Chapter 54: The Bet

Zhu Ling's punishment on Ji Yunhe was small potatoes. Afterall he was just a spoiled kid who had never been to a real battle. And with Ji Chengyu constantly nagging him on the side, Ji Yunhe did not suffer much.

However, ever since that day, Ji Yunhe endured torture worse than death whenever Princess Shunde was present. Ji Yunhe was patient. She waited for the perfect opportunity to attack and kill the princess in one fell swoop.

But the Grand Master always watched from the sidelines when Princess Shunde came. He seemed to be aware of Ji Yunhe's intentions, but he did not call her out on it. He only had interest in the changes happening inside her body.

Ji Yunhe's body did not change anymore. Three months later, Princess Shunde came to the prison more furious than ever.

She did not listen to Ji Chengyu's advice, nor did she wait for the Grand Master to come. She pulled open the door of the cell and cursed under her breath, "You traitors..."

Her eyes were red with rage, and she glared at Ji Yunhe while gritting her teeth. The princess stepped into the cell barefooted and with the scarlet whip in hand.

"You all deserve to die!" she yelled out as she lashed ruthlessly at Ji Yunhe's head and face.

And Ji Yunhe had been channeling her power since the moment she walked in. She knew this was the opportunity she had been waiting for.

The moment the whip came down, black gas surged around Ji Yunhe's hand, and she caught the end of the whip. With one forceful pull, Princess Shunde tumbled into her clutch.

The princess's eyes widened with shock as Ji Yunhe's fingers tightened around her neck. But right before the princess choked to death, her body was suddenly pulled away by an even greater force. The attack only left a few bloody marks on her neck.

In an instant, Ji Yunhe was knocked back by another force. It covered her and plastered her to the wall like a spider web. Princess Shunde touched her neck and saw her hand full of blood. With great alarm, she immediately ran to the weapons rack to look into the mirror-like steel blade of a broadsword. She examined her wounds carefully and repeatedly. Once she made sure her face suffered no damage, her eyes turned cold and she pulled a sword out of the rack.

Her gloomy and bloody face made her look like a devil from hell, wanting to chop Ji Yunhe into pieces. But before she could set foot into the cell again, the door slammed shut.

"Enough." The Grand Master casually walked in. "Ruling, do not kill her."

"Master, it's not that I want to kill her." Princess Shunde tightened her fingers around the hilt of her sword, her knuckles turning white.

"This bitch, she wants to kill me."

"I repeat, do not kill her."

Princess Shunde's breathing was rapid and deep. Then she finally suppressed her rage and threw the sword fiercely at the ground.

"Okay, I won't kill her. But master, the northern rebels are occupying the Demon Terrace and making bigger waves by the day, I want you to intervene."

Ji Yunhe smiled, still stuck to the wall. "So the princess is angry over not being able to suppress the northern uprising, and wants to take it out on me. And now that you've failed at both, are you going to cry to the elders for candy?"

"Ji Yunhe!" Princess Shunde spat out her name between her teeth.

"Just wait! Once I take down the Demon Terrace, the world will watch as I strip you of your skin, piece by piece!"

"Two months have passed," Ji Yunhe teased her and laughed again.

"Want to make a bet for two years? Or, better yet," Ji Yunhe collected the smile on her face, "I bet you can't suppress this rebellion, and you can't kill all the people rising up to fight you!"

"Fine!" Princess Shunde said.

"I will bet with flesh and bones. If you lose, I will cut out a piece of your flesh every day!"

"Since it's a bet, the princess should wager the equivalent. If you lose, the same thing."

"We'll see."

"Of course we'll see. What else can I do?"

Princess Shunde stopped paying attention to the snide Ji Yunhe and turned to look at the Grand Master.

"Master," Princess Shunde asked, "things have come to this already, why aren't you taking any action?"

"The little people are of no concern. The jade phoenix is a top priority. I will need to find her and get rid of her before I can go north."