Wagging My Tail in the Ice Queen CEO’s Embrace - Chapter 82

The manager of Linlan Villa was a woman in her early thirties who favored wearing ancient-style clothing.

After listening to Fu Anyu’s description, the proprietress showed a look of astonishment but shook her head with certainty. “When I chose this location, I invited several renowned Taoist priests from H City to inspect it. I never heard of anything at the bottom of the water. Moreover, all those priests held demon-exorcism certificates for over eight years. They couldn’t have conspired to deceive me, could they?”

Fu Anyu produced her own demon-exorcism certificate and said gravely, “But I did detect something unusual at the bottom of the water. I am informing you in my capacity as a demon-exorcism master and hope you will cooperate with the investigation.”

The proprietress hesitated. The afternoon was the peak business period, but she was also afraid that if there really were evil spirits at the bottom of the water, any harm caused to people would result in immeasurable losses.

Noticing her concern, Fu Anyu said, “You don’t need to worry. The investigation can be conducted discreetly. We only need your permission to proceed.”

“You all?” the proprietress instinctively asked.

“There are two other demon-exorcism masters here,” Fu Anyu said, glancing toward Hu Xiuliu’s location. “One is the head of Zhuqing Taoist Temple, with over ten years of certification, and the other has been certified for eight years.”

Hu Xiuliu had been enjoying fishing when Fu Anyu abruptly dragged him into work.

Li Lingmao had to join as well, but he was quite pleased. For him, searching for evil spirits was far more interesting than sitting idly on the platform.

Fu Anyu also called Chen Yanxue and the others over. Soon, the six of them gathered on the fishing platform where the spiritual fluctuations had been detected.

Hu Xiuliu waved his hand and set up two layers of barriers, one creating an illusion and the other blocking sound, before asking Fu Anyu, “What magical tools did you bring?”

“Many, but none for detecting spiritual energy in water,” Fu Anyu replied.

“I brought one, but I’m afraid if there really is something down there, it might swallow the heirloom left by my old man,” Hu Xiuliu said, somewhat troubled. “How about we all release spiritual energy downward together?”

No one objected. These days, the number of artifact forgers was exceedingly rare, and once a magical tool was destroyed, it was gone for good.

“Fu’s spiritual energy will envelop the outermost layer. The little fox and the silly son will be responsible for reinforcement and primary detection. Since you two are from the demon race, if there’s a demon down there, you’ll detect it faster. Then comes Chen Yanxue’s sword energy. My spiritual energy is afraid of water, so it can only serve as the core in the innermost layer. If there’s anything strange, we’ll detonate all the spiritual energy to destroy it.” Hu Xiuliu quickly assigned the roles and was the first to condense a ball of fire spiritual energy.

The only true mortal, Du Yunxin, stood to the side, observing the collaboration of the experts.

Since this was only an investigation and not a fight, everyone adjusted their spiritual energy to a gentler output frequency. Guided by Fu Anyu, they slowly lowered it into the water.

Ming Ying and Li Lingmao’s wood spiritual energy occupied opposite sides of the energy sphere. As it entered the water, Ming Ying once again sensed spiritual fluctuations from the bottom.

Before she could speak, Li Lingmao immediately said to Hu Xiuliu, “It’s a fish demon!”

Hu Xiuliu was surprised and reminded him, “Silly son, we’ve only just lowered the bait.”

“Do you think I’d mistake the spiritual energy of a fish demon?!” Li Lingmao bristled instantly. “It’s so fishy!”

“Alright, alright. Even if it really is a fish demon calling out, we still have to lower it further, don’t we?” Hu Xiuliu said with a helpless expression.

The pond was naturally formed, with some areas quite deep. The spiritual energy sphere was lowered another ten meters before Ming Ying said, “I can sense it now too. It wasn’t clear before, but it’s very obvious now.”

“Should I use sword energy to probe it?” Chen Yanxue asked.

“No, if it really is a large creature, provoking it with sword energy might cause it to roar, and everyone fishing here would suffer,” Hu Xiuliu shook his head. “Let’s continue descending. I think I sense a magical artifact nearby, it should be close.”

Fu Anyu had abundant spiritual power, and since they were in a water area, as the spiritual energy cluster sank, she directed her spiritual energy to survey the surrounding region. She discovered that only the area beneath their feet emitted spiritual fluctuations.

“Linlan Villa was built and opened fifteen years ago, which is relatively old, and there have been no reports of evil spirits so far,” Fu Anyu analyzed after withdrawing her spiritual energy. “If the initial investigation back then was inadequate, and the artifact isolating spiritual fluctuations is still functioning optimally, it could indeed deceive the hired demon slayers.”

“But it’s still a seal after all,” Ming Ying said. “Either it seals an evil spirit or hides something. But why place a seal here? Is it just because this area is rich in natural spiritual energy?”

Just as Fu Anyu was about to answer her, she suddenly felt a surge in the spiritual fluctuations below. The spiritual energy cluster passed effortlessly through the barrier woven by the artifact, with only Ming Ying and Li Lingmao’s wood spiritual energy being blocked.

“This is an artifact that screens out demonic beings!” Li Lingmao shouted. “There must be a powerful demon trapped below!”

“Why are you so sure?” Du Yunxin asked, puzzled.

“Because someone doesn’t want the powerful demon to be rescued by its own kind,” Hu Xiuliu said. “Human demon slayers generally don’t interfere with such seals. A seal is like Pandora’s box, no one knows whether breaking it will release a great flood or hope.”

Ming Ying looked at Fu Anyu, who had remained silent and even closed her eyes, but she knew Fu Anyu was fully focused on investigating the situation.

