Chapter Four: A War of Words (Part Two)

Letu’s face was as gloomy as water. After a long moment of silent contemplation, a sudden smile broke across his face. He cupped his hands toward Biyuan and said, "It has been decades, yet Big Sister Biyuan is as elegant as ever, and your cultivation has only improved. This is truly a cause for celebration!"

"Flatterer," Biyuan retorted, casting a side-long glance at him, though she felt quite pleased and finally allowed a faint smile to grace her features.

"Today, I have led my men here to capture the traitor of the Blood-Blue Tribe, Fuyao. I truly did not wish to trouble you, Big Sister, but I hope you might recall our past friendship and grant me a favor by turning a blind eye."

Upon hearing this, Shi Jun immediately raised his voice: "Biyuan, you old witch, your intelligence is truly abysmal; it’s so easy to trick you. Let me teach you a lesson: this Letu only wants to capture Fuyao because of the Nisu Treasure. I certainly won't let him have his way. If he wants to fight, let him fight—at worst, we will all perish together. As for whether you are willing to be played like a puppet by this smirking bastard, that is your own business; I have no say in the matter."

He spoke recklessly, hoping only to stall for time. Firstly, he wanted to give Chiyang time to recover from his injuries, and secondly, he held onto a slim hope that the Yacha party might follow the rumors of a "traitor" hunt and arrive to provide assistance. Furthermore, if Biyuan also coveted the treasure and clashed with Letu, that would be even better. Regardless, dragging things out for even a moment was to his advantage.

Letu seemed to notice Shi Jun only then. His cold, piercing gaze flashed like a blade, yet his face remained wreathed in smiles: "True, the weeping of the Crying Tree and the opening of the Nisu Treasure are news known throughout the Demon Realm. And that Fuyao has colluded with spies from the Underworld to betray the Nisu Treasure is an undeniable fact. We held a public trial just moments ago to inform everyone of Fuyao’s crimes. How could you, Big Sister Biyuan, believe the ravings of this man?"

"Sister Fuyao," Chunniang said, her beautiful eyes darting about, seizing the opportunity to fan the flames, "Back at the old Patriarch's home, you swore you were framed. I believed you without question and searched everywhere for evidence. Why, then, are you now with a spy from the Underworld?" As she spoke, she scrutinized Shi Jun. "This young man is truly something—form without substance... an out-of-body projection of the primordial spirit, is it? To be so young and yet so formidable; no wonder you are qualified to serve as a spy for the Underworld to stir up trouble in our Demon Realm." She paced slowly, appearing both carefree and triumphant.

With those two remarks, she entangled Shi Jun with Chiyang, implying that Biyuan should know this young mortal she wanted to capture alive was also an Underworld spy, worthy of being eradicated by all.

Fuyao looked at Chunniang coldly, a sneer forming on her lips, killing intent radiating from her eyes. With a sharp cry, "Give me back my grandfather's life!" she flicked her silver whip. With a "crack," it struck Chunniang’s snowy cheek before she could react. The whip, known as "Twin Dragons"—which could be two separate lashes or one combined—was coated in the venom of the "Lihuan Powder." Once struck, Chunniang’s tender left cheek turned bruised and black, and in unbearable agony, she screamed and threw herself into Letu’s arms.

The Blood-Blue Tribe was renowned throughout the Demon Realm not only for their "Nine Extremes Ten Directions Needles" and "Heaven-Shattering Divine Thunder," but most fearsomely for the "Lihuan Powder" distilled from the sap of the Blood-Blue Tree, hailed as the premier poison of the Demon Realm.

This powder had been painstakingly developed by dozens of elders of the Blood-Blue Tribe over many years, and only the Patriarch held the antidote. Once poisoned, neither human, demon, god, nor devil could escape its effects. For ten years, the victim would suffer ceaseless, bone-drilling pain day and night, their cultivation would be completely废, and their death would be gruesome. Generally, no one dared to offend the Blood-Blue Tribe lightly, largely due to this very poison.

Naturally, the Blood-Blue people were not inherently fond of conflict and considered the use of such lethal poison a taboo. However, Fuyao had long harbored a deep-seated hatred for Chunniang’s snake-like heart and saw no reason to hold back, using her most lethal weapon from the start.

