"To a place that requires secrecy," the Demon Lord gestured for her to follow. "You'll know when we get there."
Jian Lin shrugged, indicating she didn't mind. Ever since she'd been furious to the point of death and then cried her heart out, she had gained a new understanding of this man.
Don't argue with him; you'll only end up making yourself angry.
Jian Lin silently followed behind him, looking left and right. The memories she had never experienced before gradually became real and tangible.
Like that rouge shop, where she bought her first box of rouge. The silk shop next door had beautiful fabrics, though the prices were equally striking. Back then, she had dreamt that once she cultivated a golden core and became successful, earning a lot of money, she would definitely buy an expensive silk handkerchief.
Jian Lin recalled and sighed from a third-person perspective, lamenting that her original self was just a naive and innocent girl. She hadn't received enough love, which led her to make a foolish mistake and walk down a crooked path. She was truly pitiful.
Lost in thought, the Demon Lord in front suddenly stopped. Jian Lin, unable to brake in time, almost bumped into him.
"What is it?" Jian Lin peeked forward and saw the Demon Lord staring intently at a blue brick.
They had walked out of the main street of the small town and turned into a residential alley. There were no vendors here, only a few children chasing each other and playing in groups.
Jian Lin also looked closely but couldn't make out anything special. The blue brick was covered with messy drawings and crookedly written insults like "So-and-so is a turtle." These were definitely scribbled by the children. She didn't understand what useful information could be found here.
Just as she was about to ask, the Demon Lord seemed to have found what he was looking for. He stepped forward and said, "Found it. Follow me."
What was this all about, being so secretive?
This time, they walked very quickly, weaving through several alleys before finally stopping in front of a crowded and dilapidated residential house.
How dilapidated was this house? Weeds grew all over the walls, the courtyard gate was crooked, and the chain locking the door was rusty. It didn't look like a place where anyone lived.
Without further ado, the Demon Lord put his arm around Jian Lin's waist, tapped his toes, and directly leaped over the courtyard wall, entering the premises.
Soon, Jian Lin sensed something was wrong. As if divided by the courtyard wall, the aura inside was completely different. She could feel that complex magic formations were arranged inside, and she immediately realized that this might be the Demon Lord's stronghold in Cangnan Town.
As she landed in the courtyard, before Jian Lin's feet even touched the ground, she felt a murderous aura attack from the right. A cold light flashed, it was a poisonous needle, a rain of poisonous needles!
The Demon Lord turned and shielded her in his arms, raising his sleeve to deflect the poisonous needle attack.
One wave of trouble had barely subsided when another arose. Before the poisonous needles were finished, the sound of piercing air echoed as poisonous arrows shot from all directions, threatening to surround and kill them.
Good heavens, this small courtyard might look unremarkable, but it was indeed full of traps. One might think some great treasure was hidden here.
"Protector Liu, it's me," the Demon Lord said in a low voice, dodging the poisonous arrows. "Put away those mechanisms."
As soon as he spoke, the door creaked slightly, and a head poked out, asking incredulously, "My Lord, is that you?"
The Demon Lord landed steadily and replied in a deep voice, "It is I." 138 Reading Network
The door slowly opened, and a slender woman emerged. She held her long sword pointed at the Demon Lord, asking warily, "My Lord, what was the last thing we communicated, the very last sentence?"
The Demon Lord calmly replied, "Prioritize your safety. Don't make futile efforts to be brave. There's no need to organize a rescue. Whether you can survive depends on your own abilities."
"My Lord!" The woman lowered her sword and took two steps forward excitedly. "I knew you wouldn't abandon us! You would definitely come looking for us!"
Jian Lin stood aside and observed. Based on the Demon Lord's address, this must be Protector Liu. People in the Demon Palace had mentioned her before.
However, she never expected Protector Liu to be such a frail-looking woman. She wore a gray coarse cloth Taoist robe, a wooden hairpin in her hair, and had a long face with fair skin, delicate eyebrows, and small eyes. In reality, her temperament was the opposite: bold yet meticulous, acting decisively.
After the master and subordinate finished their reunion, Protector Liu turned her gaze to Jian Lin and asked hesitantly, "And who is this?"
"A dancer from the Dancing Girl Workshop. You can call her A Pei," the Demon Lord assigned Jian Lin the simplest and most initial identity.
Protector Liu had her own informants in the Demon Palace and had likely heard of her. She showed a look of sudden realization. "So this is Miss A Pei. I've heard so much about you. I am Liu Zhi'er. You can just call me by my name."
Liu Zhi'er, one must say, this name suited her appearance perfectly.
Just as Jian Lin was about to exchange pleasantries to show friendliness, the Demon Lord interrupted their conversation. "Let's talk inside. Tell me about your recent situation."
Protector Liu's attention was immediately diverted, and she said with heavy guilt, "After I received the message, I sent signals to all my brothers as quickly as possible. Only half of them received the message, and in the end, only seven found the small courtyard. Most of them were injured, and I was the only one who was unharmed..."
The Demon Lord pushed the door open and sat on a chair in the main hall. This was an ordinary civilian house, with a small main hall and two bedrooms on each side. The bedrooms had no doors, and inside were simple plank beds where several figures could be seen lying down.
