After His Demise, the Demon Lord's Doted Canary Finally Sees the Light - Chapter 46

Wu An  stroked the goatee on his chin and nodded in agreement. “I see.”

Jiufang Cangze  had received more flattery in his life than Qiu Fuxue had sipped morning dew. He could tell with a single glance that this man was not good. At the very least, he wasn’t a reliable person who got things done.

Qiu Fuxue continued, “But I’ve been secluded from the world for a long time, and my master used to handle all the matters down the mountain. I’m afraid of being deceived by those with ill intentions, so I’ve come to ask the Governor to help me vet them.”

“Of course,” Wu An replied with a righteous air. “The Thousand Thoughts Sect and Sunset City share a single heart. Since Sect Leader Qiu has asked for my help, how could I refuse?”

“In that case, if the Sect Leader doesn’t mind, you can stay in my manor. The Flower Festival begins tomorrow, and I’ll make sure you leave with a few exceptionally talented disciples!”

Jiufang Cangze cursed him silently. What a treacherous official!

With his goal achieved, Qiu Fuxue had no reason to decline. “If that’s the case, then I’ll be imposing on you, Governor.”

After some more pleasantries, Wu An ordered a servant to prepare two rooms in the side courtyard and led the two of them there.

“Oh, and Governor Wu.” Just as Wu An was about to leave after settling them in, Qiu Fuxue suddenly called out to him.

He took out a small, exquisite brocade box from his sleeve and handed it over. “I didn’t bring anything good with me on this trip, so please accept this small token of my appreciation.”

“Is this…?” Wu An opened the box and his eyes widened the moment he saw the scale inside.

Just as shocked was Jiufang Cangze.

He quickly patted himself down, only to realize that his storage bag was gone! The mer-person scale (jiaoren lin, 鮫人鱗) had clearly been in his storage bag!

The grand thief Qiu Fuxue gave away the stolen item without a change in his expression. “This mer-person scale was left behind by the remains of a fiendish mer-person. It’s the only one of its kind in the world and contains a bit of fortune. Governor, you must take good care of it.”

“I will! I will!” Wu An’s face immediately lit up with joy, and his happiness was impossible to hide.

Although Jiufang Cangze knew Qiu Fuxue wouldn’t give away such a precious gift for nothing and that the scale was definitely enchanted, he was still very unhappy about his storage bag being stolen.

After Wu An left, he immediately went to Qiu Fuxue’s room, a scowl on his face. “It must have been this morning when I hugged you! There was a lot of money in there, too!”

“That money was all stolen from the sect disciples,” Qiu Fuxue said, sitting in a chair and looking him over.

Jiufang Cangze was as broke as a beggar. Besides the stolen money, his storage bag was just as empty as his room. All that was left was the mer-person scale and the bones of a butterfly.

Qiu Fuxue had thought it over. While the butterfly’s remains had caused him a lot of trouble, the small pendant was indeed very beautiful, so he had generously given the mer-person scale away.

Jiufang Cangze was fuming. He looked like a resentful woman who had been wronged, especially when the other person handed him an empty storage bag. Suddenly, a sound came from outside the thin paper window. Qiu Fuxue quickly threw the white porcelain teacup in his hand towards it.

“Who’s there?!”

The teacup broke through the window paper and landed on a rock on the lawn outside, making a crisp sound.

Jiufang Cangze leaned out the window to check. There was no one outside, but a faint trace of demonic energy remained on the window frame.

There were no cultivators in the governor’s manor, so demonic energy shouldn’t have appeared.

He mumbled to himself, “As expected, they’re here for me…”

“Sect Leader Qiu, what happened?”

The patrolling guards heard the commotion and came to knock on the door.

Qiu Fuxue opened the door and shook his head calmly. “It’s nothing. My servant is clumsy. He can’t even serve a cup of tea without throwing it out the window. I’m sorry to trouble you with cleaning it up.”

“It’s fine, sir.” The guard breathed a sigh of relief. Cleaning up broken porcelain was a small matter; slighting a distinguished guest would be a big problem.

After the door was closed, in the blink of an eye, Jiufang Cangze had taken over the chair. He leaned back arrogantly, looking at him with a half-smile. “A-Xue, your lying skills have really improved.”

“He who keeps company with wolves will learn to howl,” Qiu Fuxue said, getting him out of the chair.

Just then, the spiritual token suddenly lit up.

Li Yun (黎雲) was sending a message.

Qiu Fuxue glanced at Jiufang Cangze and opened the token.

Li Yun’s voice immediately came through. “Senior Brother, how are things on your end?”

Qiu Fuxue’s voice was gentle. “We’ve entered the manor. I don’t know if Wu An suspects the purpose of our visit.”

“Wu An is a sly man and is not as easy to deal with as he seems. Senior Brother, you must be careful.”

“I will,” Qiu Fuxue said, taking his advice. They chatted for a few more moments, but Li Yun was reluctant to cut off the message.

“Senior Brother… I miss you.”

Upon hearing this, Jiufang Cangze wrinkled his nose and bared his teeth.

It was so “sour” it made his teeth hurt.

Qiu Fuxue glared at him and turned back to Li Yun, his voice still gentle. “It’s only been a short time since we parted.”

The spiritual energy in the Thousand Thoughts Sect’s territory was abundant, and the voice was unusually clear. “The Flower Festival is tomorrow. I was hoping I’d have a chance to spend it with Senior Brother…”

“So that’s what this is about,” Qiu Fuxue couldn’t help but chuckle. “The festival lasts for three days. I’ll finish up here early and come back to be with you.”

“Okay!” Li Yun replied with a hint of anticipation, not bothering to hide his affection.

The spiritual token’s light flickered and died. The message had ended. Qiu Fuxue looked up and saw Jiufang Cangze vigorously rubbing his face.

“Have you gone mad?”

Jiufang Cangze said deliberately, “My teeth hurt. His words were too sour.”

Qiu Fuxue put the spiritual token away. “A-Yun is my family. We grew up together. We’ve always been this way.”

It was still early. They would have to wait until dark to investigate the manor. Jiufang Cangze’s cultivation was severely damaged, and he hadn’t slept well in the morning. He occupied Qiu Fuxue’s bed and fell asleep, his head tilted back.

Bored, Qiu Fuxue began to study the curse mark on his wrist. He suddenly realized he recognized the symbols on it and tried to recite them in his mind.

A flash of white light appeared, and a golden cage materialized out of thin air. Jiufang Cangze, who was sleeping on the bed, vanished and reappeared inside the cage.

“…?!”

Jiufang Cangze’s eyes were hazy. He was still half-asleep and didn’t understand what was going on.

Qiu Fuxue took a sharp breath, staring at the curse mark on his wrist. So the reverse curse that the goddess Taichu spoke of had this ability.

He had locked people in a golden cage many times, but this was the first time he had been locked inside. Jiufang Cangze sat there dumbfounded. Thankfully, the cage had been made high enough, or he wouldn’t have fit.

Qiu Fuxue propped his chin on his hand, feeling quite pleased. “You look like a big crow in there.”

“I’m not that black…” Jiufang Cangze grumbled softly. “A-Xue, let me out. This isn’t fun at all…”

“Why didn’t you think it wasn’t fun when you locked me up?” Qiu Fuxue gave him a sideways glance. “Stay in there for now. I’ll let you out tonight.”

A knock came at the door. The voice of a servant girl came from outside. “Sect Leader Qiu, the Governor invites you to the main hall for a meal.”