The Fox Spirit Raised by the Villain Wants to Defect - Chapter 22

“You people lose one of your own, then run all the way to the Demon Domain to search for them.” The Demon Domain Lord said, gesturing to a retainer to escort Rong Niang away.

Seeing that Wen Yu had already spoken, Rong Niang said nothing more and departed.

“Do you take this place for a shelter?” The Demon Domain Lord suddenly raised his voice, the sound laced with demonic power, deafening Xiaoyu.

She struggled to remain conscious, but under the absolute suppression of power, it was nearly impossible.

Her body’s instinct compelled her to kneel and submit to the Demon Domain Lord, who stood at the peak of the bloodline hierarchy.

Clenching her jaws tightly and gripping her hands until they trembled, her knees still bent gradually.

She did not want to obey; she did not want to yield.

The only thought in Xiaoyu’s mind was: I must not kneel.

Suddenly, a strong, reassuring hand rested on her shoulder, and the pressure on her entire body instantly lifted.

Xiaoyu looked up, meeting Wen Yu’s pitch-black pupils, which conveyed a message of ‘Don’t be afraid.’

She immediately felt secure.

She took a deep breath and nodded slightly.

Seeing Xiaoyu adjust her state, with the  fox ears on her head perking up again, Wen Yu withdrew the hand resting on her shoulder.

The Demon Domain Lord’s revolving scarlet snake eyes were peculiar; they rested on Xiaoyu, speculating about her relationship with Wen Yu.

“You, a mere demon beast, have the audacity to bring a human cultivator into the Demon Domain, and even dare to come directly before me.” The Demon Domain Lord scolded: “Do you know what the consequence of betraying the Demon Clan is?”

He intended to use her status as a demon beast to pressure Xiaoyu, but he was mistaken.

Although Xiaoyu possessed the shell of a demon beast, inside was the soul of a pure human.

Thinking of Little Grass, whose parents died overnight, and the humans whose remains were reduced to mere limbs by demon beasts, sorrow and indignation rose in her heart.

Xiaoyu directly retorted: “When your demon beasts were harming the Human Clan, eating people, and killing them, why didn’t you consider your own consequences?”

“Speaking presumptuously!” The Demon Domain Lord instantly unleashed his demonic power, a forceful surge of power that collided outward.

Wen Yu raised his hand and used his jade flute to neutralize the demonic power. Although half of his cultivation was suppressed, he could still hold his ground against the Demon Domain Lord without falling into a disadvantage, not even trembling.

“If the Domain Lord wishes to pursue the matter, why don’t we discuss what was written in the ‘Penglai Covenant’ signed by the Demon Clan back then?”

Wen Yu spoke unhurriedly. There was clearly no trace of threat in his words, yet it caused the Demon Domain Lord’s expression to change instantly.

The scarlet snake eyes circled once, and the Demon Domain Lord scoffed: “She is merely a minor demon; she is not worthy of my personal investigation.”

Seeing the Demon Domain Lord’s strange expression, Xiaoyu grew curious about what exactly was written in the Penglai Covenant.

The original book didn’t mention it; was this an added plot point?

Wen Yu did not respond to that remark, instead moving to the main topic: “Domain Lord, are you satisfied with the drama performed by the Devil Clan last night?”

At this, the Demon Domain Lord’s body trembled, and then he sneered: “Are you trying to pin your grudges with the Devil Clan onto me?”

“How do you explain the Sand Demons and Devil Clan members that appeared in the human town a few days ago?” Wen Yu pressed again.

The Demon Domain Lord’s face darkened: “Did you come today just to slander and frame me?”

“Since the Domain Lord is so certain that you have done nothing, then you aren’t afraid of an investigation, are you?”

“You dare—” Snake scales erupted on the Demon Domain Lord’s face, and he flew into a rage: “The Penglai Covenant clearly states that you human cultivators are forbidden from invading the Demon Domain! Are you attempting to tear up the treaty now?”

Xiaoyu watched the back-and-forth between the two, growing even more curious about the Penglai Covenant.

