After Being Struck By The Love Gu, I Reached A Happy Ending With My Frail Best Friend - Chapter 16

Zhou Xu said nothing, and no one else dared speak unnecessarily.

Shen Fangzhou stood respectfully at the very back of the hall. On the surface, she appeared to be awaiting orders, but inwardly, she had already rehearsed the exact sequence for crushing the Teleportation Stone dozens of times.

The instant there was any danger of her identity being exposed, she would immediately take Sect Master Xie and flee!

Her heart pounded like a war drum.

After a long while, Zhou Xu finally spoke, her voice sounding like a judgment being handed down.

“After the council concludes, do not leave for the time being. Come see me with Long Can.”

Shen Fangzhou released a breath inwardly. Her tense shoulders relaxed, and she answered affirmatively before returning to her place.

As long as she had not been recognized, everything was fine.

Even if the Black Cat Elder had some private connection with Zhou Xu, it would not matter. On the contrary, it might allow Shen Fangzhou to extract even more information about the demon race.

“All right. Let us discuss the two wanted criminals.”

The hall fell silent again.

A low voice broke the stillness as Zhou Xu spoke once more. Her gaze swept across the council chamber like two bolts of cold lightning. Whenever it passed over one of the demon elders, it was enough to make them instinctively tremble.

It reminded everyone that even without Zhou Han beside her, this princess was not someone easily dealt with.

The White Eagle Elder was the first to step forward and plead guilty, her voice steady.

“Your Highness, please forgive this subordinate. I have mobilized every member of my tribe above Foundation Establishment to search Yaodu with all their strength. If Shen Fangzhou and Xie Guiwan have not yet left the city, I will certainly find them before the end of today!”

Shen Fangzhou stared at the White Eagle Elder standing directly in front of her and thought, Perhaps you should stop looking. I’m practically about to walk out and introduce myself.

Zhou Xu watched her quietly.

“By saying that, are you questioning my judgment?”

The White Eagle Clan leader respectfully lowered her head.

“This subordinate would not dare.”

“I do not care why any of you are saying these things. I only want the Crane Feather.”

Zhou Xu sneered.

“Do not imagine you can evade punishment and preserve your cultivation. If the Crane Feather is truly lost, the entire Three Realms may be destroyed because of it!”

Shen Fangzhou: “?”

She immediately poked the system.

“Wake up, wake up! Is the Crane Feather really that important? Did you forget something?”

The system looked equally bewildered.

“No. There isn’t any information about it in my records at all. Destroy the Three Realms… Could the final boss have something to do with it?”

Before either of them could discuss the matter further, an uproar had already erupted throughout the hall at the mention of the Three Realms’ destruction.

It was as though those words had stirred some terrible memory in everyone present.

Even the commanders of the guard units, who had previously seemed somewhat lax, became solemn.

Zhou Xu’s cold expression did not change.

She merely gave a quiet snort, finished arranging the search and capture efforts, then moved on to the second topic.

“Additionally, the Ten Eternal Hatreds Formation at Two Realms Mountain was also destroyed by those two wanted criminals. In one hour, the clan leaders will accompany me to the Ghost Domain and retrieve ten more Boundary Monuments.”

With that, Zhou Xu waved her hand decisively and gave one final warning to the White Eagle Tribe and the guard forces.

“Find those two suspects as quickly as possible. I assume none of you wishes to face Her Majesty personally.”

Shen Fangzhou, however, no longer had the attention to spare for Zhou Xu’s words.

She had no time to search through the original novel, but even so, the term Ghost Domain felt completely unfamiliar.

As the chief disciple of the Sword Pavilion, barring any accidents, she was virtually guaranteed to become the future Sword Pavilion Master and leader of the righteous path a century from now.

She had frequently consulted records concerning both the immortal and demon realms.

Yet despite her status, she had never heard even the slightest mention of this so-called Ghost Domain.

It sounded like an exceptionally well-hidden place.

Had Shen Fangzhou not changed the original plot and destroyed the Ten Eternal Hatreds Formation beside the Boundary Monuments, Zhou Xu probably would never have mentioned it at all.

“Could the Ghost Domain be the space beneath the Demon Palace? Why would Boundary Monuments be kept there?”

Shen Fangzhou frowned.

Just as she was about to turn and quietly discuss the matter with Xie Guiwan, Long Can’s voice called out from afar.

