Chapter 3

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Chapter 3: The Competition

As soon as Ji Yunhe entered the main Li Feng Hall and saw Lin Haoqing standing beside the old Valley Master with downcast eyes, she knew there was nothing good in store for her.

"Valley Master," Ji Yunhe bowed. Lin Canglan looked ancient with a face full of wrinkles, but the pair of eyes between the lines were still as sharp and intimidating as a hawk.

"Yunhe is here." Lin Canglan coughed a few times and beckoned her to come forward. "What has Yunhe been up to lately?"

Ji Yunhe walked up respectfully. "Trained some small demons a few days ago and sent them off. Now I am just giving the demon masters under me some pointers and techniques."

Lin Canglan nodded. "Good girl, always doing your best for the valley." His old fingers reached out and took Ji Yunhe's hand, patting it. "You've been working hard."

"It is my duty," Ji Yunhe lowered her head and bowed again.

Lin Haoqing's eyes turned slightly and glanced over Ji Yunhe's face.

Lin Canglan nodded as if extremely pleased, and then said in a feeble voice, "I have gathered all of the most capable people into our Demon Valley. Thanks to Emperor Gaozu's favor, we have been allowed to manage the demon lineage here in the southwest and live a relatively peaceful life. Now Princess Shunde is asking for our help in taming a powerful demon, this is both an important task and an imperial gift. We must not fail."

Ji Yunhe and Lin Haoqing both listened quietly.

Although Ji Yunhe's face seemed calm, her heart could not help but feel some distress. It appeared that she would have to get involved with this job...

"I thought about it again and again, a demon like this will need to be handled by you two." Lin Canglan coughed a bit and said, "Coincidentally, as an old man, I have been in poor health lately and I am aware that my fate is near..."

"Good fortune to the Valley Master."

"Long life to father."

Ji Yunhe and Lin Haoqing spoke almost simultaneously as the two of them knelt on the ground next to each other.

Lin Canglan smiled and waved his hand. "This body… an old man knows himself. It is also time to appoint the next master of the valley."

With this statement, the entire hall fell silent.

"You are both my children, and you are both very good. Since it is difficult to choose, I will take advantage of this opportunity and give you two a competition." Lin Canglan took out a letter from his robe. Its paper was exquisite and smelled of incense. "Princess Shunde wrote this. She is asking us to tame this demon with three wishes in mind. First wish is for this demon to speak human words. Second wish is for him to grow legs. The third wish is for him to serve without rebellion. Between you two, whoever accomplishes them first will become the next Valley Master."

"At your command, father," Lin Haoqing clasped his hands and replied.

Ji Yunhe, on the other hand, did not speak.

Lin Canglan turned his eyes and stared at her. "Yunhe?"

Ji Yunhe looked up at him. When she met Lin Canglan's kind but piercing gaze, her heart felt cold. She had no choice but to hold back all of her emotions. "Yes, Yunhe is at your command."

Leaving the main Li Feng Hall, Ji Yunhe walked absent-mindedly until she was about to part ways with Lin Haoqing. He called her name, abruptly returning her to her senses, and she looked up at him.

"Yunhe," Lin Haoqing's voice was polite but distant, "I look forward to learning from you in the coming days."

Ji Yunhe also returned the salute. "You're too kind, brother." After the courteous exchange, the two had nothing more to say.

The valley outside the main hall was full of flowers all year round. When the spring breeze passed by, their petals and scent would linger in the air, making it extremely pleasant. The corner of her lips moved, but when she opened her mouth to speak, Lin Haoqing coldly turned around and walked away, avoiding her eyes.

Ji Yunhe stood at the same spot looking at his distant back. She smiled helplessly.

She called him brother because she really did see him as one.

Ji Yunhe turned around and saw the flowers in bloom under the warm spring sun. Her thoughts drifted back in time.

She saw herself many years ago, when she was still a little girl who did not know the world. She would jump and play in the flowers while Lin Haoqing, a few years older than her, stood in the distance and quietly watched her. His eyes had been gentle, and his smile a bit mild.

She always picked a handful of flowers haphazardly and took them to him. "Brother Haoqing, do the flowers look pretty?"

