Transforming into a stunningly beautiful fox spirit, leaving a scar on the heart of a prodigy.

Weiyang Palace.

This is the deepest forbidden area of ​​the Demon Court, where not even a fly can get in normally, but now it's bustling with activity.

Dozens of maids dressed in pink palace attire, carrying trays in their hands, hurried through the corridor with their heads bowed.

On the tray lay countless rare and precious treasures, the likes of which were seldom seen in the outside world. A snow lotus, ten thousand years old, was simmered into porridge; a thousand-year-old vermilion fruit was sliced; and there was also a nectar of jade, exuding a rich spiritual energy, served in a transparent glass cup, so dazzling it made one's eyes water.

Su Xiaojiu leaned back on the soft couch.

This couch is carved from a single piece of warm jade, and covered with a thick quilt of snow silk. Lying on it feels like sinking into a cloud.

She held a glistening purple grape in her hand; it was a Purple Jade Bodhi, a tribute from Xizhou. A mortal who ate one could extend their life by a hundred years, while a cultivator who ate one could increase their cultivation by ten years.

But for Su Xiaojiu, this was a thirst-quenching fruit.

"Smack."

She casually spat the grape skins into the gold plate held by the maid, her brow furrowing slightly.

"acid."

Su Xiaojiu lazily uttered a single word.

The maid kneeling before the bed trembled and quickly removed the gold plate, replacing it with a plate of peeled lychees.

"Young lady, these are Fire Spirit lychees that were just sent from Lingnan. They were grown using water from a spiritual spring. Please try some."

Su Xiaojiu glanced at the crystal-clear fruit flesh but didn't touch it.

"Too sweet, it's cloying."

Cold sweat beaded on the maid's forehead.

This guy hasn't stopped causing trouble since he woke up.

She complained that the food didn't suit her taste, that the clothes were too itchy, and even the incense in the palace had been changed eight times, but she still complained that it had a muddy smell.

However, His Majesty has decreed that this is an honored guest and should be treated like an ancestor. Anyone who makes her frown will have their head handed over to him.

"Miss..." the maid's voice trembled, "What would you like to eat?"

Su Xiaojiu rolled over, finding a more comfortable position. She stretched out a finger and pointed to the peach tree outside the hall, laden with fruit.

"I want to eat that."

The maid looked in the direction she was pointing and her face turned pale instantly.

That was the Nine-Turned Peach Tree that His Majesty planted himself. It blooms once every three thousand years and bears fruit once every three thousand years. Now, it has only produced nine fruits. His Majesty himself is reluctant to eat them, saying that he wants to save them for the ancestor's birthday celebration.

"This..." The maid knelt on the ground, her head hitting the ground repeatedly. "Please spare me, young lady! That's His Majesty's precious daughter! I dare not take her!"

Su Xiaojiu raised an eyebrow.

"You dare not?"

She sat up, her bare feet stepping onto the warm jade floor, and walked step by step to the maid.

"Your Majesty went to so much trouble to invite me here, wasn't it all so that I could recover? I'm feeling weak right now, and I just want to eat a peach to help me recover. Is that too much to ask?"

The maid dared not speak, she just kept kowtowing.

Su Xiaojiu chuckled softly.

"Fine, if you won't pick them, I'll go pick them myself."

As she spoke, she turned to walk out of the hall. Just as she reached the door, two long halberds crossed and blocked her way. Those were the golden-armored guards standing at the door, each with a profound aura and a cultivation level of the Casting Cauldron Realm.

"Please wait, young lady." One of the guards said expressionlessly, "His Majesty has ordered that you are unwell and should not go out."

Su Xiaojiu stopped in her tracks.

She looked at the two halberds that gleamed with a cold light, but she wasn't annoyed. She simply turned around and walked back to sit down on the soft couch.

"They won't let us out."

She picked up the jade cup on the table and played with it in her hand.

"Then I won't eat peaches. Summon all the musicians in this palace; I want to listen to music. Also, the furnishings in this room are too gaudy; I don't like gold, so replace them all with jade. Oh, and tonight I want to bathe in the Heavenly Pool water; remember to sprinkle plenty of flower petals, nine different colors."

Su Xiaojiu rattled off a whole bunch of things in one breath. After she finished speaking, she slammed the jade cup down on the table, making a crisp sound.

"Go and do it."

The maids and guards exchanged bewildered glances. This was no prisoner; they had clearly brought back a living ancestor.

……

Outside Weiyang Palace, on a towering corner tower.

Indra stood with his hands behind his back, his face so gloomy it could drip water.

He listened to the music coming from inside the palace, and watched the maids going in and out, replacing gold ornaments with jade ones. Some of them even actually picked the fruit from the peach tree.

His heart was bleeding. Those were the Nine-Turned Peaches of Immortality!

"Senior sister."

Indra turned his head and looked at Tianpeng, who was sitting on the railing drinking.

"How much longer must we wait? This demoness's primordial fire, though weak, hasn't been extinguished. Just take her heart's blood and send it to Master. Even if it doesn't cure him, it can at least keep him alive. Why let her run rampant here?"

Tianpeng shook the wine jug in her hand, tilted her head back, and took a swig. The wine dripped down her chin, wetting her collar. She squinted, looking at the brightly lit palace in the distance.

"What's the rush?"

Tianpeng wiped his mouth. "Haste makes waste. You saw it yourself; in the battle at Yunmengze, she almost burned away her life force to save that little tiger. Now she's like a shriveled orange. If you squeeze her dry now, how many drops of juice will you get?"

