Gentlemen, it's time to enter the Banner of Ten Thousand Souls.

Chapter 36 Why Did That Demon Come Here?
Princess Hongyu didn't know much about cultivation, but having been under the control of a demon since childhood, she had seen quite a few demonic methods.

Over the years, countless people have mysteriously disappeared from the palace. To outsiders, they are nowhere to be found, but in Princess Hongyu's eyes, they have been skinned alive and their bones removed, leaving not even a bone behind.

The thought of this made Princess Hongyu feel nauseous, and she almost vomited.

I had considered many possibilities, but I never expected that the Qinghe Sword Sect was also a member of the demonic sect.

Lan Shi couldn't believe it and quickly said, "Princess, isn't it said that the Qinghe Sword Sect is a prestigious and righteous sect?"

She had helped find out about the Qinghe Sword Sect, and the princess had put in a lot of effort to attract the cultivators from the Qinghe Sword Sect.

The key is not to release the information, but how to release it without arousing suspicion from the old devil around you.

It was only after the old demon went into complete seclusion due to the approaching end of his lifespan that Princess Hongyu found an opportunity to smuggle intelligence. By the time Jiang Shiyue discovered it, Princess Hongyu would probably have been dead long ago if she hadn't been the old demon's possessed body.

Although Jiang Shiyue suspected there might be something fishy about the matter, she dared not disturb her master who was in seclusion. Both Jiang Shiyue and Princess Hongyu knew very well that this old devil was unpredictable and that even if you did it for his own good, as long as you angered him, the consequences would be worse than death.

Ultimately, demonic cultivators are too busy betraying their masters and ancestors to possibly act as dutiful disciples and risk punishment to offer advice.

Jiang Shiyue wouldn't do that. He would rather use this incident to kill someone to practice his skills and take advantage of the situation than be a good disciple.

But no matter how much they planned, they hadn't anticipated this: the cultivator they had finally managed to attract turned out to be another demon.

Only demonic cultivators would take away corpses, because both flesh and bones are excellent materials that can be used to cultivate various vicious spells and refine cruel and bloody magical artifacts.

Seeing the princess's tense expression, Lan Shi couldn't help but comfort her, saying, "Princess, that young man doesn't seem like a demon to me."

Princess Hongyu sighed, patted Lanshi's head, and said, "How can you tell good from evil just by looking at someone? Look at Jiang Shiyue, isn't she pretty?"

Lan Shi recalled the two people from his memory and then said, "Not at all. That young man is ten times, no, a hundred times, better looking than this little devil."

Princess Hongyu looked surprised.

Although Jiang Shiyue wasn't a good person, he used various secret techniques to change his appearance, making him a truly rare and handsome man. How exaggerated would it be if someone were ten or a hundred times more handsome than him?

Oh no, I'm afraid I've been bewitched!
Princess Hongyu knew that the demonic cultivators possessed methods to bewitch people; she had seen Jiang Shiyue use them. This technique was extremely cruel, forcibly twisting the brain and often causing the victim to bleed from all seven orifices.

The slightest mistake could lead to death, or at best, severe damage to one's vital energy. However, once bewitched, one will become completely obedient and lose all sense of self.

That's how Jiang Shiyue gathered those martial arts practitioners under his command, and they were all willing to die for him.

Princess Hongyu felt a chill run down her spine. She was truly afraid that Lanshi would be bewitched by that demon and become someone else's puppet, which would be a fate worse than death.

Princess Hongyu pondered for a moment, then said to Lanshi, "I command you to find that hiding demon and kill him!"

"Ah?!" Although Lan Shi was surprised, she quickly said, "Yes, Your Highness, I... I will do my best."

Although he didn't know why, Lan Shi obeyed the princess's order without hesitation. However, it was probably not so easy for a mortal to kill a cultivator.

Hearing Lan Shi say this, Princess Hongyu breathed a slight sigh of relief; it seemed it wasn't an allure.

Princess Hongyu reminded him, "Little Stone, when you encounter cultivators in the future, you must not be reckless. Preserving yourself is the most important thing." "Ah, Princess, didn't you just order me to kill that cultivator?"

"Silly girl, I was just joking. You don't even know where he is. If a cultivator wants to hide, how can a mortal possibly..."

As Princess Hongyu was speaking, she suddenly realized something: if he really was a demon, why did he leave that message to challenge Jiang Shiyue to a duel?
Princess Hongyu did not believe that these demonic cultivators would keep their word, and that the challenge seven days later must be a trap.

"If that Qinghe Sword Sect cultivator is truly a demon, it makes sense that he killed Jiang Shiyue's people and took the bodies away. However, this challenge must be misleading. But why would he mislead Jiang Shiyue? Is he planning to escape, or is he planning to set a trap to harm her?"

In Princess Hongyu's eyes, demons are all selfish and would never fight to the death with other cultivators to stand up for the innocent. They would only fight with others to gain benefits.

So what exactly is the benefit that this demon wants?
"If I could know what he was thinking, perhaps I could use one tiger to devour another."

Princess Hongyu pondered for a long time, until the moon was high in the sky, the lamp wick had turned to ash, and Lanshi was almost asleep. Only then did she wake the little girl and whisper a few words of advice in her ear.

Lan Shi nodded repeatedly and said to the princess, "Princess, rest assured, I will certainly live up to your expectations."

Princess Hongyu said, "Preserving oneself is the priority. This is just my guess. Whether it works out or not depends on fate. If you can find it, just leave a letter. You don't need to meet that cultivator alone again."

Lan Shi nodded and said, "Please rest assured, Princess, I will take care of it right away."

Just as Lan Shi was about to get up, the princess grabbed his hand.

"There's no need to rush. Since that person has made an appointment seven days ago, they're definitely trying to delay. If you rush, you might end up going to the wrong place. Get a good rest tonight and go after you've had a good night's sleep."

Lan Shi immediately smiled and said to Princess Hongyu, "Then shall we do it like we did when we were kids tonight?"

Princess Hongyu smiled slightly, stroked Lanshi's head, and hummed softly.

The melody was as gentle as moonlight, and the little girl, lying beside the princess, quickly drifted off to sleep.

Once Lan Shi was fast asleep, Princess Hongyu looked at the little figure curled up in a ball and couldn't help but whisper, "Little Stone, remember this: preserving yourself is the most important thing. Don't take any risks, don't be careless, rest well, and eat well. Time is running out, you must live on, live on for us."

Her eyes reddened, and glistening tears welled up in them. Just as they were about to fall, she suddenly felt a darkness before her eyes.

Princess Hongyu looked up in surprise and gazed at the windowsill.

Suddenly, someone appeared by the window, as subtle as a gentle breeze, making no sound at all.
His body blocked half of the moonlight, yet it seemed to coat him with a layer of silvery radiance.

When their eyes met, Princess Hongyu felt her heart skip a beat. The moonlight cast his shadow in her eyes and into her heart.

Princess Hongyu had read many books, but she could not find the right words to describe the stunning beauty of this moment. There really were such beautiful people in the world. This must be what a banished immortal looks like when he descends to the mortal world.

Without needing the visitor to introduce himself, Princess Hongyu guessed his identity.

Lan Shi was absolutely right; there really are men in this world who are ten or even a hundred times more handsome than Jiang Shiyue.

However, after the initial amazement came endless fear.

Why did this demon from the Qinghe Sword Sect come here? What does he want?
(End of this chapter)