Flirting with the Villain's Mother - Chapter 8

The Mantis Demon’s massive arms blocked the clear moonlight as he towered over the frail Shen Su and Wei Nanyi. His pitch-black pupils glowed with a faint green light as he grinned, revealing his yellowed, pointed teeth. He regarded Shen Su with amusement. “You’re not afraid of me? Do you really think that cultivator will return so quickly?”

Shen Su’s palms were slick with sweat. Of course she was afraid, but she was desperately trying to suppress it.

Perhaps she should offer herself in exchange for Wei Nanyi’s freedom. But without any power, she had no leverage to negotiate.

Both she and Wei Nanyi could be crushed like insects by these demons.

Jiang Xu had chased Cui Tao off somewhere, and Shen Su’s ears couldn’t detect their trail.

Shen Su retreated protectively with Wei Nanyi, her unease growing. She had overheard Cui Tao and the male demon’s conversation earlier—Cui Tao was bound by a Bloodline Restriction, which should have prevented the demons from forcing her compliance. Moreover, they all feared Jiang Xu. Why had they waited until now to act?

The Mantis Demon sneered as he watched Shen Su still shielding Wei Nanyi. “You can’t protect her.”

Shen Su took several deep breaths, finally managing to keep her voice even. “Your target is me. She has nothing to do with this.”

“Miss Shen,” Wei Nanyi replied. Having grown accustomed to protecting the disciples of Approaching Immortals Mountain, and having spent most of her escape with Jiang Xu in a state of near blindness and deafness, this was the first time she had clearly perceived herself being shielded.

Shen Su was weak, but her determination to protect Wei Nanyi was unwavering.

The Mantis Demon’s grin widened into a manic leer, his pitch-black eyes locking onto Wei Nanyi. “That won’t do. If that cultivator captures our brothers, this lady will be our bargaining chip.”

The servants of Shen Manor were used to taking orders from Cui Tao. It hadn’t been difficult for her to pry information about Jiang Xu and Wei Nanyi’s relationship from them—a detail Shen Su had overlooked.

She still stood protectively in front of Wei Nanyi, but her mantis-trying-to-stop-a-chariot effort was doomed to fail.

They intended to capture Wei Nanyi as well.

Wisps of green smoke curled from the Mantis Demon’s mouth, thin as silken threads, coiling toward Shen Su and Wei Nanyi. The moment the smoke touched their skin, it transformed into green ropes, binding them together.

Wei Nanyi had been shielded behind Shen Su when the Mantis Demon bound them together. Now, she was half-sprawled against Shen Su’s back, her own back pressed against something soft and scorching hot, the heat seeping into her heart.

Shen Su couldn’t help but call out, “Madam Wei.”

Wei Nanyi, thinking Shen Su was worried about her, quickly reassured her, “Miss Shen, I’m fine.”

She was pressed so close that her ragged, labored breaths brushed against Shen Su’s ear as she spoke, her words almost whispered into it.

Her warm breath made Shen Su’s ear tingle.

For once, Shen Su lost her composure. She tugged at the ropes, her voice tight with anger, “We can’t escape anyway. Can you at least loosen these ropes?”

The Mantis Demon’s amusement only deepened. He eyed Shen Su, “If you still have the nerve to bargain with us now, then your body had better be as tough as your words later. And you’d better outlive your parents.”

The mention of her parents sent a chill through Shen Su’s heart. “Did you kill my parents?”

The Mantis Demon didn’t answer, but the implication was clear. Shen Su felt a surge of unprecedented rage, a lingering emotion left behind by the original owner of this body.

Hatred stained Shen Su’s eyes crimson, but the Mantis Demon remained unfazed. He gestured toward Shen Su and Wei Nanyi, and the Bee Demon behind him, who had remained silent until now, immediately understood. She stepped forward, lifted the ropes binding the two women, and took flight, muttering discontentedly, “Brother, I still don’t understand why we had to capture her tonight. That cultivator is incredibly powerful. Even with her A-Niang as leverage, we might not…”

Before she could finish, the Mantis Demon cut her off. “Do you think I wanted this? Shen Family’s last bloodline is all that remains, and the Bloodline Restriction won’t hold for much longer. We don’t have time to waste.”

The Bee Demon glanced at Shen Su. “But will attacking now even yield results? She’ll never cooperate.”

The Mantis Demon spread his wings and flew to the Bee Demon’s side, his broad hand clapping her shoulder. “Third Sister, don’t forget it’s the Living Ghost Festival. The souls of the living will be significantly weakened tonight.”

The Bee Demon’s expression darkened. “Brother, you’re planning a soul transfer, but we’ve failed before. Shen Family’s bloodline is all that’s left. If we fail now, all our efforts will be for naught.”

“Even those with decent talent take half a month to condense their Qi. For those with poor aptitude, it might take half a year, and they still might not succeed. Besides, the Bloodline Restriction will completely seal her bloodline in another month. We might as well take a gamble!” The Mantis Demon glared fiercely at Shen Su. “She’s weak and her will to live is feeble. She might actually succeed.”

Shen Su understood. These demons wanted to use her bloodline to obtain something left behind by the Shen Family’s ancestors. But this artifact could only be accessed once her bloodline was fully awakened. The prerequisite for breaking the Bloodline Restriction was for her to successfully condense her Qi and embark on the Immortal Path.

