AUOF - 53

Passing through Ghost Ridge, the fog grew thicker.

The sound of hooves crunching on leaves echoed eerily. Si Tu tightened her grip on the reins, sensing danger lurking in the mist.

She reined in the horse and stared intently into the depths of the wild forest.

“Who’s there?!”

“I should be asking you that—how dare you trespass into Ghost Ridge?”

Si Tu discreetly observed the newcomer.

The man wielded an iron-toothed hammer, stood about nine feet tall, and bore no trace of demonic energy despite being in this ghostly domain.

“I need to see Futian Hou.”

Si Tu had already confirmed his identity. Her voice was clear and steady, cutting through the layers of black mist. Her gaze was unwavering as she locked eyes with him.

The man’s brow furrowed as he scrutinized her from head to toe.

Without wasting words, Si Tu grabbed Cui Wanning by the shoulder, yanking her out of the carriage, and strode quickly to the man in just a few steps—

“This is the real Lady Ningyue. You’ve captured the wrong person.”

The burly man cast a skeptical glance at Cui Wanning.

After a moment, he shook his head dismissively. “Don’t try to fool me. The one we caught is far prettier than her, dressed like a celestial maiden. Is she really Lady Ningyue? She might just be a servant for all I know.”

The word “servant” struck Cui Wanning like a thunderclap. Her entire body trembled violently. Beneath her veil, her lips were pressed tightly together, her eyes flickering with indignation and shame before being overwhelmed by fragility.

Her trembling fingers clenched tightly under her sleeves.

Si Tu said, “It’s said that Lady Ningyue’s flesh and blood are treasures. Whether that’s true or not, you can test it yourself.”

At these words, the man’s expression turned serious.

“In any case, I have no interest in your demon realm affairs. Just inform your master of this: the person you captured is my friend. Now that I’ve brought the real one, we’ll make an exchange—one for one. Once we’re done, I’ll leave immediately, and we won’t interfere with each other.”

He pondered for a moment. “Alright. Wait here. I’ll be back shortly.”

The burly man turned and disappeared into the city gates.

Si Tu dragged Cui Wanning behind a tree to wait.

To prevent her escape, Si Tu tied her up tightly with a rope, then crossed her arms impatiently as she waited.

Cui Wanning remained silent beside her, her timid demeanor irritating Si Tu to no end. Unable to hold back, Si Tu pushed her roughly. “Ever since arriving in Huashan City, I’ve felt something off about Sang Li—she’s been acting strangely evasive. Tell me the truth: did you plan this from the start? What leverage do you have over her? Are you threatening her into doing your bidding?”

Si Tu had no particular penchant for prying into others’ secrets.

But this matter concerned someone’s safety. If Yen Jinglou truly had some underhanded method of controlling Sang Li, as her half-friend, she had to intervene.

Even if she couldn’t defeat Yen Jinglou, she was a goddess after all. If push came to shove, she could provoke him into stabbing her, invoking divine punishment to strike him down—it would serve him right.

Si Tu nodded to herself, thinking the plan feasible.

But… what if Yen Jinglou killed her?

She stroked her chin, pacing back and forth, her thoughts wandering far away without her realizing it.

________________________________________

While Si Tu waited, two others were observing the situation from the shadows.

Qi had reverted to his original form, carrying Ji Hengyu as they circled high above. Through a pre-cast concealment spell, they could see and hear everything below via a magical mirror.

Flapping his wings, Qi asked Ji Hengyu, “Master, shall we make our move?”

“Let’s observe for now,” Ji Hengyu replied calmly, fanning himself with his hand-held fan. “Futian Hou wants to lure Yen Jinglou out with this scheme. If he dares to show up, we’ll seize the opportunity to take them all down in one fell swoop.”

Qi was surprised. “Master, you intend to kill Yen Jinglou?”

Ji Hengyu didn’t respond, which was tacit agreement.

Qi suppressed his shock and declared firmly, “I will assist you, Master. But…” He hesitated, wanting to ask but not daring to. After a pause, he voiced his concern, “What about Miss Sang Li?”

Ji Hengyu’s wrist stilled mid-fan.

