Oh? Combing Your Hair?

"What are we betting on?"

"If I manage to get the Five-Element Earth-Soul Beast's Soul Core, you owe me a hundred catties of Immortal Orchid Powder," Lily Bai said. "The top-tier stuff, brewed by you personally."

"A hundred catties?" Mirage shrieked. "Are you insane?"

"Scared to bet?"

"But what if you lose? If you lose, you'll be dead! What can you possibly give me?"

Lily Bai handed her Sigil Sect Young Master Token to Damian Black: "This is my Sigil Sect token. If I succeed, please give it back to me. If I die, Your Majesty, please give this token to her."

She turned to Mirage and said, "With this token, you can get a hundred talismans from the Sigil Sect—any kind you want!"

Mirage's eyes immediately lit up.

In this world, only a rare few with special talent can become Rune Masters.

Rune Masters are scarce, and talismans are incredibly precious.

Low-ranking cultivators from humble backgrounds may go their whole lives without seeing a single genuine talisman.

Even immortals find talismans hard to come by.

Only in the Sigil Sect are talismans as common as blank paper, scattered everywhere.

"A hundred talismans—fair enough! Fine, I'll take your bet!" Mirage said. "Just don't come crying to us for help when you lose! We won't lift a finger!"

"Relax! I said I could handle it myself!"

"Ha!" Mirage laughed. "Then hurry up! Your Majesty, let's go!"

She was still clinging to Damian's arm.

Damian calmly pulled his arm free, and the three left together.

Lily Bai soared into the sky, ready to hunt the Five-Element Earth-Soul Beast.

But as soon as she took off, she realized... she forgot to ask where Crimson South Mountain was!

Which direction is it—east, west, south, or north?

She really needed a guide.

Lily Bai drew out a talisman.

She followed the talisman’s lead.

Soon enough, she found a lone demon.

The demon was sitting alone by a brook, combing her hair in the water’s reflection.

As luck would have it, it was the very Peacock Spirit who’d bullied her in the Demon Emperor’s Palace.

Lily Bai grinned, planting a foot on the rock where the Peacock Spirit sat: "Hey there, Miss Peacock—doing your hair?"

The Peacock Spirit was startled and tried to jump up.

But Lily’s Rune Staff pressed against her shoulder.

She suddenly felt like a mountain was crushing her, her insides burning—there was no way she could stand up, only terror written all over her face.

"Nice hair, and pretty too. You must've been a gorgeous peacock to start with," Lily Bai said, smiling slyly.

"You... Why are you back again? What do you want?" The Peacock Spirit’s face flushed from the heat of Lily’s Rune Staff, her breath quickening, cold sweat breaking out.

"Tell me, why did you slash my face before?" Lily pointed to the not-yet-healed scar on her cheek.

The Peacock Spirit gritted her teeth, refusing to answer.

Lily pressed the Rune Staff harder. The Peacock Spirit screamed, black smoke curling from her shoulder, and hurriedly said, "His Majesty has never brought a woman home before! He must like you! I’m in love with His Majesty, so of course I had to ruin your face!"

"Oh... so that's it!" Lily Bai drawled, full of mockery. "In love... Hahaha!"

"All the palace maids love His Majesty! Don’t you love him too? What’s so funny about that?" The Peacock Spirit glared at her.

"Me?" Lily pointed at herself. "Which eye of yours saw me loving him?"

"Both my eyes saw it!" the Peacock Spirit cried. "The way you look at His Majesty is full of springtime longing!"

Lily Bai was usually all smiles, but now she was genuinely pissed. She slapped a talisman onto the Peacock Spirit.

The Peacock Spirit instantly reverted to her original form—a peacock—and her spiritual power was sealed.