If one possessed true strength and wisdom, they would never become a ruler who abuses torture… For in truth, such cruelty is merely a tool to vent one’s emotions.
Su Zhaoyu pondered Lu Feng’s words.
Indeed. She had always told herself torture was for interrogation, for discipline, for authority—but hadn’t she also used it to release frustration?
Punishing at the slightest displeasure, lashing out in anger… was this truly how authority should be built? She had grown far too reliant on the fleeting intimidation torture provided.
And why was she so often irritated, so quick to rage? Because countless matters went unresolved, details escaped her notice—just as the God of Medicine said: her capability simply wasn’t enough.
So even if she never claimed to be a righteous ruler… had she unknowingly become an incompetent tyrant?
Her subordinates dared not speak their anger; none dared correct her mistakes. Errors festered, unchecked.
*The player is blind; the spectator sees clear.* The God of Medicine was offering foresight—a quiet warning.
“I humbly ask for your guidance,” Su Zhaoyu said, bowing her head slightly.
“To recognize error and amend it—there is no greater virtue,” Lu Feng nodded in satisfaction. “Coincidentally, I have something perfect for you.”
He retrieved a small box of incense from beneath the medicine cabinet.
Its effect: calm the mind, soothe the spirit. Lu Feng had tested it himself—gentle, restorative, ideal for volatile emotions.
Housed in a white box, he lifted the lid. A delicate fragrance drifted out. Su Zhaoyu took a slight sniff—then instinctively leaned back.
In that instant, a torrent of words surged within her: every memory since birth, every sight, sound, feeling—she felt her lips parting, an overwhelming urge to spill it all aloud…
She clenched her jaw, forcing composure.
*Truth serum.*
Such compounds were notoriously hard to refine and required hypnosis, guidance—even then, trained agents could resist.
Yet this incense… a single faint breath nearly unraveled a Ninth Tier powerhouse.
Lit properly? Even a Tenth Tier expert might not withstand it.
He’d seen her flaws: governance imperfect, methods brutal—“better to kill a thousand innocents than spare one guilty.” He gifted this not to control her, but to protect the innocent.
Compassion from a supreme being weary of worldly strife—choosing not to intervene directly, yet offering a nudge when the moment arose.
Lu Feng closed the lid. The strange pull vanished.
*Seems she’s quite taken with it,* he thought, pleased.
The box was already opened—useless to him, unsellable. Perfect for gifting.
“Keep it. A return gift for the dog leash you gave me.” He handed it over. “What you do personally is your affair. But as a leader… don’t overdo it.”
“Su Zhaoyu will heed your teachings and sincerely reform,” she accepted the box, bowing deeply once more.
“Mm.” Lu Feng smiled faintly.
Night fell. Sisha and Su Zhaoyu departed the clinic.
“I never expected you’d walk away with *that*,” Sisha murmured, displeasure threading her voice as they entered a dim alley.
“I *am* a ruler,” Su Zhaoyu cradled the tiny box—small in size, priceless in worth. “You must’ve enjoyed quite a few treasures at his place too?”
“We’re both in the same boat,” Sisha met her gaze.
Slender eyes, amber pupils, tall and curvaceous—a breathtaking beauty. But Sisha knew the truth beneath: ruthless, merciless, a tyrant in silk.
“What now?” Sisha asked.
“What choice do I have? Since he dislikes it… I’ll simply try being a *good* fox spirit.” Su Zhaoyu tucked the incense away, shrugged, sighed, and turned to leave.
“The Demon Emperor—centuries of war with humanity, infamous across continents—finally turning over a new leaf?” After a beat, Sisha laughed, laced with mockery and disbelief.
“First time for everything,” Su Zhaoyu glanced back, hands clasped behind her. “And speaking of infamous reputations… isn’t your Blood Clan equally celebrated?”
“Indeed.” Sisha didn’t deny it.
Blood Clan rule was built on bloodshed and corpses, too.
“Was your visit today just… fair competition?” Sisha’s tone turned icy. “You’re a ruler. Surely you’re not *that* idle.”
“Precisely—fair competition.” Su Zhaoyu smiled. “I’m busy. But so are you. Rumor says your Empress prepares to abdicate. You’ll be recalled soon.”
“A truly fair competition,” Sisha sighed. “Yes. My time here is short.”
“Then… shall we both try being ‘good people’ first?” Su Zhaoyu asked, a playful glint in her eyes.
“We’ll see,” Sisha replied.
…
…
A middle-aged man paced slowly in his office.
Behind him hung an emblem: a single azure feather.
The Azure Feather Society—another Eastern Empire institution stationed in Nanzhou to combat demons, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the Nanzhou Heroic Guild. Once merely a Hunters’ Association, it had recently earned imperial recognition and been elevated to a federal institution.
Its stated purpose: bolster anti-demon strength. Its true role: keep the Nanzhou Heroic Guild in check.
“Nanzhou is in chaos. Underground forces stir. This is precisely when the Azure Feather Society must rise,” said Lu Tianlei, one of the Society’s vice presidents.
“And what has the Hero Association done? Right under our noses—someone defies the Eastern Empire’s rule, even declaring *no one in Nanzhou may use force against him*! Where is the Empire’s authority? Where is *our* authority?!”
He slammed a report onto the desk. The document clearly recorded Shen Zhan’s recent decree, broadcast to every institution across Nanzhou.
