Feeling somewhat bored, Li Qiuzi lazily yawned, casually tossing two silver coins onto his original table before leaving. His movements were smooth and agile, exuding a dash of rugged charm that was completely incongruent with his appearance.
"Stop the thief!"
Before he could even put on the plain hat in his hand, Li Qiuzi heard the urgent shout. With a gentle exertion of his fingers, the hat fell like lightning, knocking down the small thief who was being pursued.
The hat then flew back into Li Qiuzi's hand.
"Who... are you?" The brief question was the thief's final struggle before he fell.
It was in that moment that Li Qiuzi saw the thief's true face, a familiar one indeed.
"A demon princess? No, she's not..."
The scene shifted, and Yufu clung to Li Qiuzi's thigh. Li Qiuzi reluctantly stopped, his eyes filled with despair.
"Why are you clinging to me like a plaster?"
At that moment, Li Qiuzi regretted saving her. He should have just let her die on the street. Wouldn't that have been easier?
"I'm not leaving, and you're not allowed to leave either. If you leave, I'll be dead."
With her arms wrapped around Li Qiuzi's leg, Yufu tightened her grip.
Having heard rumors of the Divine Doctor, she had encountered many along the way, but none were genuine. Ultimately, it was because the ordinary aura in their bodies gave them away as fakes.
Nan Xian... no, Jun Feng had told her that finding the Li family of the Demon Clan could save her life. However, she had traversed mountains and rivers, witnessed the myriad faces of the mortal world, and yet had never encountered the person he spoke of.
Now, with the two conflicting forces of demonic and magical energy coursing through her body, her organs had long been damaged. Countless bouts of illness had tormented her, and no one knew how she had survived during this time.
"Are you the Divine Doctor? The one in red robes and a plain hat they speak of?" Li Qiuzi's eyes gleamed. "What do you need the Divine Doctor for?"
With a slight smirk, he watched the person before him.
"I... I'm seriously ill, on the brink of death. Only by finding the Divine Doctor do I have a glimmer of hope to survive," Yufu said, her brows furrowed as if deeply wronged.
Li Qiuzi's smile faded as he looked at her. He stood tall, looking down at the girl crouched at his feet with disdain.
A breeze blew, carrying a faint fragrance. The veil revealed a face as pale as jade, with lips as delicate as rose petals slightly parted.
After some time passed, the corners of the rose-colored lips curved upwards slightly. With a calm tone, Li Qiuzi said, "I am a demon, not a divine being. If you seek divine help, you should go burn incense in temples or pray directly to the Divine Doctor. I don't have time to waste with you."
With that, he turned and walked away without looking back.
"Wait!" A voice called out behind him suddenly, but when he turned to look, the person was nowhere to be seen.
Perhaps he had misheard.
In that split second, a magnified face appeared before him. Fortunately, Li Qiuzi reacted quickly. Before his lower body could retreat, his upper body had already instinctively struck forward with a palm.
...The smoke cleared, and the girl leaned against the wall, sliding down slowly until she sat on the ground, her disheveled hair covering her once beautiful face, now replaced by the appearance of a filthy beggar.
Seeing this scene, Li Qiuzi's heart sank, realizing the trouble he was in. He turned and ran.
"You stop right there! If you don't cure my illness today, today's incident will never be over!"
In the end, Li Qiuzi came back.
Did you think he had softened? No, absolutely not. He was pushed back, one by one, by the well-meaning passersby on the road, until he was right back in front of Yufu.
In the brief moment their eyes met, one glared with anger, as if wanting to bite the other, while the other's gaze darted around nervously, wishing to disappear into thin air.
"Big brother, I beg you, please save me. I'll do anything for you, even serve you tea and water, as long as you can help me out of this predicament. I promise to repay you for your kindness," Yufu pleaded.
Such is life. Until the final moment arrives, you never know what the outcome will be. Just like this girl at this moment, one second she was like a hungry tigress, and the next she was like a suffering little wife.
And so, behind the miraculous hands of the divine doctor, there was now a little follower who stuck to him like glue.
