Chapter 32: Why are you making things difficult for a young girl?

Cheng Xi was taken aback.

In the blink of an eye, she saw Lao Wutou being escorted out by them, directly loaded onto a prisoner transport wagon, and whisked away.

Once they had gone far away, Cheng Xi immediately went to Liang Popo's shop. Seeing that Liang Popo's expression did not look too good, she hurriedly asked, "Popo, what did Lao Wutou do? Why was he taken away by the Tongtian Division?"

"Oh, it's you. Why have you come?" Liang Popo's expression only improved when she saw it was Cheng Xi.

"I came to buy some things from you, and I didn't expect to see the Tongtian Division arresting someone," Cheng Xi said.

"That damn Lao Wutou. I told him not to accept items of unknown origin. People who don't listen to advice are bound to suffer. It's fine, he won't die; at most, he'll lose a layer of skin before he comes back," Liang Popo huffed and said, "What do you want to buy?"

Hearing that Liang Popo had no intention of explaining the details to her, Cheng Xi tactfully did not ask further and said, "I would like to buy a few pieces of Demon Bone. Do you have any here?"

"Demon Bone? I don't have any here. If you want to buy some, wait until Lao Wutou comes back."

"Alright then, I will come back when he returns."

Cheng Xi returned home, entered her room, and closed the door before taking out the Demon Bone the Empress Dowager had given her.

Just then, the Wooden Figurine suddenly jumped up, its blank eyes staring at that piece of Demon Bone. Cheng Xi actually caught a hint of covetousness from it and couldn't help but smile.

The entire piece of Demon Bone was crystal clear and shimmering with flowing light; one look told her it had been refined. She did not know much about the demons of this world, but from its aura, she could vaguely guess it was likely similar to a low-grade Demon Bone from her own world.

For the current Cheng Xi, this was indeed a good item.

Cheng Xi had not intended to use this piece of Demon Bone, but seeing the Wooden Figurine as if frozen, staring fixedly at the bone, she simply gave it to it.

Although this Wooden Figurine was made of locust wood, it had used Cheng Xi's blood, so it possessed a certain degree of spirituality. She would just have to nurture it slowly.

The Wooden Figurine hugged the Demon Bone, which was larger than itself, and rolled off the table in one go. Cheng Xi was instantly amused.

It dragged the Demon Bone into its own little nest, and Cheng Xi stopped worrying about it, instead thinking about what kind of demon had attacked the Prince Jing.

She only knew that this demon had attacked Prince Jing and that those killed by the demon had died in a bizarre state, bleeding from their seven orifices; she knew nothing else.

She gave orders for the Du Mansion to strengthen its guard at night and had the servants take turns standing watch. She also prepared a gong, and Cheng Xi simply drew a Demon-Repelling Talisman and pasted it onto the gong.

As long as the demon attacked, they would strike the gong immediately, and this Demon-Repelling Talisman would spread its effect along with the sound of the gong.

After drawing just one simplified version of the talisman, she felt extremely exhausted. This body was truly too weak. She ate two bowls of rice that evening, which finally made her feel a bit more comfortable.

Night fell and the lights of ten thousand homes were lit. Even the busiest streets of the past had few people tonight; with a demon on the prowl, no one wanted to become the demon's meal.

Division Guards of the Tongtian Division patrolled the streets, their murderous intent chilling.

Li Zhi'an stood at the high point of the Tongtian Ta, gazing at Jindu under the cover of night.

Cheng Xi slept soundly through the night.

Waking up early the next morning, she heard Zhao Kang say, "A few more people died last night. This time, they were all students from the Academy. The students' relatives have gathered together to petition the government to catch the demon. Right now, both the Shuntian Prefecture and the Tongtian Division are in an uproar."

"Have they found out what kind of demon it is?" Cheng Xi looked at Zhao Kang and asked.

Zhao Kang shook his head, "The government hasn't issued a notice yet, so I suppose they haven't found out."

