Slacker Second Gen C58

Chapter 58: The Demon Lord (3)

Luo Ye carried the sleeping Qian with the solemnity of presenting a sacred offering, carefully bringing her to the sleeping quarters.

As a notorious villain with no experience in taking care of children, Luo Ye placed the child on the bed without removing her oversized outer robe or covering her with a blanket.

He perched on a stool beside the bed, resting his chin on one hand, occasionally glancing at the sleeping little Demon Lord.

Suddenly, his pinky finger twitched slightly, and the fine silk thread attached to it gleamed coldly.

At the side gate of Youjue Palace, a servant who was trying to sneak past the guards and escape was suddenly sliced into pieces. Shadows slithered in the darkness, dragging the remains away to be devoured.

Even the demon birds and insects that were secretly released in an attempt to leave Youjue Palace exploded into a mist of blood.

“Heh.” Luo Ye chuckled softly, sniffing the faint scent of blood on the silk thread.

Liusha soon returned, covering her crimson lips with a sleeve. She glanced at the sleeping Demon Lord.

“The Lord is asleep?”

“Mhm. Fell asleep after eating.” Luo Ye propped his chin on his hand and replied.

“The servants in Youjue Palace must include spies from other Demon Generals and Elders. Anyone who sees the Lord’s servants attempting to leave cannot be allowed to escape.”

“Of course, I know that.” Luo Ye twirled the silk thread around his pinky. “I’ve already killed one just now.”

At this moment, Youjue Palace had become a cocoon of invisible silk threads—only the rightful master could enter, but none could leave.

After a full meal and a nap, Qian woke up in the morning, brimming with energy.

She was dressed in the fitted clothes that Liusha had prepared for her, wearing soft little boots. Liusha had even carefully combed her hair.

When choosing Qian’s outfit, Liusha had been particularly thoughtful, considering the Lord’s original and current gender. She opted for a neutral style to avoid displeasing her.

Now dressed properly, Qian grabbed her sleeves and flapped them like wings as she ran down the corridors of Youjue Palace.

She touched the carved pillars, tugged at the flowing curtains, got distracted by the strange plants in the courtyard, and even ran to the pond to watch the fish.

Liusha followed her at a measured distance, always smiling as she watched the lively little Lord dip her hand into the water to play with the fish—only to be bitten.

Even the fish in the Demon Realm were so vicious.

Qian raised her reddened hand and turned back with a slightly aggrieved expression, showing it to Liusha and complaining, “It bit me.”

Liusha: “…”

Even she couldn’t keep her smile all the time.

Expressionlessly, she ordered her brother, “Go, catch the fish that dared to bite the Lord and cook it for lunch.”

Before long, Luo Ye was holding a fish, following Qian and Liusha toward the kitchen.

In the kitchen’s water tank, there was a golden-shelled turtle. Qian wandered over and watched it curiously for a while. The chef, wiping sweat from his forehead, introduced it in a low voice.

“This is a Golden Armor Fish brought from the Cultivation Realm. Its meat is exceptionally tender, a rare delicacy used to make Golden Dragon Soup.”

“Golden Dragon Soup?” Qian was momentarily stunned, then suddenly bent down, scooped up the large turtle from the tank, and dashed out.

Liusha hurried after her, watching as Qian threw the turtle into the pond, then stood with her hands on her hips, exhaling in satisfaction as she watched it sink.

“I won’t eat you. You should live well here.”

Liusha silently stepped forward to wipe the water off Qian’s hands and sleeves, then turned to Luo Ye and said, “Go. Right now. Personally bring back the most renowned healer in Demon City!”

The bloodthirsty Demon Lord had actually started setting animals free. If this continued, who knew what else she would release?

The most famous healer in Demon City, Han Qiu, was a fallen cultivator. It was said that he had once been a renowned healer in the Cultivation Realm but was forced into exile in the Demon Realm after failing to save the child of an influential figure.

When Luo Ye found Han Qiu, he was at the residence of one of the Demon Palace’s Nine Elders—Elder Changchun Jia—restlessly drinking tea with him.

“Left Protector, if you wish to seek a healer, of course, I won’t stand in your way,” Changchun Jia said with a fan covering half his face, only his fox-like eyes visible. “But I wonder, who exactly requires medical attention to make you so anxious… Could it be the Right Protector? If so, our relationship isn’t bad—why not let me visit as well?”

Luo Ye smiled at him, but a cold glint flickered in his eyes.

“No need. Liusha doesn’t want to see outsiders right now.”

“Haha, I see.” Changchun Jia seemed to bring it up casually.

As Luo Ye took Han Qiu away, a woman dressed in black stepped forward and sat opposite Changchun Jia.

