Jian Lin walked out menacingly, only to deflate upon feeling the cold wind outside.
No matter what, being in prison was not a good thing. Heavens! Why was she so unlucky!
Perhaps due to the Grand Priest's special instructions and the escort of crow guards, the Lin Yu Guards did not act excessively.
However, even being near them was unbearable for Jian Lin, as she remembered the Demon Lord's words: the Lin Yu Guards were poisonous all over.
Fortunately, the journey was not long. From the Grand Priest's mansion on the mountain peak to the Demon Emperor's palace halfway down, it took less than ten minutes.
Upon landing, Jian Lin looked at the dark entrance to the death row, her small face contorted like a bitter gourd. She had no idea when she would get out.
The Lin Yu Guards handed her over to the prison guards and then whispered something into the ear of one of them. Jian Lin tried to eavesdrop but was discovered by another guard, who shoved her hard and yelled, "Behave yourself!"
Jian Lin glared back fiercely but ultimately dared not do anything more. She would endure!
As soon as the instructions were finished, the guard shoved her again, pushing her into the death row.
The death row was dark and damp, the air filled with the stench of blood and the occasional sound of pained wails and groans. She looked up, and behind the dark bars, shadows flickered. Occasionally, a withered, bloody claw would reach out, grasping desperately.
Jian Lin cautiously avoided them and soon reached the end. The guard locked her in a cell in the corner and left briskly.
Jian Lin clung to the bars with both hands, watching their retreating backs holding torches. Her vision plunged into darkness, replaced by pairs of glowing eyes appearing behind other cells.
"It's a human... scent," a neighbor sighed.
As soon as this was said, more glowing eyes appeared. Jian Lin's heart tightened, and she quickly retreated. At this moment, she began to pray that the Demon Emperor's prison was sturdy enough to protect her from being eaten by other demons.
Only when she shrunk into the corner did Jian Lin feel slightly relieved. She sat down cross-legged, vigilantly watching the cell door, and began her agonizingly long prison life.
Soon, a night passed. The sun rose, and sunlight streamed through the ventilation window above, bringing a little light into the dark death row.
Jian Lin stood up, stretched her arms, and sprang up. Her fingers gripped the edge of the narrow window opening, and she looked out. She saw a prison yard. Due to the limited angle, she could only see the guards' feet patrolling back and forth, diligently doing their duty.
Jian Lin reached out to try and pull the bars of the ventilation window. Before she could touch it, there was a "snap." It felt like an electric shock, repelling Jian Lin straight backward. She slammed against the cell door with a bang, and the lock chains rattled.
This series of events was very noticeable in the quiet death row. Jian Lin felt a bit awkward, like the embarrassment of dropping your book on the floor when the whole class is napping.
She leaned against the cell door motionlessly, praying for the chains to quiet down quickly so she could minimize her presence.
"Heh, foolish human," the same steady voice from last night spoke, mocking her without mercy.
Jian Lin slowly turned her head and looked in the direction of the voice. With the light coming in, the death row was no longer completely dark, and she could vaguely make out a silhouette.
The demon had a pair of huge, forked horns, like branches. Jian Lin couldn't help but suspect that the other party was a deer.
Before Jian Lin could get a clear look, another voice chimed in, much sharper and harsher, echoing the previous demon's words, "Indeed, very foolish. But as food, this point is not that important."
"So noisy!" another irritable voice exclaimed, "You're all so boring. We're all in death row, and we're all food for the Demon Emperor. Who has the right to mock a foolish human?"
"Brother Zhiwu," the sharp voice retorted, "Don't be discouraged. Have you ever eaten a human? If you can taste it before dying, it's not a wasted life as a demon."
The irritable demon and the sharp-voiced demon started arguing. The demon who spoke first fell silent. Jian Lin watched him shake his large horns, seemingly uninterested in the dispute.
Shifting her gaze, Jian Lin suddenly became interested in her cellmate directly opposite. Why was it that after all the demons argued, the one closest to her remained silent?
She narrowed her eyes and looked closely. With the faint light, she discerned that the cell opposite seemed empty? Was there no demon inside?
Jian Lin quietly retreated and, amidst the clamor, boredly reached into her Qiankun bag, preparing to take out some snacks.
Perhaps because the Grand Priest had instructed them, the guards had not searched her. Jian Lin still had many good things hidden on her, which were perfect for passing the boring time in prison.
She took out a handful of pine nuts, shelled them, and threw them into her mouth, grinding them finely with her teeth. She unconsciously thought of that scoundrel Demon Lord, how hateful he was!
While eating pine nuts, Jian Lin closed her eyes and communicated with the system, wanting to find something to help her escape from the mall.
Facts once again proved that scoundrels were unreliable; everything had to be done by oneself.
Just as she was happily communicating with the system, the system suddenly changed its tone and said hesitantly, "Host, I don't know if I should remind you, but there's a demon sitting opposite you right now."
