137 - Stealing the Yuri Protagonist Harem

Luo Wusheng stroked his chin thoughtfully. Just moments ago, after sifting through countless options, he finally decided on a course of action. First, he needed to break away from the watchful eyes of the Buddhist sect. If he remained under their surveillance, his plans—which could otherwise succeed—would surely be hindered. Next, he had to find a viable path to Ascension, one that would entice the Transcending Tribulation cultivators invested in the Buddhist sect to join his side. Truth be told, both tasks seemed daunting. The Buddhist sect's methods of surveillance were not simple. To break free from their watch, he would need to remove any trace of the ties between his origin and that immortal bald monk. As for the second task... if an Ascension path were truly easy to find, there wouldn't be so many Transcending Tribulation cultivators stuck in a semi-dead state. But Luo Wusheng possessed an edge that others did not. He could place his hopes on the most deserving individuals. (Ugh... these guys toil so hard, but in the end, don’t they just need the real protagonist to advance? Do they seriously believe in the bald monks' plans?) Unfortunately, his status granted him neither the voice nor the evidence to convince those Transcending Tribulation cultivators, and even gaining an audience with them seemed almost impossible. Clear-headed, Luo Wusheng shook his head. Truth be told, he felt somewhat unusual today. For some reason, he was in especially good spirits, processing all that information without an ounce of panic, and even managed to shift his focus to catching an escaped demon rat. The immense pressure he felt was perfectly balanced. But it wasn't a bad thing; no need to dwell on it for now. "Nearly a year left..." Luo Wusheng murmured, suddenly frowning as he glanced at the little mouse in the cage he was holding. Something seemed amiss... He suddenly recalled a memory of when he had similarly caged a creature he had once thought was an ordinary mouse. Back then, it had disappeared from the cage inexplicably and reappeared at the opening ceremony of the Demon Artifact Pavilion, where a certain sword immortal had discovered it... He had assumed it seized a chance to escape since he hadn't paid it much attention then. But now, on second thought, something didn’t quite add up... Staring at the blankly gazing demon rat in the cage, Luo Wusheng swiftly expanded his spiritual sense. Then he froze slightly. At the edge of his spiritual sense range, he saw the shadow of a white-furred little mouse without a tail. At the boundary towards which it fled, Luo Wusheng furrowed his brow at the familiar aura present there. ......... The white-furred mouse struggled to crawl across the ground. Its eyes flickered with resentment and humiliation. Yet again, it had to sever its tail to escape from the Holy Son of the Demon Sect! Three times it fled, and three times it lost its fortune! (Well, at least... although this time was a bit tougher than the first, compared to the second where I lost 22 million fortunes, this is still manageable.) It comforted itself inwardly. There was no other way left to console itself. After all, the Holy Son of the Demon Sect, now at the Nascent Soul stage, was not someone it could confront at its current level of power. To silently flee from his gaze, it had no choice but to use its tail-severing technique... truth be told, it had been using this skill so frequently that it almost began to feel like it was born without a tail. "This time, when I return to the demon lands, I’ll seclude myself and cultivate for a hundred years... Ha, that pathetic Holy Son of the Demon Sect probably has only a year left to live." Recalling how it once inexplicably felt kindly towards the Holy Son, only to be backstabbed, the little mouse spat fiercely: "Serves him right! That damned Holy Son of the Demon Sect is lucky he didn’t die by my hands!" Having escaped quite some distance, it had spoken these words without bothering to lower its voice. Considering its remote location, even if some ordinary cultivators or mortals appeared, it thought it could easily crush them into a mist of blood and consume them—currently lamenting the lack of such bloody sustenance. But just as it formed this thought, it heard a light, airy voice. "...Did you just mention the Holy Son of the Demon Sect?" The little mouse was startled, its body shivering as it looked ahead. A woman’s figure materialized before its eyes. She possessed peerless beauty, her eyes glowing brilliantly like those of an enchanting demon. Upon seeing her face, every fur on the mouse stood on end, and when it noticed the old, emaciated monkey styled as a maid girl behind her, an expression of sheer terror appeared in its eyes. "Elder Yuan, it's yours to handle." An ethereal voice sounded softly. The emaciated old monkey nodded slightly, and then a moment later, his eyes sparkled, and his withered form transformed, no longer appearing old, but becoming a robust and vigorous figure. With two light flicks of his fingers. Boom! Boom! Where the white-furred mouse had been, there was now only a pit, and in the rising dust, the barely conscious white-furred mouse was caught up by spiritual energy, landing in the hand of the young maid. It was completely sealed with seals. Realizing its every move had been locked down, despair flickered in the mouse demon’s eyes. To think it, the invincible mouse, would end up being thwarted by the old second-time monkey... ## Section 1: Chapter 203: The Demon Concubine - Fox Form (Fourth Update!) The figures before the demon mouse belonged to none other than the Demon Concubine, who had come searching for Luo Wusheng, along with her companions, Xiao Guai and Elder Yuan. In the final moments of the previous day, the little fox finally caught traces of the Moon