The Demon Lord Relied on His Imagination to Get Together with the Protagonist. - Chapter 15

Chapter 15

At this, Shi Zhihua knew the girl had mostly misunderstood her.

Shi Zhihua pressed her fingertips to her forehead, annoyed yet amused.

Just then, Surong returned from Xianning to report.

As soon as she entered, she saw Tong Siqing still standing beside the Demon Lord.

Surong coughed suggestively, giving Tong Siqing a look go out for a moment.

Under normal circumstances, the Demon Lord’s maid should excuse herself from the conversation at such a time and quietly retreat.

But Tong Siqing clearly had no experience as a maid and didn’t understand these nuances.

Lacking such experience, she remained standing there, waiting for Surong to speak.

Surong continued to cough.

Tong Siqing was drawn by the sound and looked at Surong with even more confusion.

Surong: “…”

Shi Zhihua leaned languidly against a soft cushion, watching the two with interest.

Surong thought for a moment and finally spoke up: “I have something to discuss with the Venerable Lord. Please step out for a moment.”

Tong Siqing nodded, then looked at Shi Zhihua on the seat.

Shi Zhihua waved a hand languidly: “Go attend to your duties.”

But Tong Siqing had nothing to attend to. She only remembered her sole duty—warming the bed.

The problem was, the Demon Lord didn’t seem to be ready to rest, and besides, there was still some time until nightfall… Wasn’t it too early?

Tong Siqing spoke: “It’s a bit too early.”

Shi Zhihua didn’t immediately grasp the meaning: “What?”

The Demon Lord’s questioning tone was terrifying. As a subordinate who had been tormented for a long time, Surong felt her liver almost leap out from fear of Tong Siqing’s boldness. After all, those who talked back to the Demon Lord in the past rarely had a good ending; one counter-question from Shi Zhihua and one head would drop.

With this thought, she quickly went to push Tong Siqing away: “Don’t question whether it’s early or not, hurry up and go attend to your duties.”

Tong Siqing: “Oh.”

She could only leave through the main entrance, then enter through a side hall, bypass the main area, and go straight to Shi Zhihua’s bed, where she dutifully began to warm the bed early.

After Tong Siqing left, Surong knelt down seriously and reported her mission to Xianning to Shi Zhihua.

The Demon Lord had ordered her to find a way to deliver the Memory Orb to the Heavenly Venerable Sage-Scribe. She hadn’t dared to do so. If she had actually given the orb to the Heavenly Venerable, she would be in serious trouble.

Surong was someone who disliked conflict. She always handled things gently, trying to mediate and avoid generating contradiction whenever possible.

She knew the Heavenly Venerable Sage-Scribe would not tolerate any slight. If he saw the Demon Lord amusing herself by humiliating Tong Siqing, he would certainly be compelled to start a war with the Demon Realm. If that happened, not only would Tong Siqing’s marriage prospects be ruined, but many more lives would likely be harmed by the war.

For the sake of peace across the three realms, Surong decisively switched the Memory Orb.

—She spliced a segment from a Memory Orb used during the Demon Realm’s Ghost Festival and delivered that to the Heavenly Venerable Sage-Scribe instead.

That kind of orb was a special edition for the Ghost Festival, and Shi Zhihua, as the Demon Lord, would naturally make an appearance. Her attire would be grand, and she would publicly deliver a pleasant, formal speech, much like a dignitary’s holiday address, intended to stabilize morale and boost prestige.

Thus, when the substituted Memory Orb was placed in the Heavenly Venerable Sage-Scribe’s hand, he was quite satisfied.

Surong was still worrying about how to explain the contents of the orb when the Heavenly Venerable Sage-Scribe auto-completed the narrative. He said he had recently noticed that the illusion on Tong Siqing had failed, and he was about to send someone to the Demon Realm to bring her home, just as he received the Demon Lord’s explanation.

The Sage-Scribe looked at the Memory Orb and nodded: “The Demon Lord Shi Zhihua truly has my daughter in her heart. The moment she realized her identity, she stepped forward and made a statement.”

Surong was inwardly startled—When did the Demon Lord realize Tong Siqing’s identity?

However, since the Heavenly Venerable Sage-Scribe mentioned it, he must have found a flaw in the illusion.

Following this, the Sage-Scribe praised Shi Zhihua’s attitude.

Surong was both astonished and fearful she couldn’t imagine that the Demon Lord’s speech had perfectly aligned with the explanation the Heavenly Venerable Sage-Scribe most wanted. Ultimately, both were leaders of their respective realms, and their thinking and rhetoric could unexpectedly coincide.

After all, to Surong’s ears, both of their public addresses were often tedious and hypnotic. Perhaps only they themselves could discern the underlying meaning.

Forget it. As long as both sides are satisfied, that’s enough. She won’t worry about the rest.

“The Sage-Scribe greatly praised your decision and had your subordinate bring back a gift,” Surong presented a fine vermilion writing brush, her heart bleeding slightly.

This was actually a reward the Heavenly Venerable Sage-Scribe had given her for a job well done, allowing her to choose something from the Immortal Treasury. She favored ancient calligraphy and paintings, so she chose this fine vermilion brush. She didn’t know which Immortal had enshrined it in a temple, but it carried excellent merit from incense offerings.

However… to cover her lie, Surong had to offer it to Shi Zhihua.

Shi Zhihua used a spell to float the vermilion brush before her, and laughed: “He knew his illusion was vulnerable, yet he dared to send his daughter here? I’m quite curious that the Sage-Scribe didn’t get angry after watching that Memory Orb.”

Surong thought, If he had truly watched the other one, the Immortal Realm’s army would probably be attacking the Palace of Decadence and Lust right now.

Surong maintained a serious face: “No, the Sage-Scribe was very calm.”

