Li Wan Heng Jin
"Fire Snake Girl? This type of demon is extremely rare. Describe her characteristics to me, and I'll have the people from the Household Registration Department investigate."
"Seeing once is worse than saying a hundred words."
Heng Jin cast a spell to reveal the memory of the Fire Snake Woman in her mind:
In a deep pit at the top of the Flaming Mountain, there sat a woman wrapped in flames. From her expression, one could tell how comfortable and at ease she was soaking in the magma.
She was unusually plump, with fiery red scales covering the skin below her neck. Her hair was braided into several braids, dotted with small gold hair ornaments, and the ends of the braids were adorned with wheat-shaped pendants.
Glancing down at the offerings in the coffin, she frowned slightly, looking displeased.
"You think you can bring this little offering to me?"
As she spoke, the ground shook. Her massive, thick, snake-like tail rose from the boiling lava, then wrapped around the coffin and dragged it down. The moment the coffin touched the lava, a small wisp of black smoke rose and disappeared.
The leader showed no fear and said firmly, "Recently, followers from all walks of life have been causing chaos frequently, which has attracted attention. The masters of various realms and even the heavens have begun to send people to track down and kill the followers. The two demon kings were unfortunately killed by the Demon Lord. They must stay out of the spotlight. Whether the offering is large or small, it is all our filial respect to the Lord. The messenger can return and report the truth."
The tip of the fire snake girl's tail emerged from the magma again, and the tip of the snake's tail, still dripping with magma, quickly and gently brushed across his face, leaving a horrific burn.
The tip of the snake's tail was pointing directly at his neck, just a fist's distance from his skin.
"How dare you talk to me about the Lord?"
"We are all loyal followers of our Lord, and so are the messengers. You and I are equal. Do you expect me to fawn over you and grovel to please you?"
Upon hearing this, the Fire Snake Woman's expression changed instantly. "It's ridiculous for a mere ant to want to break the distinction between high and low. Since you're so good at talking, why don't you stay and talk to me till I'm done?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the tip of the snake's tail went straight through his throat. It raised its tail and shook the body, and his hat fell to the ground.
The Fire Snake Woman threw his body far away and asked, "Does anyone know what he did wrong?"
Suddenly, there was complete silence.
The Fire Snake Woman was neither annoyed nor anxious. She closed her eyes and waited quietly for an answer.
After a long time, several followers began to compile his crimes and flatter her.
Someone took the lead, and the others who kept silent also echoed in compiling charges.
The Fire Snake Girl used the tip of her tail to pick up the hat that had fallen to the ground and gently threw it into the air. "Whoever catches the leader's hat will be the next leader."
Upon hearing this, the followers immediately started pushing and scrambling for the hats, and soon some people were injured.
The winner is the one who first speaks out a charge and says nice things.
The Fire Snake woman laughed heartily. "Look, there are always people who work harder than you. The Lord has always had many followers. If you want to avoid being slaughtered and truly join the ranks of followers who are more respected and recognized, you have to work harder than others. Instead of making excuses, why not use your brain more? You will be the new leader from now on. I hope you won't let me down when we meet again next month."
After saying that, she bent down and sank into the lava.
Due to the large amplitude of the movement, the hem of the dress was lifted upside down, revealing the hidden part of the snake's tail, and a large scar that was only caused by burns came into Li Wan's sight.
The memory scene that Heng Jin showed ended here.
"The magma is so hot it could instantly devour and melt everything, yet she lies in it as comfortably as an ordinary person taking a bath. Even the golden hair ornaments on her head haven't been melted. If she's not afraid of magma, let alone a fire snake, how could she have such a large burn scar on her body? Emperor, you stay here and eat some poison cakes. I'm going to the Household Registration Office and will be back soon."
Without waiting for Heng Jin to express his opinion, Li Wan quickly teleported to the Household Registration Department.
He ate up the choking peach blossom cake with tea before Li Wan came back.
"Ari's expression means... there is no such monster?"
"The household register records only three living fire snake demons. One has been imprisoned for three hundred years, one is very old, and one is still an unhatched snake egg. None of them are suspects. I went to the prison to meet the fire snake demon and asked him some questions, luring him with a reduced prison sentence. He said that fire snake demons cannot be burned or scalded, except for the famous divine fires. But a fire snake demon that can be burned by a divine fire and still be alive and well with only a scar cannot exist."
"Is it possible that her true form isn't a fire snake demon at all? Or, there's no record of her in your household register, or if she's recorded as such, she's long dead. There are so many possibilities."
"When I saw the fiery red scales on her body, I began to suspect that she wasn't a fire snake. Fire snakes have white scales when they are born, but after reaching adulthood, the color of their scales deepens with age. Adult male fire snakes have black scales, while female fire snakes have red scales. The older a female fire snake is, the brighter and more beautiful her scales become. Her scales, though red, lack the luster of female fire snakes. There is a kind of snake demon called the Hongchi snake, whose scales are also red and dull. However, Hongchi snakes practice water magic and are afraid of fire. A rough observation of the pattern on her scales shows that she is at least three thousand years old. The household registration book records three hundred and twenty female Hongchi snakes of similar age. I have ordered the household registration department to conduct a thorough investigation. I will let you know when I have any news."
