The Demon Lord Relied on His Imagination to Get Together with the Protagonist. - Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Shi Zhihua thought, She must like me.

If she didn’t like her, she wouldn’t have half-heartedly yielded to her at their first meeting. If she didn’t like her, she wouldn’t have promised to marry her in front of the entire world. If she didn’t like her, it would have been impossible for her to return to the Demon Realm to find her.

Shi Zhihua never believed in flowery words; she judged people only by their actions.

All of the above led her to be absolutely certain Tong Siqing definitely cared for her.

Shi Zhihua was very touched. She truly hadn’t misjudged the person.

But… only one thing puzzled her.

Wasn’t it said that Tong Siqing was cultivating the Path of Heartlessness? Could it be that someone cultivating the Path of Heartlessness could also feel moved?

In that case, wouldn’t her Path of Heartlessness be broken?

Shi Zhihua was suspicious. Thinking of this, she was inevitably curious. She looked at Tong Siqing, whose eyes were sincere and didn’t seem to be lying, which made her even more uncertain.

That night.

Shi Zhihua ordered people to bring over several vividly sensual storybooks, not just the books but also those with illustrations.

The people of the Joyous Union Sect were very sensible. Their drawings were neither too explicit nor too reserved, just enough to make one blush and their heart race. They also thoughtfully rendered the people in the illustrations as two women with their faces obscured… making it easy for the viewer to project themselves onto them.

Shi Zhihua casually flipped through a couple of pages, found them extremely boring, and threw them aside in a pile.

She felt that Qing Lin was not quite right. Could a few worn-out pages really break a cultivator’s Path of Heartlessness?

What a joke?

Someone cultivating the Path of Heartlessness should, by all accounts, have an unyielding mind, undisturbed by any kind of beauty. Such juvenile storybooks were so uninspired. How could anyone…

Shi Zhihua propped her head up lazily and casually glanced aside just in time to see Tong Siqing frantically wiping a nosebleed.

Shi Zhihua: “…”

She instantly retracted her earlier thought.

The Demon Lord, whose only intimate companion was a pure-hearted person who would blush and have a racing heart just from reading low-brow storybooks.

It sounded quite embarrassing to mention.

Shi Zhihua helplessly massaged her forehead: “What’s so great about this? It’s not like you haven’t seen it before.”

“I’ve never read them,” Tong Siqing said. “The Xianning Sect’s library contains only obscure and challenging scriptures and classics. None of them are this interesting.”

Tong Siqing sat upright, with a small mountain of storybooks piled before her knees. Her eyes were sparkling. She held the books and read with great interest, like a great dragon guarding a treasure, surrounded by sparkling gems. Not only was she greedily clutching them, but she also used her dragon tail to coil around her precious treasures.

Night had fallen. Tong Siqing read for hours, and still feeling it wasn’t enough, she got out of bed to light a lamp and continue her pursuit of the storybooks.

Shi Zhihua chuckled and couldn’t be bothered to interfere, letting her be.

Tong Siqing read with great relish. Because of her excellent comprehension, she read quickly. In the beginning, when she had little experience, she would study every word and sentence. Later, feeling somewhat flushed, she started selectively reading the ones with illustrations… after a while, she got bored again and flipped back to the beginning to follow the plot. When she reached an appropriate point, she couldn’t help but flip to the back to look at the drawings… until she had seen all the drawings, then she would return to sort out the story again.

So alluring!

For half the night, she was rustling the pages, like a clumsy kitten, constantly making faint, rustling noises in the night—just enough to not wake the owner but disturb her light sleep.

Shi Zhihua, too lazy to open her eyes in her sleep: “…”

Sigh.

How could someone be so enthusiastically dedicated to reading trashy storybooks?

What was even more infuriating was that the person had already experienced the taste… yet she was going back to the very beginner level.

She’s not without experience! If she wanted to…

I’m right here!

If Tong Siqing had any common sense, she should be sleeping beside Shi Zhihua right now, not getting out of bed to secretly read those rubbish books with a lamp.

Shi Zhihua felt a surge of anger.

If she didn’t know Tong Siqing was clueless, she would have almost suspected her own charm wasn’t enough.

Shi Zhihua was annoyed, but she couldn’t stop her. Suffering a bit tonight was nothing; she’d consider it an investment for long-term development, allowing the girl to gain some enlightenment.

The night was heavy. Shi Zhihua tossed aside the brocade quilt, then deliberately loosened her collar, exposing a large area of her enticing shoulder while gently clearing her throat.

