"Rather than killing this Snake Demon and having your son become hopelessly fixated, it would be better to have someone else seduce the Snake Demon and make him fall for another."
Danxia True Monarch said, stroking his long beard with a smug air.
"This Snake Demon only has Foundation Establishment Cultivation and is incredibly naive. Manipulating him will be a piece of cake, no?"
Hearing Danxia True Monarch’s words, the Jade Poison Great Saint exclaimed in admiration:
"As expected! When it comes to insidious plots, not even Celestial Demons can compare to you Human Race Cultivators!"
Danxia True Monarch paid it no mind. ’As long as I can obtain that Innate Chaotic Qi and advance to the Divinity Transformation realm, what does a little teasing matter?’
"Let me go borrow a few Enchanting Demons. They’ll have that vile creature so smitten he won’t know which way is up. It would even be a simple matter to have them drain him of his vitality until he dies."
A cold glint flashed in the Jade Poison Great Saint’s eyes.
’That Innate Chaotic Qi should have been within my grasp, yet it’s been one complication after another. First, news came from the neighboring Demon Realm that the Xuyu Coral had been lost. That put the Jade Poison Kingdom in the spotlight, attracting countless Celestial Demons and Demon Cultivators and preventing Danxia Great Saint from starting the furnace for Alchemy.’
’Then there was Si Taizhen, a boy who’d never shown the slightest interest in romance, suddenly developing feelings for a vile snake of inferior bloodline. This had destabilized the Innate Chaotic Qi, and now a prize that was all but his was about to slip through his fingers.’
The Jade Poison Great Saint was a Demon, so unlike Human Race Cultivators, he didn’t need to focus on cultivating his mind. Today’s frustrations had filled him with a vicious aura.
"That won’t work. Nephew Taizhen may seem worldly-unaware, but he’s extremely meticulous. If we send Enchanting Demons to work their wiles, I’m afraid he’s bound to see through the scheme."
Danxia True Monarch was accustomed to the constant scheming and backstabbing within his Sect. When dealing with someone, he would never be as crude and direct as the Jade Poison Great Saint.
"I’ll have my disciple, Xu Qian, go."
’His disciple had no shortage of suitors in the Sect, and she toyed with them effortlessly. Handling a naive Snake Demon who has never seen the world would be child’s play.’
-----------------
Trembling with trepidation, Yang Jing took a bath in the palace’s hot spring, making sure to dismiss the maids who offered to attend to him.
He scrubbed himself clean, his heart pounding with fear. Only after confirming that Si Taizhen wasn’t about to burst in did he let out a huge sigh of relief.
Holding his nose, Yang Jing cast a few Dust-Exorcism Spells before putting on the brocade robe the maids had hung on the clothes rack. The robe had the ability to change size to fit its wearer. Si Taizhen had a tall frame, so the robe even had to shrink a bit to look right on Yang Jing.
Recalling the two streams of killing intent that had been locked on him, Yang Jing knew he had no choice but to play along with Si Taizhen for now.
Still radiating warmth from the hot spring, he donned the brocade robe and stepped out of the bathing palace, only to find Si Taizhen already waiting outside.
Unlike his usual self, Si Taizhen wore a simple, plain-colored robe today. His features were exquisite, his skin whiter than snow and as flawless as jade, creating an illusion of such fragility that a mere breath might shatter it. The light of the Luminous Pearls shone upon his hair, making him look like a Divine Consort Fairy.
Even Yang Jing was dazzled by his stunning appearance for a moment.
"Greetings, Crown Prince."
"Yes, this robe suits you perfectly."
Si Taizhen said softly, a blush spreading across his cheeks.
He reached out, wanting to tie up Yang Jing’s hair, but Yang Jing dodged him alertly.
"How could I possibly trouble the Crown Prince?"
Yang Jing said hastily, bowing.
Si Taizhen’s hand paused in mid-air before he drew it back, disappointment flashing in his eyes.
