Chapter 18: Zheng Xiao, one of the Nine Kings

Chen Youde was getting old.

Even if the name “Ghost Axe” was prestigious, it couldn’t stop the butcher’s blade of time.

Furthermore, he had old injuries and hidden ailments.

There was no telling when he might suddenly drop dead.

Therefore, if she wanted to kill Chen Youde, she had to do it soon.

Wang Sandong felt that letting an enemy die before she could kill him herself would be one of life’s greatest regrets.

Her original plan was to incite Yuan Di to act.

Borrowing someone else’s blade to kill was just as good.

Unfortunately, Yuan Di refused to cooperate.

As for the excuse of “cultivating good habits,” it was pure nonsense.

“To be honest, I mostly suspect that Chen Youde might already know I’m a Demonic Cultivator,” Wang Sandong said, finally coming up with another excuse.

“So, I must strike first. Otherwise, well, if I’m caught and subjected to torture, I’m afraid I won’t be able to resist selling you out.”

Every word was laced with the intent of a threat.

Yuan Di did not take the bait. She smiled and said, “In that case, you should work harder on your cultivation. He only has Grade 5 cultivation left. Once you reach Grade 3 as well, you can make your move.”

“Tsk, speaking of that… look, back when I was Rank 1, I could kill a Grade 3 Spiritual Cultivator. That’s jumping 2 levels. Now that I’m at Grade 3, can’t I kill someone at Grade 5?”

Yuan Di looked at Wang Sandong with amusement.

“That makes sense. Why don’t you go and try?”

“I… cough. I think, just to be safe, it’s better if you do it. Like a tiger hunting a rabbit, there would be no accidents.”

“No, you’re so clever, how could there be any accidents?”

Yuan Di laughed.

“Go ahead and do it boldly. If something does happen… I’ll be sure to burn plenty of spirit money for you.”

Since the conversation had reached this point, Wang Sandong was temporarily out of options.

However, seeing the obvious teasing expression on Yuan Di’s beautiful face made her feel indignant.

“Tsk, Yuan Yuan, if you wore women’s clothes, you would definitely put every woman in the Old Capital to shame.”

The smile on Yuan Di’s face stiffened.

She replied, “The same goes for you.”

“Uh…”

That boomerang…

Came back too fast.

Wang Sandong gave Yuan Di a sidelong glance and left Fengyue Tower in frustration.

If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.

Since she couldn’t rely on Yuan Di to kill Chen Youde, she would have to find her own way.

Should she really wait until she reached Grade 5 like Yuan Di suggested?

That seemed unreliable.

As cultivation progressed, the speed would only get slower and slower.

Wang Sandong had already felt this the moment she reached Grade 3.

Delaying would only bring more trouble.

The slowly moving carriage suddenly came to a halt.

Wang Tong spoke to Wang Sandong in a low voice through the curtain.

“Young Master, a woman is blocking the carriage.”

Hearing this, Wang Sandong lifted the window curtain to look outside.

In front of the carriage, a petite woman stood with her arms crossed, blocking the road.

Seeing Wang Sandong poke her head out, the woman looked over, narrowed her eyes, and asked, “Wang Sandong?”

When Wang Sandong saw the woman’s face, her heart leaped into her throat.

She recognized this woman.

“Ah… you… you are?”

Wang Sandong pretended not to know her.

The woman’s gaze didn’t leave Wang Sandong’s eyes as she walked straight over.

She stopped nearby and smiled.

“Your looks are quite extraordinary.”

“Heh… you flatter me,” Wang Sandong replied humbly.

“My surname is Zheng, and my name is Zheng Xiao. The person you are supposed to marry in a few days is my sister.”

‘Zheng Xiao? And her sister? Setting aside whether your name is really Zheng Xiao or not… Great-Aunt, you’re from a completely different generation!’

Having the memories of Miss Zheng, Wang Sandong naturally recognized Zheng Xiao as that “Great-Aunt.”

Wang Sandong complained inwardly but continued to play along.

“So it’s Little Sister Zheng.”

Zheng Xiao acknowledged her and continued, “I came to find you to tell you something. My sister thinks you’re a sickly person and refuses to marry you. So, on the sixth, I will take her place and marry you instead.”

“What?”

Wang Sandong was genuinely shocked.

She wasn’t faking it.

