"What the heck should I try!" the Evil Ancestor thought, "You, the Heavenly Emperor, might not be able to defeat him, and you want me to try? Are you using me as a scapegoat?"
"No need," the Evil Ancestor snorted, "I'll find another way to deal with my body. See you."
"Hey, wait a minute," the Heavenly Emperor stopped him, "Are you really not considering it? Si Qing's Daoist magic is profound, and because of his heavy killing, the malevolent energy on him is still very obvious. If you act gently, the malevolent energy and evil energy will be mixed together, and he definitely won't notice."
The Evil Ancestor thought he was stopping him for something important. Upon hearing this, he immediately snorted, waved his hand, and turned to leave.
Inside Buzhou Mountain.
Qi Yu and Si Qing ultimately did not go forward to greet the family of five. Instead, they returned directly.
Unexpectedly.
The next morning, Yu Zhen and Li Yu knocked on their door and summoned them to the main hall.
In front of Qi Yu and Si Qing, a pile of snacks and gifts was laid out.
Yu Zhen looked at Qi Yu, hesitated for a moment, then took her hand and said, "I originally wanted to go shopping with you, but you two seemed to have gone out, and I couldn't find you, so we went by ourselves."
"I don't know if you still like these now, but I remember when we were in the God Realm, you mentioned things from the mortal world, so I bought them all."
Li Yu also walked over and sat down, "We also know that you lack nothing now, but these things were chosen carefully by everyone. If you like them, take them. If not, we'll go buy them together next time."
As Li Yu and Yu Zhen spoke these words, they looked at Qi Yu and Si Qing with some trepidation.
They were afraid they would be unhappy, afraid they wouldn't respond, afraid they would accept them coldly, and afraid that their feelings for them would only stop at that time in the God Realm.
"Are these all chosen specifically by you?" Qi Yu looked at the things on the table, and suddenly recalled the scene of the five of them she had seen outside just now. A surge of sour emotions welled up in her heart.
"Yes, all of them. And... Si Qian and the others also helped us choose," Yu Zhen said, explaining, "We really wanted to go with you..."
"Thank you," Qi Yu raised her eyes, gently fiddling with the plush tiger on the table.
Li Yu watched for a while and suddenly said, "Also, about Feng Mian."
Si Qing's movements paused.
His expression was unreadable.
"I've thought about Feng Mian's matter," Qi Yu said before Yu Zhen could, "My feelings for him are basically non-existent. I don't know why he defected to the Evil Ancestor, whether his intentions are good or bad, so..."
Before Qi Yu could finish speaking, Yu Zhen interrupted her, "Regarding Feng Mian, it's actually more than half my fault."
Qi Yu and Si Qing looked at her.
Yu Zhen spoke with bitterness, "Back then, your father didn't know I was pregnant. Feng Mian was the first child I gave birth to after I reincarnated as the Demon Lord. I didn't have experience at the time and was negligent in my care, which allowed the Evil Ancestor to take advantage..."
"Mother," Qi Yu asked after she finished, "How exactly did Feng Mian come into contact with the Evil Ancestor?"
The Evil Ancestor was the malevolent energy of the three realms, and his relationship with the Demon Realm had always been disharmonious. Logically, Feng Mian, born in the Demon Palace, should not have had contact with him.
"It's been too long, and I can't quite remember the specifics..." Yu Zhen said, falling into memory, "I only remember that the next day I was going to pass the position of Crown Prince of the Demon Realm to Feng Mian, so I went to talk to him the night before. I didn't expect... I actually found residual curse marks of the Evil Ancestor on Feng Mian!"
Yu Zhen held her forehead, "Feng Mian told me at the time that he was forced and had his reasons, asking me to wait for some time. But how could the position of Crown Prince of the Demon Realm be given to someone who had dealings with the Evil Ancestor? Wouldn't that be tantamount to handing over the Demon Realm to the Evil Ancestor?!"
"This position concerns the lives of thousands of demons in the Demon Realm. It's not a matter that can be resolved by whether I favor him or not, or whether I give him a chance."
"So, I locked Feng Mian up. I passed the position to Feng Ming Xi. After Feng Mian came out of confinement, I talked to him and tried to tell him the disadvantages of dealing with the Evil Ancestor. I thought he had taken my words to heart, but I didn't expect..."
