The people of Black Crow City planted spiritual herbs with hope and care.
City Lord Su, with a smile as radiant as a flower, went from house to house, pointing out what they were doing incorrectly.
Meanwhile, Tang Yi brought a bowl of steaming osmanthus soup.
Bai Ran raised an eyebrow at the osmanthus soup, surprised, "Are you trying to poison me?"
Tang Yi nodded, placing the bowl in front of her. "You're right."
Jing Feng, seeing this from afar, quickly snatched the bowl away. She wouldn't poison the soup, would she...
Jing Feng sniffed it and took a spoonful. Honestly, it tasted quite good...
Tang Yi clicked her tongue impatiently and snatched the osmanthus soup back. "You've already tasted it, how can she eat it now!"
"I thought you..." Jing Feng pouted. He was just scared.
Tang Yi glared at him. "Do you think I'm stupid?"
Jing Feng scratched his head and glanced at Bai Ran. "Miss Bai, I'll make another one."
Bai Ran smiled and shook her head. "No need to trouble yourself. If you like it, you can have it."
When she turned around, Tang Yi was gone. On the table, however, lay a small porcelain bottle.
Jing Feng picked up the bottle and was shocked by the mark on it. "This is the mark of the Goddess of Yaochi Palace!"
Was this left by Tang Yi? Had Tang Yi met someone from Yaochi Palace? He was full of questions.
Bai Ran took the bottle, opened it, and smelled it. "Although it won't kill, it can completely strip someone of their spiritual energy."
Jing Feng's brows furrowed. He looked at Bai Ran with concern, her expression heavy. Did she really intend to harm Miss Bai...
Meeting Jing Feng's gaze, she smiled helplessly. "She doesn't intend to poison me."
Since Tang Yi brought out the porcelain bottle, it showed her attitude. She simply didn't like Bai Ran and didn't want to say it directly.
"Then why did she take the bottle?" Jing Feng clenched his fist.
Bai Ran spun the porcelain bottle, a smile on her lips. "Of course, it's playing along with their scheme."
Tang Yi was Long Jinhan's subordinate, so she would never easily fall for that goddess's trick. Her accepting this poison was simply to go along with their act.
Did he misunderstand her? Jing Feng stared at the steaming bowl of osmanthus soup, a wave of guilt washing over him.
Bai Ran curled her lips into a smile. "Spread the word that the new City Lord is unwell."
Jing Feng nodded and turned to leave.
The news spread quickly, and within half a day, people from Yaochi Palace heard the rumors.
"It seems that wretched woman drank the poison," a woman said with a pleased expression.
The two men opposite her laughed wildly. "People from the Demon Realm are also brainless, letting us provoke them so easily."
"Yes, hahahaha! I don't see anything special about the Demon Realm."
The woman stood up, her eyes filled with an unyielding killing intent. "We move tonight."
...
Deep in the night, the moon hung on the treetops. Bai Ran's room was dark.
As planned, two men successfully drew away Jing Feng and Jiang Ye, while the woman stealthily crept into Bai Ran's room.
Seeing the dimly lit room, the woman gripped her sword and walked step by step towards the bed.
Suddenly, the room lit up. Bai Ran was sitting on the bed, looking at her with a smile.
The woman's face changed drastically. Not good! It was a trap!
As she turned to escape, a sharp scythe was placed at her neck, its blade reflecting a terrifying gleam.
The woman stiffly turned her head, only to find that the person holding the scythe was none other than Tang Yi!
"You! You're not on our side!" Her face turned ashen.
Tang Yi scoffed, a dismissive laugh escaping her lips. "You can't possibly be this stupid, can you?"
She bent down and whispered in the woman's ear, "No matter how much I dislike this person, I would never betray the Demon Realm, understand?"
The woman's eyes widened, trembling with rage.
A flash of blinding light, and the scythe severed the woman's head, which landed heavily on the ground.
At the same time, Jiang Ye and Jing Feng had captured the two men and entered the room.
The two men were terrified at the sight of the woman's decapitated body.
"No! Don't kill us! She tricked us!" They knelt on the ground, their bodies shaking.
"Yes! We didn't want to kill you! She forced us!"
Bai Ran's eyes were cold as she slowly approached the two men. "The Goddess of Yaochi Palace didn't come, did she?"
"Y-yes... she didn't descend from the Nine Heavens."
Jiang Ye yawned, looking very sleepy. "Kill them quickly so we can go back to sleep."
The Goddess of Yaochi Palace hadn't come personally... Bai Ran nodded, and Jing Feng ended the lives of the two men with a single sword strike.
After Jiang Ye and Jing Feng cleaned up the room, they returned to their own quarters.
At this moment, only Bai Ran and Tang Yi remained in Bai Ran's room. (Zhu Que had been called away to dig spiritual herbs.)
Tang Yi retracted her scythe and glanced awkwardly at Bai Ran. "I didn't help you."
Bai Ran chuckled softly. "Alright, you didn't help me."
Just then, Long Jinhan's voice came from the ear pendant. "Little girl, I miss you."
Instantly, Tang Yi's expression darkened. Gritting her teeth, she walked out of the room, her retreating figure appearing somewhat lonely.
Bai Ran sighed. "You really know how to pick your moments."
Long Jinhan's deep laugh echoed. He had deliberately let Tang Yi hear that.
Before, he had no one he fancied and could ignore her affections. But now, he had to make Tang Yi understand that he loved his little girl.
Outside the house, Tang Yi clenched her fists tightly, her expression dejected.
She knew she should let go... but she was unwilling, unwilling for her years of devotion to end so abruptly...
She knew that as the Venerable One's subordinate, she shouldn't betray him, and she never overstepped her bounds.
But she couldn't understand... she had appeared earlier, accompanied the Venerable One for longer, so why had he never truly looked at her...
"Are you... alright?" Jing Feng appeared at some point, standing in front of Tang Yi.
Tang Yi shook her head, but couldn't hide the grievance in her heart.
Jing Feng pursed his lips. Of course, he knew she was hurting, but what could he do?
As subordinates of the Venerable One, the most they shouldn't do was develop feelings for him...
"I've been trying hard to become stronger..." Tang Yi's eyes welled up with tears.
She knew deep down that only the strong were qualified to stand by his side...
Jing Feng glanced at her. "If the Venerable One were no longer the Venerable One, would you still like him?"
The Venerable One is no longer the Venerable One? Tang Yi was a little stunned. "What do you mean?"
Jing Feng sighed. "I mean, if the Venerable One lost all his spiritual energy and became a completely ordinary person, would you still like him?"
As the Demon Lord of the Demon Realm, the Venerable One was an invincible hero in the hearts of the people of the Demon Realm. He was born high above, naturally inspiring people to follow him.
But that was admiration, a yearning, not true love.
Tang Yi froze. When the most powerful being in her heart shed his glamorous exterior, would she still like him...