Calling her a little follower was not inaccurate, after all, Li Qiuzi never had any sentiments like cherishing and treasuring beauty. He truly treated Yufu like a beast of burden, assigning all the heavy and tedious tasks to her alone.
"If you can't stand it, you can leave at any time, no questions asked," Li Qiuzi often said to Yufu. After all, she was always dragging her feet along the way. If one day she said to him, "You're too cruel, I'm not doing it anymore!" he would definitely send her off with a bang, noisily and joyfully.
"Qinshi, please play a tune for me!" At the top floor of Yuelan Pavilion, the girl lay sprawled across the table like a tiger, pouting and sulking at the man in front of her.
But the man sat by the window, his eyes cast downwards, lost in thought, his expression exceedingly gentle.
Jiang Lingshuang's expression turned somber as she stared blankly at Jun Feng. She had been her father's little darling since childhood, pampered by everyone. When had she ever been ignored like this?
"I want to see what's so captivating about you," Jiang Lingshuang thought to herself.
Stretching her neck downwards to look, she happened to see several disciples of the Tian Shu Pavilion passing by below. A hint of confusion flashed in Jiang Lingshuang's eyes, and suddenly, she seemed to understand something.
"So, the secret weapon that Yulan Star mentioned is her!" A soft smile spread across her face.
Jun Feng remained silent throughout, his gaze following that graceful figure.
As if sensing something, the figure also looked up at him, and he didn't avoid her gaze. Even though they were far apart, for them, there was only each other in their eyes.
Feeling the subtle atmosphere, Jiang Lingshuang was so excited that she wanted to jump up. The sweet scent lingering in the air couldn't stop the corners of her mouth from turning upwards...
My goodness! What kind of celestial couple is this? A cold and aloof musician and a silly and adorable monk sparking love? Is it unfinished karma from a past life or true love in this lifetime?
Jiang Lingshuang had already imagined the entire content of "My Adorable Wife is a Monk" in her mind! She regretted not having pen and paper at this moment, otherwise, she would immediately jot down everything in her mind on paper with fervor and excitement.
That night, several hurried figures appeared in the quiet outer corridor of the side hall. The figures suddenly halted as the leader pushed open the door. They slipped inside quickly and shut the door behind them, taking a cautious glance outside before finally closing it fully.
"Pfft, I told you to be careful, not to act like a thief. If you get caught by the palace guards, it'll be your own fault!" a man inside sneered.
The little page boy, trembling with fear, wiped the sweat from his brow with his sleeve, taking deep breaths to steady himself.
"Don't jest, sir. Along the way, I had to dodge not just the palace guards, but also avoid the Demon Lord in the shadows and sneak past the people of the Tian Shu Pavilion. I practically staked my life to bring this person to you."
Jun Feng snorted coldly, "Never mind the Tian Shu Pavilion; as if you could truly evade the Demon Lord." As he spoke, his eyes drifted toward Ye Bai, who sat sulking in the corner, as if to say: Look at your damned good father, never giving anyone a moment's peace.
"Did you bring the person?" Jun Feng then asked the page boy.
"Already here—" Before the page boy could finish, a lazy voice came from behind the curtain.
A man emerged, removing the plain hat that concealed his face. His pale features were painted with a seductive makeup, the red eyeshadow at the corners of his eyes and his scarlet lips curving slightly in a way that was alluring yet not vulgar. In fact, it gave him a delicate and pure appearance that could rival any woman.
"The person outside may come in," Jun Feng said casually.
The door creaked open and then shut again. Light, quick footsteps soon echoed through the room, and moments later, a green figure darted out from behind the curtain.
"You... you followed me again! Didn't I tell you to wait outside the palace?" Li Qiuzi bristled, his earlier grace and elegance completely forgotten.
"You said to wait, but who knows if you'll come back? My life depends on you, and if you die, who will save me?" Yufu's earlier timid demeanor vanished, and she confronted him with newfound confidence, her imposing manner matching Li Qiuzi's and leaving him speechless.
"Enough, both of you. Do you think you can just ignore my presence?" a deep voice suddenly interrupted. Only then did they notice another person in the room.
