The Demon Lord Relied on His Imagination to Get Together with the Protagonist. - Chapter 14

Chapter 14

She truly doesn’t know how to feel sorry for anyone.

Shi Zhihua lowered her eyes, her expression concealed beneath her lashes, her mood obscure and uncertain.

In front of her, Tong Siqing was seriously cupping her palm… and gently blowing on the wound, seemingly believing this would alleviate the pain.

But Shi Zhihua knew it was useless. She wasn’t overly sensitive to pain. Such a small injury wouldn’t possibly…

“Does it hurt?” Tong Siqing frowned slightly, looking troubled. “Why is it bleeding again?”

Shi Zhihua instantly blurted out: “It hurts.”

Shi Zhihua: “…”

The words raced ahead, and her brain followed behind. By the time she reacted, the word was already out.

Because it was a subconscious response, when that single word was heard by everyone those kneeling, those lying down, those standing they were all stunned.

Usually, their Demon Lord’s voice was lazy and noble, the tone detached and unwilling to reveal much emotion. Who could have expected how seductive that single word, “Hurt~”, was, like ten thousand tiny hooks scratching at one’s heart?

Some hearts pounded with shock, others with fear.

The kneeling guard’s head was bowed so low that he nearly dropped his ghostly mask.

In the dead silence, the mask hit the ground with a clatter. Although the guard scrambled to pick it up and put it back on, it still attracted Tong Siqing’s attention.

Tong Siqing was cupping Shi Zhihua’s hand, but her gaze had already been drawn to the commotion.

Shi Zhihua: “…”

The Demon Lord, having lost face, displeasedly pinched Tong Siqing’s chin, forcing her gaze to return and focus on herself.

This time, the guard pressed his head to the ground, feigning death and daring not to look up.

“Hm?” Shi Zhihua lightly gritted her teeth, throwing caution to the wind and raising an eyebrow. “Weren’t you so concerned about him just now? What, are you playing favorites?”

Tong Siqing shook her head. The tassels on her coiled hair swayed with the movement, like a lop-eared rabbit, very docile, making one want to either get close to her or subject her to a mild form of cruelty.

“No,” Tong Siqing said. “But he looks like he’s seriously hurt.”

Ji Wudu on the ground: “…”

Having lost the fight, he just wanted to roll his eyes and spontaneously perish.

“Are you worried about him?” Shi Zhihua missed the point and became even more unhappy.

The Demon Lord’s silent pressure was applied to Ji Wudu, causing the injured white dragon even more suffering. His breathing suddenly became labored, as if he were dying, convulsing, sobbing, and crying out in pain.

Ji Wudu transformed back into his human form, curled up covered in blood, his fingers desperately clutching his sleeve corners.

Shi Zhihua rarely hurt people with her own hands. She preferred to have her subordinates torment them, using various painful and aesthetically pleasing methods. Her unique brutality earned her a notorious reputation. She was unapologetic about her killings and fully accepted the consequences.

This was the first time she had silently tormented someone with mere pressure.

Normally, she would use pressure only as a warning to her subordinates, as the Demon Realm’s demons were combative, and she needed to display ruthless power to keep them in check. For the subordinates of the Palace of Decadence and Lust, she would only use pressure briefly as an entrance effect, nothing that would cause severe pain.

But this time was different. The vast, suffocating demonic energy was mercilessly tormenting Ji Wudu, like intentionally flooding a field, crushing the young seedling so it couldn’t stand straight, forcing it to meekly curl up and evade.

Shi Zhihua stood lightly to the side, her back to Ji Wudu, not even sparing him a glance.

Though her eyes were cold, they softened when she looked at Tong Siqing.

However, in the corner Tong Siqing couldn’t see, the overwhelming pressure spread and pressed down on the dragon.

Even in his human form, Ji Wudu felt like his dragon bones were about to shatter.

He coughed. Though his demeanor was no longer elegant and his hair was messy, he remained arrogant and stubborn.

“I’ve been sent to the Palace of Decadence and Lust for three years, and in those three years, I haven’t even seen a shadow of the Venerable Lord,” Ji Wudu said with a bitter smile. “I heard the Venerable Lord favors the strong, and I wanted to display my abilities to gain her attention. Who would have thought…”

Tong Siqing turned her head again, thinking, Why didn’t you say so earlier, little white dragon? If I had known your intentions, I would have put on a show for you.

Shi Zhihua turned and slowly walked to stand in front of Tong Siqing, blocking her view of Ji Wudu.

Her voice was chilly, her speech slow and cold: “Regarding my subordinates, I favor the strong. But you, as a hostage sent by the North Sea, being too strong is likely to invite disaster. The North Sea’s Old Dragon King, pitying his offspring, sent you to the Palace of Decadence and Lust. As the discarded pawn, you should just stay put and be at ease…”

This sounded like a subtle form of appeasement.

Ji Wudu’s downcast eyes instantly lit up, as if resurrected. He looked up at her, startled, tears seemingly welling up…

Then, he heard the Demon Lord calmly finish the second half of her sentence.

“…Stay at ease, and the day the two sides go to war, I will kill you as a sacrifice to boost morale,” Shi Zhihua said.

Ji Wudu: “…”

Shi Zhihua said this, unaware that the virtuous image she was trying to build in front of Tong Siqing was rapidly crumbling.

Tong Siqing asked from the side: “Will there really be such a ritual when the two sides go to war?”

Shi Zhihua: “…”

Everyone: “…”

Seeing the atmosphere about to turn awkward again, Tong Siqing realized her question might have been ill-timed. Since she wasn’t familiar with the customs of the Demon Realm, she was afraid of saying the wrong thing, so she changed the topic.

