If anyone else had offered Nani Gu this advice, he would have snapped their neck without hesitation. But since it was the little princess, he actually listened. “What you say makes sense, Your Highness. Then I’ll follow you instead.”
Having no intention of returning to his clan, Nani Gu had nowhere else to go and thought it better to stay by her side.
“Absolutely not!” Lu Yaoyao crossed her arms in refusal.
Nani Gu’s expression darkened, and his tone grew gloomy. “Do you despise my low cultivation, Your Highness, thinking I’ll only drag you down?”
“That’s not it.” Lu Yaoyao looked up at him, explaining seriously, “It’s simply inconvenient for me to keep a devil by my side. I don’t mean to look down on you.”
Leaving aside the fact that Nani Gu couldn’t follow her into the Guiyuan Sect, she was currently living as a proper human cultivator. How could she openly keep a devil around? Even if she managed to hide him, she’d constantly worry about his identity being exposed. A misunderstanding could lead to trouble she wouldn’t be able to explain, no matter how hard she tried.
Nani Gu suddenly came to a realization and exclaimed, “So Your Highness is undercover among the humans!” This explained why she was in the Cultivation Realm and mingled with human cultivators—she was actually enduring humiliation for the sake of the devil race!
Lu Yaoyao: “…I’m not undercover.”
But Nani Gu wore an expression of ‘I understand, no need to explain further’ on his face. “Don’t worry, Your Highness, I’ll keep your secret!”
“…” Suddenly feeling exhausted, Lu Yaoyao waved her hand and said, “Anyway, if you don’t want to go back to the Devil Realm, find a good place to retreat and cultivate.”
Nani Gu replied earnestly, “No place is better for cultivation than being by Your Highness’ side.”
“…How about you go to Yaqing again and follow him for now?” Lu Yaoyao suggested. Yaqing was still patrolling the Cultivation Realm under her orders. With human-devil conflicts becoming more frequent in recent years and devils causing continuous trouble, Lu Yaoyao had no choice but to rely on this clumsy method to prevent as many incidents as she could.
After some thought, Nani Gu agreed. Following General Yaqing, whose cultivation was more than sufficient to guide him, seemed beneficial. Moreover, as someone close to the princess, befriending Yaqing could only bring advantages. He cupped his hands and said, “I will obey Your Highness’s orders.”
Lu Yaoyao considered for a moment. “Moxuan City is currently under strict lockdown, and City Lord Hua’s spies are keeping a close eye on me… Yaqing is too far away to arrive in time. For now, come back with me and stay with the other guys I saved from the auction house. When I arrange for them to leave, you can go with them and meet up with Yaqing afterward.”
Nani Gu had no objections.
Lu Yaoyao continued, “In front of others, you can’t call me Your Highness or act like you know me…”
Nani Gu nodded. “I understand.” Her Highness had to hide her true identity, so he must never reveal it.
“…” Lu Yaoyao wasn’t entirely convinced he truly understood, but she decided not to explain further. She didn’t completely trust Nani Gu. Letting him continue to misunderstand actually suited her.
Thus, Lu Yaoyao returned with a high-ranking devil in tow.
When Nani Gu entered the courtyard within the barrier, he noticed the group of low-ranking demons and devils hidden in various corners. ‘If I had known the buyer was the Little Princess, I wouldn’t have gone through the trouble of escaping!’ He thought to himself. Still, it was worth it to get rid of some of those hateful humans at the auction house. ”
After settling Nani Gu, Lu Yaoyao went to find Yan Zihui and the others. They were still chatting when she arrived. Upon seeing her, they immediately asked, “Yaoyao, where did you go? We haven’t seen you for half the day.”
“I went out for a bit,” she replied quickly, raising her hand to emphasize, “I was careful to hide myself and didn’t let anyone notice.”
Yan Zihui frowned disapprovingly. “We still don’t know what City Lord Hua’s intentions are. You should be cautious and avoid moving alone.”
Lu Yaoyao nodded earnestly. “I brought back a devil.”
Though she could have hidden Nani Gu without Yan Zihui and the others noticing, Lu Yaoyao chose to be upfront.
“It’s the one that escaped from the auction house.”
Yan Zihui’s expression immediately darkened, and his face grew serious. “The high-ranking devil?”
“Yes!” Lu Yaoyao’s eyes sparkled mischievously. “With Moxuan City under such tight surveillance, he asked us to help him leave the city. I agreed.”
Yan Zihui clearly disapproved. The demons and devils Lu Yaoyao had saved from the auction were of low cultivation and had pure auras that hadn’t been tainted with blood. Letting them go was one thing, but the high-ranking devil was clearly different—that one was dangerous and difficult to deal with.
When Lu Yaoyao had purchased him at the auction, Yan Zihui had already been uneasy about it. He had planned to talk her out of helping him. The fact that the devil managed to escape on his own was a testament to his ability. It was already lenient that they, disciples of the Guiyuan Sect, hadn’t pursued him to eliminate him. Helping him further would cross a line.
“Yaoyao, demons and devils are not of our kind. You must be careful not to cross the line. Otherwise, it could easily be misconstrued as collusion with enemies, betraying the human race. If that happens, even the sect won’t be able to protect you.”
This was a matter of allegiance and moral standing. While they could turn a blind eye to harmless demons or even devils, actively helping them—especially repeatedly—could easily be twisted and misunderstood by people with sinister intentions. Once rumors spread out, it would be very hard to defend themselves.
Wen Zixing, ever protective of Lu Yaoyao, spoke up. “Senior Brother Zihui, we know our boundaries. We only help weak and helpless beings. If anyone has done harm, regardless of race, we wouldn’t lend a hand.”
Chao Muxue added, “That’s right, Senior Brother Zihui. What you’re worried about won’t happen. We’re careful. If we help other races, we’ll do it discreetly and won’t give anyone a chance to smear us.”
Yan Zihui sighed inwardly. He was aware of his junior brothers’ and sisters’ ideals of racial equality. He consoled himself with the thought that they were still young and naïve. Once upon a time, he, too, just like them, was also burning with ideals. Only after experiencing enough hardships and lessons would they understand how impractical their current beliefs were.
“Fine. I won’t meddle anymore. Just don’t involve me—I won’t help. You’ll have to handle it yourselves,” Yan Zihui said as he stretched and turned back to his room. Though there had been no physical confrontation, he had remained on high alert at the auction house and was now thoroughly exhausted. He needed rest.
Wen Zixing curiously asked Lu Yaoyao, “Did you really bring the devil back? Are you planning to send him away with the others?” Despite his curiosity, he couldn’t help but feel concerned. The high-ranking devil clearly wasn’t in the same league as the other low-ranking demons and devils. Putting them together was like placing a wolf among sheep.
“Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing.” Lu Yaoyao nodded. Nani Gu, after all, was an acquaintance and had pledged loyalty to her. However, she could also tell that after being sold a second time, Nani Gu’s personality had grown darker, with signs of becoming more sinister. She hoped to pull him back from the edge before he became an enemy in the future.
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