The Little Demon Empress stared at the infuriating man before her with a gaze so cold and sharp it could have been the stare of a God of Death. If looks could kill, he would have died ten thousand times in that instant. She made no effort to hide her murderous intent, even knowing he was as strong as her... or perhaps stronger. Even aware that, in her current state, he could kill her with a single slap, given that her cultivation was strangely sealed, she didn't avert her gaze for a second, waiting for a response...
No matter the situation she found herself in, even in the face of death, she would confront it calmly to achieve the best outcome.
Even without her cultivation, the Little Demon Empress's aura was simply too terrifying, but then, that wasn't surprising… A hundred years ago, she first lost her father, then her husband, whom she had been married to for a not-so-long time… who was also her younger brother. As the last person carrying the Demon Emperor's bloodline, she had no choice but to bear this heavy burden… and despite that, all these years, certain people had been trying to steal the ten-thousand-year legacy of her ancestors…
To say she was filled with hatred toward both heaven and earth was not enough to describe the feelings in her soul and heart…
The infuriating man, still standing near the window, turned fully toward her. His face was serene, expressionless. He raised his hands in a peaceful gesture and then smiled. It wasn't a wide smile, nor was it provocative. It was a slight curve of his lips, delicate, simple… and absurdly beautiful.
So beautiful that, for a moment, the world seemed to lose its color…
Literally.
Everything faded, as if existence itself had become a mere backdrop to that simple smile.
The Little Demon Empress's murderous gaze faltered. Her breath caught in her chest, as if her lungs had forgotten how to function. The hatred that had been burning on the tip of her tongue evaporated, swallowed by that simple, yet devastating, gesture.
"I had no choice, you know?" he said, indifferently, as if explaining something trivial. "You entered the lake, saw me… and, well, I was forced to confront you. I couldn't let you kill me there, could I? It was self-defense."
He paused briefly, the smile on his lips gaining a touch of irony.
"By the way, you should consider yourself lucky… Not everyone would be kind enough to save someone right after an assassination attempt. By now, you'd probably be food for some starving Profound Beast…"
The Little Demon Empress snapped out of her stupor upon hearing those words. Her body trembled with rage, her teeth grinding. She was about to explode, but he cut her off.
"As for where you are… well, this is Great Zhou Mountain, an isolated valley I found in recent months during my closed-door training," he said, as if commenting on the weather, unhurried. "And about your sealed cultivation… that was a consequence of my last attack. Basically, it directly targets the opponent's nervous system, interrupting the connection between the profound entrances and the Profound Veins."
He took a step forward, hands clasped behind his back, like a professor explaining a lesson to a reluctant student.
"Right now, you must feel as if your cultivation is 'sealed,' unable to mobilize any Profound Energy. It's a sensation of incomplete paralysis. Your body still responds to basic commands—you can move, breathe, shoot those murderous glares at me—but all circulation of profound energy, and any cultivation-related abilities, are completely blocked."
He then looked at her with a half-smile, almost kind.
"But… considering you're a Monarch, I believe the effect will wear off completely in about a week."
After hearing everything the man before her was saying, she narrowed her eyes in his direction. The Little Demon Empress's gaze could undoubtedly shatter the courage of a timid person, making them die on the spot.
Fortunately, that murderous glare lasted only a moment. Following that, the cold, lifeless voice of the Little Demon Empress cut through the air, and she said, "Should I thank you for saving me? You looked at this Empress's naked body… You're lucky to still be breathing…"
The man remained silent for a moment, as if seriously considering the accusation.
Then, he sighed. A light, almost resigned sigh.
"You're right," he said, tilting his head slightly in a gesture of apology, as natural as it was infuriating. "It was thoughtless of me. I apologize for seeing something I shouldn't have. It wasn't my intention to offend your dignity."
For a moment, the cabin fell into absolute silence.
But before the Little Demon Empress could savor that "moral victory," the infuriating man continued, with the same overwhelming serenity:
"However… I was there first."
She blinked, surprised by his audacity.
"I arrived at the lake before nightfall," he continued, unhurried. "That place was near where I was cultivating, so I decided to take a bath."
The Little Demon Empress's eyes flickered with fury.
But what irritated her most… was that he wasn't lying.
She huffed, her arms crossing so abruptly that her gray robe swayed lightly in the air.
