One sentence made Peng Zhen break out in a cold sweat. Wasn't this an insult, calling him brainless?
Okay, fine, if he's brainless, he'll admit it. At least we can tell him the answer.
Looking at Peng Zhen's conflicted yet expectant eyes, the Demon God finally said calmly, "If a person cannot hide their true nature at all times, then they might as well play themselves."
"Huh?" Peng Zhen opened his mouth wide in astonishment. What kind of answer was that?
However, Peng Zhen was not just a figurehead who had served the Demon God for a thousand years. Following the Demon God's words, the answer was clearly laid out before him.
This answer, however, shocked Peng Zhen even more, and he exclaimed in surprise, stammering, "Liu Lanyan's mind is so meticulous."
Liu Lanyan remained hidden in the side courtyard, avoiding much contact with outsiders. Qin Xiu, who managed everything for her, was completely unaware that Liu Lanyan was concealing her true strength.
Furthermore, Qin Xiu was a loyal but not very intelligent person, and her reactions outside were her truest reflections. Naturally, no one would doubt Liu Lanyan based on Qin Xiu's behavior.
In other words, Liu Lanyan used Qin Xiu to block all the probing eyes from the outside.
There are many benefits to Liu Lanyan doing this.
If an ordinary person pretends to be stupid and hides their strength, they will have to face too many people, but Liu Lanyan only needs to face Qin Xiu.
As long as Qin Xiu believes that she has no demonic power whatsoever and is just a mentally challenged fool, then anyone else who wants to test Liu Lanyan through Qin Xiu will naturally believe her completely.
As for her few interactions with outsiders, with Liu Lanyan's acting skills, there would be absolutely no flaws, unless she wanted to reveal them herself.
What a terrifying scheme, what a meticulous mind.
The more Peng Zhen thought about it, the colder he felt. He wondered how many of those who thought Liu Lanyan was a fool would vomit blood if they knew her true colors.
Glancing at the gentle-smiling demon god, Peng Zhen suddenly had a strange thought, so strong that he couldn't help but say it aloud.
"Your Excellency, do you feel a sense of kinship with Liu Lanyan?"
They are both two-faced and scheming; these two seem like a perfect match.
"Mutual appreciation?" The demon god smiled faintly, a wicked glint in his eyes. "This is a game from which there is no exit; it's either life or death."
Despite the gentle smile and soft voice, Peng Zhen felt a sudden tightness in his heart, sensing the gravity hidden in the Demon God's seemingly casual words.
Looking over incredulously, the demon god under the lamplight seemed so ethereal, as if he might vanish into the wind at any moment.
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Chapter 40: Unfathomable
"Lord..." Peng Zhen called out subconsciously. Why did he feel as if the Lord was about to disappear at any moment?
"Go and prepare." The Demon God smiled, withdrew his gaze, and waved his hand, signaling Peng Zhen to leave.
Peng Zhen bowed and silently withdrew.
As Peng Zhen entered the courtyard, a gentle night breeze blew by, accompanied by the rustling sound of bamboo leaves, giving him a momentary sense of disorientation and unreality.
He has been following the Lord for a thousand years. To outsiders, the Lord acts recklessly, but in his opinion, the Lord has never been happy.
It seems the Lord is acting on a whim, but he's not happy at all.
Peng Zhen sighed softly. He couldn't fathom the Lord's affairs, so he should focus on preparing for tomorrow.
After Peng Zhen left, the room returned to tranquility, allowing the Demon God to rest properly.
He closed his eyes and remained motionless for a long time, as if he had fallen asleep.
After a very long time, the sleeping person's lips curved slightly upwards, clearly indicating that the person was in an excellent mood.
In the dead of night, everyone was fast asleep except for those who were secretly on guard.
Liu Lanyan, who had been fast asleep, slowly opened her eyes, stretched, sat up, casually looked around the room, and smiled softly.
The demon god was quite generous, arranging an extremely comfortable room for her.
Liu Lanyan got up, walked to the window, and gently pushed it open. A night breeze suddenly blew in, making it exceptionally refreshing.
The distance was shrouded in darkness, making it impossible to discern anything clearly. All that could be heard was the soft rustling of leaves in the night wind.
The occasional chirping of insects breaks the silence of the night, but it doesn't feel disturbing; instead, it feels full of vitality.
Gently tucking her long hair, which had been ruffled by the night wind, behind her ear, Liu Lanyan leaned against the window, sitting quietly, as if she had woken up in the middle of the night and was bored, enjoying the night breeze.
Those lurking in the shadows kept a close watch on Liu Lanyan's every move. After observing her situation and seeing that she made no further moves, they went about their duties without reporting to the Demon God.
The place where the demon god resides is extremely peaceful. In the distance, by the river in the mountains, a woman dressed in red sits on a rock by the river, her bare feet idly splashing the water.
Under the moonlight, the river rippled in concentric circles, its shimmering waves a truly beautiful sight.
Suddenly, a shadow flashed behind the woman in red. Before she could see what it was, a muffled thud came from afar, followed by a low scolding: "Bing Ling, stop fooling around."
Hearing the voice, the woman in red chuckled and retracted her fluffy tail, leaping down from the rock and landing lightly on the ground: "Who told you to suddenly appear behind me?"
