Chapter 63: Chapter 62
The fifth month of Yan Shuo’s absolute house arrest began with a profound, heavy sigh.
Sitting on his heated jade cushion beneath the blooming peach tree, the ancient Demon Lord had officially run out of things to count. He had counted the peach blossoms (four hundred and twelve). He had counted the koi fish in the pond (fifteen). He had even counted the number of times Su Mei twitched her fox ears per minute when she thought he wasn’t looking (an average of thirty-two).
He rested his chin on his palm, staring blankly at the perfectly white, cloud-swept sky.
It was a sigh born of pure, unadulterated boredom.
However, in the master courtyard, a sigh was never just a sigh.
Sitting right next to him, Tantai Zhi instantly dropped the spiritual jade-carving knife she was using to peel a spirit-grape. Her golden eyes snapped to his face, scanning his pale features with the intensity of a hawk spotting a field mouse.
"Husband?" she asked, her voice tight with immediate, overwhelming concern. "Why did you sigh? Is the cushion losing its heat? Are your meridians acting up? Did the fox brew the tea too strongly and upset your stomach?"
Over by the koi pond, Su Mei flinched, instinctively taking a step back.
"I am fine, Zhi’er," Yan Shuo answered smoothly, giving her his usual, flawless smile. "The cushion is warm. My meridians are perfectly sealed. The tea is excellent."
"Then why do you look so melancholy?" Tantai Zhi pressed, leaning closer to inspect his eyes. Her beautiful face was twisted in distress. "A man only stares at the sky like that when his heart is heavy. Are you lonely? Is it because the sect is closed and you have no one to talk to besides me?"
Yan Shuo opened his mouth to deny it, but his pragmatic mind suddenly saw an opportunity. If she thought he was lonely, maybe she would finally let an elder or a disciple into the courtyard. Maybe he could get some news from the outside world that didn’t involve the fox snitching on him.
"It is a bit quiet, Wife," Yan Shuo admitted softly, playing the frail, isolated youth perfectly. "A little company wouldn’t hurt."
Tantai Zhi’s expression shifted instantly. The worry vanished, replaced by a fierce, blazing determination.
"I understand completely, Husband," she declared, standing up so fast her crimson robes snapped in the air. "You are locked in this courtyard for your own safety, but a man needs stimulation! A loyal companion to bring joy to his healing process! The fox is entirely too ugly and cowardly to be good company."
"Hey!" Su Mei whispered from the bushes, though she didn’t dare say it loud enough for the Saintess to hear.
"Do not move from this cushion," Tantai Zhi ordered, bending down to press a quick, determined kiss to his cheek. "I will be back in the time it takes an incense stick to burn. I am going to find you the perfect companion."
Before Yan Shuo could even ask what she meant, she vanished. A streak of crimson light shot over the courtyard walls, heading straight toward the forbidden back mountains of the Azure Sword Sect.
Yan Shuo blinked. A companion from the forbidden mountains? Is she going to kidnap an elder?
Exactly ten minutes later, a heavy THUD shook the grass of the courtyard.
Tantai Zhi had returned.
She stood triumphantly in the center of the garden, her hands on her hips, beaming with absolute pride.
Sitting at her feet was a cat.
At least, it was the size of a cat. It had pitch-black fur that seemed to absorb the sunlight, a long, whip-like tail, and two tiny, glowing purple eyes. It was currently shaking so violently it looked like it was vibrating.
"Look, Husband!" Tantai Zhi announced happily, pointing at the shivering black furball. "I found a stray kitten in the deepest caves of the back mountain! It was just wandering around in the dark. I brought it back to keep your feet warm!"
Yan Shuo stared at the "kitten."
He didn’t need to use his Nascent Soul Qi to recognize it. His ancient knowledge of demonic beasts instantly identified the creature.
That was not a cat.
That was a Nether-Realm Shadow Leopard. It was a Late Core Formation apex predator that naturally grew to the size of a war chariot. It was famous for hunting in the dark, tearing orthodox cultivators to shreds, and eating their souls.
Tantai Zhi hadn’t found a stray. She had flown into a forbidden death-zone, found the most terrifying monster on the mountain, violently beaten it within an inch of its life, forcefully compressed its physical body into the size of a house cat using her supreme Yin Qi, and dragged it home to be a pet.
The Shadow Leopard, which possessed high intelligence, slowly turned its glowing purple eyes toward Yan Shuo.
The beast was absolutely terrified of the crimson-robed woman who had just shattered its pride, its cave, and its ribs. It looked at the frail, fifteen-year-old boy sitting on the cushion, hoping to find a weak link. Maybe it could bite his throat out and escape in the confusion.
The leopard bared its tiny fangs, letting out a low, menacing hiss.
Yan Shuo didn’t move. He didn’t circulate a single drop of Qi. He simply looked back at the leopard.
He allowed exactly one microscopic fraction of his ancient, Abyssal intent to leak into his gaze. It was the look of a sovereign who had spent a century drinking the blood of dragons and wearing the pelts of demon kings.
