Chapter 90: Beating Up the Wrong Demon

“How did you people get in here?”

The young girl’s eyes swept over Yun Jiao and her companions—then froze on the heavenly talismans hanging at their waists. Her expression changed instantly as realization struck.

Her voice sharpened. “Where’s that stupid snake? What did you do to him?”

“So there really is another one!” one of the weakened heavenly masters exclaimed before Yun Jiao could speak. “Demon! Stop your arrogance and release the children you’ve taken from the village!”

At that, the girl’s fury only intensified. Her aura flared, thick waves of demonic energy spilling out as she glared at them. “What did you do to him?! What did you do to that idiot snake?”

“An evil spirit like you deserves to be slain by any disciple of the Celestial Sect!” the heavenly master retorted righteously.

“You hurt him?!” the girl screamed, her voice rising to a pitch sharp enough to rattle bones. Flames of pure demonic power erupted from her body as she raised a hand, unleashing several blasts of energy straight at them.

“Careful!” The heavenly master, trembling from exhaustion, pushed Yun Jiao behind him and raised his peachwood sword. The other three, equally feeble from starvation, scrambled to form seals—but they were far too weak.

The demonic aura hit like a hurricane. Yun Jiao barely had time to reach for a talisman before the wave struck. One after another, the four heavenly masters were flung aside like rag dolls, landing in a heap on the ground.

The attack barreled forward—only to suddenly dissipate midair.

The girl froze, staring wide-eyed at the man standing behind them. Her voice trembled in disbelief. “B-Brother?”

Yun Jiao: “…”

The old man: “…”

The four heavenly masters: “…”

What the heck?

“Brother, why are you here?” the girl demanded, eyes flickering with both confusion and defiance. Then she frowned. “Did Father send you to drag me back? I’m not going!”

Wait—Father?

A spark went off in Yun Jiao’s mind. She finally remembered who this girl was—the demon king’s youngest daughter! The black cat demon who had lost her inner core! And since their grandmaster was currently taking on Ji Chen’s appearance, of course she’d mistake him for her elder brother.

(⊙_⊙)

The four heavenly masters were just as dumbfounded, all staring at Night Abyss with faces full of shock and disbelief.

Brother?

This… was awkward.

The little cat princess, however, was completely oblivious. Feeling confident now that her “brother” was here, she pointed angrily at Yun Jiao and the others. “Brother, these people hurt my friend! Teach them a lesson for me!”

“…”

Uh… how exactly were they supposed to explain this? Things were getting complicated.

Then her ears twitched. “Wait—the stupid snake!” she cried, panic flashing across her face. Without another word, she vanished into a streak of blue smoke, rushing out of the cave.

“She’s getting away!” one of the heavenly masters gasped. They tried to give chase, but their legs gave out beneath them. All they could do was look helplessly toward Yun Jiao.

“She’s probably going to that snake outside,” Yun Jiao said, scanning the area. “Let’s follow.”

The group carefully made their way out of the cave.

Sure enough, before they even reached the clearing, they heard the cat princess’s sobbing voice.

“Stupid snake! Please don’t die on me! Wake up! Waaaah!”

They arrived to find her sprawled at the edge of the enormous pit, frantically tugging at the serpent demon’s tail like she was trying to pull up a giant radish. The snake wasn’t budging. Tears were already streaming down her cheeks.

“Brother! Help me save him!” she cried desperately when she heard them approach.

Night Abyss didn’t move. He stood there, calm and expressionless, munching quietly on his biscuits—like none of this had anything to do with him.

“Brother!” she pleaded again, her voice cracking. “If you help me, I’ll listen to you forever!”

Still no response—just another slow, deliberate crunch.

Yun Jiao finally lost patience. She whipped out a binding talisman and tossed it. A flash of white light exploded beneath the cat demon, freezing her in place.

“What are you doing?!” the girl yelped, glaring at Yun Jiao. “Brother, are you just going to stand there and let them bully me?!”

“Enough shouting! You’ve got the wrong person—he’s not your brother!” Yun Jiao snapped.

“What?” the cat demon blinked, stunned.

Yun Jiao eyed her up and down before saying coldly, “You’re Ji Li, aren’t you?”

The cat demon’s eyes widened. “How do you know my name?”

“We met once,” Yun Jiao said simply. “You were unconscious, so you probably don’t remember. Why aren’t you home recovering? What are you doing out here causing trouble again?”

“You…” Ji Li’s eyes went rounder. “How do you know about my injury?”

But before she could press further, Yun Jiao’s tone hardened. “Where are the children you kidnapped from the village?”

“Children?” Ji Li blinked, completely baffled. “What children?”

“Stop lying, demon!” one of the heavenly masters burst out angrily. “Hand them over!”

“Who kidnapped anyone?!” Ji Li shouted back, puffing up like an offended kitten. “Why would I waste my time grabbing human brats?”

“Over a dozen children have gone missing these past two months! Don’t tell us it wasn’t you!”

“I didn’t, and neither did the stupid snake!” she shot back furiously. “We’ve only been here half a month! How could we kidnap kids two months ago? Believe it or not, I don’t care!”

“Half a month?” The heavenly master faltered. He still looked doubtful, but his certainty wavered. He turned to Yun Jiao. “What do you think?”

“She’s telling the truth,” Yun Jiao said after a moment. “She couldn’t have come here before that—she was seriously injured just over a month ago when I treated her. She only left the demon realm about ten days ago.”

Which meant—

They’d beaten up the wrong demon.

(⊙_⊙)

“Stupid snake! Hang in there!” Ji Li cried again, tugging harder on the tail. But the serpent demon, barely alive, only slipped deeper into the pit under the pressure of the lingering spiritual energy.

“Let me go!” she screamed.

Yun Jiao sighed and lifted the talisman. Ji Li immediately scrambled forward, clutching at the serpent’s tail again—but no matter how hard she pulled, he wouldn’t budge. She was practically in tears now.

“Brother…” she looked up helplessly at Night Abyss once more.

He continued chewing his biscuits in peace, the picture of indifference.

Yun Jiao rubbed her temples, exasperated. Then she muttered coldly, “Braised winter melon soup.”

The man’s hand paused mid-bite. His expression turned solemn. He set the biscuit down, lifted one hand, and flicked his fingers.

Thunk!

The serpent demon popped out of the ground like a cork from a bottle, landing heavily beside the pit.

Everyone: “…”

“Stupid snake!” Ji Li rushed over, kneeling beside him. The serpent’s body was covered in wounds; his breathing was faint.

Yun Jiao crouched to check his condition. “He’ll live,” she said, taking out her silver needles. “Barely.”

A few quick pricks sealed the cracks in his meridians and stabilized his inner core. The serpent’s color slowly returned.

“Let him rest and he’ll recover,” Yun Jiao said, pulling the needles out. She glanced at Ji Li. “And you—don’t use your power recklessly without your inner core, or I won’t be able to save you next time.”

Ji Li froze. “How do you know about my core?” she asked softly. Then her eyes widened with sudden realization. “Father said a human healer saved me—and my brother too. You must be…”

Her gaze darted between Yun Jiao and Night Abyss. Her eyes grew wider, rounder, brighter—until at last she gasped in awe.

“Mother!”

Pfft!

Yun Jiao nearly spat blood on the spot.

Even Night Abyss’s hand jerked, crushing the biscuit in his palm with a sharp crack.

“…”

What. The. Hell.

w(Д)w

(End of Chapter)