Lin Haoqing would smile and touch her head. He would then pick the grass and messy branches out of her hair and put a flower behind her ear. "Flowers look best on you."

And now, the warm and smiling brother of her memories would only leave her a cold and distant back.

Ji Yunhe hung her head low. She knew better than anyone else that their relationship turning sour was not at all to be blamed on him.

The blame was all on her...

When Ji Yunhe returned to her courtyard, it was already dark. She sat down, lit the lamp, and watched the bean-sized candle flame flicker and jump. Once, twice, and when she counted to five, the air suddenly flashed a demonic aura. A black-haired woman dressed in white and red appeared in the room.

Ji Yunhe shifted the lamp a bit and did not bother to look at the woman. "Tell me. Lin Canglan gave the order to make us compete directly with each other this time. How far should I go?"

The woman's voice was thin and unemotional, "He wants you to give it your all."

Ji Yunhe smiled. "Give it my all? If I tame the demon, will Lin Canglan really dare to make me the next Valley Master?"

"The master has his own arrangements, you don't have to ask so much," the woman answered. Then she raised her hand and tossed Ji Yunhe a pill. "You only need to know that if he finds out you didn't do your best, you can forget about getting the antidote next month."

Ji Yunhe caught the pill as the woman in red and white disappeared like a ghost. She rolled the pill between her fingertips, and the corners of her lips pursed tight.

The old master of the valley had made her Master Warden, treated her no differently from his own son, Lin Haoqing, and even vaguely seemed to want her replacing Lin Haoqing.

However, only Ji Yunhe knew that the scheming old man could not possibly give the position of the Valley Master to an "outsider", even if she was his adopted daughter.

Not to mention Lin Canglan had never really seen her as an adopted daughter. She was just a pawn under the old man, helping him do all the dark, unsightly deeds…

Ji Yunhe took the monthly antidote and felt the bitter taste spread across her mouth. The bitterness kept her awake and allowed her to think clearly about the dilemma she was facing.

She knew the old man had no intention of giving her control of the valley, and now he was staging such an open and fair contest and wanted her to give it her all. If she were to lose, it would become Lin Haoqing's reign and she would be abandoned by the valley. Even Qu Xiaoxing and other long time supporters of hers would suffer.

And if she were to win, it would be even worse.

The old man behind the scenes would surely have his tricks to deal with her. And even if there were no tricks, all he had to do was withhold the antidote she must take every month. That would be enough to make her suffer.

Both outcomes were a dead end...

Ji Yunhe tugged on her shirt. She was already feeling a bit warm after taking the pill, now she was even more restless after stressing over her current situation. The room became stuffy and unbearable and she decided to go for a walk in the crisp night air.

She kept thinking as she wandered, and soon found herself standing before the dungeon holding the jiaoren.

In fact, it was not by chance.

The dungeon where the jiaoren was being kept was the most secure one in the entire valley. Very few demons qualified to be locked in here, so it was almost always free and empty. Ji Yunhe enjoyed walking around this area when she was upset or stressed. Sometimes she would even go inside the cell and hang out for a while.

With no one inside, it was a rare place where she could feel a bit of security.

Now the jiaoren was here. Many guards stood outside the dungeon, giving Ji Yunhe a simple salute as she approached, "Master Warden."

Ji Yunhe nodded and casually asked, "Has that demon been docile?"

The guard replied, "The young valley master cleaned him up during the day so he wouldn't have the strength to toss around at night."

Ji Yunhe nodded again, "I'll go take a look."

She slowly stepped down onto the dungeon floor. She did not try to conceal the sound of her footsteps, because he would be able to detect her no matter how quiet she tried to be.

Down in the dungeon, the prison cell was dead silent. Huge iron bars were plastered with talismans and washed clean of the blood splattered during the day. The moonlight casting down from the top of the dungeon made it look extra cold.

And the jiaoren was hanging alone inside. His long tail draped down, dragging over the ground while the scales shimmered under the light of the moon. One could vaguely see how gloriously stunning it used to be.

Ji Yunhe slowly stepped in. His head was hanging down and his waist length silver hair shielded half of his face. But even so, Ji Yunhe could not help but find this demon too beautiful.

Excessively beautiful.

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