Chapter 185: Protagonist 23

Skin-Painting Demon rode her human palanquin to the Liu family estate in the Ninth City.

On the streets, whether they were cultivators of the Demonic Race or ordinary mortals, no one reacted to the eerie, flesh-crafted palanquin.

Because in their eyes, it was nothing more than an ordinary wooden sedan chair carrying a delicate young lady.

The entire Ninth City was now trapped within the Illusion Demon’s spellwork, as though a veil had been cast over the people’s eyes. They couldn’t see the strange Demonic Race beings walking the streets.

The Liu residence, appearing outwardly unremarkable, felt like stepping into the Demon Realm once past the gates—miasma surging, the air thick with the stench of blood, and mindless puppets wandering back and forth.

“Madam Hua’s back. Empty-handed again? Didn’t you say you’d bring back a few disciples from the Yunyin Immortal Sect this time? I was hoping you’d let me have one or two to play with.”

A pale-faced scholar-looking man lounged beneath the corridor, casually fiddling with a scroll, smiling as he spoke.

Skin-Painting Demon leaned against one of her puppets and rolled her eyes at him. “Miasma Demon, spare me the sarcasm. You think I wanted to come back empty-handed? Some real trouble showed up. I suggest you watch yourself too. Wouldn’t want to get dragged out and killed with a single sword strike.”

At the word “sword,” Miasma Demon’s brow twitched. “Sword? Don’t tell me…”

“Hmph, it’s Gongxi Yue.”

“She just showed up out of nowhere, and we haven’t even started our big operation yet.”

Just thinking of Gongxi Yue meddling and jeopardizing the Demon Lord’s orders sent a wave of irritation crashing over Skin-Painting Demon.

Miasma Demon, however, only chuckled, eyes narrowing with amusement. “Say what you will, but if the Young Lord finds out her old nemesis is here, she’ll definitely come running for a little fun.”

“Oh no, that’s the last thing we need! The moment the Young Lord gets involved, things just get worse. She won’t care about our mission or the Demon Lord’s orders—she’ll only be focused on getting even with Gongxi Yue.”

Skin-Painting Demon’s eye roll grew even more exaggerated.

“You go remind the Illusion Demon to tighten the illusion. Make sure Gongxi Yue doesn’t catch on. Otherwise, this whole base of ours is going to be torn apart.”

Miasma Demon, unlike Skin-Painting Demon, wasn’t the least bit anxious—he even seemed to be enjoying the impending chaos. Shaking the scroll in his hand, he brought up another matter:

“By the way, that Yunyin Immortal Sect disciple you caught last time—surname Xue, the one who can neutralize my miasma—how about lending her to me for a few days? It’d be a waste if you turned her into a puppet too soon.”

Skin-Painting Demon couldn’t be bothered to answer him. With her puppets in tow, she returned to her own courtyard.

After losing so many of her puppets to Gongxi Yue earlier and sustaining injuries herself, she didn’t even have the mood for her usual chats with the few conscious, living puppet pretty boys. She went straight to rest.

The few puppets who had stayed by her side retained their self-awareness, though their lives were under her control. With their master asleep, they were free to move around.

One masked man among them was Xiao Shou. Evading the other puppets with practiced ease, he made his way toward the dungeon in the rear courtyard.

This dungeon housed the raw materials Skin-Painting Demon used for crafting puppets. In the only cell with a small skylight sat a woman in pale blue robes, her brow furrowed, worry etched across her face.

At the sound of footsteps, she looked toward the cell door. The moment she saw Xiao Shou, she rushed over. “Young Master Xiao, you’re here! What about my junior martial brothers? Were they captured too?”

Xiao Shou removed his mask. His current face was one painted from human skin by Skin-Painting Demon. His smile was stiff and unnatural.

“No, Miss Xue, you don’t have to worry. None of the Yunyin Immortal Sect disciples fell into Skin-Painting Demon’s hands. Though they were injured, they managed to escape safely.”

His voice was gentle, filled with reassurance and guilt. “I wanted to get word to them that you were still alive, but I never found the chance. I’ve failed you.”

Xue Yingying hurriedly shook her head. “Don’t say that! If it weren’t for you, I can’t imagine how much more I’d have suffered here. You’ve risked so much to help me in secret—I’m already endlessly grateful!”

After a while of talking with Xue Yingying, Xiao Shou put the mask back on and left.

Even as the system chimed in his ear, showing another increase in favorability, his face remained heavy.

Xue Yingying was only a three-star target. Even if she had some affection for him now, it wasn’t enough to give him the leverage he needed.

Thinking back to Wen Xunzhen, whom he’d seen by Gongxi Yue’s side earlier, Xiao Shou’s heart twisted.

In recent days, Wen Xunzhen’s capture progress had not only stalled but had started regressing. The thought left him restless and anxious, wondering if another system host near Gongxi Yue had done something.

He had to find a way to see Wen Xunzhen in person—to confirm that she was still within his control.

“A-Shou.”

Just as Wen Xunzhen crossed his mind, her voice sounded at his ear. Xiao Shou jumped, quickly composing himself, putting on an expression of joyful surprise as he turned around.

