Night.
Hot City.
Outskirts of the city.
In a courtyard.
It was currently spring, and Hot City’s temperature was higher than most cities, so logically, all the trees and flowers in Hot City should be in their full bloom.
However, this courtyard was different.
The two large trees in the courtyard had no branches or leaves; their densely intertwined branches were bare, giving off a desolate feeling.
A gust of cold wind blew.
Flutter—
A flock of crows suddenly flew in and landed on the branches of the withered trees.
With indifferent eyes, they all stared in the same direction—the second wing room in front of the trees.
…
The temperature inside the wing room was extremely low; if a basin of water were placed inside, it would likely freeze into ice in moments.
And scattered around the room were many human faces.
A figure, completely shrouded in a black robe, sat before a red wooden dressing table.
"I’ll use this face for now~~ Heh heh heh, it’s truly not bad."
......
Nian Jiaojiao and her companions had already settled into the City Lord’s mansion.
As for the Eldest Son Ding Shen, whose facial features had been removed, he was still tied up in place, jointly guarded by the City Lord’s mansion guards and government constables.
At this moment, Nian Jiaojiao was nestled comfortably with handsome men.
Xuan Yi lay to her left, and Nan Qing lay to her right.
Although she had shared a bed with her husband-husbands for so long, her previous husband-husbands had always come to her room alone.
Thinking this, she felt a surge of excitement.
So, her hand reached out in Nan Qing’s direction.
But as soon as her hand touched the lapel of his chest, he grabbed her wrist.
"Don't fool around."
Nan Qing said in a low voice.
Nian Jiaojiao sheepishly retracted her hand, planning to adopt a flanking strategy.
"Then let's chat."
Neither of the two men responded.
Nian Jiaojiao continued:
"Speaking of which, what are your thoughts on having children?"
Nan Qing: …
Xuan Yi: …
When out with two equally taciturn husband-husbands, Nian Jiaojiao sometimes truly felt like she was performing a one-woman show.
But she wasn’t discouraged, and pressed on:
"It’s been almost three years since we consummated our marriage, yet we still haven’t had a child."
At this moment, Xuan Yi couldn’t help but say:
"I’m sorry, Wife-Lord, it is our fault that we have not been able to spread your branches and leaves for you."
Nian Jiaojiao was taken aback.
That wasn’t what she meant at all.
So, she tried hard to bring their thoughts back:
"No, no, that’s not what I meant. How can we blame you for not having children? Pregnancy is the result of both parties' efforts. If anyone is to blame, it’s me, for entering cultivation so early and for my cultivation advancing too quickly…"
In the darkness, Nian Jiaojiao gazed at the ceiling, a look of a master burdened by solitude on her face.
Those who entered the Transcendent realm were no longer ordinary mortals. Regardless of gender, their chances of successfully conceiving increased exponentially.
If the Transcendent realm was a difficulty of two times,
Then the Object Manipulation realm was four times, and the Object Taming realm was eight times.
However, when both the male and female parties reached the same level, the difficulty would decrease slightly, but it would still be difficult to conceive.
Thus, Nian Jiaojiao said:
"It is not easy for cultivators to conceive in the first place. Look at Senior Sister Lei, she’s not young and still doesn’t have children.
Of course, this is partly because she is a cultivator, but the bigger reason is that she is engrossed in cultivation and has not put effort into fertility!"
Speaking of this, Nian Jiaojiao was somewhat exasperated, wishing they would not disappoint her.
She was unaware that Lei Juan, who was far away in Qingzhou, was sneezing incessantly at this moment.
Lei Juan’s senior husband-husband: "Wife-Lord, are you catching a cold?"
Lei Juan: "How is that possible? Your wife is a cultivator…"
Here, Nian Jiaojiao stated her ultimate goal:
"Therefore, we must work together to strive to have a child soon!"
Her words made both men somewhat tempted.
A child that looked like the Wife-Lord would surely be very cute…
......
Sleepless night.
When Nian Jiaojiao and the other two went out, Luo Wen, Luo Jin, and Nie Xian were already waiting at the dining area.
Once everyone was assembled, Luo Jin looked at Nian Jiaojiao with a gaze full of admiration.
That’s right, she had always been very interested in the joys of the bedchamber, and to that end, she had always been well-versed in the art.
She enjoyed seeing her men submit to her.
But yesterday, the other party had brought two husband-husbands… Even though her room was the furthest away, she had been kept awake all night by the commotion.
Seeing the other party still radiant and unperturbed today made her wish to apprentice herself on the spot.
Luo Wen’s expression, however, was somewhat complex.
They had come to eliminate demons, but was this Senior Nian reliable or not?
After Nian Jiaojiao entered, Nie Xian, the moment their eyes met, quickly gave a thumbs-up.
Xuan Yi and Nan Qing naturally understood the reason for the awkward atmosphere.
Even though they usually showed little emotion, their earlobes couldn't help but feel a little warm.
As everyone was eating, each with their own thoughts, the City Lord strode in.
"Everyone, the Prefect sent people to investigate, and the results are out."
Upon hearing the City Lord’s words, everyone lost their appetite and put down their bowls and chopsticks, following the City Lord to the front hall.
The Prefect, upon seeing Nian Jiaojiao and the others, got straight to the point and excitedly shared the information he had gathered.
"The targets of this extraterrestrial demon are indeed men, and they are all young and beautiful men."
Nian Jiaojiao suddenly interjected:
"How beautiful?"
The Prefect was stunned, clearly not expecting such a question.
However, he beckoned to the constables behind him, and a constable bowed and handed over a stack of drawings to Nian Jiaojiao.
The Prefect said:
"These are portraits of the victims drawn by some well-known painters in our city. These portraits are based on the descriptions of the victims’ relatives or friends, so they should be quite accurate."
Nian Jiaojiao’s expression fell as she unfurled the scrolls.
The portraits were all drawn in black ink, and they were flat diagrams. Apart from looking somewhat attractive, they had no obvious distinctive features.
Could it be that all these victims looked so "similar"?
She shook her head inwardly, deciding to stop dwelling on this point, and thus said:
"Are there any other findings?"
The Prefect nodded and said:
"The time interval between this Face-Stealing Demon's crimes is constantly shortening. The interval between the faces of the first few victims being stolen was about 7 to 8 days, then it became 5 days, then 3 days, and now, between Young Master Ding and the previous victim, the interval is only one day..."
Upon hearing the Prefect’s words, Nian Jiaojiao fell into thought.
Why did this Face-Stealing Demon seem to have human thoughts?
It specifically targeted human men, and wanted them to be handsome…
Furthermore, even the timing of its actions had a certain pattern, which made it seem like a perverted serial killer…
But was that possible?
She had always thought that extraterrestrial demons were merely mindless entities that harmed humans, but a demon with human consciousness…
Nian Jiaojiao’s brows furrowed tightly.
"Senior Sister, what should we do? If it continues at this pace, at least one person will have their face peeled off today."
Nie Xian spoke out.