“I’m having such a hard time.”
Jiang Ke’er flopped down on the inn’s bed with a long sigh.
Alone, a fox wandering without a home—she had to train, keep a constant eye out for Qiao Xiaoxian’s sudden attacks, and take care of a child at the same time.
So young, yet why did it feel like she was on the verge of becoming a housewife? She was nearly pulling her hair out…
Wasn’t it just too humiliating for the savior of the Demon Race?
She needed to calm down in the System Space.
“Mom, I’m hungry…”
Her consciousness had barely sunk in when little claws scratched her head, dragging her back awake.
Helpless, she had no choice but to get up and make food for the little one.
“Mommy~ I want milk~milk~”
“Milk… Why don’t you want peaches?”
“I don’t want peaches, I want milk~milk~”
“You’re an oviparous animal, what are you doing eating milk!” Jiang Ke’er was about to lose her mind, “Eat pork hock!”
“No! I want mommy’s milk~milk~”
Jiang Ke’er’s forehead veins twitched.
Even if I wanted to feed you milk, I’d need to have milk to begin with! You want a one-year-old fox to juice herself for you?
The inn’s soundproofing was terrible. At this moment, Qiao Xiaoxian in the next room was already beside herself with laughter.
“If you dual cultivate with me, you’ll have it.” The voice came through the wall.
“Go die! In your dreams! Not a chance!”
But, making a newly hatched… Pouched Dragon Egg eat braised pork hock all day probably wasn’t healthy.
So who could tell her what exactly the proper diet for a Pouched Dragon Egg was? Wasn’t it literally a food item itself?
“Sigh, fine, I’ll go buy you some milk.”
After venting in her heart, Jiang Ke’er silently stuck the little one back into her hair, disguising it as an unusually styled Egg Hairpin, and reminded sternly, “Absolutely no breathing fire again!”
The little fellow solemnly nodded its yolk.
After Jiang Ke’er left, Qiao Xiaoxian pulled out her communication envelope once again.
While everyone’s attention was focused on Li Yuan and Emperor Jing of the Great Sima Nation, speculating which side would emerge victorious in this great battle between the Demon Race and the Human Clan… no one noticed that an inconspicuous and hidden force was quietly making its way toward Jiangdu Palace.
The famed Emperor Jing of the Great Sima Nation was currently overseeing the construction of Si Tian Tower at Jiangdu Palace.
Throughout his life, he had destroyed Tuyuhun in the west, campaigned north against the Hanqi, and brought the Great Sima Nation’s military strength to unprecedented heights, expanding its territory to more than double that of the late emperor.
But his ambition didn’t stop there.
He wanted to break out of Shenzhou and explore those ancient continents lost to time! And so, he decisively ordered the nation to build Si Tian Tower, forging a bridge to connect with the other long-lost continents.
He was undoubtedly an emperor of great talent and bold ambition—cold and merciless as a machine.
At the first sign of rebellious intentions among the Demon Race, he immediately began purging the outstanding Demon Race officials in court, with no thought for the achievements and friendships of the past.
A troublesome target indeed.
Qiao Xiaoxian didn’t know if she could succeed, but she would try.
After all, compared to Li Yuan, who could barely protect himself, she put more faith in the one who had already seized control of all Jiangdu Palace from the shadows…
Lord Yu Wenhua Ji.
Qiao Xiaoxian pushed open the window and looked up at the sky.
A brown-black eagle was already circling high above, waiting patiently.
She changed into a pitch-black cloak, checked the sleeve blade strapped to her wrist, then pulled up her hood and leaped out.
At the milk shop, Jiang Ke’er suddenly let out a sigh.
“Your mother has left.”
“???”
The shop owner almost spilled the fresh milk right onto Jiang Ke’er’s face.
“Uh, I wasn’t talking to you,” Jiang Ke’er hurriedly explained.
After paying for the milk, she slipped out of the shop in a rush—relations between Demon Race and Human Clan were tense enough as it was.
If her offhand remark started a fight, it would be too embarrassing.
Jiang Ke’er bought quite a bit of milk.
The little Pouched Dragon Egg drank happily; clearly, milk was the most suitable food for it at this stage.
“Slurp, slurp—”
The box was empty, and the straw made a loud sucking noise, prompting Jiang Ke’er to pour another round.
Back at the inn, Jiang Ke’er propped her cheek on her hand, sprawled on the table and watched blankly as the little Pouched Dragon Egg hugged the straw and drank away.
Once it was full, she hung it back in her hair as an Egg Hairpin.
Not long after, faint snores came from the top of her head.
Jiang Ke’er shook her head with a wry smile and entered the Wooden Cabin inside the System Space.
“Summon Dummy.”
[Host, do you want to set the difficulty back to normal…] The Righteous System asked in a small voice.
“No need, keep it as it is.”
The Town Arena Tournament was even more chaotic than Jiang Ke’er had imagined.
Just like the official competitions, the Town Arena Tournament used a 5v5 format, but since most of the participants were unaffiliated loners, the teams were all formed on the spot—utterly disorganized and a complete jumble.
And there were no protection measures at all in this tournament; any personal vendetta could be settled right on the Arena, and everyone had to sign a Death Pact before each match…
That’s why, every few rounds, corpses would be carried off the Arena—it was quite the spectacle.
Even so, wave after wave of cultivators kept forming makeshift teams beneath the stage, scrambling onto the Arena to fight—because the rewards were tempting.
The Town Arena Tournament, like the Shenzhou Cup Grand Tournament, had many sponsors offering prizes.
To draw talented cultivators into risking their lives and boost the show’s excitement, the rewards were rare and valuable, far beyond the usual Spirit Stones and Magic Crystals.
Anyone on the path of cultivation would inevitably face situations like, “I just need this one material to break through to six stars”—it might be a Dan Medicine, or a piece of Meteoric Iron, or a particular kind of Yaocao, or some other item.
At times like that, cultivators grew desperate, restless, and would pay any price for the material—even risk everything by taking to the Arena for a chance.
“Looking for a Five Elements and Six Harmonies Stage swordsman for the Bronze Point Team!”
“Golden Promotion Match! Anyone strong want to help carry me? I just need to get the Season Guaranteed Reward!”
“Sword Cultivator looking for a team! I’ve been calling for days, how come no one’s picked me up yet? Do Sword Cultivators not have any rights?”
“It’s already the Year of Wu Yin, and you’re still practicing Sword Cultivation? Listen to me, brother—just switch already, Sword Cultivators are too weak, even the Demon Race can learn it.”
“It’s not that Sword Cultivators are weak! Damn it, that’s not what you were saying last year! Last year you were begging Sword Cultivators to carry you!”
“Times have changed!”
All this gave off a heavy ranked match vibe. Jiang Ke’er pressed a hand to her forehead, hesitating, unsure if she should just join a carry squad by the roadside, or let the officials assign her to a random team.
If possible, joining a squad would definitely be better.
Who knew what kind of teammates she’d be matched with otherwise?
If she ended up with someone who saw she was from the Demon Race and just went AFK, that would be too awkward.
And judging from the atmosphere around her, the odds were pretty high.
But no team would take her anyway—these were all Human Clan teams.
Sigh… Guess I’ll try my luck with matchmaking.