After Provoking the Mad Beautiful Deity - Chapter 32.2

At that moment, she recalled the Empress’s words: the Empress had said Yanlai didn’t know how.

If she didn’t know and Yanlai didn’t know… why was that? Couldn’t such things be known instinctively?

Hongchen began to contemplate the meaning of life. One is born knowing how to eat; why shouldn’t one know how to do this?

Giving up on her studies, she leaned over the table in deep thought and soon fell asleep. She was exhausted, and the deathly silence of the library was the perfect sleep aid.

Silence reigned over Phoenix Mountain, shrouded in celestial mist. Under the shade of the towering trees, cultivators sat in meditation, when suddenly a group of demon soldiers rushed in to kill and seize medicine.

The ten-thousand-year peace was shattered. Celestial attendants discovered the scent of blood and rushed to the scene only to find the cultivators dead, blood still pouring from their wounds.

The attendants hurried to fetch Yanlai.

By the time Yanlai arrived, the bodies were already cold. Her barrier had been breached. To prevent further tragedy, she went to the library to find Hongchen so they could reinforce the barrier together.

She arrived at the library to find Hongchen fast asleep. Upon hearing Yanlai’s request, Hongchen simply flopped back down to continue her nap.

“Hongchen, Hongchen, stop sleeping.”

“You reinforce it yourself. My eyes hurt, and I want to sleep. I still have to read when I wake up.” Hongchen spoke listlessly, feeling utterly worn out.

Yanlai held Hongchen’s head up with both hands. “Demon Lord, your subordinates have killed cultivators.”

Hongchen was half-conscious, her eyelids weighing a thousand pounds. She let out a long, weary sigh. “They killed them, we didn’t.”

“Hongchen, I am angry.” Yanlai pinched her cheek. “Very angry.”

“Is that so? Then I’ll give you a kiss, and you won’t be angry anymore.” Hongchen finally opened her eyes.

Yanlai felt helpless. “Come with me to reinforce the barrier. Be serious.”

“Kiss me, or I’ll go back to sleep. You should consider that you’re using my spiritual power; I should at least get something in return.” Hongchen shook her head with a look of utter resignation. “For a Great Demon Lord to be at your beck and call, do you think that’s proper etiquette?”

“If you come with me, I’ll take you down the mountain to play. We can look at the moon and the stars.” Yanlai racked her brain for an incentive.

Hongchen sat up. “Look at the moon? Why wouldn’t I just capture the Moon Goddess and make her dance for me? At least she’s a beauty.”

Yanlai was stunned into silence before musing, “If you like me, why must you always keep your eyes on other women?”

“I look at them for aesthetic pleasure, but I look at you for the joy in my heart.” Hongchen responded lazily, brushing Yanlai’s hands away. “Do you not like looking at beauties?”

Yanlai let out a cold snort. “Your interests are certainly broad. Never mind, I’ll reinforce the barrier myself.”

“You’re angry, and I’m angry too. You coax me first, then I’ll coax you. That way, neither of us loses out.” Hongchen muttered to herself. Yanlai, who had already taken three steps away, couldn’t help but look back, her heart softening. “What do you want?”

“You kiss me, and I’ll reinforce the barrier alone. You won’t have to lift a finger.” Hongchen bargained, pushing the “price” back.

Yanlai took a deep breath, repulsed by her rogue-like words. “Shameless.”

“I am only shameless toward you.” Hongchen laughed triumphantly. “Think about it, if we don’t fix it soon, more people will die. The foundation Phoenix Mountain has built over ten thousand years will be ruined by you.”

Yanlai was left with no rebuttal. “Come here.”

Hongchen eagerly leaned in. Yanlai’s cold gaze made her heart skip a beat; she felt as if her very soul were being drawn out.

The once-stagnant library was suddenly filled with an air of intimacy because of Yanlai’s presence. Yanlai closed her eyes, trying to suppress the thumping in her chest.

Before Hongchen could get too close, her eyes were covered. Hongchen was startled, and remembering the Heart-Cleansing Incantation, she felt the other woman was becoming more hypocritical by the second.

Practicing the Way of Heartlessness? What a joke.

Yanlai’s chest heaved as she suppressed her shyness. She leaned toward Hongchen and slowly pressed her lips against the corner of Hongchen’s mouth.

The moment they touched, she quickly pulled away. “Done.”

Hongchen was dissatisfied. “Are you in a hurry to be reincarnated or something?”

Yanlai turned her back, the white silk over her eyes refusing to fade. She raised a hand to touch her lips, which still carried Hongchen’s scent. She felt as if she couldn’t breathe, drifting through the clouds with no place to land.

