"You're right, someone might be trying to set a trap, but we can't figure out who the culprit is yet," Qi Yu pondered. "I'll come over to find you now. Wait for me."
The shopkeeper of Ming Cang Lou responded with an "Okay."
Qi Yu packed her belongings into a storage pouch, used her spiritual energy to dry her hair, and then went to find Li Yu.
She told Li Yu that she had something important to attend to and needed to go out.
Li Yu was initially reluctant to agree, but considering that Qi Yu had at least informed him before leaving this time, which was a significant improvement, he waved his hand and granted her permission.
Upon receiving permission, Qi Yu immediately turned back, saying she needed to pack her luggage in her room. She then closed the door, sat cross-legged, and used her spiritual energy to travel through a mirror to Ming Cang Lou in the Demon Realm.
When Qi Yu emerged from the mirror in the inner chambers of Ming Cang Lou in the Demon Realm, her attire had changed from male clothing to a black, floor-sweeping gauze gown. The front was slightly open, revealing her fair collarbone. Her black hair was styled into a high bun, adorned with a few black crystal hairpins.
From the right temple to the right eye, a pattern resembling a black rose was imprinted on her skin.
Ming Cang Lou was the number one artifact pavilion in the Demon Realm, boasting the most comprehensive selection of artifacts and spirit stones in the entire realm.
Even over half of the artifacts used by the Demon Lord originated from Qi Yu's Ming Cang Lou.
"Owner, you've finally arrived," the shopkeeper of Ming Cang Lou, Wang Zhanggui, scurried over, rubbing his hands. The black demon horns on his head seemed to have been recently polished, gleaming under the candlelight. "The Crown Prince is already waiting for you inside."
"...So soon? But I just arrived," Qi Yu hesitated. "Can I prepare myself first?"
"Don't bother preparing," Wang Zhanggui pulled Qi Yu along, dragging her inside. "If you prepare any longer, it'll be too late. No, I mean, we'll all be in trouble."
Qi Yu hadn't been too nervous before, but hearing Wang Zhanggui's words made her anxious. "What's the Crown Prince's name? What does he look like? What's his usual temperament?"
"Owner, you're going to resolve a problem, not go on a blind date. Why ask so many questions?" Wang Zhanggui said, but he still provided a basic introduction. "This Crown Prince is the Demon Lord's second son, ranking second. His name is Feng Mingxi. He is a very rare water-elemental demon spiritual root among male demon cultivators. He has an older brother and two younger sisters."
"As for his personality... he actually seems quite good... Before our incident, he was always smiling. This incident is the first time he's lost his temper."
"I'm truly honored to be present for Feng Mingxi's first outburst," Qi Yu quipped, then paused. "Shopkeeper Wang, what if he attacks me the moment he sees me?"
"..." Wang Zhanggui pursed his lips. "I doubt it. Feng Mingxi has a good temper among demon cultivators. I think at most he'll scold you and kick you a few times. Owner, you have to be strong."
Qi Yu became even more hesitant to go in.
But this was not something she could avoid by not going.
She took a deep breath, stood at the door, and tried to gather her courage for a long time. She still felt it was unfair to face Feng Mingxi's anger alone. So, she reached out and grabbed the shopkeeper Wang, who was preparing to slip away, and dragged him in with her.
Shopkeeper Wang was a mid-tier demon with over 150 years of cultivation. Upon entering the room and sensing the demonic pressure emanating from Feng Mingxi, he immediately knelt on the ground and curled into a ball.
"Greetings, Your Highness," Qi Yu bowed slightly. As she raised her head, she saw a man dressed in a black woolen cloak, with skin as pale as ice, and a handsome, almost seductive appearance.
This man had long hair adorned with a black feather crown and a pair of demon horns. His pair of seemingly gentle, ink-colored peach blossom eyes stared intently at Qi Yu.
"You are the hidden owner of Ming Cang Lou? Shopkeeper Wang has already informed you of the situation, hasn't he?"
Feng Mingxi glanced at the shopkeeper kneeling at Qi Yu's feet, too afraid to utter a sound, merely curled into a ball like a useless servant.
"Shopkeeper Wang has informed this servant," Qi Yu said, looking at Feng Mingxi. "May I ask if Your Highness consumed anything else or used any other formations when using the artifact?"
As she spoke, she kicked Shopkeeper Wang.
Looking at Feng Mingxi's demeanor, he wasn't as terrifying as he had been described!
Shopkeeper Wang dared not make a sound.
Although he was the shopkeeper, he couldn't make the final decisions on major matters for Ming Cang Lou. If he hadn't exaggerated the severity of the situation, how could the owner have come?
"How audacious!" a demon attendant standing behind Feng Mingxi rolled his eyes at Qi Yu. "How can you pry into His Highness's movements?"
Qi Yu smiled. "If this servant doesn't pry, how can I ascertain the reason for Your Highness's loss of demonic power?"
The demon attendant seemed surprised that someone dared to talk back and glared at Qi Yu.
Qi Yu glared back immediately!
