Chapter 47: Exposed
The demonic cultivators crowded together, chattering amongst themselves over a notice hanging in front of them. Su Yunyu leaned out and strained to glimpse the black and white words on the white paper. It simply stated:
"We are recruiting beauties, but only those who look like Su Yunyu."
"..."
Just as Su Yunyu was filled with questions, Xiao Shuying's gaze deepened, and she said to him:
“Master, I think Feng Mingye has ulterior motives, perhaps…”
Before he could finish speaking, Su Yunyu interrupted him:
"No, this is a perfect opportunity."
Since the goal is to recruit many beautiful women, then no one is more suitable than him.
Getting closer to Feng Mingye means getting closer to the center of the Demon Realm, at least enough to catch a glimpse of the Demon Dragon's whereabouts.
Despite the humiliation and hardship, Su Yunyu chose to endure it all for the greater good!
Hearing his resolute and decisive voice, Xiao Shuying glanced at him sideways, a strange sense of annoyance welling up in her heart.
What is Su Yunyu thinking? For the sake of a so-called Heavenly-grade spiritual artifact, she can pretend to be a courtesan and now she can also become a beauty.
Doesn't he have any self-respect at all?
Xiao Shuying curled her lips into a slightly cold smile, feigning deep remorse:
"It's all my fault for making things difficult for Master."
Since they're really willing to go all out, if Feng Mingye ends up gaining an advantage, then they'll only have themselves to blame.
Su Yunyu didn't take it to heart, only feeling that Long Aotian was so sensible that it was heartbreaking. He disguised himself again, deliberately trying to look somewhat similar to the real person.
Then he glanced at Long Aotian and thought it might not be necessary to disguise him as well, but then he thought that Long Aotian's luck was too heaven-defying, so he might as well let him sneak in with him.
Following the direction of the bustling crowd, we arrived at a magnificent palace with a plaque that read "Tenman Palace".
Several attendants in front of the palace were in charge of making selections. Many people came forward to recommend themselves for the emperor's bedchamber, but they were also quickly eliminated.
Su Yunyu didn't understand what criteria these people used to select the so-called beauties until it was his turn and he saw one of them holding a scroll.
He peeked at the painting furtively and discovered that it depicted a white-robed immortal with flowing black hair and an ethereal appearance. The guard then held the painting up to his ears and examined it closely.
Su Yunyu realized that this painting was the selection criterion.
But the person in the painting doesn't look like him at all; at most, their demeanor is somewhat similar.
The attendant, while looking at the painting, also sized up Su Yunyu, and uttered an ambiguous sound from his throat:
"Um……"
The attendant nodded and gestured for them to pass.
"Come in."
This was exactly what Su Yunyu had expected, but he didn't rush in. Instead, he dawdled and observed whether Long Aotian had managed to sneak in.
The attendant looked Xiao Shuying up and down, comparing her to the painting in his hand, and frowned as if hesitating.
This person, though beautiful, is handsome rather than delicate.
But looking at her figure again, she seemed so extraordinary. Should I go through with it or not...?
As the attendant pondered, Xiao Shuying stared at the scroll in his hand. When she saw the ethereal figure in the painting, her gaze turned icy cold.
A poor-quality counterfeit, unable to capture even a fraction of the original's appearance, doesn't deserve to be here.
Amidst the turmoil in his heart, he slowly condensed a demonic energy projectile and launched it—
Just as the attendant was pondering whether or not to let Xiao Shuying in, he felt a burning sensation in his hand, and heard an urgent cry from beside him:
"Fire! Fire!"
By the time the servants realized the scroll had spontaneously combusted and were thrown into chaos, Xiao Shuying had already slipped in amidst the confusion.
Noticing Su Yunyu's hesitant expression, he preemptively struck:
"Master, why did that painting spontaneously combust? Could it be ashamed of its ugliness?"
He spoke with a clear conscience, without a trace of pretense.
"Maybe," Su Yunyu agreed with the possibility, even feeling a little elated, after all, she really looked like a cheap imitation in the painting.
However, this was not an important matter, so he stopped thinking about it and stepped into the palace.
Along with him came four or five other people. As soon as they stepped into the palace, the magnificence before their eyes was beyond words. What was most eye-catching was that there was a row of beautiful women standing below the palace.
Su Yunyu glanced at them calmly, feeling a little resentful. She was, after all, the most beautiful woman in the world. How could Feng Mingye find so many substitutes? Was he really that replaceable?
Although she was inwardly resentful, given the current situation, she had no choice but to remain still. So Su Yunyu swallowed her anger and joined the row of beauties.
He could sense that the demonic energy here was already quite abundant, and this Tenman Palace seemed to be very close to the place he was looking for; if he just went a little deeper…
As he pondered, Feng Mingye, who was lounging carefree on the throne, held a cup of wine in his hand. He flicked his sleeves, his gaze sweeping over the row of beauties below with a seemingly drunken look. He then slowly sipped the wine, looked up at Su Yunyu beside him, and beckoned her hand, saying:
"Hey, you on the far right, come here."
"..."
At first, Su Yunyu was lost in her own thoughts and didn't hear the sound at all.
It was the envious glances around him that were too glaring, and the sudden silence that was too eerie, that made him realize something and he looked up at the palace.
Unfortunately, her gaze fell upon a pair of upturned and narrow red eyes. Su Yunyu was startled and looked away, pretending to be nonchalant. She wondered to herself if Feng Mingye had taken a liking to her.
He remained nonchalant, while the beauties around him, seeing his lack of reaction, assumed he had heard them but was ignoring them. They gasped in surprise and lit candles for him.
