Chapter 710: Chapter 710

Hong Zhuang felt an urge to turn around and flee from this place, but just as she started to move, she seemed to remember something of great importance and forced herself to turn back.

Tears rimmed Hong Zhuang’s eyes as she struggled to speak to Ning Feiyan, "If you truly do not wish to care for the deceased’s kin, so be it, but the first thing the Beiyuan Demon Emperor did upon breaking his seal was to seek revenge upon the Beiyuan Forest.

Now, the Enchanting Demon clan is hanging by a thread, countless clan elders and members have fallen into the Demon Emperor’s hands. I beg you, for the many years I have served you, to lend me your jade seal."

The jade seal Hong Zhuang referred to was Ning Feiyan’s personal seal of identity, as had been read by Baili An in an ancient tome the night before.

Since becoming the River Lord thousands of years ago, Ning Feiyan also possessed her own ancient tomes, and that jade seal was the token of the Dark Department forces she controlled within those tomes.

Since her ascent to River Lord, the status of the Enchanting Demon clan had also risen with the tide.

Yet, due to their inherent Racial Talent, the Enchanting Demons weren’t suited for battle but were able to safely reside in the Beiyuan Forest, free from foreign invasions.

The majority of this was attributed to Ning Feiyan’s jade seal.

Although others were unaware of the exact nature of the Dark Department forces in Ning Feiyan’s hands or where they were deployed, they were conscious that there was an unseen force entrenched within Beiyuan Forest’s darkness.

Upon hearing her thoughts, Ning Feiyan couldn’t help but laugh derisively, "Are you thinking of using my Sky Wolf Guards to save that bunch of trash?"

At the word "trash," Hong Zhuang angrily retorted, "That is our homeland, our clan!"

Ning Feiyan’s face was smiling, but her tone was indifferent, "Even at the Monarch’s Return Banquet, I was not willing to employ a single Sky Wolf Guard.

Now you come asking for all of my Sky Wolf Guards. Ning Hong Zhuang, oh Ning Hong Zhuang, it seems you’ve been softened up by a few days with that filth demon and now expect me to be as obliging as her?"

Seeing her so heartless, Hong Zhuang felt as if her heart was being whipped and tormented, her lips tightly pressed, "The Beiyuan Demon Emperor has come for you; our entire clan is in disaster because of you. Are you truly going to stand by and watch us die?"

Ning Feiyan rested her chin in her hand and laughed, "What do you mean by ’stand by and watch us die’? Someone has to die in front of me for me to earn such an infamous title for not saving them."

With a sorrowful smile, Hong Zhuang refrained from pleading further. She put away her bone-chopping knife and properly bowed to Ning Feiyan, saying respectfully,

"As I take my leave from the River Lord today, I fear that the day we return to our homeland together will never come. Born in Beiyuan, I shall also die in Beiyuan. You... take care."

With that, she tossed aside her mask, came in battered by the storm, and left just as torn by it.

Silence reclaimed the hall.

After a long while, Baili An slowly said, "She’s been wounded."

Ning Feiyan hummed in response, threw back the covers, got out of bed, and searched the wardrobe for a new set of clothes to wear, "With the Demon Emperor awakened and Beiyuan in ruins, it would be strange if she came out of such perilous circumstances unscathed."

While dressing, Ning Feiyan suddenly paused and turned to look at Baili An with a querying tone, "From your words, do you mean to suggest that, out of pity for her wounds, I should give her the jade seal?"

Baili An shook his head, "Even the Demon Lord, mighty as he is, could not confront the Demon Emperor directly. Giving her the seal would do nothing but buy some time for the Enchanting Demon clan.

But even if the Demon Lord isn’t ready for a surefire battle strategy and doesn’t want to send out his troops and increase casualties, buying time will not change the situation significantly, and moreover..."

Ning Feiyan smiled and lifted her lips, "As the saying goes, ’All the land under the heavens belong to the monarch, all the subjects under the sky serve the monarch.’ Though I control the Sky Wolf Guards and they are absolutely loyal to me, even if the current monarch were to intervene, it’s not certain that they would obey.

