Yan Jiaojiao interjected at the opportune moment, "I'm afraid I won't be able to sleep tonight for fear of being startled. No, perhaps I'll have psychological trauma for a long time."
As soon as she spoke, everyone wore a strange expression.
Sheng Mo Bai held back for a long time before he could say, "Your calm demeanor shows no sign of being frightened."
However, her words did silence Luo Gui Yuan. After all, he was in the wrong. The victim had backing, and he himself was playing the victim card. Even though Luo Gui Yuan was protective, he couldn't say much more in front of everyone.
Shang Guan Yuan cast a judgmental glance at the three people below the hall, "Speak, why did you do this?"
This glance was no ordinary one. The three felt as if they had been electrocuted, their bodies throbbing with pain. Fortunately, Shang Guan Yuan only administered a slight punishment, and the pain disappeared, leaving only the lingering fear.
"If you don't speak now, it will be more than just this."
Seeing the threatening Shang Guan Yuan, the timid scholar immediately broke down, crying, "Tang..."
"A man should dare to take responsibility. Your cowardly demeanor is a disgrace to our sect!"
As he began to speak, he was interrupted by Luo Gui Yuan once again.
However, Yan Jiaojiao already knew. This must have been instigated by Tang Xi Ye. She just hadn't expected Luo Gui Yuan to be so protective of her, not even allowing a speck of dirt to be thrown her way.
Indeed, after Luo Gui Yuan said this, the three scholars dared not say more. They all clamored that they had been jealous of Yan Jiaojiao and had acted rashly. They didn't even beg for mercy, instead eagerly accepting their punishment, clearly wanting to resolve the matter quickly.
Ironically, both Yan Jiaojiao and Shang Guan Yuan knew something was amiss, but they couldn't do anything about it.
Luo Gui Yuan was not one for lingering. He immediately punished them according to the sect rules: demoted, to sweep the courtyard gates for three years, and to receive a major demerit. If they offended again, they would be expelled from the sect.
The three had no complaints. They readily agreed, and with a wave of Luo Gui Yuan's hand, they quickly retreated.
Shang Guan Yuan's expression soured, "Sect Leader Luo, your actions are merely trying to conceal the truth."
Having resolved the troublesome matter, Luo Gui Yuan was now in a good mood. He didn't mind Shang Guan Yuan's remark and instead smiled, "If Sect Leader Shang is not satisfied, I will give your Yan Jiaojiao some small compensation. However, this compensation will require her to have some skills."
Yan Jiaojiao raised an eyebrow. Luo Gui Yuan would proactively offer her compensation? This was sheer fantasy, and he likely had ill intentions.
Luo Gui Yuan continued, "What we were discussing just now, isn't it exactly what we need a lure for? Let Yan Jiaojiao go with Jiang Yi Ling and Sheng Mo Bai. Her cultivation is not high enough to arouse the night demon's vigilance, and her age and appearance fit the night demon's preferences. She is the best candidate."
Was this compensation? It sounded more like a death sentence.
Yan Jiaojiao knew that Ge Nan Academy had missions one could undertake, but these were only available to those who had been initiated for two years and passed an assessment to advance. Yan Jiaojiao, being entirely out of consideration, would not qualify.
Therefore, Shang Guan Yuan was the first to disagree, "Yan Jiaojiao has been initiated for less than half a year, and you expect her to participate in a high-level demon-slaying mission? Do your Golden Sect intend to kill her?"
Luo Gui Yuan smiled, "Watch your words, Sect Leader Shang. Jiang Yi Ling and Sheng Mo Bai are my most accomplished disciples. They will surely protect Yan Jiaojiao. If Yan Jiaojiao assists in completing the mission and captures the night demon, I will refine the resulting Ming Zhu Dan for her. That is a good thing."
Ming Zhu Dan, Yan Jiaojiao's heart skipped a beat.
Although this night demon was a demon, it was refined with dozens of precious spiritual herbs. The resulting Ming Zhu Dan was a rare tonic in the cultivation world. Taking one pill could cleanse the marrow and widen and strengthen the meridians, just as a forest path became a highway. Wider meridians naturally facilitated the circulation of spiritual energy.
This was truly a timely aid for Yan Jiaojiao, whose spiritual energy was currently stagnant.
The difficulty lay in the fact that night demons were hard to find and extremely powerful, making them very difficult to capture. Furthermore, even if one had a night demon, it was hard to gather dozens of precious spiritual herbs. For Luo Gui Yuan to say this, he must have had those herbs on hand.
Thus, before Shang Guan Yuan could speak again, Yan Jiaojiao agreed, "Okay, I'll go. A gentleman's word is his bond. If the mission is successful and the night demon is captured, you must give me the Ming Zhu Dan you refined!"
"Jiaojiao, do you know how dangerous the night demon is?" Shang Guan Yuan was very disapproving.
Yan Jiaojiao, however, gave him a determined look and then stubbornly stared at Luo Gui Yuan, demanding a clear promise in front of everyone.
Luo Gui Yuan disliked Yan Jiaojiao's gaze but had to say, "Alright, let it be so. As long as you capture the night demon, I will refine a Ming Zhu Dan for you!"
Yan Jiaojiao smiled, "It's a deal!"
After leaving the council hall, Sheng Mo Bai hurried after her, his face unusually serious. He pulled Yan Jiaojiao aside and said, "Do you know what you are doing? Do you know how dangerous the night demon is? And you're still dreaming of a Ming Zhu Dan. The Sect Leader looked at you as if you were already dead!"
"I won't die," Yan Jiaojiao said confidently and calmly. It was just a night demon. Others might have encountered it rarely, but in her past life of thousands of years, she had encountered countless such creatures. Was she afraid?
"Don't be so brave, being a lure is very dangerous!"
Sheng Mo Bai directly blocked Yan Jiaojiao's path. Yan Jiaojiao, however, smiled, "Aren't you going with me? You'll protect me, right?"
"Uh? Yes, of course, I will protect you." Sheng Mo Bai was gradually lost in Yan Jiaojiao's trusting smile.
"The time to descend the mountain is tomorrow, right? I'll be waiting for you."
Looking at the pleasant Yan Jiaojiao, Sheng Mo Bai couldn't help but nod again, "Okay."
After Yan Jiaojiao had walked far away, Sheng Mo Bai finally came to his senses, "Ah, this can't be treated like a child's play!"
Yan Jiaojiao had already run far ahead. Sheng Mo Bai knew she was determined and could only stand there shaking his head.
Yan Jiaojiao returned empty-handed. The little black dog was lying on the bed, looking up expectantly. Seeing that Yan Jiaojiao had brought nothing back, disappointment flickered in its dark, intelligent eyes.
Dong Fang Cang Wu had been imprisoned for a thousand years. After waking up, he had been constantly troubled by Yan Jiaojiao. Naturally, as someone who had already cultivated the art of abstaining from grain, he had not thought of eating.
However, after being forced to eat some human spiritual dishes by Yan Jiaojiao in the past few days, Dong Fang Cang Wu suddenly awakened a long-lost appetite. Therefore, even though his injuries had long since healed by his powerful self-healing ability, he still lay lazily on the bed, intending for Yan Jiaojiao to buy him food and serve him every day as interest for saving her multiple times.
Today, Yan Jiaojiao had said she was going to buy food, but she had returned empty-handed after half a day. He was very dissatisfied.