Chapter 573: Chapter 540: I and Myself

He sprinted all the way only to not find Ning Feiyan, but instead, he collided directly with the monarch of the Demon World.

Behind her stretched the vast night, the burning peach blossoms of early spring simmering in the distance, the moon’s crimson, blood-like hue gradually dimming into the long night.

The enchanting blood night transformed and faded into a cool, ink-like color.

Amidst the swaying mist of blossoms, intoxicating and enchanting, the faint red vertical scar on the Female Demon Lord’s brow also disbanded with the waning glow of the blood-moon.

The fresh blood from the burst wound quickly stained her sleeves with several patches of bright red, dirtying her King’s Robe.

Yet, she seemed not to care. Beneath her stunning brows and eyes, her gaze was unexpectedly gentle, without a trace of shadow or pretense; her voice, when she spoke just now, was as clear and refreshing as a breeze, carrying an indescribable softness and beauty, starkly different from the cunning charm she had when they first met.

If it weren’t for the cruel, scarlet gash of a beheading wound between the overlapping collars on her alabaster neck and wrist, Baili An almost believed he had mistaken her identity.

How could that sinister, cruelly powerful Demon World female monarch show tenderness and affection to a mere cat like this?

Her fingertips gently caressed its back wounds, her eyes’ joy slowly overlaying a layer of dangerous gloom.

But her spoken words remained gentle and soft, as if trying to suppress something, fearing to frighten him, “Who hurt you like this?”

Of course, Baili An could not answer her question—for doing so would inevitably expose his identity.

This Female Demon Lord in front of him was far too powerful, her danger level well beyond that of Ning Feiyan.

He still had conditions to negotiate with Ning Feiyan, but in front of the Demon Lord, he could only be in a position of absolute passivity.

Not to mention he bore the power of Liuhe; if he exposed his identity within the Demon World, there could only be two outcomes.

Either the Demon Clan’s Secret Technique would forcefully extract the power of Liuhe from his body.

Or, he would be forever imprisoned within the Demon Clan as the vessel of Liuhe.

Baili An certainly did not wish to see such an event unfold.

Thus, he had only one path left.

“Meow~”

“Meow meow meow~”

He extended his paw to hook onto the Female Demon Lord’s sleeve, showing an anxious expression and, intentionally or not, revealing the Jade Token hanging around his neck.

The Female Demon Lord’s attention was indeed caught by the Jade Token. She touched the token gently, her expression shifting with a trace of puzzlement, “This is… Ning Feiyan’s Jade Token, how could you be her cat?”

Her expression was immensely surprised, her gaze unfathomable.

Baili An struggled in her arms, his calls filled with urgency.

Admittedly, he didn’t know whether a person of the Demon Lord’s rank would bother with mundane matters in Chao Mu Hall, but since he couldn’t find Ning Feiyan at the moment, his only hope was to lead the Demon Lord into the hall, hopefully causing Mi Lu to act more restrained.

But getting the Demon Lord to move at the whim of a cat was likely not a simple matter.

After all, how could someone as shrewd as her be easily swayed by a cat.

How to lure her to Chao Mu Hall seemed indeed to be a troublesome matter.

The Female Demon Lord let go of the Jade Token around his neck, asking, “Xiao Bai, did you run out from Chao Mu Hall?”

“Meow, meow?” Who is Xiao Bai being called?

The Female Demon Lord chuckled coldly, the peach blossoms falling like a torrent all around, “I really want to see who has the gall to injure you like this.”

Baili An truly didn’t expect that the Demon Lord would be a person fanatically obsessed with cats.

Could it be that Ning Feiyan knew the Demon Lord’s fondness for cats, and that’s why she turned him into one?

On his way there, Baili An ran swiftly, but hindered by short legs and a body in pain, it took the time of two incense sticks to reach the Peach Forest.

On his return, a mere blink and the entire peach forest and grand Netherworld Palace seemed to shift like celestial movements before his eyes, the scenery around him changing rapidly; in a blink, he was back in front of Chao Mu Hall.

At that moment, the Netherworld Palace was echoing with Young Master Mi Lu’s cold laughter and the sound of a whip lashing against someone’s body.

Baili An hadn’t heard Hong Zhuang’s voice, nor had he heard even a hint of a pained scream.

He was startled, fearing perhaps that Mi Lu had not held back and had severely injured the person.

The Female Demon Lord listened to the noise inside the hall, her eyebrows knitting together, seemingly surprised Mi Lu was actually in Chao Mu Hall.

Clearly, Ning Feiyan had not yet returned. Upon entering the hall, Baili An immediately saw Hong Zhuang on the ground, her body covered in blood.

She did not resist nor did she pass out amidst torture; Mi Lu, in a drunken stupor, was whipping her body, not caring about the origin of the eerie, steel-needle-studded whip in his hand.

With each stroke, not even the clothes could be torn, yet one could clearly hear the chilling noise of flesh being split open.

Hong Zhuang’s black garments were thoroughly soaked, a conspicuous pool of blood pooling beneath her.

She remained silent, her mask fallen to the side, revealing half a horrifying visage devoid of blood, forehead covered in sweat, and blood continuously oozing from her lips—her appearance was pitiable and sorrowful.

She bit down fiercely on her lip, not from vanity or defiance to hold back her screams.

From her gaze, Baili An could discern that she was afraid, not daring to utter a sound.

Somehow, Mi Lu had learned of Ning Feiyan’s true intentions in attending the Monarch’s Return Banquet and, after a drunken rampage, couldn’t help but come to Chao Mu Hall to cause a scene.

Had Ning Feiyan been in the hall, it would have been another matter; with her temperament and methods, she had a hundred ways to deal with Mi Lu.