“How about we go find the medicine first?” Tong Siqing suggested. “Otherwise, the wound will keep hurting.”

Ji Wudu over there was on the verge of passing out, yet Tong Siqing was still worried about the injury on Shi Zhihua’s palm.

Setting aside the fact that the Demon Lord’s cultivation was extremely high and she wouldn’t be easily injured, even if she were, she would recover quickly. Even rejoining bone or regeneration was no big deal… no scars would remain on her. A simple treatment was all it would take for the wound to heal.

Therefore, anyone with a brain knew what the injury Shi Zhihua was displaying on her palm was all about.

The guards collectively played dead, not uttering a word.

Clearly, their Demon Lord was likely engaging in some kind of sensual game, intentionally causing a small injury, and then insisting on applying medicine from a bottle.

Unfortunately, Tong Siqing didn’t overthink it. After all, no one in the Xianning Sect had ever done such a thing in front of her.

The Sage-Scribe protected her too well, to the point of complete naivete.

Also, because of her high status, normal people wouldn’t dare cause trouble in front of her. Simple matters didn’t require her attention, and complex matters were quickly intercepted and dealt with by the Heavenly Venerable Sage-Scribe.

After so many years, her character had been spoiled to be utterly pure and innocent.

So Tong Siqing didn’t give it a second thought. Whatever Shi Zhihua said was true, and she listened to everything.

On the way back to the bedchamber, Tong Siqing walked with Shi Zhihua, chatting with her sincerely.

Hearing that Shi Zhihua intended to sacrifice Ji Wudu, Tong Siqing even spoke up to plead for him. Unexpectedly, Shi Zhihua became even more annoyed, coldly asking Tong Siqing why she was interceding for this person.

Tong Siqing: “But he looks like he really wants to stay by your side.”

Shi Zhihua let out a small laugh, offering no comment.

The guard following behind said: “Our Venerable Lord does not keep fools by her side.”

To prevent Shi Zhihua from one day driving her away, Tong Siqing quickly tried to prove her own value. She said: “I’m very good at fighting. I can stay by your side and protect you.”

Shi Zhihua stared ahead, thinking that if danger arose, Tong Siqing would indeed be an excellent protector. If no danger arose, however, she was the biggest potential threat—after all, within the Palace of Decadence and Lust, the only opponent who could match her was Tong Siqing.

Half an hour later, Tong Siqing was kneeling on the floor applying medicine for her, carefully spreading the ointment while blowing gently on the wound as if it were a priceless treasure.

Shi Zhihua lowered her hand, allowing the girl’s ministrations, but couldn’t help but wonder again… How exactly did the Sage-Scribe raise his daughter? How did he manage to cultivate such a spoiled and pure personality?

Wasn’t he afraid she’d be led astray by bad people?

Also, Tong Siqing had initially come to assassinate her. It was only after Shi Zhihua used a scheme to lure the girl into her bed that the assassination was halted.

Yet, Tong Siqing still didn’t understand what love was. Even though the two had shared intimacy, Tong Siqing’s mind held no concept of it.

But Shi Zhihua was a normal person. Since the deed was done, she would naturally treat the girl differently.

Shi Zhihua didn’t consider herself the kind of person who would abandon someone after using them, and Tong Siqing was very much to her liking. Since their interaction had become serious, she didn’t mind taking Tong Siqing under her wing.

Such an easily fooled girl would be perfect for warming her bed. If possible, she could even train the girl a bit, teaching her a few bad things. When the Sage-Scribe next saw his daughter, he would surely be shocked by this surprise.

This kind of thing sounded incredibly interesting.

During Shi Zhihua’s long, monotonous time as the Demon Lord, how could she not be moved by such a delightful prospect?

“I don’t lack guards,” Shi Zhihua pinched Tong Siqing’s small face. The moment she let go, she leaned back on the seat and suddenly had an idea. “If you want to prove yourself, you can…”

Tong Siqing looked up to meet her gaze, like a small wild cat spotting something interesting. Her eyes instantly became wide and round.

“I lack someone to warm my bed,” Shi Zhihua patted the spot beside her, hinting. “If you are willing, I will allow you a higher status in the Palace of Decadence and Lust, and you won’t have to do any rough serving work. However… the nights might be a little arduous. You need to obey my every command and mustn’t be lazy or go to sleep early… What is your decision?”

To Tong Siqing’s ears, this speech roughly translated to “no rough work, be obedient, sleep together at night.” All the original meaning was automatically sanitized by her brain. What she heard was naturally pure and innocent, sounding like a very easy and worthwhile transaction.

Tong Siqing nodded innocently, agreeing.

Shi Zhihua was afraid the girl didn’t understand, so she specifically emphasized: “Warming the bed… Do you know what I mean?”

Tong Siqing thought, How could I not know? Is Zhihua treating me like a fool?

The Palace of Decadence and Lust is so cold. As the supreme Demon Lord, she must seek comfort. Every day after work, she soaks in the hot spring, but there’s no one to serve her. Since she doesn’t reject me… she must want me to help her change clothes, tidy the bedchamber, and warm the bed.

Although Tong Siqing wasn’t naturally very warm, her cultivation was high, and her internal energy profound. As the old saying goes—there’s no cold that can’t be dispelled by internal energy.

The Demon Lord must be after my deep internal energy.

Otherwise, what would she want with me?

Tong Siqing touched herself. I’m not even good-looking or sensible. The fact that she’s willing to keep me must be because she covets that bit of internal energy.

So she nodded confidently: “I don’t have many other skills, but I’m very good at warming beds.”

Shi Zhihua: ???

Support The Demon Lord Relied on His Imagination to Get Together with the Protagonist.