Chapter 381: Essence of the Moon

"Wake up! Time to operate the excavator!"

Ren Yidao pressed his mouth against Cang Lan's ear and muttered like a demon whispering:

"You don't say, you really don't say... you can actually sleep! Sleeping so soundly!"

"..."

Perhaps because she had let go of her inner knots, Cang Lan slept incredibly deeply this time; no matter how Ren Yidao poked her, or where he poked her, she showed not the slightest reaction.

Just one word.

Sleep!

Regardless of where this was, she was just dead to the world.

"However, this is a bit troublesome."

Ren Yidao looked at her exposed limbs and the undergarment that had loosened somewhat during her earlier struggle, and blinked his eyes.

"You're sleeping here, so where am I supposed to sleep?"

By this point, he didn't even mention going to rest in another guest room, and simply lay down beside Cang Lan.

"... This was your own choice to jump into my bed!"

Yes.

It is only right and proper for me to lie here!

Huhu, I have no issues; this is my bed to begin with, she is the one who took over the magpie's nest!

She is the one who came here!

"It's just that this night is a bit hard to endure!"

A beauty is by his side, yet she sleeps like a dead dog at the mercy of others.

There is another problem: Cang Lan feels he has an irresistible aura, and Ren Yidao similarly feels her scent is very alluring.

Brother, you smell so good!

"Form is emptiness, emptiness is form..."

This night, in a corner unknown to anyone.

The Demon Race Crown Prince kept fighting against his own instinctive desires.

And then...

He didn't win.

But he didn't lose either.

In the very end, he and his instincts raised their hands in surrender; both sides could be considered a draw, and finally, they shook hands and talked, choosing a compromise.

The next morning, Cang Lan was the first to wake up.

She was woken up by a feeling of fullness.

Cang Lan widened her eyes instantly, and before she could recall where she was, she covered her mouth with her hand.

"Mmph!"

"What is this!!?"

She felt her body had been filled to the brim!

... Filled with pure Moon Essence Breath.

Or rather, filled throughout her entire body with the essence of the moon.

Moon Essence Breath is extremely rare, an absolute treasure among the Silver Moon Wolf Clan; Cang Lan was only granted a tiny bit on major holidays or special occasions.

In the past, Cang Lan had never experienced being so uncomfortably stuffed with the essence of the moon; she wouldn't even dare to dream of such a thing!

Coming to her senses, Cang Lan didn't have time to continue savoring this luxurious feeling and seized every second to begin digesting this hard-won treasure within her body.

Regardless of where it came from, refining it into her body first was the priority!

A quarter of an hour later, when Cang Lan had finally managed to initially suppress these refined breaths into her Demon Pill, waiting for time later to further refine them.

She had not been blinded by this heaven-sent nectar and knew there was still one thing she needed to do.

It was time to leave.

While she was refining, she also happened to recall what had happened last night...

She had barged into the bedchamber to demand an explanation, only to be pinned down on the bed by someone, and then actually fell asleep!

Now she just felt restless and uneasy.

In the eyes of those who knew the inside story, they would understand that Cang Lan wanted to pledge her loyalty to the Crown Prince and become his most faithful servant.

In the eyes of those who didn't know... wasn't this just offering herself up?

And what was even more unfortunate was that she was the only one who knew the inside story!!!

This is bad.

While Ren Yidao is still asleep, hurry up and leave!

Besides, if anyone else saw this, it would be impossible to explain!

"..."

Cang Lan held her breath, and after confirming that Ren Yidao was still asleep, she carefully and quietly climbed off the bed.

Rustle...

Just as she was about to pull her foot out from under the quilt, Ren Yidao suddenly rolled over and pinned her instep under his body.

!!!

"He's awake!!?"

Canglan's tail puffed up, her heart jumped into her throat, and she almost pulled her foot out right then and there.

Thump, thump, thump!

After remaining in this stalemate for a good while, seeing that Ren Yidao showed no signs of waking up, Canglan finally set her heart at ease.

"No, he didn't wake up... Thank goodness, thank goodness."

Whew...

Just as Canglan was about to let out a sigh of relief and prepare to find a way to pull her foot out, at that very moment, she vaguely heard Qingteng's puzzled voice:

"Huh? This is... Gui Yan? Why are you flipped over on your shell? Are you trying to see what it's like to sleep on your back?"

Gui Yan's voice was somewhat unclear, as if he were retracted inside his shell, emitting a buzzing sound: "Um, Lady Qingteng, I, I wanted to sun my belly..."