“Changchun Jia, do you think something really happened to the Lord?”

Changchun Jia lazily waved his fan.

“Who knows? I’m just making a guess.”

“The Lord is in seclusion, and everyone in the Demon Palace is watching closely. The two Protectors suddenly sealed off Youjue Palace yesterday, then the Right Protector mysteriously left for some unknown errand, and now the Left Protector is personally seeking a healer… It’s only natural to suspect something has happened to the Lord. After all, they are his loyal hounds—who else could make them so nervous?”

The woman in black tapped her table with her sharp, lacquered nails.

“If something really happened to the Lord, as Elders, we ought to know. The two Protectors keeping it a secret may be loyal, but it’s inappropriate. We should gather the other Elders and demand an explanation.”

“Ah, I’m merely guessing, merely guessing. Perhaps I’m wrong,” Changchun Jia said with a smirk, his words evasive.

“What, are you saying we should do nothing?” The woman—Elder Sheling—ran her black nails along the table, inwardly cursing Changchun Jia as a sly fox.

“You know me. My strength is mediocre, and I rank low among the Nine Elders. Matters like these are beyond my place. But you, Elder Sheling, rank in the top three—you certainly have the strength to confront the two Protectors.”

Sheling sneered. With a flicker of shadow, she disappeared.

This fox was so “kind” to inform her—turns out, it was just to push her forward as a pawn to test the waters. What a clever plan.

Not only them, but the unusual happenings in the Demon Palace quickly spread to the various elders and even reached the ears of numerous demon generals. Many began to stir restlessly.

However, due to the fearsome reputation of the two Guardians and the awe-inspiring authority of the Demon Sovereign, no one dared to act rashly before confirming the rumors. Most only probed in secret, with few brave enough to confront the Guardians head-on.

At this moment, inside the Youjue Palace, Qian sat on a brocade cushion, curiously observing the medical cultivator Han Qiu across from her.

Han Qiu pressed his fingers against Qian’s small arm, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

From the moment Luo Ye forcefully brought him here, he knew he was in deep trouble. And when he saw Qian, he was sure—his fate was grim.

Han Qiu had, of course, seen the Demon Sovereign Huai Younong before, and he had heard of the Heavenly Demon Sacrificial Tome that he cultivated. So the identity of this child, who looked exactly like the Demon lord, needed no further explanation.

The bloodshed back then—though Han Qiu hadn’t experienced it firsthand—had been recounted to him countless times.

Now, he could only inwardly lament. Whether he could cure the Demon Sovereign or not, he feared he would be silenced either way for knowing too much!

Glancing at the two figures standing behind Qian, Han Qiu slowly withdrew his hand under their watchful gazes.

“How is the Sovereign’s condition? Is there a way to restore him?” Luo Ye asked, arms crossed.

He made no attempt to conceal this child’s identity!

With a bitter expression, Han Qiu replied, “The Demon Sovereign’s condition is very strange. He shows no signs of backlash, and even the demonic energy within him has completely vanished, as if he has never cultivated before.”

“How can that be?” Liu Sha was shocked. “Then what exactly is the Sovereign’s current state?”

Han Qiu: “Simply put, nothing is wrong at all.”

As soon as he said this, he felt a chilling sensation on his neck—several fine threads had intertwined around it.

“Check again and find a way to restore the Sovereign,” Luo Ye ordered without hesitation.

Liu Sha, in a soft and seemingly gentle voice, added, “Aren’t you known as the greatest medical cultivator in Demon City? I believe you’ll find a way. If you can’t see anything for now, you can stay here and slowly treat the Sovereign.”

Han Qiu protested, “I never claimed to be the greatest in Demon City! That’s just an empty title others gave me—”

“I don’t care how you got that title,” Luo Ye interrupted, his tone cold. “If you can’t cure the Sovereign, we’ll just take your head and give it to the Sovereign as a ball to kick around!”

Han Qiu looked at Luo Ye’s sinister smirk—exactly as the rumors described—and felt utterly miserable.

“I don’t want to kick heads,” Qian objected.

She had been eyeing the thin threads in Luo Ye’s hands for a while now, intrigued, and finally reached out to touch them.

Han Qiu watched as the Left Guardian, who had just been threatening him with a wicked smile, instantly retracted his deadly silk threads and instead presented them to the little Demon Sovereign like an offering for her to play with.

These silk threads possessed a sort of “life” of their own, yet in Qian’s hands, they were nothing more than soft and pliable strands. She pinched them, playing around and even attempting to weave a cat’s cradle.

