The spring water in the back mountain rippled gently.
The hot spring of the demonic sect was quite vast, almost comparable to a small lake.
Ye Qinghong rarely came here, usually bathing in a wooden tub at home,
but today, as soon as she arrived, she plunged directly into the lake, burying her entire head underwater.
Only then did the restlessness in her heart somewhat subside.
...
In the Phoenix Tree Courtyard, Fang Yang had already left.
Some morning meal was placed on the table.
Still steaming.
The room remained disheveled and chaotic.
And the same disheveled, distraught person.
The Princess lay on the bed, her face flushed red, unable to move even a finger.
Meanwhile, the little maid stood by the bed, looking at her worriedly.
"Last night?"
"The same."
The little maid bit her lip and spoke tersely,
meaning was simple, everything happened just as it had the night before.
The Princess's face was full of defeat, and she lay in bed for a long time before she finally mustered up some strength.
With the help of the little maid, she managed to get up.
The Demon Lord!
Such excessive bullying!
She staggered over to the table, and only then did she notice the breakfast still laid out.
It was so early, and the little maid had lain under the bed all night, with dawn just breaking.
There was no chance to cook at all.
"Who brought this food?"
"The… the Demon Lord."
Ling'er spoke cautiously.
A single sentence made the Princess's phoenix eyes widen.
"What does this mean? He thinks he can please me with some lousy breakfast? Wishful thinking."
She scoffed coldly.
"Ling'er, toss this out to feed the dogs."
"But, Princess... You haven't eaten, and this contains bird's nest, you might need to nourish your body."
The little maid's voice grew softer and softer.
But it was all for the consideration of the Princess.
During these three years in the Phoenix Tree Courtyard, life was peaceful, yet inevitably a bit austere.
A delicacy like bird's nest was a rare treat.
"Nonsense, I don't need to be nourished at all, and I won't eat his food. It's a matter of principle."
The Princess's face turned icy, and under her coercion, the little maid, having no choice, carried the bowl of bird's nest porridge out.
There were no dogs, but there was a white snow lion cat, which could be fed the bird's nest instead.
Last night, the lion cat had covered its ears with its paws all night long, now it meowed plaintively.
Mournful and lamenting.
Seeing the Princess having someone bring over the bird's nest, it stopped its meowing, preparing to savor it slowly.
The next moment...
"Wait!"
"Bring it back here."
"???"
The white snow lion cat looked up, puzzled, and then saw its destined bird's nest being taken back.
Immediately after, the Princess picked up a spoon and began eating voraciously.
"Why shouldn't I eat?"
"That demon owes me so much, this is just interest, and I've got to eat my fill, to eat him out of house and home."
As she spoke, she continued to eat without pausing.
It didn't take long before one bowl was finished, and of the two remaining, she handed one to the white snow lion cat and pushed the other toward Ling'er.
"Eat, you worked hard last night."
"No... It wasn't tough, it's the Princess who has suffered."
The little maid's eyes turned red, and as she looked at the bird's nest, she seemed reluctant to eat.
After all...
It was compensation for the Princess being bullied.
The demon was just too wicked.
After finishing a bowl of bird's nest, the Princess held the cat lazily as she lay down on the bed, resting for quite some time before heading towards the back mountain.
Her legs were weak the whole way.
Walking and stopping, it took a long time before she arrived.
The lion cat followed all the while, as if it too was going to bathe.
Feeling quite guilty and uneasy, the consort even thought about how she might compensate it somewhat.
After all...
Her behavior these past two days had indeed been excessive.
Dawn broke, the sky still dimly lit.
A thin mist hovered over the hot springs.
After arriving there, the lion cat took the lead and jumped in, stuffing itself entirely into the spring water.
It washed over and over again.
The consort had planned to find a spot to gently slide into the water, but the next moment she saw a figure sweeping by the lake, flying straight into the distance.
From afar, she could only see the green clothing, a bouncing ponytail that was still somewhat wet.
And the sword carried on the back.
"Strange, someone came to bathe so early?"
"Indeed, the people from the Demon Cult are despicable and shameless."
"I was harmed by the Demon Lord, I wonder who this one was harmed by."
She sighed softly and slid into the pool.
The jade-like skin gradually submerged in the hot spring.
It eased her pain considerably and allowed her to ponder carefully about last night's events.
The onlooker sees most of the game, the player is blind.
Last night she was brimming with confidence.
She thought that with her learned knowledge, she could surely subdue the Demon Lord, making his guard down.
But who would have predicted that the Demon Lord remained alert from start to finish, she didn't even get the chance to raise her hairpin, let alone attempt assassination.
And what's more bizarre...
She even felt as if her mind was in sync with the Demon Lord, as soon as she was about to try the first posture, he anticipated and positioned himself in advance.
The two of them matched perfectly.
It was just like an old married couple.
"Pah!"
"Who is married to that Demon Lord?"
"I'm irreconcilable with that Demon Lord, I must kill him!"
She gritted her teeth in anger, reaching the pinnacle of her rage.
It took a long while for her to recover from her fury and she then considered the next issue.
Tonight...
Should she continue to attempt assassination?
Her determination to kill him would not change, but, she was really exhausted.
After hesitating for a long time, the Demon Consort looked at the cat floating on the water, her murderous intent surging.
No! She absolutely couldn't give up halfway!
Otherwise, wasn't she bullied in vain?
The reason for last night's failure...
Was purely because the Demon Lord was too cunning and still guarded against her.
Additionally, she hadn't fully mastered the knowledge she had learned last night, which resulted in no opportunity to strike.
But, she would improve, and she would not submit,
Today when she returned, she would begin studying the second page.
Moreover, she had to treat the Demon Lord even better, to make him believe more that she was deeply in love.
Only thus could she seize that sliver of opportunity.
Right, that was the way, wasn't it?
She bit her lip, filled with confidence.
Glub glub glub!
She dove underwater and blew bubbles.
After playing for a long time, she barely climbed ashore when her legs went weak, and she almost fell to the ground again.
"Demon Lord, just wait for your death!"
…
Meanwhile, inside the Demon Lord's pavilion.
Fang Yang had just returned.
He saw the consort's favorability had risen a few points, accordingly, the marital fate points also increased.
This made him smile contentedly and nod his head in satisfaction.
Good, it seemed he was on the right track!
The power of learning was truly strong. What the Demon Lord couldn't do, he had accomplished.
Next, it was time to study the second page of the booklet.
Consort, I'll give you a surprise.