I became the demon of the female devil

Chapter 358 Opening the Situation! The Empress's Night Raid!
The next morning, the sky was bright.

Before Ye Zi'e even opened her eyes, she smelled a rich fragrance wafting into the room through the cracks in the window.

Struggling to sit up, I stretched vigorously.

After the Empress left last night, she remained anxious and restless, fearing that some bloodshed might have occurred next door, until she finally drifted off to sleep at the crack of dawn.

"What's that smell? It smells so good..."

Ye Zi'e got up, dressed, and walked out of the room.

Upon reaching the deck, one sees Chen Mo sitting on a small stool with a charcoal stove in front of him, emitting wisps of smoke. Above the stove is a row of meat skewered on bamboo sticks.

Under the intense heat, the surface of the meat skewers became slightly charred, with oil dripping from time to time.

The aroma of meat, spices, and the fruity scent of charcoal blend together, making it incredibly tempting to eat just by smelling it.

Li Yuan sat next to Chen Mo, and couldn't help but swallow. Although she didn't say anything, her stomach growled.

Chen Mo chuckled and said, "Hungry? Don't worry, it'll be ready soon."

"Mmm." Li Yuan nodded, her face flushed.

Yesterday, Chen Mo tormented me all day, leaving me physically and mentally exhausted. Then, in the middle of the night, I was forced to turn on my computer while I was half asleep. Now, I'm starving.

At this moment, Li Yuan caught sight of Ye Zi'e walking over and hurriedly stood up to greet her, "This subordinate greets Commander Ye."

"No need to be polite, just sit down."

Ye Zi'e nodded slightly.

Approaching the table, he looked at the row of bottles and jars of seasonings and shook his head, saying, "Lord Chen seems to be quite interested."

The airship didn't stop along the way. She had planned to just eat some dry rations to tide her over, but she didn't expect Chen Mo to be so extravagant, preparing such a complete set of provisions, as if he were carrying a barbecue stall with him...

"You need to be well-fed to have the energy to solve cases," Chen Mo said with a smile.

The Heavenly Mystery Ring that Daoist gave him had an extremely large internal space, almost equivalent to a medium-sized secret realm. In addition to various changes of clothes, wine and food, bath tubs and essential oils, it even contained a large canopy bed that was over two meters long and wide.

It's better to be safe than sorry, just in case it comes in handy someday.
While Ye Zige was speaking, she kept secretly observing Li Yuan.

Since her identity was exposed, Li Yuan has also dropped her disguise. Her black hair is tied into a high ponytail, and her eyebrows and eyes are full of heroic spirit. She is the kind of beauty with a very distinctive bone structure.

A black martial arts robe accentuated her perfect figure, with a firm chest, a slender waist, and long legs. Even when she was sitting with her legs bent, there wasn't a single bit of fat on her abdomen, exuding a strong and athletic aura.

"No wonder Chen Mo kept her by his side; she really is quite beautiful."

Recalling the commotion she heard yesterday, Ye Zi'e's cheeks flushed slightly. She muttered to herself, "But he's all show and no substance. He's supposed to be a fifth-rank martial artist, yet he couldn't even hold his own right away. Isn't he a bit too fragile..."

"Alright, you guys eat first."

Chen Mo, unaware of her thoughts, placed the grilled meat skewers on a plate and then started grilling a second batch.

Li Yuan picked up a skewer of pork belly, took a bite, and her eyes immediately lit up. "Mmm, delicious!"

"Is it really that exaggerated?" Ye Zige picked up a meat skewer with some skepticism, but after putting it in her mouth and chewing it a couple of times, she froze.

Crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, bursting with juice in every bite, cooked to perfection. In addition to the caramelized aroma of the meat itself, there is also a very special umami flavor that seems to instantly activate your taste buds!
"What spice did you sprinkle on last? It has a very unique flavor."

"I made it myself. It contains salt, cumin, chili powder, and MSG."

What does it taste like?

"It is made by drying matsutake mushrooms and grinding them into powder. The glutamic acid contained in it can enhance the flavor."

"What about valley?"

"...It's okay, just eat."

Although the "MSG" produced in this way is far less umami than in the previous life, it is definitely a game-changer for these native inhabitants of this other world who have not been exposed to the harsh realities of technology.

It is foreseeable that as soon as this product appears on the market, it will immediately sweep through the entire catering industry, which can be considered a good way to make money.