Qi Yu listened intently, "Mother, in other words, from beginning to end, you never let Feng Mian explain the reason behind it?"
Yu Zhen shook her head, "Initially, I was furious and lost my reason, so I didn't ask. But later, when I thought it through and asked again, he refused to say. Besides, he was behaving well at the time, and I thought he had stopped contacting the Evil Ancestor."
"...Since that's the case, let's find Feng Mian first." Qi Yu looked at Li Yu and Yu Zhen, "Mother, when I was in the Xuan Yue Sect, I saw a disciple whose cultivation was crippled by the Dao Venerable himself."
"The reason was that the other party colluded with demonic cultivators and engaged in improper conduct within the sect, damaging its reputation."
"However, after that disciple died, someone investigated and found out that he had not done anything improper with the demonic cultivator. That demonic cultivator was his adoptive mother, and he had been raised by the demonic cultivator since he was young. The demonic cultivator was merely hugging him and wishing him a happy birthday."
"That disciple was afraid to speak of this matter because the Dao Venerable was too disgusted with demonic cultivators, so he was misunderstood by the Dao Venerable, and the Dao Venerable never personally asked the disciple for his reasons, thus killing him by mistake."
Qi Yu looked at Yu Zhen, "I'm giving this example to say that you strongly dislike the Evil Ancestor, so have you considered that Feng Mian... might really have an unspeakable reason?"
"He is the first child after your reincarnation. Although you couldn't accompany him often, you naturally raised him with care. He couldn't possibly not know the severity of the Evil Ancestor."
"I'm not making excuses for him, I just think that perhaps he really had a reason. But later, because you chose Feng Ming Xi, and he himself didn't understand how serious it would be if the news of the future Crown Prince of the Demon Realm associating with the Evil Ancestor spread, he thought he was already abandoned and thus became self-destructive."
After speaking, Qi Yu stood up.
"So, regarding Feng Mian's matter, let's make plans after we capture him. Bring him back, ask him clearly about the cause and effect, and understand the reason behind it."
"After clarifying, we'll deal with it accordingly, according to the rules of the Demon Clan."
Yu Zhen was surprised.
She followed Qi Yu's suggestion.
After Yu Zhen and Li Yu left, Si Qing looked at Qi Yu with some surprise.
"Sister, I thought you would really want to kill Feng Mian directly... Why did you say those things to Mother?"
"It's nothing," Qi Yu said calmly, "I just feel that we can't just let Feng Mian die so easily."
In the hearts of the living, the dead cannot be surpassed.
This saying is not only useful for humans but also for demons and other races.
If Feng Mian had been wronged back then, and he died just like that.
If he died by her or Si Qing's hands.
Then this matter would become an unforgettable rift between her and Si Qing and Yu Zhen.
Yu Zhen would always remember that it was she and Si Qing who killed Feng Mian, and would regret it more and more as she thought about it.
But if the truth were revealed, and he were dealt with according to the rules of the Demon Clan, the outcome would be different.
Si Qing nodded as if he understood but didn't. "Sister, you don't want us to be involved in Feng Mian's affairs, do you?"
"Yes," Qi Yu patted his head, "Whether Feng Mian lives or dies, whether he is executed as a traitor, is something Mother and Father should worry about."
"Then, what if Feng Mian obeys the Evil Ancestor's command and actively seeks trouble with you and me?" Si Qing propped his chin with one hand, "If we don't fight back, won't we be passive?"
"No," Qi Yu smiled slightly at Si Qing, "There are many glaciers in the Evil Cold Hell. There is still space to temporarily detain one person."
"What if he and the Evil Ancestor cooperate?" Si Qing propped his chin with both hands.
"I don't know about that," Qi Yu said leisurely, "If I get angry, and act impulsively, I might kill one and absorb the other completely."
"If I'm calm enough, then I'll absorb the Evil Ancestor and imprison Feng Mian in the Evil Cold Hell."
Si Qing nodded, "You were quite conflicted about this matter before, I didn't expect you to figure it out so quickly."
"It's not that I've figured it out," Qi Yu sat opposite him and picked up her teacup, "It's just that after talking with Mother just now, I feel that this is the most appropriate way."
