The Fire Fox Queen left in a daze, and Tao Niang followed her with concern. Jian Lin hesitated for a moment, then crouched down amidst the mess to search for the peony hairpin.
Soon, she found it. She played with the exquisite and luxurious peony hairpin, planning to personally return it to the Fire Fox Queen another day and subtly inquire about things, perhaps gleaning some information.
There was no point in asking the Demon Lord about this; that person was as elusive as ever, appearing and disappearing unpredictably.
The Fire Fox Queen seemed greatly shaken. She did not come out to greet guests that evening, claiming illness and the need for rest.
When Jian Lin learned of this, she felt the matter was more serious than she had imagined. If her suspicions were unfounded, it would be one thing, but what if Hong Qu truly knew the Demon Lord? If they were to meet one day, wouldn't the Demon Lord's disguise be revealed?
What should she do? On one hand, Jian Lin hoped the Demon Lord wouldn't come to Chuyun Pavilion. On the other hand, she wished to contact him as soon as possible to secretly tell him about Hong Qu.
Jian Lin was filled with worry. It was agonizing to know there was a pit ahead and yet be unable to prevent it.
However, before she could figure out a solution to this problem, another, more urgent matter arose.
The next evening, the Lin Yu Guards suddenly appeared, and an atmosphere of black terror instantly enveloped Chuyun Pavilion.
Screams erupted, and the monsters scattered in fear. After a period of chaos, the once lively and boisterous hall fell silent.
Jian Lin crouched in the corner of the third floor, peering down through the gaps in the stair railing, her body frozen with fear.
The Lin Yu Guards, the demon emperor's black birds, were the terrifying monsters who had massacred the Spirit Crane Maiden tribe.
They had a pair of black wings on their backs and wore black masks on their faces. These masks had no facial features, only a red lightning-shaped talisman, signifying they had no minds of their own. They were completely subservient to the demon emperor, the emperor's eagle talons, blades, and emotionless killing machines.
Their appearance meant death.
Facing such a terrifying and chilling situation, Tao Niang calmly stepped forward, standing at the forefront. She spoke to the Lin Yu Guards, "May I ask the purpose of the Lin Yu Guards' visit today? Chuyun Pavilion is a licensed establishment, and no one can disrupt our business without reason."
The leading Lin Yu Guard spoke, his voice deep and hoarse, devoid of any emotional fluctuation. "Lord Bai Mei died of poisoning this afternoon. Before his death, he identified the culprit as the Fire Fox Hong Qu. The Demon Emperor, having lost a beloved general, has ordered my Lin Yu Guards to apprehend the Fire Fox Hong Qu and present her at the altar to avenge Lord Bai Mei."
Jian Lin's heart tightened. She instantly recalled the tragic state of the Spirit Crane Maidens, and a thousand thoughts flooded her mind, converging into one: No, she absolutely would not allow the Fire Fox Hong Qu to suffer the same fate.
There was no time for her to hesitate. Jian Lin quickly exchanged for an invisibility function with the system, stood up, and rushed to the top floor.
Tao Niang and Hong Qu's rooms were on the east and west sides respectively. Jian Lin knew where she lived.
As if divinely aided, she ran as if she could fly. She quickly reached the top floor, pushed open the sliding door, and saw Hong Qu lying on the small couch, lost in thought. Seeing her enter, Hong Qu looked surprised.
"There's no time to explain! Trust me, I would never harm you!" Jian Lin closed the door, ran to her, and assertively stepped onto the small couch. She reached out to exchange for the treasure chest from the system, opened the lid, and collected Hong Qu inside. She closed the box, stuffed it into her Qiankun Bag, and activated the invisibility function again, hiding behind the corner curtains.
The actions were completed in one smooth motion, taking no more than a minute.
The treasure chest was something she had asked the system to search for after witnessing Boss Snake's gourd artifact that day. She had placed it in the exchange cart, to be used in times of need. It was one of her other life-saving trump cards.
Less than a minute later, Tao Niang pushed open Hong Qu's door and said calmly, "Hong Qu, you..."
Her voice was cut off. Tao Niang stared at the empty room, clearly taken aback.
The Lin Yu Guards behind her sensed something was wrong. They roughly pushed Tao Niang aside and entered the room to search. Seeing no sign of Hong Qu, the leading Lin Yu Guard issued an order, "Search the place!"
The Lin Yu Guards quickly divided into several groups. One group entered to search Hong Qu's room, another went to search Chuyun Pavilion, and a third group directly broke open the window and flew out to search from the air.
They soon turned Chuyun Pavilion upside down but found nothing. The enraged Lin Yu Guards took out their anger on Tao Niang, slapping her hard. The frail Tao Niang was unable to resist and was sent flying into the wall.
"Lin Yu Guards," Tao Niang said, raising her head stubbornly, speaking each word clearly, "You have no right to hit me. The Demon Emperor promised that no innocent beings would be killed within the demon city. It is your responsibility for failing to find Hong Qu, and it has nothing to do with me."
Jian Lin's heart ached. Damn it, how dare they hit her Tao Niang! Old grudges unresolved, and new hatred added!
Tao Niang's attitude was firm and her arguments were sound. The Lin Yu Guards eventually stopped their assault. After searching until midnight and finding nothing, they left in anger, leaving Chuyun Pavilion in disarray.
After the chaos, the usually bustling and lively Chuyun Pavilion fell into a deathly silence.
Jian Lin hid in the corner, waiting cautiously. It wasn't until the latter half of the night that she slowly emerged from Hong Qu's room.
