Rolling back and forth on the big bed, she wailed and threw a tantrum.

"I don’t want to do it, I refuse… My harem hasn’t even formed yet. How can I just give myself away like this?"

"Is it that simple to say no?" Cat Ten shrugged helplessly, sipping tea at the table. "Get mentally prepared. Just imagining how you’ll surrender later… it’s making me excited."

A flush spread across Cat Ten’s cheeks. "Let me tell you about my first time with the Champion…"

"Damn men…" Luo Yu muttered, so envious she could grind her molars.

"Entertain yourself for a while. Once you’re happy, you won’t think about those things."

"My hands and feet are tied. How can I play?"

"True." Cat Ten drew her longsword, swung it in a diagonal slash, and sliced through the ropes binding Luo Yu’s naked body. Before Luo Yu could react, relief flooded her limbs.

Her numb hands and feet slowly revived. She watched the severed ropes slide to the floor. After a dazed pause, her lips twisted into a smirk.

"Hahahahaha…" Luo Yu burst into uncontrollable laughter. "Catgirl sister, your mind’s too naive before me, Luo Yu. You fell right into my trap!"

Cat Ten: "?"

Luo Yu planted her hands on her hips, confidently declaring: "Without these ropes, I’m like a fish in the sea, a bird in the sky—no longer restrained!"

"..." Cat Ten sipped her tea, unmoved in her chair. "So what will you do?"

"Sorry, catgirl sister. I like you, but today’s special. I can’t leave this tavern without defeating you!"

Before Cat Ten could dismiss her, Luo Yu jumped off the bed, dashed over, and kicked.

"Ambush!"

"Losing focus on the battlefield never ends well." Luo Yu grinned, already tasting victory.

Her weak, bare foot struck Cat Ten’s steel greave. Cat Ten didn’t budge an inch.

Cat Ten: "..."

"Ouch…" Luo Yu’s body went limp. With a thud, she collapsed and rolled on the floor, tears streaming down.

"With your tiny frame, how could you kick a heavily armored knight?" Cat Ten sighed, lifting her up and massaging her leg.

"It’s not fair!" Luo Yu pouted on the bed, hugging her knees. "I have no gear. I can’t afford gear. I’d win otherwise."

"..." Cat Ten removed her metal glove and ruffled Luo Yu’s hair. "Want my iron armor?"

Luo Yu’s eyes lit up. "Really?"

Cat Ten: "...You’re overthinking it."

"Oh." Luo Yu burst into tears again, wailing about unfairness.

"You’re too skinny. No training will give you stamina for heavy armor." Cat Ten sized her up. "All your nutrition went to your chest and butt. Born a beauty—men will adore you."

Luo Yu stopped fidgeting, twirling hair on her chest. "But I don’t want to be ordinary. Not like Mei Zi. I want to be a hero, chased by pretty girls. I envy that Champion."

"Why chase that in Lan City? Just stay happy." Cat Ten chuckled. "Life in the Champion’s party isn’t easy. Mortal danger always. We started with twenty; now only seven or eight remain. Without Sister Chai, we’d have been wiped out."

Luo Yu lifted her head, big eyes blinking. "What does your party do? Who’s in it? Why fight the Demon Realm daily?"

"You want to know that?" Cat Ten’s eyes narrowed to slits. "Once you know, little Luo Yu, your fate won’t be simple."

"Tell me." Luo Yu picked up the item Cat Ten had given her.

The twice-daily task activated.

"..."

Seeing Cat Ten’s silence, Luo Yu tilted her head. "Do you want to play too? I’ll give it back."

Cat Ten: "...No need."

...

While Cat Ten recounted tales of the Demonic God, the Champion’s biography, and star-chosen legends…

"Mm-hmm, mm-hmm." Luo Yu nodded, busy with her own thing.

"..." Cat Ten poked Luo Yu’s waist. "Are you listening?"

"Annoying." Luo Yu twisted away, hearts sparkling in her eyes. "I’m listening… Go on."

Cat Ten: "..."

A mature woman in a purple gown, barefoot, slowly entered. A long, thick red tail swayed from under her dress.

Seeing Luo Yu’s self-indulgent expression, she covered her mouth with a fan and whispered, "Cat, you’ve taught her well."

Cat Ten turned quickly. "Sister Chai, you’re here."

"This is the Lower Demon I needed to watch." She pointed at the exhausted Luo Yu.

"Yes."

"Cat, leave. I’ll talk to her—no mood swings during the act."

"Understood."

Cat Ten slipped out the wooden door without looking back.

"Who are you?" Luo Yu felt uneasy under the woman’s gaze.

"I’m Chai Jiu, a mythical dragon girl born from the Demon Beast Kind." She smiled warmly.

"Oh, oh." Luo Yu nodded blankly, not understanding a word. "Sounds super awesome…"

Chai Jiu’s swaying tail looked fun. Luo Yu grabbed it with both hands, twisting seriously as if to control it.

"Hey, hey!" Chai Jiu retracted her tail sharply. "Don’t touch this."

Luo Yu lowered her head. "Got it."

"Cat said you, a Lower Demon, have a name. Little Fish?"

Luo Yu shook her head fast. "Luo Yu. Not fish."

*Those sound identical—how can she tell?* Chai Jiu thought dryly. "I entrust my husband’s body to you."

"Impossible!" Luo Yu shook her head fiercely. "I’d starve, die outside, jump, or suicide—before giving myself to the Champion!"

She made to bite her tongue.

"Biting my tongue to die!" Seeing no reaction, she repeated it earnestly.

But she held the pose too long, collapsing from exhaustion.

"Hehehe…" Chai Jiu pulled a stack of demon coins from her chest, waving them. "Such a wonderful girl. Even if my husband’s weak, he should rise a little for you, right?"

"Wait." Luo Yu snapped out of the coin trance. "What did you say about that damn Champion?"

"Oh." Chai Jiu covered her mouth, grinning. "Little Yu, since our marriage, he’s been weak. Probably aesthetic fatigue."

Luo Yu: "?"

"So," Chai Jiu gripped Luo Yu’s shoulders tighter, eyes hungry. "Can you make him strong again, the powerful Champion he was? It’s all on you, little Yu!"

Luo Yu: "What are you talking about!"