Chapter 37 (Part 2)

He raised an eyebrow. “How do you know I don’t need it?”

She hesitated. “But you just said…”

“I didn’t say anything,” he interrupted.

Yu Zhengzheng blinked in confusion. “…You’re crazy!”

She took a deep breath, forcing a smile. “Then what exactly do you mean?”

He sighed. “It means what it means.”

Yu Zhengzheng felt herself slowly losing her patience. What did he mean by ‘what it means’?

With her last shred of patience, she gritted her teeth and asked, “So what should I do next time to make you happy?”

After a brief pause, he slowly responded, “Do what you did earlier, and continue as you are.”

Yu Zhengzheng’s smile cracked. She thought this man was like a rebellious teenager, awkward and contradictory in his words.

She gave him a look of mild exasperation, nodding slowly, “Okay, I’ll do it your way.”

The air fell silent for a moment, and she couldn’t help but ask, “Can we go back now?”

It had gotten dark while they were talking.

There were insects and poisonous snakes everywhere in the forest. Since he wasn’t afraid of the wild men, it meant he was confident enough to deal with them, so why were they still lingering in the woods?

Seeing her eager to return, he assumed it was because she wanted to see Xiao Yuqing. His voice turned cold. “Do you really like him that much?”

Yu Zhengzheng frowned. “Like who?”

He seemed to grow colder at her feigned ignorance. “Xiao Yuqing.”

She froze, slightly surprised.

Why would the Ghost King think she liked Xiao Yuqing?

Though Xiao Yuqing was indeed her type, so what?

The eldest senior brother was also handsome, but whenever she thought of him now, she just wanted to peel his skin off, pulling out his bones, and perhaps even stab him in the chest with the Chixiao Sword that once belonged to Xiang Feng.

She opened her mouth to explain, but then stopped.

Why should she explain to him?

Just because she was technically his backup furnace?

Yu Zhengzheng almost wanted to point her finger at him and angrily ask, Why does it matter to you?

But his piercing gaze weighed heavily on her, making her swallow her words.

She pouted. “I don’t like him.”

Her tone was slightly displeased, and to the Ghost King, it sounded reluctant.

He smirked coldly. “Don’t like him? Then why did you want to peek at him changing?”

It was only then that he recalled Xiao Yuqing had entered the screen first when they were changing. Later, Xiao Yuqing had said his purse had fallen outside, asking them to go in and change first. That’s when he went behind the screen.

If Yu Zhengzheng was peeking, it must have been to spy on Xiao Yuqing.

Just the thought that she almost saw Xiao Yuqing’s body made him want to crush Xiao Yuqing’s skull.

Yu Zhengzheng froze for a moment, unsure how to explain herself.

She had peeped at Xiao Yuqing to check if there were any red moles on his arm to figure out whether he was controlling An Ning like a puppet.

Explaining this would definitely lead to the topic of An Ning being a puppet, and if he asked her how she knew this, would she really tell him that she had entered An Ning’s dream and saw it?

That would sound ridiculous.

Though this book is set in a fantasy world, Dream Entry had never appeared in the original text, and in all the years she had been here, she had never heard of anyone in the Six Realms who could enter dreams.

Even if she ignored this point, she had once entered his dream using Dream Entry, and if he discovered that she knew Dream Entry, he might sense something unusual.

Last time when she had entered his dream, she had exchanged glances with him when he was locked in a cage. If he didn’t know about Dream Entry, he would think it was a mistake.

But if he ever found out, and recalled that day, wouldn’t she be in danger?

She didn’t think the Ghost King would be happy about someone sneaking into his dreams and seeing his tragic past without him knowing.

Dreams are a very private matter. Even if it weren’t the Demon King, if someone were to enter her dreams while she was asleep, she would want to kill that person.

The only difference between her and the Demon King is probably that she only dares to think about killing, while he would actually carry it out.

Yu Zhengzheng took a breath and said seriously, “I don’t like him, really. What happened was an accident.”

“If you really want an explanation, I will tell you after tonight.”

Once she drives the dagger, stained with Xiao Yuqing’s blood, into An Ning’s heart, there will be no need for any further explanation; he’ll understand everything by then.

Now that Xiao Yuqing had just cleared his name, it was the perfect time to catch him off guard.

Wasn’t there a warrior’s tournament tonight?

If a blade were drawn, there would certainly be blood.

Even if Xiao Yuqing wasn’t injured, she could find a way to get his blood.

There was just one small problem: at night, the poison in her body would act up, causing her excruciating pain. This might delay her plans.

Yu Zhengzheng looked up at him. Ever since he kissed her yesterday, the pain had stopped.

It was like a fox spirit trying to seduce a scholar to absorb his yang energy. She thought his breath might contain some of that energy.

But how could she get him to kiss her?

Should she just kiss him forcefully?

Forget it. She was afraid he might twist her head off in the heat of the moment.

Maybe she should try negotiating?

Yu Zhengzheng hesitated, her voice tentative as she asked, “Can I absorb some of your yang energy?”

The Demon King froze, looking at her in shock. “What did you say?”

Yang energy was the essence of a man’s blood. If she wanted to absorb it, that meant… wait, he must have misheard.

Yu Zhengzheng knew her request was hard to say. After all, she had just rejected his proposal for dual cultivation yesterday, but she had no choice. When the poison took effect, it felt like being stung by a thousand scorpions, and the pain was so unbearable she almost wished she could die.

But just a kiss? As a man, he wouldn’t lose anything.

Besides, he had lived for over a hundred thousand years and had probably kissed other women. She had just given him her first kiss yesterday; he should consider himself lucky.

Thinking this, she raised a finger sincerely, “Just one kiss. I promise I won’t take advantage of you.”

The Demon King’s body stiffened. After living for so long, this was the first time he had encountered a woman who would dare to make such an impolite request.

He couldn’t understand what she was trying to do. Even if she absorbed all his yang energy, she wouldn’t benefit in any way.

He glanced at her with a cold look. “If it’s just to prove you don’t like him, there’s no need to be so impulsive.”

Yu Zhengzheng quickly waved her hand. “It has nothing to do with him. I’m not being impulsive. I’ve thought about it carefully all day.”

The Demon King finally understood. No wonder she had said that the incident was an accident.

It turned out that the one she had been spying on was him. She had tried to take advantage of the situation to do that thing with him, but had failed.

His straightened back stiffened slightly. He had originally been about to refuse, but somehow his words had changed. “No, there are too many people outside.”

Yu Zhengzheng looked at the wild people a few dozen meters away in the forest. She couldn’t understand why he was so shy. It was just a kiss. Was he afraid of being seen?

She thought for a moment, her voice pleading, “If you turn your back to them, they won’t see us. Just this once. I really need it…”

Since Xiao Yuqing had let his guard down, this was the perfect opportunity to strike. There was only one chance. She couldn’t let the poison ruin her plans.

The Demon King was at a loss for words. Her request was clear, and it seemed like he couldn’t find any reason to refuse.

Her attitude was sincere, and he wasn’t the type to be unreasonable.

Considering her earlier gesture of helping him avoid the wild people, he decided to indulge her this once.

He pressed his lips into a straight line. His gaze remained calm, but his voice trembled slightly, “This is a one-time thing.”

Yu Zhengzheng’s face lit up with a smile as she nodded happily. “You really are a good person.”

Before she could finish her sentence, he raised his hand and undid the jade belt around his waist, lifting his robes slightly to reveal his pristine white pants. “Do it yourself.”