If Su Xiaobai were truly evil, why stop at slaps?
It was a thought that danced mockingly in his mind, leaving the guards around him to question if, in some twisted way, he had actually been acting quite righteously.
After all, Wu Jian had been the one on his knees, slapping himself, and the princess was still breathing.
Wu Jian's glare shifted to Xiao Hei. "She killed my men! If your intentions are so noble, why hide the culprit?"
Su Xiaobai's eyes narrowed.
Curse him all he want, but how dare you accuse Xiao Hei? His fingers lightly tapped Xiao Hei's head, and she obediently vanished into his cauldron ring.
"What do you mean by 'culprit'?" Su Xiaobai's voice was laced with sarcasm. "Now that your excuses have dried up, you're slandering a puppet? She's not even human. As a puppet master, am I not allowed to protect my only weapon? If you hadn't pushed me, I wouldn't have lost control over her. Your men provoked me, and they paid the price."
"Wait!" Wei Jun interjected, his brow furrowed as he realized he had missed something crucial.
"Why did this conflict start in the first place?" Everything had progressed so fast that the root of the issue had been lost.
Wu Jian, just about to answer, opened his mouth. "The princess asked to—" But before he could finish, Wei Zhong's piercing glare stopped him cold.
Wu Jian froze, realizing he had made a critical mistake.
Dragging the princess into this would be a disaster.
She's a child! How can he not differentiate between right and wrong?
Wei Zhong's silent fury sent waves through the entire clearing.
Grinding his teeth in frustration, Wu Jian tried again. "I mistook her for a demon… and I wanted to execute her," he said, his voice filled with forced restraint.
Wei Jun and Wei Zhong exchanged glances, both of them frowning. "Demon? Even if she were a demon, how could you just execute her without cause?" Wei Jun said, his voice sharp with disapproval. "Did she threaten you in any way?"
Wu Jian's mouth opened, but no sound came out.
She killed—
But the realization hit him like a brick: they had provoked the other side, not the other way around.
Su Xiaobai was practically grinning now, his amusement barely contained.
This fool was digging his own grave, and he didn't even know it.
"Presumptuous!" Wei Zhong's voice boomed with real fury this time. The elder roared, shaking the very air with his command. "Commander! You dare to execute without cause? If news spreads that Yue Country executes demon children without reason, do you think our treaties with the other countries will hold?" His gaze bore down like a mountain. "Offer your hand and leg in apology, or leave Yue Country immediately!"
Wu Jian's face darkened to a near-black as he realized how serious the situation had become.
The guards around him stepped forward, prepared to leave alongside their commander.
But Wei Zhong didn't flinch. Their loyalty to Wu Jian didn't faze him in the slightest.
Just as the tension reached its breaking point, Su Xiaobai stepped in with a mockingly polite tone. "Let's end it here. After all, the commander was only concerned for the princess's safety. Right, Commander?"
Wu Jian's eyes darted toward Su Xiaobai, unsure whether to feel relieved or insulted. "Y-Yes," he stammered, grasping at the lifeline.
Wei Jun, visibly relieved, sighed.
The situation had been diffused—barely.
He knew full well that Su Xiaobai had already killed enough, but he didn't have the strength for more—yet.
If Su Xiaobai wanted to use Wei Jun to push the matter further, it would only bring more bloodshed.
But pushing things too far, too quickly, would put Wei Jun in a difficult position with the guards.
Revenge could be sweet, but using a sword to sew cloth was always a bad idea.
Su Xiaobai smiled inwardly.
For now, it was better to let this go.
Wu Jian had humiliated himself, and Su Xiaobai had won this round.
Besides, Wei Jun might still prove useful in the future.
After all, one well-timed ally was worth more than a hundred unnecessary enemies.
______
Returning to camp, Su Xiaobai settled himself with ease.
The guards had finally left, taking Wu Jian and the rest with them, leaving only Ling Er behind.
Wei Jun, in typical shameless fashion, completely ignored the elephant in the room—his identity as a prince—as if he hadn't been hiding it all along. Su Xiaobai didn't care.
Wu Jian had clearly briefed Wei Zhong before leaving, most likely letting the old man know about Su Xiaobai's possession of Earth-grade flames—or something even stronger.
Su Xiaobai could feel the old man's greed and envy radiating, but Wei Zhong didn't act.
That meant he was banking on Su Xiaobai becoming an asset to Wei Jun down the line, given their association.
The best part?
Wei Zhong seemed far less cautious now, having misjudged Su Xiaobai as some top alchemist apprentice.
After all, suppressing Earth-grade flames—or higher—was beyond someone of Su Xiaobai's apparent caliber, or so the old man assumed.
And Su Xiaobai? He wasn't about to correct him.
When people doubted him, he knew how to take full advantage without ever clarifying.
If they thought him righteous, fine.
If they mistook him for an alchemist disciple and hesitated to act against him directly, that was even better.
Su Xiaobai had mastered the art of benefiting from doubt—or more like, he had no choice.
This wasn't his world. He had no true identity here.
'Pretend, until it becomes truth.' That was Su Xiaobai's plan.
Fake it till you make it — He'd play the game as long as needed.
Besides, learning alchemy could be useful, and with Ning Gufan's knowledge, he could milk this identity of a "mysterious master" for all it was worth.
All he needed now was an expert alchemist to mentor him, and he'd turn that lie into reality.
But for now, with no more guards to interfere, Su Xiaobai had free rein to beat Wei Jun senseless whenever the so-called prince got a little too friendly.
Whether man, woman, or something in between, Wei Jun gave Su Xiaobai the creeps.
That guy even smelled like a woman, which only solidified Su Xiaobai's desire to keep him at a distance.
'If I'm gonna hook up with anyone, it'll be his little sister,' Su Xiaobai laughed inwardly, rolling his eyes. 'Not that gay bastard.'
At the river, Su Xiaobai was washing up and helping Xiao Hei get dressed.
The little demon girl stood obediently near the water's edge, her red eyes glowing faintly as she watched him.
His eyebrows twitched with growing irritation.
His patience already wearing thin.
Ling Er, of course, had other plans.
She stood in the water nearby, splashing him continuously with a mischievous grin on her face.
"Hey! Pay attention to me, Big Brother!" she giggled, her delicate feet submerged in the river, her smooth jade-like skin catching the light as water dripped down her body.
A few droplets slid teasingly down her cleavage, her soft, budding breasts highlighted with each splash.