Volume V: The Breath of Rivers and the Life of Yore, Chapter 136

Sure enough, Jin Li had barely stood at the doorway for half an hour when she heard movement inside the room. The corners of her lips curved into a smile as she silently counted in her mind.

"One."
"Two."
"Three."
"Four."
"Five."
"Help!"

Jin Li pushed the door open, arms crossed, and looked with a smiling gaze at the young man struggling in agonizing pain on the floor. "How is it? Painful?"

Sweat covered Zhi Yu's forehead. He stared straight at the young girl, whose peach-blossom eyes carried a gleam of schadenfreude, making her look just like a fox—cunning and deceitful. This woman was truly hateful!

"...You... What do you want?"

Zhi Yu forced his body to steady itself. Jin Li walked closer to him, then squatted down and looked him over. "As for me, I didn't come here looking for trouble, but others shouldn't come looking for trouble with me either. Once I get what I want, I will naturally leave, and at that time, I will also clear away the turbid Qi here." She paused, then continued, "I know you are from the Demon Palace. You possess demon bones, not an origin pill. You are the Demon Lord. Am I right?"

Zhi Yu's gaze flickered slightly. He did not give much of a response to Jin Li's words, but that single movement of averting his eyes betrayed him completely.

It seemed her guess was spot on. In that case, he must know what had actually happened here, and what had happened to the demon veins.

"Let's make a deal. How about it?"

"...What deal?"

Jin Li looked at the youth's gradually paling lips and the red demonic markings on his neck. She pressed her fingers together in front of her, and a pale blue divine power slowly seeped into the red demonic seal on the youth's forehead. That cooling sensation seemed to soothe and cleanse his entire body, and the bone-deep pain vanished instantly.

The youth's expression returned to normal.

"What on earth happened here? And where is the divine consciousness of the Ninefold Emperor?"

The moment the name of the Ninefold Emperor was uttered, the youth's pupils constricted, followed by a slow darkening of his gaze. He raised his eyes to look at the young girl. "What are you trying to do? Is that why you came here?"

Jin Li's expression turned stern. "That's right. Tell me, where is the Ninefold Emperor?"

The youth stood up and leaned back against the bed behind him, his expression arrogant and full of provocation. "I have nothing to say."

Jin Li's emotions remained unruffled, calm as usual. She stood up, brushed down her skirt, and glanced at the youth. With a wave of her hand, a bowl of steaming medicinal soup appeared on the table.

"Drink your medicine."

With that, she left.

A long, long time later, the youth touched the demonic seal between his brows, as if that cool sensation from earlier still lingered. A trace of helplessness and sorrow surfaced in the depths of his eyes.

Above the desolate expanse of the sky stretched a long-absent starry night, beneath which people gathered and lit bonfires.

Jin Li stood on the high platform, looking out at the flashing flames, her mind filled with a myriad of thoughts.

At that moment, a sudden weight settled upon her shoulders. She glanced sideways and saw it was a cloak.

"Such a cold night, why are you standing right in the draft? Do you think you aren't sick enough yet?"

Although Si Wan said it like that... wait, how did she know she was sick?

"How did you..."

"How did I know?" Si Wan lifted her chin proudly and said with utter self-assurance, "Who do you think I am? I am Si Wan. Although I'm a good-for-nothing at cultivating immortality, I can still tell when someone's spiritual energy has been depleted. You spent the day using the Marrow-Cleansing Mantra to purge their turbid Qi, and then spent the night refining medicine for them. Even an immortal couldn't withstand that. You have to consider your own health!"

Hearing the former arrogant and domineering Second Commandery Princess speaking with such affectionate cuteness, Jin Li felt a strange sense of emotion.

If she had not encountered those trials, perhaps she could still have been that aloof Second Commandery Princess, growing up recklessly and fearlessly in the city.

However... where in this world are there any "ifs"?

"Yes, I shall listen to the Second Commandery Princess in all things," Jin Li said teasingly, then asked, "And you, why aren't you asleep? Can't sleep?"

Upon hearing this, Si Wan's expression flickered slightly before she seamlessly covered with a yawn. "I just saw you standing out here all by yourself, looking so lonely, and worried that you might overthink things and jump off or something. This Commandery Princess doesn't want to collect your corpse. So, I came out to drag you back to bed."

As soon as she finished speaking, she grabbed Jin Li's arm and pulled her back inside.

"Hey, I can walk by myself."
"No way. The moment I let go, you'll go right back to refining medicine. Do you even want this body of yours anymore?"

Jin Li was left between laughter and tears by her childish antics.

"Hey, haven't you always looked down on everyone? What's this? So concerned about me?"
"I... This Commandery Princess was just bored, is that a crime?" A blush crept onto her face. Feeling somewhat embarrassed at having her inner thoughts exposed, she hurriedly found an excuse to gloss over it.

Entering the room, she found that charcoal had already been lit, along with some Lotus Fate incense. The entire room was warm and fragrant. However, looking at the Lotus Fate incense burning in the censer, Jin Li felt a trace of doubt. The Demon Realm was so desolate—where would one acquire such rare spices?

"Where did this incense come from?"