"Hmph! That lake belongs to me!" she declared, with the arrogance of someone dictating a heavenly law. "You're the one who invaded this Empress's territory! Therefore, the victim here is me!"
Ren Zu blinked, genuinely confused.
"… But the lake is literally in a public area. It's not within any territory…"
Does this man not know who she is?! Ugh, how infuriating…
"That changes nothing!" she retorted coldly. "Just because you arrived first doesn't mean the lake isn't mine! And just because it's not within anyone's territory doesn't mean it doesn't belong to me and my family. The entire Illusory Demon Realm belongs to me as its ruler…"
The infuriatingly beautiful man raised an eyebrow. The smile on his lips didn't fade but gained a subtle hint of curiosity.
"Hmm? So the entire Illusory Demon Realm belongs to you?"
The Little Demon Empress narrowed her eyes even further, her gaze sharp as a blade.
The young man tilted his head slightly, as if analyzing a puzzle.
"Could it be…" he began, his voice playful and unpretentious, "that you're saying you're the Little Demon Empress?"
The huff of displeasure she let out could have made even a Monarch pale. Her eyes glinted coldly, as if striking down his stupidity.
"You don't even recognize your own ruler?" she said, her voice laced with relentless coldness.
The infuriating man, however, merely shrugged, as if facing an irrelevant detail.
"I recognize… when I see," he replied, with genuinely irritating calmness. "But you're not exactly an accessible figure to everyone. It's not like you go parading around, do you?"
The Little Demon Empress frowned, her fingers slowly clenching into delicate fists. The man's irreverent tone was starting to irritate her in a way few had ever dared.
But before she could retort, a single word escaped his lips.
"But… I've heard of you."
The Little Demon Empress's gaze flickered, her irritation momentarily replaced by a spark of interest.
"My father spoke of you," he continued calmly.
The Little Demon Empress stared at him, her eyes narrowing.
"Your father?" The word came out in a cold tone. "And who might he be?"
The young man didn't seem to notice the chill in her question. He simply smiled.
"Yun Qinghong, Patriarch of the Yun Family."
The cabin fell silent.
For a moment, the Little Demon Empress's eyes lost focus, as if her mind were processing absurd information.
Yun Qinghong.
That name echoed in her mind like unexpected thunder.
Patriarch of the Yun Family.
And before her stood a man presenting himself with the utmost tranquility in the world…
"… Yun Ren Zu," he said, bowing slightly in an informal gesture of introduction, so natural it felt like a direct blow to her pride. "A pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty."
The Little Demon Empress remained silent for a brief moment. That name… "Yun Ren Zu." It sounded familiar. So, he was the son of Yun Qinghong, about whom malicious rumors claimed he had been adopted because he was unable to awaken the [Profound Handle], the unique and innate ability of the Yun Clan.
She felt an uncontrollable urge to slap the face of whoever spread such nonsense.
Useless? She scoffed in her heart. Who in their right mind would call someone useless who defeated a Monarch before even reaching thirty? Such blindness…
Well, if he was Yun Qinghong's son, she couldn't simply kill him… It definitely wasn't because of that smile that left her mind blank and softened her soul…
To her, Yun Qinghong was one of the rare patriarchs who truly supported and respected her. He was one of the few who never showed any intention of taking advantage of the temporary weakness of the Illusory Demon Imperial Family after the Demon Emperor's death. Furthermore, the young man's grandfather, the former patriarch of the Yun Family, was recognized as the second most powerful in terms of profound strength in the entire Illusory Demon Realm.
It was he who led the Yun Family and commanded the Twelve Guardian Families, whose duty was to protect the ruler of the Illusory Demon Realm, the Demon Emperor. For his loyalty and services, he was granted the title of "Demon King," becoming one of the emperor's closest and most trusted allies.
In other words, the Yun Family was, and always had been, one of the most loyal supporters of her imperial lineage…
But the man before her… was different.
He might have the same blood, perhaps, but the attitude…
After a few moments of silence, she finally said, "I've heard some rumors about you. I'm surprised that someone supposedly 'useless' managed not only to defeat this Empress but also to seal my cultivation…"
"Ah, those rumors?" Ren Zu showed no change in expression as he spoke indifferently. "I've learned that there's no tool more useful than the ignorance of others. It's much better to be underestimated. While they believe I'm incapable, I walk freely. While they judge me as useless, I don't need to prove anything…"
After saying this, Ren Zu glanced at the low table in the corner of the cabin, where a ceramic teapot rested beside two cups. Without saying another word, he walked over with calm steps, as if the weight of the world couldn't affect him.