"Oh, you are quite interesting. You go ahead and keep sunning it, I won't disturb you. By the way, is His Highness the Crown Prince still in the bedchamber?"

"Uh!" Gui Yan's voice clearly stuttered for a moment, and he stammered: "Sh-should have already gone out? I'm not quite sure..."

"Not sure? What nonsense are you spouting?" Qingteng was amused by Gui Yan's statement and said crossly: "Forget it, I won't talk to you anymore. You keep sunning your belly, I'll go myself."

It's over!

She's coming!

If she is seen by Qingteng, then everything is ruined.

"What should I do?"

"What on earth am I supposed to do!!?"

Listening to the sound getting closer and closer, Canglan was so anxious she was on the verge of a breakdown.

"I've got it!"

A thought flashed through her mind. Desperate and clutching at straws, she didn't care if it made sense; she took a deep breath and prepared to risk it all.

"Your Highness? Are you still... uh?"

When Qingteng quietly pushed open the door, the scene inside the bedchamber was one she had never imagined.

In the room, Canglan was holding a long spear with a look of resignation to death, aiming the spearhead at His Highness the Crown Prince's upturned buttocks, while shouting:

"You give me... get up!"

Qingteng:???

"Wait!"

"Spare him under the spear!!!"

At the "critical moment," Qingteng finally managed to stop the impulsive Canglan, brought her outside the bedchamber, and pointed at her, not knowing what to say.

"You, you, you, are you crazy!!? What, what are you doing?"

Qingteng's head was as big as a Dipper Star, not knowing what kind of sickness had suddenly struck Canglan... It was one thing to come looking for His Highness the Crown Prince early in the morning, but how could she do something so presumptuous!

Let him sleep if he wants to sleep!

"I won't do that next time." Canglan breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that Qingteng hadn't discovered the problem, but on the surface, she still looked unconvinced.

"Isn't that obvious? You certainly can't do that again!" Qingteng rolled her eyes at her, not knowing what kind of fit she was throwing.

Before working under the Crown Prince, the two were not actually very familiar; they only knew of each other's existence and had never interacted deeply.

The forces of the Demon Race were also divided into two major factions: civil officials and military officials. Canglan belonged to the military, and Qingteng belonged to the civil, so the two sides did not have much contact.

But Qingteng had never imagined that Canglan could be so reckless...

Is it true that military officials have nothing but muscles in their brains?

Qingteng grumbled to herself for a long time. She turned her head to look at Canglan, intending to offer a word or two of advice, but suddenly her brows arched, and she couldn't help but let out a soft "huh."

"Huh?"

"Hmm?"

Hearing Qingteng's voice, Canglan couldn't help but become nervous, her expression extremely serious, fearing that she might be exposed.

Could it be that she found out!!?

Qingteng circled around Canglan, looking her up and down, examining her carefully, and muttered strangely: "How very strange!"

Her nose twitched, and she even stuck out her slender tongue to sense the air, then said with eyes full of envy: "Have you been taking some kind of tonic lately? Why does it feel like you've become stronger again?"

"Eat? I didn't eat... uh, I suppose I did." Canglan wanted to deny it, but thinking of the Moon Essence that had just flooded her body, she changed her words: "When I went back yesterday, my clan provided me with some Moon Essence."

"That's so nice."

It wasn't Qingteng's imagination; Canglan's strength had indeed become stronger! It must be that her bloodline had improved further!

But this was not what made Qingteng the most envious.

What truly made Qingteng envious and jealous, and even caused a vague sense of crisis in her heart, was the aura on Canglan!

Compared to before, the aura on Canglan was no longer so sharp; it had become much softer, and she looked more womanly!

Before this, although many people joked that Canglan was already the nailed-down choice for Crown Princess, Qingteng, standing on the sidelines, saw clearly that there was a secret between the two, but no illicit affair.

Those scuffles were truly just scuffles.

Therefore, Qingteng could safely stand guard on the side, letting outsiders speculate, without panicking at all.

She believed that by relying on her own charm, conquering the Crown Prince was only a matter of time.

But now, the situation seemed wrong!

The intuition of a demoness told her that something she didn't know must have happened.

Canglan had changed.

She was transforming from a non-threatening comrade-in-arms into an enemy competing with her!

No.

Qingteng took a deep breath, her heart made up.

I must not let Cang Lan find an opportunity; I must strike first to gain the advantage!

"By the way, why did you come to find His Highness so early?" Qingteng asked this to fish for information, to see what plans Cang Lan had next so she could respond accordingly.

However, she had asked the wrong person this time.

How could Cang Lan have any of that in her head!

