Chapter 88: Lord Nongli

The pill slid down her throat, and Nongli’s mood danced lightly along with the taste on her tongue.

As the aftertaste began to fade, Nongli had no choice but to become alert.

Such indulgence was extremely dangerous for her—though the pill’s power was faint, it pierced straight through her vast demon energy and spiritual power, touching instinct itself, stirring her pleasure.

A sudden thought, and she sensed someone outside the window.

“Bang!”

Nongli flicked her hand, and the doors and windows shattered.

Qingmu stood right outside the broken entrance, his eyes wide, seemingly startled by her reaction.

“What are you doing here?”

“Isn’t this my room?”

“Why are you peeking? Eavesdropping?”

“Because I want to know who stole my pills.”

Qingmu pointed at the cabinet.

Nongli was momentarily stunned. Was this made by that little brat?

Though this kind of pill was basically like a candy ball… it was still surprising for the demon race to see such a child refining it.

“You made it?”

“That’s right.”

“Who taught you?”

“It’s written in the ancient books.”

Qingmu took a book from his robes. “I found it in the library.”

With that, he displayed another pill in his palm and walked inside to place it on the cabinet.

“I don’t recall ever saying you could enter my library, did I?”

“But you didn’t say I couldn’t, right? Isn’t it fine as long as I don’t leave the palace?”

“So you made pills, using my generosity, my alchemy room, furnace, and ingredients.”

“But you’re the one eating it.”

“That doesn’t count. The medicinal effect is so faint it’s less energy than a piece of meat, and the taste is bitter. What’s the point in eating it? It’s a pure waste of materials.

You’ve done this—how should I punish you?

How about this: just call me ‘Mother,’ and we’ll let it go.”

A leg, taller than Qingmu, slid out from under her robe. Nongli lightly tapped her thigh with her fingertip.

Her eyes, red as a furnace, looked down at the short human, her height exuding a tremendous sense of oppression—like a she-beast that could devour Qingmu at any moment.

Her fox ears twitched now and then; her seven tails occasionally swept behind her.

The patience of the fox demon lord was slowly wearing thin with the little boy’s silence.

She stared at his face. That face, first calm, slowly picked up a hint of a smile. Seeing this, Nongli’s anger rose.

“What are you smiling about?”

“But I saw you eating happily.”

Illusion.

“And why do you always want me to call you ‘Mother’? What’s the reason?”

“That’s none of your concern.”

Nongli refused to answer Qingmu’s question—she didn’t even bother with an excuse or a lie.

“That won’t do. I just can’t say it.”

Qingmu sat on the chair, looking completely unafraid of Nongli.

Nongli stepped forward, her thigh nearly thicker than Qingmu’s head. She stood barefoot on the edge of Qingmu’s seat, narrowing her eyes.

She truly didn’t understand—why wasn’t this brat afraid of her?

Could it be because of his… special nature?

“Then let’s bet again today. You’re not allowed to touch the back of my neck, and you can’t—”

As always, Nongli invited Qingmu to play another round of their back-and-forth games.

And, as always, despite her massive size and status as supreme demon king, Nongli once again collapsed to the ground, while little Qingmu stood there looking innocent.

But inwardly, he was secretly laughing.

Having protected his backup once again, Qingmu said he was heading out, then turned and left.

Nongli sat on the floor, panting as she watched Qingmu’s retreating figure, her mind full of regret and confusion.

What’s going on?

Why does this brat always manage to stumble upon the weak points I don’t even know I have?

Is it because of something special inside him?

This is cheating!

Such trouble! Such a headache!

Why must I devour him—and then have to forge a mutual bond of emotion?

Can’t I just eat him directly?

I want to eat Qingmu! Just eat him! Then go fight the Sword Immortal of Shadows—that’s all, why make things so complicated?

Eat Qingmu… Master… delicious…

“Urgh!”

Nongli suddenly felt a splitting headache.

As she tried to get up, she accidentally knocked over the cabinet, sending pills rolling all over the floor.

She instinctively grabbed a handful, shoving them into her mouth, chewing messily—strangely, the headache eased by half.

“What… is going on…”

Curled up on the ground, her words were full of confusion.

This brat Qingmu wasn’t just odd here—he was odd everywhere.

Both the maids and she herself had secretly observed him. They said that whenever Qingmu got up in the morning, his state and behavior were exactly like hers.

It made no sense at all. Where did he learn to imitate her so perfectly?

He couldn’t possibly have seen what she was like when she woke up—how could he copy her like this?

Or was he always this way?

What a headache…

I must bond with him emotionally as soon as possible, and quickly defeat the Sword Immortal of Shadows…

Feeling immense pressure, Nongli forced herself up from the ground, letting out a long sigh.

Speaking of which… her mind was in turmoil, some utterly jumbled memories rising up again.

She felt she needed to go see that Qin Feng again, bracing herself.

It seemed… Qin Feng knew a lot about her past…

*****

Elsewhere…

In another world, a foreign merchant caravan entered the Deepwood District.

At the gate, a welcoming party led by the elf elder of Deepwood waited to greet them.

“Where’s Cuihua gone?”

The elder asked the elf beside him.

“No idea. She said this morning she was going to gather herbs, but she still hasn’t come back. Not sure where she’s gone.”

“That child…”

The elder showed a helpless look. As he watched the leader of the foreign caravan approach, he put on a welcoming smile.

“I’ve come at the order of both the King and the Lord.”

The leader whispered to the elder, who immediately nodded.

Because the Church’s Saintess had gone missing, the Kingdom of Roses and the Church had both descended into chaos. Now the kingdom had no time to concern itself with Deepwood’s affairs, and certain powers were eyeing this newly conquered, not-yet-core territory. The country to which this caravan belonged was one of those.

To seek a shining, independent future for Deepwood, the elder had to navigate between these powers.

“Welcome, my lord.”

The elder wore the same welcoming smile he showed to envoys of every other power.

Which king? Which lord?

The elder already knew, but what mattered was—which king, which lord, could bring the most help for Deepwood’s future independence?

Today, this caravan had obviously brought more goods.

After receiving the special envoy’s list, the elder was even more pleased.

Looking up, he suddenly noticed a sedan chair mixed among the caravan, swaying gently, with a woman’s silhouette inside.

The elder stared at the chair for a moment.

The envoy said to him, “Our lord has also arrived. Don’t announce it yet. Prepare her lodgings—she has some orders for you later.”

“My lord…”

The elder frowned, and cautiously asked, “You don’t mean… Lord Nongli, do you?”