[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-grain-of-mountains-and-rivers":3,"chapter-the-grain-of-mountains-and-rivers-the-grain-of-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-202":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Mountains and Rivers of the Imperial Granary",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},2231618,4184,"Chapter 202","the-grain-of-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-202",202,"\u003Cp>Lu Xingzhou certainly didn't dare to test it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If one were to analyze the logic further, if the Demon Emperor were truly injured, she shouldn't still be dressed in demon attire, calling people \"humans\" upon meeting them, as if afraid others wouldn't recognize her as a demon. What if she ran into some first or second-ranker who insisted on testing her ability? If she were really in a severely injured state, wouldn't that be courting death?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Normally speaking, if she were truly injured, it would be safer to pretend to be an ordinary human cultivator when meeting humans; why bother acting cool?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, it could also be that she was too proud to bother with disguises?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anyway, he couldn't guess wildly, and he absolutely didn't dare to take the initiative to test her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Xingzhou's gaze fell on the spot where the Demon Emperor was standing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was indeed a pit in front, and inside was a broken skeleton.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It should be the owner of the magic treasure he had guessed earlier. Bai Mao should have touched this corpse; he didn't know why the Demon Emperor was interested in this corpse and stayed here to watch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Xingzhou's thoughts raced, and he quickly replied: \"If you call it destiny, Miss, that's also correct. I discovered an ice house not far away that seemed to have been inhabited, so I searched the vicinity and found a small secret realm formed by a dropped magic treasure, so I judged that there were other corpses nearby and followed the sensation to take a look. Since you have already found the corpse first, Miss, then first come, first served; I won't compete with you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These words were completely true, and even A-Nuo nodded vigorously beside him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Demon Emperor stared at him for a long time and smiled slightly: \"Your heartbeat was intense just now, but now it has calmed down. The words are true.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Xingzhou: \"...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Demon Emperor's gaze fell back on the corpse, and she said lightly: \"This is a demon corpse. If you picked it up, how would you intend to deal with it?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Xingzhou said: \"I didn't come to pick up the corpse, nor even for the magic treasure on the corpse, because I judged that it had mostly already been taken away by someone. What I want are the plants that grew nearby due to various special energies... I am an alchemist.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The demon race lacked alchemists.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In terms of cultivation culture, the demon race was relatively crude. Human clever techniques such as talismans were almost non-existent among the demon race. In terms of medicinal use, they were more inclined to take medicinal materials directly, at most doing some matching and decocting. Unless they had specifically gone to human countries for advanced studies, few demons would know the technique of alchemy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Xingzhou was probing whether she needed elixirs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a pity that even if the Demon Emperor didn't know how to refine elixirs herself, she wouldn't be short of elixirs. Hearing this, the corners of her mouth curled up, she looked him up and down, and said lightly: \"Fourth-rank cultivation, what good elixirs can you refine? As for the plants, I didn't find any. You come and find them, let's see?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Xingzhou actually stepped forward and jumped into the pit, searched carefully, and found some fungi in the corner: \"Formed because of the bones, they are not good things, but they are useful for refining poison—judging from the plants, the time of death of this skeleton is very recent, no more than a hundred years.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Demon Emperor's heart stirred: \"Are you sure it's only a hundred years?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes, things from different periods are buried under the glacier. The distant ones might be more than hundreds of millions of years, and the recent ones might be just a few years. Due to the freezing, it is difficult to judge the specific age of most things. Things that are thousands or tens of thousands of years old might look quite fresh, so one can only use the plants on the side as a slight reference.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Demon Emperor nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Things in the glacier were different from other places. In other places, she could basically tell the age of a skeleton at a glance, but it was truly difficult to determine when it was frozen. Since the alchemist had the ability to identify the age of plants, she could borrow it for reference.