However, the Bloodline Restriction would completely seal her bloodline once she turned eighteen. With so little time remaining, the Mantis Demon believed she wouldn’t be able to condense her Qi even if she agreed to cooperate. So they were making one last desperate attempt today.

From their words, it was clear that not only Shen Su’s parents but also her ancestors had been captured and killed in failed soul-swapping attempts.

Shen Su bore a bl00d feud against them.

She could barely suppress the rage of the original owner of this body. But at that moment, Wei Nanyi’s voice drifted like willow catkins to her ears: “Miss Shen, soul-swapping is no easy task.”

Though bound, Shen Su and Wei Nanyi were merely entangled together, allowing the Bee Demon to lift them both at once. While their shoulders and thighs were tightly restrained, their hands remained free to reach each other. Before Shen Su could fully grasp Wei Nanyi’s words, Wei Nanyi had already reached out and touched her fingers, her voice softening further: “Don’t be afraid.”

Wei Nanyi’s palm was icy cold, yet the moment it touched Shen Su’s skin, Shen Su felt a surge of warmth.

Shen Su couldn’t help but turn to look at Wei Nanyi.

Despite being captured, Wei Nanyi showed no trace of panic. Her eyes were filled with gentle warmth. Noticing Shen Su’s confusion, she tugged lightly at the embroidered handkerchief still wrapped around Shen Su’s wound. “Don’t be afraid.”

She seemed to have a plan.

The Living Ghost Festival, an annual event, was a day when the souls of the dead grew strong while the souls of the living weakened.

In the original novel, a demonic creature had attempted to possess the male lead’s body on this day, seeking to claim his extraordinary talent and bloodline. However, the male lead’s overwhelming power had backfired on the creature, leading to its failure.

Soul-swapping was indeed difficult, but the methods to counter it seemed to require cultivation to suppress the process. Neither Shen Su nor Wei Nanyi possessed any cultivation, and their bodies were both frail. Shen Su couldn’t fathom why Wei Nanyi seemed so confident.

Yet, seeing Wei Nanyi’s composed demeanor, Shen Su found herself trusting her.

The Bee Demon carried them through the air, and by the time they landed, Shen Su’s legs felt light and unsteady.

Perhaps because she and Wei Nanyi were deemed useful, the Bee Demon didn’t mistreat them despite their frail appearances. Upon arrival, even the ropes binding them were removed.

Wei Nanyi adapted to being suspended in the air better than Shen Su. Though her face had paled several shades from the wind, she showed no other ill effects. Wei Nanyi reached out to support Shen Su. “Miss Shen, are you alright?”

Shen Su shook her head slightly. “I’m fine.”

Despite being physically stronger than Wei Nanyi, Shen Su found herself constantly being protected. This realization filled her with shame, and even her steadfast resolve to abandon the pursuit of immortality wavered for a moment.

She felt a sudden longing for power.

Shen Su’s legs still felt weak, but she only dared lean lightly against Wei Nanyi, unsure if the other woman could bear her weight. She kept a close eye on Wei Nanyi while trying to assess their current surroundings.

The Mantis Demon and Bee Demon led them to a long-abandoned estate. Though vast, the place had fallen into disrepair. Weeds choked the fish pond, its water source long cut off. The courtyard was strewn with withered flowers, and the artificial rockeries bore the marks of countless birds and insects. Yet traces of its former splendor remained visible.

Shen Su’s memories flickered, finally recognizing the place: the ancestral estate of the Shen Family.

The original owner had visited once as a child, when the estate was still maintained. But after her parents’ deaths, Cui Tao took over her affairs and neglected the estate, allowing it to gradually fall into ruin.

The Mantis Demon led them deeper into the grounds, until they reached a shrine.

The shrine’s doors stood wide open. In stark contrast to the decay outside, the interior was spotless. Instead of ancestral tablets, a jade statue of a green-eyed fox was enshrined. Shen Su glanced at the fox and felt a warm current flow from her eyes into her body, suddenly restoring strength to her weakened limbs.

“Come in!” the Mantis Demon urged them into the ancestral hall. Shen Su felt the warmth within her intensify, her bl00d surging through her veins like molten lava.

She couldn’t help but glance again at the green-eyed Jade Fox. This time, even her ears felt the touch of that warm current.

Wei Nanyi’s voice suddenly echoed in her mind: “A Death Formation covering the entire courtyard, a special bloodline, and a Bloodline Restriction… A Jade Fox? What a coincidence.”

Wei Nanyi seemed to recognize the fox, but she shouldn’t have spoken aloud. Such a remark would inevitably arouse the Mantis Demon’s suspicion about her identity—a foolish move.

However, the Mantis Demon and Bee Demon were groping around the ancestral hall, seemingly oblivious to Wei Nanyi’s words as they searched for something. Shen Su startled and whipped her head toward Wei Nanyi.

Wei Nanyi’s lips remained sealed, yet the voice in Shen Su’s mind grew clearer.

“So Miss Shen is a descendant of Miss Guiyan. No wonder her bl00d can suppress the hundred types of demon bl00d within me.”