Su Hongyu carelessly stroked her nails.
“Little Han’er,” she said. “The way she looked at you just now… she doesn’t seem like one of yours. Leaving your back exposed to her like that, aren’t you worried she’ll stab you in your soft spot?”
Mu Qiuhan frowned upon hearing this.
“No need for you to worry about it, I…”
She wanted to say something in retort, but found she couldn’t seem to speak the words.
She silently turned around, glancing back at the person behind her who stood with head lowered, remaining silent the whole time.
Mu Qiuhan had to admit inwardly that Su Hongyu might be right.
Shang Ningye hated her, and just now…
Thinking of this, Mu Qiuhan lightly bit her lip.
Shang Ningye lowered her head.
Of course, she had heard Su Hongyu’s words as well.
Harm Mu Qiuhan?
She might not be able to do such a thing, but Mu Qiuhan was a member of the demon race, and their leader at that. She really shouldn’t spend any more time with someone like that.
Her rational side told her that she should leave as soon as possible while Mu Qiuhan was still nearby and this group wouldn’t dare easily harm her, escaping to a safer place.
But her body seemed unwilling to move.
In her hesitation, those human legs and feet seemed to transform back into roots, gripping tightly onto the soil beneath Mu Qiuhan’s feet, binding her to the spot.
Shang Ningye used great effort to force herself to take a few steps back, putting some distance between herself and the person in front of her.
This action, seen through Mu Qiuhan’s eyes, looked more like an instinctive retreat.
Was Shang Ningye worried that she would strike out at her because of Su Hongyu’s words?
This thought made Mu Qiuhan feel inexplicably annoyed.
She stepped forward a few paces and grasped Shang Ningye’s shoulder.
The force in her hand indeed forced her to raise her head at this moment.
Shang Ningye looked up at her like this, her eyes faintly showing still-damp tear tracks.
Her eyelashes trembled slightly, looking exactly like a startled butterfly.
Mu Qiuhan’s hand couldn’t help but loosen slightly.
“You…”
Looking at the other person, who stared straight at her with remarkably indifferent eyes, she felt a sudden sense of powerlessness for some reason.
She released Shang Ningye and said to the person behind her, “Su Hongyu, before you come with me to the demon realm, first help her cure the charm poison on her body.”
Upon hearing this, Su Hongyu gracefully stepped forward.
She walked close to Shang Ningye, reached out and hooked her chin, carefully examining Shang Ningye’s face.
Su Hongyu looked at Shang Ningye for a while, seemed somewhat satisfied, then curved her eyebrows and said with a charming voice, “That’s easy. Dual cultivate with me… and the charm poison will naturally be cured.”
She made a motion of tilting her head, wanting to kiss Shang Ningye’s face.
Before Mu Qiuhan could react, Shang Ningye had already activated her spiritual energy and moved herself far away.
“Su Hongyu!”
Mu Qiuhan’s expression was somewhat grim at this moment. “I am not joking with you!”
“I wasn’t joking either.”
Su Hongyu gave Mu Qiuhan a somewhat aggrieved glare, accusing her in a low voice, “It’s fine that you don’t want to dual cultivate with me, but why interfere with other people’s freedom?”
Mu Qiuhan was somewhat stumped by Su Hongyu’s self-righteous manner.
She indeed had no standing to interfere in Shang Ningye’s affairs.
But dual cultivation is something that requires mutual willingness. Shang Ningye clearly looked unwilling; otherwise, why would she hide so far away?
Mu Qiuhan’s lips curled slightly upward, unconsciously.
“I already said, she showed me some kindness. I’m asking you to cure her poison, not to force her.”
Upon hearing this, Su Hongyu pouted.
“But you clearly know that if I can’t dual cultivate and have to forcibly help someone dispel poison, my cultivation will also be damaged…”
She rolled her eyes and slowly said, “Unless…”
“Unless what?” Mu Qiuhan frowned upon hearing this.
Su Hongyu looked at Mu Qiuhan slyly, probing, “Unless you let me stay in the demon realm for a longer period.”
Mu Qiuhan curved her lips.
“How long do you want to stay? Half a year?”
She glanced at Su Hongyu, then withdrew her gaze.
Su Hongyu noticed a trace of killing intent in Mu Qiuhan’s eyes, so she knew when to stop.
“One month?”
Su Hongyu’s bargaining this time was originally just to probe Mu Qiuhan’s attitude towards Shang Ningye.
In her memory, Mu Qiuhan was not someone who liked to bargain with others.
Su Hongyu didn’t expect to succeed; after all, whether she could stay in the demon realm or not ultimately depended on Mu Qiuhan’s word. She actually didn’t have the initiative.
Who would have thought Mu Qiuhan would agree immediately?
“Deal.”
On the contrary, the person whose personality seemed very gentle, actually refused decisively at this moment, saying, “No need.”
Shang Ningye’s expression was cold, but her attitude was extremely resolute.
“No need to bargain with her, and even less need for her to help me dispel the poison. I won’t accept your favor.”