Cheng Xi told him to continue investigating for news. Zhao Mama brought over a bowl of soup, "Eldest Miss, the nourishing soup is here. It was made according to the recipe you gave. Taste it and see if it's the right flavor?"

Cheng Xi took the bowl and drank a mouthful. The taste was alright, but the effect wasn't very good; after all, the grade of the medicinal herbs was too low. However, it was enough for her current needs. Her body's foundation was weak, so she had to nourish it slowly.

By noon, Yan Shengyu had someone pass her a message: Prince Jing had woken up.

It seemed Lu Jinfan's Soul-Summoning Talisman had taken effect.

Before nightfall, Zhao Kang had already begun patrolling with the servants of the mansion, the gong in his hand never leaving his side.

Cheng Xi felt drowsy; the nourishing soup was slowly taking effect, and the first sign was that her sleep had begun to improve.

At this time, the State Duke Mansion was bustling.

Yan Shengyu sat on a stool beside her mother, looking at her brother, Yan Yu, in surprise, "Are you really going to follow the Empress Dowager's wishes and become the Pavilion Master of the Demon Suppression Pavilion?"

Yan Yu's expression was cold as he looked at his sister, "What, are you unhappy?"

Yan Shengyu pursed her lips, "The court already has the Tongtian Division. Now, establishing another Demon Suppression Pavilion is clearly meant to compete with the Tongtian Division. You should think this through."

"The Tongtian Division does not obey the Empress Dowager's edicts, so naturally, the Empress Dowager will abandon and not use them," Yan Yu did not think anything of it, "Our Yan Family is of the same lineage as the Empress Dowager, so naturally, we must listen to the Empress Dowager's instructions."

Yan Shengyu knew she could not persuade her brother, so she looked at her mother, "Mother, do you also think this is a good thing?"

The State Duke's wife looked at her daughter and smiled gently, "Yu'er, you shouldn't concern yourself with these worldly affairs; you are someone who will go to the Academy in the future. Besides, the greater the power of your father and brother, the more it benefits you, doesn't it?"

Yan Shengyu's heart sank. She knew the relationship between the Empress Dowager and the Little Emperor was not very good, but she had not expected that after the Li Taifei incident, there would be no signs of reconciliation; instead, it seemed to have worsened.

Especially since the Emperor was unwell and went to the Academy for treatment, yet the Empress Dowager only cared about Prince Jing, building him a lavish Wangfu and assembling guards, as if she had cast the Emperor to the back of her mind.

The Yan Family being wrapped up in this made her very uneasy.

Behind the Emperor was the Regent, and there was Li Zhi'an.

That father and son were not people to be trifled with.

Li Zhi'an did not obey the Empress Dowager's imperial decree, and since the Empress Dowager could do nothing about the Tongtian Division and Li Zhi'an, she simply built another Demon Suppression Pavilion.

"Shengyu, I have something to ask you."

Hearing her brother's voice, Yan Shengyu looked up at him, "What is it?"

"Was the woman who stopped the Four-Eyed Demon Fox at the Tianwei Tea House last time Cheng Xi?"

Yan Shengyu's heart skipped a beat, "Brother, why are you asking this? That day was just a coincidence. Cheng Xi had only just awakened her talent, and she was lucky to stop the Four-Eyed Demon Fox for an instant. She herself was also severely injured and is still sickly now."

"Is that so? I heard from the Empress Dowager that she was also the one who first discovered the Blood Gu Worm."

Facing her brother's scrutinizing, cold gaze, cold sweat broke out on Yan Shengyu's back, "Is that so? I wasn't there that day, so I don't know what exactly happened."

"What are you afraid of? It's not like I would eat her. I heard her relationship with Li Zhi'an is extraordinary. What do you think if I bring her into the Demon Suppression Pavilion?"

Hearing this, Yan Shengyu's expression turned ugly, "Brother, Cheng Xi is my savior, after all. What are you trying to do? She is just a young girl; why are you making things difficult for her?"

"If she has some relationship with Li Zhi'an, then why did Li Zhi'an throw her into the Tongtian Division's prison? Are you all just looking at her because you think she's easy to bully?"