Chapter Sixty-Eight: So Foolish, Might as Well Roast and Eat It

Along the way.

Once again, the movements of the Sacred Lord surfaced in his mind.

[The Sacred Lord used the Sheep Talisman, slipping quietly into the Sin-Punishing Division’s sky prison in the form of a soul. Longhu was tightly bound by the Demon-Restraining Rope, his body covered in wounds.]

[Seizing the moment while Longhu was asleep and recuperating, the Sacred Lord silently entered his dreams, using the pretext of helping him escape to probe Longhu’s true purpose for lurking on Yonghe Street.]

[The Sacred Lord learned that Longhu was under orders from his master to closely monitor your every move and report back at any time through a messenger jade token.]

[Continuing his questions, the Sacred Lord discovered that Longhu’s master was the daughter of the previous Demon Emperor, who left the demon territories centuries ago. As for any other information, Longhu knew nothing.]

[Gazing at the powerless Longhu, the Sacred Lord realized this was the perfect opportunity to kill him.]

[With a thought, the Sacred Lord used the Rat Talisman to bestow life upon the stone statues in the prison, sending them to deliver a fatal blow to Longhu. However, Longhu’s primordial spirit managed to escape.]

[This action alarmed the Sin-Punishing Division. The Sacred Lord hurriedly used the Snake Talisman together with the Rabbit Talisman to flee, while Longhu’s primordial spirit was recaptured by the arriving members of the division.]

Su Ji’an couldn’t help but show a look of delight.

At this moment, he truly wanted to reward the Sacred Lord with a drumstick.

Seeing Longhu in such dire straits put Su Ji’an at ease.

At last, he had uncovered the true identity of the mastermind behind the scenes.

Now it was time for him to strike back.

That wretched woman impersonating Shen Jingya must be the daughter of the former Demon Emperor.

Su Ji’an had long suspected her demonic lineage. When Longhu was being outmaneuvered in Yingdu City, he had already revealed his demon form.

The mastermind was likely deeply entangled with the demon clan as well.

Though Su Ji’an wasn’t sure what means the Sacred Lord had used to extract this information from Longhu, he never cared much for the details of the process.

“Qianxue, how much do you know about the demon clan? Focus especially on the former Demon Emperor and his daughter,” Su Ji’an asked.

Though spirits and monsters roamed the world in abundance, they were, in common parlance, unregistered outcasts.

The true demon clan was in fact an organized body, similar to the righteous alliance.

The Demon Emperor was the nominal leader of the demons.

Zhao Qianxue, puzzled, asked, “Why are you suddenly asking about the demon clan?”

“The daughter of the previous Demon Emperor is most likely the one who has been plotting against us all along,” Su Ji’an signaled her to pay attention.

There was nothing to conceal on this matter.

“I heard it was a usurpation. By rights, the new Demon Emperor should have been the former emperor’s daughter,” Zhao Qianxue replied, though her knowledge was scant and she understood little of the deeper story.

Su Ji’an pondered…

If it was indeed a usurpation, the mastermind must be mortal enemies with the current Demon Emperor.

Perhaps even the former Demon Emperor died an unnatural death.

In an instant, countless possibilities sprang to Su Ji’an’s mind.

His expression turned cold.

“This might be the perfect chance to eliminate the mastermind by borrowing the hand of the Demon Emperor.”

The mastermind was at the Nascent Spirit stage… For now, he was not Su Ji’an’s match.

But Su Ji’an never dwelled on whether he could personally exact revenge.

As ever, he was not someone who cared about the intricacies of the process.

However, how to establish contact with the Demon Emperor was still a problem before him.

Humans and demons had been estranged for ages.

It was said that in ancient times, humans and demons were bitter enemies, waging endless wars.

Later, for reasons unknown, the flames between the two races died down.

Su Ji’an thought to himself, “It seems the quickest way is still to summon a player.”

But summoning a player was extremely costly.

And to broadcast the mastermind’s identity everywhere would be unwise.

That would only alert the enemy, making things worse.

Surely the current Demon Emperor knew the mastermind was still alive; after all these centuries without being able to eliminate him, it was clear the mastermind was formidable.

Exposing his identity openly would only force him to vanish back into the shadows.

Moments later.

Su Ji’an and Zhao Qianxue were approaching a small mountain village.

Suddenly.

Another disturbance caught their attention.

Su Ji’an looked toward the sound… It turned out to be a crude, makeshift trap, in which a rabbit was struggling desperately.

“So dumb. Might as well roast it for dinner,” Su Ji’an said, grabbing the rabbit by its long ears.

It was quite plump…

Though he wondered if eating such a witless thing might affect his own intelligence.

Even though they had long since practiced fasting, it was no harm to indulge the palate now and then.

Zhao Qianxue’s face lit up with fondness. She took the rabbit from Su Ji’an’s hands, gently stroking it.

Women are born with little resistance to soft and furry things.

Su Ji’an grumbled, “Are you about to say, ‘Rabbits are so cute, you can’t eat them’?”

“Not at all… It’s just that we don’t have any spices now. Why not keep it for a while?” Zhao Qianxue was reluctant to let go.

Without another word, Su Ji’an spent a hundred spirit points to unlock cumin.

He handed it to Zhao Qianxue.

He had seen through her little scheme at a glance.

She was a woman whose words and heart never matched.

Zhao Qianxue: “…”

She hesitated, but in the end handed the rabbit back to Su Ji’an.

After dealing with the rabbit, Su Ji’an retrieved a few square pieces of wood from the system.

Come to think of it, this was the first time he had ever used the basic items given by the system at the start.

With a fire incantation, the wood was set ablaze.

The rest of the process was rather dull.

The rabbit sizzled as oil dripped down, and cumin was sprinkled over it.

“Thief! Stop right there!”

Suddenly, a young girl came running over in a fury.

She was mischievous by nature, with delicate features and clear eyes, about fifteen or sixteen years old, though right now her face was clouded with anger.

She grabbed Su Ji’an’s arm and glared at him, “My rabbit… You have to compensate me for my rabbit!”

Su Ji’an was taken aback: “A honey trap?”

Most likely, she had set up this crude trap in advance, waiting for some hapless soul to wander by.

Instead of being angry, Su Ji’an laughed and lectured, “You’re so young, yet you’re already up to these tricks… Such a shame with a face as pretty as yours.”

“You—you—you!” The girl was so flustered by Su Ji’an’s counterattack that she burst into tears.

Su Ji’an: “…”

With a temperament like that, trying to pull a honey trap—she should count herself lucky not to get kidnapped instead.

Fortunately, she had run into him today; if it had been someone else, who knows what might have happened.

Zhao Qianxue, seeing the girl didn’t seem like a bad person and feeling pity as she cried, took her hand and invited, “Little one, why don’t you sit and eat with us? The rabbit will be done soon.”

“I’m telling you, his roasted rabbit is second to none…”

On hearing this, the girl cried even harder.

Su Ji’an, turning the rabbit over the fire, remarked casually, “Leaving aside whether this is really a honey trap, how can you be so sure this is your rabbit? There are so many rabbits in the world—surely they can’t all be yours.”