The tiger demon had shapeshifted, yet it retained its beastly nature. Seeing the young tyrant's cold expression, it couldn't help but repeatedly bow and beg for mercy.
Nian Baiyu watched this creature speechlessly. Knowing it was one of their own, he naturally wouldn't drag it out to be skinned and killed.
Seeing that it wouldn't be killed, the tiger demon quickly scrambled away using all four limbs.
It had fallen into miserable circumstances - when serving Tantai Minglang, it had been a majestic tiger general, but after following Tantai Jin, it had lost all dignity and only knew how to flatter like a sycophant.
Su Su put down her bowl and spoon, leaving without even glancing at Tantai Jin.
Ever since she declared she wanted the position of Empress, the emotions in Tantai Jin's eyes kept shifting - sometimes contemptuous and mocking, other times struggling and cold.
The curved jade said: "He is the Demon God after all. Demon Gods are naturally fond of power and status. Do you remember the records of another Demon God in ancient texts? That one didn't even have a wife, and even the most beautiful goddess of the divine realm was tortured to death by him. So Tantai Jin won't give you the position of Empress."
The pursuit of power is the innate nature of Demon Gods.
Tantai Jin himself understood clearly that if he truly admitted he liked Su Su, it would undoubtedly mean stagnation.
— If he formed a marriage alliance with Shicha, conquering the northern territories and gaining access to ancient witchcraft would be within reach.
— If he had the old Taoist find someone with a Spiritual Root these years and married her in advance, when the Immortal Sect opened its gates, he might catch a glimpse of the Immortal Path.
Because he didn't know who he truly was, even now Tantai Jin still believed himself to be that hostage who couldn't practice martial arts, so frail that his lifespan was impaired.
And what could Su Su bring him?
At this moment, the curved jade completely understood Tantai Jin's perspective - taking Su Su would truly mean clipping his own wings.
Su Su said: "I know he won't give it."
"You know, young mistress?"
"Yes, and I never really wanted the position of Empress anyway," Su Su said. "I said it deliberately for two benefits. Tantai Jin always thinks everyone in the world wants to harm him. By saying I want the Empress position, I actually set his mind at ease. As long as his emotions waver, we achieve our goal. Also, I want to see what Ye Bingshang is really up to."
The original host's elder sister was too mysterious - even the young Demon God showed her special care. There must be some secret about her.
Tantai Jin had been moody these past few days, and Su Su paid him no mind.
Meanwhile, the shapeshifted tiger demon had disappeared. One day, Nian Muning gave Su Su a strange look and said: "The tiger demon was thrown into the Soul Devouring Banner by His Majesty."
His Majesty said to let the tiger demon learn skills from the old Taoist. Now the tiger cries and howls every day inside the Soul Devouring Banner.
Su Su expressed sympathy for this.
Early April, the Flower Festival among the common people of Great Zhou.
The palace also held grand banquets, with lanterns and decorations everywhere. In Great Zhou, which loved luxury and music, the Flower Festival atmosphere was particularly festive.
Zhou Kingdom's customs were already quite liberal, and this day was especially for men and women to pledge their love.
Tracing back a thousand years, men would sing to women. If both found each other agreeable, they could roll together in the grass.
The curved jade commented like an old pedant: "Zhou Kingdom is truly dissolute and decadent!"
At dusk, Su Su heard several young palace maids chattering and laughing—
"I heard Madame personally made water jade. That water jade cracked, and the two pieces are almost identical."
"His Majesty will surely be very happy when he receives it."
Water jade was a specific type of jade in Zhou Kingdom that needed to be refined like firing pottery. After carefully nurturing the jade and placing it in water, it would crack into two pieces.The more exquisite and symmetrical the water jade, the better its quality, and the more sincere the sentiment.
The curved jade gave Su Su a terrible idea: "Why don't you make a water jade for Tantai Jin too?"
Seeing Ye Bingshang's gentle, watery demeanor—the very picture of a virtuous wife and loving mother—while its young mistress remained as calm as still water, serene as if in meditation, the curved jade grew secretly anxious.
Ji Ze was already dead, and only a little over a year remained before the seal of the Desolate Abyss would break.
A year was but the blink of an eye to an immortal, yet the pearl tears were still only in their rudimentary nail form.
The young Demon God's heart was cold; his smiles, annoyances, and anger were often just him learning to mimic others' emotions.
The curved jade feared the mission would fail.
