Mingyue, having obtained the Moon Essence Pearl, wished to leave while everyone was still unconscious.
She had been annoyed with Ji Shiyou and had wanted to leave long ago.
It was only because of their body swap that she had reluctantly come to Furong Peak.
Now that their bodies were swapped back, and she had even acquired the Moon Essence Pearl, there was no need for her to stay. Thus, she planned to make a swift escape.
With this thought, she adhered to the principle of taking what she could.
Not only did she retrieve her own storage bag from Ji Shiyou, but she also pocketed Ji Shiyou's storage bag, eager to depart.
Before she could even turn, she heard someone speak to her, which startled her.
She knew that everyone else here was unconscious.
Suddenly hearing a voice, and feeling guilty about her actions, she was greatly frightened.
"Who are you? What is this rare treasure? I don't understand what you're saying. I'm just a village girl from a nearby village, here to dig for wild vegetables. My family told me not to talk to strangers. I need to go home, goodbye!"
Mingyue turned and saw a young man in white, looking at her with a smile.
The man exuded an air of scholarly refinement and spoke courteously.
He appeared to be a learned and polite gentleman.
However, Mingyue was not fooled by his appearance and began to spout nonsense.
The place had just experienced a great battle and was in ruins.
The entire Furong Peak had been leveled, with five corpses lying on the ground.
Hundreds more were unconscious, sprawled haphazardly.
This man seemed oblivious to it all, smiling all the while.
He spoke to her as if they were having a casual chat, which meant he was no ordinary person.
In Mingyue's eyes, all his actions could be described by one word: pretense!
He was pretending, so Mingyue also pretended.
She put on the guise of a village girl, feigning ignorance.
Claiming to be a local village girl, she turned to leave.
"Miss, I am not a bad person. My name is Diao Shou, a scholar traveling the land. I enjoy visiting scenic spots to cultivate my mind. I heard that a rare treasure was about to appear at Furong Peak in Sifang Mountain, so I came to witness it. However, seeing everyone here unconscious and some dead, with only you awake, I assumed you had obtained the treasure. That is why I asked. You need not be nervous. Since the treasure was not obtained by you, perhaps you could inform me. I am truly curious about the cause of death for these five individuals."
Seeing Mingyue's firm denial and her attempt to leave, Diao Shou's eyes flashed with a sharp glint. Then, he moved swiftly, blocking Mingyue's path and persistently questioning her.
"Them? I don't know how they died here. I guess it was either a crime of passion or revenge. Or perhaps they owed money and were being pursued. Otherwise, why would they be stripped naked? It must be that. I need to hurry home, my family is waiting for me to eat."
Mingyue remained expressionless, maintaining her innocent demeanor, and spoke blatant falsehoods. She sidestepped the man named Diao Shou and headed down the mountain.
"Miss, your ability to lie with a straight face is truly remarkable. I can't believe you came up with that, a village girl digging for wild vegetables. If you're digging for wild vegetables, why aren't you carrying a basket? A mere tree spirit, daring to deceive me, do you take me for a fool? Stop acting and tell me, what happened here? Who obtained the rare treasure? Who killed the Five Elements Demon Lord? If you utter a single falsehood, do not blame me for not showing mercy. I haven't flayed someone alive in many years. My skills might be a bit rusty, so please bear with me later!"
Diao Shou's words, though polite on the surface, were chilling and sent shivers down one's spine. He had expected that among the people on a mission to Sifang Mountain, besides the Five Elements Demon Lord, there would be ten thousand demon cultivators. He thought he could simply ask any of them what had happened at Furong Peak. To his surprise, upon arriving, he found no trace of the ten thousand demon cultivators; they had vanished as if evaporated. The Five Elements Demon Lord was merely a cold corpse. Everyone else was unconscious. Only Mingyue was unharmed, and she was spewing lies. She treated him like a fool, and he no longer wished to play along. He directly exposed her identity and threatened her with a menacing demeanor.
"You know I'm lying! Then why did you patiently play along with me? Stop pretending. You're so interested in the rare treasure and the death of the Five Elements Demon Lord, you must be from the Heavenly Demon Valley, right? You deceived me first, so we're even. I'm not a village girl, and you're a traveling scholar? We're both lying through our teeth, so no one can blame the other."
Mingyue, having lived a sheltered life before, sometimes appeared naive. She was not foolish; on the contrary, she was quite intelligent. She had already deduced Diao Shou's identity and stood there with a look of mockery. Uncharacteristically, she was no longer timid, her words sharp and aggressive. She seemed unfazed by Diao Shou's imposing aura.
"A sharp-tongued little tree spirit, I underestimated you. You refuse to speak, thinking you're tough? Let me see how long you can last under my hands!"
Diao Shou's gentlemanly demeanor remained unchanged, but his eyes flashed with an eerie red light, signifying his anger. The demonic energy he had been suppressing surged forth, a turbulent mass of black demonic energy swirling around him. It then coalesced into a large black hand, reaching out to seize Mingyue.
Mingyue remained calm, standing her ground without a trace of panic. As the dark demonic hand approached, a golden light flashed from her body, and a golden lotus materialized out of thin air, protecting her. The demonic hand struck and clawed at the golden lotus, but it remained unmoving.
"Come in! If you dare. If you can, capture me. To tell you the truth, even the combined might of ten thousand demons, as condensed by the Five Elements Demon Lord earlier, could not harm this golden lotus. You alone, no matter how hard you try, cannot do anything to me."
Mingyue's reason for constantly lying and engaging in rambling conversation with Diao Shou was deliberate. She was stalling for time, creating an opportunity for herself. The moment Diao Shou appeared, she sensed his danger. Thus, she resorted to nonsensical talk to buy time and prepare her countermeasures, increasing her chances of survival. By the time Diao Shou attacked her, she was ready. This was why she remained composed and unhurried, even making faces and provoking him from within the golden lotus. She had confidence in the golden lotus, as Ji Shiyou and the Five Elements Demon Lord's fierce clash had leveled Furong Peak, yet the golden lotus remained unharmed. This inflated her confidence, giving her the feeling that with the golden lotus in hand, she could conquer anything.
"Do you think the Five Elements Demon Lord is comparable to me? How ignorant. To be honest, I am a Demon Master of the Heavenly Demon Valley. The Five Elements Demon Lord were all personally trained by me. Strictly speaking, I am their teacher. Do you truly believe I am the same as those five? Now, I will let you see if this little golden lotus can protect you. Do you really think I am helpless against you?"
Seeing Mingyue's arrogance and her taunting gestures from within the golden lotus, Diao Shou actually calmed down. With a smile, he spoke. His demeanor, however, instilled a sense of crisis in Mingyue. So, she resorted to her old trick, taking out another Bewitching Pearl. Using the Mustard Seed Technique, she enlarged it and, just as it was about to explode, threw it out.