Chapter 405: Her Cub Is Very Active

Our demon race has innate heightened senses, and our qi pathways are far more sensitive to humidity and temperature; extreme temperature differences cause the qi pathway tissues to spasm and contract involuntarily, narrowing the airways and leading to rapid, labored breathing.

“Some pollen and mold are also hard for children to adapt to, so his asthma isn’t a serious issue—just environmental. I’ve already weakened his bodily sensitivity with silver needles, and I’ll prescribe some medicine to take home; drink more warm water daily, and the symptoms will gradually improve.”

In the pure white pavilion, dignified and serene Fengyang sat on a chair, speaking her instructions while writing the prescription.

Throughout this process, Yehan had remained quietly watching outside the window, not disturbing her.

The demon people have revered their imperial demon emperor lineage since ancient times, but among the royal family, it is his sister Fengyang who is most beloved.

This is not merely due to her status and background, but because as a princess she always treats commoners for free, truly fulfilling the most basic emotions of the demon people—in this regard, even Yehan’s title as imperial prince falls far short.

Yehan often thought that if he had no ambition for the throne, the demon race might have produced its first female emperor.

Because the entire demon race adored her, everyone regarded her as the clan’s treasured jewel.

Not long after, the prescription was handed to the Mao clan parents, who thanked the princess with their child, whose breathing had clearly improved, and departed the pavilion filled with gratitude.

Yehan watched the family leave, then prepared to step inside.

But as he raised his foot, his expression suddenly froze.

For after seeing the patient, Fengyang had immediately withdrawn her smile and now stared blankly out the window at the sky, sinking into endless silence—seeing this, the demon prince hesitated for an instant.

About a stick of incense later, Fengyang rose silently from her chair, slung her medicine chest on her back, and walked out.

It was in this moment of turning that Yehan saw her bloodshot eyes and her frail, pale face.

“Fengyang!”

“Big brother…?”

Yehan drew aside the curtain and entered: “How long have you been seeing patients without sleep or rest?”

Fengyang gripped the strap of her medicine chest and shook her head lightly: “I’m fine. I just don’t want to let myself be idle.”

“You told me before: your love for him was your own matter—it could have nothing to do with him, you could avoid him, you could stop thinking of him. So why now?”

“I did say that, but it was because I knew he was still alive in this world.”

“What’s the difference between not seeing him and him being dead?”

“The difference is that even without seeing him, we could still, as human poetry says, share the same snowfall and call it a lifetime of shared white hair—but now I know he no longer exists in this world.” Fengyang spoke softly, her long eyelashes trembling slightly.

Because of their ambitions toward the Sacred Ancestors’ Land, the demon race had intensified intelligence gathering on the human realm over the past half-year, and naturally uncovered the unexpected news that Ji You had encountered a crisis during his breakthrough and his soul had returned to the Dao.

At first, Yehan dared not tell Fengyang this news, ordering those around her to keep it secret.

But as war drew near, discussions about the human realm grew more frequent, and inevitably, someone slipped up.

A few days ago, at a five-clan banquet, Fengyang overheard the news in casual conversation and immediately came to confront him—he knew he could no longer hide it, so he told her the truth.

Since then, he had not seen her smile again, only her growing silence.

Yesterday morning, as he accompanied the five clans to inspect the troops, he received word on his way back that his sister had resumed seeing patients—he had assumed she had overcome her grief and her spirits had improved, but he hadn’t realized she was merely distracting herself.

“We’re going to war with the human realm,” Fengyang suddenly asked him.

Yehan snapped back to attention and nodded: “The opportunity is rare—all clans have agreed to mobilize.”

“Then you’ve come at the perfect time—I have something to give you.”

“?”

As she spoke, Fengyang turned and opened her cabinet, took out a medicine chest, and handed it to him.

Yehan glanced at it: “What is this?”

“Some healing elixirs I brewed—take them for emergencies. I may dislike war, but I don’t want to hear you’ve been hurt.”

Fengyang hung the chest over his shoulder: “Kill fewer, stay focused—I don’t want to lose anyone important again.”

Yehan looked at her with sorrow: “How can I leave in peace when you’re like this?”

“If you expect me to recover immediately, that’s asking too much—but with time, I’ll eventually grow accustomed. Speaking of this, I still thank you, Big Brother—for when we were in Shengjing, you urged me to see him one last time. Had I not seen him even once, I would have only met him once in my life.”