What are you glaring at? Showing off that you have big eyes?!
"Enough," Feng Mingxi waved his hand at the person behind him and looked at Qi Yu. "On that day, I only used the 'Sleeping Spell.'"
"May I be taken to see it?" Qi Yu's thought was simple. Demon cultivators were not as troublesome as human cultivators in their cultivation. They had innate demonic bodies, and there were only a few reasons for a loss of demonic power: injury or a clash of artifact and spiritual energy. Therefore, seeing it would reveal the cause.
However, what puzzled Qi Yu was that.
As soon as she spoke, all the demon cultivators in the room, including Shopkeeper Wang, looked at her with strange expressions, as if they wanted to speak but stopped themselves.
Feng Mingxi also hesitated to speak.
Qi Yu was confused by their gazes. "Did I say something wrong?"
Why were they all looking at her as if she were an oddity?
"Owner," Shopkeeper Wang got up from the ground, trembling. "Do you know what it means in the Demon Realm to say you want to visit a male demon cultivator's room?"
"What does it mean?" Qi Yu raised her eyebrows in confusion.
"...It means offering yourself to him," Shopkeeper Wang said, then shivered again from the pressure Feng Mingxi had inadvertently released.
Qi Yu froze and then looked at Feng Mingxi.
Feng Mingxi met her gaze with a half-smile.
Qi Yu was silent for a moment, then looked at Feng Mingxi with a sincere expression and replied, "Your Highness, please rest assured, I have no interest in you."
Feng Mingxi felt the situation was becoming more complicated. "Alright. The incident happened with an artifact from your Ming Cang Lou. It's understandable that you want to see it. Follow me."
Qi Yu responded with an "Okay."
She followed Feng Mingxi into the Demon Palace.
Upon arriving at Feng Mingxi's chambers, Qi Yu knelt on one leg on the couch, carefully examining the spell. She discovered that the spell indeed conflicted with the artifact from her Ming Cang Lou. Just as she was about to get down and tell Feng Mingxi, the door to the chamber was pushed open from the outside.
Her adoptive mother, Yu Zhen, strode in, calling out Feng Mingxi's name. As she was about to say something, she saw Qi Yu on the couch and Feng Mingxi sitting beside her. She fell silent. After a moment, she turned and said, "I didn't expect you to be doing this. Mother will leave you to it. Mother is leaving."
"Wait? No!" Feng Mingxi tried to stop her. "Mother, the situation is not what you think."
"Demon Lord, we have no relation! Please let me explain everything," Qi Yu also climbed down.
However, Yu Zhen left quickly, disappearing as soon as she closed the door.
Qi Yu looked at the chamber door and then met Feng Mingxi's gaze.
Feng Mingxi held his forehead, his voice filled with gritted teeth, "Owner of Ming Cang Lou, you have ruined my reputation!"
Qi Yu looked incredulous. "Reputation? The one who should be concerned about reputation is me! Your mother saw it, not some outsider. You can just explain it!"
"...Seeing it with my mother, does that not count as reputation?" Feng Mingxi angrily slammed the table. "Ultimately, it's the artifact from your Ming Cang Lou that has problems, which is why all these issues have arisen."
"Your Highness, you cannot speak with your eyes closed. Our Ming Cang Lou has been operating for so long without any problems. I just checked, and it's clearly the artifact conflicting with your spell!" Qi Yu was also angry. Disregarding her image, she rolled up her sleeves and retorted, "You're accusing me without even investigating properly. Do you know how much this will damage the reputation of my Ming Cang Lou!"
"How dare you talk back! Are you tired of living?" Feng Mingxi struck out with his palm.
Qi Yu's injuries had healed, and her spiritual power was at its peak. She was not afraid of him and met his palm with her own!
The two exchanged blows, soaring into the air. With a bang, the chamber door was blown several meters away, and they fought fiercely.
Yu Zhen, who had been lamenting that her son had grown up and was even dating, was startled by the earth-shattering sounds of their fight.
"What the hell is going on?" Yu Zhen was startled. Seeing dust falling from the ceiling, she quickly led her entourage out.
Outside the chamber.
Qi Yu stepped on Feng Mingxi's stomach, and Feng Mingxi kicked Qi Yu's thigh. They fought from the sky to the ground, pulling each other's hair and yanking at each other's hair accessories, as if they wanted to kill each other.
Yu Zhen stood by, watching silently.
After watching for a while, she suddenly turned to someone beside her and asked, "Who is that girl fighting with Mingxi?"
For some reason, she looked somewhat familiar.
"She's the owner of Ming Cang Lou," the demon attendant explained the entire situation. After finishing, he asked worriedly, "Your Majesty, shouldn't we stop the two princes and the owner from fighting?"
"Most of the artifacts in the Demon Realm come from Ming Cang Lou, and the Demon Palace has a large expenditure recently, owing Ming Cang Lou a considerable amount of silver," Yu Zhen said, grabbing a handful of sunflower seeds. "You say, why don't we just not intervene? Let Mingxi get beaten by her, and that can offset the debt, what do you think?"