The night wind gradually turned colder.
Time trickled by, drop by drop.
A long while later.
The fox demon sitting cross-legged suddenly shuddered, her tightly shut eyes slowly opening.
She raised her head to look at the gaunt figure's back, her face full of bitterness.
"True Lord... I... failed."
"..."
The moment those words fell, the demons looked at one another.
The Wolf Demon subconsciously glanced to the side.
The meaning was obvious.
Damn it, you were just boasting to the skies—does your face hurt now?
The Leopard Demon's old face flushed red. He craned his neck and turned to look up at the sky.
"Ah, the sky really is dark tonight..."
As though trying to salvage a shred of dignity, the fox demon hurriedly rose and strode behind the White Ape, explaining anxiously, "True Lord, it is not that this servant's methods were lacking. It is merely that that human woman is far too suspicious!"
"This servant had Li Gui deliver a false message, but she... she was utterly unmoved!"
"With someone like her, I fear a single letter simply cannot lure her out..."
The White Ape slowly turned around.
There was not the slightest anger on his face, not even a trace of disappointment.
"It matters not."
He shook his head. "Humans are cunning, most skilled in schemes and stratagems. They are naturally unlike demonkind such as yourselves, born and raised in the wilds."
"I never expected this plan to succeed."
The demons were all stunned.
"True Lord, what do you mean by that?"
The fox demon also lifted her head, her eyes brimming with confusion. "Then... then why did we come all this way?"
Looking at the demons' confusion, the White Ape explained, "I established this demon residence here and made such a grand spectacle of it