The night was waning, outside the parasol tree courtyard.
Fang Yang, in his black robe sweeping the ground, stood with his hands clasped behind his back.
In his hand, he still held the booklet he had obtained from the disciple of Chunqing Hall, having confidently read through the last two pages.
"Very well, after two hours of diligent practice, he had fully mastered the first movement in the booklet, and he was certain to give the king's consort a huge surprise, showing her just how formidable he was."
Thud, thud!
Thud, thud!
His confidence surged as he knocked on the door.
...
Inside the chamber of the parasol tree courtyard.
Looking at the king's consort, who had been perusing and practicing the poses from the seductress manual ever since her bath, the little maid bit her lip anxiously.
Ultimately, she cautiously approached the king's consort.
"My lady, are you still planning to assassinate the Demon Lord?"
"Of course, I have a foolproof plan. Tonight, the Demon Lord will surely die."
The consort replied without a moment's hesitation, not even lifting her head, occasionally bending her supple waist and adjusting the bed.
"But... the Demon Lord is cunning and deceitful, it may not be so easy to deceive him. He might even take advantage of you,"
Ling'er still looked worried.
"No matter, I have already anticipated everything. He is cunning, but I am not so foolish."
"..."
All attempts at persuasion were in vain.
Ling'er grew even more concerned.
When she first arrived at the Marquis of Zhen Nan's residence, the servants bullied her, splashing her with water in the winter.
They forced her to do physical labor, so she knew all too well the taste of being bullied, more than anyone else.
Moreover, the consort had wept the night before.
"What to do? How can I help the consort?"
The little maid was full of worry, truly concerned for her lady.
Meanwhile, the sound of knocking came from outside the door.
The consort quickly stood up, imitating the actions of the seductress from the manual, deliberately making her clothes appear somewhat disheveled.
Then she shoved the little maid under the bed.
Biting her lip, she walked towards the outer courtyard.
As she walked, she sneered to herself.
"Demon Lord, just wait, I have fully mastered the first movement in the booklet, and tonight will be your end."
...
Creak!
The lantern swayed, and the door opened.
The Marquis of Zhen Nan's consort, just like the night before,
wore a gown thin as gauze.
Graceful and beguiling, she naturally charmed.
Moreover, familiarity breeds boldness; she no longer acted as shy as before.
She leaned against the door, suppressing the pain in her body, and gazed at Fang Yang with deep affection.
"Demon Lord, I have prepared a surprise for you today. I promise you something unseen and unheard. It will surely not disappoint you," she said.
"Oh? Is that so? I've also prepared a surprise for the consort, which I'm sure won't disappoint," he replied.
"Then please, come inside."
The door to the parasol tree courtyard slowly closed, and the two entered the room one after the other.
It was the same room, the same bed.
The lantern's light flickered like mist, enveloping the room with an aura of spring romance.
The Marquis of Zhen Nan's consort moved gracefully, placing the lantern in the corner, and with a smile on her face and no sign of guard against Fang Yang, she felt secretly thrilled.
It seemed her acting skills were quite impressive. The Demon Lord probably believed she had completely given herself to him.
But this was only the first step of her plan.
Next, she would continue to play along, keeping the Demon Lord off his guard,
until... the perfect moment to strike presented itself.
As for Fang Yang, sitting on the edge of the bed and watching the consort who was bending over to light a candle, he too let out a small sigh of relief.
He had feared that any deviation from the Demon Lord's behavior might raise suspicion and give him away.
But now it seemed his acting skills were beyond doubt.
From beginning to end, the consort had not a single doubt.
Excellent, this was the first step of his plan. Next, he would fully leverage the power of learning.
To impress her thoroughly.
"Consort, how are you doing today?"
He smiled as he spoke.
"Demon Lord, you're asking when you already know the answer!"
The princess clenched her teeth, still feeling a dull pain throughout her body, but in order to prevent the Demon Lord from giving up and ruining her assassination plot,
she couldn't help but bear the pain and smiled radiantly.
"Very good," she said, "just... not good enough yet."
"Are you not satisfied? It seems I'll have to give it my all today."
Fang Yang frowned, and while the princess wasn't paying attention, he took out the pill that a disciple of Chunqing Hall had offered him today and popped it into his mouth.
Only then did he have more confidence.
Beneath the dim candlelight, the two sat facing each other.
After a few exchanges, both felt there was nothing more to say.
In the end, the princess became impatient, tightly gripping the hairpin hidden in her sleeve.
All she wanted was to get her revenge quickly.
"Demon Lord, it's getting late; we should rest early."
She's too hasty, he thought, it seems she's truly dissatisfied with me. No, I mustn't reveal anything!
Fang Yang took another pill.
Yet his face remained calm and unruffled.
"Alright!"
Pfft!
The candle went out.
Two silhouettes drew closer.
Before she blew out the candle, the princess caught the resentful gaze of the white snow lion cat.
It looked ready to scratch her.
Her eyes filled with guilt, she grabbed a piece of cloth from next to her and covered the cat's eyes with it.
"Meow!"
The white snow lion cat was completely puzzled.
...
"Page one!"
"Page one!"
Within the serenading night, they both recalled the booklet they had studied today.
They began to move.
With her lips tightly pursed and cheeks flushed with embarrassment, the princess, driven by her desire for revenge, made her move.
Fang Yang was also determined, paying close attention to every detail of his action.
Closer and closer...
The princess's emotions surged again; her sleeve slipped, and she had the hairpin in hand.
Next, she only needed to lure the Demon Lord into letting down his guard.
Excitement glittered in her eyes.
But soon, she sensed something was off.
Why does the Demon Lord look so familiar this way?
She had a bad feeling in her heart, guessing that tonight she might come up empty-handed again.
No matter, let's try.
Fang Yang was also furrowing his brow.
Strange, this movement, why does it seem familiar?
Never mind, that's not important.
What's important is that I must fight with all I've got!
Both harbored their own schemes and with a resolute attitude embraced each other.
"Demon Lord, tonight you will surely die... mm."
The night was enigmatic.
Inside the room, the white snow lion cat clutched the cloth that covered not just its eyes but also its ears.
Fang Yang, however, didn't notice any of this.
Or rather, he was too preoccupied to notice.
At that moment, all he wanted was to rely on his acting and stamina to maintain his persona and gain favor.
To not let himself fall into the abyss.
Thus, he was oblivious to the fact that in his mind, inside that secret cave,
the statue of Ye Qinghong knelt on the ground, her cheeks flushed red, while the red silk thread entangled with Fang Yang throbbed continuously, emitting a faint glow.
Above her head, on the attribute panel, three extra words had appeared without notice.
[Observing the battle]