Tao Niang was not in the room. Jian Lin went downstairs and found Tao Niang directing the little demons to clean up in the main hall.
She deactivated her invisibility function and walked over silently. Seeing her appear, Tao Niang smiled with relief. "I was wondering where you were hiding. You weren't scared, were you? It's really nothing, don't worry about it."
Nothing? Tao Niang and Hong Qu, one the owner and the other the top performer, seemed to have a good relationship. With Hong Qu's life in danger, how could it be nothing?
Perhaps because Jian Lin's confused expression was too obvious, Tao Niang explained further, "The relationships between demons are inherently weak. Besides, life and death are common occurrences. It's best to get used to it sooner rather than later."
Jian Lin didn't believe it. Despite what Tao Niang said, her eyes couldn't hide her deep worry.
She leaned close to Tao Niang's ear and whispered, "Tao Niang, aren't you curious about where Hong Qu went?"
Tao Niang shook her head, cautiously glancing around. She whispered back in Jian Lin's ear, "Not curious. Miss Apei, if you know anything, please don't tell any other demons."
Jian Lin was stunned, vaguely sensing some unwritten rules in the demon realm. They rarely helped each other, nor did they kick someone when they were down, preferring to mind their own business.
Chuyun Pavilion rested for a night. The next evening, as night fell, it reopened its doors to guests, still as bustling and lively as ever, completely unaffected by Hong Qu's disappearance.
With one top performer gone, another stepped up. The male demons who had been infatuated with Hong Qu, seeing her absence, would only ask a question or two at most before turning to flirt with the new top performer.
Within Chuyun Pavilion, no demons paid attention to Hong Qu. The little demons who danced with Jian Lin only looked at the new top performer with envious eyes, sighing about when it would be their turn.
Faced with this situation, Jian Lin felt a mix of amusement and helplessness. Wasn't this putting her on the spot? Hong Qu was with her now; what should she do next?
After much thought, she realized that once she started managing this, she couldn't just abandon Hong Qu. She couldn't do such a thing.
The next evening, Jian Lin left Chuyun Pavilion invisibly to gather information about Hong Qu and decide on her next course of action.
The information she currently had was that Lord Bai Mei was the old demon who had proposed joining forces to suppress Zhan San Dao that night. His poisoning and death were undeniably linked to Zhan San Dao.
The Demon Emperor clearly sided with Zhan San Dao, not pursuing the matter seriously, and using Hong Qu as a scapegoat to maintain appearances with a perfunctory attitude.
Jian Lin went out to gauge the severity of the situation. If all the demons were indifferent, then the Lin Yu Guards would not seriously pursue Hong Qu. Once the heat died down, she could find an opportunity to send Hong Qu away.
As for where to send her, she had no stable place in this world. At that time, she would have to trouble the Demon Lord.
Jian Lin spent the night going to lively places: taverns, bathhouses, martial arts schools. When the demons were drunk, they spoke without restraint. When discussing matters concerning the Demon Emperor, they only mentioned that several old generals had feigned illness and were absent, that the Demon Emperor was furious, and that it was the High Priest who came out to mediate and appease.
Jian Lin listened and deduced the situation. It clearly hadn't improved. With the death of Lord Bai Mei, the alliance of old demons was very angry. The Demon Emperor's anger was useless; ultimately, peace had to be sought.
As it stood, Hong Qu, the scapegoat, remained in great danger.
Jian Lin emerged from the tavern and walked slowly along the river, lost in thought. She saw many small stalls selling river lanterns and realized that the Ghost Festival was approaching.
The Ghost Festival was the demons' favorite holiday because of its eerie atmosphere and the tradition of releasing river lanterns. It was said that there would also be a parade of a hundred demons at night. In short, the livelier, the better.
She stood before a small stall for too long, and the stall owner actively asked, "Little fox demon, are you buying or not? If you're not buying, please move aside and don't delay my business."
"I'll buy," Jian Lin snapped back to attention. She picked the most traditional lotus lantern. "Two spirit stones, right? Here you go."
Jian Lin took the lotus lantern and turned, bumping abruptly into a solid chest. The impact numbed her nose, and tears welled up as she looked up. Who else could it be but the Demon Lord?
Jian Lin couldn't even be bothered to get angry anymore. The Demon Lord's bad habit of scaring people, she had told him countless times, but he didn't care. All she could do was endure.
"Caught you, you're out wandering again," the Demon Lord said, his eyes lowered, his expression blank.
Jian Lin tucked the river lantern into her sleeve and said indifferently, "So what if I am?"
After speaking, she started walking forward, and the Demon Lord followed her steps, snorting, "I've noticed a problem. Your temper is getting worse and worse. Your previous gentle and demure demeanor was all an act."
Jian Lin admitted this point. After all, she had initially wanted to win over the Demon Lord, so of course, she had to put on an act. Now, burdened by various matters, her true nature was gradually revealing itself. She was not a person with a good temper.
"It's all because I'm forced into it," Jian Lin sighed and looked up at the Demon Lord, seizing the opportunity to ask about the important matter, "Young Master, do you know our Miss Hong Qu from Chuyun Pavilion?"
"I don't," the Demon Lord said slowly, his hands clasped behind his back. "However, I've heard about her. It's quite impressive that she managed to escape the pursuit of the Demon Emperor's guards."
"She didn't escape; I saved her," Jian Lin said, standing still and looking up. She laid out everything. "Young Master, she's with me right now. I don't know what to do next. Please give me some advice."