A man in a golden crown and dragon robe sat up from the bed, his somber gaze sweeping over everyone in the room before finally settling on Jun Feng.
"Is this the demon doctor you mentioned?"
"Indeed, this is Li Qiuzi of the demon clan, whose expertise lies in curing ailments. To undo a curse, one must find the one who cast it. Since it was the Demon Lord's poison, it must be a demon who can cure it."
"Hmph, Jun Feng, did you bring me here just to save him? Did I agree to this?" Li Qiuzi grew more furious with each word, glancing at Yufu and feeling even more incensed. "And this girl—did you send her to find me? And was it you who spread the rumor about the divine doctor returning?"
"You really have no manners, treating me like your celestial doctor. Did your heavenly doctor die or something?"
His words came out in a rapid, explosive tirade, as if he'd been holding in this anger for a long time. Judging by his expression, he truly was infuriated.
Jun Feng smiled dismissively and beckoned to the page boy, "Quick, pour a cup of tea for the divine doctor. Look how exhausted he is."
The page boy obediently poured a cup of water and handed it over with trembling hands, clearly frightened by Li Qiuzi.
Li Qiuzi didn't even glance at it, his cold expression tinged with disdain. "I don't want it."
This was not unexpected.
The emperor stood up and walked towards Li Qiuzi, the page boy immediately stepping forward to support him.
"My health is deteriorating day by day. If the divine doctor has any miraculous methods, I hope you will give them a try."
Though his words seemed to be pleading for Li Qiuzi to save his life, his demeanor was anything but. Despite being plagued by illness and weakness, his imperial authority remained undiminished, causing the temperature in the room to drop instantly.
Li Qiuzi did not respond, and the room fell into a heavy silence, the atmosphere growing increasingly tense...
The page boy cautiously glanced at everyone's faces. None of them seemed affected by the tension; they remained as nonchalant and carefree as ever. Realizing that no one in this room was to be trifled with, he buried his head even lower, knowing that if anything went wrong, he would likely be the one to get hurt.
The tense atmosphere was suddenly shattered by a cold laugh. Jun Feng stepped between the two, a cryptic smile on his face as he looked at Li Qiuzi.
"I recall you left the demon clan after Wuchen. If I were to inform the Demon Lord of your whereabouts, do you think you could leave here today?"
"Are you threatening me?" Li Qiuzi snarled through gritted teeth.
"Not at all. I'm merely suggesting that the Demon Lord has become our mutual enemy. Why not join forces to eliminate him and remove this threat once and for all?"
Jun Feng's words made sense. Li Qiuzi had pursued the Demon Lord's trail to the imperial capital, only for the trail to vanish. If the Demon Lord had not already left the capital, there was only one possibility left: he had taken on a human host.
Naturally, Li Qiuzi suspected the latter. After all, the fact that someone could poison the emperor right under his nose without being detected meant it had to be someone close by.
But what was his purpose in doing this?
Everyone in the room was shrewd, knowing what was in their best interest. After much deliberation, Li Qiuzi finally agreed to Jun Feng's request.
As Li Qiuzi began performing a spell on the emperor, Jun Feng, who had been quietly observing, suddenly furrowed his brow, his eyes snapping open.
"It seems someone can't wait any longer!"
"Ah! Jun Feng, you bastard! Let go of me! Where are you taking me?"
Without a word, Jun Feng grabbed the dozing Ye Bai from the corner and began dragging him out.
"Is... is the Demon Lord here?" The page boy, utterly bewildered by the sudden turn of events, was so frightened his legs gave out, and he crawled over to cling to Li Qiuzi's leg, only to be kicked away in disdain.
His gaze then shifted to Yufu, but her stern look sent him scurrying back, finally crawling under a table to hug himself.
Meanwhile, unaware of the impending danger, Yun Si continued to wander aimlessly in the vast imperial courtyard, occasionally peering into different corners.
Unbeknownst to her, her movements were being watched.
Sensing something, Yun Si suddenly turned to look at the half-open gate in the distance. There was nothing there.
Was it just an illusion?
Shaking her head, Yun Si turned and pushed open the main hall's front door, stepping into the pitch-black room.