Chapter 46 The Cannon Fodder's Self-Saving Guide
Inside the Purple Light Hall, a heavy silence pressed down, making it almost impossible to breathe. Jiu Ya, sitting upright behind her desk, exuded an almost stagnant, oppressive atmosphere.
The fate of being "cannon fodder" hangs like a sword of Damocles overhead, beneath which lies the unshakeable iron law of destiny known as "Rong Jiang." Thinking of the terrifying power of the Underworld Emperor in the later stages of "The Blooming Path to the Underworld," capable of annihilating an entire realm with a wave of his hand, Jiu Ya felt a profound sense of powerlessness. Her newly unified, internally strife-ridden demon realm forces, faced with such an absolute ceiling, probably didn't even have the qualifications to make the other side take her even slightly seriously.
Despair? Certainly. But waiting to die was never her style. Since a direct confrontation meant certain death, then… what about a different approach?
Jiu Ya suddenly raised her head, a glint of light forced out of desperation flashing in her eyes. She thought of another important character in the book—the Demon King Ying Jia. Both were "stumbling blocks" on Rong Jiang's path to unification, so why did the Demon King eventually become a capable general under the Underworld Emperor, while the Demon Lord became the one used as a warning to others?
"Attitude! It's absolutely an attitude problem!" Jiu Ya slammed her hand on the table. "The Demon King would definitely kneel down immediately... no, he would be more righteous and abandon darkness for light! But I (the Demon Lord in the original script) am stubborn and insist on fighting to the bitter end!"
As a reader familiar with the plot and her daughter's number one fan, she possesses an information advantage that even the Demon King lacks! She's a pro at currying favor! She refuses to believe that by offering herself with full "sincerity" and "spoilers," she can't outdo the Demon King.
Once her thoughts were clear, everything became much easier. Jiu Ya, who had been listless just moments before, instantly perked up, as if she had been given a shot of adrenaline. She stood up abruptly, strode to her desk, and spread out a sheet of paper.
When choosing the script, she hesitated for a moment, but ultimately chose a script that no magic in this world could recognize—Simplified Chinese from her homeland.
She picked up her brush, dipped it in ink, and looked extremely serious.
On the paper, the clear plan is laid out point by point:
[Cannon Fodder's Self-Rescue Guide (Top Secret)]
Target location: Find the female protagonist Rong Jiang (current coordinates are speculated to be: the former land of the Qi Kingdom in the human world. The novel mentions that after Rong Jiang ascended the throne, she went to Linzi, the former capital of Qi, alone).
Core strategy: Sincerely (beg and plead) curry favor with powerful figures to establish a good (humble) first impression.
Ultimate goal: to fight for autonomy for the Demon Realm (bottom line: to save my life and prevent the Demon Realm from becoming scorched earth).
As she wrote "save my life," the pen involuntarily paused. A drop of full ink fell, staining the character "life" perfectly, like an ominous footnote. Jiu Ya stared at the ink spot for a moment, then without hesitation crumpled the paper into a ball, a flash of demonic fire at her fingertips turning it to ashes.
She spread out a new sheet of paper, but instead of writing a plan, she unconsciously scribbled and drew in simplified Chinese, her mind racing.
“Rong Jiang, the Underworld Emperor, is of human origin… Demon King Ying Jia, daughter of the Eastern Emperor, is of demon race… They originally had no connection. Why would Ying Jia gain trust?” Jiu Ya frowned and pondered, “Could it be… that my daughter is obsessed with looks?” She recalled the description of Ying Jia in the book as “peerless in appearance, surpassing all demons in beauty,” and then subconsciously touched her own face.
The original owner's appearance was seven or eight parts similar to her previous life, but after being optimized by the demon bloodline, she was even more exquisite and beautiful, possessing a kind of aloof and cold demonic charm. "Ying Jia can do it, why can't I? In terms of looks, I'm also very competitive, okay?" she muttered to herself, trying to use this little bit of narcissism to dispel the enormous pressure in her heart.