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Demon Emperor was, of course, here for the so-called dragon bone fragments. Dragon bones with vitality meant there was still a possibility of resurrection; at the very least, one could try to resurrect them into bone dragons. For the dragon race, which had scarce bloodlines, this was a very important matter. Especially since it was an ancient dragon, it was invaluable for the dragon race and even the entire demon race's exploration of the ancient times and the path of the sages, belonging to something she was determined to obtain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But she wasn't stupid; she was worried that this was a smoke bomb deliberately released by humans, and that they had actually set a trap to pit her, so naturally, she wouldn't rush into the core area, but would first explore the situation on the periphery. She was alone and hadn't brought anyone. For a super-rank powerhouse, traveling alone was more flexible, and there were no worries behind her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Other demon powerhouses were waiting at the border between the Demon Domain and the ice field. If a major war broke out, it wouldn't be too late to recruit people temporarily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She came to this location because she sensed a trace of the dragon race's bloodline in the skeleton here, suspected to be related to this target, so she came to take a look. Only after arriving did she know that this skeleton, which was dead through and through and had only a trace of bloodline, should have nothing to do with the target, but it also raised new questions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the moment, she couldn't even determine the age of this skeleton. Could the so-called ancient dragon bones with vitality also just be a little vitality preserved due to being frozen in recent years?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although it was also considered very meaningful, compared to ancient dragons that had remained vital after being dead for hundreds of millions of years, its importance was more than a grade lower. At the very least, the path of the sages was gone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One was worth a bloody battle to fight for, and the other was not worth it. Since that battle ten years ago, the demon race had been in a dormant and defensive state, and their existing vital forces were also very precious and could not be squandered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She thought for a while and finally opened her mouth: \"Since you have the ability to identify the age, how about helping me with a favor? You will be given a corresponding reward.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Xingzhou secretly groaned. Who knew if you would give a reward or just kill to silence the witness? He just wanted to stay far away from this tyrannosaurus that could trample him to death at any time: \"Miss, I have important matters, I'm afraid it's not convenient... and we are a lone man and woman with a child. If we are seen by others, it doesn't seem too good for your reputation, Miss...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Reputation? Heh...\" The Demon Emperor laughed, looked at Lu Xingzhou again, and seemed to have just discovered that he was quite handsome, and there was some interest in her eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn't know if it was an illusion, but why did he feel there was a bit of charm...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Xingzhou shivered, and then he heard the Demon Emperor say: \"In the vast ice field, the probability of meeting idlers is low, so why care about this?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I care.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Demon Emperor's eyes narrowed: \"Do you care about your reputation, or your little life?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With this narrowing of the eyes, murderous intent burst forth, and pressure like a mountain surged over. Lu Xingzhou had cold sweat on his forehead, but his first reaction was to protect A-Nuo behind him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Demon Emperor was stunned, and the murderous intent actually converged a lot. She lowered her eyes and said: \"If you do things for me, I won't silence you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if you don't silence me, I'll become a traitor to humanity...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Xingzhou still wanted to refuse, but heard the Demon Emperor continue: \"What I am looking for is related to my demon race. If humans don't harass me, I won't provoke trouble for no reason.\" So reasonable? Lu Xingzhou looked at her rarely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The information was unequal. Lu Xingzhou still didn't know about the dragon bone fragments, nor did he know that Mrs. Ye came here for that, so naturally, he didn't know that this seemingly reasonable sentence of the Demon Emperor was actually nonsense, because it was impossible for her not to have conflicts with humans...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instead, he remembered that Mrs. Ye was nearby and might come back to see him at any time, so he would be saved then. There was no need to be stubborn with the Demon Emperor at this time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So he said: \"If you don't intend to conflict with humans, Miss, then I have a suggestion for you?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hmm?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Change your outfit, Miss. Don't look like a demon race at a glance, and collect your demon qi... and don't open your mouth and say 'humans'.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At first, the Demon Emperor had no idea of \"not conflicting with humans,\" so she had no cover. But after hearing Lu Xingzhou's words, she became a bit unconvinced: \"Collecting demon qi is one thing, but how does this outfit of mine look like a demon race at a glance? Don't you humans also have various decorations?