"Is there still no news from Miss?" There was no one in sight, only a voice.
Upon hearing this, Bingling's smiling face immediately fell, and she pitifully murmured, "No."
"What is the Demon God doing taking the young lady away?"
"Who knows?" Bingling shrugged helplessly. Just as she was about to say something, her ears twitched. She put her index finger to her lips in a shushing gesture and listened carefully to something.
A moment later, Bingling revealed a mischievous look: "Miss told us not to worry, she's temporarily at the Demon God's place. She'll contact us if anything happens."
"The place of the Demon God... I hope Miss is alright..."
"Don't worry, Miss wouldn't let anything happen to her." Bingling said with a grin, and in a flash, she disappeared from the spot as if she had never been there at all.
As for those who had only heard the voice but not seen the person, they also quieted down, and the riverbank returned to its usual tranquility.
The next morning, as the Demon God was about to leave, he suddenly spoke up: "An Yi."
"Your subordinate is here." The gray figure appeared before the demon god, knelt down, and said respectfully.
"Did anything happen to Lanyan last night?" the Demon God asked casually.
"Your Majesty, Miss Liu woke up around midnight, sat by the window for a while, and is still sleeping now," An Yi reported truthfully.
"Hmm." The demon god gave a soft hum, then turned and ordered, "Let's go."
"Yes." Peng Zhen immediately followed, and there was a carriage that had been prepared at the door.
As for An Yi, he immediately hid in the shadows and never reappeared.
They boarded the carriage and set off on their journey.
"My Lord, is there something amiss?" Others might not have noticed, but Peng Zhen felt that his Lord would never ask about this without a reason.
That seemingly ordinary action must have had a deeper meaning.
"What should you do if you suddenly find yourself in an unfamiliar environment?" The Demon God did not give Peng Zhen a direct answer, but instead asked him with a smile.
"Let's familiarize ourselves with the environment first," Peng Zhen replied, confused. What did this have to do with the question from earlier?
"In a situation where the enemy and friend are unclear, Lan Yan will definitely not sit idly by and wait for death," the Demon God said with a faint smile, his eyes showing no displeasure but rather a hint of approval.
"Then...what did she do?" Peng Zhen still couldn't figure it out. She had only sat by the window for a while. What could she have done?
"Keeping Qin Xiu by your side has misled everyone. True power, far removed from the crowd, will naturally go unnoticed." The Demon God spoke calmly, but Peng Zhen was anything but.
"Your Excellency, do you mean that Miss Liu contacted her people last night?" Peng Zhen's mouth dropped open in astonishment. "But I didn't sense anything at all."
He didn't sense even the slightest fluctuation of demonic power. It wasn't that he was arrogant; he dared to say that within the courtyard, not even the slightest fluctuation of demonic power could escape his senses.
He had no idea that Liu Lanyan's strength had reached such a high level.
"Isn't this very interesting?" The demon god's eyes gleamed with excitement. "How did you manage to send out her information without anyone noticing..."
As the demon god spoke, he gently raised the corners of his lips, his face showing an excitement that even the demon god himself couldn't detect.
Peng Zhen saw all of his changes and suddenly felt a surge of emotion. The Demon God had never been so energetic before. He was full of life and was no longer the lifeless and indifferent person he usually was.
Peng Zhen sighed softly in his heart, hoping that Liu Lanyan could make the Lord more normal this time, or at least give him more of a sense of being alive.
As for Liu Lanyan... not to mention the Venerable Lord's curiosity about her, even he became curious. These things are extremely easy to overlook on the surface, but after the Venerable Lord mentioned them, he realized that Liu Lanyan was truly unfathomable.
The future is sure to be very interesting.
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☆, Chapter Forty-One: So Different
A room full of maids, holding various items, stared blankly at the woman sitting on the bed, acting spoiled.
"I want Aunt Qin." Liu Lanyan hugged the quilt and curled up in the bed, her whole body tucked under the quilt except for her big, dark eyes, which were staring nervously and warily at the group of maids surrounding her. She refused to come out no matter what.
"What...what should we do?" The group of maids were completely at a loss.
When the Lord left, he instructed that Liu Lanyan must not be allowed to have any contact with Qin Xiu, but Liu Lanyan must not be neglected either.
Now they are going to help Liu Lanyan with her grooming and dressing, but she refuses to cooperate.
A clever maidservant's eyes lit up, and she came up with a plan. She coaxed Liu Lanyan in a low voice, "Miss Lanyan, Qin Xiu is busy outside. If you obediently wash and dress up, perhaps Qin Xiu will be back after breakfast."
As soon as she finished speaking, she was immediately met with disdain from the other maids. Liu Lanyan was not a three-year-old child. Would such a deception work?
To everyone's astonishment, Liu Lanyan tilted her head and pondered seriously for a long time before muttering softly, "You can't lie to me."
"Yes, yes, how could this servant dare to lie to Miss?" As soon as the little maid saw that Liu Lanyan had taken the bait, she immediately exchanged glances with the other maids and hurriedly went over to help Liu Lanyan with her hair and makeup.
After everyone had finished, Liu Lanyan asked the maids several times, but they all gave her other excuses. It wasn't until Liu Lanyan took a nap in the afternoon that the maids finally had a chance to rest.
"She really has the mentality of a child."