Yuzi was hugging a broom as she came out of the kitchen. She blinked and looked curiously at the people who had just walked in.

“Tsk, tsk. So there is someone here after all?” Luo Xuanming tilted his neck and walked toward Yuzi.

Yuzi didn’t move away. She simply raised her head and looked at the man towering over her.

“This little girl looks pretty decent.”

Luo Xuanming sized Yuzi up, and a crooked thought suddenly crossed his mind. If he sold her to traffickers, he’d probably make quite a bit.

But after staring a little longer, he noticed something else.

He suddenly reached out and snatched off the little hat on Yuzi’s head, revealing two pointed ears that gave a slight twitch.

“Ha, it’s actually a cat demon—” Luo Xuanming laughed and glanced at the people behind him. The moment they saw it, they laughed too.

“Boss, we really hit the jackpot this time. A little demon that can take human form isn’t something you see often. The traffickers pay a lot for that.”

“They’re actually raising a cat demon here. That doctor in this clinic being in league with demons? That’s basically confirmed.”

“Boss, this job’s a huge score. You’ve gotta treat the brothers to a drink.”

A juvenile demon beast that could transform was incredibly rare. And one that looked this good was worth several times more than an ordinary human.

“Of course, of course.”

Luo Xuanming knew exactly how valuable this beast-eared girl was. Shiny coins were practically about to drop into his money pouch. His earlier anger vanished at once. Smiling, he crouched down in front of Yuzi.

“Don’t be scared. Uncle will take you to get some candy, okay?” Luo Xuanming smiled kindly and pulled out a piece of chewing gum from his pocket.

Yuzi hugged the broom. Her ears twitched slightly. Her face was still full of innocent purity. Blinking, she raised a tiny finger, pointed at Luo Xuanming, and said one word at a time:

“Bad... guy.”

Luo Xuanming laughed. This little loli really was pretty cute when she talked. Then he stood back up and put on a vicious expression.

“That’s right. I am a bad guy.”

“Boss, do you really need to scare a kid like that?”

“Hanging around with a kid this much is making Boss dumber.”

The people behind him snickered awkwardly.

But Yuzi still looked curious. She blinked again, then stretched out her little finger, pointed at Luo Xuanming, then at the people behind him, and said in a soft, sticky-sweet voice like glutinous rice:

“Eat.”

“Eat? Don’t rush. Uncle will take you to get milk lollipops right now,” Luo Xuanming said with a grin.

But after laughing for a bit, he suddenly realized something was off. Why had the lackeys behind him stopped playing along?

He turned around and saw a massive pitch-black head and a gigantic claw. Together, they almost filled all the remaining space in the clinic. Nostrils the size of lanterns blew out hot breath, and its mouth was chewing on something.

And the neck connected to that head, along with the body behind it, was still hidden inside the ink painting hanging on the wall.

“D-De... Demon Dragon!”

Luo Xuanming’s expression changed drastically. He hurriedly pulled out a specially made handgun designed to deal with demons and monsters, then immediately pulled the trigger.

A metal bullet flew at the dragon’s head. It didn’t even scrape the skin. It rolled to the floor like a grain of sand. Then the man in front of it was swallowed by that gaping, blood-red maw.

After swallowing several people, Yuzi was still hugging the broom and blinking. The Demon Dragon shook its head, wrinkled its nose, and blew out a snort of hot air. Then it slowly withdrew back into the ink painting on the wall and stayed there motionless again.

Yuzi hugged the broom and kept sweeping the floor, cleaning away the dirt those people had tracked in on their shoes.

Lu Feng was humming a tune as he rode back with a basket full of meat and vegetables, moving along at an easy pace.

When he returned to the clinic, Yuzi was still sweeping the floor.

As expected, my cat is just this well-behaved.

Lu Feng set his things down, walked over, crouched, and fondly rubbed Yuzi’s head. “Good girl. I’ll take over from here. You don’t need to sweep the whole place, okay?”

But then Lu Feng noticed Yuzi wasn’t wearing her hat.

“Did someone come in?” Lu Feng asked worriedly.

“Ate them,” Yuzi said, blinking.

