"Then what do you think, Old Man Mo? Do we need to take the Red-Eyed Snake's Black Crown?" Ying Hua asked. "In the Qing Palace, there are many amulets and holy incantations installed. It will be difficult for you to break through the protective walls. Meanwhile, I would have a hard time finding the Black Crown without your help."
Old Man Mo narrowed his eyes at Prince Dwei, who was already drifting away somewhere. 'It seems Prince Dwei has an interest in Princess Ying. If she can seduce him, surely she can get the Black Crown easily. But I can't possibly suggest to her to do that. She is still too innocent, her soul and heart are still too pure.'
"The only way to do that is to steal Prince Dwei's brainwaves, Princess," Old Man Mo replied, after dispelling his dirty idea. "Or you persuade him to show you where the Black Crown is. But I think the second way is almost impossible."
"Moreover, he said he didn't want to see me again."
"Why?" Old Man Mo turned his head quickly like he was being slapped.
"I think there's something he's hiding, that he wants to deny. I told him that he was one of the once reincarnated souls that I should have saved. But he denies all that, and at the same time disclaims the accuracy of the key of control necklace around my neck."
"Seems like there is something he's hiding." Old Man Mo narrowed his eyes again. "Should we just kidnap him and force him to confess where the Black Crown is?"
"I'm worried about causing trouble with one of the souls I'm supposed to save."
"But that girl must also be rescued immediately, Princess. Maybe the snakes will eat her."
Ying Hua sighed anxiously, while frowning sadly, caught up in some difficult choices.
"How is it, Princess?"
Although it was very difficult to make a decision, Ying Hua boldly said, "We are back again to the den of the serpent demons. I will ask for an extension as well as ask them to take good care of the girl. I think this is the best solution for both parties."
"Alright, I will support your decision. After all, there is no other choice. Maybe we can ask them for advice on finding the location of the Black Crown. Since they need it, I think they will want to help us."
"You are right. Then, let's go!" Ying Hua darted to teleport, across the long and wide forests, speeding to the center of the forest where the cave of the serpent demons was, which was submerged in a gigantic alcove.
They soon entered without a hitch despite being ambushed by the common snakes who were out looking for food. They found a guard in the form of a giant snake-like before, told their purpose until then led to their leader: the Red-Eyed Black Serpent.
The crippled girl was still standing in the corner of the cave, still wrapped in the tail of the enormous, black, ugly snake. She was also still unconscious and seemed to be fast asleep.
"Princess Ying!" said the Red-Eyed Black Snake. "Have you managed to find our Black Crown yet?"
"Not yet," Ying Hua shook her head sadly. "And I think it will be quite difficult to obtain due to the strong guard in Qing Palace. You haven't explained to me before about that."
"You are not a demon like us, Princess. So, I guess you won't find it difficult at all. Because the guard that the monks put in place and all the spells there are meant to keep the demons from breaking through."
"I'm not a demon," Ying Hua said. "But I need him to help me find the Black Crown. I'm not very good at tracking a lot of places by myself." She nodded at Old Man Mo.
"Then does that mean you can't carry out this task?"
"I will do it." Ying Hua insisted. "But I need you to extend this girl's time." She pointed at the limp-legged girl. "As long as I seek and retrieve the Black Crown, I request that you take good care of her and even if necessary feed her."
"Currently she is in the dimension of the demons. Her time here will pass very short. So, you don't have to worry." The Red Eyed Black Snake stuck his neck even higher with very dark scaly skin. "But her time is very limited. She is an ordinary human who must immediately go to her original world to be able to live a normal life. If she stays there for more than two weeks, then she will be stuck here forever."
"You dare threaten Princess Ying?" Old Man Mo pointed angrily, brandishing a stick in his hand. Then he saw the Red-Eyed Black Snake shaking his head.
"You are also a demon, Old Man. You must know how the system of life in our world. If a human transmigrated into the demon world for more than a week then that human would not be able to return. Since I have a business and need her, therefore I will keep her for another week. But after that I won't be able to do anything, it's beyond my limits."
"He said right, Old Man Mo," Ying Hua whispered. "And I'm sure he can be trusted."
"But that means we only have two weeks to be able to retrieve the Black Crown, Princess. Even though we know that it is impossible to pass the protection of the Qing Palace. Moreover, there are stored a lot of magic amulets. Why don't we ask for this girl to be released into the human world? It's a lot easier."
The Red-Earned Black Snake heard all of that. "Unfortunately, our agreement has been made today. And that directly binds this girl to remain in the demon world for the next two weeks. This is the rule of both worlds, Old Man. You must know about those rules too."
Old Man Mo snarled, like a raging horse. But sadly, he couldn't do anything.
"Alright, I'll do as you ask," Ying Hua said. "But I need your advice on what I need to do so I can sneak Old Man Mo into the Qing Palace? Or how can I find the location of the Black Crown? Because I have absolutely no idea."
"Smuggling a demon into the Qing Palace is nearly impossible, Princess. Unless you can put a very pious monk to sleep and then put his body for Old Man Mo to use in the Qing Palace. But that would be very risky. The white energy of the monks will usually hurt the demons, and that means bad."
Ying Hua turned to Old Man Mo, giving him a sad and pitiful look. Returning to the Red Eyed Black Snake, she said, "Then how can I find the position of the Black Crown? How do I find some clues?"
"I have a few ways you can try. And maybe one of them will work."
***