Jian Lin had no idea how she had entered the demon city.
Walking into the center of the gourd, the gourd closed, and her vision went black and white. When she opened her eyes again, she was in an elegant room.
The Snake Boss was kneeling before a small table. On the red lacquered table sat a small, narrow-mouthed porcelain vase, in which was inserted a peach blossom branch. The peach blossom was in full bloom, its beauty dazzling and beyond description.
Behind this exquisite composition stood a beauty even more radiant than the peach blossom. Her charming eyes were full of expression, her nose was straight, her mouth like a cherry, and her hair was styled in an intricate hanging cloud bun, adorned with matching peach blossom hairpins and hair clasms. Her peach-pink dress was exquisite and meticulously crafted, embroidered with patterns of blooming flowers. She was truly a magnificent peach demon.
Jian Lin was stunned. Accustomed to the sight of blood splashing and demons eager for battle, encountering such an elegant and serene peach demon, she found her mind struggling to adjust.
The Snake Boss's voice came, as if he had been recounting Jian Lin's situation, and had reached the conclusion, "This is the basic situation. If you have any questions, you can send me a message. I'm entrusting this fox demon to you, so don't take it lightly. Her young master is a very powerful demon."
The Peach Demon chuckled, covering her mouth. Her voice was soft, melodious, and pleasant to the ear, "How powerful is he that Mr. Jiu Ying is so wary of him?"
The Snake Boss's withered fingers pointed to his own small eyes, and he said deeply, "I can't tell what kind of demon his true form is, that kind of demon."
The Peach Demon's eyes flickered, her surprise evident, "Then he is indeed very powerful. Perhaps some ancient divine beast. If our Demon Emperor knew, he would surely start a massacre again."
"Rage born of impotence. Let him kill, can he wipe out the entire demon realm?" the Snake Boss chuckled sinisterly, his tone filled with contempt.
Jian Lin's thoughts raced. In just a few short sentences, there was so much information. Her gaze towards the Snake Boss immediately changed. She had previously thought of him as a greedy little businessman, but now he dared to mock the Demon Emperor. This demon was certainly not simple.
At the same time, the Snake Boss stood up, gesturing for Jian Lin to come over, "Miss Fox Demon, this is Tao Niang. She will take care of you during your stay in the demon city. Tao Niang is cautious and thorough in her work, so please rest assured."
Tao Niang also stood up, placing her hands on her waist, and bowed gracefully.
Jian Lin walked over, cupped her fists, and said, "Thank you, Snake Boss. Greetings, Tao Niang. I hope for your continued care."
"Miss Fox Demon, you are too kind," Tao Niang smiled charmingly, giving the impression of warmth. "May I ask for your name?"
Since entering the demon realm, Jian Lin had never revealed her real name. For safety, it was better to use an alias. "You can call me A Pei."
The three exchanged a few more pleasantries, and the Snake Boss rose to take his leave. Before leaving, he reminded Jian Lin to speak well of him to her young master, and to come find him again if needed.
Jian Lin nodded, promising she would.
After seeing off the Snake Boss, Tao Niang invited Jian Lin to sit down and began to chat with her in a gentle tone.
"Miss A Pei, let me briefly explain the situation. This place is the West Cloud Pavilion in the demon city, a place of pleasure. It's bustling with visitors, a mix of all sorts, and well-informed. It's the best place to gather information," Tao Niang's thoughts were clear, and she spoke slowly. "I know your cultivation is not high, and you are here only to wait for your companion. You can hide in my room, and I guarantee there will be no danger.
"Of course, if you wish to go out, I will not stop you, nor will I ask what you are doing. But if you have any questions, you can ask me, and I will help in any way I can."
Jian Lin nodded as she listened. To be honest, the service was quite good. If all went smoothly, she would see the Demon Lord tonight. Jian Lin chose not to go out and decided to sleep in Tao Niang's room.
It had been a long time since she had encountered such a high-class and elegant environment. The air was filled with a sweet floral fragrance, and the bedding was made of high-grade silk. Jian Lin fell asleep as soon as she lay down.
She hadn't slept in a long time. Although she didn't need to sleep, meditating and cultivating was a form of rest, pure rest was a spiritual need for her, like eating and drinking. She could do without it, but it was better to have it.
She slept until nightfall, waking up refreshed, as if she had taken a ten-ingredient tonic.
Tao Niang's room was quiet, with a small, solitary lamp in the corner. Jian Lin got up and walked to the window, pushed open the window frame, and a wave of sound hit her. It was so lively outside, but when the window was closed, she couldn't hear anything!
Jian Lin pondered for a moment, certain that Tao Niang's room was protected by a barrier. She wondered if her action of opening the window would attract Tao Niang's attention.
However, since she had already opened it, Jian Lin leaned out the window to look closely. Tao Niang lived on the top floor of the Cloud Pavilion, about ten stories above the ground. Opposite was a tall building, with many lanterns hanging on each floor, large and small, of various shapes and colors. One by one, they converged to form the brilliant and dazzling demon city.
Jian Lin discovered that demons had a special fondness for lanterns. Granny Holy Fox's black market and the Ten Thousand Demon Tower favored red lanterns, which she assumed was Granny Holy Fox's unique preference.
Within the demon city, there was no uniform standard, and the variety of lanterns was exaggerated. Jian Lin even saw a revolving lantern behind the opposite tall building, spinning slowly like a carousel.
