The black wooden box before them.
Was the key treasure controlling the terrifying knight “Da Hei” outside the carriage.
Chu Tian’s long, strong fingers absentmindedly stroked the cold, rough surface of the box.
His gaze seemingly casual, yet deliberately fell on Su Nian’s face, which still bore a silly smile.
A meaningful curve slowly lifted the corner of his mouth.
That curve carried unhidden mockery.
And a kind of malicious expectation.
“Speaking of which…”
His voice was low and magnetic, breaking the brief silence inside the carriage.
“To be able to tame such a powerful undead servant like ‘Da Hei’ this time…”
He paused.
As if savoring the slightly bewildered expression on Su Nian’s face as she turned towards his voice.
The flush on the girl’s cheeks from receiving the fresh farm eggs hadn’t faded yet, and in her eyes lingered the warm anticipation of the steamed egg custard.
Then, Chu Tian deliberately uttered the second half of the sentence.
“It’s all thanks to you, little wildcat.”
Those teasing words fell like stones dropped into a calm lake.
Su Nian’s silly smile instantly stiffened.
Frozen at the corners of her mouth.
What does he mean?
What exactly did he mean?
Her gaze suddenly shifted away from the round, muddy eggs in her arms.
Her eyes locked tightly onto the pitch-black wooden box toyed with between the long fingers of that despicable horned demon.
Cold.
Ominous.
That faint yet nauseating aura seemed to drift over once again.
It was that box!
That “stinky” box!
The “spoils” she had picked up in the ruined Sanctuary after defeating the undead mage.
Could it be?
That terrifying knight… Da Hei—
A powerful undead creation that even Chu Tian himself had difficulty handling…
Was tamed only because of this “trash box” she had willingly offered to him?
No!
That can’t be!
Absolutely impossible!
If so, then she had been utterly shortchanged!
She’d been ripped off to the bone!
Chu Tian’s words stabbed like an icy needle, piercing through the fragile bubble of happiness Su Nian had built from those muddy farm eggs.
“Oh? How exactly did you tame Da Hei?” Su Nian’s voice quivered slightly without her noticing.
She asked urgently, her heart racing uncontrollably.
She needed a denial.
Chu Tian’s lips curled into a faint smile.
His deep eyes brimmed with mockery.
Like a cunning cat watching a panicked mouse about to fall into its claws.
He seemed to relish the girl’s now helpless and confused expression.
Though she looked dazed, there was a certain charm in her clumsy innocence, which he found especially cute.
“It’s the box you gave me after killing the undead mage and waking me up.”
He gently shook the black wooden box in his hand.
His movements slow and elegant.
As if showcasing a priceless treasure rather than an unremarkable, worn-out wooden box.
“After I took possession of it, after a while, that Da Hei knight came over on his own and willingly pledged his loyalty.”
His voice was steady.
Without any unnecessary emotion.
Yet every word pierced Su Nian’s heart like a hammer.
“This box…”
He drew out the last word, his eyes locked on Su Nian’s suddenly pale face.
“You don’t forget, do you?”
Boom—!
Su Nian felt her world collapse in that instant.
Her mind was like a thousand thunderclaps exploding at once.
Buzzing nonstop.
The last shred of hope utterly shattered.
She froze completely.
Back then…
She had only felt this box was eerie.
Its material unknown, cold to the touch.
Uncomfortable to hold, with a faint rotten, nauseating smell.
Relying on her “adventuring experience,” she judged this thing to probably be worthless.
It might even carry some unknown curse or other trouble.
Keeping it would be a liability.
Better to “recycle the trash.”
She had simply offered it as a “tribute” in goodwill, hoping to earn a bit of trust from this bastard horned demon.
To lull him!
And yet, this “stinky box” she had discarded like garbage, even despised, was actually so crucial!
It could even tame the terrifying knight!
She had just briefly tested that terrifying knight in the square.
Though it was just an act, the overwhelming pressure, that pure destructive power…
At least… S-rank!
Saint Level!
A Saint-level powerhouse!
She…
She had personally…
Handed over such a treasure to the bastard horned demon?
And had thought herself clever!
Thought it a brilliant strategy!
She was simply…
The dumbest!
The most ridiculous!
Hopelessly foolish!
The universe’s number one biggest fool!!!
An indescribable flood of regret mixed with overwhelming frustration and bitter hatred for her own stupidity instantly engulfed her heart.
The suffocating weight of remorse pressed on her chest, causing sharp pain, and her vision blurred.
She could even clearly feel the hand hidden under the wide sleeve of her Radiant Magic robe trembling uncontrollably from the emotional turmoil.
The pile of muddy farm eggs she had just found so adorable suddenly felt unbearably heavy, pressing into her painfully.
So all the bastard horned demon got was those eggs?
Wait—
She couldn’t afford to show too much regret right now.
After the brief intense emotional surge, her mood gradually steadied.
She couldn’t let Chu Tian know she wanted nothing more than to rush forward and snatch that box back.
Nor could she reveal that her offering this item had never been sincere submission, but pure pretense and a hidden agenda!
The black wooden box controlling Da Hei was firmly in Chu Tian’s hands.
The terrifying knight had already accepted him as master, becoming his new minion.
What use would it be to display any regret, anger, or expose her true intentions now?
It would only reduce to nothing all the “efforts” she had painstakingly endured and cultivated through humiliation.
The little trust she had managed to build with him through submissive endurance could never be destroyed just like that.
‘Calm!’
‘Su Nian, you must calm down!’
She squeezed her eyes shut, then quickly opened them, forcing herself to take a deep breath.
‘Yes, keep acting!’
No matter how much she wanted to tear this man apart limb by limb, she had to keep up the act!
‘Perform flawlessly!’
Su Nian forced down the wild storm raging in her heart.
She tried to mimic the expression she thought best fit the identity of a “little female servant.”
Submissive, meek, even with a hint of cautiousness, desperately trying to please her master.
“Master~”
Her voice deliberately softened and lightened, like a feather drifting to touch the listener’s heart.
“Horned Demon Master… please… don’t… say it was thanks to me…”
Those insincere words made her almost bite her molars to dust.
But the act had to go on.
More than the lines, the expression had to be perfect.
The next moment.
The girl lifted her eyelids and looked at the bastard horned demon before her.
On her exquisitely delicate face, she forced a mixture of shyness and feeling flattered.
A faint, unnatural blush even tinted her cheeks.
“To… to help Master… Su Nian is very happy.”