"Alright. I've had Xiang Yao keep a close eye on her. If we can't find any useful information on her, I'll have him bring her in for questioning."
Li Wan asked jokingly, "Leave it to me? I'm also a demon. Xie Yuan and the demons that are causing trouble are almost all demons too. The Emperor is so confident. Aren't you afraid that we can protect each other?"
"Even if you and I have never met before, as a stranger, I will still believe you."
"Why?"
"From what I've learned about your achievements and the strategies and rules you've used to govern the Demon Realm, I know you're a righteous monarch who clearly distinguishes between public and private interests. You love your people, and you possess a compassionate heart that seeks to help them. It's impossible for you to aid the evildoers and harm the Demon Realm. Ahri, don't let the outside world, even those with prejudice and ignorance of the Demon Realm, easily accuse you of crimes and spread rumors against you. I will do my best to uncover the truth and restore justice and clear your name with factual evidence."
His eyes were full of sincerity and seriousness, and he didn't seem to be telling lies.
Li Wan was silent for a moment, took out a small food box and placed it in front of him. She opened the top lid and saw a bowl of white grass roots inside.
"This is the Solitary Grass. Take it back and eat it. The bottom two layers are empty, so you can take away the remaining poison cake."
"What is L. elegans? Is it cooked or eaten raw?"
"You can cook it or not, but boiling water will reduce the toxicity of the herb, so you'd better eat it raw, as it's less toxic. Calculating the time, it will be around lunchtime when the Emperor returns, so it's perfect for eating with rice."
Heng Jin smiled helplessly and dotingly, "Okay, okay, I'll do as you say and eat it raw. Ah Li is really afraid that the poison won't kill me, so he attacked me with four kinds of poison."
"I poisoned it openly. The choice of whether to eat it or not is entirely up to the Emperor. I'm not forcing you, so you can choose not to eat it. If the Emperor has no other important matters to discuss, please go back and eat. I should also go find Ah Cha for dinner."
Heng Jin put the uneaten cake and the plate into the food box. "It's good that you put in the effort for me. It doesn't matter if it's poisonous or not. I'll take the plate with me too. I'll wash it and return it to you another day."
"No need, my demon world can still afford two pastry plates."
"Ari, do you really not want to see me? After all, we are still good friends who have bowed to each other under the full moon."
"So what if we worshipped each other under the full moon? There's nothing special about it. If we can't be friends, isn't it because the Emperor knew it was wrong and still did what he wanted?"
"Aside from our friendship ceremony, as far as I know, only newlyweds perform the mutual bowing ceremony, right? You and I have the full moon as witnesses, so how can that not be special?"
"Don't be so stubborn and make excuses to me. I don't want to be friends with you anymore."
"What a coincidence! I also plan not to be friends with you anymore."
…
The scene changed, and Heng Jin returned to the bedroom. She placed the loquat grass and the remaining cakes she had given her on the stone table outside the hall, and even specially brewed tea to go with them.
While we were eating, the Moon Fairy came.
"How do you eat grass roots with cakes?"
As soon as he sat down, the Moon Fairy picked up a piece of the Herba Sophiae and looked at it curiously.
"Father, you'd better not eat it. It's poisonous. The cakes are also poisonous."
"You're still eating something poisonous? Li Wan gave it to you, right? Do you want to risk your life for a girl you like? Your father taught you that it's not a good thing for a god to fall in love."
Heng Jin was shocked and asked, "How did my uncle know that I liked her?"
"I'm your uncle, don't I know you? Heng'er, it's not a good thing for a god to fall in love with a demon."
"Does my father also think that the heavens and the demonic realms should be in opposition? Demons are divided into good and evil, and so are gods. Aren't those fallen gods and immortals evidence that cannot be erased? We claim to be righteous, to have mercy on, love, and protect all living things. Are the creatures of the demonic realm not considered part of the common people? My father, you have changed. You didn't think this way before."
As she was talking, many extremely itchy red spots quickly appeared on Heng Jin's body, and her skin suddenly turned green from head to toe. As she scratched, her head became swollen and numb, and swelled up like a pig's head.
He immediately cast a spell to create a water mirror to look at himself, and when he looked at himself, he laughed out loud.
"I just said, she won't poison me, hehe."
Heng Jin spoke in a shrill female voice, and he was stunned when he heard it.
"You're still laughing! Why don't you detoxify yourself? Love really does make you dizzy."
Heng Jin touched her face, turning it around and admiring the reflection in the water mirror, and exclaimed, "Ah Li's poisons are truly fascinating. Don't worry, Father, only three of the poisons have taken effect. The poison from the lone grass hasn't taken effect yet. Ah Li said it's most exciting when all the poisons take effect. I want to see how exciting it is."
"Isn't this exciting enough? A dashing and handsome man suddenly turns into a green pig head. How much more exciting do you want?"
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