Chapter 754: Chapter 754
"Although the future Royal Consort is now imprisoned in the dungeon by the Demon Lord, anyone with clear eyes could see the current Emperor’s emphasis on that wedding."
Taking advantage of the aftermath of the battle to cause trouble here, how could the Inner Official not know the little schemes of Peacock Bright King?
The usually arrogant Peacock Bright King was now being quite polite to the Inner Official, "Please forgive me, but dealing with such hard-headed fellows, one really can’t be gentle. Look at this little one; he seems like a young demon who has just learned to wield a weapon, yet he managed to evade numerous pursuits and hid in Chao Mu Hall for the whole night. It wasn’t until this morning that I managed to capture him.
"You see, the Manxie clan really went all in this battle, with the strong and weak alike taking to the battlefield. Even this one who looks to be barely weaned knows how to encroach upon royal dignity.
"However, upon closer inspection, I wonder how a little fellow who has even lost his sword managed to evade the search and kill of my subordinates."
Ning Feiyan looked at the Manxie youth whose torso was cut in half and heart gouged out on the ground, and Peacock Bright King’s description was no exaggeration.
He appeared to be no more than a thirteen or fourteen-year-old human, and by the Demon Clan’s reckoning, he was just an older child. Yet his death was more wretched than that of a typical Manxie, mutilated and with his eyes wide open in death.
The sight was tragic indeed, but for someone as hard-hearted as Ning Feiyan, it failed to stir the slightest compassion within her. After a brief glance, she withdrew her gaze and said, "Peacock King enforces the law with justice of his own, but Chao Mu Hall is not the Judicial Department. Next time you interrogate a rebel, remember to find a different place."
Lianhua chuckled softly, "This rebel hid all night in Si He River Lord’s Chao Mu Hall. I suspect someone was covertly protecting the rebel, thus I interrogated him. If it has caused River Lord any displeasure, I am here to offer my apologies. But does River Lord truly not recognize this rebel?"
Obviously, he did not believe that a severely wounded Manxie survivor could have eluded last night’s pursuit on his own.
Though he was outwardly respectful and polite, his words were filled with suspicion that Ning Feiyan harbored a traitor.
Ning Feiyan laughed dismissively, "I returned from His Majesty’s side this morning. Whom do you think I should recognize?"
Lianhua’s eyes narrowed, and he glanced at Su Jing and Yin Baishuang behind her, then asked again, "Were you two ladies in Chao Mu Hall all night? I wonder if either of you saw this boy."
Su Jing scanned the scene indifferently, her expression bland, "I did not."
Yin Baishuang also showed an air of not wanting to waste words with him, "Since you’ve interrogated him, you must have your answer. Why bother wasting time here instead of asking the captive directly?"
A sinister glint flickered in Lianhua’s eyes, "What you say is very true, but as I mentioned, this fellow is stubborn. Even after a morning’s questioning, he wouldn’t confess who was shielding him last night. Oh yes."
Saying this, he took a small porcelain bottle from his waist and sneered, "I found this in the boy’s hand; he held it so tightly I had to break all five of his fingers to get it out. Hmm... the ointment inside was consumed, but judging by the material of this bottle, it seems to be an object from the Mortal World. An adolescent Manxie, who has never left his territory, tell me, why would he possess something from a Cultivator of the Mortal World?"
Yin Baishuang’s gaze slid past, and sure enough, she saw the five fingers of the Manxie youth on the ground twisted and broken in different directions, with bone gruesomely protruding through flesh.
She calmly averted her gaze, her tone filled with mockery, "Determining the origin of this bottle is your duty, not mine. Am I obligated to idle here and converse with you?"
Lianhua erupted in a cold laugh, the corners of his eyes sharply crescent, "You’re right, I will most certainly investigate this matter thoroughly on behalf of His Majesty. If it turns out there are any Mortal World scum who have infiltrated the Emperor’s entourage, I care not whether they are River Lords or not, I will see them torn apart!"
Yin Baishuang had no interest in listening to his bluster, and the Demon Clan Inner Official, anxious not to miss the hour, quickly led them away.
Walking along the damaged palace corridors, Ning Feiyan suddenly couldn’t help but laugh. Slowing her pace, she moved to the vast distance between the two women.
Ning Feiyan cast a sideways glance at Yin Baishuang, her voice low and teasing, "That Peacock Bright King is a fool with shallow foresight. He doesn’t recognize the sect insignia on that bottle, but I do.
"I remember, years ago, Miss Yin made a vow to exterminate all of the Demon Clan. What now? Seeing that this demon is just a big child, have you softened your heart and couldn’t help but break your oath?"
Yin Baishuang gave her a sidelong glance, her tone nonchalant, "The oaths I’ve broken are more than just one or two."
Ning Feiyan smiled mischievously, "That’s very true. However, I think, Miss Yin, as a mad beauty, you no longer possess the spirited and beautiful vigor of your youth. Now it seems, you can still glimpse a shade of that past."
Yin Baishuang frowned, "What are you trying to say, exactly?"
Ning Feiyan looked at her with a smile, "What I mean to say is, you are worthy of that person’s affection."
In this world, only soft things can touch warmth, how can the heartless be a match.
Both she and Su Jing were known for their lunacy, but essentially, from the start, Yin Baishuang’s soul was innately soft.
No matter how worn and scarred that soul had become over the years, one could inadvertently catch glimpses of scattered beauty within the ragged edges of that cold, hardened spirit.
Yin Baishuang understood the implied meaning in her words, yet for her, those words hiding a blessing were painfully sharp.