Chapter 21: Puppet

The demon masters were caught off guard. Almost every one of them had been injured in the fight against the jade phoenix, so they had very little power to fend off Changyi's attack. They panicked and scattered in all directions. Ji Yunhe grew hopeful. Maybe there really was a chance for them to fight their way out.

She tightened her grip on the sword, and at that moment, something white flashed through the crowd. Upon seeing who had just arrived, Ji Yunhe's eyes widened. The Valley Master's demon slave, Qing Shu. She seemed to have suffered some injuries as well from the jade phoenix.

There were still blood marks on her forehead, but this injury did not affect her power. Ji Yunhe's heart pounded inside her chest. She was not worried about whether or not Changyi could take on Qing Shu, she was just afraid…

if Qing Shu had come, then that old man would not be far behind. She looked at the main hall and watched in a daze as Lin Canglan rolled out in his wheelchair. Before Ji Yunhe could even focus her eyes, a streak of light pierced into her forehead. Her entire skull felt as if it were going to explode.

The pain instantly took away all of her strength. She collapsed onto the ground and the longsword fell from her hand. Between the swirling heaven and earth, she only saw countless icicles and swords clash in the air with an endless chain of clatter. Then her world fell into a dead silence.

Ji Yunhe did not know how long she wandered in the darkness. It felt like ten thousand years, but also like a split second. When she could feel the presence of her limbs again, it was someone sticking a needle into her fingertip. All five senses were recovered instantly.

Ji Yunhe opened her eyes. Her body was still too weak to move, but her eyes had already explored her surroundings. She was back. Back in this room that she was all too familiar with. Her residence in the Demon Valley, her courtyard, her prison.

Although this room looked a bit withered from the previous chaos, the invisible bars of captivity were still so strong.

Valley Master's fox demon slave, Qing Shu, sat quietly by her bed performing acupuncture on her. Her body regained life wherever the needle landed. Ji Yunhe wanted to sit up, but as soon as she moved, the sharp pain between her eyebrows started again.

"The soul needle has not yet been resolved, you know the consequences if you move around too much," Qing Shu said coldly.

The soul needle was Lin Canglan's secret technique. It suppressed people's souls and all their senses, rendering their bodies useless. Qing Shu continued, "The Valley Master does not want you dead yet." Ji Yunhe wanted to laugh. Of course.

Inside this Demon Valley, who would have the freedom to choose death? Ji Yunhe struggled and opened her mouth, "Where is the jiaoren?" She exhausted all the strength in her body by asking this question. Qing Shu glanced at her and said,

"Locked up again."

Maybe he was still too weak from his injuries and had failed to defeat that old man? But come to think of it, although they did not know each other very long, his nature would not allow him to abandon a friend and escape on his own.

When she fell unconscious, she likely became a burden to him... With a silent sigh, Ji Yunhe closed her eyes. How were they supposed to escape now...

"The medicine you stole from the master's study, I found them," Qing Shu continued. Ji Yunhe was startled at first, then quickly calmed down. From the moment she left the Ten Square Formation and landed in the backyard of Li Feng Hall, she already knew of this outcome. Lin Canglan was bound to be aware of what she had done.

"What do you guys want?"

Ji Yunhe did not avoid looking at Qing Shu. She was prepared to bear the worst, whether life or death, torture or suffering. Qing Shu laughed condescendingly.

"Just some cold medication. If you want them, you can have them. The Valley Master is generous and will not condemn you for it," she removed a needle and said with eyes full of mockery.

"I placed it on your table."

Cold medication... Lin Canglan knew of her intentions. He had prepared this setup in his study a long time ago and waited for this chance to embarrass her. Telling her he was generous, and would not condemn her… while stepping all over her confidence and self respect.

Qing Shu did not care at all about the look on Ji Yunhe's face. She withdrew the last needle from her forehead, and gave her back control of her body.

A needle could suppress her soul and keep her from all movements. A hand could also pull the needle out. It was like telling Ji Yunhe that she was just a puppet. Neither life nor death was up to herself. It was so easy to manipulate her.

"Ji Yunhe, the master does not care about what you think. But what you think has to stay inside your head. What you do, however, has to be what he tells you." Ji Yunhe sneered.

"You wanted to openly fight with the demon masters in the valley, and he restrained you." Qing Shu placed her needle back into a satchel.

"The master helped preserve your position as Master Warden. You should go and thank him for his mercy and kindness."

As if the room was filled with invisible threads tied to her every joint. Ji Yunhe closed her eyes. She could not bear to see herself like this.

She had thought she would be free after leaving the Ten Square Formation, but unexpectedly, that formation turned out to be her short-lived freedom.

"Lady Qing Shu." A call came from outside the door. Qing Shu gently replied, "Come in."

A demon master pushed through the door and walked in, then whispered something into Qing Shu's ear. Her eyes lit up and she turned her head to stare at Ji Yunhe lying on the bed.

"Ji Yunhe, the Valley Master wants you to immediately report to the Li Feng Hall."

Ji Yunhe rolled over and turned her back on Qing Shu and the demon master. She did not even bother opening her eyes.

"I am injured and sick. Sorry, I can't comply with orders right now." That old man, Lin Canglan, wanted her to live and maintain her position as Master Warden.

She would be a fool if she did not take advantage of this situation. Having endured their mockery in good spirit, surely resting in bed would not be too much to ask. Qing Shu said, "The jiaoren spoke." Ji Yunhe opened her eyes.

"He asked, 'What will you do to her?'"

No need to question, "her" referred to Ji Yunhe. Ji Yunhe was still lying on the bed, but now her body was as uncomfortable as if she had rolled onto a board of nails.