Chapter 10: The Unlikely Partnership

Inside the temporary residence of the Demon Subduing Bureau in Chongxi Town.

“Who would have thought that the fox demon Su Ling’er, who caused chaos in the Great Chu Kingdom, has a master who is a sickly person unable to use demonic power due to poison?”

Tong Qiu casually picked up a few pieces of firewood and tossed them into the stove. A golden rope was writhing left and right inside. Flames danced around it, but upon close inspection, it was clear that the flames caused no damage.

Bai Jiujiu sat on a small stool, listening to Tong Qiu’s mockery, and covered her face with embarrassment, managing only an awkward smile.

Haha, I’m a useless one, really sorry about that.

“No choice, that’s why I came to find you for a partnership.”

Tong Qiu added a few more pieces of firewood to the stove and sighed inwardly, wishing she had captured this snake demon when she was still poisoned and hadn’t yet mastered her binding rope.

That way, she wouldn’t have ended up with no salary or savings, and could have used the high bounty to secure her freedom.

Unfortunately, it’s too late now.

She agreed to Bai Jiujiu’s proposal at the lake and brought her to her temporary residence.

This was where the Demon Subduing Bureau stayed when they were on missions in areas without a branch office. To maintain a positive image, most officers chose to use a portable magic item called the ‘Portable House.’

When Bai Jiujiu saw Tong Qiu take a small wooden block from her storage ring and transform it into a small house with a bed and kitchen, she was instantly captivated.

With this, she would no longer have to sleep in the wilderness!

While Tong Qiu tried to light the binding rope, Bai Jiujiu informed her that she was currently poisoned and unable to use any demonic arts.

Upon hearing this, Tong Qiu was both angry and frustrated but couldn’t vent her anger on Bai Jiujiu. Although the binding rope was now in the stove, if she dared to harm Bai Jiujiu, the rope could bind her again with sparks.

“Burn, you treacherous rope! I spent three gold ingots to buy you, and now you’ve run off with a demon.”

Tong Qiu, unable to take her anger out on anyone, added more firewood to the stove.

She was well aware that Bai Jiujiu wouldn’t be naive enough to reveal her true weakness.

Either it was a lie, or she was deliberately sharing this information.

Bai Jiujiu was exchanging weaknesses, ensuring that both parties would cooperate rather than one commanding the other.

This snake demon was truly a formidable demon from the Cloud Summit’s Demon Manor, with tactics and strategies that rivaled those of their superiors. Her intentions were far from simple, and the poisoned state might be a ploy to make Tong Qiu let her guard down.

A thousand-year-old demon, unable to use demonic arts, would surely struggle to control her magic items.

This demon was trouble.

“I don’t believe you. How can you control my magic item if you can’t use demonic arts?”

Tong Qiu voiced her doubts, knowing she was at a disadvantage in this partnership. Understanding Bai Jiujiu better would help her avoid being caught off guard if conflicts arose.

She expressed her frustration by using tongs to pick up a glowing ember and strike the binding rope.

“If I told you my constitution is just like this, would you believe me?”

Believe my foot…

What demon couldn’t use demonic arts but could still control a human magic item?

Tong Qiu walked to the large iron pot boiling over the stove and lifted the lid. The aroma of congee wafted through the room with the steam.

Bai Jiujiu, who hadn’t eaten, couldn’t help but salivate, her eyes fixed on the pot in Tong Qiu’s hands.

“This is a demon? It looks more like a person who hasn’t eaten in a day…”

Tong Qiu, after tasting a spoonful, stopped adding firewood to the stove. She filled a large bowl with congee and handed it to the eagerly awaiting Bai Jiujiu.

“Thank you! It’s been almost a thousand years since I last had congee. I almost forgot what it tasted like.”

Bai Jiujiu didn’t even use chopsticks, instead drinking the congee directly from the bowl.

Since crossing into this world, she hadn’t tasted rice or congee, and now that she had a familiar flavor, her appetite was piqued.

Not to mention, she hadn’t eaten in almost a day! She was starving!

In her previous life, Bai Jiujiu loved congee with pickled vegetables while staying home. After returning, she had thought about planting rice, harvesting, and cooking congee, but each time, her laziness caused the plants to wither.

This broke Bai Jiujiu’s heart.

Later, she considered asking her disciples and subservient demons to help, but they couldn’t learn to farm and lacked the patience.

With no other choice, Bai Jiujiu abandoned the idea of farming and eating rice.

No way, I have to bring back several bags of rice to the mountain.

Just as Tong Qiu filled her own bowl with congee, Bai Jiujiu returned the clean bowl to her.

“Another bowl!”

Bai Jiujiu blinked her large eyes, her gaze filled with excitement as she looked at Tong Qiu.

“You look more like a beggar who hasn’t eaten in a day…”

Tong Qiu refilled Bai Jiujiu’s bowl and took out a plate of pickled vegetables from the cabinet.

This time, Bai Jiujiu didn’t gulp down the congee. Instead, she skillfully used chopsticks, acting like a host, placing a small amount of pickled vegetables in the congee before eating heartily.

Her eating manner was so natural that it was hard to tell if she was a demon or a human.

Tong Qiu, holding her own bowl, couldn’t tell if the figure before her was a demon or a human. Was her perception wrong?

“What? Why are you staring at me? Eat, the pickled vegetables are tasty, just a bit bland.”

Bai Jiujiu stuck out her tongue, using the forked tip to lick the rice grains from her lips. She casually picked up a piece of pickled vegetable and offered it to Tong Qiu, acting like a host.

“Oh, right, I’m the host, you’re the guest!”

“It’s the same, ah! Congee with pickled vegetables is the best.”

Tong Qiu ate, but her mind was far from the congee. Eating with a demon at the same table was something she never imagined.

If her colleagues found out, they wouldn’t let her explain. They would immediately execute her as a traitor to humanity and hang her head at the entrance of the Demon Subduing Bureau.

“Snake demon… you?”

“Don’t call me a snake demon, my name is Bai Jiujiu. But why do you know I’m a snake demon now? Everyone thinks I’m the fox demon Su Ling’er.”

“I was testing you. If Su Ling’er were so easy to catch, the Chu Kingdom wouldn’t be so helpless.”

“Only someone as arrogant as Zhang Feng would think you’re so easy to catch.”

“Can you tell me what my disciple has been up to? And about the cultivators, how do humans cultivate?”