"What are you doing?" Su Su heard her own trembling voice.
The youth beneath the corridor curled his lips coldly: "Didn't you see everything?" Though he was smiling, there was no mirth in his voice. Instead, he watched Su Su with icy, guarded eyes.
He seemed to be weighing how much she had witnessed.
Su Su had seen it all, leaving her now both terrified and conflicted.
Her hand holding the lantern trembled slightly. Earlier that day, Ye Zheyun had received only a light punishment. Though shocked at the time, Su Su had said nothing.
After all, Old Madam shielded Ye Zheyun, just as she had once shielded the original host. To Old Madam, they were her grandchildren, while Tantai Jin was merely an outsider—so her favoritism was understandable.
Humans are not saints. Su Su searched her conscience and admitted that even in her own heart, her father and fellow disciples mattered more than others.
She didn't blame Old Madam, but neither would she let Ye Zheyun, that scoundrel, off easily.
Thinking that he must be gloating over his narrow escape while Tantai Jin had been confined to the eastern courtyard for so long, Su Su decided to teach him a lesson.
She woke in the middle of the night, intending to go to the ancestral hall to frighten Ye Zheyun—to make him understand that those who commit wrongs should fear ghosts knocking at their door after dark.
But she never expected to witness this scene. Had she arrived a moment later, Ye Zheyun would have been pecked down to a skeleton.
The Red-eyed Crows scattered. Su Su stared in shock and doubt: Had the Demon King awakened already?
Could the Mirror of the Past be wrong? It clearly showed he was merely mortal!
Her heart pounded wildly as she took a deep breath.
Once her chaotic mind finally calmed, Su Su took in the scene clearly: Ye Zheyun lay face-down on the ground, unconscious and possibly dead.
Meanwhile, Tantai Jin stood in the frigid night wind, clad in thin garments, seemingly with no intention of coming over to kill her.
Huh?
Looking closer, she noticed Tantai Jin's grim expression, as if he were in a foul mood.
His lips were pale. If not for having nearly witnessed him commit murder, one might mistake him for an innocent, lost soul who had stumbled into the ancestral hall.
No crimson pupils, no Demonic Mark—by all appearances, he was just a mortal.
Recalling the red-eyed crows—low-level demonic creatures incapable of even Shapeshifting—Su Su understood:
So he hadn't awakened yet. Still just a mortal.
She sighed in relief, her tense body relaxing.
Su Su walked over.
Tantai Jin fixed his pitch-black eyes intently on her. He felt no regret over coming to kill Ye Zheyun tonight—his only regret was his carelessness in letting Su Su witness him commanding demonic creatures.
She had seen everything...
A dagger silently slid from his sleeve.
Su Su reacted swiftly, using her toe to flick the dagger from his hand. It landed in the snow.
The youth glared at her malevolently.
Su Su: "..." So not only had he not awakened, he was also pathetically weak.
Completely reassured, Su Su walked over and tied Tantai Jin up in a few quick moves.
His hands were bound behind his back with the sash of her cloak. His voice was low, dripping with resentful malice: "Either kill me now, or I will kill you someday!"
Su Su snorted and patted his cheek. "Behave yourself."
He turned his head away, watching her with cold eyes.
Against the bleak white snow, the youth's dark pupils looked eerily intimidating.
But no matter how fearsome he appeared, remembering how he'd been subdued in one move made Su Su want to laugh.
She couldn't hold back and burst out laughing.
Tantai Jin stared coldly at her.
Still chuckling, she said, "Sorry about that..."Having witnessed him summon wind and rain, killing without even lifting a finger, Su Su found it inexplicably satisfying to see Tantai Jin now—bound by her cloak, seething with the desire to tear her to pieces yet powerless to do so.
She ignored him and went to check on Ye Zheyun’s injuries.
Helping Ye Zheyun up, she checked his breathing and was relieved to find he had only fainted.
Though Ye Zheyun had bled profusely, making the scene look terrifying, the wounds were merely superficial, and the bleeding had already stopped. His fainting was more out of sheer fright.
Tantai Jin had intended to torture him slowly to death but hadn’t had the chance.
As despicable as Ye Zheyun was, he didn’t deserve to die.
Su Su fetched a quilt from the ancestral hall and tossed it over Ye Zheyun, thinking, Better not let him freeze to death after surviving Tantai Jin’s wrath.
