Chapter 438: Pretend to be Crazy First, You Do As You Please

Chiyanzi fell into deep thought: rushing in blindly was indeed imprudent; while they had not yet reached the Demon City, they should first deliberate and then make plans.

But before Chiyanzi could recover his senses, Long Qi was already shouting with a grin.

"What's there to plan? When the boat reaches the bridge, it will naturally go straight; we'll talk about it when the time comes."

That's right, Lingxiang often said that, so there was nothing wrong with him doing it too.

Long Qi stuck out his neck, looking perfectly righteous and self-confident.

Even if his logic wasn't straight, his spirit had to be bold.

Adao could not hide his disdain: "Big Brother, do you think the Demon Race capital is your home? You really don't know what you're talking about, you don't know how to fear death..."

Long Qi was full of disdain—what need for a plan? Plans can never keep up with changes! Adapt to circumstances!

Doesn't Lingxiang often do that?

But is Lingxiang adapting to circumstances now? It's simply gibberish, unreasonable entanglement, and reckless behavior...

Ever since the Demon Lord ordered Lingxiang to be detained in Yinxu Hall, the people "serving" by her side had never ceased; although they appeared respectful on the surface, the feeling of being watched was not pleasant at all.

Not to mention there was also Guihua; now that Lingxiang had finally been cast aside by the Demon Lord, she had to rush to "show concern," being Yin and Yang on the surface and making cold, sarcastic remarks in private, finally feeling like she could hold her head high.

Lingxiang could do nothing about this; who told her she was now a phoenix with its feathers plucked? She just treated Guihua like an old crow turned into a demon and let her be.

The Demon Lord also treated Lingxiang as if she didn't exist, doing whatever he needed to do, only turning up the brightness of the candles in Yinxu Hall; it couldn't be called brilliant, but it wasn't as deathly silent as before.

Don't say it, really don't say it, this was the first time Lingxiang had seen the full view of Yinxu Hall, and it was truly empty beyond measure, nothing like the imperial palaces described in storybooks.

If one were to talk about grandeur, the hall's ridge was towering and the interior was magnificent and open, which could be considered grand, but with only a few scattered items, it appeared somewhat desolate.

The entire hall was supported by a few pillars, with only a pitch-black imperial chair in the center, a dark red carpet leading straight to the hall door beneath the seat, and the Cloud Pattern Dust-Peering Mirror in the corner; there were no other objects.

Now, it was merely adding a few of Lingxiang's items, but it wasn't much better.

However, none of this affected Lingxiang; she went about her Spirit-Refining and medicine-brewing, completely indifferent to the gazes of others.

The "gurgling" sound and steam from the medicine furnace, combined with Lingxiang busily turning around the table, added a touch of vitality amidst the smoke and fire, forming a sharp contrast with the loneliness in the hall.

Had Lingxiang really surrendered just like that?

Ha! How could that be?

If Lingxiang were the type to sit still and wait for death, she wouldn't be Lingxiang.

"Oh my, this, this, this..." Lingxiang suddenly exclaimed, as if something major had happened, wringing her wrists and sighing.

Hearing the sound, Guihua feigned concern and leaned over: "Why is the Princess making such a fuss? It is most unbecoming of your status." After finishing, she leaned in closer and whispered: "You dead girl, I'm not dead yet, don't you dare try any tricks!"

"Just now, Yiyou General scolded me for being clumsy and lacking decorum, so I thought I would be light-footed, but the more careful I was, the more mistakes I made; in a moment of carelessness, I put in the last ingredient." Lingxiang said with a worried look, muttering "loudly" in a flustered manner: "I don't know if it will affect the success of the Pill; that was the last bit of Five Spirits Ginseng I brought from the human world..."

The implication was that this was the last batch of Life-Prolonging Pill in this furnace.

Hearing this, Guihua cursed inwardly: She's been refining pills for so long, and she can still make a mistake? Pretending to be innocent, actually pushing the blame onto me!

But even though she was itching with hatred, Guihua dared not show it, and could only put on a worried look: "Why is the Princess so careless? Truly..."

This was pushing the blame back, but Lingxiang was no pushover.