“Xun Zhen! How are you? I’ve been worried about you every single day! Were you hurt? Has Gongxi Yue been giving you trouble? It’s all my fault—I wasn’t strong enough to protect you!” Xiao Shou strode toward her with quick, anxious steps.

Wen Xunzhen stood in a dimly lit corner, her gaze fixed on him—on his guilty, tender expression.

Swallowing his disgust, Xiao Shou pulled her into his arms, then quickly released her, holding her shoulders as he looked her over. “Xun Zhen, you’ve suffered.”

Wen Xunzhen gave him the same gentle smile as before, her voice soft as she recounted what had happened over these past days.

She kept it brief, only letting him know she’d been kept by Gongxi Yue’s side.

Recalling what he’d seen earlier, Xiao Shou’s eyes flickered.

“Xun Zhen, I saw you holding Gongxi Yue’s daughter earlier… That child seems very attached to you?”

“I don’t know how I offended Gongxi Yue,” he continued bitterly, “She’s been targeting me from the start. I never told you, but the injuries I had when we first met… they were all thanks to her.”

At this point, a look of pained suffering twisted Xiao Shou’s face.

“But my cultivation is low… I can only let her humiliate me! I dream of getting back at her! Xun Zhen, I hate her so much!”

“So… A-Shou wants me to help you get revenge on Gongxi Yue?” Wen Xunzhen asked quietly.

“Yes! I want her to suffer the same pain I did.” Xiao Shou’s eyes lit up with expectation and desperation. “Xun Zhen, you could… take that child away from her. When something ‘accidental’ happens to the kid, we can pin it all on these Demonic Race.”

When Wen Xunzhen didn’t immediately reply, Xiao Shou grew agitated.

By his calculations, whatever he asked for, Wen Xunzhen—even if reluctant—would always agree.

But now… she was hesitating.

“Xun Zhen, just look at me now.” Xiao Shou decided to play his trump card. He pulled up his sleeve, revealing the puppet threads buried in his arm, then tugged open his collar to show the faint lines trailing toward his heart.

“If it hadn’t been for Gongxi Yue attacking me without cause, and your teleportation array mistakenly sending me here, how would I have fallen into Skin-Painting Demon’s hands and been turned into a living puppet?”

“Look at me now—completely powerless, suffering every single day. Are we really just going to let this go?” He turned his pale face away as though unwilling to say more.

Of course, he would never tell Wen Xunzhen the real reason he became one of Skin-Painting Demon’s living puppets. It wasn’t because of that last beating from Gongxi Yue alone—after barely surviving yet again, he’d grown disillusioned with the path of cultivation and willingly chose to cultivate demonic arts instead.

He had approached Skin-Painting Demon of his own accord, drawn by her beauty, hoping to win her over and gain her help.

In the past, seeing Xiao Shou like this—so broken and desperate—Wen Xunzhen would have cast aside all hesitation to help him. But now, she realized there was a part of her that remained cold and clear.

She saw the flicker of calculation in Xiao Shou’s eyes, the dissatisfaction he couldn’t fully hide, heard the bitterness laced behind his carefully measured words.

“Alright.” She answered softly, her tone as gentle as ever.

In the prison cell, Xue Yingying was still struggling to stir the stagnant spiritual energy in her body, but each time she reached the final step, she failed.

“You’re a disciple of Yunyin Immortal Sect?”

The sudden voice startled her. Only then did she notice the white-robed woman silently standing at the cell door—tall, beautiful, and glowing faintly even in this dim, oppressive place.

Most importantly, she wasn’t Demonic Race.

“Who are you?” Xue Yingying asked cautiously.

“I’m here to help you escape.” Wen Xunzhen didn’t explain further. She pulled a small fish-shaped pendant from her sleeve and handed it over. “This artifact will conceal your aura and help you get away.”

It was the same artifact that had allowed her to slip unnoticed into this Demonic Race stronghold.

Xue Yingying froze when she saw the pendant. “This belongs to Qian… How did you get it?”

She remembered it clearly—it was a keepsake Senior Lingzhao had given to Qian. Whenever she visited, she’d often see Qian playing with it.

“She gave it to me herself. She and Gongxi Yue are both in the Twelfth City now.”

Qian always had a knack for acquiring precious items, but unless she offered them freely, it was nearly impossible for anyone else to get hold of them.

Seeing this familiar pendant here in such a dire place, Xue Yingying felt an unexpected warmth toward Wen Xunzhen and said honestly, “I was force-fed Demonic Race drugs. I can’t channel spiritual energy right now… even if I leave, I won’t get far.”

Wen Xunzhen took out another item—a detoxification pill. “Here. Antidote.”

While refining pills for Gongxi Yue, she’d secretly concocted quite a few others for herself.

Gongxi Yue’s surveillance of her was erratic—sometimes tight, sometimes lax.

Wen Xunzhen still couldn’t figure her out.

“This is great! Thank you!” Xue Yingying took the pill eagerly. “I don’t know who you are or why you’re helping me, but I swear I’ll repay you for saving my life.”