However, the problem lies in the high cost and difficulty in mass production, making large-scale promotion unrealistic.

"When I have some free time, I should probably study grain fermentation methods," Chen Mo thought to himself.

With two bottomless pits—the array plate and the Azure Nether Seal—and now the Moon Radiance Sect to support, he's really strapped for cash. Having another way to make money is good, otherwise he wouldn't have thought of starting an adult magazine...

Step, step, step——

Just as the two were enjoying their meal, a light footstep approached from afar.

Ye Zige sensed something, turned her head to look, and her expression suddenly froze.

Mother, Your Majesty?!

Oh no! I'm sitting next to Chen Mo, will the Empress misunderstand?!

She hurriedly stood up, her mouth still full of roasted meat, her cheeks bulging, and mumbled, "Your...your subordinate..."

"Isn't this Officer Xu?" Before she could finish speaking, Chen Mo greeted her, "You've come at the right time, sit down and have something to eat with us?"

Xu You stepped forward, bowed, and said, "This subordinate greets the two lords."

Ye Zi'e was not worthy of such an honor. She shuddered and instinctively wanted to kneel down.

Noticing the fleeting, sharp gaze, she finally realized what was happening, pinched her thigh, and forced herself to say, "Um... I'm full. Xu, Mr. Xu, please sit here."

After saying that, he moved aside.

"Thank you, sir."

Xu You didn't stand on ceremony and pulled up a small stool to sit next to Chen Mo.

Looking at the sizzling, oily roasted meat, he asked, "Lord Chen, this looks quite professional. Why didn't you show off your skills last night?"

Chen Mo said irritably, "I'm not a chef. I'm just in a good mood today, so I'm just showing off a little..."

"So that means chatting with me last night upset you, sir?" Xu You asked, tilting her head.

"Alright, enough with the nonsense, hurry up and eat." Chen Mo picked up a skewer of freshly grilled beef and shoved it into her hand.

Xu You pouted, but wasn't angry. She parted her red lips slightly, took a small bite, and a hint of surprise flashed across her face. "Hmm? The taste is quite unique. Where did you learn to make it?"

"This is a family recipe. How about it? Do you like my big meat skewers?"

"I like it, but it's too big; I can't even fit it in one bite."

???

Ye Zi'e's face was full of question marks.

Are you sure there's no problem with what we discussed today?

Moreover, judging from how familiar the two were, it was completely different from yesterday. Could it be that Chen Mo had figured out the Empress's identity?
It shouldn't be...

Li Yuan also sensed something was amiss. After a moment's hesitation, she asked, "Sir, did you know this Officer Xu before?"

“No, that’s not it.” Chen Mo shook his head and said, “I couldn’t sleep last night, so I came to sit on the deck and happened to run into her, so we chatted for a bit.”

Li Yuan's brows furrowed involuntarily.

They had only chatted for a few minutes, but why did it feel like they were old friends? Her intuition told her that there was definitely more to their relationship than that.

But judging from this Officer Xu's ordinary appearance, it shouldn't be that bad...

"So what did you talk about last night?" Li Yuan asked.

"This……"

Because it involved Xu You's privacy, Chen Mo hesitated slightly and did not answer directly.

Li Yuan feigned surprise and waved her hands repeatedly, saying, "I was just asking casually. It's alright if you don't want to answer..."

"It's nothing, I'm just having some relationship troubles and venting to Lord Chen," Xu You said calmly.

"Oh? Secretary Xu got married?" Li Yuan asked curiously.

"Not really, but he does have someone he likes, but I'm not the only one in his heart," Xu You sighed.

Hearing this, Ye Zi'e, who was standing as punishment to the side, broke out in a cold sweat.

Good grief, they're playing their cards right out of the box?
Is this something I can listen to? Am I going to be silenced?!

Chen Mo, turning the skewers on the grill, added, "Officer Xu's man is a womanizer, and he even gets intimate with other women in front of her. He's such a scumbag..."

At this point, I suddenly feel like something's not quite right.

It seems he's done this himself before, and more than once...

"So excessive?"

Li Yuan's hostility had subsided, replaced by a surge of sympathy. She said indignantly, "How can you tolerate this? But ultimately, it's this jerk's fault. If you ask me, we should just kill him..."

As he spoke, he made a scissor gesture with two fingers.