"That is true, it's all my fault for being absent-minded, only thinking about decorum," Lingxiang said, pretentiously wiping the corner of her eye, "The ingredients being gone is a small matter, but I just don't know if it will affect the final efficacy..."

Oh no! Fell into a trap!

Guihua was instantly alert, but Lingxiang only glanced at her and didn't give her a chance to retract her words.

"Sigh... after all, it is a Pill for the Demon Lord to take; I fear I will have to trouble Yiyou General again when the time comes..."

Lingxiang wore a helpless expression, while Guihua was nearly bursting with anger.

Trouble your grandmother! Knowing it's a bother, yet still dragging me into it!

"The Princess has been immersed in the way of the Pill for many years; I'm sure you must have a way to remedy it, so why worry so much?"

Guihua still wanted to save herself, but how could Lingxiang let it go?

Just a moment ago she said it was her own carelessness, and now she was using flattery to kill; between the lines, wasn't it saying that if this furnace of pills couldn't be saved, it would be entirely her own responsibility?

Ha! What a joke!

Lingxiang sighed again: "It's not that there's no way, but the furnace is about to be opened, and I don't know if there is enough time; after all, the Demon Lord once said that a tiny deviation leads to a thousand-mile error."

This wasn't exactly a lie; after all, with things like Pills, the slightest mistake could be a matter of life and death.

Although Lingxiang didn't mind if the Demon Lord died, she had to make the stakes clear and distance herself; watching the show was more interesting that way, wasn't it?

"The Princess is right; then this subordinate will not disturb the Princess."

Guihua faked a smile and prepared to leave, but how could Lingxiang let her go?

"Look at the smoke from that furnace; it looks like the Pill is about to be finished. If the General leaves now, could it be that you are unwilling to test the medicine for the Demon Lord?"

Lingxiang's voice was not loud, but it could be heard clearly in every corner of the hall, and the Demon Lord was naturally no exception.

The Demon Lord only glanced at Guihua before continuing to discuss matters with the Grand Steward; after all, Wumin Jun had left and taken many people with him, and the position of Grand Censor could not remain empty forever.

But this casual glance nearly scared Guihua out of her wits.

Guihua first observed the Demon Lord's expression, and seeing no displeasure on his face, she finally relaxed slightly.

Little demon girl, actually trying to use a strategy of sowing discord! What kind of person is the Demon Lord? How could he be deceived by your few words? She then leaned to Lingxiang's side and whispered viciously: "I advise you not to play any little tricks; even if you rack your brains, it will be in vain. If you learn to be obedient now, when you fall into trouble later, I might, for the sake of you being obedient today, show mercy and leave your corpse intact."

Ho! Is that so! Does she think Lingxiang was scared into growing up?

"Then I am truly grateful! For the General's great kindness, this Daoist thanks you in advance." Lingxiang also replied in a low voice, not fearing Guihua's threat in the slightest.

As soon as she finished speaking, the lid of the Linglong furnace rattled at the right moment, giving Guihua a start.

"Oh my~ it's time to collect the pills." Lingxiang said loudly, walking toward Linglong.

She didn't expect this furnace to produce four Life-Prolonging Pills; it was truly unprecedented.

"Since the General is unwilling to test the medicine for the Demon Lord, I can only reluctantly test it myself." Lingxiang said with a sorrowful face: "I just don't know if I die from eating it, will the General be able to replace me and refine pills for the Demon Lord in the future."

This...

The dead girl is actually so vicious; she is trying to force me to death!

Guihua was instantly drenched in sweat, and for a moment, she forgot how to retort.

She really did not want to try that Pill; who knew what Lingxiang had added to it? But if she didn't try it, she would be bitten to death by this dead girl in front of the Demon Lord!

Please... you.... collect 6... 9... the book....!

Just as Guihua was caught in a dilemma, Lingxiang picked up a Life-Prolonging Pill and stuffed it directly into her mouth.

"What are you doing!"

The Demon Lord hurriedly flashed forward, picked up Lingxiang, and pinched her cheeks.

But Lingxiang had already swallowed the Pill.

Lingxiang pushed the Demon Lord away and said helplessly, "What other way is there? Yiyou General is unwilling to share the burden, so I have no choice but to test the medicine myself."

Murderous and soul-crushing!

Alarmist talk!

