Chapter 25: Wronged — Accused of Seducing Her Man
She didn’t know how long she walked. When she was truly exhausted, Nan Xun summoned a Golden-Winged Roc. The roc could travel thousands of miles in a single day, and soon delivered Nan Xun back to the Zui Li family.
When someone saw her return, they immediately cried out in surprise, and before long a large crowd came out to greet her.
Under the many different gazes, her father and mother, tears streaming down their faces, took her back inside.
In the eyes of outsiders, Nan Xun was a great hero. Most people admired her “self-sacrificing” act, but a small number looked at her with strange expressions—after all, she had submitted herself to the Demon King for several years, and her body was no longer considered “pure.”
Her mother held her and cried for a long time, sobbing uncontrollably. “It’s good that you’re back… it’s good that you’re back…”
Nan Xun felt utterly exhausted. She hugged her mother and said softly, “Mother, I’m a bit tired.”
Her mother told her to rest well and left with reddened eyes.
Nan Xun sighed. “Little Eight, sorry. I wasted so much time, yet I still failed to eliminate the Demon King’s malice points. You won’t be getting your merit points either.”
The Void Beast said, “Don’t be discouraged. There’s still a chance. The Demon King was captured, not dead.”
Nan Xun sprang up from her chair. “Holy crap, Little Eight, what do you mean by that? Don’t tell me the Demon King can still escape?”
The Void Beast chuckled. “Didn’t I say it already? The Demon King is the most powerful existence in this world. There’s no way he’ll die so easily. Escaping is only a matter of time.”
Nan Xun slowly sat back down and spoke very gently to the Void Beast. “Do you know how they’re praising me outside right now? ‘Zui Li Xuan, daughter of the Zui Li clan head, ventured alone into the demon lair, sacrificed herself for the world, and helped capture the Demon King—truly a rare heroine of the age.’ Heh.”
“Little Eight, do you know what this means? It means that once the Demon King escapes, the very first person he’ll want to eat is me.”
As she spoke, her gentle tone suddenly changed. “Damn it—so in the end I’m still going to get eaten!”
For the first time, the Void Beast spoke in a negotiating tone. “I know you’ve been living in constant fear in this world. As compensation, whether or not the mission in this world can be completed, I promise you one request in the next world. How about that?”
Only then did Nan Xun perk up a little. “That’s more like it.”
And so Nan Xun stayed in the Zui Li household, eating well and drinking well, waiting for death.
Her thinking was simple: if she was destined to be eaten by the Demon King, she might as well eat and drink as much as she could beforehand.
Yet despite having a good appetite, Nan Xun grew thinner day by day, and her complexion turned sickly pale.
When her mother noticed something was wrong with her color, she immediately summoned many well-known physicians. However, every single one shook their head, unable to find the cause.
Her mother could only attribute it to a sickness of the heart and worried endlessly.
Nan Xun said she wanted some peace and quiet, and her mother indulged her in everything. She came to see her every few days, had delicious food prepared daily and sent over by servants, and worried that the servants might gossip. So she specifically selected two quiet maids—one to help with washing and grooming, the other with meals—and dismissed all the rest.
In short, her mother practically worried herself sick over her.
Nan Xun liked peace and quiet. Except when necessary, she would send the two little maids away and stay by herself.
She forced herself to stay alert and listened to the Void Beast tell her gossip about what had happened in the Zui Li family during the years she was gone.
For example, her distant cousin Qin Yuexuan, who back then had been full of thoughts about her and had nearly done something beastly, had recently married Zui Li Yue. The Qin and Zui Li families had thus become even more closely related.
Another example was how the Zui Li family had maintained good relations with the Dragon Beast clan in recent years. Her fifth elder sister had even formed an equal contract with a certain Dragon Beast lord.
Nan Xun drank a cup of tea and wandered unsteadily into the small courtyard to enjoy the cool air.
“Little Eight, lately I’ve been feeling dizzy with ringing in my ears. What’s wrong with me?” Nan Xun asked.
The Void Beast was silent for a while before saying, “I don’t know either. I’ll give you a pill to strengthen your body.”
As soon as it finished speaking, a pill appeared in Nan Xun’s mouth and melted instantly.
“I feel much better. Thank you, Little Eight,” Nan Xun smiled and lay down on the rocking chair.
Void Beast: “You’re suddenly being so polite to me—I’m not used to it.”
Nan Xun: …
The rocking chair creaked as it swayed. Nan Xun’s head grew heavy, and before she knew it, she fell asleep.
Suddenly feeling an itch on her face, Nan Xun’s heart jolted. She snapped her eyes open.
Seeing an enlarged face leaning toward her, Nan Xun rolled away and shouted angrily, “You lecher—how dare you molest me!”
The man sneered and looked at her darkly. “Zui Li Xuan, at this point, what’s the use of pretending to be a chaste martyr? This body of yours has been ruined who knows how many times by that beast! You’d rather let a beast defile you than submit to me—you really are cheap!”
Only then did Nan Xun realize that the person who had sneaked into her courtyard was none other than Qin Yuexuan, who back then had tried to steal a chicken and ended up losing the rice.
“Outrageous! Who allowed you to come in? I’m now a great contributor to the Zui Li family—how dare you show me such disrespect?” Nan Xun shouted.
Qin Yuexuan laughed as if he’d heard a joke. “My dear cousin, do you really not know how people talk about you behind your back? This body of yours, having submitted to the Demon King, is already filthy beyond redemption. With those old men in the clan so obsessed with saving face, sooner or later they’ll quietly have you put to death. Only your stupid father and mother actually take pride in you!”
“Shut up!” Nan Xun scolded angrily.
In the entire Zui Li family, only her father and mother treated her well. She would not allow Qin Yuexuan to say a single bad word about them.
“Cousin, do you still not understand your situation? When have I ever done anything to hurt you?”
As he spoke, he suddenly grabbed Nan Xun’s wrist. A complicated look flashed through his eyes, and his voice softened. “Xuan’er, let me take you away from here, all right? I won’t mind you.”
There was even a hint of pleading deep in his gaze—but Nan Xun didn’t see it.
She flung Qin Yuexuan’s hand away and said coldly, “Cousin, you say you’ve never hurt me? If it weren’t for Little White saving me back then, I would have been—! Now that you’ve married my third sister, live your life properly with her and stop coming to humiliate me!”
The last trace of light in Qin Yuexuan’s eyes vanished. He sneered repeatedly. “Fine. Fine! From now on, I won’t care about you anymore!”
With that, he flicked his sleeve and left. But just as he reached the doorway, Zui Li Yue walked in.
Looking at the vicious-eyed woman, Nan Xun sighed inwardly. “Little Eight, she probably thinks I was seducing her man—that’s why she’s wearing that ‘caught-you-in-the-act’ expression.”
The Void Beast immediately replied, “What she thinks isn’t wrong. Qin Yuexuan seducing you, or you seducing him—what’s the big difference?”
Nan Xun: …
