Chapter 123: A Dragon’s Worry
Bai Jingxue, perched on a tree branch, surveyed the area. The ground had stopped cracking, and the flowers had stopped blooming, their unnatural growth halted.
Lü Qingyan was perched on another branch. Without her spiritual energy, climbing had been a struggle. She wasn’t weak, the tree was simply too tall.
Bai Jingxue looked down at her, then extended a hand. “Transform,” she said. “I’ll carry you.”
Lü Qingyan’s eyes lit up, and she quickly transformed into her dog form, leaping into Bai Jingxue’s arms.
Bai Jingxue, about to pet her, felt Lü Qingyan nuzzling her palm.
Amused by the dog’s affectionate gesture, she smiled, then transformed into her cat form, gently picking Lü Qingyan up by the scruff of her neck and jumping down.
They landed gracefully, transforming back into their human forms.
The rustling of leaves nearby alerted them to someone’s approach, and Lü Qingyan, recognizing the Demon Lord’s scent, parted the bushes, revealing the Demon Lord, her expression one of annoyance, as she picked her way through the undergrowth.
Lü Qingyan waved, her voice cheerful. “Your Excellency!”
The Demon Lord, who had been battling the encroaching vegetation, looked up, then quickened her pace.
She reached the clearing, brushing leaves and twigs from her clothes, then ran a hand through her hair, removing any stray leaves.
“This damned place,” she muttered. “It’s worse than the Demon Realm.”
Lü Qingyan helped her remove the remaining leaves, then asked, “Did you find anything in the city, Your Excellency?”
The Demon Lord had abandoned her disguise as the Second Princess, adopting a more inconspicuous appearance.
In addition to the wanted posters for Bai Jingxue and her companions, new posters, featuring the Second Princess, had appeared, these ones more detailed, even including her half-demon form.
The Demon Lord, seeing the portrait of Luo Nianshang with six arms, had discreetly pocketed one.
She now retrieved it, carefully smoothing it out, showing it to Bai Jingxue and Lü Qingyan. “You can’t go back to the city,” she said. “And they’re decorating the streets, preparing for a festival. They’re praying for the goddess to appear.”
Seeing that Lü Qingyan was leaning closer, wanting a better look, she quickly put the poster away.
She hadn’t shown it to them for long. Lü Qingyan hadn’t had a chance to see the details, but it didn’t matter. Their identities had been exposed.
“A prayer ceremony?”
Luo Nianshang’s voice made them turn.
The Demon Lord nodded. “Yes,” she said. “But Bai Zhao abolished the annual prayer ceremony when she became Emperor. Although, according to the older residents, this one is smaller, less extravagant than the previous ones.”
Bai Jingxue, listening to their conversation, thought for a moment, then asked, “Do you have any information on this Emperor?”
“Of course,” Luo Nianshang and the Demon Lord replied simultaneously.
They both paused, surprised by their synchronized response, then exchanged a look. “You go first,” the Demon Lord said.
Luo Nianshang shook her head. “No, you tell them,” she said. “I’m not good at this.”
The Demon Lord, tired of this pointless back-and-forth, agreed.
She shared the information she had gathered, then added her own assessment. “Bai Zhao is a good ruler,” she said. “She’s also the least devout person in this kingdom. I don’t understand why she would reinstate the prayer ceremony.”
Bai Jingxue, however, thought that if Bai Zhao was truly devout, the ceremony wouldn’t be small. She would have made it even grander to compensate for the years it had been banned.
Perhaps Bai Zhao had her own reasons?
Considering the current situation, talking to her might be their best option.
She remembered those historical dramas she had watched in her past life. Emperors always attended important ceremonies, like ancestral worship or prayer rituals. If that was the custom in Cang Xi, then they might be able to capture Bai Zhao during the ceremony.
The more she thought about it, the more she liked the idea. “Will Bai Zhao attend the ceremony?” she asked. “Can we capture her and bring her here?”
“Of course,” the Demon Lord replied.
It was a good plan, but they were wanted criminals. They needed a way to sneak into the city.
Bai Jingxue thought for a moment, then she noticed that the Demon Lord was carefully wiping her face, her disguise gradually disappearing.
This gave her an idea.
The Demon Lord could disguise them.
“We can capture Bai Zhao during the ceremony,” she said, her voice filled with excitement, “but we need to get into the city. Can you disguise us, Your Excellency?”
The Demon Lord, having just removed her disguise, was annoyed.
She tossed the handkerchief aside, frowning. “Why didn’t you say so earlier?” she muttered. “I wouldn’t have bothered removing it.”
Despite her complaint, she began applying the disguise, holding a mirror before Bai Jingxue’s face.