"Danxia True Monarch’s two disciples have arrived. Come with me to welcome them."
In the Crown Prince’s Palace, there was a high platform built for welcoming guests, from which one could overlook the entire complex. But since Si Taizhen put little effort into managing his palace, the view from above was nothing spectacular.
Yi Hongzheng and Xu Qian sat at the banquet table, watching as maids brought forth a succession of dishes.
Although the ingredients used for the Spiritual Food in the Eleventh Prince’s Mansion were of high quality, the Spirit Chef’s skills were simply too poor. He had only just managed to integrate the Spiritual Charm of the ingredients, and the taste was barely palatable.
Naturally, Xu Qian had not come here for a little Spiritual Food.
Her lively eyes shifted and fell upon Yang Jing, who was sitting in the secondary seat of honor.
’This Snake Demon looked so unremarkable. To think he’d actually won Si Taizhen’s favor and enjoyed such a meteoric rise.’
Although Xu Qian didn’t know why her master had made such a strange request—to drive a wedge between this Snake Demon and Si Taizhen—in her eyes, it would be as easy as lifting a finger.
’Ever since she’d learned that a man as exceptionally handsome as Si Taizhen was actually fond of other men, she’d felt an impulse to destroy him.’
"Speaking of which, Crown Prince Si, my junior sister and I saw a Demon General being punished on our way here. What law did he break, I wonder?"
Yi Hongzheng asked, quite curious.
When he and his junior sister arrived, they had seen two Demon Generals flogging a large snake that had been forced into its true form and bound to a Copper Pillar.
"It was nothing. That idiot just doesn’t know his place. His words and actions were insolent, so I’m teaching him a lesson."
Si Taizhen, who had been urging Yang Jing to drink with him, felt his expression turn cold. ’That oaf had somehow heard about Si Bing and had the audacity to offer his own pillow. So I used my Magical Power to force him into his true form, had my Demon Generals give him a hundred lashes, and ordered him locked to the Copper Pillar for three hundred days as a public spectacle.’
"You must be General Si Bing, then," Xu Qian said to Yang Jing in a sweet voice. "My senior brother and I have been wanting to explore the Marketplace in the Jade Poison Kingdom, but given our status, we haven’t been able to go. If you were to accompany us, we’d have nothing to fear."
"You flatter me, Fairy Xu. I am merely a fox borrowing the tiger’s might, relying on the Crown Prince’s prestige."
The two drank a cup of wine together.
Yang Jing looked at Xu Qian and said:
"I have always wanted to study the Alchemy Skill. If Fairy Xu could offer a few pointers, I would be eternally grateful."
The Central Continent’s Purple Mist Sect was renowned for its Alchemy Skill, so he naturally wanted to glean some insights from these two Golden Core Cultivators.
"Oh? I didn’t expect General Si Bing to have an interest in the Alchemy Skill,"
Though Xu Qian wore a look of pleasant surprise, inwardly she was scornful. ’A mere Demon like him actually wants to study the Alchemy Skill?’ she thought.
Yang Jing casually asked a few very basic questions about Alchemy. Xu Qian replied in her sweet voice. Following her master’s orders, she acted with great patience, putting on the air of a gentle and methodical teacher.
"The prices for Spirit Medicine in the Jade Poison Kingdom are extremely low, which is perfect for practice."
For a time, the only sound at the banquet was the two of them discussing the Alchemy Skill.
Seeing Si Bing and Xu Qian chatting so happily, Si Taizhen suddenly felt a pang of bitterness. He was completely ignorant when it came to Alchemy, so he couldn’t even find a way to join the conversation.
A feeling of gloom settled over him. His eyes, glistening with unshed tears, fell upon Yang Jing.
"Si Bing, my vault holds a great deal of Spirit Medicine. This is the Vault Key. If you want to practice Alchemy, just go and take what you need."
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