Chapter 58: A Treacherous Family Reunion

“Can cuteness put food on the table?” Shen Zhaoqing retorted sharply, pulling her treasured wine gourd from her embrace. “Open your mouth.”

“Hm?” Yuange paused, bewildered.

“Ah—!” Shen Zhaoqing urged, a hint of impatience in her voice.

Yuange’s cheeks flushed inexplicably, but the searing pain in her body left her little room for modesty. Submissively, she parted her parched lips.

A clear, invigorating liquor, brimming with surging vitality, slowly flowed from the gourd’s mouth into her throat.

Upon entering, the liquor wasn’t the burning spice she expected. Instead, it transformed into an incredibly gentle, warm current that instantly spread throughout her limbs. Her fractured bones and shattered organs felt as if a warm, tender hand had caressed them.

The searing pain rapidly faded, replaced by a tingling sensation—a clear sign that her flesh and blood were regenerating at an astonishing speed.

She could distinctly feel her demonic energy, nearly depleted from forcibly activating her bloodline divine ability, slowly being replenished by this vibrant life force.

‘What kind of liquor is this?’

It was more miraculous than any elixir hidden within the Myriad Demon Kingdom’s royal archives. Yuange’s eyes widened in shock as she looked at Shen Zhaoqing and the ordinary, worn-out wine gourd in her hand.

“It’s for healing; don’t waste it.” Shen Zhaoqing poured a few more gulps into Yuange, then swiftly retrieved the gourd. She carefully wiped its mouth and replaced the stopper as if it were a precious treasure. “This is my personal stash. Every sip is one less. Remember to pay me back tenfold later.”

Though her words were sharp, Shen Zhaoqing secretly breathed a sigh of relief as she watched Yuange’s pallid face regain a touch of color and her breathing steady significantly.

‘Thankfully, the spiritual brew from this Gui Niang Hu works on demons too.’

“We… we need to leave here,” Yuange gasped, leaning against the tree trunk, her eyes regaining some of their former sharpness. “That Nine Netherworld Tiger will catch up quickly; this scent won’t fool it for long.”

“I’d love to go, but can you even move, Princess?” Shen Zhaoqing sprawled beside her, feeling utterly drained, unwilling to lift even a finger.

“Help me up,” Yuange commanded, her tone brooking no argument.

“…I must have desecrated your family’s ancestral grave in my last life,” Shen Zhaoqing grumbled, reluctantly pushing herself up. Resigned, she draped one of Yuange’s arms over her shoulder, half-dragging, half-supporting her out of the tree hollow.

The sky outside had grown even darker. A blood-red setting sun hung on the horizon, casting an ominous glow over the ancient forest.

They moved through the woods, stumbling with each step, guided by Yuange’s intuition. Yuange’s body, warm and close against Shen Zhaoqing, pressed nearly all her weight onto her.

A faint, feathery fragrance wafted from the princess’s hair, mingling with the scent of blood to create a peculiar aroma.

This was probably the most intimate contact Shen Zhaoqing had ever had with a woman other than Gu Chang’an and Ling Shuangjue.

While internally complaining about her cursed ‘harem protagonist’ constitution, Shen Zhaoqing vigilantly scanned their surroundings.

After what felt like an eternity, Yuange suddenly halted.

“Something’s wrong,” she said, her voice taut.

“What now?” Shen Zhaoqing jolted, almost fearing the large black cat had caught up again.

“It’s too quiet,” Yuange’s amber-gold eyes narrowed as she scanned their surroundings. “Not even the sound of an insect… It feels like we’ve walked into a trap.”

The moment her words fell, dark golden runes lit up without warning among the surrounding trees. These runes intertwined, instantly forming a colossal cage array that enveloped several miles!

A powerful restrictive force descended from above. Shen Zhaoqing felt her shoulders sink, as if a small mountain had been placed upon them, and the spiritual energy in her Dantian instantly became incredibly sluggish.

This was a high-grade Immortal-Binding Array, specifically designed to target demons.

Immediately after, figures slowly emerged from the shadows on all sides. Each radiated monstrous demonic energy, clad in uniform black chainmail, their eyes fierce.

They carried various blood-stained weapons, numbering no less than a hundred, with even the weakest possessing Golden Core cultivation. The leading figures exuded unfathomable auras, clearly mighty Great Demons in the Nascent Soul Realm.