“Black Cat!”

Shen Fangzhou raised her head.

Only then did she realize that the emergency council had already ended at some point and everyone had long since departed to carry out their duties.

She exchanged a glance with Xie Guiwan.

The two of them, both disguised as black cats, quickly stepped forward and followed Long Can to find Zhou Xu.

After winding through several circles of the labyrinthine Demon Palace, they finally reached their destination.

The instant Long Can pushed open the door, an overwhelmingly rich scent of medicinal herbs rushed toward them.

This place was actually an apothecary.

Zhou Xu was currently examining the many herbs arranged on the shelves with great interest, as though considering whether any could be used to track the wanted criminals.

At that moment, the door creaked, and Shen Fangzhou entered with Xie Guiwan.

Two people?

Before Zhou Xu could ask, Shen Fangzhou lowered her voice and explained first.

“Your Highness, this is my personal medicinal guard. Recently, I have been coughing and feeling truly weak. Please rest assured—she is my trusted confidante.”

Zhou Xu made a small sound of acknowledgment.

Her gaze swept across Xie Guiwan, and understanding appeared on her face.

She did not dwell on the matter.

Instead, right in front of Xie Guiwan, she simply patted Shen Fangzhou on the shoulder.

“Here is the situation. The Gu formula you previously gave me was excellent. Long Can also said its effects were quite good.”

“The medicinal effect progresses gradually, and the person afflicted only experiences fever. There is no antidote other than engaging in intimate relations with another person.”

“It suits my intentions perfectly. I also hope the elder will not be stingy with such formulas in the future.”

Shen Fangzhou: “???”

What?!

Shen Fangzhou nearly turned to stone on the spot.

Zhou Xu coughed, assuming the Black Cat Elder was concerned about their previous agreement, and frankly added,

“However, I fear I cannot give you the pair of Love Gu I previously promised.”

“That bastard surnamed Shen stole my entire storage pouch, and the Love Gu were inside it.”

Shen Fangzhou nearly leaped off the ground in terror.

Remembering the unfamiliar porcelain bottle she had held that day, she suddenly wanted to seize Xie Guiwan’s hand and thank her through tears.

Fortunately, the sect master had stopped her at the time!

Otherwise, if Shen Fangzhou had opened the Gu bottle under the influence of her rampant curiosity, Two Realms Mountain had been completely deserted, and the only person beside her had been the female lead…

Just imagining it made her feel as though heaven and earth were collapsing, the world overturning, and the sky itself splitting apart.

Someone had been trying to kill her!

Shen Fangzhou forced out two dry laughs and hurriedly declined.

“Your Highness is far too courteous. Should you ever require anything, I will naturally offer it with both hands.”

“As for the Love Gu intended for me, there is no need to trouble yourself.”

“How could that be acceptable?”

Zhou Xu was not someone who casually embezzled from her subordinates.

After thinking for a moment, she took out a jade box from her new storage pouch and handed it to Shen Fangzhou.

“In that case, this is a newly developed demonic-energy transmission device created by the White Bear Tribe. It can be operated using demonic qi alone.”

“I will give it to you as compensation.”

Shen Fangzhou accepted it with trepidation.

Extremely cautiously, she lifted one corner of the lid and glanced inside—

then slammed it shut at lightning speed.

It had to be said.

The demon race truly played in ways far too outrageous!

Shen Fangzhou shoved the box into her storage pouch with astonishing speed, as though it were burning her hands, then stuffed it firmly at the very bottom.

When she raised her eyes again, she discovered Xie Guiwan looking at her.

Tiny sparks of amusement shimmered in the woman’s eyes, as though she were asking, Is that all the courage you have?

Hmph.

Anyone who saw such a thing would be bewildered. Sect Master, you would react exactly the same way!

Shen Fangzhou refused to say anything more and haughtily turned her face away.

Perhaps the temperature inside the Demon Palace was unusually high.

Only after relaxing did Shen Fangzhou notice a layer of heat spreading inexplicably across her back, accompanied by an inexplicable restlessness.

The system asked worriedly,

“Zhouzhou, are you all right? Could you have accidentally been infected by that Love Gu?”

Shen Fangzhou laughed.

“Hahaha, how could that possibly happen?”

After all, she had thrown the little bottle back without hesitation.

She did not take the possibility of being infected with Gu seriously at all.