Si Qing remained silent.
He thought dejectedly.
What is most appropriate...
He clearly disliked Feng Mian, yet he didn't act according to his own wishes, but instead made concessions first, believing that Feng Mian had his difficulties, so that his parents could handle the matter with peace of mind, and he himself would not interfere or add insult to injury, appearing not jealous at all.
The fundamental reason why his sister acted this way was still because she didn't want to create a rift with their mother and father, so she chose to be sensible in front of them.
Si Qing felt heartache for Qi Yu.
But he also understood that the real reason Qi Yu dared not be willful, deliberately chose to be sensible in front of her parents, and maintained a close distance with the demon siblings was still insecurity.
She, like him, was worried that Feng Ming Xi and his sister were more important to their mother than they were.
Although their mother might not necessarily think so.
But he and his sister... couldn't help but overthink.
Just then, a stumbling evil ghost rushed in and knelt before Qi Yu.
"Master, outside, outside is too terrifying."
"What?" Qi Yu said lazily, "Did the Heavenly Emperor bring people to attack?"
"No, it's the Phoenix Clan and the Winged Tiger Clan," the evil ghost cowered, "The people of these two clans... seem to have started fighting due to a conflict. They are now standing outside Buzhou Mountain, shouting for their clan leaders to uphold justice for them..."
Qi Yu almost choked on her water.
She followed Si Qing outside.
As expected, at a glance, she saw two groups of people, one red and one white, dressed in completely different colors, standing outside the Buzhou Mountain barrier, cursing each other and shouting to see their clan leaders.
Half of Buzhou Mountain was surrounded by phoenixes, and half was surrounded by pure white winged tigers. The scene was quite spectacular.
Qi Yu silently shifted her gaze.
As expected, in a secluded corner not far away, she saw Sui You and Ming Lou hiding.
Sui You squatted in the corner, looked at Ming Lou, and the expression on his face was indescribable, "You are... the clan leader of the Winged Tiger Clan?"
"...You are the Phoenix Lord?" Ming Lou's voice was also surprised.
Sui You nodded.
Ming Lou held his forehead.
Qi Yu stood beside Si Qing, watched Sui You and Ming Lou for a while, then casually grabbed an evil ghost, "Do you know why the Winged Tiger Clan and the Phoenix Clan started fighting?"
The evil ghost nodded.
"I heard that the Phoenix Clan and the Winged Tiger Clan jointly held a painting appreciation event. The portrait painted by the Winged Tiger Clan was of the young owner behind the scenes of the Moon Bright Xuan, a weapon shop in their territory."
"The portrait painted by the Phoenix Clan was of the young owner behind the scenes of the Moon Pavilion, a spiritual artifact shop in their territory."
"Yes, and then?" Si Qing cracked melon seeds, "What's there to argue about such a thing?"
"Tsk," the evil ghost slapped his thigh, "Because when the representatives of the Winged Tiger Clan and the Phoenix Clan presented their portraits, the judge discovered that the portrait of the young owner behind the scenes of the Moon Bright Xuan of the Winged Tiger Clan was exactly the same as the portrait of the young owner behind the scenes of the Moon Pavilion of the Phoenix Clan! It was completely the same person!"
"The Winged Tiger Clan said the Phoenix Clan copied it. The Phoenix Clan said the Winged Tiger Clan deliberately imitated them, and then they started fighting."
The evil ghost shook his head as he spoke.
"Tsk tsk tsk," Si Qing shook his head and looked at Qi Yu, "The two clans are so stupid. They should have invited the young owners of the shops from both clans to compare and see if they really looked like their paintings. That would have been enough, right, brother?"
Qi Yu, who was both the young owner of the Moon Bright Xuan of the Winged Tiger Clan and the young owner of the Moon Pavilion of the Phoenix Clan: "..."
She looked at Si Qing with some melancholy, "Don't mention this idea later."
Otherwise, she would have to use a clone.
Si Qing made an "oh" sound.
Qi Yu was annoyed and slumped into a small, listless ball nearby.
Recently, her multiple identities had been exposed unexpectedly.
She was increasingly worried about her situation when all her masks were completely revealed in the future.