“…There’s a jiao dragon chained below,” Fu Anyu finally said after a long pause, her expression grave. “It’s not a fish. The fishy scent the black cat detected is likely the smell of blood mixed with the jiao dragon’s aura.”

“Ancient texts say that jiao dragons prefer to dwell at the bottom of water bodies and have the ability to cause floods,” Hu Xiuliu stroked his chin. “After cultivating for a thousand years, they follow rivers to the sea and transform into dragons. But this is halfway up the mountain, a jiao dragon couldn’t have come here on its own. Could it be that someone chained it here to prevent it from causing a flood?”

“Let’s report it first and see what the higher-ups say,” Fu Anyu said. She left a portion of her spiritual energy entwined around the chains at the bottom before having the spiritual energy cluster rise, slowly bringing Ming Ying and Li Lingmao’s spiritual energy back to the surface.

After withdrawing their spiritual energy, Hu Xiuliu immediately took out his phone to make a call, leaving the rest of the group exchanging uncertain glances.

“So, can we still continue with our team-building?” Du Yunxin was more concerned about this. “Is it safe here?”

“It is,” Fu Anyu shook her head. “I observed that the chains show no signs of damage. The artifact isolating the area might not be holding up perfectly, but since it blocked Ming Ying and the black cat’s spiritual energy just now, it’s still effective.”

“Unless it’s tampered with, accidents generally won’t happen,” Chen Yanxue patted Du Yunxin’s shoulder to reassure her.

Hu Xiuliu soon finished his call and returned to say, “The higher-ups said they’ll send someone over. Our activities will proceed as usual, but we must avoid causing panic among ordinary people. Let’s disperse for now, those with dates, go on your dates.”

After speaking, he wrapped an arm around Li Lingmao’s waist, withdrew the barrier, and whistled. “Son, your dad’s treating you to grilled fish!”

“Get lost, you bastard!” Li Lingmao’s furious shout echoed back.

“Then we’ll go have fun too.” Du Yunxin took Chen Yanxue’s hand and asked Ming Ying, “Little fox, do you want to come to the farmhouse to pick some fruits and vegetables? There’s also a communal kitchen here where we can cook what we pick right away.”

But Ming Ying pointed at the fishing rods on the rack. “But we haven’t caught any fish yet. I want to catch two to bring back for Third Sister.”

“Alright then, take your time fishing. If you get tired of it, come find us.” Du Yunxin nodded and happily led Chen Yanxue away from the fishing platform.

Ming Ying and Fu Anyu sat back down in their original spots.

Fu Anyu lifted her fishing rod to check if the bait was properly hooked, then cast it far out again. After setting the rod down, she used her spiritual power to draw a talisman on the ground.

Mimicking her actions, Ming Ying also lifted her rod to check the bait, but then Fu Anyu asked, “Is there something you want to ask me?”

“I…” Ming Ying paused for a moment, then whispered after casting her hook into the water, “There is, but…”

“Just ask,” Fu Anyu said, looking at her. “As long as it’s within my knowledge, you can ask anything.”

“I want to know, what is the human realm’s attitude toward demons?” Ming Ying met her gaze. “Even though I haven’t been out much, I always feel restricted. When I’m outside, I have to hide my demon ears and tail.”

Fu Anyu keenly noticed that the little fox used the term “human realm” instead of “humans.”

The former referred to the societal structure, while the latter referred to the people themselves.

She thought for a moment before replying softly, “Human society imposes many restrictions on demons. The Demon Race Life Guidelines you’ve read are one of them.”

She explained that these restrictions stemmed mainly from the scarcity of spiritual energy in the world and the innate strength of demons.

Unlike the demon realm, where “the strong rule,” human society established many rules to maintain stability and order, governing not only humans but all other beings.

“In the past, besides demons, the human realm also had ghosts and demons, but two hundred years ago, only demons and a small number of ghosts remained. The demonic tribes retreated into darkness, completely isolating themselves from the world,” Fu Anyu said. “Initially, the rules imposed on demons were overly harsh, leading to a war between humans and demons that caused countless casualties. Eventually, the leaders of both sides reached an agreement, and over time, the current rules were established.”

She paused briefly before continuing, “The position of Demon Hunter was also created at that time and has been maintained to this day. But as I’ve mentioned before, Demon Hunters don’t just eliminate demons. The role also serves as a warning to demons, especially since humans make up the majority of the population here.”

“However, with the scarcity of spiritual energy, even natural-born demons who can take human form face obstacles in their cultivation. As a result, most native demons differ from ordinary humans only in their ability to transform into beast forms,” Fu Anyu went on. “In the absence of powerful demons, humans and demons coexist peacefully. In Shengwei Corporation, there are actually quite a few demon employees, you just haven’t met them yet.”

Ming Ying was quite surprised. After a moment’s thought, she asked, “Then what about crossers like me and Third Sister?”

“I’ve checked the records and consulted with the management bureau,” Fu Anyu spoke with hesitation. “Although your powers are suppressed by an unknown force, you can still restore your original strength through cultivation. Strictly speaking, all of you pose a threat to social order.”

Upon hearing her assessment, Ming Ying widened her eyes in shock.

“Then, will we be eliminated?” she asked, her voice trembling.

Ever since learning about the chained flood dragon at the bottom of the water, she had wanted to ask Fu Anyu this question.

Fu Anyu shook her head with a smile and gently patted the little fox’s head. “How could that be? Aren’t you all perfectly fine right now?”

“But how can those in power feel at ease?” Ming Ying countered. “Verbal assurances can’t prove that we’ll remain harmless forever.”

Before Fu Anyu could respond, she suddenly wrapped her arms around Fu Anyu’s neck, leaned close to her ear, and whispered even softer, “Sister, is there something else you’re hiding from me?”