"What a coincidence indeed."
Xiao Mo looked at Xiangniang with a smile.
"What has brought the young lady to the front lines?"
"Aah, what else could it be?" Xiangniang let out a sigh, a note of grievance in her expression. "You, of course, sir."
"Originally, if sir had just been willing to cultivate with me in dual practice, I would have had nothing to worry about. By now I might even have been carrying little fox cubs. But as things stand, I have no choice but to come to the front lines myself and look for an opportunity to break through to Golden Core."
"I am truly sorry about that." Xiao Mo smiled.
Though Xiao Mo was somewhat surprised that Xiangniang had also come to the front, and she could at times be something of a nuisance, that warmth of meeting someone familiar in a strange place still gave him a faint glow of feeling.
"Rather than saying things like that, sir would do better to simply give in to me at last."
Xiangniang swayed her waist and stepped forward, her gaze flickering.
As she spoke, Xiangniang's slender hand moved toward Xiao Mo's chest. But Xiao Mo once again stepped back at an unhurried pace and looked at her with a mild smile.
"Hmph! Sir is truly no fun."
Xiangniang turned her head away, unsparing with her words.
"Sir is so oblivious to all worldly pleasures, you will probably die on the battlefield still untouched, having come into this world for absolutely nothing. When you regret it, do not say I did not warn you."
"The young lady need not worry herself about that." Xiao Mo glanced at the room beside his. "Would the young lady like to go and choose a room first?"
"Of course. I will take the one right next to sir's." With that, Xiangniang raised her chin and walked straight toward the room beside Xiao Mo's but she had only taken two steps when the courtyard gate was pushed open again, and a young woman walked in.
She was a human woman, with clean-cut features, dressed in a black close-fitted martial robe, a slender broadsword at her waist. Beneath that capable and spirited exterior lay a cold and lethal quality.
The woman's gaze swept slowly through the courtyard, passing over Xiangniang, before settling steadily on Xiao Mo.
"Well, well, where has this girl come from? Rather pretty, I must say."
Xiangniang unhurriedly positioned herself in front of Xiao Mo, one hand propped on her elbow, the other tapping lightly at her own chest, her tone carrying a note of mockery.
"Only to walk in the door and immediately fix her eyes on someone else's man. That is quite lacking in restraint, is it not?"
"My name is Xin Xiao'er. I am moving in today." Xin Xiao'er stated her name coldly and said nothing further, drawing her gaze back and walking directly toward the room at the far end.
"Sir is not interested in that type, is he?"
Xiangniang noticed Xiao Mo's gaze following Xin Xiao'er's retreating figure and could not help teasing. "If sir likes it, this one can put on that sort of look too. All that cool capability with just a hint of something tempting underneath."
"That will not be necessary."
Xiao Mo gave a mild response and shook his head.
For reasons he could not quite explain, he had a persistent feeling that this Xin Xiao'er was carrying a concealed killing intent directed at him.
…
"Fifth Elder, you have finally arrived."
"I am certain that with Fifth Elder here in person, defeating the Holy Demons Alliance and the Heavenly Demons Alliance is as good as certain!"
At this moment, in the city lord's manor of Quicksand City, Chen Bing, the ruler of the Heavenly Demons Kingdom, saw Tushan Hongxia stride in and immediately rose from the high seat of the city lord, stepping forward to meet her with great warmth.
"My respects to the ruler."
Tushan Hongxia smiled and returned the bow, then said, "For the ruler to have decisively left the Heavenly Demons Alliance and joined our Ten Thousand Demons Alliance is truly a great fortune for our entire Tushan."
"Hmph, do not remind me, Elder Hongxia, or I cannot help but get furious!" Chen Bing's eyes went wide and his face darkened with irritation. "Our Heavenly Demons Kingdom has always had deep ties and a close relationship with Tushan. When we took the lead in establishing the Heavenly Demons Alliance, our original intention was to join forces with Tushan and stand together."
"But who could have anticipated that the other kingdoms and sects within the alliance would actually attempt to destroy Tushan? How could I possibly remain among them?"
"Ha ha ha, the Heavenly Demons Kingdom's regard for our Tushan is something we keep close to our hearts. The ruler need not worry. Our Tushan has always been guided by loyalty and gratitude. We would never allow the Heavenly Demons Kingdom to suffer for it."
Tushan Hongxia heard this and only smiled lightly.
She understood perfectly well the various turns of calculation going on beneath the surface.
The Heavenly Demons Alliance and the Heavenly Demons Kingdom shared similar names, but the founding of the Heavenly Demons Alliance had nothing to do with the Heavenly Demons Kingdom.
The "heavenly demons" in the Alliance's name referred to the legendary "demons born of heaven" spoken of in the Demon Realm's traditions.
The reason the Heavenly Demons Kingdom had withdrawn from the Heavenly Demons Alliance was entirely because Chen Bing had failed to secure the position of Alliance chief.
Beyond that, several of the more powerful kingdoms and sects within the alliance had united against him and even seized more than half of the Heavenly Demons Kingdom's territory.
Left without options, Chen Bing had had no choice but to come over to the Ten Thousand Demons Alliance.
And the Ten Thousand Demons Alliance had accepted him precisely because of the remaining strength of the Heavenly Demons Kingdom and because he himself was an immortal-realm cultivator.
At the end of the day, every creature in the world running about and working tirelessly was doing so for one thing only, and that was gain.
Who was not weighing their own interests in the end?
"From this point forward, all command and coordination of the front lines will be under my leadership. I trust the ruler has no objections?" Tushan Hongxia said.
"None whatsoever! And beyond that, Fifth Elder, who throughout this world does not know your talent and your reputation?"
Chen Bing said this in all sincerity.
In recent months on this front, he had suffered one defeat after another.
Though the responsibility was not entirely his, regardless, as the leader at the front, he had drawn considerable criticism from the other sects of the Ten Thousand Demons Alliance.
In his view, Tushan sending Fifth Elder Hongxia to come was no different from sending someone to rescue a failing situation, and it would take a great deal of pressure off him.
"Since the ruler has said as much, I will not be modest any further."
Hongxia gave a nod, then drew a letter from her storage pouch, shifting the subject.
"Actually, there is something I need to ask the ruler's help with."
"Oh? There is something where I can be of help to Fifth Elder?" Chen Bing took the envelope, glanced down at it, then the corner of his lips curved upward and he said with an easy laugh, "I thought it might be something significant. But if anything, this seems more like Fifth Elder doing a favor for my son Jue."
With that, Chen Bing passed the letter to the son at his side. "Jue'er, I will leave this matter to you. Can you handle it?"
Chen Jue stepped forward, and as his gaze landed on the black characters on white paper in the letter, a burning light suddenly flashed in his eyes. He clasped his hands and said in a clear, firm voice, "Please rest assured, Father, Elder Hongxia!"
"I will make certain that Xiao Mo dies without anyone knowing, with not the slightest sign of anything unusual for anyone to detect!"