Only the Demon Cult follower whom Fang Yang had slapped muttered with a hint of disappointment.
"That's not right. Every time the Demon Venerable came out before, he'd slap me!"
The moment he finished speaking, a shadow flashed before him.
Smack!
The sound of a slap exploded.
Before he could react, he had already fallen to the ground.
By the time he climbed back up, five bright red finger marks had appeared on his face.
Only then did he smile and nod in satisfaction.
"The Demon Venerable slapped me again. Now I can rest eas..."
Before he could finish, his words stopped abruptly, and terror appeared on his face.
"No! The Demon Venerable's slap was at least fifty percent weaker than before! That's never happened! Could he really be injured?"
"No, I have to report this to the guardian! The Demon Venerable being injured is a matter of grave importance! It could make many people within the cult stir restlessly, and even give outsiders murderous ideas!"
"The guardian must protect the Demon Venerable as soon as possible!"
At that thought, the Demon Cult follower fled into the distance without the slightest hesitation.
[Forbidden love... understandable, too. Sometimes, you needn't care what others think.]
As the slightly sorrowful narration sounded in his ears, Fang Yang's face darkened with exasperation, and he shook his hand.
He never would have imagined it.
The Blood Rain Demon Venerable and that Demon Cult follower actually had such peculiar tastes.
Luckily, he had heard that remark just now. Otherwise, he might already have exposed himself.
Still, this incident reminded him that he must never let his guard down.
This demon was such a deviant. Who knew how many more peculiar tastes had gone unrecorded in his diary?
He had to observe carefully.
"The Profound Heaven Strategy works well. I can keep cultivating it."
"But... according to the diary, the Demon Venerable plowed the fields with the Princess Consort of the Southern Pacifying King almost daily, hardly missing a single day. It seems that, to maintain my persona and avoid arousing anyone's suspicions, I have to visit her tonight."
Fang Yang slowly exhaled a stale breath, feeling immense pressure, as though a thousand-pound burden rested on his shoulders.
When he thought about having to continue this life every single day, he felt even more helpless.
It wasn't his body that felt helpless.
For him in his previous life, keeping up daily updates had been as easy as turning his hand over.
Surely there weren't men who were off their game every day and couldn't even manage that much?
What a joke!
What truly made him helpless was that an upright gentleman like him really didn't want to inherit Cao Cao's taste for other men's wives, but alas...
The Demon Venerable had left him a mountain of messes, forcing him to grit his teeth and deal with them.
Now, his only motivation was the possibility that the Princess Consort of the Southern Pacifying King might earn him some Matchmaking Points!
After all, he couldn't provoke his eldest disciple for the time being.
The princess consort was the only person he could keep under his thumb.
Only by using Matchmaking Points to draw some items and obtain a few life-saving trump cards could he survive the grand gathering three months from now.
Otherwise, relying on cultivation alone...
There was no way he could reach the Four-Leaf Dharmakaya Realm within three months.
To put it bluntly, the princess consort was his only hope of survival.
"Looks like tonight will be a tough battle."
With a sigh, he walked toward the rear courtyard where the Princess Consort of the Southern Pacifying King lived.
Wutong Courtyard.
Lamplight flickered...
"What? Princess Consort? You want to assassinate that demon?"
The little maid's almond-shaped eyes widened, filled with disbelief.
Just now, the princess consort had returned from bathing and told her she intended to perish together with the demon tonight.
It was like a thunderclap exploding beside her ears, and even now, her head was still buzzing.
"That's right!"
"That demon ruined my life and imprisoned me here for three years. Every day of those three years has been worse than death."
"Now, I've planted a Heart Demon in his heart. No matter what, I have to take my chance, kill him, and put an end to all this."
The Princess Consort of the Southern Pacifying King wore a gauze dress, her wet hair hanging down her back. Beside her stood the equally wet White Snow Lion Cat.
The princess consort clenched her pearly teeth.
Bone-deep hatred filled her eyes.
Four baths and four changes of underwear in a single day-she was already running out of clean clothes.
When she recalled that shameful thing she had done in the hot spring just now, something she had never done before...
She wanted to slice that demon into a thousand pieces.
"A Heart Demon? What Heart Demon? Princess Consort, since when did you have that ability?"
"Well..."
The Princess Consort of the Southern Pacifying King faltered, unsure how to explain, her exquisite face shifting between light and shadow.
She couldn't possibly tell her own maid that her way of planting a Heart Demon had been to let the demon forcibly kiss her.
Clearly, he had been the one sickened beyond endurance, and he might even have suffered cultivation deviation.
Yet that would make it sound as though she had gotten the worst of it.
No, I absolutely can't tell anyone!
"You don't need to worry about that. In short, the demon is at his weakest right now, and I've already devised a foolproof plan."
"It will definitely catch him off guard and leave him dumbfounded. Then he'll die at my hands."
She brimmed with confidence, looking as though she had a complete plan in mind and everything was under control.
But as the little maid looked at the princess consort's high-spirited expression, then remembered the wicked-woman outfit she had worn today, she couldn't help feeling uneasy.
She pleaded in a tearful voice.
"Princess Consort, that demon is sinister and cunning. Can't you give up on assassinating him? We can live peacefully here. I'll serve you for the rest of my life."
"No. That demon and I cannot coexist! Ling'er, this has nothing to do with you. I'm the one he's imprisoned. He doesn't pay nearly as much attention to you. Hurry and escape down the mountain with Little Snow. I don't want you dragged into this."
Han Lingxuan waved her hand, her tone as decisive as chopping nails and cutting iron.
"No! I'm not leaving. You found me on the streets, Princess Consort. Even if I die, I won't leave you."
The little maid's almond-shaped eyes reddened.
Tears kept falling like pearls from a broken string.
The two continued arguing.
Until...
Footsteps sounded outside the courtyard.
Chapter 9: Tonight, It's in the Bag
"Oh no, that demon is here."
The princess consort's expression changed abruptly. Even if she were reduced to ashes, she would still recognize his footsteps.
The little maid's bun-round face turned deathly pale, and for a moment, she had no idea what to do.
"Y-Your Highness, what do we do?"
Ling'er asked in a trembling voice.
"Quick, crawl under the bed. Whatever you hear, don't come out. This has nothing to do with you."
"Do you understand?"
"Y-Yes!"
The little maid nodded, then wriggled under the bed like a worm.
The princess consort took a deep breath and tightened her grip on the hairpin hidden in her sleeve.
A gentle smile curved across her exquisite face.
She slowly walked toward the courtyard entrance.
Unerring Plan 2.0, commence!
It's time to show that demon some real acting.
Outside the courtyard.
Fang Yang had also arranged his expression.
He remained just as domineering and cold, with a faint trace of lust.
With that expression, he looked toward Wutong Courtyard!
Before you continue