Morning.
Mo Zhi slowly woke from her sleep.
Last night, she had a dream—she dreamt that Wensha had secretly done something foolish, going alone to kill that Duke. But upon waking, it all seemed unrealistic.
After all, with Wensha’s fragile body, it was nearly impossible for her to carry out an assassination.
Her body was so weak from long-term illness that even her natural weapon—the claws of the Cat-demon race—had become soft and useless.
At best, she could only scratch someone, leaving a few claw marks, let alone kill.
Wensha was a gentle child; there was no way she could commit murder.
Thinking this, Mo Zhi dismissed it as nothing more than a dream.
She stretched out lazily, then placed her hands on the edge of the bed as she prepared to get up.
Suddenly, her palm brushed against something.
“Hm?”
She lowered her gaze and saw a piece of white paper placed silently on the edge of her bed.
The only person who could have approached her so quietly was Wensha.
The contents of that dream flashed through her mind again, and an uneasy feeling gripped her heart.
She picked up the paper and quickly read it from top to bottom.
By the time she reached the first line, her beautiful brows furrowed tightly, and her complexion shifted from pale to a dark shade.
“Wensha, you big idiot!!”
Hurriedly, she got out of bed and hastily put on her clothes, muttering constantly under her breath: “Idiot! Idiot! You absolutely cannot be hurt…”
She flung open the door and was about to rush out, but her steps suddenly stopped.
“Wensha…”
The “idiot” she spoke of was standing outside the door, but at this moment, her appearance was far too disheveled…
Her face was paler and more feeble than ever before, and dirt and mud stained her hair and skin, turning the once graceful and dignified girl into a sorry sight.
Her messy bangs hung over her eyes, and it seemed mud was flowing down from the corners of her eyes, though Mo Zhi couldn’t see clearly.
Through the gaps in the strands, all she could see were Wensha’s pupils, murkier than the mud itself.
“Wensha, you…”
Mo Zhi’s gaze dropped down and saw that Wensha’s left arm was clutching something— a severed head and a pale hand.
Her pupils widened in shock.
She dared not guess whose hand it was, nor did she dare to look to Wensha’s other side.
Fresh blood seeped from Mo Zhi’s clenched hands, but the warmth surpassing that of the blood came from the liquid steadily dripping down her cheeks…
“Clan Leader, are you satisfied with what I’ve done? Have I relieved your burdens?”
“…Idiot…big idiot!!”
Seeing the tears finally overflow, Wensha smiled happily.
At this moment, Wensha was like a withered flower—though the weak, pale bud had fallen to the ground, she still wanted to bloom her last bit of beauty for the one before her…
It was so good; she was crying for me.
She still cared for me.
Mo Zhi called for a Healer, who tended to Wensha’s injuries for hours on end.
During this time, Mo Zhi never left her side—not even to visit the Demon King Palace—and anxiously waited beside Wensha.
When the Healer finally sighed in relief, Mo Zhi quickly asked, “How is she?”
The Healer looked at the frail Wensha lying on the bed and said solemnly, “Her life is saved, but the palm will most likely never recover.”
“Is… there no other way?”
“I’m sorry, Clan Leader. If we had a Healer skilled in High-tier Healing Magic, maybe—but sadly, very few in our clan know magic, and even fewer can wield high-tier spells…”
“A Healer skilled in High-tier Magic…”
Mo Zhi murmured, her eyes suddenly lighting up as if she had just thought of something.
If you wanted to find the most powerful magic user in this world, there was no one else but that person…
***
Inside the Demon King Hall.
In the vast hall, a bewitching woman lay on her side upon the throne.
She wore a black crown atop her head, and her luxurious purple royal robe spilled onto the floor, entirely unconcerned.
Her bare, delicate toes rested on the throne’s armrest, and she yawned now and then, stretching lazily like a cat.
“How boring.”
That morning, her little cat hadn’t come, leaving her in a foul mood during the meeting.
The ministers, sensing the Demon King’s displeasure, hurriedly finished their reports and fled.
In the vast hall, only the Demon King remained, counting the colorful glass squares on the ceiling absently.
Sensing something, her fingers stopped counting, and her eyes lifted.
A playful smile curved on her lips as she looked toward the hall’s great doors.
“Boom—”
The heavy doors swung open, and a slender cat-eared girl stood at the entrance, seemingly carrying something.
“My beloved consort, you finally arrive. I was beginning to grow impatient~”
“Still reluctant to leave home? My Demon King Palace is hundreds, even thousands of times better than that shabby place of yours.”
Mo Zhi approached, and upon seeing what she carried in her hand, the smile vanished from the Demon King’s face.
Mo Zhi tossed the item toward her.
The round head rolled several times before crashing onto the steps below the throne.
“The person you wanted is already dead.”
“Oh…”
She suddenly sat up from the throne, her jade toes pressing on the black wooden floor as she walked slowly to the severed head.
Grabbing the hair, she lifted the gruesome face, inspecting it up and down.
“You were quick to act, but your technique is too crude. You didn’t kill him with the first strike, yet you hastily cut off his head before he died—such clumsy work, it seems you weren’t the one who killed him.” She suddenly said.
“If I had killed him, his face wouldn’t be so distorted. I could have severed his head in an instant.”
“Heh heh.”
She chuckled lightly and carelessly tossed the head aside, turning back to sit cross-legged on the throne.
Resting her chin on one hand, her eyes gleamed with amusement as she looked at Mo Zhi.
“He was stabbed to death with a dagger, right? Did you just pick some amateur to do it?”
“No… it was my sister. Her claws aren’t as sharp as mine, so she used a dagger.”
“Sister, huh…”
She murmured quietly, her playful smile fading, her pupils darkening for a moment.
“How boring.”
“Don’t you want to live here with me in the Demon King Palace? I’m so lonely living alone in such a huge place~”
Her voice was laced with allure, her eyes filled with desire, sending chills down Mo Zhi’s spine.
“No, I don’t!”
“That’s a pity.”
“Your sister… I want to meet her,” she suddenly said, her voice turning cold.
“She’s injured… I actually came to ask you about her!”
“Oh? What ability could you possibly have to make the Clan Leader of the Cat-demon Clan come begging, hehe.”
“…I want to ask you to heal my sister’s hand!”