Wangcheng.
The Gongyuan.
Nian Jiaojiao and her companions arrived at the mission hall.
Nian Jiaojiao: "Submitting mission."
The instructor looked up, "Present proof."
Nian Jiaojiao produced the certificate from the Hot City government, bearing the official seal.
"Hot City? The Face Stealer!"
The instructor holding the brush was startled, followed by an exclamation.
"Is something amiss?" Nian Jiaojiao asked.
The instructor did not reply but looked at them.
One, two, three, four.
Then, she lowered her head and counted against the ledger.
One person was missing.
So, she exclaimed in surprise:
"For the Face Stealer mission, you lost one person?"
Luo Wen, behind Nian Jiaojiao, spoke up:
"No, instructor, none of us were lost. One person is severely injured and unable to come to the academy."
Ruo Jin had hurried back to the Luo family after returning to Wangcheng.
At this point, she no longer cared about any reward.
The instructor was even more astonished. After a long silence, she said:
"Could it be that the Face Stealer you encountered was less powerful?"
The instructor's conviction grew stronger with this thought.
"However, this mission was rather special. We have already sent people to provide support. Perhaps you missed them on your way.
The rewards will be distributed after these support personnel return.
These two are your senior students, at the Object Manipulation realm. It's a pity they made a wasted trip."
The group nodded.
After this ordeal, everyone just wanted to go home and rest.
...
The Cui family.
Cui Qingluo: "Tong Gege, have you heard? Luo Jin from the Luo family, after going out, returned in a state where she is neither human nor ghost."
Cui Tong poured her a cup of tea and said:
"Is it that Luo Jin?"
Cui Qingluo nodded:
"That's right, it's that Luo Jin who recently sent a calling card to Mother, intending to propose marriage to you."
Cui Tong: "How did she become like that?"
Cui Qingluo: "She took on a demon-slaying mission, and returned in this state. Hmph, trying to be capable without the ability. Fortunately, Mother hadn't agreed to your marriage yet, or you would have been married to this 'half-dead old woman'."
Cui Tong: "Miss Luo is a pitiable person. Qingluo, you shouldn't speak like that."
Cui Qingluo: "No way, defending her like this. You don't have feelings for her, do you..."
Cui Tong frowned: "I haven't even spoken a word to her. Qingluo, don't spout nonsense. People born into families like ours, what talk of liking or disliking? Matters of marriage..."
"Matters of marriage are decided by parents."
Cui Qingluo playfully rolled her eyes and continued.
She looked at her own brother. They came from the same womb, yet their thoughts were so different.
"In short, if I'm to marry, I want to marry someone I love. Otherwise, I'd rather remain unmarried my whole life."
After Cui Qingluo said this, for some reason, Qiu Yu's face suddenly appeared in her mind.
It has been more than two years. Does she really not intend to renounce her monastic vows?
This year, her marriage with Tong Gege will definitely be settled...
Qiu Yu...
...
"Achoo!"
"Achoo!"
Nian Jiaojiao suddenly sneezed twice.
Yuchuan worriedly asked, "Wife, did you catch a cold on this trip?"
Nian Jiaojiao shook her head: "How could I? That place, Hot City, is much warmer than here. Moreover, at my realm, it's difficult to even catch a cold. I suppose someone is speaking ill of me behind my back."
"Wife, wife, continue speaking..."
Xingyun urged impatiently.
Nian Jiaojiao continued addressing the three husbands who had not yet gone out:
"Earlier, we were talking about how City Lord Ding Shen's face was stolen, so we then..."
...
Night.
Xingyun lay in bed, still excited.
Having never truly met them, he felt this demon-slaying trip was spectacular and interesting.
"Second Brother, next time Wife goes demon-slaying, I definitely want to go."
Xingyun turned over, facing Nan Qing.
Nan Qing lay perfectly straight in bed, his eyes not open.
"The demons from beyond the heavens have cunning means, and their forms are even bizarre. Wait until you enter the next realm. Also, you need to be more composed when facing matters, so Wife can feel at ease taking you out."
Xingyun pouted:
"Second Brother, I feel like I'm already at the bottleneck of the Transcendent realm. It won't be long before I reach the Object Manipulation realm. Perhaps, by then, I'll be the first among us to reach the second level!"
Xingyun paused for a moment. Not hearing a reply from his side, he couldn't help but ask:
"Second Brother, tell me, how much longer do you need?"
Nan Qing still did not respond. His breathing was steady, as if he had already fallen asleep.
But Xingyun suddenly seemed to remember something. He gently nudged Nan Qing's arm and whispered:
"Second Brother, when you went to Hot City, did you and Eldest Brother sleep with Wife together?"
Nan Qing's breathing hitched, but it quickly stabilized.
...
In the room on the other side.
Nian Jiaojiao had not yet slept. She was at her desk, contemplating what book to write next.
Qinglian Bookstore had basically dominated the novel market in Qingzhou two years ago.
Her poetry collection and two novels were highly sought after throughout Qingzhou.
With the help of the Huang family, since last year, Qinglian Bookstore had opened in Wangcheng.
And as information about the demons from beyond the heavens was released, the most popular novel was not "The Butterfly Lovers," but "Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio: The Remarkable Man."
She had passed by teahouses and heard storytellers. Some storytellers even analyzed that these were all the author's personal experiences...
In that case, demon-themed novels were still the trend for the entire Great Yue Dynasty market...
Nian Jiaojiao picked up her brush and wrote the words "demon" and "monster" on the Xuan paper.
What should she write about?
Nian Jiaojiao fell into thought again.