Indra frowned.

"But we can't spoil her like that."

"Spoiled?"

Tianpeng chuckled. She jumped off the railing, walked to Di Shitian's side, and patted him on the shoulder.

"Junior brother, you're still too young. This is called raising pigs. The pig is fattened up before slaughtering, and the meat is more fragrant. Give her whatever she wants now. Rare and precious herbs, elixirs and miraculous medicines, anything that can nourish her body, force-feed her. Once her body is healed and her vital essence is restored, the heart's blood extracted then will be the real life-saving medicine."

Indra fell silent.

He understands the principles.

But seeing that woman bossing people around in her own palace made him feel resentful.

"and……"

Tianpeng changed the subject, his voice becoming lower.

"Don't you think she's special?"

Indra was taken aback.

"Special? Of course the nine-tailed celestial fox is special; it's an auspicious omen from ancient times."

Tianpeng shook her head. She sat back down on the railing, her gaze passing through the layers of palace walls and landing on the half-open window.

Inside the window, Su Xiaojiu was reclining on the soft couch, holding a freshly picked Nine-Turned Peach in her hand. She took a bite, and juice spilled out. She ate with relish, her eyes slightly narrowed, like a cat that had successfully stolen some fish.

That demeanor. That languid and noble air that emanated from every gesture. It was something a mere demon who had only recently taken human form could not possibly possess.

"I'm not talking about bloodlines," Tianpeng said softly, "I'm talking about a feeling. Don't you feel there's something unfathomable about her? Despite being imprisoned, she's more composed than anyone else. Despite having lost all her cultivation, she dares to order you, the Demon Emperor, to reap the rewards for her. Where does this confidence come from?"

Indra frowned in thought.

Indeed. From the first moment he saw Su Xiaojiu, he felt something was off about this woman. She was too calm. Her calmness was somewhat abnormal.

"Does my senior mean... she's faking it?"

"Maybe."

Tianpeng fiddled with the empty wine jug in his hand.

"Maybe she's stalling for time, maybe she's waiting for someone to rescue her. Or perhaps..."

Tianpeng paused, then didn't continue.

Or perhaps, she wasn't afraid at all.

Because she knew that no one in this world could truly kill her.

This feeling was absurd, but Tianpeng trusted his intuition.

The woman in white looked just like that by the Milky Way back then.

Even when facing 100,000 heavenly soldiers and generals, even when facing the Heavenly Emperor's thunderous wrath, she only smiled faintly, still holding the rabbit, and lowering her head to groom its fur.

That kind of pride that's ingrained in one's bones can't be faked.

"Keep an eye on her."

Tianpeng threw the wine jug off the corner tower and listened to the crisp sound.

"Don't let her get away. And don't let her die. As for the rest, let her go. A few peaches are nothing. If they can save Master's life, it would be worth it to tear down this palace and give it to her as firewood."

Indra took a deep breath, suppressing the resentment in his heart.

"I see."

He turned away, no longer looking at the palace.

"Pass down the order: all necessities for Weiyang Palace must be provided without further request. Furthermore, mobilize all the retainers to guard the palace in shifts for twelve hours a day, setting up an inescapable net. Not even a mosquito is allowed to fly a single step outside Weiyang Palace!"

……

Inside Weiyang Palace.

Su Xiaojiu finished the last bite of the peach. She casually tossed the peach pit on the ground and took a silk handkerchief from the maid to wipe her hands.

"The taste is alright," she commented. "It's just a little undercooked. If it were cooked for another five hundred years, it would taste even better."

The maidservant, head bowed, cleaned up the mess, inwardly clicking her tongue in astonishment. These were Nine-Turned Peaches of Immortality! Wasn't they cooked long enough?

Su Xiaojiu ignored the maid's thoughts. She stood up and walked to the window. Outside the window was the deep darkness of night, and the lonely moon hung in the sky, illuminating the entire palace in a pale white light.

She could feel it. From the highest corner tower, a gaze was fixed on her.

That's Tianpeng. The female Taoist priest who likes to drink and act crazy.

Su Xiaojiu's lips curled into a very faint smile.

What was she looking at? Was she looking at the body of the nine-tailed celestial fox? Or was she looking through this body at an old friend who had died thousands of years ago?

Su Xiaojiu reached out and closed the window, shutting out the probing gaze.

She turned and walked back to the warm jade bed, kicked off her shoes, and crawled into the quilt.

Since we're going to nurture her, we should nurture her properly. This body is indeed severely depleted. That primordial fire lotus almost burned through her very foundation.

But it's okay.

Someone was eager to give me a magic elixir; I figured I might as well take it.

Su Xiaojiu closed her eyes and began to circulate the cultivation technique called "The Great Dream of Spring and Autumn".

A wisp of spiritual energy seeped from the warm jade bed, seeping into her meridians and nourishing the withered demon core.

As for Bai Yin...

Su Xiaojiu's eyelashes trembled.

That silly tiger should be awake by now, right?

Is he crying while holding that blood-stained straw doll?

Or is he still carrying that broken sword, searching the world for someone to fight to the death?

Don't worry.

Su Xiaojiu silently recited in her heart.

Get well soon.

Sharpen the knife.

After I've eaten all the good stuff in this palace and worn down these people's patience, we'll settle this score later.

Late at night.

The lights in Weiyang Palace gradually went out. Only the faint fragrance of gardenias lingered in the gauze curtains.