Su Su shook her head and said, "Being good to him alone is useless. Look at Jing Lan'an."
"Then what should we do?"
Su Su smiled and said, "What if we try to escape? Curved jade, it's been a long time since we last flew, hasn't it?"
At first, the curved jade didn't understand what Su Su meant, until it saw her take out a giant paper kite and realized what she intended to do.
The spring moon hung like a clear, sharp blade.
Su Su carried the paper kite up the Astrology Tower, climbed onto it, and flew outward.
Beneath her feet lay the mortal world's bustling life, countless lanterns lit, the Zhou Kingdom thriving, joy rising everywhere.
The wind stirred her skirt as she rode the wind talisman, flying beyond the palace gates.
Flying quite a distance, she saw the shocked Nian Muning, standing helplessly on the spot. She didn't dare actually harm Su Su and hurried off toward the palace banquet.
Su Su propped her chin on her hand, watching the mortal world's prosperity with the curved jade. This vast, boundless world was far warmer than the Immortal Mountain.
She chose the busiest street for her landing.
Su Su casually bought a mask and fastened it over her face. "Guess how long it'll take for him to chase after us in a furious rage?"
The young girl clasped her hands behind her back and melted into the crowd.
The palace banquet had not yet ended. At that time, Ye Bingshang had just finished tying the other water jade for Tantai Jin.
"May Your Majesty enjoy boundless blessings, peace, and smooth sailing," she said with a slightly shy smile, her beauty outshining flowers.
Tantai Jin fell silent for a moment, then lifted the corners of his mouth into a gentle smile.
Ye Bingshang looked at him, faintly seeing traces of Xiao Lin in his expression. She felt a slight urge to frown.
The music of strings and pipes played incessantly, dancers twirled gracefully, their flowing sleeves fluttering like a magnificent dream.
The next moment, Nian Muning, dressed in tight-fitting attire, rushed in and whispered into Tantai Jin's ear.
Ye Bingshang watched as the gentle mask on Tantai Jin's face vanished, instantly replaced by a chilling, terrifying demeanor.
His gaze gradually grew gloomy, his chest heaving with each breath. He looked at everyone present with a venomous, hateful glare.
The ministers below continued toasting and chatting, completely unaware.
The dark-robed emperor abruptly stood up. Everyone turned to look as his somber face broke into a fluid smile. "I have matters to attend to and must take my leave. My esteemed ministers, you may disperse if you have no further business."
The crowd feared him more than they respected him, especially those who had previously partaken of Tantai Minglang's flesh. They hurriedly bowed and took their leave.
A black bow was handed to the emperor. He strode out hurriedly, as if going to capture a disobedient prey.
Ye Bingshang watched his retreating figure, understanding that the bow would not actually release an arrow. He merely wanted to frighten the unruly young girl.
—Ye Bingshang, being close by, had overheard Nian Muning's words.
Tantai Jin had taken several steps before suddenly turning back.Ye Bingshang's tears streamed down her cheeks as she stared at him, weeping in a daze. Tantai Jin remained silent for a long time before forcing a stiff smile. "I forgot to give you a return gift. Nian Bai Yu, take my lady to the treasure vault. Whatever catches her eye shall be hers."
Ye Bingshang gazed at him pleadingly.
He turned and strode away.
Xiao Hui said worriedly, "My lady..."
Ye Bingshang wiped the tears from her face and murmured calmly under her breath, "Still not enough."
Nian Muning and the Night Shadow Guard followed the dark-robed emperor. Most women on the street wore masks.
Amid the bustling crowds and joyous laughter everywhere, tracking down a young girl was no easy task.
Nian Muning said, "Your Majesty, Third Miss Ye couldn't possibly leave. Her grandmother is still in our hands."
Tantai Jin's tone was icy, unwilling to listen to reason. "I knew she would run. I should have broken her legs."
People were fickle and cold-hearted, just as his mother's existence had hindered his birth—he wouldn't hesitate to kill her.
Su Su was fully capable of abandoning her aged, useless grandmother!
Nian Muning watched as the emperor roughly grabbed a purple-clad woman by the shoulders, tore off her mask, and flung her aside upon seeing she wasn't the one he sought.
He resembled someone betrayed, utterly heartbroken and furious, his eyes red with rage.
"She broke her promise. When I find her, I'll throw her and that old woman into the snake pit together!"
Nian Muning didn't dare speak. Perhaps it was an illusion, but she sensed a trace of grievance and confusion beneath His Majesty's wrath.