“Then we shall see who was the first to violate the treaty.” A sharp light flashed in Wen Yu’s eyes. “The treaty clearly states that neither party shall invade the other. Surely the Domain Lord has not forgotten that?”

“If you only came here to remind me to abide by the treaty, then you may leave now.” Seeing this, the Demon Domain Lord began to drive them away. Although Wen Yu’s power was suppressed in the Demon Domain, he dared not engage him lightly.

In the great battle between the Human Clan and the Demon Clan years ago, though he did not face the fiercest part of the conflict, he knew Wen Yu had single-handedly tipped the scales of victory toward the humans.

This man’s strength was not to be underestimated.

“I will leave once I have investigated what I came to investigate.” Wen Yu ignored the Demon Domain Lord’s ashen face, raising his hand to condense spiritual energy.

Clusters of spiritual threads spun around Wen Yu’s fingertips: “My chief disciple was abducted by the Devil Clan a few days ago and has been missing ever since.”

The Demon Domain Lord stared at the spiritual threads, which gradually grew to the size of a fist at his fingertips, and finally revealed a look of dread: “If you lost your disciple, then go find them. What good does it do to come here?”

The spiritual threads at Wen Yu’s fingertip stopped condensing and floated into his palm.

They were an emerald green color, and Xiaoyu thought they resembled mosquito coils in shape.

“Whether it is useful or not, we will know once we try.” Saying this, Wen Yu firmly grasped the hand holding the spiritual threads, and the fragmented threads dissipated.

They waited for a few seconds, and nothing happened.

The Demon Domain Lord let out an ambiguous sneer: “Have the human powerhouses become so idle that they come to the Demon Domain to perform parlor tricks?”

No sooner had he spoken than a sudden change occurred.

A loud crash suddenly erupted outside, and moments later, a demon beast rushed in, kneeling frantically before the Demon Domain Lord. Just as it was about to speak, Wen Yu interrupted.

“Domain Lord, why don’t you join me to see what has transpired?”

It was only at this moment that the Demon Domain Lord realized why Wen Yu dared to come here and why he was so confident that he could stir up trouble here.

When he saw the monstrous demonic energy surging out from the blasted open prison, the Demon Domain Lord felt both furious and afraid.

Furious that he had been played by that wicked old woman, and afraid that if he had truly fought Wen Yu at that moment, he might have become a mere pawn used by others to test Wen Yu’s true strength.

Wen Yu rescued the delirious Nan Chenghui from the collapsed prison, his chilling gaze fixed upon the Demon Domain Lord.

“Is this what you mean by ‘it has nothing to do with you’?”

The Demon Domain Lord was dumbfounded, seeing the extra person who had appeared in his own prison.

He cursed the ‘old woman’ inwardly again, but outwardly could only offer a forced smile.

“It must be some damnable devil who abducted your disciple to frame me.” His scarlet snake eyes darted around, and his tone became subtle: “I never expected the famous human powerhouse would also take a devil as a disciple…”

Xiaoyu’s gaze immediately shot toward the Demon Domain Lord, and she began to consider whether the one who leaked Nan Chenghui’s Devil Clan identity in the original book might have been this Demon Domain Lord.

Lost in thought, she heard Wen Yu call her: “Xiaoyu.”

“Hmm?” Xiaoyu was still thinking, responding distractedly.

It wasn’t until Wen Yu spoke again: “Let’s go.”

Xiaoyu snapped back to reality, seeing Wen Yu holding a person enveloped in black mist whose face was obscured.

The person’s clothes were tattered, and the exposed skin was pale green, indicating a very poor condition.

She suddenly recalled that in the book, the male protagonist needed Wen Yu’s help to suppress his demonic energy every so often to prevent it from overwhelming his mind and causing him to lose consciousness.

It seemed that Nan Chenghui was currently in a state where his mind was being consumed by the demonic energy.

“Alrighty.” Xiaoyu quickly followed Wen Yu, leaving under the Demon Domain Lord’s expression of barely suppressed fury.

It wasn’t until a retainer reported that they had left the residence that the Demon Domain Lord angrily demanded: “Where is the physician-crone?”