The two feared Guardians, notorious throughout the land, ended up sitting with the childlike Demon Sovereign, fumbling through the game of cat’s cradle together. Despite their efforts, none of them could make it past the sixth turn.

Han Qiu: “……”

“So?” Liu Sha asked. “Have you figured out how to treat the Demon Sovereign?”

Han Qiu sighed. “Didn’t you say I could take my time?”

Liu Sha: “I already gave you half an incense stick’s time. Isn’t that enough?”

Luo Ye: “Your thinking speed needs to keep pace with the rate at which your life is running out.”

A shiver ran down Han Qiu’s spine as he blurted out, “I can try using acupuncture to stimulate the Sovereign’s demonic meridians. That might activate the dormant demonic energy within his body!”

Liu Sha: “See? I knew you’d come up with something.”

Luo Ye: “It better work. Otherwise, you’ll be useless to us.”

Then came the problem.

As soon as Qian saw Han Qiu take out a needle, she immediately jumped off the stool and grabbed onto Liu Sha’s dress, using her as a shield.

“I don’t want needles!”

“Sovereign, this is for your recovery,” Liu Sha coaxed.

Seeing through her intent, Qian instantly let go of Liu Sha and bolted behind Luo Ye, clinging to his outer robe and looking up at him.

“I don’t want needles!” she repeated firmly.

Luo Ye stiffened instinctively but softened his tone. “Don’t worry, Sovereign. It will be very quick, and I promise it won’t harm you.”

“Right?” He glanced at Han Qiu, his demeanor shifting in an instant.

No matter how much they coaxed and persuaded, Qian refused to cooperate.

Realizing that simply saying “no” wasn’t working, she resorted to covering her ears and running around the room in protest.

“I don’t! I don’t! I don’t!”

“Sovereign! Sovereign! Sovereign!”

The two Guardians chased after her, but neither dared to actually grab her. They could only plead and beg, resembling a pair of hapless wet nurses.

Qian ran from the table to the bed, then from the bed into the wardrobe. Finally, she noticed there was one person in the room who hadn’t spoken yet.

With her lips pursed, she ran straight toward Han Qiu, grabbing onto his clothes and tilting her head up to look at him.

“Can you not poke me with needles?” she pleaded. “I’m not sick.”

“You should just go home and not come back.”

For a moment, Han Qiu forgot that the child in front of him was the fearsome Demon Sovereign. He even found her little push to shoo him away rather cute.

But in the next instant, the deathly gazes of the two Guardians sent chills down his spine.

Luo Ye’s voice turned sinister. “If you can’t get the Sovereign to accept acupuncture, you’d better come up with another solution.”

The pressure was back on him. Han Qiu’s face fell as he lamented his wretched fate. No matter where he went, he always ended up in situations like this.

Why was his life so miserable?

“Waaahhh…”

Tears burst from his eyes.

Qian shrank back in surprise at the sight of the grown man crying, staring at him innocently.

“Waaahhh, I don’t want to live anymore! You might as well just kill me!” Han Qiu wailed. Overcome with despair, he cried so hard that he felt a small tug on his sleeve.

Qian hesitantly stood in front of him, looking reluctant as she said, “Stop crying… You can only poke me once. Twice at most. Any more than that, and I’ll cry too.”

Qian rarely saw adults cry, and every time she did, it never felt like a pleasant experience. It made her uneasy.

Using tears to accomplish what the two protectors had failed to do all day, Han Qiu was left in a daze as he took out his specially made needles in preparation.

Luo Ye draped an arm around his neck, flashing a grin that revealed a row of sharp white teeth. “Didn’t expect you to be so capable.”

Han Qiu: “……”

Once the procedure began, Han Qiu looked at the little Demon Lord sitting on the bed, and his expression cracked.

“The Demon Lord… is a girl?!”

He had already felt something was off earlier but had assumed he had diagnosed incorrectly!

Meanwhile, in a hidden cave deep within Zhu Ding Mountain, filled with intricate formations, the Demon Lord Huai Yunong, with long dark red hair draped over his shoulders and clad in a black robe embroidered with golden patterns, opened his eyes after completing a round of cultivation.

His dark golden eyes burned like fire in the shadows.

Huai Yunong felt a strange sense of agitation.

He glanced upward.

With his current cultivation level, every fluctuation in his thoughts carried a deeper premonition.

For the past two days, he had felt restless during cultivation. Could it be that something had changed in the outside world or the Demon Palace?

With Luo Ye and Liu Sha there, nothing should have gone wrong.

Besides, with him here, what trouble could possibly arise in the Demon Palace?

Thinking this, Huai Yunong eased his worries and once again entered meditation, continuing his attempt to break through his bottleneck.