“This one is still too tall, no way!”
“This one is too bulky, no way!”
“This kid is too dumb— even if cured, he’ll still drool, no way!!”
In the center of the square, Mo Zhi’s voice echoed throughout the entire plaza.
Originally, there had been rows upon rows of young, strong youths, but in the end, only a few skinny figures remained, looking as if a gust of wind could topple them.
A rejected man, unable to understand, voiced his dissatisfaction, “Clan Leader, I really don’t get why you’d eliminate the strongest among us and keep a few skinny stick-like fellows.”
Mo Zhi glanced at him coldly, replying with irritation, “I’ve said it countless times — the Demon King wants assassins, not berserkers!”
Just a few days ago, when the Demon King was teasing her, he had told her about recent events within the Demon Race territory.
A covert unit stationed deep in the border forest had been ambushed by the Human Army, resulting in the death of a hundred elite warriors.
She still vividly remembered the look in the Demon King’s eyes when he spoke of it—the gleam was sharper and more terrifying than any blade.
Only a handful of high-ranking officials knew the location of that unit, so there had to be a leak—someone among them had betrayed the Demon Race by selling information to the Human Race.
After ordering an investigation, it wasn’t long before they caught a human disguised as a demon near a duke’s household.
The truth was laid bare.
As for the traitor’s fate, the Demon Race’s customary approach was assassination—streamlining the process to the simplest and most effective method.
“For someone as huge as you, if you’re placed on the ceiling, I’m afraid people might not even see you.”
After saying that, he glanced again at the few remaining candidates.
A skinny girl patted her own arm and shouted energetically toward Mo Zhi, “Clan Leader, don’t look at my weak body, meow! I have plenty of strength and skills, meow!”
With that, she picked up a stone from the ground, clenched it in her palm, and crushed it into pieces with force.
The people around her all expressed surprise—though the girl looked frail, her strength was genuinely impressive.
“So? Meow! Clan Leader, choose me, meow!”
She put her hands on her hips and puffed out her chest proudly at Mo Zhi.
But the answer was still the same—“No!”
“Why not??”
“You didn’t even change your tone particle. If word gets out, people might laugh at our Cat Demon Clan for being barbarians.”
Hearing this, the girl immediately grew anxious.
She took a deep breath and tried to loudly assert herself, “I can change the tone particles too!”
The scene fell silent because everyone could see she was holding something in.
Her face turned red.
“…Meow~”
“No!”
After several more rounds of selection, not a single person was chosen by Mo Zhi.
She was always able to precisely pick out the flaws in everyone, and her sharp tongue left many feeling ashamed.
In the end, everyone left disappointed.
“Really no way, not a single qualified one.”
Returning home, Mo Zhi found that Wensha had already prepared a bath for her, with a glass of ice water on the table.
After spending the whole morning scouting under the sun, she was drenched in sweat and her throat was parched.
She downed the ice water in one gulp, then exhaled with a “puh-ha” sound, as if releasing all the fatigue of the morning.
“Clan Leader…”
“Wah!!”
A sudden cold, hoarse voice from behind startled Mo Zhi, making all the hair on her body stand on end.
Some water even spilled from her cup.
“Wensha! How many times have I told you not to sneak up behind me like that? My heart can’t take the shock!”
“Sorry, Clan Leader. I thought you saw me when you came in.”
“I—I definitely saw you!”
In truth, she hadn’t seen her at all.
Wensha’s figure was too frail, almost like a faint shadow.
Her footsteps were as light as falling petals, easy to miss if one wasn’t paying attention.
“Please let me serve you for your bath, Clan Leader.”
Saying that, she began to undo Mo Zhi’s wide robe that marked her status as clan leader, revealing her exquisite figure and smooth, fair skin.
Her fingers repeatedly traced over the white skin tinged with pink as Wensha gently wiped Mo Zhi’s body, starting from the neck and slowly moving downward.
Her touch was tender and delicate.
“You know, those young people are all too weak…”
Mo Zhi complained as she stretched out her two fair feet from the bath, letting Wensha press and knead them.
“Clan Leader, you’re deliberately not choosing them, aren’t you?”
Wensha suddenly said.
Mo Zhi paused, smiling awkwardly twice.
“You really can’t hide anything from Wensha’s eyes…”
She sighed and continued, “I don’t want our kin to do assassinations.”
“Our people are too naive. I’m afraid they wouldn’t be able to go through with it, and I’m even more afraid they’ll be tricked by those nobles.”
“I’ve seen those nobles—each one is a psychological monster! If our people fall into their hands, the living would be treated like toys to play with, regardless of gender. The dead would be made into specimens to collect. They adore our ears, tails, and these claws.”
“So rather than sending them, I’ll go myself! My abilities are the strongest among our clan!”
Wensha remained silent, continuing to massage Mo Zhi’s feet.
Her eyes were dull, betraying no emotion.
After a long while, she suddenly spoke, “Clan Leader, you’re busy with the clan every day and still have to deal with the Demon King. Everyone wants to help you shoulder some of the burden, so please reconsider.”
“If there really isn’t a suitable candidate, Clan Leader, would you consider me?”
Wensha lifted her gaze to look at her, her dull eyes seeming to carry something unspoken…
“Of course not! You’re the closest to me—no one else can go but you!”
“Besides, if I were to choose, that girl from this morning would be the best option. Wensha, with your frail body, how could you do such a thing?”
She looked at Wensha, a girl as withered as a faded flower.
Dark circles under her eyes resembled wilted cherry petals, blackened and dried.
If one looked too closely, the blackness seemed to stain them, and if one stepped too far away, the petals would fall on a person’s shoulder, bringing a curse.
Yet, this petal had landed in Mo Zhi’s palm—someone it revered—becoming gentle, kind, and stirring conflicting feelings of wanting to be close and wanting to protect her.
This contradiction made the petal blacken more and more…
Wensha was silent and lowered her eyes again, softly continuing to press on her feet.
“My mind is made up. Tonight, I’ll go to the Demon King and tell him myself.”
The Demon King insisted she find someone else, but she was a clan leader—she couldn’t be pushed around by that man!
Thinking this, she suddenly stood up from the bath.
Her naked body hands on her hips, she shouted with determination, “I’ll make that Demon King know I’m not someone to be trifled with!”
“No.”
In the hall, Demon King Landis coldly looked at the person below, his tone curt as he dismissed her with two words.