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Humans rarely have decorations with gold powder on their faces, and almost no one wears all gold.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Nonsense, I see Gu Zhanting is all golden yellow, which can be considered the only redeeming feature of this person; his aesthetic is okay. As for the decorations on the face, I see many of your tribes have them too.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Xingzhou was between laughter and tears, really not knowing how to discuss aesthetics with the dragon race, so he had to say: \"But you won't see people with face decorations and golden robes coexisting.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Demon Emperor thought for a while, Gu Zhanting didn't seem to have anything on his face, but she felt a bit resentful: \"How beautiful this is, what do you humans know?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Xingzhou found that she was unexpectedly cute, and couldn't help laughing: \"Yes, just because humans don't understand... Since you don't want to conflict with humans, don't make them feel stupid in areas they don't understand.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A-Nuo looked at her Master.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Demon Emperor said: \"I didn't bring your human clothing.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Xingzhou said: \"This is the southern end of the ice field. Not far to the south is the border of the Tianshuang Kingdom. There are towns, we can go to the towns to change.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How could the Demon Emperor have that kind of leisure? Just as she was about to refuse, she heard Lu Xingzhou continue: \"Your Majesty came here to investigate something important. Instead of investigating aimlessly in the ice field, why not go to the town and listen to what humans say?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Demon Emperor narrowed her eyes again, staring at him tightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Xingzhou smiled without changing his expression: \"Why, does Your Majesty think your identity is hard to guess?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Demon Emperor was silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled: \"Theoretically, it's not hard to guess, but I have met other humans on the road, and they didn't guess it. Instead, there were those who teased me, and they were crushed into meat paste.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Xingzhou twitched his mouth. Which idiot was this? Wasn't this courting death?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A-Nuo secretly thought that when you said just now that there was a stunning beauty, it didn't seem much different from teasing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, good-looking people always have an advantage. The same sentence said by a handsome, elegant young master and said by a wretched man with a crooked face, the perception is different... A-Nuo believed that Demon Emperor Your Majesty wouldn't talk so nicely to everyone, but her Master could.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not only could he, but it seemed he was also going to trick the Demon Emperor to the town.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Demon Emperor said: \"Is it really easy to guess?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It is indeed very easy to guess. Not to mention this golden dragon aesthetic, just the momentum alone is not something an ordinary person can have.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Demon Emperor secretly thought that it might not be easy to guess, but it was true that this person's thinking was clear and sharp: \"Since you guessed my identity early on, you still dare to talk freely in front of me?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Xingzhou sighed: \"Your Majesty, I am covered in cold sweat, and it hasn't disappeared to this day.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Demon Emperor smiled and walked south: \"What you said makes sense. Towns have more news. We can go and ask first.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Xingzhou followed with A-Nuo, and heard the Demon Emperor ask: \"What is your name?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Chen Yu of Chunshan Pavilion.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Xingzhou didn't believe she wouldn't conflict with humans, nor did he believe her promise not to silence him, and he didn't want to be a traitor to humanity. The probability of pitting her on this trip was still quite high, and it was very likely to become an enemy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Xingzhou's name was on the Newcomer Ranking, and it was easy for the Demon Emperor to find his roots. If this trip eventually pitted the Demon Emperor, it would implicate the Heaven-Walking Sword Sect, so...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for her name, no need to ask.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who among humans didn't know the name of the Demon Emperor, Long Qinghuang? It was just that few people called it directly. That was respect for a super-rank powerhouse and a hegemon, even if she was an enemy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although in Lu Xingzhou's view, this name was a bit like a lesbian top...\u003C\u002Fp>",2371,"2026-06-18T01:46:09.112Z","2026-06-18T03:18:02.290Z",1,"Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite","0bc285bef4a4f1332d25c344bc39ecb8a1f7b2b7062a95941a9415a64a98e2e3","the-grain-of-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-203","the-grain-of-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-201",325,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fmountains-and-rivers-of-the-imperial-granary-cover.jpg"]