Chapter 131 - Even Without Me (1)
"I know. You don\'t have to remind me, but it couldn\'t be helped." Shen Minyao pushed her messy, long hair away from her face. As she looked down at her body, she realized that she was dressed in sleepwear, with her bloody clothes nowhere to be seen.
Just who dared to touch her in her unconscious state?
"Don\'t worry. A demoness has tended to you earlier," Qin Zhi said as if he knew what she was thinking at that moment. He knew well that his sister didn\'t like anyone touching her.
If it was in modern terms, he would say that his sister was a germaphobe. Only the blood of her enemies would be tolerated to cling to her body.
"A demoness?" Shen Minyao raised a brow. "You employ other demons now?"
"You can consider it that way." Qin Zhi nodded. "I run a company where only demons can work."
Shen Minyao let out a low whistle in return. "So you\'re still a big shot even to this day, huh."
Well, even in the past, Qin Zhi never had a problem mingling with the humans and other demons. One could say that he could easily instill fear and respect from others, unlike the fox woman who rather be on her own.
"I\'ve lived for hundreds of years. We have to accept that we have to coexist with humans in this world," her brother said in response.
"And yet I see more humans roaming the streets than our kind. Us, demons, are being forced to hide among these humans."
"It has always been like that. Are you telling me that you\'ve forgotten already?"
Shen Minyao slipped out of the bed and looked around the room they were in.
"This is your place?" She questioned her brother.
"En. The Qin Mansion has been here for ages now."
Shen Minyao nodded, and with her spatial awareness ability, she tried to scan the premises for hidden threats. However, there was none. Just like Qin Zhi claimed, he only employed demons like them, but there was still one human within the vicinity.
Her golden eyes returned to normal once she was satisfied with what she had seen so far. Her demonic sword then called out to her. After hundreds of years of separation, this little blade still considered her as its master.
"Thanks for keeping this little one for me." She picked up the sword from the nightstand and conjured a spell to shift its appearance to a more favorable one.
The sword changed into a thin fashionable bracelet on Shen Minyao\'s wrist, with its red crystal shining despite the darkness around it. No one would suspect that it was a sword, but those with high spiritual awareness might sense danger coming from it.
For some, it might just be a sword, but this sword also fed on both demonic energy and life energy of humans. In the past, before the nine-tailed fox obtained it, this demonic sword had been passed from one human to another. It gave its wielder unbelievable strength in sword fighting, but this demonic sword possessed its wielder and fed on their energy.
The fox woman was able to peek at the memory of the sword and found out that it was a sword used during a war for over five decades. Hence, it developed sentience and had become bloodthirsty after killing thousands of humans, with their blood tainting its blade.
Those who wield the sword would be overwhelmed with an uncontrollable urge to kill someone, and it only wanted to be wielded by the strongest demons or humans nearby. The weak ones who dared to pick it up were killed on the spot and had their life energy consumed by it, while it continued to wait for a strong creature.
"You are just like me…" The nine-tailed fox woman spoke as she picked up the demonic sword for the first time. "It\'s just too bad that you aren\'t strong enough to break through my mental barrier."
Since then, the demonic sword had been in the fox woman\'s possession, feeding on her demonic energy while protecting her from her enemies. It had been a win-win situation between the two parties anyway, and the sword had somewhat formed an attachment with the fox demon over time.
"Did it feed on you?" Shen Minyao asked. This sword wasn\'t picky with what it ate, but it certainly liked to consume energies from stronger demons like her and Qin Zhi.
"No. I kept it for other purposes. It feeds on the demons who refuse to cooperate with us and those who bring harm to humans."
"I see. So you haven\'t lain low and continue to feed on demons, huh." Shen Minyao raised her wrist and looked at her silver bracelet.
"Are you still planning to live here in Jiang City despite the fact that the Li family is looking for you?" She heard Qin Zhi ask.
She glanced at him, noticing the hint of worry in his eyes. He was still the same—a little older though.
"I thank you for saving my life, but I can\'t leave yet." Shen Minyao shrugged. She was reminded of Zhao Yichen and Li Fei\'er that were both waiting for her return. "Even if I want to, that\'s not possible, dear brother."
Until she could cut ties with Zhao Yichen… until Li Fei\'er didn\'t need her anymore… she wouldn\'t be able to leave this place.
Shen Minyao berated herself. Did she just form an attachment with those two? She, the wicked and legendary nine-tailed fox demon who mercilessly annihilated a whole kingdom centuries ago? A part of her wanted to get rid of Zhao Yichen and Li Fei\'er to free herself, while the other wanted to keep them safe from harm.
How troublesome. She frowned. She guessed she would stay until she gained enough strength as a demon… to cut her ties and attachment with those weak humans.
"I\'m hungry.. Is there something here I could eat?" She asked, changing the subject.