The Female Cannon Fodder With Boundless Merits
Chapter 352 - 356: For the Demon (18)

Chapter 352: Chapter 356: For the Demon (18)

After the clash of memories.

Crown Prince Chu Xiao sat on his bed with a sullen expression, his hands hanging listlessly.

In his previous life, after Cuicui had died at his hands, he thought he could be even more spirited, but he ended up dying in the Holy Emperor’s purge.

The essays in the Jade Pendant had long ceased to be much help to him.

Before his death, he realized he had been too arrogant. If he had another life, he’d surely be extra cautious.

Still, heaven had given him another chance to be reborn, but was it certain it wasn’t just toying with him?

Without the initial reliance on the Jade Pendant, what could he use to sit for the imperial examination or to associate with scholars?

Chu Xiao tried to recall the memories in his mind, only to find that his memories from his previous life were hazy, and he could not remember specifics at all.

And thinking about the scholar’s meeting in a few days gave him a headache.

Previously, he rose to prominence at this very gathering by virtue of the essays within the Jade Pendant, earning the admiration of many nobles.

He was unwilling to give up.

In the end, Chu Xiao figured out a method. During the scholar’s meeting, he managed to produce a relatively decent essay.

It wasn’t great, but not bad either.

A few unique points of view also attracted the admiration of some nobles.

Chu Xiao was still reveling in his pride when, unexpectedly, a flush-faced Scholar burst into the gathering.

"This essay is mine; Chu Xiao is a plagiarist!"

The feverish Scholar angrily looked toward Chu Xiao, then handed over his proof to a servant beside one of the nobles.

The thing scholars loathe the most is a plagiarist.

Chu Xiao was well aware of this, but he was truly desperate.

His mind was empty; not to mention creating an elaborate essay, even a simple poem was beyond his abilities now.

So he took a dangerous gamble... And it all fell apart.

Once the plagiarism scandal erupted, Chu Xiao’s eligibility for the imperial examination was revoked.

Surrounded by contemptuous glances, he had no choice but to sell his family’s small courtyard with his mother, Mrs. Chu, and move to the countryside.

For Chu Xiao, who held memories of his past life, this was torture.

If he hadn’t experienced it, it wouldn’t matter, but after tasting the flavor of power, second only to one, to then return to the life of lower-class people was unbearable.

A small knife lay across his wrist.

An excited smile appeared on Chu Xiao’s face.

Once this life ended, perhaps he would return to the successful era of his past life.

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Extra (Three)

"Madam, Miss... The Taoists from Ziwei Temple are outside again, proclaiming that the Black Lady is a demon," someone reported.

Hearing this, Mu Xiu’er’s expression turned stern. "Go and tell Eunuch Yang that I am willing to treat the Holy Emperor, but the Daoist from Ziwei Temple is too arrogant. He should send someone to rein them in a little."

Yan Qing, now an elderly lady but well-preserved and more vigorous than the young, smiled and handed her daughter a cup of tea, "Don’t be upset. It’s not the first time those Daoists have done this."

Mu Xiu’er, now looking dignified and authoritative, with a touch of resolve on her beautiful face, said, "I just can’t stand it. How can those Taoists think of removing Master’s stone statue..."

"Master is an immortal recognized by the Holy Emperor himself; everyone saw the Immortal Tribulation that day."

"Even if Master were a demon, what of it..." Mu Xiu’er muttered to herself, "When we were in dire straits, neither the gods nor immortals came to our aid... It was the Black Lady who helped us escape from misery."

Yan Qing fell silent upon hearing this.

In the afternoon, Mu Xiu’er, leading a group of Disciples, arrived at the foot of Lian Mountain.

"Look closely, this is the stone statue of our ancestor, the Black Lady..."

At this moment, Lian Mountain foot had already changed dramatically.

The incense was burning brightly, making the golden statue gleam even more brilliantly.

Mu Xiu’er lifted her head to look at the statue, and couldn’t help but recall the first time she saw her master.

"I can help you."

Her master really did rescue her and her mother from the mire.

Not just that, she healed her broken body and gave her the ability to stand on her own two feet.

Filled with deep reverence, Mu Xiu’er bowed several more times to the statue.

-----------------------

A thousand years later

In the dark of night, three severely wounded young warriors were fighting and retreating.

Enemy soldiers, one squad after another clad in armor, were closing in on them relentlessly.

"Mu Xi, Mu Lang, thank you both for fighting so valiantly in the bloodbath for me. The kingdom is lost, the emperor, my father, is gone... Hand me over, and you two run for it."

"Your Highness, it’s unthinkable. Even if we die, we will not abandon you."

"Ha-ha-ha, keep running, let’s see where you can go..." A rough voice followed closely behind them.

To these youths, he seemed to enjoy their terror as if a cat was toying with a mouse.

Mu Lang gritted his teeth, and suddenly a glimmer of an idea struck his mind. He grabbed his brother’s hand with one hand and the Crown Prince’s with the other, and ran wildly toward a certain direction.

"Ha-ha-ha, run, keep running..."

The enemy general seemed to take pleasure in not killing the defeated Crown Prince immediately, but mocked them while following with his soldiers at a not too close yet not too distant pace.

Mu Lang, leading the other two, ran to the top of a hill and stopped.

In the disordered thicket, one could barely make out the sight of a faded stone statue.

"Why stop running now?"

Mu Lang put an arm in front of his brother and the Crown Prince, then yelled, "Mu Xi, go and kowtow to the Black Lady, she will save us."

Mu Xi: "....."

Crown Prince: "....."

"If you all kneel down and call me ’grandpa’ a few times, I might leave you whole corpses, otherwise..."

Looking at the handsome young warriors in front of them, the enemy soldiers all revealed lascivious gazes.

But before these soldiers could finish their laughter, a beam of golden light soared into the sky.

The statue, which had been dark and indistinct, began shedding its broken pieces, revealing its entire figure.

Soon after, two beams of golden light shot out of the statue’s eyes, eradicating all the enemy soldiers present.

In an instant, not a single hair of those soldiers was left, they vanished like steam right before the eyes of the survivors.

Mu Xi and the Crown Prince were both thoroughly frightened.

Mu Lang also struggled to maintain his composure so as not to show his fear.

"Brother, bro... what, what happened?"

Over time, the Mortal World, which no longer had any Taoists or demons, had come to believe that immortals and demons were just figures of legend.

They never expected to have such a firsthand experience of the fantastical.

Mu Lang calmed his mind and said, "In the family library, there is a chronicle that seems to have been left by our ancestor."

"It records that at the foot of Lian Mountain, there is a statue of the Black Lady, and if one day our family faces great calamity, we may seek refuge at this place."

"Those who carry the Mu Family bloodline and sincerely kowtow to the Black Lady’s statue can receive a chance at protection, up to a total of three times."

"I, I just did it out of curiosity, and since it wasn’t far from the city, I had come to explore once before, not knowing if it was true or false. This time, we were just desperate, and I thought we might as well try it."

"I never expected... it to actually be real." Mu Lang was completely stunned, and it took a long time for him to come back to his senses.