Third Miss Ye was highly capable. If she truly fled, few in this world could find her.
They walked for a long time, the Night Shadow Guard's menacing aura forcing people to retreat repeatedly.
Suddenly, Tantai Jin halted.
He stood on the Unrepentant Bridge, where couples lingered below. His shadowed eyes scanned the young pairs, and a cold smile suddenly twisted his lips.
Nian Muning felt a sense of foreboding.
The emperor nocked an arrow, aimed at the crowd, and shot a man below the bridge in the knee.
The woman accompanying the man screamed.
The festive atmosphere instantly descended into chaos. Nian Muning hurriedly pleaded, "Your Majesty, they are your subjects."
In the chilly spring breeze, the young man chuckled softly. "Oh, who cares?"
He nocked another arrow and began to kill.
Nian Muning's face turned ashen. Unlike her brother Nian Bai Yu, this was her first glimpse of Tantai Jin's cruelty and brutality.
The subjects beneath his feet were like livestock in his eyes—his gaze bloodthirsty, even carrying fragments of amusement.
Her mind went blank. Finally, she produced a black-and-white fanged mask and placed it on Tantai Jin.
They must not lose... the people's support.
Her hands and feet turned icy.
Just as the situation spiraled completely out of control, a figure in a water-blue dress kicked the bow from Tantai Jin's hands.
The newcomer, her black hair cascading like a waterfall, caught the falling bow and coldly aimed it at Tantai Jin.
Nian Muning swiftly blocked the newcomer's hand to protect the emperor.
Tantai Jin removed his mask and said calmly, "You've returned."
He reached out to remove the silver butterfly mask from the woman opposite him.
Flowers bloomed in profusion across the mortal world. Beneath the mask, the girl's cold eyes gleamed like blades in the night, fixed on him with simmering anger.
Tantai Jin stared back icily.
In Nian Muning's heart, she couldn't help recalling the emperor's earlier threat of the snake pit punishment.
Amid the ongoing chaos and countless screams, the dark-robed youth suddenly pulled the girl into a tight embrace.
He held her fiercely, as if intent on crushing her to dust.But if he truly wanted her dead, he would never have given her an embrace.
His dark eyes watched the lanterns floating on the moat as he whispered something in Su Su’s ear.
Su Su was taken aback. "What?"
Screams drowned out the young man’s murmur, and she only felt the force around her waist threatening to crush her.
He pressed his lips together, refusing to repeat himself, and stared coldly at the flowing river below.
The curved jade muttered quietly, "He said, if you run again after becoming the empress, he’ll really kill you."
Su Su paused, then broke into a smile.
Three golden nails spun within the pearl tears, and the curved jade exclaimed joyfully, "Three Soul Extinguishing Nails have emerged."
Six more remained.
Tantai Jin had been in a foul mood all along. He lowered his gaze, toying with Su Su’s silver butterfly mask as if she had murdered his entire family.
For once, Su Su found him somewhat agreeable.
She deliberately said, "I want the phoenix robe in blue, embroidered with a red phoenix."
He remained silent, his face cold and unyielding.
Su Su had no desire to be empress, but seeing his gloomy, debt-collecting expression as if the sky were about to fall amused her.
She struggled to maintain a stern expression, mimicking his dark demeanor.
"Laugh if you want to," he growled.
He had said this to her before, back when he was blind in one eye and she had picked him up.
But today, Su Su felt no restraint. She buried her face in her arms and burst into laughter.
He pressed his lips tightly together, gripping the silver butterfly mask fiercely.
After a while, seeing that she was still laughing, Tantai Jin could bear it no longer. He pinched her chin and said, "Enough. Know your limits."
"I may have made you empress, but that doesn’t mean I’ll tolerate your insolence!"
The girl blinked her moist eyes and replied with a smile, "Oh."
He stared at her for a long time, then gritted his teeth and said, "If you deceive me again…"
There was a chilling intensity in Tantai Jin’s eyes, like two dark flames, and Su Su knew he was not joking this time. Skinning her alive and pulling out her bones—he was fully capable of it.
If she truly betrayed him or ran away again, he would surely despise her to the core.
Su Su looked into the young man’s pitch-black eyes, and a cold shiver ran down her spine.
She quietly touched the three divine nails that had fully formed within the pearl tears, and her heart steadied.
A hundred years from now, this person before her would be nothing but a handful of dust.
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