The escape plan she had managed to think of had already exhausted all her brain cells; now her mind was a complete blank, with nothing in it.

"Uh, I..."

Creak.

"You two are so noisy early in the morning."

Just as Cang Lan was crashing, Ren Yidao, who had "just woken up," happened to push open the door and looked helplessly at the two attendants.

"Didn't I let you both go back to rest? Why have you come to disturb my sweet dreams so early in the morning?"

His gaze first swept over Cang Lan nonchalantly, then naturally shifted away and landed on Qingteng.

"Don't just stand outside like fools, come in and talk."

"Ah, right." Just as Ren Yidao was about to enter the room, he suddenly remembered something and instructed Cang Lan: "Cang Lan, go to the Moon Sacrifice and see how the situation is with Yaoyue."

"Don't ask too much, just go; if nothing goes wrong, there should be some progress."

He had deliberately mentioned it in front of Huang Huang yesterday, so the Moon Sacrifice should give him some face, right?

"... Yes."

Cang Lan happened to be at a loss for what to say, so after receiving the order, she turned around without hesitation.

Only, after Cang Lan had walked a few steps, she pursed her lips and stopped.

"..."

Turning back around, she knelt on one knee before Ren Yidao under Qingteng's puzzled gaze and bowed respectfully.

"As you command!"

Having said that, regardless of what Qingteng was thinking, Cang Lan stood up directly, held her head high, and strode away.

"Your Highness, she is..."

The four of them, while called the Crown Prince Guard, had not actually sworn true allegiance, and their loyalty was not high.

But looking at Cang Lan's behavior just now, it seemed she had already made up her mind to truly serve him as her master?

"Perhaps she suddenly figured things out?"

Ren Yidao squinted his eyes as he watched Cang Lan leave, chuckled twice, and laughed softly: "This fellow, usually muddle-headed, but she can distinguish things in some areas."

"Come, let's not worry about her."

He smiled, wrapped his arm around Qingteng's soft waist, and walked into the room, saying with a laugh: "Tell me, why did you come? If you can't satisfy me, I will punish you, you know."

!!!

Although Qingteng was held in Ren Yidao's arms, she dared not relax at all, especially upon hearing the word "punishment," which made her shiver subconsciously.

Eek!!?

Punishment?

That evil short sword!!!

"Your Highness! I will definitely not let you down!"

Ren Yidao looked at her excited appearance and felt a strange sense of accomplishment in his heart.

In his past life, there was "Pavlov's dog"; if he worked hard enough, he should be able to create proper nouns like "Ren Yidao's dog, snake, wolf, deer..." and so on.

I, Huhu, am a master at cultivating conditioned reflexes.

"Hehe, speak."

Qingteng took a deep breath, then bowed gracefully, took out an object, held it above her head, and said respectfully: "Your Highness, this is an invitation for you to attend a banquet at the Drunken Immortal Pavilion tomorrow."

"Another invitation?"

Ren Yidao laughed as he took the invitation and teased: "Qingteng, why is it that you are the one delivering invitations every time?"

Think about it carefully, have you become a professional invitation deliverer?

Are you some cheap and easy-to-use front desk Xiao Mei?

As he spoke, Ren Yidao scanned the signature on the invitation and raised an eyebrow slightly.

"No signature, which means you are not representing the Green Snake Clan?"

Qingteng was just about to look up and explain when she heard Ren Yidao chuckle playfully and say in a low voice:

"Which means, you came this time actually representing those wavering fellows?"

"Your Highness, I... what!?"

!!!

Qingteng could not figure out at all when her identity had been exposed!!?

The Green Snake Clan was the Demon Emperor Party, but she herself was the neutral Wavering Party.

This secret, she had never revealed to anyone.

"And since this invitation exists, it means they want to seek an answer or a guarantee from me, right?"

"I won't go to this banquet, it's meaningless." Ren Yidao shook his head and tossed the invitation back into Qingteng's hand, "However, I can give them the answer they want right now."

Ren Yidao beckoned and said to Qingteng with a smile: "Come, lean your ear over, I'll whisper it to you."

Gulp.

Qingteng was somewhat panicked by the huge shock and was hesitant, but she still bit the bullet and came to Ren Yidao's side.

Ren Yidao leaned his mouth to Qingteng's ear and whispered with a faint smile.

!!!

For a moment, all color drained from Qingteng's face, and she exclaimed in alarm, her beautiful features pale with fright:

"What!?"

This really could not be blamed on her being timid; rather, Ren Yidao's words were truly too rebellious.

Because, what he had just said was:

"I intend to ascend the throne and proclaim myself Emperor."

"How about it?"