The retainer tremblingly replied: “Physician-Crone is currently checking on the Crown Prince’s condition.”

The Demon Domain Lord cursed loudly and immediately went to find her.

In a side hall, Rong Niang withdrew the hand she had been using to check the pulse.

“Little Rong’s body is much better.”

The old woman’s voice was hoarse, and her gentle demeanor touched Rong Niang deeply.

“If my body recovers one day, will I still be able to bear life?” Rong Niang’s hopeful gaze was particularly heartbreaking.

The old woman hugged Rong Niang close, patting her back, and comforting her: “As long as your body is well nourished, there is still hope.”

She released Rong Niang, scrutinized her carefully, and asked: “Do you have a sweetheart?”

Rong Niang quickly denied it: “I’m just a little worried because my body is so frail.”

The old woman smiled: “It’s nothing. Auntie still stands by what she said: if you like someone, you can tell me.”

Rong Niang was somewhat tempted to disclose her relationship with Lord Fushan and ask the old woman to help her think of a solution.

Both Auntie and Lord Fushan were human; if she told her, perhaps Auntie would plead with her Father to grant her wish to be with Lord Fushan.

But Auntie had only come to the Demon Domain after being harmed by the Human Clan. Would she truly help her?

“Auntie, I—” Her words were interrupted.

“Rong Rong, you may withdraw first. I have something to discuss with her.”

As soon as the Demon Domain Lord entered, he dismissed all the retainers, his face bearing ill will.

Rong Niang suddenly lost her courage, nodded slightly, and backed away.

She had matters weighing on her mind.

She had known Lord Fushan for many years and was eager to spend the rest of her life with her beloved, rather than constantly hiding and being unable to interact openly in the light of day.

Rong Niang originally planned to keep their secret for as long as possible, but now that Lord Fushan’s friend had come to the Demon Domain, and Auntie had repeatedly offered her help if she had a sweetheart, she reconsidered.

Perhaps she could take advantage of the presence of Lord Fushan’s friend to have them bear witness to her marriage with Lord Fushan, thus fulfilling the desire that had been suppressed in her heart for years.

Rong Niang thought it over and decided a long-term plan was still necessary.

If Lord Fushan’s human identity were discovered, he would surely face disaster.

She decided that concealing it for now was the best course of action.

After walking for a while, Rong Niang suddenly realized she had forgotten something and immediately hurried back to retrieve it.

It was something she had searched for a long time; she couldn’t afford to lose it.

Rong Niang rushed quickly down the path, stopping just before the hall entrance to calm her rapid breathing and the intense urge to cough in her chest and lungs.

After composing herself, she slowly walked toward the interior.

Separated by a curtain and a wall, before she even stepped inside, she heard her Father and Auntie’s voices, seemingly in an argument.

“If you hadn’t failed to keep me informed of your actions, how could Wen Yu have come knocking on my door, humiliating me like this?”

“It was my miscalculation; I didn’t anticipate that he would place a restriction on his own disciple’s body.” It was Auntie’s voice. “However, this gives me leverage against him. The hero of the Human Clan actually took a devil as his disciple.”

“What good is one piece of leverage? With Wen Yu’s methods, he surely has a way to conceal his disciple’s demonic energy. Unless a Devil Clan member is present, who would believe that the disciple of the Human Clan’s Sword Venerable is a devil, based on your word alone?” The Demon Domain Lord’s tone was mocking.

“Then we shall ensure that before Wen Yu leaves the Demon Domain, he will be unable to conceal the demonic energy on his disciple’s body.”

“As soon as the news of Wen Yu harboring a devil is spread, his prestige in the Human Realm is bound to decline. Widespread slander can destroy metal, and accumulated calumny can grind bones to dust. Must I still teach you this principle?”

“First, blockade the exit. We must clear the Demon Domain by tomorrow night at the latest, rooting out all suspicious individuals and executing them thoroughly.”

Rong Niang felt a chill run through her entire body.

She had never imagined that Auntie would hold such enmity toward Wen Yu.