The Zheng Clan ancestor wanted to take the initiative to marry a sickly person like her?

What was going on?

“Is that not okay?”

Zheng Xiao’s expression instantly turned cold, and she spoke in a freezing tone.

“In terms of beauty, I shouldn’t be inferior to my sister, right?”

Wang Sandong quickly complimented her, “Not only are you not inferior, you’re even a step above.”

“So, do you agree or not?”

“This… marriage isn’t a joke…”

Not knowing what the other woman was planning, Wang Sandong didn’t dare to agree easily.

“Swapping people so casually is… it’s just too casual.”

The situation was too sudden and too ridiculous; Wang Sandong’s mind was a mess, and her words were slightly jumbled.

Zheng Xiao thought for a moment and said, “True, after all, we don’t know each other.”

As she spoke, she lightly hopped onto the carriage and pushed through the curtain.

She sat down without any hesitation and said, “We can chat first to get to know each other.”

‘Get to know each other? There’s absolutely no need.’

Wang Sandong knew all about Zheng Xiao, one of the Nine Surnamed Kings who had participated in the Great Demon Slaying War.

Wang Sandong felt that Zheng Xiao probably knew quite a bit about her too.

This “chat” likely had another purpose.

Could it be…

Had the Zheng Clan found Miss Zheng’s corpse and started suspecting her?

Thinking of this, Wang Sandong’s heart pounded in her chest.

She forced herself to remain calm and managed a smile.

“What would you like to chat about, Little Sister?”

While speaking, she sized up the small, thin girl who looked like a teenager.

Appearances could be deceiving.

This girl who looked only 15 or 16 years old was actually from the same generation as Wang Sandong’s grandfather.

She had heard her grandfather say that this Great-Aunt of the Zheng Clan had spent her entire life obsessed with cultivation and had never married.

She was full of righteous energy and was incredibly fierce.

On the battlefield of the Great Demon Slaying War, she had once set an amazing record of killing 3,200 Demonic Cultivators in 1 day with a single sword.

Looking at the petite girl before her, Wang Sandong truly couldn’t associate her with the description of “incredibly fierce.”

However, observing her demeanor and listening to her speech, she definitely didn’t seem like someone to be trifled with.

And she clearly hadn’t come with good intentions!

Zheng Xiao looked Wang Sandong up and down and said, “I heard you’re dying soon.”

“Uh…”

Wang Sandong was momentarily speechless.

It seemed this Zheng Xiao really was someone obsessed with cultivation; otherwise, how could she be so ignorant of social graces and speak so bluntly?

“It’s true.”

Wang Sandong shifted her thoughts and said, “It’s true that I’m dying. So… I’m really curious. Even if it’s an alliance between our families, there’s no need to choose a sickly person like me, right? I have several cousins. If you like, I can introduce you to them.”

Zheng Xiao scrutinized Wang Sandong. Hearing this, she frowned and asked, “Do you look down on me that much?”

Her tone was icy, clearly showing her dissatisfaction.

Wang Sandong didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Who would dare to look down on one of the famous Nine Surnamed Kings?

She simply didn’t dare to look at her at all.

If she truly brought such a woman home, her status as a Demonic Cultivator would be discovered sooner or later.

When that time came, would she even be able to stay alive?

As the saying goes, a wise person does not stand under a crumbling wall, and they certainly shouldn’t bring that crumbling wall back to their own home!

“Sigh, you’ve misunderstood, Little Sister.”

Wang Sandong realized that calling the Zheng Clan ancestor “Little Sister” gave her a strange sense of accomplishment.

“I’m just not a good match for you. I don’t want to waste your youth.”

‘You’re over 100 years old.’

‘What youth?!’

Looking at Zheng Xiao’s baby face, Wang Sandong muttered to herself.

“The younger brother of the future head of the Wang Family is naturally a good match,” Zheng Xiao replied.

“Speaking of that…”

Wang Sandong offered a small suggestion.

“Wouldn’t it be better to just marry my brother? If you marry me, you’ll likely become a widow the moment you enter the door.”

Zheng Xiao looked at Wang Sandong with a faint smile.

After a moment, she said, “Becoming a widow the moment I enter the door sounds pretty good, too.”

“…”

Those words sounded a bit chilling.

It felt as though if she didn’t die by then, she would be killed.

It was also strange.