Wen Xunzhen stood on the other side of the cell door, silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, “Do you like that Young Master Xiao from earlier?”

Xue Yingying froze, her cheeks flushing pink. “You… you’ve been here all along? You saw me talking to him?”

“Don’t misunderstand,” she said hastily, “Young Master Xiao isn’t part of the Demonic Race. He’s also a victim of Skin-Painting Demon’s cruelty. He’s done nothing wrong… he’s even been helping me.”

Watching her panic to explain, Wen Xunzhen felt as though she was looking at her former self.

She had followed Skin-Painting Demon here and had gone with Xiao Shou down to the dungeon, watching him talk to Xue Yingying with her own eyes.

The same lover who once swore eternal devotion, who said countless times that he loved her no matter what, who respected and cherished her—looked at another woman now with that same tender, lingering gaze, identical to how he used to look at her.

And the moment he turned away, that loving gaze would twist into irritation and disgust.

From this angle, his so-called affection and gentleness felt as fake as the mask on his face.

“Miss Xue, don’t fall for him.”

With that, Wen Xunzhen turned and left without waiting for a response.

When Xue Yingying’s cell was found empty, the entire mansion—still cloaked in illusion—erupted into chaos. Dozens of puppets were dispatched to hunt down the escaped prisoner.

Xiao Shou was also sent out. But instead of joining the search, he slipped into a nearby alley where Wen Xunzhen was waiting for him.

“You let Xue Yingying escape? Why bother doing something so unnecessary?” Xiao Shou couldn’t help the note of reproach in his voice.

But remembering that he still needed her to help lure out the child, he softened quickly. “Do you have any idea how worried I was about you? What if you’d been caught too?”

Wen Xunzhen said, “Letting her create a distraction will give you the perfect chance to slip away with me to find Gongxi Qian.”

“A-Shou, let’s go now.”

“Alright, thank you, Xun Zhen. Once I catch the kid, I need to bring her straight back. Stay close by and wait for me, alright?”

“Of course.”

Xiao Shou was just feeling satisfied when suddenly the world went dark. His body crumpled to the side, caught by a figure that smelled faintly of medicinal herbs.

Something was wrong.

But before he could resist, the drugged scent grew overwhelming, and he completely lost consciousness.

When he woke again, he was lying on a simple wooden bed, unable to move. Outside the window loomed unfamiliar green mountains—they were far from the Ninth City now.

Wen Xunzhen sat nearby, calmly refining pills, her pale, jade-like fingers pulling freshly formed pills from the cauldron.

“Wh… what’s going on?” Xiao Shou mumbled. “Didn’t you promise… revenge… to help me…”

Wen Xunzhen moved to sit at his bedside, her tone as gentle as ever. “A-Shou, remember when you took me away from Medical Valley? You said you wanted to find a place for us to live a simple life together. Let’s stay here… just the two of us… forever.”

Realizing what she meant, Xiao Shou suddenly struggled violently. “What are you talking about!”

Forcing himself to breathe deeply, he buried his panic and tried to speak calmly, coaxingly, “Xun Zhen, you’re confused… you’ve forgotten that I’m a living puppet now. If I don’t go back, I’ll die!”

“It’s alright,” Wen Xunzhen replied softly. “I’m working on Puppet Pills. They’ll suppress the poison inside you. It’ll hurt a little, but… I’m willing to endure any pain to stay with you. I know you’re willing too… right?”

Xiao Shou almost cursed aloud. Forcing a smile, he said, “Of course… but… what about your own body? Haven’t you always wanted to find the right ingredients… refine the True Pill… and fully become a woman?”

“Don’t worry, I’ll gather the ingredients myself, little by little.”

Xiao Shou couldn’t even force a smile anymore. Deep down, he wondered if this neither-man-nor-woman lunatic had finally gone insane.

“Xun Zhen, why are you suddenly like this? Did something happen to you? Were you… traumatized?”

“Gongxi Yue said… that you never really loved me.” Wen Xunzhen let out a soft laugh. “Turns out, she was right. There really isn’t a single person in this world who truly loves me.”

“But… I want someone by my side so badly. So A-Shou, just stay with me… like this… forever.”

…

In the Twelfth City, at the Yunyin Immortal Sect outpost, Gongxi Yue was seated in her room, meditating to regulate her breathing. A few disciples, having tended to their wounds, were gathered downstairs, quietly discussing their next steps for tracking down Skin-Painting Demon and rescuing their Aunt-Master Xue.

“Venerable Master is still injured. It’s better if those of us less hurt go investigate first.”

“I think we shouldn’t act rashly. The senior sisters who infiltrated the Demon Realm haven’t sent back any word yet. We’re all wounded, and the message we sent to the Sect hasn’t been answered. It’s best to wait a little longer.”

“So we’re just going to leave Aunt-Master Xue to die? What if the Demonic Race kills her?!”

The sudden outburst left everyone silent, their gazes shifting… behind him?

The speaking disciple turned, only to see the long-missing Aunt-Master Xue standing at the doorway.

“My dear disciple-nephew, there’s no need to worry,” Xue Yingying said lightly. “Your Aunt-Master isn’t dead yet.”