The Shadow Leopard’s hiss died instantly in its throat.
Its glowing purple eyes widened in sheer, unadulterated horror. Its demonic instincts screamed a warning so loud it practically deafened the beast.
The woman in red is a walking natural disaster, the leopard’s instincts translated rapidly. But the boy on the cushion... the boy is the Abyss itself. If I touch him, he will not just kill me. He will erase my soul from the cycle of reincarnation.
The apex predator of the forbidden mountain made its choice instantly.
It dropped to the grass, rolled directly onto its back, and exposed its fluffy black belly, letting out a pathetic, high-pitched mew.
"Oh, look!" Tantai Zhi gasped, her hands flying to her cheeks. "It likes you already, Husband! It is surrendering to your gentle aura!"
"It seems very... friendly, Wife," Yan Shuo murmured smoothly, his dark eyes still locked onto the terrified, sweating leopard.
Tantai Zhi happily scooped the compressed monster off the grass. The leopard went completely limp in her arms, terrified that struggling would cause her to accidentally snap its spine.
She walked over to the peach tree and gently placed the beast directly onto Yan Shuo’s lap.
The Shadow Leopard lay perfectly still across Yan Shuo’s silk robes. It didn’t dare extend its claws. It didn’t dare breathe too heavily. It looked up at the Demon Lord with pleading purple eyes.
We are both hostages, the leopard’s eyes seemed to say. Please do not turn me into an array core.
Yan Shuo actually felt a brief, deeply amusing spark of kinship with the terrifying monster. They were both ancient, deadly creatures currently trapped in a soft-rice domestic nightmare.
Yan Shuo slowly reached out and stroked the leopard’s head.
"It has very soft fur," Yan Shuo praised lazily. "You have an excellent eye, Zhi’er."
"Only the best for you, Husband!" she beamed, pulling a spool of bright pink silk ribbon from her spatial ring.
Before the Shadow Leopard could even process the humiliation, Tantai Zhi expertly tied a massive, perfectly symmetrical pink bow around its neck. The ancient predator of the dark path now looked like a fluffy birthday present.
The leopard closed its eyes, accepting the death of its dignity.
"I am going to name him Sesame," Tantai Zhi declared proudly, adjusting the pink bow. "Because he is black and small! Do you like it, Husband?"
"Sesame is a very fierce name," Yan Shuo agreed with a straight face, scratching the leopard behind the ears. The beast let out a deep, rumbling purr that sounded suspiciously like a suppressed sob.
Just then, Su Mei walked out of the side pavilion carrying a fresh tray of hot water for tea.
She took one look at the scene under the peach tree.
Her fox instincts were far sharper than a human’s. She didn’t see a black kitten with a pink ribbon. She smelled the suffocating, blood-soaked aura of a Late Core Formation Nether-Realm Shadow Leopard—the natural enemy of all fox-kin.
Su Mei froze. The tray rattled violently in her trembling hands.
Sesame opened one glowing purple eye. He looked at the fox maid. He couldn’t attack the Demon Lord, and he couldn’t fight the Saintess. But a weak, Foundation Establishment fox? That was prey.
The leopard bared its teeth at Su Mei in a silent, terrifying snarl.
Drop the tea, Sesame’s eyes threatened. Drop the tea and I will rip your throat out the second they look away.
Su Mei’s knees buckled. She was about to scream and drop the boiling water all over the grass.
Yan Shuo’s hand casually moved from the leopard’s ears down to the scruff of its neck. He gave the scruff a very gentle, entirely ordinary pinch.
It carried no Qi. But the sheer, unspoken weight behind that pinch was enough to make the leopard’s blood run cold.
Behave, Yan Shuo’s lazy, smiling eyes told the beast, or I will tell my wife you have fleas. And she will bathe you in boiling lava.
Sesame’s mouth snapped shut. The terrifying snarl vanished instantly. The apex predator buried its face into Yan Shuo’s robes and began purring so loudly the jade cushion vibrated.
"Look at him!" Tantai Zhi cooed, sitting down beside Yan Shuo and petting the leopard’s back. "He is so happy! And look, even the fox brought tea to welcome him!"
Su Mei swallowed a massive lump in her throat, her legs shaking as she approached the table to set the tray down.
She poured the tea, keeping her eyes firmly averted from the fluffy black monster sitting on the Demon Lord’s lap.
"Y-Yes, Saintess," Su Mei whispered, her voice cracking. "Welcome to the courtyard... Sesame."
Yan Shuo took a sip of his tea, gently stroking the purring, terrified monster. The courtyard was still an inescapable prison of smothering affection, and his diet was still entirely tasteless.
But looking at his fierce, terrifying wife happily adjusting a pink bow on a legendary beast of slaughter, Yan Shuo couldn’t help the genuine smile that broke across his face.
At least, Yan Shuo thought, setting his teacup down, I finally have a decent guard dog.