Why was the Zheng Clan so intent on an alliance with the Wang Family?

What were they after?

‘You foolish girl, you’re so stubborn! If you don’t want to see your grandfather die, and if you don’t want the Zheng Clan to fall into ruin, you must marry that sickly brat from the Wang Family!’

These were the words Wang Sandong’s prospective father-in-law had said to Miss Zheng.

It seemed something had happened to the Zheng Clan.

Grandfather dying?

That likely referred to the head of the Zheng Clan who had been out of seclusion for 2 years.

Did they need some heavenly treasure from the Wang Family to save his life?

Furthermore…

Even if the head of the Zheng Clan really died, the clan shouldn’t fall into ruin.

Because the “Nine Surnamed King” of the Zheng Clan wasn’t the head of the family, but the Great-Aunt, Zheng Xiao!

As long as the “Nine Surnamed King” didn’t die, it was impossible for the Zheng Clan to fall!

This whole thing felt bizarre.

Also, Zheng Xiao said it was fine to become a widow?

There was more to those words than met the ear!

“Your body is extremely frail,” Zheng Xiao said.

“Even if we get married, you probably won’t be able to perform, right?”

Hearing this, Wang Sandong’s face turned completely red.

Usually quick-witted, she couldn’t think of a response at this moment.

Her mouth hung open slightly, her face felt like it was on fire, and her mind was a total blank.

“That’s good. It won’t interfere with my cultivation.”

Wang Sandong’s mouth twitched.

She was actually turning her embarrassment into rage!

Unfortunately, her strength was too weak.

Trying to kill one of the Nine Surnamed Kings would be like an ant trying to shake a tree.

Ignoring Wang Sandong’s shame and anger, Zheng Xiao added worryingly, “You’re so beautiful yet unable to perform… you don’t happen to like men, do you?”

Using the word “beautiful” to describe a man’s appearance was a flat-out insult.

Wang Sandong felt like she was going to explode with rage.

She tightly clenched her fingers hidden in her sleeves.

Demonic Qi began to leak out, clinging to the gaps under her fingernails and forming black lines.

Meeting Zheng Xiao’s disdainful gaze, Wang Sandong squeezed two characters through her teeth: “I don’t.”

“That’s good then.”

After saying that, Zheng Xiao turned around, her body angled away from Wang Sandong as she looked out the window.

“The weather is nice today. Want to go for a spring stroll?”

Wang Sandong didn’t reply immediately.

She just stared at Zheng Xiao’s back, her killing intent stirring.

A sneak attack from behind had a high success rate.

But…

This was a Nine Surnamed King!

One with a legendary reputation!

Even with a sneak attack, there was absolutely no chance of winning.

Hiss…

A legendary powerhouse, disguising her identity just to come and say these strange things to her…

It was completely illogical!

When things are abnormal, there’s bound to be a catch!

Suddenly, Wang Sandong snapped to her senses.

This Zheng Xiao!

She was likely trying to provoke her on purpose!

Exhaling slowly, Wang Sandong smiled.

“A stroll sounds fine. However, my body is weak, and I can’t walk very far. If you don’t mind, I can accompany you.”

After saying that, she gave a lecherous smile and added, “As for performing, this body of mine really isn’t up to the task. However… one can always use tools, or perhaps hire a few sturdy male servants. If you marry into our family, I certainly won’t let you go hungry or thirsty.”

These words were incredibly out of line.

Zheng Xiao leaned against the window, watching the scenery outside, the expression on her face shifting.

After a moment, she laughed.

“There’s no need for that. I’m not interested in those kinds of things.”

“Oh? Why not?”

“I prefer cultivation.”

“Is it possible… that the reason you aren’t interested is because you’ve never tasted the sweetness of such matters?”

“I…”

Zheng Xiao hesitated.

She realized that if they continued this topic, things would get very strange.

Taking a deep breath, Zheng Xiao said, “Forget it. I should go home and cultivate instead.”

With that, she got off the carriage and walked straight away.

Wang Sandong watched Zheng Xiao’s retreating figure, her expression turning cold.

Inside her sleeves, her ten fingernails had already turned pitch black.

Against a Nine Surnamed King, she naturally had no hope of winning.

But if Zheng Xiao had attacked just now, Wang Sandong still would have fought to the death.

Even if it was in vain.