“Hahahaha.” Shi Zhihua was amused. She dabbed a bit of her lip rouge onto the brush and painted her lips a deep crimson. “Not angry… It’s only because he knows his daughter’s identity was discovered by me, and her life and death are now in my hands, so he dares not act rashly.”

Surong lowered her head. Ah, yes, yes, yes.

The Heavenly Venerable Sage-Scribe was deeply calculating and never showed his emotions. The Demon Lord was ruthless and her moods were often unpredictable. Fortunately, when these two interacted, it turned into a massive round of guesswork and speculation, which managed to support Surong’s lie.

How effortless.

“Sending Tong Siqing to me is the Sage-Scribe’s biggest blunder in this lifetime,” Shi Zhihua said haughtily, crossing one leg. The vermilion brush in her hand effortlessly traced a flower, the millennia of merit radiating a soft, pale glow around her beautiful fingertips. She laughed, “He’s been targeting me for so many years, and he finally fell into my hands. Since I have this weakness, we should definitely make good use of it.”

Surong: “Yes.”

Yes, yes, yes, whatever you say.

“You do not need to inform anyone else of this matter,” Shi Zhihua plottingly said. “After all, the Sage-Scribe’s obedient daughter still thinks her acting is superb, and she’s been dutifully acting as my little servant in the Palace of Decadence and Lust, calling me ‘Master’ so delightfully.”

Surong’s brow kept twitching. The thought alone was worrisome. She only hoped Tong Siqing would hold out until Surong could secretly coax her into leaving the Palace of Decadence and Lust.

“Since she’s here, I should properly educate the Sage-Scribe’s daughter,” Shi Zhihua said with ill intent. The vibrant lip rouge against her extremely pale skin made her look beautiful and wicked. “What should I teach her…”

Surong grew even more uneasy. She deliberately pretended not to understand and offered a less dangerous suggestion: “Your Excellency could teach her the unique cultivation methods of our Demon Realm.”

Shi Zhihua: “No. She learns quickly. I can’t let her steal our Demon Realm’s techniques.”

Surong bit the bullet: “Whatever Your Excellency needs, your subordinate can find.”

Shi Zhihua thought for a moment: “The Hehuan Sect hasn’t made any great contributions since submitting to the Demon Realm. How about having them send a few succubi to properly teach Tong Siqing the secret arts of the Hehuan Sect.”

This absolutely will not do!

Alarm bells rang loudly in Surong’s mind. She thought, If Tong Siqing learns those things, won’t the Heavenly Venerable Sage-Scribe skin me alive when she returns?

Surong: “Your Excellency, your subordinate believes this matter is unsuitable.”

Shi Zhihua: “Hm? Do you have a better suggestion?”

“People from the Xianning Sect are mostly reserved and conservative. Your subordinate believes Tong Siqing might not be able to immediately accept such licentious matters. What if she’s provoked and, having nowhere to retreat, directly attacks someone? Tong Siqing is, after all, the Chief of the Nine Sages, and her cultivation naturally suppresses our demon kind. It would be detrimental to our Demon Realm,” Surong argued. “How about allowing your subordinate to find some slightly more acceptable storybooks for her, slowly corrupting her mind, letting her gradually succumb unconsciously, and then… it won’t be too late.”

Of course, before the “then,” Surong absolutely had to help Tong Siqing escape, or they would truly be doomed.

“She certainly won’t accept it easily,” Shi Zhihua nodded. “Your suggestion is good. Go prepare it.”

Surong quickly hurried off. She had to rush to inform Tong Siqing and prepare her mentally.

The problem was… Where was Tong Siqing?

Surong left the Demon Lord’s bedchamber and searched every post in the Palace of Decadence and Lust several times, but couldn’t find Tong Siqing anywhere.

Surong: ???

How did she disappear again?

Shi Zhihua, twirling the vermilion brush in her hand, mused abstractly. Would Tong Siqing’s pure nature truly be affected by the Hehuan Sect’s storybooks? And she seems to be cultivating the Path of Heartlessness. Is her lack of understanding also due to her cultivation path? If she learned something else, would it shatter her Dao Heart?

Various conjectures arose in Shi Zhihua’s mind, and she couldn’t make up her mind.

Selfishly speaking, she hoped Tong Siqing would abandon the Path of Heartlessness. After all, the girl was the first person she had claimed. Given her status as the Demon Realm’s supreme ruler, if it was ever discovered that her first choice was a girl cultivating the Path of Heartlessness, wouldn’t she lose face?

Shi Zhihua subconsciously brushed the soft tip of the vermilion brush against her lip rouge, feeling even more conflicted.

Perhaps she should follow Surong’s suggestion: step-by-step wear down Tong Siqing’s will, making her willingly submit, and then use this leverage to severely undermine the Sage-Scribe.

In this way, she would gain both the person and the profit, which would be a great delight.

The thought of the Sage-Scribe’s suppressed fury when he discovered his secret had been exposed made Shi Zhihua want to laugh.

Shi Zhihua thought, Tong Siqing truly is her treasure. To find such an innocent person in the world, whose appearance suits her taste, whose actions coincidentally help her, and whose nature is utterly obedient and adorable.

She absolutely couldn’t give such a precious girl back to that Sage-Scribe fellow.

Shi Zhihua thought, She must devour Tong Siqing completely and claim her as her own.

The soft bristles of the vermilion brush were now fully saturated with brilliant lip rouge. Shi Zhihua stared at the tip, suddenly recalling Tong Siqing’s round yet slightly upturned nose. Her hand itched with the desire to paint that red streak onto the girl’s nose or some other spot, creating a picture of a seductive plum blossom with her own hands.

Wait.

Where did Tong Siqing go again?

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