Jian Lin blinked, still with her eyes closed, and said faintly, "Young Master, you've arrived..."
"What do you mean?"
"Exactly what it means," the system hesitated, "Don't be scared when you open your eyes."
Jian Lin opened her eyes in confusion and met a pair of golden eyes glowing with a faint light. Even with the system's warning, her heart skipped a beat, and she flinched backward, hitting the hard wall with a bang that made her head ring.
Jian Lin clutched the back of her head, bravely raised her head, and said to the little demon standing in front of her, "Friend, don't scare foolish humans. Foolish humans might be scared to death."
The little demon opposite her was about as tall as Jian Lin sitting down. It had messy white fur, golden eyes, a three-lobed mouth, and pointed ears. It was actually a little kitten.
Of course, Jian Lin, adhering to the principle of not judging a demon by its appearance, did not dare to disrespect the little demon based on its appearance. After all, any demon that could be imprisoned in the Demon Emperor's death row was surely not a simple one.
The little demon licked its nose with its tongue and asked curiously, "Foolish human, what are you eating?"
Its voice was young and cute, perfectly matching its appearance.
"Pine nuts," Jian Lin spread her palm and said friendly to the little demon, "Do you want to eat?"
The little demon nodded solemnly, extended the nails on its claws, carefully picked up a nut, and threw it into its mouth, crunching it like cat food.
"No, no, no," Jian Lin picked up a nut, used her nail to pry it open along the seam, and offered the white kernel to the little demon, "Don't eat the shell, eat this."
The little demon extended its claws to pick it up, threw it into its mouth again, and its eyes lit up with joy as if it had eaten something magical. Then, it extended its paw pads, naturally indicating that it wanted more.
Jian Lin shrugged indifferently. Since she was idle anyway, shelling pine nuts was not difficult.
Seeing the little demon eating happily, Jian Lin smiled and struck up a conversation, "What's your name? How did you get in?"
"My name is Xiao Li, as in the 'Li' of dawn, because I was born at dawn, so I was given this name," Xiao Li answered without any reservation, "I live opposite. I heard you eating and just walked in."
Jian Lin glanced back. The gap between the bars was only about three fingers wide. How could she walk in?
Xiao Li was very patient. She stood up to cover for Jian Lin, lifting her chin and easily squeezing through the gap, then easily squeezing back.
Jian Lin was dumbfounded. Cats were indeed made of water; this was possible! She thought Xiao Li would use some magic, but it turned out she just squeezed through.
After finishing a handful of pine nuts, Jian Lin's fingers started to ache from shelling them. She took out a handful of preserved fruits from her Qiankun bag, "Xiao Li, try this."
Xiao Li took it, sniffed it with her nose, and then threw it into her mouth. The sour and sweet taste surprised her, making all her fur stand on end. Then she happily chewed, clearly falling in love with the taste.
Jian Lin took the opportunity to ask, "Xiao Li, why did you enter the death row?"
"Because my mother came in, I had to come with her," Xiao Li was a rather simple little demon and said without reservation, "Later, my mother was dragged out and never returned. It's said she was skinned to make a fur coat for the Demon Emperor. Only I was left in the cell."
Oh, this. She never expected to hear such a tragic story, but the little demon telling it was very calm.
Jian Lin didn't know what to say to comfort her. After much thought, she took out a bag of precious dried meat from her Qiankun bag. She had personally marinated and made it in Chuyun Pavilion. She usually only took out one or two pieces to satisfy her cravings, but this time she generously gave it all to Xiao Li.
Xiao Li hugged the large bag, her tail wagging happily, and exclaimed excitedly, "Foolish human, you are very capable. You have a lot of delicious food."
Jian Lin couldn't help but laugh and reach out to stroke Xiao Li's fluffy head, "Call me Sister Apei, and don't call me foolish human."
Xiao Li immediately changed her address sweetly, "Sister Apei."
"So good!" Jian Lin burst out laughing, patting her chest and saying, "Sister has a lot of delicious food here. As long as you behave, Sister will give it all to you."
Thus, Jian Lin found a little cutie in the death row. Xiao Li initially took the food back, but after two or three days, she became devoted, sleeping next to Jian Lin and even exposing her belly without any defense.
During these two or three days, Jian Lin discovered that Xiao Li had good relationships with other cellmates. She often went visiting and shared the dried meat Jian Lin gave her with the other demons. She was truly a well-behaved, sensible, and generous little demon.
Thanks to Xiao Li, Jian Lin shed the title of "foolish human." All the demons now called her Miss Apei.
Jian Lin nodded with satisfaction. With Xiao Li accompanying her, her days in prison were finally not so unbearable, and she was no longer in a hurry to get out.
She wanted to see what the Demon Lord would do.
Another three days passed. If she calculated carefully, she had been captured for half a month. Finally, the Demon Lord appeared.
Jian Lin was meditating and cultivating when she vaguely smelled a familiar aura. Without opening her eyes, she said faintly, "Young Master, you've arrived..."