In the Demon Realm, who doesn't know that Demon Lord Feng Mingye is unpredictable, able to laugh and joke one second and send you to the Yellow Springs the next?
I never expected there would be such a brave warrior nowadays, who not only ignored Feng Mingye's request, but even deliberately avoided looking at him!
The atmosphere was strange. Xiao Shuying guessed that Su Yunyu hadn't heard, but deliberately didn't give her a hint.
It was just as well that she didn't hear it. Feng Mingye's dissolute behavior only angered Su Yunyu, and the two of them started fighting, which was even more exhilarating.
In the hall, Feng Mingye chuckled softly twice, then spread his sleeves, carried the golden goblet down the red steps, and came to Su Yunyu's side.
Just as everyone was finding it hard to bear the sight of the bloody scene to come, Feng Mingye raised his hand and grabbed Su Yunyu's chin, forcing him to look directly at him, while smiling:
"You do have quite a bit of his charm."
"..."
Su Yunyu discovered that getting close to Feng Mingye was much harder than pretending to be a courtesan; whenever he spoke, she couldn't help but want to slap him.
Feng Mingye seemed not to need his answer, but simply brought the golden goblet to his lips, his eyes full of interest, his tone casual and languid:
"drink."
As he spoke, he still held Su Yunyu's chin, an intimate gesture that clearly aroused envy in many. Only Xiao Shuying stared intently at Feng Mingye's every move, her eyes filled with icy coldness.
However, Feng Mingye keenly sensed this gaze and suddenly turned his eyes to look over. Xiao Shuying did not expect him to react so quickly. Although she immediately lowered her eyes, it still aroused Feng Mingye's suspicion.
He lifted his foot to walk towards Xiao Shuying, but Su Yunyu, seeing his gaze fixed on Long Aotian, feared he was about to flirt with him. Without hesitation, she grabbed his sleeve and, as Feng Mingye looked over, said with a haughty yet reserved tone:
"Wasn't I supposed to drink it? Why did the Lord leave?"
His behavior startled Feng Mingye. He carefully examined the face of the person in front of him and found that only the eyebrows and eyes were somewhat similar. Apart from that, there was nothing that could compare with that person.
But why do they all feel so similar to him?
Regardless, Feng Mingye thought that this person was interesting enough.
So, temporarily letting go of that particularly dangerous gaze, Feng Mingye approached Su Yunyu again. This time, he didn't offer him any alcohol, but scrutinized him with his gaze before casually saying with a slight smile:
"You do indeed bear some resemblance."
Just when Su Yunyu thought Feng Mingye was about to lower his guard, Feng Mingye covered his mouth and chuckled softly twice before continuing:
"But the light of a firefly cannot shine as brightly as the moon."
With that, he flicked his sleeve, and beneath the vast expanse of crimson light, his cruel and merciless voice rang out:
"Take all these people out and deal with them. You think you can resemble him?"
"..."
Su Yunyu was stunned and stood there, never expecting things to turn out this way.
According to the usual formula, shouldn't he transfer his affections to the substitute, then bring her into the inner room for even more debauchery?
He was already prepared to quickly investigate the source of the demonic energy after entering the inner room and then fight Feng Mingye, but he was killed in the first step.
It's outrageous that Feng Mingye went to so much trouble to select this beauty, only to have her executed in the end. It's just too much.
The beauties around him knelt down and begged for mercy, their cries filling the air, but the guards quickly came up and dragged them away.
Su Yunyu gave Xiao Shuying a look, signaling her to go with the flow, and then let the guards pull her out of the main hall.
In any case, let's leave this hall first. We're already very close to the source of the demonic energy, and it's not impossible to confront them directly with weapons.
The guards dragged the people to the gate of Tianman Palace, brandishing large cleavers and rubbing their fists together, ready to execute them on the spot. The cracks in the paving stones beneath their feet were covered with bloodstains accumulated over the years.
Looking at the gleaming silver blade, Su Yunyu felt a chill run down her spine. Just as she hesitated about when to escape, Xiao Shuying beside her had already sent the guard flying.
"Master, let's go!"
Without a second thought, Xiao Shuying grabbed his wrist and pulled him toward a path, where the angry voice of the guards could be heard from behind.
Su Yunyu hadn't expected Long Aotian to be so decisive. Once he realized the situation had come to this, he simply abandoned all his schemes and took advantage of the opportunity before they were caught to investigate the demonic energy.
We're very, very close now. Su Yunyu is certain that the place where the Demon Dragon is imprisoned is nearby.
But where exactly was she? Su Yunyu bit her lower lip, feeling immense pressure. Although she could escape unscathed with Long Aotian with her own cultivation, if she missed this opportunity, the next one was uncertain.
Calm down, calm down...
It would take another half a minute for the people chasing behind to catch up. Su Yunyu calmed down, kept changing direction, and used his compass to find his bearings. When it pointed east, his eyes lit up. He had found it!
Without a doubt, this time Su Yunyu grabbed Xiao Shuying's wrist and hurriedly led him eastward. They arrived at a place filled with demonic energy with almost no obstruction. The floating blood-red particles almost blotted out the sky, making it impossible to see the scene in front of them.
But hearing heavy breathing nearby, Su Yunyu immediately recognized it as the Demon Dragon. Just as she was feeling overjoyed, several graceful figures with red sleeves suddenly flew out from beside her, accompanied by a cheerful voice:
"Su Yunyu, I never expected you to walk right into my trap."
-----------------------
Author's note: Rubbing hands together [sprinkling flowers]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
