Chapter Twenty-Three: Deep Sisterly Bonds

When Zisang went looking for Danjun, she found her in the kitchen, which looked like a battlefield. Not only was there food debris scattered everywhere, but Danjun's face was also so blackened with soot that there wasn't a single clean spot left. Zisang could tell that Danjun had put a lot of effort into this meal. When Zisang asked who she was doing all this for, Danjun refused to say.

Zisang cursed herself for talking so much and getting involved. Now, she was in trouble. Danjun admitted she couldn't manage on her own and came to Zisang for help. But Zisang didn't know how to cook either! Normally, food appeared with a snap of her fingers. Why would she go through all this trouble?

However, admitting she couldn't cook would make her look even more foolish. No, she couldn't do that. She was the princess of the demon clan, after all. If word got out that she couldn't even handle such a simple task, she'd become the laughingstock of the entire demon realm. Absolutely not.

Cooking couldn't be that hard, right? Gripping the knife handle tightly, she started chopping. In no time, a neat pile of julienned radishes lay on the cutting board. Danjun clapped in delight.

"Alright, the next step is to cook it," Zisang said, but she showed no intention of actually cooking. She stared at the cut vegetables for a while, then glanced at Danjun, avoiding her expectant eyes. After a moment of silence, she finally spoke, "The most important thing in cooking is the freshness of the ingredients. These vegetables aren't fresh, so the dish won't taste good even if you cook it."

"But I just bought these from the market," Danjun protested.

Zisang felt a surge of frustration. She had planned to use this excuse to back out, but it clearly wasn't going to work. Did she really have to go through with it? Chopping vegetables was easy for her, having trained with a knife since childhood, but actually cooking them... She didn't even know what to add first.

"I said they're not fresh, so they're not fresh. Just because they came from the market doesn't mean they're fresh. Who knows how long they've been sitting there?" Zisang desperately wanted to find a hole to crawl into. Not only had she failed to cook the dish, but now she looked like someone who made excuses.

She was about to make her escape when the stubborn girl insisted on going to the bamboo grove to pick fresh shoots, convinced that fresh bamboo shoots would make a better dish. It seemed Danjun was determined to make this meal, though Zisang couldn't understand who had wronged her so badly that she had to go to such lengths.

To Zisang's surprise, there really were fresh bamboo shoots in the grove, their delicate fragrance mingling with the morning dew. She had to admit that Danjun had a knack for finding such exquisite ingredients.

While they were picking the shoots, Danjun fell into a pit dug by some mischief-maker. Fortunately, she wasn't hurt and laughed it off, prompting Zisang to laugh along with her.

"Snakes!" Danjun suddenly screamed. Zisang turned to see that they were surrounded by a dense mass of snakes. The only clear area was the small space they occupied.

Danjun seemed particularly affected, clutching her head in terror and trying to escape, but no matter which direction she turned, the snakes were everywhere. As Danjun's panic grew, the snakes became more agitated, launching attacks.

With Danjun unable to defend herself, Zisang protected her while fending off the snakes. A figure stood under a nearby tree, leisurely playing with a ring on his thumb, and said with a lazy tone, "When did the princess of the demon clan become so pitiful? If you'd just handed over the real Demon Order to me, we wouldn't be in this mess. Now, if you don't give it to me, don't expect to leave here alive."

As his words grew more threatening, Zisang couldn't help but laugh. "King Hengsong, you have a way with words. But if I gave you the Demon Order, wouldn't my fate be worse than King Chenrui's?"

The memory of that day was still fresh. King Hengsong was nothing more than a manipulative scoundrel. Despite Chenrui's brotherly treatment of him, he had ended up killing him. How could anyone trust his promises?

A red snake broke through Zisang's defenses and struck at the cowering Danjun. Zisang quickly shielded her but was bitten herself, a dark red stream of blood flowing from the wound.

Seeing this, Danjun seemed to snap. She transformed into a nine-tailed fox, fiercely tearing the snakes apart. Hengsong watched from a distance, his eyes narrowing. "A member of the Qingqiu clan, huh?" He muttered before disappearing in a wisp of black smoke.

Later, Zisang asked Danjun why she was so afraid of snakes. Danjun explained that she had been bitten by one as a child, leaving her traumatized. But now, with her sister to protect her, she felt she could finally overcome that fear.

Zisang's existing injuries were now compounded, forcing her to rest even longer. But the rare downtime left her bored, sitting outside in the cold wind, lost in thought. Danjun's sudden appearance startled her.

"Sister Zisang, let's go play with water lanterns! Today is the Water Lantern Festival in the human world, and it must be very lively."

Danjun loved to have fun and was eager to experience the human festival. She had already asked Wuchen, who had coldly refused. Not knowing anyone else well, she had come to Zisang.

Before Zisang could respond, Nan Xianyi chimed in, "I want to go, I want to go!"

Yu Fu also joined in, "I want to go too!"

With so many wanting to go, it was settled. Even Wuchen, who had initially refused, changed his mind and decided to join them.

The six of them, all new to this scene, marveled at the festivities. Even Nan Xianyi, despite being human, was unfamiliar with such events. They all behaved like country bumpkins, gawking at the water lanterns, buying their own, writing blessings, and setting them afloat.

As soon as they dispersed, Nan Xianyi dragged Zisang around, finally stopping at a stall selling sugar figurines.