After speaking with Zhou Xu and Long Can for a while, Shen Fangzhou relaxed and accompanied them deeper into the lower levels of the Demon Palace.

The Ghost Domain would be opened in half an hour, and Zhou Xu had directly dragged her along as labor to help open the entrance.

Before long, the four of them reached the lowest level of the Demon Palace.

Relying on her Dao talismans, Xie Guiwan had fortunately managed to slip inside. She worked hard to conceal her aura with an Aura-Concealing Talisman.

This place was practically underground.

Shen Fangzhou looked outward and saw a vast, brilliantly illuminated world reflected in transparent glass.

The waters of the River of Death, which wound throughout Yaodu, crashed and scattered into waves in every direction.

They were the only things in this place that still moved and changed.

At the center of the hall stood a square bronze mirror more than eight feet tall and wide.

Its surface was blurred and covered in scars left by blades and swords.

Strange, mysterious runes were carved along both sides of its frame.

At a glance, it seemed profoundly arcane, making it difficult to look away.

Zhou Xu stood beside the bronze mirror, holding a scroll she had produced from somewhere.

She carefully compared it against the markings on a map.

The map had been passed down for several hundred years.

Even after being repeatedly cleansed with demonic qi, the parchment scroll still showed fragile cracks and signs of crumbling.

Zhou Xu had always despised tedious, difficult work of this sort.

After searching for a long time without locating the Boundary Monuments, she could not help complaining to Long Can.

“The Ghost Domain is vast and seemingly endless. Even finding a few objects requires relying on a map. What a nuisance.”

Long Can merely smiled, clearly having heard Zhou Xu complain about this countless times before.

“The Ghost Domain remains sealed for nearly the entire year. This inconvenience will only last briefly, so Your Highness need not worry too much.”

“Since we are opening it anyway, we might as well retrieve the calming medicinal ingredients Her Majesty requires.”

Shen Fangzhou immediately raised her head, as though a key phrase had triggered her.

She looked ready to ask where those calming medicines could be found.

Perhaps noticing the Black Cat Elder’s eagerness, Zhou Xu slapped her forehead as though suddenly remembering something.

“I nearly forgot to tell you.”

“In the future, aside from Love Gu and similar objects, please pay greater attention to medicines that calm the mind.”

“Recently, while waiting for her honored master, Her Majesty has been making extensive preparations involving medicines that soothe the mind and nourish the soul.”

Shen Fangzhou nodded outwardly, but inwardly she became even more astonished.

Could Zhou Han truly be planning to welcome Fuhe back?

After that world-shaking war between immortals and demons a thousand years ago, had Fuhe actually managed to preserve a fragment of her soul?

Amid their complaints, half an hour passed swiftly.

Shen Fangzhou, however, became increasingly restless.

She checked the time.

Zhou Han might return at any moment.

Although Xie Guiwan possessed exceptional attainments in the Dao of Talismans, Zhou Han stood at the peak of the Tribulation Transcendence realm.

There was no guarantee she would fail to see through their disguises.

Should they truly be discovered, even with the Teleportation Stone in hand, Shen Fangzhou would lose at least a layer of skin before escaping alive.

Before she could fully work through the situation, the teleportation formation at the center of the hall finally began to rotate.

Dark demonic qi spilled outward.

It rose and fell like the breathing of an ocean tide, as though it possessed life.

The hall abruptly fell silent.

Zhou Xu drew a deep breath and strode forward seven steps.

She bit the tip of her finger.

A drop of vivid, bewitching blood rose into the air and flew toward the bronze mirror of its own accord, as though enchanted.

The blood struck the mirror heavily.

In an instant, violent waves erupted from the empty ground!

Sound waves resembling a tiger’s roar multiplied and howled, transforming into an extraordinarily fierce storm that stirred thousand-foot tides of demonic energy.

The River of Death outside the windows appeared to answer the summons.

It crashed against the transparent panes with a force a hundred times greater than before.

Standing below the bronze mirror, Shen Fangzhou suddenly heard nothing but the roar of waves.

Her consciousness drifted.

For a moment, it seemed as though she had been swept into some distant immortal realm beyond the world, like Penglai or Yingzhou.

The sound of the waves was leisurely at times and unrestrained at others.

As they surged, turned, and flowed backward, everything felt like a vast dream.

Only after awakening and looking back did a sense of familiarity emerge.

Why did this aura feel…

so extraordinarily familiar?