Just as she was lost in her thoughts, Bai Yu's soft and respectful voice came from outside the hall: "Your Majesty, it's getting late, shall we serve the meal?"
Jiuya composed herself and called out, "Come in."
The palace doors opened slightly, and Bai Yu led several maids in, deftly placing the dishes one by one on the jade table beside her. The dishes were few, but exquisite: a steaming bowl of mushroom soup, a plate of thinly sliced beef, half a bright red sweet-skinned duck, a dish of tender blanched bok choy, a dish of water spinach with fermented bean curd, a bowl of spirit rice, and a small bowl of light vegetable porridge.
This was considered simple for the Demon Lord, but it was the result of Jiu Ya's repeated emphasis. She simply could not accept the extravagant and wasteful practice of serving dozens of dishes at a time.
Jiu Ya put down her pen, walked to the table, glanced at the dishes, and was slightly taken aback: "You still have 'Lantern Shadow Beef' today?"
Bai Yu replied softly, "You mentioned it during your meal yesterday, saying that you remembered... the Empress Dowager's dish, so the kitchen tried to make it." She carefully observed Jiu Ya's expression.
Jiu Ya then recalled her casual remark from yesterday; the original owner's mother was just an excuse, and what she truly thought of was her grandmother. She hadn't expected Bai Yu to remember it, and felt a warmth in her heart. She nodded and said, "That's thoughtful. It looks very good." She sat down, picked up her silver chopsticks, and began to eat.
The hall fell silent for a moment, broken only by the soft clinking of bowls and chopsticks. Bai Yu and the maids stood respectfully to one side. Jiu Ya ate earnestly, though preoccupied with her own thoughts. She knew that health was the foundation of everything, and even cannon fodder needed to eat well to have the strength to try and defy fate. Her movements were elegant yet swift, and she quickly finished her meal.
Jiu Ya took the tea that Bai Yu offered and rinsed her mouth, then instructed, "It tastes very good. You may all go and have your meal."
After Bai Yu and her maids finished packing and left, the hall returned to silence. Jiu Ya gazed at the eternally gloomy sky of the Demon Realm outside the window and sighed deeply.
"Sigh, the future is uncertain, but I still have to go to work." She chuckled self-deprecatingly, sat back down at her desk, and began reviewing the mountain of memorials. While dealing with official business, she continued to ponder specific plans to get closer to Rong Jiang.
Gradually, a plan took shape in her mind—she needed to go to the human world.
With the Demon Realm newly established, it wasn't the best course of action for their lord to leave. However, compared to her own life, this risk had to be taken. She needed a plausible reason that wouldn't provoke an overreaction from her demon lords.
Soon, she found a perfect excuse from the original owner's vast collection of fragmented memories.
The following day, Jiu Ya summoned the four dukes.
When she announced her intention to travel to the human realm, the hall fell silent. Duke Xing Yuan of Fengguo was the first to react, his face filled with disbelief: "Your Majesty wishes to go to the human realm? That human realm is weak and barren, what is there that Your Majesty would want to visit?" The other dukes echoed her sentiments, their faces also showing confusion.
Jiuya had already prepared her speech. Her face was solemn, and a hint of reminiscence and sorrow appeared in her eyes at the right moment: "My lords, you may not know this. Recently, I have often dreamed of my deceased mother, and my heart is filled with sorrow. As you all know, my maternal grandmother was a mortal female cultivator who mistakenly entered the Demon Realm. Before her death, she always longed for her homeland, the mortal world, and her blood relatives. When my mother was alive, she also often regretted this, as she was unable to fulfill my grandmother's wish. Now that the Demon Realm has been somewhat pacified, I cannot sleep at night thinking about this matter. Therefore, I wish to personally travel to the mortal world to visit old friends on behalf of my mother and grandmother, and to show my filial piety. This is a private matter, and I do not wish to make a big fuss."