Tong Siqing, reading stealthily nearby, noticed the movement and looked over as expected.

Shi Zhihua curved her lips in satisfaction, letting out a murmuring sigh. The breathy sound was alluring and seductive enough to draw in anyone who looked closely.

Unfortunately, Tong Siqing didn’t look closely.

She held the lamp in one hand and the storybook in the other, her eyes never leaving the pages.

Finally, she quickly glanced at the brocade quilt, bit the storybook, and freed a hand to pull the quilt higher over Shi Zhihua, covering the woman’s exquisite posture.

Shi Zhihua: “…”

The moment she felt the quilt pulled higher, she nearly bit her teeth in half.

Tong Siqing didn’t care much, took the book, and went farther away to continue reading. To avoid disturbing Shi Zhihua, she even moved to a more distant spot.

Shi Zhihua: “…”

Those who know would assume she’s reading a storybook. Those who don’t might think she’s studying so diligently to pass the imperial exams.

She’s not aiming for scholarly success. Why would someone read a storybook with the spirit of years of hard study?

Shi Zhihua was so angry she became wide awake.

Now, she was completely unable to sleep.

She got up with a dark expression, tidied her clothes, and walked barefoot toward Tong Siqing.

Just as she reached a short distance behind the girl, she suddenly noticed a letter placed in front of Tong Siqing.

Shi Zhihua instantly sensed something, silently concealed her presence, and stood stealthily beside Tong Siqing. She was going to find out what secret the girl was up to tonight. She had to catch her in the act.

Tong Siqing was oblivious. This was her first time receiving such a message. It appeared to have been sent by her Father Venerable.

Just moments after she stepped outside, she sensed the letter. When she looked again, the letter automatically responded to her summons and materialized.

Skipping the initial genuine greetings and the later polite formalities, the message could be summarized simply—her father was asking how she was doing and whether she wanted to return to the Xianning Sect.

Shi Zhihua, hiding nearby, had a cold expression, somewhat resentful. She thought, If Tong Siqing dares to agree to her father, I will immediately catch her myself, then lock her in a cage so she can’t go anywhere.

The air pressure around Shi Zhihua slowly dropped as she stared sullenly at the reply in Tong Siqing’s hand.

“Respectfully wishing Father Venerable peace…”

Tong Siqing pondered, looking at her father’s letter. Following that template, she changed the address and copied the greeting verbatim at the beginning of her reply.

Essentially. If her father asked if she was unwell, she would ask if he was unwell in return. If her father asked about her food and clothes, she would ask if his food and clothes were acceptable.

Shi Zhihua: “…”

Shi Zhihua was originally peeking at her reply with some anger, but as she read, she suddenly felt like laughing.

The reply was so insincere that it sounded passive-aggressive.

When the Sage-Scribe earnestly inquired if his daughter was unhurt, he would receive Tong Siqing’s reply. You’re okay too, right?

When the Sage-Scribe carefully concerned himself with Tong Siqing’s daily life, he would receive Tong Siqing’s reply. Then what are you eating?

To an outsider, every word and sentence conveyed one sentiment. Are you very idle?

Shi Zhihua could just imagine the Sage-Scribe’s expression upon receiving this letter.

Shi Zhihua was satisfied and continued to read, seeing Tong Siqing write that she had read many interesting storybooks today.

Shi Zhihua: “???”

No way. She’s so clueless, she’s actually telling the Sage-Scribe about this type of storybook?

Shi Zhihua pressed her long index finger against her forehead, struggling to stifle her laughter.

The thought of the Sage-Scribe becoming furious made her feel exceptionally comfortable.

However, Tong Siqing hadn’t written down the titles of the books. She had merely mentioned “very interesting storybooks” and then moved on to other daily matters.

After writing, Tong Siqing copied some polite phrases and sent it off.

Because Shi Zhihua was very pleased with the letter, and Tong Siqing hadn’t mentioned returning, Shi Zhihua didn’t interfere and didn’t consider where the letter was going.

She went back to sleep feeling reassured, not bothering Tong Siqing as she continued to read her book.

On the other side, Surong, not sleeping in the middle of the night, nervously intercepted the letter.

After opening and examining the contents, she imitated Tong Siqing’s handwriting, rephrased it politely, and after making deletions and revisions, sent the Sage-Scribe a very straightforward letter. Of course, the storybook was also beautified into a “classic.” Being fond of scriptures and sage’s teachings, she also enclosed one.

The title—”The Scripture of Righteous Body and Pure Heart.”

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