Starting as a complete failure, he leads the demon race to sweep across the lower realm.

Just as Li Yang was wondering what to do, her wrist was suddenly gripped by something cold.

Her hair stood on end, and she stiffly turned her head to prepare for the deadly attack.

Before I could even see the other person clearly, my mouth and nose were suddenly covered!

Li Yang: Murder! Ugh, I mean, killing a fox!

"Don't struggle, it's me!"

The low voice carried a familiar, irritating tone, and Li Yang's bristling hair immediately calmed down, and she followed his lead.

The two carefully passed through rows of screens, but to her relief, the shouts outside seemed to fade into the distance. Ji Cang led her to a quiet area, where the echo of footsteps could be heard again in the distance.

Startled, Li Yu grabbed Ji Cang's sleeve and cried out, "Ji...Ji..."

"Shut up!" Ji Cang covered her mouth and pinned her against the wall, his narrow eyes glaring at her warningly. "Don't say a word!"

Li Yang nodded hurriedly!

After walking for an unknown amount of time, Li Yang looked at the familiar outskirts of the Silent Forest and was so moved that tears welled up in her eyes.

"Dude, thank you so much! I don't know what I would have done without you."

He was used to Li Yang often spouting strange words, but Ji Cang still took a step back and looked at her warily, "Why did you go there?"

"Ah? This, this..." Li Yang stammered, touching her two index fingers together. As Ji Cang's scrutinizing gaze drew closer, she suddenly had an idea!

"I just ate too much tonight and went for a walk. I saw a little demon with a strong evil aura, so I chased after it. I never thought I would get myself into this mess."

Her voice trailed off as she lowered her head in frustration, and the pink ears that had appeared on her head drooped timidly.

"You..." Ji Cang wanted to say something, but when he looked down and saw her droopy little ears, the words he was about to say suddenly stuck in his throat.

He clenched his fists, gritted his teeth, and turned his face away, "You..."

Just as he was about to speak, his mouth was dry, those furry ears suddenly loomed in front of him. The soft ear tips poked his face and then retracted, the little flying ears standing timidly behind his head.

Li Yang's round little face loomed large in front of him, and Ji Nian's breathing immediately became rapid.

"Then what are you doing here!" The little girl took the initiative, questioning him with a cute but fierce tone.

Ji Cang gritted his teeth and forced himself to suppress the urge to pat her head, instead poking her forehead with his fingertip to create distance between them.

“Recently, some people have gone missing in the city, and your father has sent me to investigate.”

"Huh?" Li Yang's big eyes were filled with confusion as she bit her lower lip and muttered, "Why doesn't Father Emperor tell me anything? Do I look that useless...?"

hiss!

Li Yang suddenly thought of something!

The arrogant guy was assigned a mission to investigate, but she wasn't! So, will he... complain to his father and mother that she secretly ran out in the middle of the night?

Thinking of this, Li Yang's expression froze for a moment.

"what!"

Suddenly, a shrill scream came from not far away.

Li Yang's ears immediately perked up in alarm!

"what sound?"

Ji Cang pressed her ear back down and looked around warily.

"Don't wander off, let's go take a look."

The two followed the sound, and the moonlight ahead grew fainter and fainter. The giant trees that stretched across the path on both sides looked like monsters with bared fangs and claws hidden in the darkness, and the cold aura further enhanced the terrifying atmosphere.

Li Yang swallowed hard and nervously climbed onto Ji Cang's arm.

She just realized that people with a strong sense of curiosity usually don't live long...

"You tsundere...maybe we shouldn't go..."

Ji Cang stopped abruptly, looking at her suspiciously, seemingly finding it hard to believe that the usually mischievous girl would consider backing out. He glanced ahead; the fog permeating the darkness seemed to warn of unpredictable dangers ahead.

Now that it's just the two of them, he really can't guarantee that he and the silly girl will escape unscathed if there's any danger inside. The silly girl has really been smart this time.

"Then I'll take you back first, and then I'll have Guiluo bring people to check it out."

