“My lord, you shouldn’t have used your power at 9 PM. That’s when you’re at your weakest, and it will backfire,” Peng Zhen said with heartache.
"You are no match for him." The demon god slowly calmed his rapid breathing. Just now, the blood and qi in his chest were surging, and that power was backfiring. He had barely managed to suppress it.
As he walked back with Liu Lanyan, seeing her shy appearance, he almost lost control of the backlash and nearly lost control, revealing something unusual in front of her.
Fortunately, I managed to hold back in front of her.
The reason Peng Zhen was sent to give instructions to the people at Wuchen Residence first was to prevent her from knowing his situation. If Peng Zhen did not deal with Liu Xinya's matter first, but went to check on him, Liu Lanyan would definitely find out.
He didn't want her to worry.
“But Miss Liu is very strong and can definitely deal with that person.” Peng Zhen couldn’t understand why the Demon God would risk taking action himself.
"Peng Zhen, your cultivation is not enough. Do you really think things are that simple?" The demon god spoke softly, his words carrying a profound meaning, a faint, ethereal smile playing on his lips.
That smile was so fragile and dreamlike, like a flower in water, easily shattered at the slightest touch.
Chapter 78: Everything is Changing
"Your Excellency..." Peng Zhen asked softly, puzzled. In the situation just now, it seemed Liu Lanyan had the upper hand, but...
Peng Zhen thought of the verbal attacks Liu Xinya later made him understand the Lord's meaning.
“Miss Liu cultivates the power of light, so maintaining a good mental state is of utmost importance. That ‘Liu Xinya’ has been constantly provoking Miss Liu with her words, and Miss Liu’s mind has been affected to some extent.”
Peng Zhen believed that he had already been very polite in saying those words.
In his opinion, the extent of Liu Lanyan's trembling just now could not be hidden from anyone; clearly, she had been instigated by "Liu Xinya".
When one's mindset is affected, one's strength will naturally be greatly reduced.
At the time, he wasn't worried about their potential defeat or casualties.
He felt uncomfortable and upset because Liu Lanyan didn't trust the Lord.
The Lord treated her so well, even wishing he could give her his heart. How could he let his mind be disturbed by a few words from others?
To have one's mind disturbed is tantamount to doubting the Lord.
The suspicion that everything the Lord did stemmed from the belief that the Lord truly used her as "Liu Xinya" claimed.
How could she doubt the Lord's purpose?
Peng Zhen's words did not contain any accusation, but did the Demon God not understand the meaning behind Peng Zhen's words?
Peng Zhen's loyalty to him was never in doubt.
As for Peng Zhen's thoughts about Liu Lanyan...
"How do you know that Lan Yan has been affected?" The Demon God asked softly, leaning back.
This feeling of helplessness will last for a while, and then it will be fine.
Peng Zhen glanced at the Demon God with mixed feelings. He didn't know if the Lord didn't want to admit it or what. The matter was so obvious, how could the Lord not have seen it?
"Your Excellency, please rest well." In the end, Peng Zhen chose to remain silent.
The Lord is aware of this matter, but he may not want to admit it or face it.
If that's the case, then what was he saying from the side?
As long as the Lord is happy.
Peng Zhen's answer made the demon god laugh. Because of his physical weakness, the smile was faint, but it was indeed a smile.
"Peng Zhen, Lan Yan has done her best." The Demon God took a slow, deep breath, trying his best to suppress the surging power within him, so that he could speak more easily.
Peng Zhen remained silent; he didn't know what to say at that moment.
Since the Lord has chosen to deceive himself, why should he expose him?
As long as the Lord is happy, that's all that matters.
"Lan Yan is trembling not because her state of mind is affected, but because she is mobilizing her power." The Demon God knew what Peng Zhen was thinking, so he didn't try to persuade him, but simply stated the facts. "Didn't you notice the ripples on the lake behind you?"
After the demon god said that, Peng Zhen carefully recalled the situation at the time, and it really seemed like he heard the sound of the lake water rippling.
At the time, he thought it was because it was too quiet that he could hear the sound of the lake, but now that he thinks about it, it seems that it really is different.
"If I hadn't made a move then, Lan Yan would definitely have... but..." The Demon God paused here, not because he couldn't continue, but because he had exhausted too much power and needed to rest.
Peng Zhen thought back carefully, recalling the sound of the lake flowing when he heard it. Wasn't that the time when "Liu Xinya" was trying to escape the Lord's attack and shift the blame to Liu Lanyan?
"As you saw, Lan Yan used the essence of water. She didn't use the large lake around her, but instead used the essence of water from the forest..." The demon god didn't explain directly, because he couldn't keep up with the physical demands of saying too much.
Peng Zhen wasn't stupid; he immediately understood and replied, "If Miss Liu were to draw upon the essence of water from the lake, it would place a great burden on her."
After saying that, Peng Zhen pondered for a moment and then felt something was amiss: "Your Majesty, is it more difficult to draw water essence from the forest than from the lake?"
Overall, it would be more convenient to use the essence of water from the lake, since it's extracted directly from the water.
The essence of water drawn from the forest must be extracted from trees, leaves, and air; it seems easier to obtain it from a lake.
After asking the question, Peng Zhen himself felt that something was not quite right.