"It's not like that, Your Excellency!" Guihua was scared into a cold sweat and hurriedly knelt forward, "Your Excellency, please listen to my explanation..."

Crazy! This dead girl is truly crazy!

But the Demon Lord would not give Guihua a chance to speak; with a flick of his long sleeve, Guihua immediately flew out and slammed heavily against a pillar.

"Princess had better be fine, otherwise don't even think about staying alive!" the Demon Lord roared angrily.

Guihua was sorrowful and miserable, but Lingxiang was extremely smug, though she dared not show even a fraction of it on her face, fearing the Demon Lord might see through something.

Naturally, Lingxiang would be fine; after all, the recipe was not wrong, and what she said just now was purely to frame Guihua.

However, Lingxiang was not shooting at nothing; although the recipe was correct, she had still tampered with it somewhat, only she hadn't mentioned it.

Things not said out loud don't count as lying, right? Besides, she had tampered with it openly and aboveboard; who told this group of laymen not to understand the Dao of Alchemy?

Blame her?

Blaming her is useless anyway.

If you're stupid, you should read more books; otherwise, it's your own fault if you get schemed against.

"Hey, why is the Demon Lord worried? My life is cheap, it's just a Pill; even if there's a small mistake, it won't kill me in a short while, and it won't affect the refining of your future Pills."

Lingxiang's resigned sigh made the Demon Lord's brow tighten. He didn't pay attention to how Lingxiang addressed him; he wanted to say something, but in the end, he didn't speak, only releasing Lingxiang and returning to his seat, his eyes occasionally scanning toward Lingxiang.

Ha! Know you're afraid? If I were gone, let's see what you do about the Huitian Pill!

Although she hadn't intended to refine the Huitian Pill in the first place, she was happy now; if not for the Demon Lord being there, she would have laughed out loud.

Guihua stared viciously at Lingxiang, who was hopping about happily and busying herself; if looks could kill, Lingxiang would have been reduced to bones long ago.

But Lingxiang was fearless, glancing provocatively at Guihua and even making a face, which made Guihua so angry she was spitting fire.

You death-seeking thing, just wait for me, I'll kill you sooner or later.

Just as Guihua was viciously thinking of various sinister methods, a guard hurried up to the hall.

"Reporting to Your Excellency, two squads of Daoists have arrived in the city and are killing their way toward the palace!"

"What?!" The Grand Secretary slammed the table and stood up, "Where is the Grand Marshal?"

"The Grand Marshal has already led the army to wait outside the palace, preparing for battle and to meet the enemy."

The Grand Secretary's expression eased slightly, but the worry on his face did not diminish in the slightest.

Fifteen years ago, when the Demon Lord insisted on attacking Yuanqing, the Grand Secretary was very opposed to it; three years ago, he didn't agree either, and now look, they've been counter-attacked.

If it were in the past, he naturally wouldn't be afraid, but this group of Daoist Sect members chose to attack just when Wumin Jun rebelled, and it happened that the two great generals were away...

How could it be such a coincidence?

Could it be that Wumin Jun is colluding with others inside and out? Or perhaps...

The Grand Secretary looked at Lingxiang, who was pretending to be busy; the latter also looked up at the right moment.

"Oh! There's a Daoist disturbance!" Lingxiang covered her face with her hands, as if she were truly surprised, "There was a batch before, and now there are two more batches; what is to be done..."

The Grand Secretary's old eyes narrowed: It seems he was right, it is this little girl, but this girl has a sharp tongue, and now there is no evidence, so it is not yet easy to hold her accountable.

"What does the Grand Secretary mean by looking at me? Could it be that you are suspecting me?" Lingxiang looked innocent, "Instead of biting people here, you'd better think about how to deal with that group of Daoists; really, you are truly failing to distinguish what is important!"

Lingxiang wore an expression of being disappointed that they wouldn't improve, making the Grand Secretary so angry his beard flew up.

You yellow-mouthed child, do I need you to tell me?

The Grand Secretary glanced at the Demon Lord on the seat; the latter said nothing, just sitting quietly above, shadows obscuring his face, not knowing what he was thinking.

Forget it! This dead girl is right; presumably, the Demon Lord already has a plan in mind, and as for this girl, wait until the current predicament is resolved before holding her accountable...