To put it simply, the third daughter of the Xiang Manor was a walking tragedy! Picking a prince? She might as well pick the little boy standing in front of her! Su Yiyi shuddered just thinking about how close she'd been to confessing. She felt a chill run down her spine. How could she have such a shameless face back then?
"Yunting, can you do me a favor?" she asked suddenly.
—
On a bustling street, a veiled woman emerged from a pharmacy. Behind her followed a handsome young man, carrying a pouch of herbal medicine, looking slightly bewildered.
"Are you feeling unwell?" Jiang Yunting asked with a frown. "Wouldn't it be better to let the family physician take care of it? Why come all the way out here to get medicine yourself?"
Thanks to Jiang Yunting's presence, Su Yiyi—still haunted by her past mistake—had successfully slipped out. She gave him a mysterious smile. Trust the doctors in that house? Please. They were probably all bribed by that cunning Liu woman. Asking them to treat her would be no different from sending an invitation to the King of Hell.
"Do you trust me?" Su Yiyi asked, her expression suddenly serious.
Seeing her like that, Jiang Yunting's face tightened. "I do."
"Then don't tell anyone about this," she said in a low voice. "It's a matter of life and death."
He narrowed his eyes, lips pressed together, and gave her a solemn nod.
Just then, a commotion up ahead caught Su Yiyi's attention. A crowd had gathered around the imperial announcement pillar. People were pointing and whispering with great interest.
What's going on? The two of them squeezed through the crowd until they saw it—an official wanted poster plastered on the pillar.
"Oh my god! Who dares steal from the Demon King himself?!"
"Look at this ugly drawing—could it be a pig demon?"
Su Yiyi's eyes darkened as she pushed forward. Even though it was written in traditional script, she could still make out the message.
"Only a copper coin as a reward? So stingy!" And who drew this? What kind of artist did you hire? If you don't know how to draw, don't ruin people's faces! You really made me look like a pig head!
"That day, my cousin disappeared for a while," Jiang Yunting murmured thoughtfully. "I wonder who was unlucky enough to offend the Demon King."
Su Yiyi's voice was shaky. "Is this Demon King that powerful?"
"Not just powerful—he's terrifying," Jiang Yunting replied. "Even emperors from the surrounding nations show him respect. His influence spans four countries, and his strength is unfathomable. Few have seen his true face, but rumors say he's incredibly handsome. So rare, it's almost otherworldly. Too bad... nine out of ten people who see him end up dead. Hey, cousin—are you okay?"
Su Yiyi touched her neck nervously and forced a weak laugh. "I-I'm fine." Should she tell him that the so-called 'poor thief'... was actually her?
Now that she thought about it, that dangerously good-looking man, those perfect abs that made her nose bleed—wait! Focus! That's not the point! The point is—Su Yiyi was in deep trouble.
Thankfully, the reward was only a copper coin, so it wouldn't attract much attention, right?
"Whoever catches this pig-faced thief will become rich overnight!"
"Yeah! She's so ugly, she'll be easy to recognize. Even if the reward's small, if the Demon King gives his approval, you could end up a court official!"
The surrounding voices grew more excited. People were ready to pounce. Cold sweat began to drip from Su Yiyi's forehead.
Jiang Yunting frowned. "The Demon King's network is huge. Even without a big reward, people would fight to please him. That poor thief... they're doomed."
Gulp. Su Yiyi swallowed dryly. Then again... she was about to shed this hideous face. Even if the Demon King stood right in front of her, he wouldn't recognize her!
But just then, a chilling gaze locked onto her. Su Yiyi froze. That murderous aura! She turned and spotted a man in black standing not far away.
"Look! That's the Demon King's Left Guardian!" someone gasped.
The crowd instantly fell silent. The man didn't spare them a glance. His cold eyes were fixed on Su Yiyi as he began walking directly toward her. The people parted like waves before him.
It's over! If he recognized her now, she was finished!
No—she couldn't panic. She had to fight back. She couldn't afford to show the slightest hint of guilt!
As the man approached, Su Yiyi raised her chin, voice loud and confident, "What are you staring at? Never seen a beautiful woman before?"
"..."
A collective gasp rippled through the crowd. Did she just talk back to the Left Guardian like that? Was she insane?!
The atmosphere went deathly still. Even Jiang Yunting was shocked speechless. He immediately pulled Su Yiyi behind him, shielding her despite knowing full well he stood no chance against such a powerful opponent.
To everyone's surprise, the man gave a cold smile, looked away from Su Yiyi's face, and reached up to... update the wanted poster?
Breasts?!
In a frigid tone, he announced, "This woman stole His Majesty's personal belongings. Anyone who apprehends her may collect a copper coin reward at Yehuang Tower."
Without another word, the man turned and disappeared into the wind.
A few seconds passed before the crowd erupted again.
"She's so ugly! That thief should've been reincarnated as a human first!"
"Something personal? That sounds serious!"
"Right? The Demon King's helping the people eliminate evil!"
"..."
Hey, hey, hey! Can we not judge people based on looks?! Su Yiyi looked pitifully at Jiang Yunting. "If this female thief were to fall into the Demon King's hands… would he torture her? Maybe… violate her first?"
Unexpectedly, Jiang Yunting answered earnestly, "She might not even be lucky enough to die. Probably something worse than death."
Su Yiyi wanted to cry. It wasn't even something valuable! What if the 'personal item' wasn't a jade pendant... but her underwear?! She was sure the Prime Minister had confiscated it!
She sighed heavily. So this was what it meant to be truly unlucky.
"Yunting, let's go. We have to get home—fast!"
She needed to sneak into the Prime Minister's room, recover the underwear, and return it to that stingy Demon King before she ended up executed over undergarments!
Just then, a shout echoed from down the road.
"Make way! Move!"
A horse-drawn carriage came charging down the street from the north. The crazed horse neighed wildly, overturning vendor stalls on both sides and plunging the street into chaos.
The coachman tried desperately to control it, but he was flung from his seat with a scream, crashing into a vegetable stand.
"Ahhh! Madam—!"
A cry came from inside the carriage. Jiang Yunting's eyes turned sharp. Without hesitation, he leapt up and landed on the horse's back.
Su Yiyi stared in awe. So this was Qinggong! Who knew this little guy had such skills?
The horse kicked and flailed but was soon calmed under his firm hands.
The street was in a mess. The coachman staggered to his feet and ran to the carriage in panic. Inside, a finely dressed elderly woman lay sprawled on the floor, her face flushed and breath shallow. She was choking.
"What do we do?! She's not breathing! Call a doctor! Hurry!"