Chapter 12: The Demon Lord’s Predicament

While open attacks are easily parried, hidden daggers prove far more treacherous.

It is often said that even a hero struggles to overcome the allure of a beautiful woman, and history itself bears witness to how illicit passions frequently culminate in tragedy.

Indeed, countless individuals have stumbled and fallen due to such entanglements.

It was precisely through these means that Su Qin cultivated his infamous reputation for effortlessly toying with immortalesses.

This stratagem served multiple purposes: it instilled awe in his disciples, deterred any immortalesses harboring ulterior motives, and effectively quelled his enemies’ desires to launch surprise attacks.

Though his past trials had been manifold and complex, none had ever involved the perils of seduction.

His conflicts had largely revolved around the contention for resources, seldom escalating into life-or-death struggles, which was why he had never once faltered.

This ‘model paramour,’ whose notoriety for romantic exploits echoed across the lands, was, in truth, an absolute novice.

Should such a revelation ever escape, his carefully constructed prestige would crumble, and the road ahead would undoubtedly become immeasurably arduous.

Worse still, if anyone were to leverage this information to delve into his past, the truth would not bear scrutiny. Were his true history to be unearthed, his entire existence would be irrevocably shattered.

“Heh, it seems I was truly spot on,”

A mischievous smile played on Qi Shuyue’s lips, causing Su Qin to freeze in surprise as the young girl’s expression grew even more delightfully wicked.

“I was merely bluffing you just now. I didn’t use that part last night, but I never imagined you were truly… one.

However, you’ve gone to such great lengths to cultivate this rumor, so there must be a compelling reason behind it. And you certainly wouldn’t want anyone else to discover this truth, would you?”

‘Oh, alcohol, you’ve utterly ruined me. From this day forward, I vow to abstain.’

His fate now rested entirely on her desires.

The dynamic of offense and defense shifted in an instant. Su Qin silently awaited her command, and Qi Shuyue, for her part, immediately grasped the full extent of his capitulation.

“Mr. Demon, transform into a bat.”

“Why?” Su Qin asked, a hint of bewilderment in his voice.

“Just transform, quickly now.”

With a flicker of crimson light, Su Qin transformed into a palm-sized, blood-red bat. Seizing the opportune moment, Qi Shuyue deftly enclosed him within her grasp.

As he gazed upon her increasingly gleeful smile, a heavy dread settled in Su Qin’s heart.

A quarter of an hour later, Qi Shuyue, having completed her grooming, emerged from the small courtyard.

“Mr. Demon, tell me, what exactly do you intend to do today?”

Tucked away within her undergarments, Su Qin found breathing somewhat arduous, forced to communicate using the sound transmission technique she had taught him.

“Please, stop this charade and let me go on my own. You won’t be able to handle it.”

Qi Shuyue let out a dissatisfied huff, then tugged her collar lower. The moment sunlight touched him, Su Qin instinctively burrowed even deeper into his hiding spot.

“Are you perhaps underestimating me?”

Su Qin sighed profoundly, opting for silence. What words could possibly be uttered in such a predicament? He was utterly at the mercy of this young girl.

Should she simply part her garments, his demise would be instantaneous.

Qi Shuyue, however, sobered her expression, her playful demeanor vanishing. It appeared she genuinely intended to accomplish something significant.

“You mustn’t emerge throughout the day, or I cannot guarantee I won’t go spreading all sorts of tales.”

Relinquishing his struggle, Su Qin resigned himself to awaiting the arrival of dusk.

His initial intuition had proven alarmingly accurate; he should have dispatched this girl long ago.

***

Instead of wandering idly, Qi Shuyue proceeded alone to the Silver Splendor Grand Hall, ascended the dais, and, with an air of complete composure, settled herself upon Su Qin’s throne.

Tapping a finger thoughtfully, her delicate brows furrowed like wisps of cloud as she meticulously analyzed the predicament confronting Su Qin.

“This is indeed proving rather troublesome to manage…”

As she pondered, a young girl appeared in the distance outside the grand hall—Gu Yuhe, of course—carrying a tea tray with painstaking care.

“Eh?”

Upon seeing not Su Qin, but a lovely young woman gracing the throne, Gu Yuhe’s footsteps faltered.

A scheme immediately blossomed in Qi Shuyue’s mind, and she instantly adopted a weary, drawn expression.

“Be careful, he is watching from the shadows.”