These individuals were the elite forces of the Myriad Demon Kingdom. They silently surrounded the two, their gazes cold, as if observing prey awaiting slaughter.

“These are… my imperial brother’s personal guards, the ‘Black Feather Army’,” Yuange’s voice was as cold as ice. “He truly made his move.”

“Your brother?” Shen Zhaoqing’s mind raced. “The one who wants to seize your throne?”

“Hmph.” Yuange sneered, offering no verbal reply, but the answer was clear.

A round of malicious applause echoed from outside the encirclement.

“Clap, clap, clap…”

The demonic crowd parted automatically, and a tall, burly young man in a black robe embroidered with golden threads slowly walked in.

His face bore some resemblance to Yuange’s, but his golden eyes were vertical, like those of a cold-blooded viper. A savage scar between his brows added to his ferocity.

Yuanchao’s lips curled into a cruel smirk. His gaze fell upon the disheveled Yuange and Shen Zhaoqing supporting her, filled with undisguised delight and greed.

“My dear sister, how did you end up in such a sorry state?” Yuanchao’s tone was exaggerated and theatrical, brimming with cat-and-mouse mockery. “Where’s your ‘hunting game’ now? Why aren’t you playing? Was the prey too cunning, or was the hunter too useless?”

Several Nascent Soul Great Demons behind him let out a low chuckle, their eyes full of disdain for Yuange.

Yuange’s face instantly turned ashen. She struggled to stand upright but stumbled again, forced to bite her lip fiercely, glaring at her brother with icy eyes.

“Yuanchao, if you dare lay a hand on me, Father will not let you off!”

“Father?” Yuanchao burst into laughter, as if he’d heard the greatest joke. “Hahahahahahaha! Father is probably preoccupied with the human disturbances on the border right now. How could he possibly care about a ‘little game’ between us siblings? What’s more, when I return with the fragments of the Three Lives Stone, who do you think Father will value more: a dead genius, or an heir holding a supreme treasure and having achieved unparalleled merit?”

‘Three Lives Stone!’ Shen Zhaoqing’s heart leaped.

“You’re dreaming!” Yuange shrieked.

“Whether it’s a dream or not, you’ll soon find out.” Yuanchao’s smile grew even more cruel. His gaze finally shifted from Yuange, clinging to Shen Zhaoqing like a venomous snake.

“You’re the rumored human ‘Dao Source Body’?” He scrutinized Shen Zhaoqing up and down, his eyes nakedly assessing her value like merchandise. “Tsk, tsk, you look unremarkable, yet you’re the key to opening the secret realm. I was planning to capture you myself.”

“This works out just as well; it saves me a lot of trouble.”

His stare made Shen Zhaoqing feel a wave of physiological discomfort.

“Hey, I say,” Shen Zhaoqing suddenly spoke, breaking the tense atmosphere.

All the demons’ eyes converged on her.

“I don’t even know what the Three Lives Stone is. Can your family matters please not involve an outsider like me?”

Shen Zhaoqing subtly patted Yuange’s hand. “How about this: you let me go. My senior sister will definitely come looking for me if she finds me missing.”

“If you harm me, are you trying to incite a war between immortals and demons?”

A Nascent Soul Great Demon with a wolf’s head behind Yuanchao erupted in fury, stepping forward, his voice like a booming bell: “Presumptuous! A mere human in the Qi Induction Realm dares to spout such nonsense before His Royal Highness? You court death!”

Terrifying demonic might, like a tangible tidal wave, pressed down upon Shen Zhaoqing. However, the pressure was forcefully borne by Yuange when it came within three feet of Shen Zhaoqing.

Yuange grunted, blood spilling from the corner of her mouth again. Yet, she straightened her back, shielding Shen Zhaoqing behind her, and glared coldly at the wolf demon: “Elder Black Wind, do you wish to die?”

The wolf demon flinched at the killing intent in Yuange’s eyes, instinctively retreating half a step before realizing his reaction and flushing with rage.

“Hahahahahahaha!” Yuanchao burst into laughter again, his mirth filled with glee. “Look, look! My dear sister can barely protect herself, yet she still has the heart to protect her ‘little prey’? How truly touching!”

His laughter ceased abruptly, his eyes turning utterly cold.

“Attack!” He wasted no more words, issuing the command directly. “Seize that human, but keep them alive.”

“As for my disobedient sister… break her limbs, just don’t let her die. I want her to witness with her own eyes how I use her ‘prey’s’ blood to usher in my glory.”