also had concerns. “Although the formation set up by my senior sister can’t trap me, I need to think about how to break it.”
As the two discussed how to break the defensive barrier, a ray of light pierced through the hall and embedded itself in the floor tiles of the inner corridor.
Shangguan Zhi realized what was happening and fled.
"You fiend, trying to bewitch my junior brother?"
It was his senior sister's voice. At this moment, Rong Yan was completely out of his mind, unaware of how much his senior sister had heard.
"Where do you want to escape to?" Lin Yueyao appeared, and the question flew back into her palm.
The two began fighting outside the palace. The noise attracted the guards, who saw Fairy Qingyi locked in combat with a woman whose face was sinister and who had seven or eight fox tails behind her.
"It's a demon, a monster!"
"Quickly report to His Highness!!"
Shangguan Zhi's old injury flared up again, and by the time she realized what was happening, the sharp edge of a sword was pressed against her throat.
"What exactly is going on?" A large group of people appeared outside the palace. Eunuchs carrying lanterns lined both sides of the palace path. The princess and the crown prince entered side by side.
"Your Highness, the guards on night watch discovered a fight in the palace. When I arrived with my men, it was Fairy Qingyi who discovered the fox demon."
Shangguan Zhi, bound to the ground, glanced at the princess with a complicated expression.
The princess shifted her gaze and hurriedly asked, "Was our ancestor injured?"
Lin Yueyao remained silent. Rong Yan walked forward with a pale face, and Lin Yueyao whispered to comfort him, "Don't be afraid."
He was filled with anxiety, but hearing these hard-won words of comfort calmed him down a little.
Fortunately, my senior sister didn't hear much.
"It's alright, Your Highness is overthinking it."
The fox demon was injured by her questioning and was bound by ropes by the guards. To prevent the fox demon from escaping, the ropes were covered with talismans, rendering Shangguan Zhi unable to use her demonic power.
"What should the Crown Prince do?"
Lin Yueyao glanced at him sideways. The Crown Prince trembled slightly, his lips moving slightly, "Since no one is injured, let's just let it go."
"Let it go?" Lin Yueyao frowned and asked, "This fox demon broke into the palace, bewitched Wenwei, forced her way into the imperial bedchamber, and endangered His Majesty's life. Is it really just going to be left like this?"
“Our ancestor is right. However, disturbing Father Emperor in the middle of the night is not beneficial to his recovery. We should lock this fox demon in prison and deal with it tomorrow morning.”
Having said that, what else could Lin Yueyao say? So she asked, "Does the Crown Prince think so?"
"Do as my sister says." After saying that, he avoided Lin Yueyao's sharp gaze, wishing he could disappear into a crack in the ground.
Shangguan Zhi was taken away by the guards.
In the dead of night, Lin Yueyao was not asleep at all. She lay in bed, using her ability to discern demonic energy through her inquiries about love.
Once a reaction occurs, she can pinpoint the source of the demonic energy immediately.
As she expected, amidst the buzzing of the inquiring sound, she flew away on her sword and heard Shangguan Zhi stroking her junior brother, saying something like, "You and I are the same kind of people."
Humans and transvestites cannot be compared.
Lin Yueyao was furious, but the silly boy was completely taken aback.
Although it is unknown how Shangguan Zhi will be dealt with, judging from Rong Yan's trembling appearance, he must be terrified.
"Don't be afraid, your senior sister is here."
"Thank you, Senior Sister." Rong Yan expressed her heartfelt gratitude.
The people in the palace dispersed, and Benben in the room slept soundly, and no one could wake him.
It was easy for the two of them to talk.
"Senior sister, are humans and demons really different?"
Lin Yueyao turned around, not understanding why he asked that question. His eyes seemed to say, "Isn't that right?"
He awkwardly explained, "But there are good demons and bad demons in this world, and there are good people and bad people. Isn't that the same?"
“Humans are humans, and demons are demons.” She explained calmly, “Demons are treacherous, cunning, and full of tricks.”
"Humans, though their hearts yearn for change, are still living, breathing beings of flesh and blood."
Therefore, they cannot be compared, much less conflated.
Undeterred, he managed to squeeze out a question: "What does Senior Sister think I am?"
“You are my junior brother,” she replied calmly.
"Anything else?"
She couldn't think of anything else besides this identity, so she remained silent.
Rong Yan felt a pang of sadness. If he weren't her junior brother, there would be nothing between them.
"I still don't understand..." he murmured softly, his voice trembling at the end.
She thought a fox spirit had bewitched him, causing him to utter such empty words. She comforted him again, "You're still young; you'll understand some things when you grow up."
Rong Yan was unwilling to give up, "Senior sister, I'm not young. At my age, I could already be getting married and having children."
"So, has Senior Sister ever thought about being with me?"
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