Why Did That Devil Come Here

Princess Hongyu did not know much about the path of cultivation, but having grown up under the control of an Old Devil, she had seen more than her fair share of devilish methods.

Over the years, how many people had disappeared from the palace without a trace? To others, they were simply missing, but in the eyes of Princess Hongyu, they had been skinned and deboned, leaving not even a fragment of their skeletons behind.

At the mere thought of this, Princess Hongyu felt a wave of nausea, nearly vomiting on the spot.

She had considered many possibilities, but she never imagined that the Qinghe Sword Sect would actually be part of the devilish path.

Lan Shi could not believe it and hurriedly said, "Princess, isn't it said that the Qinghe Sword Sect is a righteous sect?"

She was the one who had helped gather information on the Qinghe Sword Sect; the Princess had spent an untold amount of effort just to lure a cultivator from that sect here.

The key was not just spreading the news, but how to spread it without arousing the suspicion of the Old Devil by her side.

Only after waiting for the Old Devil to enter deep seclusion due to his nearing lifespan did Princess Hongyu find the chance to smuggle in the intelligence. By the time Jiang Shiyue discovered it, if not for the fact that Princess Hongyu served as the Old Devil's vessel for possession, she likely would have been dead already.

Although Jiang Shiyue suspected there might be something fishy, he dared not disturb his master's seclusion. Both Jiang Shiyue and Princess Hongyu knew very well that this Old Devil was temperamental; even if you did something for his own good, if you angered him, the outcome would be worse than death.

When it came down to it, devilish cultivators were all too eager to betray their masters and ancestors; how could one possibly be a filial disciple and risk punishment just to offer a warning?

Jiang Shiyue would never do that. He would rather use this incident to kill people and practice his arts, taking every advantage he could, than act like a good disciple.

Yet, despite all her calculations, she never accounted for this: the cultivator she had gone to such lengths to lure here was actually another devil.

Only a devilish cultivator would take away corpses, as both flesh and bone were excellent materials for practicing various wicked spells and forging cruel, bloody magical treasures.

Seeing the nervous look on the Princess's face, Lan Shi couldn't help but comfort her, "Princess, I don't think that young man looks like a devil."

Princess Hongyu sighed, stroked Lan Shi's head, and said, "How can you tell good from evil by appearance? Look at that Jiang Shiyue—is he not handsome?"

Lan Shi recalled the two in her memory and then said, "They are worlds apart. That young man is ten times—no, a hundred times better looking than this little devil."

Princess Hongyu's expression turned to one of shock.

Although Jiang Shiyue was no good man, he used various secret arts to alter his appearance and was indeed a rare, handsome man. To be ten or a hundred times better looking than him? How exaggerated could that be?

Oh no, she was afraid she had been charmed!

Princess Hongyu knew that devilish cultivators possessed methods to bewitch the heart; she had seen Jiang Shiyue use them. This technique was extremely cruel, forcing a distortion of the brain that often caused the victim to bleed from their seven orifices.

A slight misstep could lead to instant death, and even those who were lucky would suffer severe damage to their vitality. Once charmed, however, they would obey every word and completely lose their own sense of self.

That was how the martial artists under Jiang Shiyue's command had been gathered; each one of them was willing to die for him.

Princess Hongyu felt her heart turn cold. She was truly terrified that Lan Shi had been charmed by that devil and would become someone else's puppet—that would be a fate truly worse than death.

After thinking for a moment, Princess Hongyu said to Lan Shi, "I command you: find that hiding devil and kill him!"

"Ah?!" Although surprised, Lan Shi hurriedly said, "As you command, Princess. I... I will do my best."

Though she didn't know why, Lan Shi followed the Princess's orders without hesitation, though it was unlikely a mortal could kill a cultivator so easily.

Hearing Lan Shi say this, Princess Hongyu breathed a slight sigh of relief; it didn't seem like she had been charmed.

Princess Hongyu warned, "Little Stone, from now on, if you encounter a cultivator, you must never be reckless. Preserving your own life is the most important thing."

"Ah, but Princess, didn't you just order me to kill that cultivator?"

"Silly girl, I was only joking. You don't even know where he is. If a cultivator wants to hide, how could a mortal..."

As Princess Hongyu was speaking, she suddenly thought of something: if he truly were a devil, why would he leave that message to challenge Jiang Shiyue?

Princess Hongyu did not believe these followers of the devilish path would keep their word; this challenge seven days from now must be a trap.

"If that Qinghe Sword Sect cultivator is truly a devil, it makes sense that he killed Jiang Shiyue's men and took the bodies. But this letter of challenge must be a deception. Why would he want to mislead Jiang Shiyue? Is he preparing to flee, or is he setting a trap to harm others?"

In Princess Hongyu's eyes, devils were all selfish; they would never risk their lives fighting other cultivators just to stand up for the innocent. They would only fight if there was something to gain.

What, then, was the benefit this devil sought?

"If I could know what he is thinking, perhaps I could drive the tiger to devour the wolf."

Princess Hongyu pondered for a long time, until the moon hung high in the sky and the lamp wick turned to ash, and until Lan Shi was nearly asleep. Only then did she wake the little girl and whisper instructions into her ear.

Lan Shi nodded repeatedly and said to the Princess, "Don't worry, Princess, I will not fail the task."

Princess Hongyu replied, "Preserving yourself is the priority. This is merely my conjecture; whether it succeeds or not is up to fate. If you truly find him, just leave a letter; you do not need to meet that cultivator alone."

Lan Shi nodded and said, "Please rest assured, Princess, I will go do it now."

Just as Lan Shi was about to rise, the Princess took her hand.

"There is no need to rush. Since that person set the date for seven days, he is surely stalling for time. If you rush, you might just end up empty-handed. Rest well tonight, and go after you have slept."

Lan Shi immediately smiled and said to Princess Hongyu, "Then, like when I was little?"

Princess Hongyu smiled faintly, stroked Lan Shi's head, and hummed softly.

The melody was as gentle as moonlight. The little girl lay beside the Princess and soon drifted into a dream.

Once Lan Shi was fast asleep, Princess Hongyu looked at the curled-up little figure and couldn't help but whisper, "Little Stone, remember: preserving yourself is first. Do not take risks, do not let your guard down, rest well, and eat well. Time is short; you must live. Live for us."

Her eyes turned red, and crystalline tears welled up. Just as they were about to fall, she suddenly felt the space before her darken.

Startled, Princess Hongyu looked up toward the windowsill.

At some point, a person had appeared by the window, like a gust of clear wind, so light that there was not a single sound.

His body blocked half the moonlight, yet it seemed to coat him in a layer of silver radiance.

As their eyes met, Princess Hongyu felt her heart skip a beat; the moonlight etched his silhouette into her eyes, sinking deep into her soul.

Princess Hongyu had read many books, yet she could find no suitable words to describe the breathtaking beauty of this moment; if a celestial being were to descend into the mortal realm, this was surely what he would look like.

There was no need for the man to introduce himself, for Princess Hongyu had already guessed his identity.

What Lan Shi said was not the least bit exaggerated; in this world, there truly existed a man ten, a hundred times more handsome than Jiang Shiyue.

However, following the astonishment came endless fear.

Why had this devil from the Qinghe Sword Sect come here, and what exactly did he want?