The room was silent.
Tian Fuling was a demon, and demons didn't have as many taboos as humans. She was naturally wild and uninhibited, so when she saw someone enter, she didn't care at all, as if she wasn't concerned about being seen getting intimate with Meng Shuying.
Not only was she not concerned, but she even seemed eager to perform a live show in front of the newcomer.
In contrast, Meng Shuying's face changed dramatically when she saw who had entered, making it clear that her relationship with the woman who had suddenly burst in was anything but simple.
A mischievous glint flashed in Tian Fuling's eyes as she playfully leaned into Meng Shuying, rubbing her full chest against Meng Shuying's arm. She provocatively looked at Su Luowei and coyly said, "Oh my, someone's here. Little lord, you'll have to protect me."
Su Luowei looked at their intimate display, nearly gritting her teeth. "Meng Shuying, what are you doing?"
It wasn't that she didn't trust Meng Shuying, but the scene before her was too suspicious.
Meng Shuying didn't react at all when she barged in, standing there dumbfounded, making one wonder if, had they not arrived in time, the two in the room would have gone further.
A struggle flashed across Meng Shuying's face, but she remained motionless, allowing Tian Fuling to hold her.
Tian Fuling rested her head on Meng Shuying's shoulder, laughing coquettishly. "Can't you see? We were just about to have some fun."
She gave Su Luowei a once-over before smiling and inviting, "What's the matter? Do you want to join us? I don't mind, but I don't know if the little lord would be willing."
Su Luowei stared at Meng Shuying's hand, tightly gripping the soft veil, and after a long silence, she pursed her lips and coldly spat out, "I came at a bad time. Sorry for the interruption, continue."
She then turned and left.
As she left, Xie Hanzhu, who had been standing behind her, faced the two directly. She looked around the room with an amused expression and said, "Senior Sister wasn't gone for long, and here you are, getting all cozy with this demoness. Tsk, tsk, tsk, Meng Shuying, you never cease to amaze me."
In fact, the moment the door opened, she had smelled the rich fragrance in the room and, seeing Meng Shuying's vacant expression, it wasn't hard to guess that the demoness had used some underhanded trick on her.
Xie Hanzhu and Wen Miaomiao had figured it out, but Senior Sister hadn't!
Xie Hanzhu even felt a bit gleeful: Serves you right! Who told you to keep teasing us along the way? Now you've angered Senior Sister, and it's all your fault.
While feeling gleeful, she couldn't help but think: It's over, Senior Sister must have fallen for Meng Shuying. Otherwise, how could she not see through the situation in the room?
This is what they call being blinded by love.
Wen Miaomiao's gaze lingered on Tian Fuling for a moment before finally landing on Meng Shuying. With a calm expression, she stated, "You're done for."
The sudden turn of events left Meng Shuying stunned, and it wasn't until Xie Hanzhu and Wen Miaomiao had also left that she snapped out of it and pushed Tian Fuling away, intending to chase after Senior Sister.
But Tian Fuling refused to let go, still clinging to her neck with a smile. "So, she's your Senior Sister? What should you do? Your Senior Sister saw you being affectionate with me; she must be angry."
At this moment, Tian Fuling still didn't realize that Meng Shuying had regained her senses. She still thought Meng Shuying was under her charm and would submit to her every whim.
It wasn't entirely Tian Fuling's fault for being careless. Although her cultivation level was only moderate, her seductive techniques were refined to perfection, capable of ensnaring people without them realizing it. It was precisely because of this skill that she had survived several close encounters.
The incense burning in the room wasn't ordinary; it was the Hehuan Incense from the demon realm, which could cloud people's minds. The golden bells on her wrists and ankles weren't mere decorations but magical artifacts from the demon tribe. When activated, they emitted a special sound wave that could break a person's mental defenses.
But even with these aids, Meng Shuying hadn't been affected by her charms when she first entered. Her will was stronger than others, and if it hadn't been for the soft veil on her that had drawn Tian Fuling's interest, she wouldn't have had any confidence in bewitching her.
No one knew that the seemingly delicate and transparent veil on Tian Fuling was her most powerful artifact.
This veil had a remarkable origin. It was personally crafted by Lord Mingyou, the most famous first-rank weaponsmith in the demon tribe and the Demon Lord's sister.
It was through a series of fortunate events that Tian Fuling had gained Lord Mingyou's favor and was gifted such a treasure.
By now, Meng Shuying was fully awake. The sound of the golden bells only made her more irritated, and a cold glint appeared in her eyes. "You actually dared to use charm magic on me."
In her past travels in the mortal world, Meng Shuying had encountered various people, including handsome men and beautiful women among the cultivators who practiced demonic arts to bewitch others and then drained their spiritual energy to refine them as furnaces.
Such methods were too despicable, despised by righteous sects, and naturally, Meng Shuying had no fondness for them.
Although she had encountered such things before, her will was strong and not easily swayed, so she had never fallen for such lowly tricks and had even taken care of several people who had attempted to lure her into dual cultivation.
She had spent her days hunting down others, never expecting to be taken down herself one day.
Seeing Meng Shuying's cold gaze and dark expression, Tian Fuling felt a chill down her spine and quickly tried to flee.
But it was too late. Meng Shuying had already extended her hand, her fingers tightly gripping Tian Fuling's slender and fragile neck.
Tian Fuling had committed many evil deeds in her life, but it wasn't until she found herself in the same situation that she realized that when fear and anxiety reached a certain level, even the instinctive scream couldn't come out.