Protector Liu knelt before the Demon Lord and said sadly, "The wounds on their bodies are very strange. No matter what method is used, they are difficult to heal. I gave them the Tortoise Breath Pill, which can at least preserve their lives and alleviate their pain. In summary, it is my subordinates' failure to perform, and I ask for your punishment, My Lord."
The Demon Lord remained silent, his face like ice, and the atmosphere was heavy. Jian Lin, standing by, felt a pang of sympathy. How much punishment could this small frame of Protector Liu bear?
Besides, regarding the Twelve Peaks' forbidden curse, even the Demon Lord couldn't break it himself, so why trouble his subordinate?
"Lord Chong Yuan, forget it," Jian Lin spoke up to intercede for Protector Liu. "This matter is very complicated. Besides, she is the only one who can move freely here. If Protector Liu is injured, won't we lose someone to help? It's truly unnecessary."
Protector Liu was startled and secretly glanced at Miss A Pei. Chong Yuan? Was she referring to the Demon Lord?
The Demon Lord's name was Chong Yuan? She didn't know that. It seemed this Miss A Pei was not simple.
"I didn't say I was going to punish her," the Demon Lord frowned. "I was just thinking about something else. Protector Liu, you may rise. This matter has nothing to do with you."
Protector Liu was very surprised, not expecting the Demon Lord to truly not punish her.
She had received orders to rescue the trapped brothers, but she hadn't saved a single one, and instead, she had gotten herself trapped in Cangnan Town, performing her duties extremely poorly.
Protector Liu was touched and said excitedly, "Your subordinate thanks you, My Lord. I will definitely learn from this lesson, repent sincerely, and atone for my past mistakes by achieving merit."
Jian Lin couldn't stand seeing people kowtow. She walked over and pulled Protector Liu up. "Alright, alright, stop kowtowing. You'll get dizzy. Stand up and talk."
Protector Liu was pulled up by Jian Lin and looked at the Demon Lord in surprise. Did the Demon Lord not object?
The Demon Lord had always been strict with people, rewarding and punishing them clearly. When did it become unnecessary to even kowtow? This Miss A Pei was indeed as formidable as the rumors suggested.
Protector Liu looked at Jian Lin with admiration. Miss A Pei, she would remember her.
Jian Lin helped Protector Liu up, guessing that they, master and subordinate, might have private matters to discuss and it would be inconvenient for an outsider to be present. She proactively suggested, "I see there's a stove outside. I'll go boil some water to make tea."
With that, she was about to withdraw.
The Demon Lord suddenly called out to her, "Wait, no one here needs tea. Come here, I need your help with something."
Of course, she knew no one needed tea. Wasn't she just finding an excuse?
Jian Lin suppressed the urge to roll her eyes and stopped, asking, "What is it?"
"Don't you find the fact that the wounds can't heal very familiar?" the Demon Lord stood up and walked towards the inner room. "Come here and help me take a look."
Jian Lin instantly realized. "Are you saying it's the Demon Emperor's technique of extracting the core?"
Even the powerful Demon Lord had suffered greatly from this, and it was only healed with dragon tendons in the end.
Jian Lin followed the Demon Lord into the room. Protector Liu walked at the front, leading them to the most seriously injured person. She pulled back the thin blanket covering him, making way for the two of them to examine him.
Upon seeing the wounds, Jian Lin involuntarily felt a sense of empathy and winced.
The person had more than a dozen cuts of various sizes. The most severe one on the upper right arm had a large chunk of flesh gouged out, exposing the bone. Next were the abdomen and the left shoulder, both with cuts of varying degrees.
These were all masters of the Demonic Sect, protected by demonic energy. Now, they were like mortals, suffering considerable flesh wounds. One could imagine how powerful the attacker was.
Jian Lin observed carefully and said uncertainly, "We can't tell if it's the Demon Emperor's technique. We might need Hong Qu and Tao Niang to take a look."
It was best for demons to judge whether there was demonic energy.
"We are in Cangnan Town now. I don't know if revealing demons will trigger another forbidden curse," the Demon Lord disagreed slightly. "To be cautious, let's forget it."
Jian Lin thought about it and agreed. However, she didn't want to disappoint the Demon Lord and immediately turned to find the system.
Since it was a world set up by the system, if it said it was okay, then there was definitely no risk.
After some coercion and enticement, plus double the points, the system modified a demonic energy test strip for her. Dripping blood onto the strip would reveal if there was any demonic energy.
Jian Lin redeemed it and re-entered the room to find the Demon Lord sitting by the bed, extending his hand to transfer demonic energy to his subordinates.
He usually seemed cold and ruthless, but he also had such a gentle side. He was quite good to his subordinates.
After transferring the demonic energy, he covered the injured person's blanket and turned around, meeting Jian Lin's gaze.
"What are you standing at the doorway looking at?" the Demon Lord asked, puzzled.
"Nothing," Jian Lin smiled and extended her hand, offering him the test strip. "I found something good. It's said to be able to detect demonic energy. Shall we try it?"
The Demon Lord did not take it. He looked at her deeply. "You just said there was no way, and now you have a way so quickly? Don't you think you... are too strange?"
Jian Lin was taken aback. She only wanted to help the Demon Lord and hadn't considered such details. It was too late to say anything now, so she decided to go all out.
"I am just that strange," Jian Lin said, shaking the test strip in her hand. "I'm telling you, this is very accurate. So, do you want to use it or not?"