His shoulder blades still throbbed with pain, but aside from that initial blow, it seemed she hadn’t suffered much else.

Ji Hengyu resumed playing with his fan. “She’s fine.”

“Huh?” Qi turned his head. “How does Master know?”

Qi’s true form was that of a Qi Gui—a monstrous creature from ancient times, now nearly extinct. The reason they weren’t entirely gone was because Qi still lived.

His true appearance defied description; it was as if the heavens had stitched together every horrifying feature imaginable onto him. His face was a kaleidoscope of colors, grotesque beyond words.

Even Ji Hengyu, who was usually composed, could be startled by him when caught off guard.

There was a brief silence before Ji Hengyu smacked him with the fan. “Since when did you become so nosy? Turn your head back.”

Qi sulkily turned his head. “If Master finds me ugly, why bother saving me in the first place?”

Ji Hengyu: “Because I’m the one who caused your injuries.”

“...”

Ah.

That made sense.

As they spoke, movement stirred below.

“Master says you may enter.”

The burly man emerged from the city gates and addressed Si Tu.

Eager to save her friend, Si Tu didn’t hesitate and followed him inside with Cui Wanning in tow.

The desolate city had been taken over by Futian Hou and the remnants of Luoshan Wang’s forces. Among these demons, some were weak, but there were also many skilled fighters.

Countless eyes fixed on her, and even Si Tu couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

“Enough. Wait here while she comes with me.”

The burly man singled her out.

Si Tu disagreed: “We’re going in together—it was agreed, one for one.”

The burly man sneered: “Master only agreed to see you, not to make an exchange with you.”

“You—!”

Si Tu raised her palm, ready to retaliate.

The burly man signaled to the others. In an instant, a thick cloud of soul-disorienting powder surrounded her, leaving her no chance to act. Soon, under its effects, her body swayed, and she collapsed unconscious on the ground.

A short, low-ranking demon kicked her, greed flashing in his eyes: “What should we do with her?”

The burly man pulled Cui Wanning aside and sternly instructed: “Temporarily detain her in the water dungeon. Master specifically ordered that this person is of the divine race—do not harm her in any way.”

The short demon turned pale with shock, quickly retreating a few steps. He then ordered others to drag Si Tu away to the water dungeon.

Meanwhile, the burly man escorted Cui Wanning toward the inner hall.

This palace, occupied by demons and ghosts, had been abandoned for a hundred years.

On the damp throne sat a man who wasn’t particularly imposing—emaciated, his limbs like dry, lifeless branches devoid of moisture, barely clinging to his equally withered torso. He gave the impression that a gust of wind could shatter him into pieces.

His height made him resemble a bare tree branch even more.

The “tree branch” wore a bear-skin cloak. His skeletal face was adorned with a pair of disproportionately large eyeballs.

To be precise, they were just empty sockets.

The eyeballs appeared to have been gouged from some monstrous creature and crafted into artificial eyes, mismatched with his face, making him look even more terrifying.

This grotesque visage left Cui Wanning’s legs trembling.

“Master, shall we test if she’s genuine?”

Futian Hou twirled a spirit ring made from human bone on his thumb. “Why bother testing?”

The burly man was taken aback: “Without testing… how will we know who the real Lady Ningyue is?”

Futian Hou sneered, suddenly standing up.

He loomed tall, the overly heavy cloak seemingly about to crush his frail frame.

“Yen Jinglou has deeply wounded me and betrayed my trust by killing my elder brother. Naturally, I must let him taste pain.” Futian Hou took slow steps forward. “Bring them both out. Let’s see whom Yen Jinglou will choose…”

Cui Wanning’s mouth went dry with tension. She swallowed hard, involuntarily looking up.

She found those blood-red artificial eyes lowering, staring directly at her.

The eyeballs seemed alive, with veins sprawling across them, rolling unnervingly in her direction.

Futian Hou laughed, his skin stretching like crumpled paper, pulling taut toward his ears: “If Yen Jinglou chooses her, we kill the other. If he chooses the other, we kill this one… Ha… hahaha… HAHAHAHAHAHA—!”

Futian Hou threw his head back in uproarious laughter.

