36: It's my turn to play with you.

Gulp~

Bearing the pressure of that jade foot, Chen Qingxuan swallowed hard.

Facing Ji Li's condescending gaze from above, he played dumb, "What do you mean?"

"What do I mean?"

Upon hearing this, Ji Li narrowed her phoenix eyes.

As she spoke, she increased the pressure of her jade foot, "That's the question I should be asking you! Who allowed you to barge into Qian You's Sleeping Hall?"

"Wait, are you blaming me?"

Chen Qingxuan feigned disbelief.

Under Ji Li's scrutinizing gaze, his handsome face methodically displayed a mix of three parts grievance, three parts disappointment, and four parts anguish.

Anticipating Ji Li's interrogation, he had prepared his excuse long ago, "These past few days, to help Qian You awaken her Demon Emperor Bloodline as soon as possible, I've had no appetite and couldn't sleep well. On one hand, I was under your pressure; on the other, I feared that hastily helping Qian You awaken her Bloodline might harm her by forcing growth... I had just managed to fall asleep tonight when I suddenly thought of a method that might work."

"But at this late hour... how could I dare disturb you? After all, I couldn't guarantee it would succeed... What if I got your hopes up for nothing, and you came after me again... So I decided to try it myself... Fortunately, the result wasn't disappointing. I've finally fulfilled my promise."

"I thought you would be immensely grateful to me, finally recognizing me as Qian You's Revered Master. Even when you attacked me earlier, I thought you hadn't recognized me... But now, I finally see clearly."

As he spoke, Chen Qingxuan grabbed the jade foot on him, ignoring its softness, and pushed it away with full grievance and disappointment,

"You recognized me earlier... You wanted to kill me... You suspected I would harm Qian You... You never trusted me from the start... This is an insult to my character as a Revered Master!!"

Chen Qingxuan stood up from the ground while indignantly pointing at the sky.

He practically wore the words 'Heaven, judge my loyalty!' on his face.

"You... How dare you!"

Ji Li was stunned by the scolding.

No one had ever dared to reprimand her with such an attitude... Did he have a death wish?

But Chen Qingxuan's tirade was well-reasoned, not just because he helped Ji Qianyou awaken the Demon Emperor Bloodline, but mainly due to his appearance of having suffered a grave injustice;

Who would dare believe this was an act?

For a moment, even Ji Li couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt... as if she had committed a terrible wrong.

"If I wanted to kill you, you'd already be dead... Would you even have the chance to spout such nonsense here?" Ji Li, after all, was a Demon Lord and naturally couldn't accept being reprimanded like this;

Especially by someone far weaker than herself.

Moreover, she hadn't fully grasped the situation yet and couldn't simply believe everything Chen Qingxuan said.

"Fine, since Qian You has awakened now, I've fulfilled my mission." Chen Qingxuan spread his hands, adopting a look of fearless resignation, "If you want to kill me, do it quickly, lest you regret it later."

"...You think I don't dare?"

"You dare, of course you dare." Chen Qingxuan suddenly extended a hand, boldly poking Ji Li's shoulder, "You can even trample your own daughter's Revered Master underfoot... You don't trust someone who wholeheartedly helps you and your daughter... What wouldn't you dare?"

At this moment, Chen Qingxuan was truly being utterly presumptuous.

But while seeming arrogant, he was actually out of options.

He knew clearly that if he couldn't bluff Ji Li, if he couldn't make her firmly believe he had a clear conscience... even if he survived tonight by luck, he would still be suspected of his motives later.

The only way was to force Ji Li to acknowledge he had no ulterior motives!

Burning his bridges didn't end with completing the contract with Ji Qianyou... The more important part was the aftermath.

Besides relying on feigned anger and courting death to prove his point, he really had no other tricks.

"?"

As for Ji Li, being poked by Chen Qingxuan's finger, she looked utterly bewildered.

How dare he?

Before Ji Li could erupt in anger, Chen Qingxuan, Knowing he must maintain the initiative, turned and walked away, "Farewell!"

"Halt!" Ji Li immediately shouted, swallowing the anger on the tip of her tongue, "Who said you could leave?"

"What? You're going to kill me, why should I stay in the Demon Emperor Palace?" Chen Qingxuan glanced back coolly, "Consider it my mistake in judging character. I thought you were a fair-minded good mother, but now... Hah~ If you want to kill me, just do it... And here I was still thinking about future methods to help Qian You develop her Demon Emperor Bloodline. It seems now... our time as Revered Master and disciple was too short."