“Ate them?”

“Ate them,” Yuzi repeated.

Did they leave when they saw no one was here and go home for dinner? Lu Feng guessed.

“Are you hungry?” Lu Feng asked with concern.

“Eat,” Yuzi said again in that soft, fluffy voice.

“Okay, okay, okay. I’ll make you something right now.” Lu Feng smiled and lovingly rubbed her little head again, then went back into the kitchen.

...

This world was not ruled by humans alone. Demons and monsters also held a place in it, and in some ways, they were even stronger than humans.

Nanzhou was the southernmost region of the Imperial Alliance. Though it still nominally belonged to the human world, the forces here were tangled and complex, and underground factions were too many to count.

After defeating the second wave of assassins, Sisha took a short rest at a small underground Blood Clan organization stationed here.

She entered a remote little tavern and exchanged a glance with the front-desk attendant, who was idly polishing a wine glass. Then she went into the storage room in the back, felt around the small counter by the wall, and touched the hidden button placed among the cups. A trapdoor in the floor slowly opened.

She entered the basement.

This was the Blood Clan’s secret refuge.

Sisha took off her cloak and placed it on the coat rack nearby. A Blood Clan servant living underground hurried over, carrying with him a cup of vivid fresh blood.

“Your Highness.” The servant approached, bowed slightly, and offered up the cup.

But Sisha lightly waved a hand and pushed it away. She didn’t drink the blood.

Ever since she had drunk that bowl of spirit blood in that small clinic, Sisha had realized she wouldn’t need fresh blood again for quite a long time.

“Is the warm water ready?” Sisha asked indifferently.

Her pride was still the nature of a royal of the Blood Clan. The only one who could make her show humility was the God of Medicine in that little clinic.

“Yes, it has already been prepared.”

The servant knew Sisha’s temperament well. He set the blood aside and stood quietly with his head slightly lowered.

“If there’s anything, report it to me from outside.”

Sisha walked straight into the bathroom in the back.

The warm water had already been heated and prepared. Steam filled the bathroom. Sisha removed her uniform and placed it in the basket beside her. Then she slipped off the black stockings from her long, slender legs. She lifted a foot as white and smooth as fine jade, and her tiny bean-like toes lightly touched the water’s surface, sending out a small ripple.

The water temperature was just right. Sisha then removed the rest of her clothes and sat in the bathtub, stirring up a splash of clear water as she washed away the grime from days of battle.

After drinking that bowl of spirit blood, not only had Sisha’s injuries fully healed, her strength had also advanced to the sixth rank.

But this spirit blood seemed to have a few minor side effects as well.

Once soaked in hot water, Sisha’s face began to flush. Reclining in the warm bath, her cherry lips parted slightly as she breathed softly.

It seemed the spirit blood had not only unleashed her power. It had also amplified other aspects of her, including all the bodily needs unrelated to assassination that had been forcibly suppressed during her killer training.

And once that bowl of spirit blood went down, everything she had suppressed before came surging out all at once.

Fortunately, it was only a minor issue. After relaxing for a while, the flush on Sisha’s face faded quite a bit.

“Your Highness, Her Majesty the Empress has already begun to consider abdication. If Your Highness wishes to compete...” the servant’s report came from outside.

“I already have my own plans for that matter,” Sisha replied coldly.

Competing for the position of Empress...

With her current strength, she ultimately still couldn’t rival her elder imperial sisters.

Sisha lay back, her face soaking in the hot water as she thought.

But it wasn’t entirely hopeless. For example, the God of Medicine could raise her to the same level as those elder sisters. But if she wanted his help, she would at least need an exchange of equal value.

Sisha searched through nearly everything she possessed, but not a single item she owned could match the value of that bowl of spirit blood. Without something of equal worth, what right did she have to go back and ask for more?

But after thinking it over in the end, Sisha really did find one thing that seemed like it could serve as a bargaining chip.

Sisha sat up and lowered her head to look at her own body. Her fair arm lightly rested over her chest, and her face flushed slightly again.

Mine... isn’t exactly small.

The only question was whether an ancient being like the God of Medicine would still be interested in this sort of thing.