If that were the case, Liu Lanyan wouldn't need to go to such lengths to seek something far away from what's nearby.
Instead of using the entire lake of water, they go to the trouble of refining it elsewhere. No cultivator would do something so foolish.
If that's the case, then following this line of thought, there's only one possibility.
"Miss Liu's power is not yet fully under her control," Peng Zhen exclaimed. Once the first sentence was spoken, the rest was easier to say. "If she were to draw upon the essence of water from the lake, would she lose control?"
"It should be..." the demon god said softly, breathing slightly heavily, clearly indicating that the use of his power had put a great strain on him. "I'm not entirely sure what will happen."
He only saw Liu Lanyan trembling incessantly. It wasn't because of fear or a disturbed state of mind, but because the power she was using far exceeded her body's limits.
Why did he make a move?
If he were to leave the entire situation to Liu Lanyan, he believed she would be able to handle it.
Liu Lanyan was able to face the so-called Ink Whirlwind of the Demon Realm because she was already prepared to take action at that time; otherwise, her body would not have trembled so violently.
The reason he couldn't get Liu Lanyan to take action was that he couldn't bear the consequences.
He was afraid. He was afraid that if Liu Lanyan really risked taking action, there would be terrible consequences. She would be seriously injured, or even... die.
He could sense that Liu Lanyan had not yet regained her memories, but her feelings for him had never changed.
If possible, Liu Lanyan would never let him realize that she couldn't withstand that kind of power.
Liu Lanyan has always been stubborn and would never deliberately show weakness to force him to take action.
Therefore, that trembling was definitely the result of her restraint.
He couldn't imagine how Liu Lanyan could still tremble like that even though she had tried her best to control herself; he couldn't imagine how terrifying the force she had endured was.
Fortunately, he intervened; otherwise, the consequences would have been unbearable for him.
So that's how it is.
Peng Zhen secretly breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that Liu Lanyan was not so indifferent to the Lord, which had made him worry that the Lord's feelings were misplaced.
"Your Excellency, please rest well. Everything else will be arranged properly." Peng Zhen felt a great weight lifted from his heart and prepared to leave so that His Excellency could rest and recuperate.
"Hmm." The Demon God nodded slightly, then instructed, "Tell Lanyan tomorrow afternoon that she needs to go cultivate."
"Cultivation?" The Demon God's words truly shocked Peng Zhen. The Venerable Lord was already so weak tonight, so why would he still need to help Liu Lanyan gather the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to cultivate tomorrow?
Has the Lord gone mad?
Your body shouldn't be ruined like this!
A thought flashed through Peng Zhen's mind, causing him to swallow back all the words that were about to come out. He simply bowed and replied, "Yes."
After saying that, he left and closed the door.
After leaving the Lord's bedroom, Peng Zhen deliberately walked past Liu Lanyan's bedroom door to carefully check it out, so that he could deal with any remaining issues Liu Xinya might have.
After making his rounds, Peng Zhen quietly left. Inside the bedroom, Liu Lanyan was fast asleep, curled up in the blankets.
That night, the two most important people, the owner of Wuchen Residence and Liu Lanyan, were the ones who slept the most soundly.
Peng Zhen, along with the people from Wuchenju, thoroughly removed the Bewitching Grass and any other traces left by Liu Xinya.
As for how to investigate and track, Peng Zhen is very experienced in this kind of thing.
Letting Liu Xinya escape would allow them to follow this clue and uncover more information.
Under the cover of night, the revenge plan of Wuchenju began to unfold. No one could cause trouble in Wuchenju without paying a price.
If it weren't for the purpose of drawing out the forces behind Liu Xinya, Liu Xinya would have stepped into the gates of hell upon entering Wuchen Residence.
The next day, the demon god got up as usual. After a night of recuperation, the backlash in his body had been suppressed, and he no longer felt that churning blood and qi. Everything returned to normal.
As for Liu Lanyan, she slept until the sun was high in the sky before groggily getting up. The maid waiting at the door to help her wash up almost fell asleep.
"Miss?" Hearing the noise inside, the maid guarding the door called out uncertainly.
"Hmm, come in." Liu Lanyan's groggy, hoarse voice rang out. The maid at the door immediately entered and saw Liu Lanyan still clutching the quilt, drowsy and curled up on the bed, looking at her listlessly.
"Miss, would you like to wash up or sleep a little longer?" the maid asked, noticing that Liu Lanyan looked like she hadn't woken up yet.
"No, I'd better get up." Liu Lanyan yawned lazily and muttered in a low voice, "I'm hungry, get up and eat."
The maid, who was holding the clean clothes, trembled and almost dropped them on the ground. It turned out she hadn't woken up from sleep, but from hunger.
Composing herself, the maidservant helped Liu Lanyan wash up and get dressed before asking, "Would you like to eat now, Miss?"
"Where is Master?" After washing up, Liu Lanyan had shaken off her drowsiness and asked curiously.
I used to eat with the Demon God, why isn't he here today?
"The Lord has gone to cultivate. He instructed that after Miss finishes her lunch, she should go and cultivate together with him," the maid reported truthfully.
Liu Lanyan nodded: "Oh, I understand. Let's eat."
"Yes." After bowing, the maid went to serve the meal. Naturally, she didn't see the thoughtful glint that flashed in Liu Lanyan's eyes just now.