In another room, Li Sisi woke up slowly from the bed.
“Senior Sister!” Pu Tao pushed through the crowd and stepped forward, grabbing her hand. “Are you alright?”
“Junior Sister?” Li Sisi was momentarily stunned, looking around with confusion. “Wasn’t I dragged underwater by a monster? How did I end up here?”
“A monster?” Pu Tao’s grip on her hand tightened.
Li Sisi’s eyes showed a hint of fear. “I went to the edge of the pond to fetch water. Just as I crouched down, I saw a green shadow appear from the bottom of the water and pull me in… After that, I lost consciousness.” She asked Pu Tao, “Junior Sister, was it you who rescued me?”
Pu Tao looked into her eyes and after a long pause, said, “No.”
“Did you hear that? It was our Junior Sister Zanxing who saved her!” Tian Fangfang, who had been eavesdropping at the door, swaggered out with a look of proud joy, as if to clear an unjust grievance. “Don’t make baseless accusations in the future!”
“What Junior Sister Zanxing?” someone retorted angrily. “She’s the Demon King’s daughter, watch your manners!”
“Oh.” Tian Fangfang quickly changed his tune. “It was the Demon King’s daughter who saved her.”
The person was too enraged to continue the conversation.
Li Sisi, still filled with confusion, pulled Pu Tao and asked, “What does fellow cultivator Tian mean? Junior Sister, who is the Demon King’s daughter?”
Pu Tao averted her gaze and remained silent.
Tian Fangfang, having received the information, immediately conveyed this exciting news to Mu Cengxiao and the others.
“I knew it, Junior Sister Zanxing wouldn’t lie!” he said with enthusiasm, gesturing excitedly. “To show kindness even to a sworn enemy, what a broad-minded person! Truly impressive!”
“Be quiet.” Gu Baiying frowned and glared at him. “Are you praising a demon?”
The room fell silent.
Gu Baiying had completely forgotten his past with Zanxing. Given the situation with the Wulei Platform, his current impression of Zanxing was that of a cunning demon who had infiltrated the Taiyan Sect and deceived him. When leaving, the disciples were advised by Shaoyang Zhenren not to reveal the truth to Gu Baiying. But dealing with this…
It was indeed uncomfortable for those observing.
Tian Fangfang had always had a good relationship with Zanxing, and he wasn’t afraid of Gu Baiying. He exaggerated, “No matter if she’s a demon or a human, she just saved one of ours. In life, what matters most is to distinguish between life and death. One should not repay life with death. When Senior Uncle fought her just now, your spear even injured her. I wonder if it will harm her cultivation… She looks so delicate and weak. We not only outnumbered her but also overpowered her with our superior strength…”
“Overpowered with superior strength?” Gu Baiying’s eyes narrowed as he stared at Tian Fangfang.
“You were once her Martial Uncle! She is your junior, and you, as an elder, fighting against a junior is precisely using your superior strength!” Tian Fangfang said as if it were a matter of course.
Gu Baiying: “…….”
A disciple from the Xiang Ling Sect, who was delivering bedding to the room, couldn’t help but interject, “Who says she was injured? Besides, she looks fierce and intimidating, associating with all those monsters. How could she be delicate and weak?”
“She was injured,” Meng Ying, who had been silent until now, said calmly and firmly. “I saw it. Her arm was heavily wounded, bleeding profusely. It’s likely to affect her cultivation.”
The Xiang Ling disciple walked away, disgruntled.
Men Dong, carefully observing Gu Baiying’s expression, said, “Seventh Uncle, I think… we should send her some medicine as an apology. After all, she saved one of ours, and yet we still injured her. If this gets out, it will damage the reputation of our Taiyan Sect.”
Gu Baiying, unable to tolerate it any longer, slammed his teacup onto the table. He spoke coldly, “You all, from the beginning, have been showing favor to that woman.” His gaze suddenly became sharp, and his tone grew icy. “Why do you have such close relations with her? Was it true that the sect said I was once enchanted by her? What exactly has the Sect Master hidden from me? You,” he looked around at everyone, his eyes piercing as if cutting through to the truth, “what do you know?”
The room fell silent, and the stillness was palpable.
After a long pause, Tian Fangfang spoke up, “What do we know? All we know is that you two held hands all the way here. In some places with strict customs, that would mean you’re engaged.”
Men Dong gave Tian Fangfang an encouraging glance.
Gu Baiying responded angrily, “What nonsense are you spouting?”
The heavy atmosphere in the room was broken.
Mu Cengxiao cleared his throat and said, “I also think that Senior Uncle should send her some medicine. Even if there’s no personal obligation, there should be some sense of propriety. A cultivator shouldn’t be less broad-minded than a demon clan member.”
“Indeed,” Men Dong said as he took out a medicine bottle from his sleeve and placed it on the table. “This is a pill made from Yulingzhi, which can replenish cultivation, boost energy, and nourish the blood. She will need it now.”
Seeing this, Mu Cengxiao reached out to take the bottle, saying, “I’ll go…”
Men Dong coughed lightly, causing Mu Cengxiao’s hand to veer away from the bottle in mid-air. Men Dong said, “I’ll go make the bed.”