At the warning, Gu Yuhe’s pupils contracted sharply. She immediately composed her features, unwilling to betray any weakness.

Qi Shuyue offered a wry smile, allowing a few tears of feigned grievance to trickle from the corners of her eyes.

“That demon is utterly barbaric! He commanded me to sit here, threatening to instantly obliterate me if I dared to move even half a step.”

Gu Yuhe sensed a potent trace of Su Qin’s aura emanating from the woman, and her expression involuntarily darkened with gravity.

Su Qin was indeed an eccentric individual, frequently issuing bizarre and unfathomable tasks, with severe penalties awaiting those who failed to comply.

“Did he utter anything else?”

Qi Shuyue paused, recalling the details, a hint of awkwardness coloring her expression before she spoke:

“He declared that when any of you disciples behold me, you must treat me precisely as you would him, in both attitude and conduct.

Should there be even the slightest deviation, he threatened to slay both me and all his disciples.”

Upon hearing these words, Gu Yuhe could no longer maintain her composure. Every muscle in her body began to tremble uncontrollably, and the tea tray in her hands nearly clattered to the floor.

Within that very tray rested the final dose of poisoned tea!

‘No, no, could he have already discovered our plot?’

Gu Yuhe’s pupils dilated in alarm. Just this one portion of poisoned tea, if consumed, would cripple even a Nascent Soul cultivator, leaving them clinging to half a life.

Yet, Su Qin had conspicuously failed to appear today, instead sending someone to take his place, instructing her to attend to this woman with the same deference she would show her master.

‘He truly did discover it, didn’t he? Not exposing me, but choosing instead to observe my self-important machinations, as if I were merely a jester performing on a stage…’

A shadow seemed to eclipse Gu Yuhe’s bright eyes; that single thought alone utterly extinguished her fighting spirit.

“Master is, indeed, unconquerable.”

Recalling the past, Su Qin, despite his dissolute ways and his cynical approach to adversity, had always, by the narrowest of margins, managed to prevail.

His senior sisters had, on occasion, contemplated resistance, only to be effortlessly subdued by Su Qin, their defiance invariably met with even harsher retribution.

One time, the eldest senior sister, unable to bear it any longer, openly erupted at the demon. She was subsequently dragged into his chambers and remained bedridden for the following fortnight.

The five sisters, for too long, had endured the torment of this demon.

Observing Gu Yuhe frozen in place, trembling uncontrollably with fear, Qi Shuyue subtly narrowed her eyes and transmitted a message through a secret technique:

“There’s something amiss with this disciple of yours. You haven’t… done anything to her, have you?”

Su Qin, witnessing this unfold, felt a surge of anxiety. Qi Shuyue, he feared, might inadvertently shatter the precarious balance he had so painstakingly achieved.

“This disciple is inherently timid, though her character is decent enough. Just smooth things over with a few words and let me take charge.”

To his surprise, Qi Shuyue’s mood soured.

“Are you underestimating me? If I can’t even manage this girl, how will I ever be fit to occupy this throne in the future?”

Su Qin found himself utterly bewildered. What was she even talking about? Yet, he was truly powerless to act at this moment; forcing his way out would only complicate matters beyond explanation.

“Little sister,”

Qi Shuyue forced a cheerful demeanor, as if she were not Gu Yuhe’s peer, but rather a strong and gentle elder aunt.

“Quickly, quickly offer your morning greetings and present the tea as you usually would. Finish the ritual swiftly so he has no pretext to intervene.”

Gu Yuhe, however, finally regained her wits, reason once more seizing control of her thoughts.

Su Qin could not possibly know that Xiao Chen had sent a message last night: Su Qin’s body had reached an acutely critical state, leaving them with no energy to spare for trivial details.

It mattered little if Su Qin refused the poisoned tea; even without it, the man wouldn’t live to see the morning.

Yes, they would undoubtedly escape his demonic grasp.

Gu Yuhe’s fighting spirit blazed anew. She placed the tea tray upon the throne’s table, then descended from the dais and respectfully knelt.

“Yuhe greets Master.”

Her posture and demeanor remained precisely as they usually were. A look of satisfaction bloomed in Qi Shuyue’s eyes as she mentally substituted ‘father’ with ‘mother’.

‘Excellent. Consider this a preliminary rehearsal.’

She cleared her throat softly, then spoke slowly, her gaze having indeed sharpened considerably:

“Yuhe, rise quickly and serve the morning tea.”