Inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation, golden pillars supporting carved beams and painted rafters, and nine golden dragons coiled on the vermilion-lacquered and painted caisson ceiling, each dragon scale inlaid with gold leaf.
Inside the hall, the landscape paintings on the twelve carved sandalwood screens gleamed with a pale golden luster in the morning light.
The small gray ball rolled out of the spatial rift and landed right on a jade table.
The gilded incense burner on the table emitted wisps of smoke, which formed beams of light in the sunlight filtering through the carved window lattice.
"Ah, I'm here so quickly?" The little dumpling opened its beady eyes, its thin arms and legs flailing in the air a few times.
The jade table beneath it was cool and refreshing, and the intricately carved cloud patterns on it made it feel a little itchy.
"Didn't you say I was to become friends with another demon? Where is the demon?"
The little dumpling suddenly widened its eyes, but saw nothing.
Could it be that the Mountain Goddess sent it to the wrong place?
When the little dumpling looked up, it realized that the evil spirit had been waiting behind it all along, but its body was too small, and it could only see the tip of the other's tail.
The snake woman in front of them was coiled on the central dragon pillar, her dark green scales gleaming like pearls.
She stared intently at the little dumpling in front of her, the snake-shaped decoration on the blood jade hairpin swaying gently with her movements.
At this moment, the snake woman looked extremely puzzled. Where did this little guy come from? How did he suddenly appear? What is his background?
"Little one, what are you looking at?" The snake's tail swept gently, lifting the small gray ball into the air.
The snake woman narrowed her crimson eyes slightly as she examined the tiny creature, which was no bigger than her fingernail.
Flying to a high place, the little dumpling finally saw the other person's face clearly. Golden threads were wrapped around the long, jet-black hair, and a few strands of hair were casually tied up with a blood jade hairpin. A beauty mark at the corner of the eye added a touch of bewitching charm.
A pair of scarlet vertical pupils stared straight at it, causing it to involuntarily shrink its neck.
"Sister...sister..." the little dumpling stammered, its tiny paws unconsciously gripping a scale on the snake woman's tail. "You, you listen, listen to my excuse!"
"Fine, keep trying to argue!" The snake woman said, both amused and exasperated.
It's so rare to see one of my own kind, but it's this tiny little thing. Are all other demons this cute?
"The Mountain Goddess said... said she can take you out..." the little dumpling quickly added.
Suddenly, the sound of palace maids' footsteps came from outside the hall, their skirts embroidered with intertwined branches sweeping across the threshold.
The snake woman immediately raised her index finger to her lips, her sharp green nails gleaming faintly in the dim light. Only after the footsteps faded into the distance did she lift the little creature up by its tail.
“Little one,” she said in a low voice, her tone helpless, “do you see the bronze mirror hanging from the beam? And the talisman under the incense burner…”
She pointed to various places in the hall, each object gleaming ominously in the shadows, her expression growing increasingly furious. "That damned emperor adds new magical artifacts every year, it's utterly despicable! There's no way I'll be released! Unless he's dead!"
"Anyway, my hatred for him is irreconcilable!"
The snake woman sighed: "I don't know how you got here, but there's no need to comfort me. Once you enter this Hall of Mental Cultivation, no evil spirit can get out."
"Besides, you really shouldn't have come here. If Emperor Liang finds out, he'll slap you flat!"
The little gray ball was quite frightened, but it finally remembered the words the Mountain Goddess had told it.
"Snake Woman, don't worry, the Mountain Goddess will protect me! As long as you promise not to intervene when someone is fighting Emperor Liang, I'll take you out once the matter is settled!"
The little dumpling trembled as it spoke.
The snake woman instantly bent down from the golden dragon pillar, shocked, and exclaimed, "Someone actually wants to fight that dog emperor?"
"Hahahaha, hahaha!" Then, she burst into wild laughter at the entrance of the main hall.
"I never thought that dog emperor would have his day. Finally, a powerful figure has stepped in to deal with him!"
"Don't worry, little one, no matter who comes to fight him, I won't lift a finger. I'd love for that dog emperor to die sooner!"
The snake woman's scarlet vertical pupils shone brightly. She suddenly slid down from the coiled dragon pillar, her dark green snake tail meandering across the gilded floor tiles. Her waist swayed gently, and the golden bells wrapped around her hair jingled as she danced.
May the heavens strike that damned emperor to death!
"Hahaha, hahahaha!"
The little gray ball instinctively shrank into the corner, thinking to itself, "Oh no, this fellow creature is going to be driven crazy!"
"Hey, you drab little guy, come over here and twist with your mom, let's have a big celebration and wish that dog emperor a speedy death and a quick reincarnation, may he soon be reborn as an animal!"
Little dumpling: "!!!!"
Don't come any closer! Even the Mountain Goddess didn't say anything; this fellow being is a bit crazy!
...
On the streets of the capital, the bluestone pavement was damp with morning dew. The signs of restaurants and teahouses on both sides swayed gently in the breeze, and their gilded signs glittered in the sunlight.
Xia Yan wore a white robe, with silver-embroidered cloud patterns on the hem appearing and disappearing with her steps.
The white veil hanging from the conical hat obscured most of her face, revealing only her well-defined jawline, which was concealed by the disguise. The jade pendant hanging from her waist gently tapped as she moved, producing a clear and melodious sound.
She was followed by three people dressed in strange clothes.
Wang Qing disguised herself as a one-eyed woman, covering her right eye with a black silk blindfold. Her indigo dress was adorned with silver buttons, and she deliberately made a loud thud with each step she took.
Wu Deyun, who was lame in one leg, leaned on a cane inlaid with jewels and wore an exaggerated white animal skin coat that covered his entire body.
Zhang Chongjiu, who had lost an arm, was fitted with a black bear bone arm. When he walked, the white bones swayed in the snow, startling those around him.
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