Xu You's expression turned slightly strange upon seeing this, but he just smiled and didn't say anything more.

The three of them sat around the stove, eating and chatting, quickly growing closer, especially Li Yuan and Xu You, who in no time had become inseparable best friends. Women's feelings can sometimes develop that fast.

Li Yuan herself hadn't expected to have so much in common with this Officer Xu, especially regarding their remarkably similar experiences with relationships, as if they were both attracted to the same man...

Ye Zi'e was unsure of the Empress's thoughts and stood aside without daring to utter a sound.

After the third batch of roasted meat was finished, Li Yuan rubbed her round belly and burped, saying, "I can't eat anymore..."

"I'm full too." Xu You elegantly wiped the corners of her mouth with a silk brocade.

Master Chen extinguished the charcoal fire, put away the grill, got up and went to the side of the boat, looking down through the layers of clouds.

By this time, the flying boat had left Jinyang Prefecture. The houses were gradually becoming sparser, the terrain was undulating, and what came into view were endless towering mountains, steep and treacherous, and from time to time, one could see dark miasma covering dozens of miles.

This indicates that they are entering the territory of Tiannan Prefecture.

Recalling the scene of being trapped in the sea of ​​blood and almost being refined, Chen Mo's eyebrows twitched.

He learned from his mistakes. He had indeed been careless when facing the Blood Demon and almost met with disaster. Therefore, he must plan carefully before acting this time and absolutely cannot repeat the same mistake with Li Yuan.

"Commander Ye, please share the information about the Gu God Cult with everyone again," Chen Mo said.

"it is good."

Ye Zi'e nodded, took out a piece of parchment from her bosom, and spread it on the table.

The map depicts the detailed topography of Nan Tu and Tian Nan prefectures, with each city, official road, and even village marked. Three areas are circled in red.

"After months of tracking and investigation, I have roughly determined the activity areas of the remnants of the Gu God Cult." Ye Zige pointed to the circled area and said, "They are Fengmu County in Tiannan Prefecture, Bailu City in central Nantu, and Gushan River, which borders the frontier."

“During the investigation, I arrested several members and subjected them to severe interrogation.”

"What is certain at present is that the physical body of Yin Tiankuo, the leader of the Gu God Cult, has been destroyed, leaving only a wisp of his divine soul attached to a follower. But this is also the most troublesome point—"

"Because of the unique techniques of the Gu God Cult, the bodies of its followers are all modified by Gu worms, which are extremely compatible with Yin Tiankuo's soul. Therefore, he can freely switch between different bodies, making it much more difficult to capture him."

"Furthermore, he has a protector named Elder Shi, whose cultivation level is probably above the third rank."

Chen Mo stroked his chin with his fingers, lost in thought.

In his view, a third-rank Gu Dao master was not a concern; the real trouble was how to pinpoint Yin Tiankuo's location.

"You're saying that Yin Tiankuo gathered his followers in order to reshape his physical body?"

"Yes."

"What's so special about these three places that they'd rather risk being exposed than leave?"

"It's not certain yet, but I've heard it's related to some kind of Gu worm..."

"A Gu worm capable of reshaping the physical body..."

Chen Mo pondered for a moment, then pointed to the red area on the map and said, "At our current pace, we should arrive at Fengmu County around 7:00 AM tomorrow. Let's conduct an on-site inspection first before making any further plans."

"Alright." Ye Zi'e nodded.

……

……

After making the arrangements, everyone returned to their rooms.

Chen Mo entered the bedroom, sat by the window, and with a flick of his wrist, a simple, ancient square seal in sky blue floated in mid-air above his palm.

After being infused with true essence, the square seal disassembled like a Rubik's Cube, forming an ancient scroll with densely packed, dynamic characters dancing on it.

Since obtaining the "Gu Scripture", Qingming Yin has been relentlessly deducing it, consuming nearly a hundred pieces of spiritual essence. Currently, the progress of the second half of the book has reached about 30%.

The corresponding cultivation realm also reached "Harmony with the Dao".

In other words, with this incomplete cultivation manual, it's still possible to reach the level of a third-grade grandmaster.

Chen Mo carefully read the second half of the book and actually found content related to "reconstructing the physical body", titled "The Sacred Body Hidden in the Physical Body".