From the noisy outside, she could occasionally hear laughter and roars. Jian Lin guessed that the surroundings were all places of pleasure, a good place to hide.
Looking down at the ground, she saw that the streets were filled with demons, flowing with light, coming and going, their voices a cacophony.
Suddenly, there was a sound from behind. Tao Niang pushed the door open and smiled before speaking, "I knew you were awake. Miss A Pei, did you sleep well?"
As Tao Niang spoke to her, she circled the room, lighting the lanterns.
Jian Lin's gaze followed her, and she quickly replied, "Very well, very well."
"Since you are awake, Miss A Pei, what do you need? Please tell me quickly, don't be polite," Tao Niang sat gracefully beside Jian Lin, looking out the window together. "The demon city at night is very beautiful, a captivating den of iniquity. It is said that many cultivators secretly sneak into the demon city to indulge in pleasure and lose all desire for cultivation."
Jian Lin's heart skipped a beat. She wondered why Tao Niang was suddenly saying these things. Was she testing her?
Jian Lin immediately composed herself and chuckled, "It is indeed beautiful. I want to go out for a stroll, but I have to wait for my young master to come. I can't make decisions on my own."
"Then Miss A Pei will continue to stay in the room?" Tao Niang smiled gently. "I'll have someone bring some wine and food later, so you won't be bored sitting around."
Jian Lin perked up at the mention of food and drink and readily accepted, thanking her gratefully.
After a few more exchanges, Tao Niang got up and went out. Shortly after, a small flower demon brought her wine and food. Jian Lin took it, placed it by the window, and enjoyed it while admiring the scenery.
After drinking two cups of wine, Jian Lin inexplicably felt lonely. Drinking alone was truly uninteresting.
She took out the Dragon Roar Orb from her Qiankun bag and examined it under the candlelight. The mist within showed no reaction. She wondered if the Dragon Pill truly existed.
Jian Lin rested her chin on her hands, frowning in thought. She wondered if Tao Niang and the Snake Boss knew about the Dragon Pill. Perhaps she could make a deal with them?
With this thought, she closed her eyes and began to browse the积分商城 (Jifen Shangcheng - points mall), wanting to see what magical treasures she could exchange for, and if she was qualified to make a deal with Tao Niang and the others.
She now had over 2000 points, but most of the items in the points mall were only usable by her, such as teleportation talismans. She couldn't give directly exchanged items to others!
So Jian Lin searched high and low for a long time, but couldn't find a suitable magical artifact. Instead, she unexpectedly discovered an invisibility function.
She read carefully, and the invisibility function could be used in two ways: rented for 10 points per hour, or purchased outright for 500 points.
500 points! Jian Lin haggled with the system, "Is this thing really that useful? If I choose to be invisible, will I not be discovered by anyone or any demon? What if the other party is very powerful, like the Demon Lord or the Demon Emperor?"
"As long as you don't make any noise or actively click to deactivate it, you absolutely will not be discovered," the system guaranteed with great conviction.
Jian Lin was tempted. The Demon Lord would at least fight for a night, appearing at dawn. The night was long, and she might as well go out for a stroll.
Having made up her mind, Jian Lin immediately stood up and, with a wave of her hand, made a transaction with the system. She'd start with 20 points for two hours.
System: ...
He thought the host would buy it outright.
With a "ding" in her mind, she heard the sound of points being deducted, and a countdown began. Jian Lin felt a chill all over her body. She looked at her hands and saw that she had become invisible.
Jian Lin put her hands on her hips, grinned mischievously, and sneakily opened Tao Niang's door, officially setting out on her adventure.
Tao Niang lived on the top floor, which was likely the dormitory area. The corridor was very quiet. Jian Lin followed the stairs down, running down four or five floors in one go before it gradually became lively.
Going down another flight of stairs, her vision suddenly opened up. She had reached the atrium. In front was a circular staircase that connected the entire building. Jian Lin walked over and leaned over the railing to look down. Oh my, what a sensual and chaotic scene.
As expected of a place of pleasure, and among demons, there were no moral restraints like mortals, so they played more wildly and boldly.
Jian Lin couldn't bear to look and dodged the demons as she went downstairs and out the main entrance. Since no demon could see her, she unreservedly opened her mouth wide, expressing her shock.
The demons were too good at playing, their imaginations were very rich.
Lanterns, both moving and flying, were everywhere in the sky and on the ground. Not far away was a huge beast skeleton, with a row of large pots inside, steaming and cooking something.
Jian Lin leaned closer and was startled to see that the contents of the pots were still alive. Just as she was about to vomit, she realized this wasn't a place selling food, it was a bathhouse!
It was an open-air bathhouse for demons. A large pot sat above, with a fierce fire burning below. The pot was filled with various medicinal herbs, and the demons lay comfortably in the pot, even immersing themselves with enjoyment.
Boiling water for a bath, Jian Lin was impressed!
After touring the entire place in this manner, Jian Lin timed herself and returned to the West Cloud Pavilion. Suddenly, at the entrance, she saw a familiar figure – it was the Demon Lord!
But it wasn't dawn yet! Why had he appeared early?
A mischievous thought arose in Jian Lin's mind. She crept closer, intending to scare the Demon Lord. Upon closer inspection, it wasn't just the Demon Lord. Because the Demon Lord was tall, she hadn't seen Tao Niang standing opposite him.
"Tell her to behave herself. I will appear at the appropriate time," the Demon God said coldly.