* * * * * * * *

"Fuyao, hand over the antidote!" Letu frowned, gently pushing Chunniang away, his tone cold.

Fuyao sneered, "What a joke! Isn't it true that only the Patriarch has the authority to keep the antidote for Lihuan Powder? Why are you asking me?"

"You!" Letu’s eyes darted, his tone becoming more severe. "Fuyao, be smart and hand over the antidote, or I will reveal those sordid secrets of yours. Do you really want me to do that?"

Fuyao spat on the ground and asked mockingly, "What sordid secrets could I possibly have? Could they be uglier than you and Chunniang colluding to frame me? Could they be uglier than the two of you conspiring to kill my grandfather?"

Hearing this, Biyuan couldn't help but giggle. "Brother Letu, it seems your taste is rather lacking. You’ve gotten involved with Chunniang, a little tree demon with less than a hundred years of cultivation? Tell me, what other 'good deeds' have you been up to lately?"

Letu’s expression turned awkward as he gave a bitter smile. "Big Sister, please, don't mock me. With the enemy before us, this is hardly the time for jokes."

Seeing this, Shi Jun immediately chimed in to stir the pot: "Bullshit! Who says it's not the time? Everyone is dying to know what kind of dirty deeds you and Chunniang have been up to. Otherwise, why, among all the old veterans, did you choose her to be the tribal leader instead of someone powerful and imposing? Do you think that if you don't say it, no one will know? Come on, don't be shy; let's have it all out in the open today!"

He spoke as if he had concrete proof, though in reality, he had none. He had merely pieced together fragments from subtle clues—the looks exchanged between Letu and Chunniang at the public trial, and Chunniang's desperate reaction when she was injured. He knew something was definitely amiss between them. Having seen plots a hundred times more complex in human soap operas, anyone with a modicum of intelligence could see through it. Now, Shi Jun was determined to muddy the waters, employing psychological warfare.

"What kind of mongrel are you? How dare you babble nonsense in front of the noble Lord Letu?" A middle-aged man in fine robes and a tall hat, possessing a somewhat scholarly and sage-like appearance, suddenly spoke up. He flourished a folding fan from his sleeve, snapped it open, and fanned himself with an air of affectation. "Lord Letu is a virtuous and upright man of our Shichi tribe. How can you, a mere spy from the Underworld, slander him? We will not tolerate you!"

The man spoke in a stilted, pseudo-literary fashion. Shi Jun laughed and mimicked his tone: "First, I am not a 'mongrel.' If you can only communicate with such things, I fear I shall greatly disappoint you. Second, in your Demon Realm, it seems quite a few who have cultivated into demons started as such things; using them as insults is truly a slight against them. Third, 'virtuous and upright' are not words to be spoken by oneself; justice resides in the hearts of the people, and facts speak louder than eloquence. It is useless for a lackey like you to wave flags and sing hymns on the sidelines. Fourth, I am not an Underworld spy. If you were truly upright, you would clarify the facts before speaking instead of barking aimlessly! And the final point..."

Shi Jun shook his head, intending to continue, but Fuyao and Chiyang burst into laughter. Shi Jun’s eyes fell upon Chiyang’s exceptionally radiant smile, and he paused, momentarily unable to continue.

"You damn bastard!" The middle-aged man grew increasingly furious. As soon as the curse escaped his lips, he caught a fierce glare from Letu. Realizing his blunder, he lowered his head and retreated to the side, shooting hateful glares at Shi Jun.

* * * * * * * *

"The young man is truly sharp-tongued," Letu remarked, observing Shi Jun with a calm, confident expression.

"Hardly, I cannot compare to the silver-tongued nature of you and your cohorts," Shi Jun replied, exchanging a smile with Chiyang.

Letu did not know Shi Jun's background, but seeing him with Chiyang and noting his appearance as an out-of-body primordial spirit, he assumed his strength must be extraordinary. Unwilling to invite more trouble, he said gently, "Young man, the Demon and Underworld realms have always been at odds, and conflicts have occurred since ancient times. You are a talented young mortal, and we have always regarded mortals as our friends. Naturally, we would not wish to make things difficult for you..."