Xuan Ji technique lingering on Luo Wusheng. The trace led to the state of Jianzhou, though the exact location was still unclear. But she rushed there the first moment she could from the capital. She wasn't even sure why she was acting so out of character. She undoubtedly had been party to the most information at the time, being the one least justified to worry about Luo Wusheng's safety… Was it a lack of faith in her "good friend"? Impossible. If it were so, she wouldn’t have chosen him to aid her in lifting the suppression of the previous emperor of the Immortal Kingdom. But if not that reason... As a Demon Concubine from a grand era, the former ruler of the demon clan, she found herself perplexed by her own emotions. On the other hand, Xiao Guai and Elder Yuan, observing her, felt increasingly peculiar glances directed at her as time wore on. And so it was now. Upon arriving today, the Demon Concubine had sensed the region of Jianzhou where Luo Wusheng was. She immediately began a methodical search. Now, having finally heard word of him and having sensed his presence—stronger than before, rather than weaker—after extending her spiritual sense, serenity filled her heart. Perhaps all she wanted was the solace of knowing that he was safe. She vanished from her spot. In her erstwhile location, Xiao Guai held the thoroughly sealed white-furred mouse, exchanging a peculiar look with Elder Yuan. However, Xiao Guai did not meet Elder Yuan's eyes again when he requested another glance, creating a touch of tension. Xiao Guai, the small tree demon, looked pensively at the mouse demon in her grip, giving it a shake. Could her Demon Concubine sister... really have fallen for the Holy Son of the Demon Sect? Being a confidante among confidantes of the Demon Concubine, she knew quite a few secrets. For instance, her sister, although at the peak of the God Transformation stage, didn't possess the mindset typical of centuries-old cultivators... Especially when it came to matters between men and women. She worried about her Demon Concubine sister being beguiled by someone who liked to call himself Dragon Dahai. (That Holy Son of the Demon Sect seemed quite glib... Last time I saw him, there were two more women by his side; the female disciple from the Sword Pavilion with the plain appearance seen at the Demon Artifact Pavilion’s opening was nowhere to be found yesterday...) Must have been abandoned because of her plain looks! Ugh, men! ......... At the mouth of the rocky cave. With sunlight kissing his face, Luo Wusheng stood smiling, meeting the gaze of the enchanting woman before him. "Young master..." Yao Ji's eyes quivered slightly as she softly called out. Luo Wusheng nodded with a smile: "Miss Yao Ji truly is the first to find me..." He hadn't finished speaking when he suddenly fell silent. For a slender, fair hand had gently grasped his right wrist. Feeling the gentle warmth of spiritual power entering his body, a soft warmth spread through his heart. "Nascent Soul? No, there’s no sign of dao rhyme flowing, and no nascent soul birthed in the dantian... what stage is this?" As doubt flickered in her sparkling eyes, Yao Ji sighed with relief: "There are no hidden dangers, the spiritual power flows normally... though I don’t know what the young master went through to elevate to this stage, as long as the young master is unharmed." Her beautiful face, incomparable in beauty, wore an expression of genuine relief. Delivered with such tender emotion through her ethereal, melodious voice, it softened Luo Wusheng’s heart. The tension from the Buddhists' plotting was momentarily forgotten. Gently, he reached out his left hand, resting it atop the hand of the small fox holding his right wrist. Then, he found himself momentarily shocked. Because as he sensed it, the spiritual power within Yao Ji was nearly exhausted. Examining her features closely, he saw the faint hues of fatigue. Could it be… she had been searching for him relentlessly since he had vanished the previous day? With her yet-to-recover cultivation? Luo Wusheng speculated internally, a complex feeling welling in his eyes. He could foresee that if anyone were to seek him out, the most likely candidate to appear first would be Yao Ji, the Demon Concubine. After all, she possessed the keen perception and abilities of someone at the peak of the God Transformation stage, not to mention her amicable relationship with that white-haired loli who had transported him here. However, he hadn't expected Yao Ji to find him so quickly. From the time he vanished yesterday until now, barely a day had passed. In fact, he hadn't even left that mysterious realm with the headless Buddha statue yesterday... Considering Yao Ji's less-than-optimal state, finding him so swiftly wouldn't have been an easy task. Thinking of this, Luo Wusheng couldn't help but internally grumble about the Tianji Tower's mistress, who played the role of Yao Ji’s "good sister." That person must be watching all of this unfold from the shadows. Luo Wusheng shook his head lightly, pondering what to say to Yao Ji when a sudden, inexplicable impulse surged within him. His eyes inadvertently drifted to the hand of the small fox, currently beneath his own. It was a flawless hand. The proportions were graceful, slender, and fair, with just the right amount of flesh in some places and a subtle boniness in others, making it delightful to touch. It was with these hands that she played those soul-stirring, peerless melodies on the zither... (Ah, there it is—the feeling!) Luo Wusheng's expression changed abruptly. It felt as though he was about to let go of the small fox's hand. But he reacted just a fraction too late. His left palm suddenly burst with a blinding light. In that moment, he felt the elegant woman before him tremble slightly, followed by a soft and alluring sound escaping her lips.