Three rounds of wine had been consumed.
Jue Ji soon appeared in the living room.
Bai Ye was slightly taken aback; Jue Ji was precisely the courtesan from the street parade that day.
She exuded an exceptionally aloof aura. Upon entering the hall, she spoke little, instead dancing to the accompaniment of music and then going from table to table to toast the guests.
When it was Bai Ye's turn, he seized Jue Ji's wrist and asked, "Miss Jue Ji, would you be willing to have a drink with me alone?"
Jue Ji looked up at Bai Ye, who offered a faint smile.
Jue Ji hesitated for a moment before smiling, "Jue Ji will await you in my room."
Bai Ye nodded with a smile, thinking that being good-looking certainly had its advantages.
After Jue Ji had finished toasting all the guests, a young maid approached Bai Ye and whispered a few words.
The other guests looked on with envy, but what could they do when the courtesan, attracted by this handsome man, was asking for him?
On the other side, Bai Ye followed the maid out of the hall and into the corridor behind, heading in Jue Ji's direction.
A strange sensation washed over him.
Although lanterns lit the corridor, it was exceptionally dim, giving the entire passage a remarkably deep and secluded feel.
And what's more...
The rooms on either side of the corridor were all empty.
The maid smiled and said, "Miss Jue Ji dislikes crowded places, so she lives alone here."
Bai Ye nodded.
Soon, they arrived at the room at the very end.
As Bai Ye pushed the door open, Jue Ji had already prepared the tea set. She gestured for Bai Ye to sit, then took out an instrument Bai Ye didn't recognize and began to play.
She played quite well, but Bai Ye didn't understand the music.
After finishing the piece, Jue Ji looked at Bai Ye and smiled, "Guest, what do you think of my playing?"
"It's very good," Bai Ye replied, "but please don't play anymore."
Jue Ji was taken aback for a moment, then smiled, "Then I'll have a drink with you."
Bai Ye casually grabbed a wine jar and tossed it towards Jue Ji, saying, "You drink it yourself, don't mind me."
Jue Ji caught the wine jar and pouted, "Is Jue Ji not beautiful enough?"
"No, you're quite beautiful," Bai Ye said, looking out the window carelessly, "Just assume I don't like women."
Bai Ye felt a flicker of anxiety.
Logically, Bai Ye shouldn't be worried. Jue Ji was merely bait to lure out the demon.
So, he should just do what he needed to do. If the demon appeared, he would kill it. If not, it wouldn't be bad to have such a beautiful woman to drink with.
Yet, Bai Ye had a very strange feeling, as if he had overlooked something.
But what had he overlooked?
Bai Ye couldn't quite pinpoint it.
It was at this very moment...
Jue Ji's expression turned solemn, and her gaze towards Bai Ye held a hint of unspoken meaning.
The next instant...
The obi around Jue Ji's waist slowly descended, trailing along the ground and slithering forward like a snake, reaching behind Bai Ye.
Bai Ye remained gazing out the window, lost in thought, completely unaware of the sudden turn of events. Then...
Suddenly...
The obi, which had been moving on the ground, sprang up, coiled around Bai Ye's neck, and dragged him backward.
Bai Ye was startled awake, but at this very moment...
More obis came from all directions, quickly binding Bai Ye's hands and feet, then stretching him out like a starfish and suspending him in mid-air.
Jue Ji strode towards Bai Ye, a grin spreading across her face. "You may have no interest in women, but you cannot have no interest in me."
Jue Ji playfully lifted Bai Ye's chin with her finger. "To see someone as beautiful as I am and only look out the window is truly impolite of you."
"If I had known you were a demon, I would have stared at you from the start," Bai Ye said, looking at Jue Ji. "Upper Rank Six!"
Jue Ji let out a hearty laugh, took two steps back, and removed her outer garment.
Black stockings, shorts that barely concealed anything, and a black and red halter top. Around her waist was a pink obi, the very one Bai Ye had destroyed earlier.
Slowly, Jue Ji's hair turned silver-white, and characters gradually appeared in her eyes.
Upper Rank, Six!
Daki!
"You demon slayers always oppose Lord Muzan," Daki declared, reaching out a hand fiercely and sweeping it forward. "Let me take your head and offer it to Lord Muzan!"
The obi behind Daki suddenly extended, sweeping towards Bai Ye's throat.
Bai Ye finally understood the reason for his inexplicable anxiety earlier.
The demon was right beside him, and he hadn't even noticed.
It was truly embarrassing!
However, he couldn't deny that Daki, having lived in the entertainment district for so long, was indeed skilled at concealing her presence.
Boom, boom, boom...
As his thoughts raced, Daki's obi pierced Bai Ye's body, hitting the wall behind him and causing it to collapse.
"Hahahaha!"
Daki covered her mouth and burst into laughter.
But at this very moment...
"What are you laughing at?"
The sudden voice caused Daki to freeze mid-laugh, as if her throat had been squeezed.
Daki looked up ahead. Her obi had indeed pierced Bai Ye's body.
But there was no blood!
Instead, pale blue electricity flowed from the wound, flickering continuously.
Soon, the room, previously dim from the falling lanterns, was suddenly illuminated by the electric currents.
"I admit I made some mistakes, very basic ones, actually, not realizing you were a demon," Bai Ye said. "But making occasional mistakes makes me seem more human, doesn't it? Most importantly..."
Suddenly, a phoenix flame ignited on Bai Ye's body, burning through the obis wrapped around him.
Bai Ye broke free from the restraints of the obis, landed on the ground, and looked at Daki, saying, "Even when given the chance to attack, you're still useless."
"Shut up!"
Daki roared at Bai Ye in anger. The obis behind her suddenly split and flew towards Bai Ye.
Those obis...
Bai Ye had intended to ignore them, as they wouldn't be able to hit his elementalized body anyway. However, he suddenly recalled a new technique from the Rumble-Rumble Fruit.
"Thunder Shock!"
The moment Bai Ye raised his hand, a large amount of electricity surged from the tips of his five fingers.
The electricity spread outwards like a vast net, and accompanied by the high-speed vibrations of the current, a piercing sound echoed.
The next instant...
As the flying obis hit the electric net, they were repelled in all directions.
Boom, boom, boom!
The obis struck the roof, the ground, and the walls, creating tremendous impacts.
Bai Ye clenched his fist and said, "This move is quite useful."
As Bai Ye spoke, his movements didn't falter in the slightest. He tapped his toes.
Zzzzt!
A current surged, and Bai Ye instantly appeared in front of Daki.
...