Hongchen felt she had been cheated, and quite badly at that. Grumbling with dissatisfaction, she ignored Yanlai and walked straight out.

The barrier on Phoenix Mountain was a safety measure designed to keep the Demon Race away. Hongchen had been blocked by it once and hadn’t broken it for fear of being discovered. Yanlai’s barrier was meant for lower-level demons; someone like Hongchen could break it easily.

Arriving at the mountainside, Hongchen ascended into the air. Red flowers swirled around her, vivid and eye-catching, making her look like a spirit from a painting.

She pinched a spell with her hands, and a burst of red light shot out, gradually enveloping Phoenix Mountain in a crimson circle. She placed a second layer of protection over Yanlai’s barrier. This time, even the Immortals wouldn’t be able to get in.

Stupid Prince, don’t even think about coming here.

With the barrier repaired, Hongchen floated back to the ground and looked at Yanlai. “Let’s go buy clothes and jewelry.”

“I’ve already coaxed you.” Yanlai’s lips twitched into a faint smile.

“If you don’t go, I’ll take Sanmeng.”

“Chu Hongchen!” Yanlai called her full name again.

Hongchen pouted, realizing she had said the wrong thing. She stepped forward, took Yanlai’s hand, and shook it. “I’ll buy you clothes and jewelry to make you look even more beautiful. Isn’t that good?”

She was quick to adapt, and Yanlai found it hard to hold a grudge. “I’ll go get some human currency.”

The two were at a standoff for only a moment before quickly reconciling. Yanlai went back for the silver while Hongchen waited, silently tucking away the Immortal-Binding Rope she had used before.

She had it all planned out: if Yanlai didn’t agree, she would just tie her up and take her.

Since they were going to the human realm, they suppressed their magic. Upon reaching the foot of the mountain, they began to ride horses. The human horses were quite docile, and the two traveled leisurely. It was spring; flowers were in bloom, and the air was filled with their fragrance.

They rode side-by-side as a light breeze blew. Yanlai sat upright and poised, her hair fluttering in the wind. On either side of the road, the trees were budding, their leaves rustling like dancing girls. The wind whirled flower petals into the air before they settled back on the ground.

The spring breeze brushed through their hair and lifted their sleeves. Petals drifted into their cuffs, carrying a faint scent.

It was a rare moment of peace that refreshed them both. When a petal drifted into Yanlai’s sleeve, Hongchen used a small spell to pluck it out and hold it in her hand.

After only two miles, the wind brought a flurry of petals that fell like floral snow over Yanlai’s hair and shoulders, with many swirling into her sleeves. Yanlai’s sleeves were stuffed full until they could hold no more.

Yanlai looked at the troublemaker beside her with resignation. “Is this fun?”

“I’m giving you some natural perfume!” Hongchen laughed so hard she doubled over on her horse.

Yanlai shook her sleeves, sending several baskets’ worth of petals fluttering to the ground. She paused for a moment, then saw Hongchen holding a petal to her nose.

“What are you smelling?”

“Your body fragrance.”

Yanlai, still shaking out her clothes: “…”

Utterly shameless.

Hongchen could sprout outrageous words at any time or place, without restraint.

Yanlai felt drained by her antics. Once the petals were cleared, they continued. The road was busy with commoners, and many stopped to stare at the two extraordinary-looking women. Hongchen acted like a top scholar parading through the streets; whenever she saw someone looking, she would wave as if she knew them.

Flirting with everyone she saw—truly shameless.

Entering the city, they dismounted and led their horses on foot. Once past the gates, the bustling energy of the human world hit them. Over ten thousand years, the city had changed several times. Yanlai’s memories were ancient, and everything here was new. She had to ask passersby for the locations of markets and restaurants.

Seeing her dazed state, Hongchen couldn’t take it anymore and pulled out a map. “When you’re out, it’s better to rely on yourself than to ask others.”

The map was clear. Hongchen led her to the market, tied the horses at the entrance, and they proceeded on foot. The human world was lively, offering everything one could want for food and entertainment. Hongchen, having no sense of formal rules, first bought two pieces of osmanthus cake—one for herself and one for Yanlai.

The cake was sweet and soft. Hongchen swallowed hers in one go and pulled Yanlai along.

It seemed Hongchen had a bottomless stomach. She bought food at every stall they passed, eating as she went. They spent half an hour at just a few stalls. Yanlai’s hands were full of food meant for her, while Hongchen’s portions had already disappeared into her belly.

Stopping and starting, Yanlai finally couldn’t carry any more. “Are you full yet?”