Genius in the whole system: The useless young lady dominates the world

All eyes turned once again to the dilapidated, abandoned herbal medicine shop. They patiently hid in the shadows, concealing their presence and waiting for the signal.

Time passed slowly, and the alley returned to its previous stillness. The sun began to set, the light gradually dimmed, and dusk began to fall.

Just as everyone's patience was about to run out and they were beginning to get anxious—

"Squeak..."

A soft, rustling sound came from inside the window with its broken wooden planks nailed together. Then, a rough, grayish piece of cloth, about the size of a palm, was carefully tucked out from the crack in the planks and hung quietly outside, swaying gently in the breeze.

"It's a signal!" Feng Xiao, who had been staring intently at the scene, suddenly had a glint in his eyes. He whispered, "A gray cloth piece. According to the secret agreement of our Qingqiu Fox Clan, gray signifies safety. They've received the token and have preliminarily confirmed our identities. This is an indication that they agree to proceed with further contact!"

Lu Lingxi felt slightly relieved. It seemed that the contact point was still operational. She nodded and gestured to Dark Night again.

Dark Night understood, and his figure once again transformed into a phantom, silently arriving at the window of the herbal shop. He did not directly pull off the piece of cloth, but first carefully examined it, confirming that there were no additional traps or tracking marks on the cloth before cautiously taking it off. The cloth was rough to the touch, without any abnormalities. Dark Night quickly returned and handed the cloth to Lu Lingxi Yao.

Lu Lingxi took the piece of cloth and examined it carefully. The surface of the cloth looked no different. She moved her fingertips slightly, and a wisp of wood-type spiritual power slowly flowed into the cloth.

As spiritual energy was infused, the cloth underwent a wondrous change. Lines of tiny demonic characters gradually appeared on its surface; the characters were few, consisting of only a handful of words:

"At the third quarter of midnight, in the north of the town, on the slope of the withered banyan tree, at the foot of the cliff of broken souls, a person carrying a token came."

“It seems the other party is very cautious.” Nalan Rongzhi (Lang Qing)’s cold gaze swept over the line of text.

“Caution is necessary.” Lu Lingxi Yao expressed her understanding and even some appreciation. “In this environment, caution is the only rule for survival. If they send our large group over without hesitation, I would have to question their identity and purpose.”

She looked at Di Lin (the dog demon) and asked, "Di Lin, what do you think?"

Di Lin (the dog demon) took a deep breath and said without hesitation, "I will go. My father's legacy and the hopes of my people cannot be lost in my hands. No matter what lies ahead, whether it be a mountain of knives or a sea of ​​fire, I must go!"

He gripped the Emperor's Heart Pendant tightly, which had just been retrieved by Dark Night and returned to him. The warm, smooth jade seemed to give him boundless strength.

Lu Lingxi nodded, this reaction was within her expectations. She pondered for a moment and said, "I'm worried about you going alone. Here's what we'll do: at 11:45 AM, you take the Emperor's Heart Pendant to the appointment, and I'll hide behind you not far away, just in case. My concealment technique is so good that unless the other party is stronger than me, they will hardly be able to detect me."

Nalan Rongzhi frowned slightly, clearly disapproving of Lu Lingxi Yao taking the risk, but seeing the determination in Lu Lingxi Yao's eyes, he ultimately did not object, and simply said in a deep voice: "I will go with you, to be in charge of the outer perimeter security, together with Feng Xiao."

Lu Lingxi glanced at him, knowing his concerns, and nodded in agreement: "Okay. Feng Xiao, you are familiar with the terrain of the demon realm, so you will be responsible for providing support and covering the rear. Baihu, Youming, and Anye, you will stay here and maintain contact. If anything changes, evacuate immediately according to the pre-arranged plan."

"Yes!" Everyone agreed in unison.

As night deepened and the crescent moon hung like a hook, the hour of midnight quietly arrived, and the entire town fell into a deep sleep, with only the occasional roar of beasts coming from the distant Forest of Ten Thousand Beasts and the whistling sound of the wind blowing through the eaves.

Two figures, like ghosts blending into the night, silently left their makeshift hideout—a secluded abandoned cellar.

Di Lin (the dog demon) walked ahead, clutching the Emperor's Heart Pendant tightly, his slightly heaving chest revealing his turbulent inner state.

Lu Lingxi Yao (the fox girl) followed about ten feet behind him, her figure appearing and disappearing in the shadows, her aura completely concealed, as if she had merged with the darkness.

Further away, Nalan Rongzhi (Lang Qing) and Feng Xiao (a middle-aged fox demon) followed like two shadows, vigilantly monitoring all the movements around them.

North of the town, on the slope of the withered banyan tree.

This is a rocky slope far from the town, desolate and full of strange rocks. At the top of the slope, a huge banyan tree has been dead for many years, leaving only bare branches. Not far below the slope is a bottomless cliff called the Cliff of Broken Souls.

Following the instructions, Di Lin arrived at the foot of the withered banyan tree and the edge of the Broken Soul Cliff. The surroundings were deathly silent, with only the night wind blowing through the rocks, making a whistling sound.

He took a deep breath, suppressing his tension and excitement, and stood quietly in place, tightly holding the Emperor's Heart Pendant that emitted a faint light in his hand.

Just when Di Lin thought the other party wouldn't appear and suspected it might be a trap—

"rustle……"

A soft sound of footsteps came from not far away—from behind a huge rock shaped like a reclining ox.

Immediately afterwards, an aged and hoarse voice, filled with deep vigilance, rang out in the silent night sky:

"Who...is this person? And why...does he possess the Imperial Heart Pendant?"

As the sound came, an old fox demon with a hunched back, leaning on a polished wooden cane, and with a face covered in deep wrinkles, emerged from the shadow of the boulder.

She wore a patched gray coarse cloth dress, and her hair was dry, yellow, and sparse. She looked like any poor old woman in town, struggling to make ends meet.

However, her seemingly cloudy old eyes were fixed on Di Lin and the jade pendant in his hand.

Di Lin's heart skipped a beat. He sensed the faint but pure aura of the Qingqiu Fox Clan on the other party, as well as the power fluctuations hidden beneath the aged appearance.

He stepped forward, straightened his back, and spoke, word by word, in a tone that was as calm as possible, yet still unable to conceal his excitement and indignation:

"Emperor Lin of Qingqiu, by order of my father, has come to contact loyal officials and jointly punish the traitor Lietian!"

As he spoke, he raised the Imperial Heart Pendant high in his hand. The jade pendant, which symbolized the direct bloodline of the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox royal family, emitted a soft and noble seven-colored glow under the cool moonlight.

The old fox demon stared intently at the jade pendant with her cloudy eyes, then carefully examined the young man before her, who, though disguised as a dog demon, still retained a hint of his former friend's charm. Her body trembled slightly, and she could barely hold onto her cane. Tears quickly welled up in her cloudy old eyes.

"The Emperor's... the Emperor's Heart Pendant... it really is the Emperor's Heart Pendant..."

She murmured to herself, her voice choked with emotion. Then, she suddenly threw away her cane, disregarded her aged body, and knelt down with a thud, bowing deeply to Di Lin and shouting excitedly.

"This old servant...Qing Li, a member of a collateral branch of the Qingqiu Fox Clan...pays respects to Your Highness, Your Highness...you...you've finally returned! Her Majesty the Empress...did not lie to us, you are truly still alive! Heaven has eyes!"