However, all this is glory and power given by His Majesty. She might tolerate our harboring of the Dark Department, but she will never allow us River Lords to waste our hidden forces frivolously."

She leisurely took out a jade stamp from her Qiankun Bag, idly twirling it between her fingers before bringing the creamy-white seal to her lips, lightly breathing on it for warmth, then turned and pressed it gently against Baili An’s chest.

The jade seal fit perfectly over the sword wound on Baili An’s chest, its fine engravings of dark patterns were detailed, topped with the mythical beast’s head holding a butterfly in its mouth, styled with an ancient air.

Ning Feiyan smiled, "Anyone under my control in the Dark Department bears the mark of the butterfly in the beast’s mouth. It symbolizes a kind of belonging, and secondly, it facilitates the Demon Lord’s supervision. If too many of these butterfly marks were to vanish without cause, His Majesty would be able to know immediately."

Baili An was initially taken aback by her whimsical action of marking him, thinking it was just another of her little flirtations.

But upon hearing that almost all of her Dark Department were marked with the butterfly, Baili An unavoidably felt a sense of discomfort and awkwardness.

Ning Feiyan caught his displeased expression and displayed a mischievous smile, "What do you think? I’ve stamped you with a little mark. Do you like it?"

"Go away," Baili An replied, annoyed as he pushed away her hand and reached to wipe the mark from his body.

But looking down, the gilded faint mark that had settled on his chest was not a butterfly pattern, but the precise seal script character for "Yan."

He looked up in surprise just in time to see Ning Feiyan with her enchanting lips curved up, leisurely putting her little stamp back into the Qiankun Bag.

Watching her inappropriate and seductive smile, the cool touch on his chest felt like a feather coaxing a ticklish and tingly sensation.

He asked again, "Although doing nothing about the Demon Emperor’s chaos in Beiyuan Forest is the rational choice, do you really not want to deal with the matter?"

While putting on her clothes, Ning Feiyan seated herself at the dressing table, facing the mirror to tidy her hair. She glanced at herself in the mirror - golden eyes, pointed ears, a look she hadn’t expected and adjusted slightly, as if surprised by the form Baili An had forced her into.

Her gaze drifted away from the mirror, seemingly indifferent, "I don’t do things when I’m not sure of the outcome."

Baili An chuckled, "But you’re not the type to give up."

Ning Feiyan’s eyes moved enticingly, "Hong Zhuang was right about one thing: The Demon Emperor awoke because of me. Even if I am far in Mo City, with the nature of the Beiyuan Demon Emperor, it won’t be so easy to quench his killing intent towards me.

If I carry the burden of Beiyuan Forest at this moment, it will play right into his hands. Then, those who are captured will die even faster. But if I don’t show up, the current state of the captured Beiyuan Forest becomes an excellent bargaining chip in his hands and won’t drive him to kill them altogether."

Baili An nodded understandingly, regretting that Hong Zhuang could not comprehend Ning Feiyan’s intentions, and Ning Feiyan, proud as she was, would never explain these things to her.

But now, she was willing to share some of her thoughts with him.

"Alright, dawn is about to break, and since I’ve finished reading the ancient tomes you brought last night, why not go see His Majesty again today? Although we can’t outright demand the records related to the Gate, we can speak of the Beiyuan Demon Emperor.

Come to think of it, my son, you’re truly my savior. The records about the Demon Emperor fall exactly within the scope of Yihe’s ancient tome privileges. Our deal was truly worthwhile."

Having finished dressing, Ning Feiyan knew that Baili An’s trip to the Netherworld Palace to request the ancient tomes likely meant he would be entangled by the Demon Lord for quite a while.

"Since you won’t return for a while, I’ll take a trip out of the Royal Palace to meet someone. Mmm... ah yes, if you get back early, perhaps bring a couple of bottles of good wine for that little girl in red. As for that little ’cabbage’ in the East Hall..."

She hesitated for a moment, but then continued, "She doesn’t seem like anything good to me. Stay as far away from her as you can, and don’t fall for her tricks."