She left Ye Zheyun there, hoping the ordeal would teach him a lesson.
Stop bullying others—what if you pick on someone even worse than you?
After her efforts, she breathed lightly, catching her breath.
When she glanced back, she saw Tantai Jin sitting cross-legged under the corridor, watching her with a mocking gaze.
Though his face was the same as before, Su Su could now sense a chilling cruelty in the youth.
She suddenly realized that this person was not fragile at all—he reveled in killing through brutal means.
He was intensely vindictive and extreme in nature.
Ye Zheyun had framed him, so Tantai Jin had sought his life.
Seeing that his earlier vulnerability had vanished and he seemed to have adapted well, Su Su asked him, “Will you walk on your own, or should I drag you back?”
His voice was icy and hoarse. “Aren’t you going to call for help?”
“Call for help? Oh, you’re afraid I’ll tell my father.” Su Su crouched before him, instantly understanding Tantai Jin’s concern.
The incident at Prince Xuan’s residence a few days ago had thrown the entire Great Xia into a state of high alert.
The Emperor had begun summoning Monster Exterminators and Taoist priests from across the land, launching a massive hunt for the escaped Crimson Flame Bee and other demonic creatures hiding within Great Xia.
If Tantai Jin were discovered to be capable of commanding demonic creatures now, he would surely face execution.
Tantai Jin fell silent, his cold eyes fixed on Su Su.
His gaze was like that of a venomous snake flicking its tongue, filled with malice.
Su Su had no doubt he was contemplating how to silently eliminate her before anyone found out.
Unfortunately, all schemes and plots were futile in the face of absolute power.
Just as the cultivation world could not kill the Demon King five hundred years later, the yet-to-awaken Tantai Jin of five hundred years ago could do nothing to Su Su.
Naturally, Su Su wouldn’t reveal Tantai Jin’s secret. In fact, she had to protect him for now—though she couldn’t tell him why.
She shook her head instinctively and said, “Of course I won’t tell anyone. Besides, I’m still under the Spring Silkworm Curse, so I won’t let you die.”
His thin lips moved as he spat out coldly, “Shameless.”
Su Su then remembered what the curse required her to do. Her cheeks flushed slightly—after all, as a young woman who had just come of age in the cultivation world, speaking so matter-of-factly about coupling was rather embarrassing.
But in any case, she would not mate with a demon.
She glared at him, slightly annoyed. “Are you coming or not? If not, you can stay here!”
If he remained in the ancestral hall with Ye Zheyun, by daybreak, he wouldn’t need her betrayal to meet his end calmly.
Tantai Jin glanced at her flushed face, averted his gaze, and stood up.
Watching the youth walk ahead, Su Su breathed a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, no matter what he had endured, the young Demon King still wanted to live.Su Su pouted: "Survive, and bring calamity upon the world."
Ye Zheyun was discovered outside the ancestral hall early in the morning, covered in blood.
Chun Tao said: "Miss, everyone is saying that the third young master claims he saw a demon. Concubine Lian has nearly cried herself unconscious and insists on waiting for the general to return so they can bring a Taoist priest to investigate."
Sure enough, when Ye Xiao returned in the afternoon, he had also heard about this bizarre incident.
Compared to his talented eldest son, Ye Xiao held little regard for the frivolous Ye Zheyun. However, the appearance of demons in the residence undoubtedly struck a nerve with the sensitive general.
Ye Xiao asked Ye Zheyun: "Did you really see it?"
Ye Zheyun, burning with fever and barely conscious, nodded weakly: "Father, I swear I'm not lying. Those crows had blood-red eyes that glowed! Look at me, I'm covered in injuries..."
Ye Xiao frowned and said: "Enough. Have someone find a Taoist priest or a Monster Exterminator, but keep it discreet."
With all the rumors swirling outside, making too big a scene wouldn't be good for Ye Xiao either.
Ye Zheyun, aching all over and still terrified, stammered: "I... I also saw someone controlling demonic creatures."
Ye Xiao grew even more serious. Someone who could control demonic creatures was clearly more troublesome than the creatures themselves.
Hearing this, Su Su also grew worried. Could Ye Zheyun have actually seen them?
She secretly glanced at Tantai Jin. The young man's expression remained calm and composed.
"He... was terrifying... like a shadowy mass, taller than the roof beams, with a sinister voice and a bloody maw!" Ye Zheyun shuddered as he spoke.
