She Really Was a Demoness

"Greetings, Senior."

Jiang Hao bowed in greeting, not daring to be negligent, then explained:

"I caught a spirit pet today. I'm planning to keep it."

Hong Yuye glanced at the rabbit on the ground, studying it for a while before withdrawing her gaze and asking:

"Why keep it here instead of at your residence?"

"I was worried the rabbit might accidentally eat your flower, Senior." Jiang Hao came up with an excuse in an instant.

But the moment his words fell, a fierce wind rose, like towering waves surging from a tranquil sea.

Its overwhelming force was terrifying.

Jiang Hao was startled, but the great wave was already upon him, slamming into his chest.

With a bang, he flew backward and crashed into a tree.

Leaves rustled as they rained down.

Seeing Jiang Hao's disheveled state, Hong Yuye reached for the rabbit and said coldly:

"Though your mouth is full of lies, your cultivation has been rising quickly."

Jiang Hao regained his footing without saying a word. Though he had not suffered even the slightest injury, he knew that if he displeased this woman, he would undoubtedly be the one to suffer.

There was just one thing he was uncertain about: whether this woman had seen through his true cultivation.

Since she did not mention it, he did not dare ask.

Just then, he suddenly heard the rabbit struggling.

Looking up, he saw the woman gripping the rabbit's neck, her slender fingers looking as though they would squeeze it to death.

"Senior." Jiang Hao hesitantly spoke.

But before he could say anything more, Hong Yuye turned a cold gaze on him:

"I can't kill it?"

"Well..." Jiang Hao did not know how to explain.

"Hmm?" Hong Yuye's icy voice rang out.

"You can." Jiang Hao sighed inwardly.

He could only give up on the bubbles.

Seeing that Jiang Hao had finally said something acceptable, Hong Yuye tightened her grip hard.

With a crack, the rabbit went still.

At that moment, a pearl and a map slowly appeared.

In mere moments, the pearl and map fell into Hong Yuye's hand. She swept her hand over them, seemingly erasing something outright.

Then she put them away.

Once she was done, she casually tossed the rabbit to Jiang Hao and said in an even tone:

"Keep it in the courtyard."

With that, she started walking toward the courtyard.

Jiang Hao saw her reach the edge of the woods in a single step. With another, she vanished from his sight.

He did not know whether she had left or gone to see the Heavenly Fragrance Dao Flower.

It was broad daylight now, and he wondered whether anyone keeping watch had spotted the woman.

He looked around. Finding nothing, he turned his gaze to the rabbit in his hands.

The two treasures have been taken out. Does that mean this rabbit is safe now?

He speculated inwardly.

But he could not use his divine ability now, so he could only check tomorrow.

Still, that woman's powers of perception were truly remarkable. As he was now, he could not afford to provoke her at all.

Letting out a breath, Jiang Hao carried the rabbit toward his residence.

The rabbit had fainted. He did not know whether it was from fear or injury.

"As long as that woman isn't around, I feel exceptionally calm.

"The moment I see her, that calm disappears. Sometimes my emotional fluctuations become far too obvious." Jiang Hao began reflecting on himself as he walked:

"My cultivation has risen too quickly lately, but my mental maturity hasn't kept pace. Only thanks to the Heaven-Extinguishing Gu Poison can I barely keep it under control.

"Otherwise, when virtue falls short of one's station, disaster is sure to follow.

"I must reflect on myself often, lest my strength blind me."

A short while later.

He returned to the courtyard.

He found the woman seated gracefully and with poise in the courtyard, her gaze fixed on the Heavenly Fragrance Dao Flower.

She sat in a wooden chair, with a wooden table before her.

They fit quite well in the courtyard filled with medicinal herbs.

The table and chair were not Jiang Hao's. He did not care where they had come from; it had nothing to do with him.

"How have you been tending the flower?" Hong Yuye suddenly asked.

Jiang Hao was a little taken aback. For a moment, he wondered whether he had tended it poorly, but her tone sounded like a question rather than an accusation, so he answered immediately:

"One bowl of water a day."

"All this time?" Hong Yuye asked.

"All this time," Jiang Hao answered.

"Is that so?" Hong Yuye fell silent for a long time.

Meanwhile, Jiang Hao set the rabbit aside and waited quietly.

After a while, seeing that Hong Yuye was still lost in thought, he brought some tea out from inside and placed it on the wooden table, then set up a boundary for the rabbit.

It would keep the rabbit from escaping once it woke.

After finishing all that, he returned to stand beside Hong Yuye.

"You've practiced the Seven Forms of the Heavenly Saber?" Hong Yuye broke the silence.

"Yes." Jiang Hao nodded.

"How many forms have you learned?" Hong Yuye asked again.

"I've only learned the first form," Jiang Hao answered truthfully.

The first form alone had taken him a long time, and he still had not fully mastered it.

Naturally, the others would have to wait.

Not to mention that the later forms grew increasingly difficult to learn, and even had cultivation requirements.

Even if he wanted to learn them, he could not.

He could only give them a cursory look.

Hong Yuye said nothing. She merely lifted the teacup and took a sip, then set it on the table, her aura turning icy:

"Next time, bring out tea that's fit to drink."

"What tea do you prefer, Senior?" Jiang Hao asked.

At that, Hong Yuye slowly answered, "Sky Azure Red, September Spring."

Sky Azure Red? Though Jiang Hao was unfamiliar with it, he had heard a little about it. It was a top-grade tea, so expensive that all the spirit stones he had earned over the years would not buy even a single tael.

With a troubled expression, he said, "Senior, that's..."

But under her icy gaze, Jiang Hao could only nod in agreement.

He could tell now: this woman was no good person at all.

Calling her a demoness would be no exaggeration.

At that moment, Hong Yuye stood and headed outside. Before leaving, she did not forget to remind Jiang Hao:

"Remember to take good care of my flower."

Once she had left completely, Jiang Hao stared at the teacup in silence for a long time.

Had he known it would bring trouble upon himself, he would never have brought out the tea.

With a sigh, he turned to look at the rabbit.

Being able to keep it normally was at least something gained.

But after the demoness left, a question occurred to him.

Was the person who possessed the Heaven-Extinguishing Yin Gu the same as him?

Out of curiosity, he made a trip to the Scripture Pavilion.