"You know…" he said, while pouring the tea with calm, fluid movements, "I've been quite rude so far. To receive a guest, even one as 'murderous' as you, and not offer even a cup of tea…"
The steam rose in faint spirals from the cup as he picked it up, enveloping his fingers in a delicate dance of warmth and fragrance.
And then, he walked toward her.
Those simple, ordinary words shouldn't have had the slightest impact on someone like her. She was the Little Demon Empress. The woman who didn't bow even before the heavens. Mundane words meant nothing to her.
But then, he smiled.
A smile born of genuine, pure kindness, devoid of ulterior motives.
And in that instant, the Little Demon Empress's world turned upside down.
Ah…?
It was as if the entire scene around her had crumbled. The cabin, the cold breeze coming through the window, even the bed beneath her body.
Everything vanished.
There was no longer sky or earth. There was no longer the Illusory Demon Realm. There was no longer an "Empress."
There was only that smile.
And, for some reason she couldn't explain…
…that was enough to destroy everything she thought she knew about herself.
Her lungs forgot how to breathe.
Her heart pounded in her chest as if it wanted to break her ribs.
Her mind went blank again. An invisible short-circuit ran through her thoughts. Pride? Dignity? Anger? Caution? All gone.
Like dry leaves carried away by a gentle breeze.
She forgot.
Forgot where she was.
Forgot who she was.
Forgot she wanted to kill this man for seeing her naked body.
Forgot even how her own body worked.
She just… stared.
Ren Zu stopped in front of her and extended the cup, his eyes maintaining contact with hers. The deep darkness of his irises seemed to hold an ocean that pulled at her soul, and she, an empress who had faced wars, betrayals, centuries of loneliness and pain, for the first time in her life, felt utterly intoxicated by the beauty of the immortal before her eyes.
Her fingers moved before her mind could process the action.
As if responding to an order that was never given, the Little Demon Empress's delicate fingers touched the extended cup. The warm porcelain brushed against her skin, sending a slight shiver up her arm, but she didn't pull back. Unconsciously, she accepted the tea.
She didn't even notice that she had leaned slightly forward, as if the gesture were something natural, inevitable.
Ren Zu said nothing.
He merely released the cup gently and turned, walking slowly to the chair by the table.
He sat with the elegance of a king, crossing his legs casually, as if that simple gesture was enough to define the space around him as an invisible throne.
And then, he looked at her.
"… Drink. This tea will help with fatigue and speed up the healing of your wounds."
The Little Demon Empress looked at the young man with an emotionless expression, but a complicated glint appeared in her pupils before she calmly brought the cup to her lips.
One sip.
The warm liquid slid down her throat, and instantly, she felt a comforting energy spread through her limbs. It was like an invisible blanket enveloping her body from within, gradually easing the stiffness, as if each cell were remembering what it was like to live without pain.
Her eyes widened slightly, surprised by the effectiveness. It was real.
"… You didn't lie," she said, her voice slightly softer but still with her pride intact.
"I rarely lie," Ren Zu replied, with a faint smile.
She didn't know it at the time, but it was in that moment that her life would change forever…
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(A/N: Author's Note.
If you thought the Little Demon Empress lowered her guard "too quickly," it's worth remembering a few key points. Her reaction upon discovering that Ren Zu is the son of Yun Qinghong and grandson of the former Demon King—one of the most loyal allies of her late father, the Demon Emperor—mirrors Yun Che's in the original canon when she realizes the young man who had "crossed her boundaries" was, in fact, someone carrying the blood of those who always protected her imperial lineage with honor.
However… that wasn't the decisive factor.
Ren Zu is simply too beautiful. Not in a normal way. His charm is off the charts. He's an existence like Senior White—that kind of beauty that transcends gender, identity, or morality. Men, women, profound beasts, trees, maybe even the laws of physics… all falter before his smile.
The Little Demon Empress didn't fall head over heels for him in this moment. She still holds her pride, still detests him a little, and still wants to throw him into the depths of an abyss from time to time. But as the days pass, it will become inevitable.
After all, how can one resist someone who seems to have been drawn by the Dao itself?
Get ready. Her heart will beat much faster… and maybe yours will too.
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