Tantai Jin curled his lips in mockery.
Su Su: "..."
What an impressive boast, truly fitting for Ye Zheyun. She wanted to cover his mouth - in this state, wasn't he embarrassed to spout such nonsense?
Before long, a white-bearded, white-haired Taoist priest arrived at the residence.
The priest appeared ethereal and dignified. After paying respects to the general and Old Madam, he asked: "Where did the young master see the demonic creature?"
"In the ancestral hall!" Old Madam said.
The priest nodded: "This humble priest will go take a look."
Old Madam quickly said: "Reverend Cihong, this way please."
As a mortal, Su Su couldn't discern the priest's cultivation level. She was actually quite curious about how mortal Taoist priests captured demons.
When Cihong arrived at the ancestral hall, the Ye family relatives nervously followed behind.
Everyone feared there might truly be demons in the general's residence that could endanger their lives. Ye Zheyun's exaggerated description had left everyone anxious.
Cihong took out a compass and circled the ancestral hall twice before saying in a grave tone: "There are indeed demonic creatures present in your esteemed residence."
Su Su wondered inwardly whether the old priest really knew how to capture demons.
Cihong said: "Prepare black dog blood, Cinnabar, and clothing stained with the third young master's blood for this humble priest."
People hurried to carry out his instructions. Soon, the priest began the ritual.
Tantai Jin leaned against a snow-covered branch, watching Cihong coldly.
In the deep winter, the clothes Ye Zheyun had worn suddenly burst into flames.
Ashes flew up into the sky.
"It appears this demon has considerable cultivation and is still hiding within the residence," Cihong said. "Now this humble priest must identify this person. Please come forward one by one."
First was Old Madam, who had a complex symbol drawn on her palm.
The priest shook his head.
Next were Ye Xiao and several young masters, followed by Ye Lanyin and Su Su.
The second young miss Ye Lanyin was so nervous she kept swallowing.
Su Su extended her hand. The old priest drew a symbol on her palm and shook his head.
To be honest, Su Su had never seen such a solemn ceremony before. The path of cultivation could be both extremely complex and extremely simple.
When it was Tantai Jin's turn, Su Su looked over.Tantai Jin extended his hand, his voice clear and mellow: "I trouble the Taoist priest to examine me carefully."
Ci Hong performed the talisman drawing according to ritual.
Tantai Jin tilted his head and smiled innocently: "Has the priest discovered anything?"
Ci Hong remained solemn and dignified, shaking his head.
Tantai Jin withdrew his hand, his eyes filled with mockery.
The more Ci Hong investigated, the more cold sweat beaded on his forehead. That evening, Xi Xi suddenly came to report: "The priest has found the evil creature!"
"Where?" Chun Tao quickly asked.
"In the back mountain - they say it's a spotted leopard the general hunted previously that's causing trouble!"
Chun Tao breathed a sigh of relief, showing a smile: "It's good that it's found."
Su Su lay slumped over the desk, speechless.
She gritted her teeth lightly, thinking she had met a fellow cultivator and wanting to ask Ci Hong to help deliver a message to the Divine Turtle. Never did she expect Ci Hong to be a charlatan.
The true evil creature was currently leaning against the window, watching the blooming plum blossoms outside.
Under the lamplight, his brows and eyes were elegant, his red lips cold and thin.
Su Su thought to herself, tonight she must tie him up!
The past two days had passed like this.
Occasionally when she woke at midnight, feeling a chill at the back of her head, she would open her eyes to see a pair of blood-misted pupils coldly staring at her.
What was a natural Evil Bone? Such an existence only emerged once every tens of thousands of years.
That meant no matter what, he would inevitably walk a bloody path. Killing and cruelty were things carved into his very bones.
Unable to be redeemed, only to be eliminated - no one could change this fate.
Not two days later, something happened at Prince Xuan's residence as well.
The entire Great Xia court was thrown into panic.
It was said that the sixth prince's devastatingly beautiful concubine had fallen into a coma two days prior and could not be awakened no matter what.
Thinking of her gentle, sickly stepsister, Su Su felt somewhat worried for her too.
Late at night, Su Su stirred restlessly in her dreams and suddenly woke.
She abruptly looked toward the floor - indeed, the young man was gone, leaving only a pile of tangled ropes on the ground.
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