The sound echoed high and loud throughout the empty palace.

She covered her mouth, tears streaming down in large drops.

“Get in there! Stay put!!”

Sang Li had been lying in the cell for so long that she was almost growing mold, having already stomped over a dozen rats.

Finally hearing movement, she eagerly crawled over, gripping the bars to peer outside.

It was dark; even with her spiritual vision, everything remained blurry.

When the figure finally approached, Sang Li’s eyes widened instantly.

“You… how did you end up being captured too?”

Cui Wanning lifted her tearful gaze, her dust-covered face filled with resentment.

She was rudely shoved into the cell.

The force sent Cui Wanning stumbling to the ground. Before she could stand, she spotted several rats larger than kittens lying nearby. With a terrified scream, she scrambled backward.

Her hand brushed against something soft. Upon closer inspection, it was yet another live rat gnawing on her bracelet!

“Ahh!!”

Another scream erupted.

Cui Wanning cowered in the corner, trembling with fear.

Sang Li, with a blade of grass dangling from her mouth, tilted her chin: “Friendly advice—behind you is a rat hole.”

Panicking, Cui Wanning scrambled away, her usual grace and elegance nowhere to be seen.

The environment screamed danger.

Having endured countless hardships along the way, Cui Wanning thought of the impending peril and was overcome with fear.

She curled up on the ground, sobbing softly. Her weak cries reverberated through the cramped darkness.

Sang Li spat out the grass and moved closer: “Why are you crying? There are bigger rats in the demon realm. Haven’t you seen any?”

Cui Wanning shook her head, tears streaming: “Ah Yan always gives me the best. How could he let me see these things…?”

Sang Li’s lips twitched slightly.

Perhaps because she grew up in a village, Sang Li wasn’t afraid of rats or cockroaches.

As a child, lonely and bored, she would even catch a few to keep as “friends.”

Though she didn’t like Cui Wanning, seeing her terrified stirred some pity.

Sang Li’s eyelashes fluttered, her dusty cheeks revealing two dimples. She nudged Cui Wanning gently, “Don’t cry. I’ll show you a glowing flower.”

Cui Wanning looked over tearfully, clearly intrigued.

To avoid detection by the guards outside, Sang Li stealthily pulled her to face away from the entrance, hunching over like a thief. From her sleeve, she retrieved a flower.

The flower was white and oddly shaped.

In truth, it was a makeshift “flower” she’d assembled. After Ji Hengyu told her that the petals of the Sea God Tree wouldn’t wither, Sang Li had collected many from beneath the tree. Out of boredom in the dungeon, she’d sought distractions and discovered that these flowers glowed faintly in the dark.

The faint light illuminated her palm and half of her radiant face.

“How’s that? Pretty, right?”

Cui Wanning couldn’t help but glance at her profile.

She gazed at the flower, smiling sweetly. Even the most ruthless person would soften at the sight of such a smile.

But to Cui Wanning, this familiar sight evoked only disgust, fear, and a faint, almost negligible sense of shame.

Her hand resting on her knee tightened, then slowly slipped into her sleeve, grasping the cold blade.

Slowly… she drew it out.

Sang Li remained absorbed in admiring the flower.

Its fragrance was soothing.

Sang Li’s smile didn’t waver, but the light in her eyes chilled, her voice calm: “I advise you, Lady, not to act rashly.”

Cui Wanning’s grip on the knife froze instantly.

Sang Li carefully touched the delicate petals, her tone deliberate: “Futian Hou captured you and hasn’t released me, meaning he intends to bind us both and force Yen Jinglou to make a choice. If you kill me now and ruin his plan, there’s no guarantee he won’t lash out in anger.”

She glanced over: “Would he eat your flesh or strip your bones? If I were Futian Hou, I wouldn’t waste your precious blood.”

Cui Wanning’s lips trembled slightly.

“Besides…”

Sang Li crushed the flower in her hand.

The petals crumbled into dust, their faint glow seeping from her fingertips.

“I’m a demon, and you’re human. You guess—will you kill me first, or will I bite through your throat?”

Sang Li’s expression appeared innocent and harmless, her clear eyes reflecting the other woman’s panicked shadow.