Shen Ying pondered for a moment and said, "There is, after all. I’m not completely clueless—I know very well what can and cannot be said."
Ye Qingchen replied, "...Is that really what you think?"
Shen Ying seemed to catch the odd tone in his voice. She studied his expression before suddenly realizing something. "Senior Brother Ye, are you upset that I told your plan to my senior brother?"
"Wake up! If I hadn’t told him the truth, how could he have given me the entry token? Do you really think these tokens grow on trees?"
"Only the most outstanding talents among the younger generation of the demonic path are qualified to receive one."
"Even our Hehuan Sect, the leader of the demonic path, only has about ten to distribute. If Senior Brother Ye takes one, it means a junior disciple in the sect loses their chance—let alone disciples from other sects."
"If I’d asked for an extra one as a spare, do you think my senior brother would’ve even bothered responding?"
Ye Qingchen rubbed his forehead. "Then, in your opinion, should I still participate in this demonic path competition, given that my identity and intentions are already exposed before even arriving?"
Shen Ying gave him a reassuring look. "I warned my senior brother—he absolutely cannot reveal you in front of others."
"So just go ahead, Senior Brother Ye. He’ll pretend not to recognize you."
Ye Qingchen: "..."
"You really do trust Ji Liantan’s words without question."
He believed Ji Liantan wouldn’t expose him so easily—where was the fun in that? It wouldn’t align with the malice Ji Liantan held for him either.
But it was certain that Ji Liantan was already laying traps in the shadows, waiting for him to stumble right in.
Ye Qingchen wasn’t afraid of danger, but knowingly walking into a scheme on hostile territory? That just wasn’t worth it.
Yet Shen Ying said with complete confidence, "Of course my senior brother’s word can be trusted."
"He may not be as clever as you, Senior Brother Ye, but he’s no fool. If he exposed you right away, how could he play with you?"
"Besides, wouldn’t our master intervene if he targeted you openly? What good would that do him?"
"If he can’t even teach you a proper lesson and just ends up making our father pity you instead, wouldn’t that just be asking for frustration?"
"So, my senior brother will definitely pretend not to know. He’ll wait until you’re deep inside, cut off from all the demonic path elders, before making his move."
Ye Qingchen gave Shen Ying a long, deep look.
This demoness was truly something. Just when he thought she was a blunt fool, she’d lay everything out openly—yet she had people’s motives and actions pinned down perfectly.
She turned schemes into open strategies without hesitation.
Ye Qingchen had to admit she made sense. His birth father likely missed him, just as his mother did Ji Liantan, and carried the same guilt.
As long as Ji Liantan wasn’t stupid, he wouldn’t rush to strike immediately.
And this window of time would be enough for Ye Qingchen to prepare.
The demonic path competition wasn’t a simple tournament—it took place in an ancient secret realm left behind by past demonic sovereigns. It was unfamiliar to Ye Qingchen, but the same went for Ji Liantan.
Since it involved the True Blood of the Demon Ancestor, fairness was paramount. Even Ji Liantan, as the son of a demonic sovereign, couldn’t prepare in advance.
So the only advantage Ji Liantan had over him was the ten disciples from the Hehuan Sect. The other sects were competitors—they might cooperate briefly, but no alliance would hold.
After considering everything, Ye Qingchen realized Shen Ying had convinced him yet again. Even under such absurd circumstances, he was still going forward with the plan.
With a sigh, he said, "Very well. Then I’ll trouble you, Junior Sister Shen, to fetch that entry token for me."
Shen Ying gave him a thumbs-up. "Leave it to me."
On the very first day, she went down the mountain to find Ji Liantan.
Using a blood jade talisman to contact him, she got his current location and followed the trail.
The place was a famous hot spring mountain nearby, known for a unique spiritual fruit resembling strawberries that grew by the springs.
Not only were they delicious, but they also regrew astonishingly fast—new ones sprouted the very next day after being picked, faster than leeks.
Many cultivators loved coming here to soak in the springs while enjoying the spiritual fruit.
The moment Shen Ying arrived, she knew she’d come to the right place.
Without needing guidance from any attendants, she headed straight for the largest hot spring pool—where Ji Liantan was lounging.
At the moment, Ji Liantan was soaking in the misty spiritual spring, plucking a palm-sized spiritual berry and taking a bite.
This man loved baths, and he’d been soaking for a while now. A light sheen of sweat covered his skin, and his lips had turned a deep red.
Compared to the berry between his teeth, it was hard to tell which was more vibrant.
Shen Ying called out, "Senior Brother, enjoying your bath?"
Ji Liantan glanced at her and snorted, clearly still upset about yesterday. "It hasn’t even been twelve hours, and you dare come see me?"
Shen Ying walked over casually, picking up a berry from the wooden tray floating in front of him.
After tasting it, she said, "I convinced Ye Qingchen to enter the secret realm for the competition."
Ji Liantan’s irritation vanished instantly. He turned. "That fast?"
But then he realized he was still in the spring, while Shen Ying stood outside. Craning his neck to talk to her was annoying.
He pointed behind him. "Get in. Scrub my back."
Shen Ying glanced at his jade-like skin and completely forgot to remind him about boundaries between men and women.
Only when her hands began kneading his back with soothing pressure did Ji Liantan continue, "How did you convince him?"
Shen Ying replied, "I told him I wanted the True Blood of the Demon Ancestor. If he could win it for me, it would prove his sincerity."
"Senior Brother Ye immediately swore he’d present it to me with both hands."
Ji Liantan frowned. "He didn’t suspect anything?"
Shen Ying shrugged. "Why would he? He was the one who brought up the competition first. Maybe he misses Master and you a little."
"So I just went along with it."
Ji Liantan’s temper flared again. "Misses Father? Don’t make me laugh! He’s probably just tired of showing off in the righteous path and wants to stir trouble here too!"
"What, does he think just because his father has held me back all these years for his sake, he’s some unparalleled genius?"
Shen Ying quickly soothed him. "Don’t be angry, Senior Brother. When he wins the True Blood for me, I’ll give it to you. That’ll teach him a lesson."
Ji Liantan’s grip suddenly tightened on her chin, forcing her to meet his glare. "What are you implying?"
"That I’d lose to Ye Qingchen on my own turf?"
Shen Ying seemed to realize her mistake and backtracked. "Of course not! With Senior Brother’s skills, how could the treasure fall into outsider hands?"
"I just thought… since you seemed to enjoy taking things Senior Brother Ye worked hard for, you might like this too."
"But if it upsets you, I’ll find another excuse to give him."
Only then did Ji Liantan grasp the key point—Ye Qingchen would be fighting desperately to win the True Blood to impress his beloved.
But if he found out his efforts had only served to help Shen Ying please Ji Liantan instead…
A thrill ran through him. Watching Shen Ying’s flustered expression, Ji Liantan suddenly regretted snapping at her.
He mumbled awkwardly, "W-Well, it’s not that I mind you being thoughtful…"
"I'm not afraid of that guy joining the fight for it. Just let him come at me."
Would it be more satisfying to snatch the True Blood away and make Ye Qingchen realize his own incompetence?
Or to let him struggle desperately to seize it, only to have his junior sister present it to me right before his eyes?
For a moment, Ji Liantan found it hard to decide—both scenarios filled him with equal delight.