Gu Baiying’s gaze fell on the medicine bottle, and he seemed to be lost in thought. After a moment, he suddenly sneered, grabbed the bottle, and stood up. “Fine, since you all are so eager for me to visit that woman, I’ll go see her.”
His tone turned grave, with a touch of coldness. “Let’s see what secrets you all are hiding.”
With Gu Baiying’s departure, the tense atmosphere in the room relaxed. Men Dong sighed in relief and turned to admonish Mu Cengxiao, “Haven’t you read enough books? Why are you still so obtuse? If you had gone to deliver the medicine just now, how would Senior Uncle have reacted? Don’t make decisions on your own in the future!”
Mu Cengxiao’s face turned slightly red as he nodded repeatedly.
“However, do you really think he’s going to show consideration?” Meng Ying, sitting in the corner, said with a hint of worry in her beautiful eyes. “I’m afraid that if he doesn’t remember Junior Sister, it might end up hurting her feelings.”
Inside the room, Zanxing was tending to the wounds of the Earth-Eater Demon.
There were still many tasks to handle aside from mourning the past. For example, they had now collided with the Demon Extermination Army, which meant their previous plans were no longer feasible. Furthermore, Gui Yansheng was ahead of them, and it was uncertain if any mishaps would occur. Living together with the Demon Extermination Army was like putting sheep and tigers in the same pen; if either side lost control tonight, the Sui You Kingdom might be drenched in blood.
Mourning Star was wailing by the window.
“Stop the wailing. It makes those who hear it uncomfortable,” the Earth-Eater Demon scolded. He clutched his broken leg, looking somewhat flattered and surprised as he watched Zanxing. “Your Highness, I’m fine. You needn’t worry.” By all that’s holy, he had merely broken a leg. How could he, a mere demon, be so fortunate as to have the Demon Princess personally tend to his injuries? This was such a blessing that he wondered if it might shorten his life.
The leg bone swallowed by the Water and Wood Essence was gone forever. Seeing Zanxing’s worried expression, Skeleton Woman kindly spoke, “Your Highness need not be concerned. In the Heishi City mansion’s backyard pond, there are many human leg bones buried. Each is well-shaped and sturdy. You can let Earth-Eater choose one to replace it.”
“Is that possible?” Zanxing asked in surprise.
“Of course,” Xiao Shuang smiled. “Or a bit of mud and water can also serve as a replacement.”
“Yes, yes, Skeleton Woman is quite adept at this—an expert!” Mountain Spider nodded.
Relieved, Zanxing was contemplating this when a subordinate’s voice came from outside, carrying a hint of urgency. “Your Highness, Your Highness, someone’s here to cause trouble!”
“Cause trouble?” Zanxing looked up in suspicion and saw Gu Baiying walking in.
Xiao Shuang and Skeleton Woman discreetly positioned themselves in front of Zanxing. Gu Baiying stopped, his gaze lingering on Zanxing’s face for a moment before he suddenly said, “Li Sisi has awakened.”
Zanxing raised her eyebrows slightly as she heard Gu Baiying’s voice. “You were the one who saved her.”
It seemed that Sister Sisi was honest and hadn’t blamed her for being a demon.
Xiao Shuang looked at Gu Baiying gently and asked, “May I ask why you’ve come…”
“Meng Ying said you were injured.” Gu Baiying ignored Xiao Shuang’s question and looked at Zanxing. “I was the one who injured you.”
“Injured?” Skeleton Woman became alarmed upon hearing this. “Your Highness, where are you injured? Does it hurt?” After searching for a while, she finally found a scratch about the size of a fingernail on Zanxing’s hand.
The young man pulled a bottle of medicine from his sleeve. “Meng Ying asked me to…”
“No need.” Zanxing interrupted him.
Gu Baiying’s motion to hand over the medicine paused.
“It’s too late. The wound has already healed.” Zanxing looked up at him with a calm demeanor. Her expression was neither warm nor cold, as if she was dealing with someone she knew but wasn’t particularly close to. “Thank you for your kindness.”
The atmosphere suddenly became awkward. Even Xiao Shuang, who was usually good at handling delicate situations, found himself at a loss for words and stood silently.
The young man, momentarily surprised, showed a hint of frustration that he wasn’t even aware of. He slammed the bottle onto the table and said curtly, “Whether you want it or not.” He turned and walked away.
As Gu Baiying left, the people in the room exchanged glances. Weren’t they saying that this young man was the one the young princess cherished the most in the capital? Even during her seclusion, she was said to be deeply concerned about his injuries. They had been on high alert since meeting Gu Baiying, fearing that Zanxing might be swayed by old ties and neglect their major plans. But now, seeing this… it seemed to be nothing more than that! Could it really be that new love surpasses old love? The favored concubines were indeed formidable.
Zanxing picked up the hot tea from the table and took a sip.
Gu Baiying appeared to have indeed forgotten their past, but when facing her, he seemed to have restrained some of his hostility towards demons. This was undoubtedly thanks to Meng Ying and the others. After all, someone as perceptive as Gu Baiying would likely notice the subtlety in Tian Fangfang’s feelings, leading him to make associations.
But… what exactly did the sect do to him?
Had he truly lost all his memories?