Her words were half true and half false. It was true that the original owner's maternal grandmother was a mortal and had a deep attachment to her homeland, but whether the original owner and her birth mother's attachment was strong enough to make the Demon Lord personally search for their roots was something that could never be verified. However, this argument of "filial piety" struck a chord with several veteran dukes who knew how the former Demon Lord had treated the original owner and her mother coldly.
The Duke of Feng and the Duke of Wei exchanged a glance. They weren't newly appointed nobles and were fairly familiar with the situation in the Demon Palace. Their Venerable One wasn't valued by the late Venerable One, partly due to her initial lack of cultivation, but also largely due to her birth mother. Being a half-human, half-demon, her status was extremely low. It was likely that the late Venerable One had considered the mother and daughter a disgrace since the Empress Dowager gave birth to their Venerable One. Given the late Venerable One's attitude, one could imagine the kind of life the Venerable One had endured since childhood, relying solely on her mother. No wonder the Venerable One valued her deceased mother's last wish so highly, even condescending to descend to the mortal realm.
"Your Majesty's filial piety is deeply appreciated by us." Xing Yuan's tone softened considerably. "However, though the human world may seem weak, it is not without its undercurrents. Your Majesty's precious body should not be traversed lightly. At the very least, an elite guard should be sent to accompany and protect you!"
“Exactly! Ceremonial procedures must not be abandoned, so as to show the majesty of our demon realm!” Moro, who was in charge of etiquette, added.
Jiuya inwardly sighed. She wasn't going there to show off, and wouldn't a large influx of demons into the mortal realm really cause chaos? She quickly waved her hand: "I understand your intentions, gentlemen. However, this trip is a private visit, intended to be low-key. If we make a big fuss, it would be unseemly and might disturb mortals. I know what I'm doing, and I'm safe."
Seeing that the demons were still trying to persuade her, Jiu Ya decisively said, "How about this, I will allow Marshal Li Yue to accompany me, which is enough to deal with any unforeseen circumstances. All other ceremonial regalia will be waived."
Seeing that Jiu Ya was resolute and that Li Yue was powerful and loyal, the dukes reluctantly accepted the plan: "During my absence, all government affairs shall be decided jointly by the Duke of Feng and the Duke of Wei. If any matters are unresolved, they shall be reported to me in a timely manner."
"Your subjects obey the decree!" the nine dukes replied in unison.
That evening, Bai Yu directed the maids to pack Jiu Ya's belongings. Boxes and packages of all sizes almost filled the side hall. They prepared several sets of food, clothing, daily necessities, toys, and even bedding, as if they wanted to stuff the entire Ziguang Palace into the mustard seed space.
"Your Majesty, life in the mortal realm is hard, and we didn't bring everything we needed. You'll have to suffer... Couldn't we have brought more people?" Bai Yu looked at Jiu Ya, who was leisurely drinking tea, with a worried expression.
Looking at the supplies that were enough for her to live comfortably in the mortal realm for a year, Jiu Ya couldn't help but laugh and cry: "Bai Yu, the mortal realm is not a desolate place; it also has bustling markets. I'm going there to do business, not to enjoy myself, so this is more than enough. Besides, aren't you and Li Yue with me?"
“But…but how can it be enough for just the two of us to serve him closely?” Bai Yu tried to struggle. “I heard that when the late Emperor went on tour, his retinue was as numerous as clouds…”
“I am not the late Venerable One.” Jiu Ya put down her teacup, her tone gentle yet unquestionable. “This trip should be conducted discreetly, and traveling light is the most appropriate course of action. This matter is settled, and there is no need to discuss it further.”
Seeing that his persuasion was in vain, Bai Yu could only sigh and resignedly continue to take stock of the "simple" luggage.
Jiuya watched her retreating figure, then turned her gaze back to the window, as if trying to pierce through layers of space to see that human kingdom.
The former territory of Qi... Rong Jiang... This time, she absolutely cannot allow herself and the Demon Realm to become cannon fodder destined in the script.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