Si Wan took off her cloak and hung it up. Hearing Jin Li's question, she replied, "When you came to Shanzheng City before, I smelled a faint lotus fragrance on you. I blended this myself and brought it from Shanzheng City. How is it? How do you like my choice of fragrance?"

Jin Li nodded in appreciation and couldn't help praising, "Not bad. The lotus scent is subtle yet lingering, fresh and elegant. I never knew the Second Commandery Princess knew how to blend incense."

Si Wan looked extremely smug. "There are still many surprises about this Commandery Princess that you don't know yet. Just wait and see."

Jin Li laughed in spite of herself. "Very well, I'll wait."

Watching Si Wan lay out the bedding, she felt a momentary wave of astonishment. She had always only seen Si Wan's superficial willful and capricious side, never imagining she would do so many things unbefitting her status.

She was truly pleasantly surprised.

This Lotus Fate incense was what Yun Xiang often burned when she was at Lianchuan; it had the effect of calming the mind and aiding sleep.

"What are you daydreaming for? Go to bed."

Jin Li looked at the two prepared beds and smiled. "Understood. I'll wash up and be right there."

"Good, good. A good child who loves cleanliness."

Jin Li smiled, looking at the basin of hot water that had already been prepared.
Floating on the surface were little flower petals.

Everything felt so familiar that it left her in a daze, almost as if Yun Xiang were right by her side.

By the time Jin Li finished bathing, Si Wan had already slipped under the covers and fallen asleep.

She smiled as she looked at that round face.

With a wave of her hand, she extinguished the candlelight. Just as she lifted the covers and lay down, whether it was because she felt too comfortable after her bath or because of the effect of the Lotus Fate incense, her eyelids suddenly grew heavy and her consciousness slowly blurred.

"In all my life, I have always looked down upon everyone, but you are the only person I truly submit to. Thank you, Sovereign Lady."

Whether it was a dream or not, Jin Li felt as though she had vaguely heard those words.

***

The next day, the number of people seeking treatment was about three times that of the previous day. Fortunately, Jin Li had brewed extra Marrow-Cleansing Pills, or she wouldn't have been able to cope.

By the time the sun was approaching high noon, people were still arriving in an endless stream. Ever since she opened her eyes in the morning, Jin Li hadn't even had a sip of water. Seeing her now, Si Wan looked as though the girl might collapse at any second.

"Alright, alright, that's enough for today. Follow him to the backyard to get your medicine. That's all for today, everyone please return home."

Jin Li rubbed her aching temples, then lifted her eyelids to see Zhi Yu, though she chose to ignore him.
She stood up and massaged her lower back.

"Hey, hey, hey! How come you still ignore me when you see me?"

Jin Li didn't pay him much mind and simply continued searching for medicinal herbs. Marrow-Cleansing pills were not a long-term solution anyway; her ingredients for them were running out, and some of those herbs were extremely rare in the world, bearing fruit only once every few centuries. She needed to find the demon veins and untangle what was happening here as soon as possible.

"You still haven't answered my question, so naturally I have nothing to say to you."

Zhi Yu looked at her. "It's not that... I..." For a moment, he couldn't think of anything else to retort.

Jin Li continued rummaging through the herbs. "Like I said, once you answer my two questions, I will naturally do what I must. After that, we shall never see each other again, whether in life or death. Do you believe me?"

"I was just..."
"You don't know?"

Zhi Yu was at a loss for words, unsure of how to skirt around the question. But before he could even try, Jin Li pushed away his hand, which was braced against the table. "Move aside. I'm exhausted."

"What's wrong with you?" The youth frowned, though his words carried a note of concern that sounded rather awkward.

Jin Li supported her lower back. "My back aches, and I'm thirsty. What? Is that not allowed?"

Zhi Yu pressed his lips together. Why was this woman always so unreasonable and unforgiving? It felt like no one could ever get the better of her.

"Come drink some water." Si Wan walked over carrying a cup. During the day, she used a transformation spell and wore a cloak; as long as people didn't look at her face, she could basically pass for a man.

"Thank you." Jin Li sat down and drank the water while Zhi Yu sized up the male companion by the young girl's side.

"Who is he? What's your relationship with him?"

Seeing such an intimate display, the youth couldn't help but wonder if the two of them were immortal partners.

Jin Li put down her teacup. "A friend of mine. What about it? Do you have to manage that too?"

"You think this young master has nothing better to do all day?" With that, he turned on his heel, fuming, and walked away.

Jin Li picked up her tea cup, took a sip, and said unhurriedly and expressionlessly to the departing youth, "Do not channel your spiritual energy for the next few days while taking the medicine."

Zhi Yu glanced back at her, then cast a look at Si Wan beside her. With a soft scoff, he strode away.

Si Wan lifted the gauze curtain and said angrily, "This fellow is extremely arrogant. If he were in Shanzheng City, this Commandery Princess would have had him whipped thirty times already."

Jin Li curved her lips into a smile, speaking as if coaxing a child. "Indeed. To think there is someone who dares to act so presumptuously in front of the Second Commandery Princess—it is utterly outrageous."

Faced with Jin Li's teasing, Si Wan didn't realize it at first. But when she finally registered the implication behind Jin Li's words and turned around, the young girl was nowhere to be seen.

"Jin Li! You're teasing me again!"