Li Yu nodded hurriedly.

Hehe, I've dodged another danger!

Li Yang held Ji Cang's hand and followed him back, silently wishing a candle upon this man who seemed to want her dead or was waiting for her to save him.

Brother, it's not that I don't want to save you, but nothing is more important than your own life. If you're lucky, hold on a little longer and wait for the ghost to come and save you. If you're not so lucky, dying will be a relief...

Ji Cang escorted her back to the courtyard. As soon as Li Yang opened the door, she met Lian'er's tearful gaze.

"Waaah, Princess, where are you going? Look at the time! If I hadn't guessed that you were a restless person and wouldn't stay obediently in the palace, I would have gone to the Empress to complain!"

"I'm back now..." Li Yang chuckled and grabbed her hand. "Come on, go to sleep, I'm exhausted!"

Li Yang sighed inwardly: What's it like to have a maid who's like a mother, constantly nagging you about when you come home late...?

"Princess, you haven't taken a bath yet!"

"Okay, okay, I'll go wash up right away. You go to sleep now!"

An hour later, Li Yang, who had just washed herself and smelled wonderful, lay on the bed and let her mind wander.

Her annoying habit of feeling energetic right after a shower hadn't changed; right now, she really wanted to open her phone and scroll through some short videos...

"Oh right!" Li Yang rolled out of bed, slapping her forehead in annoyance. "No wonder I was so free, I forgot something important!"

With a serious expression, she instructed Flying Crimson Tiger not to allow the demon race to roam freely in the Silent Forest unless absolutely necessary, before clutching the pink gemstone necklace around her neck.

Every time Li Yang returned to the cabin, her heart would be filled with ripples of emotion, whether she closed her eyes or opened them.

She had no parents since childhood, and even though she had been raised in the royal family, she still felt empty inside. Only when she returned to the cabin did she feel a sense of peace and belonging.

"Father, Mother, are you really still alive?"

In the empty room, Li Yang's voice was as gentle as a breeze, and soon fell silent.

She calmed herself down and sat on the futon in front of the alchemy furnace. Beside her was a row of herbs, which were used to refine elixirs for the empress.

During her previous pulse diagnosis, she discovered that the Empress had been given a subtle cold poison that had taken root in her body, clearly an old poison that had been planted long ago.

Over time, not only will she find it difficult to conceive, but her body will also become increasingly weak, eventually leading to her untimely death.

The thought of this made Li Yang feel a fire burning in her heart. This was someone who loved and protected her, and she absolutely could not let anything happen to the Empress.

Her gaze fell on the shelf where herbs were placed, and after a moment's thought, she got up.

The arrogant ghost saved her several times. Given his condition, although she couldn't completely cure his pain, she could still refine some pills to seal his cultivation.

With his cultivation sealed, let's see what kind of trouble the ghostly power within him can cause!

Hehe, she's such a smart baby!

Meanwhile, in the desolate forest.

A man lay unconscious in the bloodstains, half of his pale face a bloody mess, his eyelids drooping listlessly, his limbs bent in a bizarre posture.

Half an hour ago, a dark figure quietly slipped into his ear, "Master, they don't seem to have arrived yet..."

The man coldly opened his eyes, his bloodless lips slightly parted, "Get out of the way, or they'll detect your presence..."

"Yes." The dark figure quickly disappeared into the ground.

An hour later...

Two hours later...

"Brake, get out here."

The shadowy figure reappeared, "Master, didn't you say we couldn't be discovered?"

A crisp sound of bones shifting rang out, and Dong Xiubei, who had been unable to move just a second ago, sat up with a dark face. "Idiot, did they even come in at all?!"

The dark shadow rose from the soil and transformed into a human shape. It scratched its head in confusion and flew away, only to return shortly afterward.

"Master, I was wondering why they hadn't arrived yet; there was no one outside!"

Dong Xiubei's temples throbbed, and he forced out two words through clenched teeth, "Ji Cang!"