These words were directed at Mu Qiuhan.
Mu Qiuhan was so angered by Shang Ningye’s attitude that she laughed.
She coldly snorted, gave Shang Ningye a deep look, and then said, “You don’t need to accept my favor. This is something I owe you.”
After speaking, she turned her head away, no longer looking at her.
Su Hongyu saw that Mu Qiuhan was signaling her with her eyes to quickly cure the poison on Shang Ningye’s body, so she stepped forward and activated the beast core within her body.
As the fiery red beast core left her body, Su Hongyu’s body trembled slightly.
The beast core circled around Shang Ningye’s side very slowly for several turns.
Mu Qiuhan saw that as the beast core moved, strands of extremely fine red threads were drawn out from Shang Ningye’s core area, slowly converging into the round beast core.
After Su Hongyu had completely drawn back the charm poison within Shang Ningye’s body, she swallowed the beast core back into her belly.
Her complexion paled visibly.
Su Hongyu swayed along with the motion, and her entire body leaned crookedly against Mu Qiuhan.
“Oh dear, my head is so dizzy, support me a bit.”
Mu Qiuhan knew perfectly well that Su Hongyu was pretending, but a beast core leaving the body truly would damage a spirit race member’s spiritual energy.
Su Hongyu wasn’t entirely lying either.
Therefore, Mu Qiuhan did not immediately push Su Hongyu away, but allowed her to lean on her shoulder.
She lowered her head and said to Su Hongyu nearby, “There’s one more thing you might find interesting.”
She paused, seeming to be weighing something.
Su Hongyu heard her say, “The people from the Immortal Sect are heading towards your spirit race territory. Perhaps you can persuade your former subordinates to work with our people and launch a pincer attack.”
Su Hongyu’s attention was indeed captured by these words.
She straightened her body and moved away from Mu Qiuhan.
Only then did Mu Qiuhan subtly shift back a bit.
Su Hongyu looked at Mu Qiuhan, a trace of hesitation flashing in her eyes.
This area around the Immortal Sect used to be the territory of the Monster Sages Bai Ze and Ying Zhao.
The Ying Zhao clan were warlike; she could try to persuade them.
But the Bai clan had always ignored worldly affairs. She heard they even had some connection with the Taiqing Immortal Sect in the past. She really couldn’t be sure she could persuade them to act against the Immortal Sect people.
Before Su Hongyu could speak, she heard Shang Ningye’s voice drawing near.
The voice was trembling, seeming somewhat broken.
She looked over.
Shang Ningye seemed truly anxious.
She didn’t know when she had arrived in front of Mu Qiuhan, tightly clutching Mu Qiuhan’s clothes.
“Must you do this?”
A hint of bloodshot appeared faintly in Shang Ningye’s eyes. She looked at Mu Qiuhan, her expression holding a trace of resoluteness.
Mu Qiuhan stared at the person before her.
After a long while, she said in a low voice, “You should know that even if you act and kill me right now, things won’t change because of it.”
Shang Ningye froze upon hearing this.
Her body trembled violently.
She seemed to have suddenly lost all her strength. The hand clutching Mu Qiuhan’s clothes slackened limply, and the wooden thorn that had been pressed against Mu Qiuhan’s chest also disappeared.
Mu Qiuhan was right; killing her couldn’t change anything.
Besides, she couldn’t bring herself to do it anyway.
Su Hongyu rolled her eyes at Shang Ningye nearby.
This little monster was clearly from the spirit race, yet she wholeheartedly sided with the Immortal Sect, even willing to take risks for it.
Who knows what kind of bewitching potion that old man Dao You fed her.
Earlier, she had deliberately spoken provocatively, wanting to instigate Shang Ningye into attacking Mu Qiuhan, so she could get rid of her using Mu Qiuhan’s hand.
Su Hongyu had already seen that Mu Qiuhan treated Shang Ningye extraordinarily differently. This added another layer to her dislike for Shang Ningye, on top of her being True Master Dao You’s disciple.
She had thought that given Mu Qiuhan’s nature, she wouldn’t allow someone who could pose a threat to her to remain close by.
Who knew it didn’t succeed.
Su Hongyu felt immensely regretful about this, but unexpectedly, this little monster courted death herself, actually rushing in front of Mu Qiuhan, wanting to kill the Demon Lord.
Su Hongyu watched with cold eyes, wanting to see how Mu Qiuhan would handle this.
After all, that wooden thorn was truly and clearly pressed against her chest.
This little monster would probably die miserably.
Mu Qiuhan, however, did not do as she wished.
Her gaze remained fixed on Shang Ningye, yet it didn’t seem like anger.
Su Hongyu saw her remain silent for a long time, and only then did she suddenly let out a soft laugh.
For a moment, she even thought she had misheard.
Mu Qiuhan was speaking to Shang Ningye almost gently.
“Come back with me, and perhaps I can let your sect exist a little longer.”
Su Hongyu’s eyes widened in that instant.
BRO IS DOWN 𝐁𝐀𝐃