She was usually sharp-tongued, but now she couldn't utter a single word. She could only look at Meng Shuying with pleading eyes, silently begging for mercy.
But Meng Shuying had no intention of letting her go. Her grip tightened, her fingers nearly piercing Tian Fuling's skin.
Tian Fuling felt her breathing become increasingly difficult, and she used all her strength to make a few feeble whimpers.
Just as she was about to suffocate, Meng Shuying suddenly released her grip, letting her go.
Tian Fuling clutched her neck, collapsing heavily to the ground, gasping for air.
Meng Shuying's face was so dark that it seemed like it could drip water, and the way she looked at Tian Fuling made it clear that she wanted nothing more than to tear her apart. Yet, for some reason, she clenched her fists tightly, forcing herself to hold back.
Tian Fuling knelt on the ground for a long time before she finally regained her senses. She no longer dared to play any tricks and crawled towards the corner, sobbing.
Meng Shuying stood behind her, looking at Tian Fuling as if she were already dead. Her other hand still held her spiritual sword, as if ready to cut her down at any moment.
It was only then that Tian Fuling vaguely realized that Meng Shuying hadn't spared her out of mercy; she just didn't want to dirty her hands.
Terrified, Tian Fuling found herself unable to stand. For the first time, she regretted provoking this disaster. But at this point, it was too late for regrets.
She crawled forward with all her strength, desperately trying to escape Meng Shuying's grasp, but Meng Shuying wouldn't let her go so easily, yanking her back by the ankle.
Tian Fuling finally couldn't hold back anymore, tears falling like pearls as she hoarsely asked, "What do you want from me?"
This person, when she was ruthless... she was even more terrifying than a demon.
Facing Meng Shuying's dark eyes, the little bit of courage that Tian Fuling had managed to muster shattered. For a moment, she was even confused as to who was the real demon between herself and this woman named Meng Shuying.
Those eyes... how could they be so frightening? They reminded her of the cold and indifferent expression on the statue of the Demon Lord worshipped back home, as if it never regarded the lives of others.
She trembled and said, "After all, I didn't really do anything to you. I just made your Senior Sister misunderstand. Why do you want my life over this? If it's necessary... I'll go explain to your Senior Sister."
"No need." Meng Shuying dragged her back, and the spiritual sword reflected the fear on Tian Fuling's face. A flash of cold light swept across the room, and with a swift motion, Tian Fuling's hand was severed cleanly at the wrist.
"I will explain everything to my Senior Sister myself."
She pulled the sword out and retrieved a cloth from her robe, wiping the blood from the blade with calm precision.
"You touched me with this hand, so I've severed it. From now on, we are even."
Tian Fuling should have felt relieved, even grateful that Meng Shuying had decided to spare her life. But as she knelt on the ground, clutching her bleeding wrist, all she could feel was terror. Meng Shuying's calmness was more terrifying than any threat; it was the cold indifference of someone who could take a life without a second thought.
Meng Shuying had been furious, enraged by her Senior Sister's misunderstanding and the demoness's deceitful behavior. But as she thought of her Senior Sister's cold demeanor, a twisted sense of satisfaction began to creep in.
Meng Shuying knew this mindset was wrong, yet she couldn't help but feel a dark pleasure at the thought of her Senior Sister being jealous, of her caring enough to be affected by what she saw.
Normally, her Senior Sister rarely showed any particular emotion towards her. Only when pushed to the brink did she reluctantly reveal a tiny bit of her feelings, just enough to placate Meng Shuying.
But that tiny bit of affection wasn't enough for Meng Shuying.
She longed for her Senior Sister to express her love openly, just as Meng Shuying did for her.
After tossing the bloodstained cloth aside, Meng Shuying produced a length of rope and bound Tian Fuling tightly. To be safe, she affixed two talismans to the rope, ensuring that any movement from Tian Fuling would trigger the talismans to attack her.
Tian Fuling, still reeling from the shock, stared at Meng Shuying in disbelief. "You said we were even. Why are you still restraining me? Are you toying with me?"
"We may be even, but you're not off the hook for the people you've killed," Meng Shuying replied coldly. "I'm taking you back to Qingxu Sect to report this to the sect leader. He will decide your fate."
For a demon exposed in the human realm, it was akin to a death sentence. Tian Fuling knew all too well what awaited her if she were taken to Qingxu Sect—torture and a slow, agonizing death.
She had heard tales before venturing into the human world, warnings about the Five Sects, especially the Qingxu Sect. The people there were hypocrites, outwardly virtuous but cruel in truth, particularly towards demons. Once caught, a demon could neither live nor die in peace.
The mention of Qingxu Sect sent a wave of despair through Tian Fuling. She couldn't let herself fall into their hands, no matter the cost.
As Meng Shuying turned to leave the room in search of her Senior Sister, a steely resolve formed in Tian Fuling's eyes. She closed her eyes in resignation and began muttering an incantation under her breath.
Her words grew faster, more urgent, and suddenly, a black demonic mark appeared on her forehead, pulsing with dark energy.
When she opened her eyes again, everything about her had changed. The fear and despair were gone, replaced by a cold, commanding presence. It was as if someone else entirely had taken control.
The new presence looked down at the ropes and talismans binding her, and with a disdainful snort, the ropes snapped apart as if they were nothing.
"It's been a long time since I've visited the human realm. I wonder what the Qingxu Sect is like now," she mused aloud, her voice dripping with an arrogance that hadn't been there before. "And that woman, Meng Shuying… why does she carry the scent of Fuguang?"