Flesh and blood are not a cage, but the soil where the divine resides. Mortal bodies are flawed, and lifespans are finite. Thus, the Gu (a type of poison) can be used as a key to steal life, seize creation, grind bones and muscles into dust, and weave flesh and blood into something new...

This path is extremely dangerous; only those with immense perseverance, great opportunity, and ruthless determination can overcome it...

"Ten thousand transformations are not for the sake of immortality; only through nine deaths can one obtain new flesh and blood?"

Chen Mo frowned; this technique was truly bizarre.

The method of "Concealing the Holy Body in the Flesh" is not something that can be mastered by those of the third rank. Currently, only the general outline has been deduced, and the specific methods are still unclear.

He added a few more pieces of spiritual essence, then reset the direction of his deductions, preparing to fully complete "The Sacred Body in the Flesh".

Although the content deduced by the Azure Seal may not be entirely accurate and may deviate from the original version, it is still a very important clue for him and cannot be easily missed.

With the mindset of knowing yourself and your enemy, you will win every battle. Next, Chen Mo began to carefully study the "Gu Scripture".

Because it was an incomplete method and potentially risky, he didn't choose to use the system to add points, but instead picked up the book and studied it word by word.

The content was far too complex, and the cultivation method was unique, unrelated to Taoist or martial arts cultivation. Many of the terms were unfamiliar, and it took a whole day to barely understand and digest it.

"To put it bluntly, cultivating the Gu Dao is the same as refining weapons, except that the object of refinement is one's own body."

"Discarding the burden of withered skin and decaying flesh, and seizing the profound secrets of the myriad Gu creations, the [Thousand Marrow Silk Gu] replaces the meridians, and the [Eroding Essence Gu Nest] is forged within the body to serve as internal organs and dantian..."

"No wonder the Gu God Sect has developed so rapidly and can attract so many believers. Here, talent and aptitude are not important at all. As long as you cultivate enough Gu worms and are ruthless enough to yourself, that's all that matters!"

Chen Mo exhaled a breath of stale air.

This has already transcended the realm of humanity; it is now a combination of countless Gu worms. Over time, its mind will be affected, and it will eventually become a monster that is neither human nor ghost!

No wonder that even though Yin Tiankuo has fallen on hard times, there are still many people willing to follow him faithfully.

Because this group of people has no way back.

crunch--

Just then, a soft sound came from the doorway.

Chen Mo put away the Azure Seal and looked up. He saw Li Yuan tiptoeing in and then turning around to close the door tightly.

"Yuan'er, why are you here? Didn't you say you were going to rest?"

"I was afraid you would be bored, so I came to keep you company and chat with you to relieve your boredom."

"..."

Seeing Li Yuan's guilty look, Chen Mo's lips curled up, and with a slight movement of his hand, an invisible suction force surged forth, pulling her directly into his arms.

"Tell the truth, or you'll be punished."

Li Yuan nestled in his arms and whispered, "We'll be landing in Fengmu County tomorrow, and it'll be difficult to have much time alone with you afterward. I just want to spend a little more time with you, my lord..."

"Is that all?" Chen Mo's hand slowly slid down along the curve of her waist.

Li Yuan's body trembled slightly, her face flushed even more, and she bit her lip lightly, saying, "I...I'm still a little unwell, maybe we shouldn't use that..."

?

Before Chen Mo could react, she took out a white porcelain bottle from her bosom.

"I heard this stuff works, it doesn't hurt at all after you apply it. If you don't mind, you could try it..."

"Of course not, not at all!"

Chen Mo hadn't expected the little tiger to be so proactive, even preparing this thing.

He immediately picked her up by the waist and carried her towards the bed.

"Wait, wait a minute... take a shower first..."

dong dong dong-

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

Li Yuan was startled, and the porcelain bottle in her hand fell to the ground and rolled under the table.

"Who is it?" Chen Mo asked, frowning.

"Lord Chen, it's me." Xu You's voice came from outside the door.

"What are you doing here so late..." Just as he was about to demonstrate his unique twisting technique, he was interrupted midway, which naturally annoyed Chen Mo.

Li Yuan said, "My lord, you should go open the door first, in case there's something important."

"Alright." Chen Mo looked helpless, put Li Yuan down, and walked towards the door.

Upon opening the door, Xu You stood outside, holding two wine jugs, and said with a smile, "We didn't have enough fun last night, shall we continue drinking today?"

Chen Mo: "..."

(End of this chapter)