"Now that the Demon Emperor Bloodline is awakened, I have no more use... If you're going to act, please make it quick... if only for the sake of the few days I spent as Qian You's Revered Master."

After saying this, Chen Qingxuan steeled himself and turned away again.

"..."

Ji Li clenched her pink fists tightly, knuckles cracking;

To be honest, her resolve to never allow her daughter's Demon Emperor Bloodline to be exposed had never wavered.

Therefore, it was completely impossible for her to let Chen Qingxuan leave.

But she wasn't someone who would kill the goose that laid the golden eggs, especially with the moral judgment in Chen Qingxuan's words... Unconsciously pressuring her;

And Chen Qingxuan's appearance of being deeply wronged, even unafraid of death... made her feel even more guilty and speechless.

But these two points weren't the main reasons for her hesitation. As the ruler of a palace, she could rely on reason to make the most beneficial choice despite emotions.

What made her hesitate was... the bait Chen Qingxuan seemingly casually tossed out—

Developing the Demon Emperor Bloodline!

Before Chen Qingxuan appeared, she hadn't even detected her daughter's Demon Emperor Bloodline, so naturally, she had no means to help her daughter develop it to greater heights.

Now Chen Qingxuan had kept his word, truly helping Ji Qianyou awaken the Demon Emperor Bloodline... and even claimed he could find ways to develop the Demon Emperor Bloodline to more powerful levels.

Who wouldn't be inclined to believe that?

Sigh—

After closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, Ji Li finally flew ahead to block Chen Qingxuan.

"..."

Seeing this, Chen Qingxuan thought to himself, 'Steady.'

He knew well that if Ji Li wanted to kill him, there was no need to fly in front of him... This was to stop him!

Hehe~ Now it's my turn to play with you.

Before Ji Li could speak, Chen Qingxuan directly lifted his chin and closed his eyes, "Do it. Make it quick."

"..."

Ji Li instantly gritted her teeth in anger.

Seeing Chen Qingxuan's infuriatingly cheeky face, A pair begging her to kill him... She really wanted to raise her fist and pummel him to death.

He just finished scolding her... and still dared to act like this?

However, Chen Qingxuan's 'dead pig Not afraid of boiling water' attitude truly left Ji Li at a loss. Finally, she could only reluctantly grab Chen Qingxuan and drag him back... Chen Qingxuan opened his eyes, "What are you doing? Need to pick a spot to kill me... Then find me a cooler place, so my corpse won't stink up your place."

"...Shut up!"

Ji Li couldn't take it anymore, saying coldly, "Listen clearly, without my permission... not only can you not leave the Demon Emperor Palace... you don't even have the right to die!"

"What do you mean? You still want me to stay in the Demon Emperor Palace?" Chen Qingxuan pretended to be surprised, "You don't trust me... What reason do I have to stay... If you're afraid I'll leak the Bloodline secret outside... You can just kill me directly... Why put on such an act?"

"You..."

At this moment, Ji Li was trembling with anger.

In her entire life... she had never met someone so arrogant and domineering!

But But she had no way to deal with him.

In the end, she could only take out that black-red whip, channel Demonic Power to use it as a rope, and bind Chen Qingxuan to a pillar outside the Sleeping Hall,

"Wait here for me!"

After saying this, as if afraid Chen Qingxuan would continue barking, she also used the whip to gag his mouth.

Then, Ji Li entered the Sleeping Hall.

Sigh—

Watching Ji Li's retreating back disappear, at this moment, Chen Qingxuan was like a deflated balloon... Not long after.

When Ji Li emerged from the Sleeping Hall, followed by a beaming Ji Qianyou.

Seeing Chen Qingxuan tied to the pillar, her smile instantly vanished. She ran towards Chen Qingxuan while looking back, "Mother, quickly untie Revered Master!"

Whoosh—

Ji Li waved her hand, retracting the whip into her storage ring, her gaze towards Chen Qingxuan still filled with speechlessness.

Before Chen Qingxuan could stretch his limbs;

The previously cold and wary little girl actually threw herself into his arms, "I used to think Revered Master was a pervert~"

Ji Qianyou lifted her pretty little face, smiling radiantly.

Chen Qingxuan: "???"