Fengyang spoke softly, recalling the scene of her conversation with him in the alley.

Back then, she should have stayed longer.

And on the way home, when Xiao Rou told her he had come to see her off, she should have turned to look.

Now it was too late—her memories of him were so brief, they couldn’t even sustain a lasting recollection.

“Master Bai said he could restore my hand for a few hours—please help me, Princess.”

“That man has no manners, acts recklessly, speaks wildly, is frivolous, and shows no regard for life.”

“Your Highness, the Lin and Ya clans attacked the human envoy at night!”

“General, you’re blocking the demon general—don’t you fear death?”

“A man should die on the path of saving others—or he’ll regret it forever.”

“Princess, do demon women really have tails?”

As Fengyang thought, a faint, tender expression suddenly appeared on her pale face.

Yehan saw his sister’s expression and knew she was lost in thought again—he was about to urge her to let go, but before he could speak, hurried footsteps sounded outside Fengyang’s pavilion.

A sword-bearing guard rushed in and knelt before Yehan: “Your Highness Fengyang, Your Highness the Prince.”

“What is it?”

“The Yun clan border guards report unusual movement by the Man clan—their clan chief has already departed for the western border.”

Yehan froze slightly, a look of shock crossing his eyes.

He had just issued the order to the Yun clan to monitor the Man clan’s movements, precisely to avoid arousing suspicion and prevent a rear ambush.

But their army hadn’t even moved yet, and the Man clan couldn’t possibly know their plans—why would they suddenly stir now?

Fengyang turned to her brother: “Go see for yourself—don’t let this delay your mission. My emotions are unavoidable, but I won’t become a traitor to our clan.”

Yehan looked at his sister: “Don’t go out today—I’ll have Baili prescribe medicine to help you sleep.”

“Thank you, Big Brother.”

“...”

After leaving Fengyang’s clinic, Yehan leapt onto the demon beast waiting at the gate; with a heavy snort, the beast soared into the sky and raced westward.

Soaring past layered palaces and homes, crossing wastelands and lakes, the demon prince Yehan and his guard force arrived at Rege Plain after half a day.

In the distance, a towering silhouette gradually emerged on the horizon—the border wall stretching across Rege Plain, like a massive gray-brown dragon coiled between heaven and earth, vast and endless.

Yunzhou and Youzhou bordered each other, separated by Rege Plain.

Since both clans settled here, they had, per pre-war agreements, built high walls along the border and established clear boundaries, living in peaceful neighborliness ever since.

Now, atop the wall, countless Yun clan warriors took to the air, wings slicing through the sky, their figures flickering in and out of drifting clouds, all gazing toward the distant horizon of Youzhou.

With a whoosh, the airborne demon beast landed atop the wall; Yehan dismounted to find the Yun clan chief already approaching him.

“Your Highness.”

“Uncle Gan, I came as soon as I heard the report—what’s happened in Youzhou?”

“Your Highness, after the war council, I ordered our border guards to monitor the Man clan. Then I received word: today, Man clan soldiers began forming ranks and marching toward the southern border of Qingzhou.”

“Qingzhou’s border?” Yehan was surprised. “How many?”

The Yun clan chief shook his head: “The first wave was small, but more keep arriving continuously—no one knows the final number or their exact purpose yet. We must observe longer.”

As the two spoke, the other four clan chiefs arrived atop the western wall; upon hearing the Man clan were advancing toward Qingzhou’s border, they too were puzzled.

“Qingzhou lies at the heart of the Central Plains, vast from east to west, critically important to the Nine Provinces. Perhaps they’re testing Qingzhou.”

“Now?”

“It’s not surprising. The Zhenbei Army along Qingzhou’s northern border has been redeployed to the Sacred Ancestors’ Land—but the Man clan don’t know about the qi destiny. They may see the weakened defenses as a favorable signal.”

“That makes sense…”

Hearing the clan chiefs’ speculation, Yehan turned his gaze back toward the depths of Youzhou: “If this is true, then this is good news for us.”

The Yun clan chief nodded: “Indeed—if the Man clan truly move against Qingzhou and their timing aligns with ours, the human realm’s attention will be split. We won’t have to fear a rear ambush, and our pressure in confronting them directly at the Sacred Ancestors’ Land will greatly lessen. This is truly heaven’s favor to our clan.”