Chapter 174: The Girl Wants to Eat Farm Eggs

Dusk.

The blood-red glow of the setting sun struggled, but it was unable to penetrate the thick curtains of the carriage.

Only a few stubborn, dim rays squeezed through the gaps in the curtains, barely illuminating a corner of the cabin.

The carriage traveled along a rugged, uneven country dirt road.

The wheels crushed scattered stones, causing light but unrelenting jolts.

Bai Shui Town had long been left far behind.

Inside the carriage, the space was not spacious—rather cramped.

Su Nian sat upright on the soft cushion.

Her posture was cautious, her hands tightly cradling the pile of farm eggs in her lap.

As if they were not ordinary eggs anyone could find, but some rare treasure that would shatter at the slightest touch.

Dozens of eggs of varying sizes were stacked together.

Their shells still bore fresh traces of dirt, mixed with a few fine pieces of straw, exuding a simple and genuine countryside aroma.

She lowered her head slightly.

Her gaze fixed intently on these humble “spoils.”

Yet the corners of her mouth involuntarily lifted, forming a purely sweet smile tinged with a bit of foolishness.

Those clear amber eyes now curved into two beautiful crescent moons.

Deep within them flickered an unhidden gleam—the simplest and most direct joy born from a small harvest.

At this moment, she was completely different from the image she had just projected in Bai Shui Town’s square.

The “Holy Lady” bathed in sacred light, receiving the devout worship of thousands, a figure both majestic and untouchable—it seemed like a distant illusion.

The warmth of the villagers’ enthusiasm had exceeded her expectations, making it somewhat hard for her to handle.

As for gold and silver treasures, she naturally accepted none of it.

That would tarnish the “Holy Lady” halo she had painstakingly crafted.

But facing those older men and women who forcibly pressed farm eggs into her hands, she could only refuse a few times.

Her voice grew dry, but in the end, she couldn’t bear to reject them all.

Which was fine.

She could take them back and add some variety to Shadowmoon Manor’s menu.

Five-Spice Tea Eggs.

Scallion Scrambled Eggs.

And runny poached eggs.

Oh, and she could try making silky steamed egg custard sprinkled with bright green scallions.

Lost in her beautiful culinary daydreams, even the dirt-stained eggs in her arms seemed to grow rounder and cuter.

“Hehe!”

A faint, almost imperceptible silly laugh escaped her lips.

Just now, the girl with an “evil plan” in her heart, aiming to defeat the Horned Demon Bastard and take over Shadowmoon Manor, had been utterly distracted and delighted by a basket of farm eggs.

On the way back.

Thanks to gaining a new undead servant, she was spared a lot of trouble.

The terrifying knight, whom the Horned Demon Bastard had casually named Da Hei, now wore a concealment cloak that hid his figure.

He sat silently in the coachman’s seat, like a statue, yet steadily driving the carriage forward beneath the sunset.

For Su Nian, this was neither entirely good nor bad news.

The good was that she no longer had to exert herself to manage the horses.

Nor did she have to worry about other travelers discovering the Horned Demon Bastard’s misdeeds behind her.

The bad was…

She had to be alone with this Horned Demon Bastard in this small, enclosed carriage.

A smile.

At the same time.

Chu Tian lounged lazily, leaning against the softer, wider seat opposite her.

His posture was exceptionally relaxed, as if in his own study.

He tilted his head slightly.

His deep, unfathomable eyes landed on the exquisite profile of the girl beside him.

In his gaze were faint traces of scrutiny and something deeper.

He watched her happily bend her eyes and curl her lips into a silly smile over a pile of farm eggs, which to him were hardly worth a few copper coins.

A flicker of indescribable admiration flashed in his eyes.

Then, that admiration was quickly replaced by a playful smirk.

The halo of holiness that lingered from her “Holy Lady” role had not yet fully faded.

That glow added an otherworldly, aloof beauty to her already stunning face, making people hesitate to approach.

But now, the slyness and satisfaction is leaking from the corners of her eyes and brows…

The pure joy brought on by such a trivial gain…

It exposed her true nature without concealment, sharply contrasting with her sacred facade.

Just moments ago in Bai Shui Town’s square, she radiated brilliance, full of imposing aura, receiving the worship of hundreds and thousands.

Even he, her master, felt a subtle pressure from her, as if facing a truly divine presence.

At that moment, she seemed to have truly become a divine envoy walking the mortal world.

High and mighty, holy and majestic, untouchable.

But now…

This carefree, happy expression over a small “benefit” seemed so… easily satisfied.

Even a bit… foolish.

It seemed this little prey who always gave him headaches wasn’t as hard to control as he thought.

At least, when she wasn’t scheming little tricks.

When she wasn’t thinking about rebellion, escape, or secretly plotting against him.

When she simply stayed quietly, she looked rather… pleasing.

Chu Tian’s slender fingers unconsciously stroked his chin.

His gaze first swept over the pile of eggs Su Nian carefully guarded in her lap.

Then slowly returned to her radiant little face.

If only the startled girl before him knew that the shabby, dirty, and unlucky wooden box she had once grudgingly offered to “show loyalty”…

Was actually the key to controlling the powerful and terrifying knight Da Hei outside—the very one she found troublesome even for herself…

And what about her?

After all the effort, the life-and-death struggles, and the huge risk to purify that stubborn Undead Mage Mal Morsen…

Her final “reward” was nothing but this basket of worthless farm eggs…

Could she still keep that silly, happy expression on her face?

Would she jump up in anger?

Would she beat her chest in regret until her insides turned green?

Or…

Would she, like a provoked cat, recklessly pounce on him to fight?

That malicious thought quietly surfaced in his mind.

‘…Let’s just try and see her true reaction—it would definitely be… very interesting.’

The next moment, without any warning a palm-sized, pitch-black ancient wooden box emitting a chilling and ominous aura suddenly appeared in Chu Tian’s palm.

The surface of the box seemed wrapped in a faint, almost invisible black mist.

This mist was intangible yet exuded an ice-cold, bone-chilling chill.

The coldness spread quickly, making the once-warm carriage interior suddenly feel several degrees colder.

This was the “spoils” Su Nian had obtained after arduously defeating Undead Mage Mal Morsen in the ruins of the dilapidated church.

At the time, she thought the black wooden box was dirty and unlucky, faintly giving off a nauseating stench.

To show her “loyalty” and “submission,” she had respectfully presented it to the Horned Demon Lord.