"Is that for real?" Shi Jun interrupted.

Letu was taken aback, then nodded, "Naturally."

Shi Jun rested his chin on his hand, a glimmer of cunning in his eyes: "So, you actually welcome mortals, won't harm them, and won't force them to do things they don't want to do?" He paused for a moment before adding, "Is that true? Is that your personal stance, or the stance of all our friends in the Demon Realm?"

Letu was bombarded with a string of questions phrased in such a convoluted way that he sensed there was more to the young man's words than met the eye, though he couldn't quite untangle the intent or guess what the mortal lad was up to.

However, Letu was a cunning old fox. He kept his composure, nodded, and said, "I, Letu, may not be a great man, but my word is as solid as gold. I would never speak empty words. Of course, you must not do anything to harm the Demon Realm, otherwise, there will be no room for negotiation."

"I see," Shi Jun nodded and continued to press, "As long as one does not harm the Demon Realm, all mortals are your friends?"

"Correct!" A cold light flashed in Letu's eyes. Before Shi Jun could finish, he interjected, "Fuyao and this Underworld spy have committed acts that harmed the Demon Realm, which is why we must capture them. Young man, it would be best if you left and did not get involved in this muddy water."

Shi Jun feigned deep thought for a moment before saying sincerely, "I'm sorry, but since I don't want to leave and happen to quite enjoy muddy water, I would like to stay and see what exactly they have done to harm you? Did they perhaps move the Nisu Treasure to the Underworld?"

"This..." Letu was left speechless. He suddenly realized Shi Jun was simply toying with him. A dark, fleeting shadow crossed his pale face, and he let out a "hehe" laugh: "So, you are intent on mocking me. Interesting."

"They killed and wounded so many of our kin while fleeing, slaughtering their own kind—is that not harming the Demon Realm?" Chunniang shrieked, clutching her face.

"You also admit they were fleeing?" Shi Jun countered effortlessly. "Fuyao is innocent and was framed; imagine how helpless she must have felt! It is precisely because she did not want to slaughter her own kind that she had no choice but to flee! Who would have thought you would pursue her relentlessly? If she didn't fight back, was she supposed to just wait for death? Even if she accidentally wounded a few, that was merely self-defense!" He gestured toward Biyuan: "And speaking of fratricide, this red-clad demon comrade of yours killed goodness-knows-how-many demons the moment she arrived; why are you not questioning that?"

Biyuan had no interest in their squabbles; she simply stared intently at Shi Jun. Hearing this, she shrugged indifferently: "So what if I killed a few? I felt like it." She then said to Letu with a serious face, "Little Letu, let me tell you: I want this mortal boy. Don't you dare kill him, or you'll see what happens!"

Letu was furious, thinking to himself, *At a time like this, why is this stupid woman causing trouble?* But, intimidated by the terrifying nature of the madwoman, he had to force a smile: "Rest assured, Big Sister, I will do as you wish."

He looked at Shi Jun, knowing that if a fight broke out, it would be difficult to guarantee the boy's safety—the primordial spirit of an average mortal was extremely fragile, and if it were dispersed, it would be no different from death. With his hands tied, he dared not act rashly. While he cursed Biyuan in his heart, he did not show it on his face, instead ordering his men to surround Shi Jun and the others while he racked his brain for a better strategy.

"Hey! This smirking guy is a two-faced hypocrite; he’s no good! Do you believe he’s currently cursing you as an old witch, an old hag, and an ugly monster in his head?" Shi Jun shouted at Biyuan with a grin.

Before Biyuan could flare up, Letu, startled by Shi Jun's words, quickly stepped in with a fawning smile: "Nonsense! Aside from Lord Julan, the person I, Letu, respect most is Big Sister Biyuan! Don't try to sow discord, boy!" Meanwhile, he marveled inwardly: *Does this kid have the ability to read minds? How did he know I was calling her an old witch?*

With this commotion, the demons dared not act rashly against Shi Jun and his companions. Yet, coveting the treasure, none were willing to leave. They could only watch from afar, keeping the "spies" surrounded.