“Take a look,” she said. “Anything you want to change?”
It was a rhetorical question. Bai Jingxue examined her reflection, turning her head from side to side. The disguise was flawless.
“It’s perfect, Your Excellency,” she said, her voice filled with a sincere admiration.
The Demon Lord, her chin lifting slightly, her eyes gleaming with pride, said, “Indeed. Now, for the last one.”
She shooed Bai Jingxue away, then her gaze fell upon Luo Nianshang, who was leaning against a tree, her sword clutched in her hand.
Remembering their opposing stances, she deliberately adopted a colder demeanor, her voice flat as she addressed Luo Nianshang. “Your turn, Venerable One.”
The difference in her tone was so stark that Luo Nianshang felt a twinge of discomfort. She tightened her grip on her sword, then relaxed, settling down before the Demon Lord.
The lighting in Qu Ying’s hut was poor, so they were outside.
Luo Nianshang sat on a tree stump, her head tilted back, her eyes closed, as the Demon Lord worked.
She felt a strange nervousness, her hands fidgeting, her fingers tracing the patterns on her sword sheath.
The Demon Lord, seeing that she hadn’t opened her eyes, said, “You can look now.”
Luo Nianshang, her fidgeting ceasing, opened her eyes, then slowly closed them again.
The Demon Lord, her brush hovering over Luo Nianshang’s face, her gaze lingering on Luo Nianshang’s closed eyes, her usual playful demeanor replaced by a quiet intensity, found her surprisingly docile. It was a rare sight.
She felt her cheeks flushing, and she took a deep breath, reminding herself to stay calm.
She began applying the disguise, her movements gentle, and Luo Nianshang’s brow furrowed as the powder tickled her skin.
When Luo Nianshang frowned again, the Demon Lord couldn’t resist.
Her finger traced the lines of Luo Nianshang’s brow, smoothing it, and she felt a sudden warmth, her hand retracting as if burned. “There was a clump,” she said, her voice a little too high, her cheeks burning. “I had to smooth it out.”
Her explanation was unnecessary, her actions a clear sign of her own flustered state.
But Luo Nianshang, thankfully, didn’t notice.
“It’s alright,” Luo Nianshang said. “Do what you need to do. There’s no need to explain.”
So she could touch Luo Nianshang’s face freely?
That was how the Demon Lord interpreted it, her cheeks burning even brighter.
Disguising Bai Jingxue and Lü Qingyan had been easy, but now, with Luo Nianshang, her thoughts kept straying, her hands trembling slightly.
She stared at Luo Nianshang’s closed eyes, her gaze drawn downwards, lingering on her lips.
Luo Nianshang’s lips were usually pressed into a thin line, her expression aloof and unapproachable, but without that usual tension, they seemed soft and… inviting.
She reached out a finger, tracing the outline of Luo Nianshang’s lips, applying a thin layer of rouge.
The rouge was cool and moist against Luo Nianshang’s skin, a strangely intimate sensation.
Luo Nianshang, her thoughts drifting towards dangerous territory, quickly refocused, scolding herself for overthinking a simple gesture.
They were both lost in their own thoughts, each believing she was taking advantage of the other, their hearts filled with a mixture of guilt, anxiety, and a secret, undeniable thrill.
The Demon Lord withdrew her hand, staring at Luo Nianshang’s lips, their color enhanced by the rouge, a satisfied smile curving her lips.
She had already crossed the line. She might as well embrace it. She set aside the brush, using her fingers to apply the remaining makeup.
Luo Nianshang’s ears turned a deeper shade of pink with each touch.
This disguise was more difficult than any she had ever created. She wiped the sweat from her brow, then tilted Luo Nianshang’s chin up, examining her work, but something still felt wrong.
She withdrew her hand, her brow furrowed in thought, then she realized what it was.
Luo Nianshang’s face might be ordinary now, but her expression, cold and impassive, was too distinctive.
She might underestimate this mortal Emperor, but she didn’t think Bai Zhao was that oblivious.
“Smile,” she said.
Luo Nianshang obeyed, but her smile was stiff and unnatural, like a puppet’s.
This would only make her stand out even more.
The Demon Lord sighed. “That’s too fake,” she said. “Think of something happy. Try again.”
Luo Nianshang’s brow furrowed again, then, a moment later, a genuine smile curved her lips, transforming her usually cold features, softening them, making her look almost… approachable.
The Demon Lord’s heart skipped a beat. “You can open your eyes now,” she said.
She held a mirror before Luo Nianshang’s face, her curiosity undeniable. “What were you thinking about?” she asked.
Luo Nianshang lowered her head, her voice soft. “It’s a secret.”
Because she had been thinking of you.
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