The Female Cannon Fodder With Boundless Merits
Chapter 384 - 388: Demon’s Gratitude (11)

Chapter 384: Chapter 388: Demon’s Gratitude (11)

Shi Jiaojiao raised her hand, about to knock on the door.

The door to the study creaked open from inside.

"Cousin..." Shi Jiaojiao pouted, calling out in a voice full of grievance.

Su Li was the only one who believed her, and he was also her cousin with whom she had a close relationship.

The fear and grievances she had felt these days could no longer be suppressed and burst forth.

Her eyes instantly moistened, and her voice choked up.

Fortunately, Shi Jiaojiao’s emotional collapse was brief, as the careful upbringing by her family prevented her from crying loudly in public.

It seemed as if this loss of composure was just an illusion to Su Li.

Su Li smiled gently and patted the back of Shi Jiaojiao’s hand, "Don’t be afraid, I have a way."

Although Shi Jiaojiao was somewhat skeptical of the methods her book-learned cousin proposed, his words still gave her strength.

She soon cheered up, waving her hand, "There’s no need for cousin to worry about this."

"Brother just needs to help me by inviting the temple priest from the City God Temple ten miles away."

"Recently, I had the maids by my side inquire outside, and I heard that the temple priest has some divine skills. All the frightened children and rituals in the city seek his help."

Shi Jiaojiao thought wisely; as a woman, it wasn’t appropriate for her to go outside seeking people, so even this piece of news was acquired by having the maid secretly do it.

It was different for her male cousin, though.

However, the demon targeted her specifically with a menacing ferocity, and she did not want to involve her cousin and accidentally harm him.

Su Li shook his head, "Not so, cousin does not know, the tricks up that priest’s sleeve are all deceptive, he spouts nothing but lies as soon as he opens his mouth, he has gained his reputation merely by being able to read people but actually has no real substance."

"He just has a significant presence among the common folk, tricking the ignorant."

Su Li wasn’t idle even when he sat quietly behind closed doors.

Since it involved demons and the Ghost Path, he naturally found out everything clearly.

Upon investigating, he indeed uncovered some interesting information.

A mysterious power hidden within the Capital was tightly protecting the entire city.

No wonder no demons appeared under the Emperor’s feet, nor were there any major incidents of demons harming people.

Of course, in such a vast Capital, it was possible that some slipped through the cracks, like the Carp Spirit in the Su Residence.

Moreover, this mysterious power had a close connection with the Imperial Family.

Thus, not everyone was unaware of the existence of demons.

Certainly, a portion of the people were privy to the inside information.

Su Li had limited power and had not uncovered much in the short term, or perhaps it was too deeply hidden.

Upon hearing Su Li’s words, Shi Jiaojiao was almost driven to tears.

"Then, what should we do..."

Su Li: "Give me your palm."

Shi Jiaojiao extended her delicate hand as instructed.

Before she could react, the cool sensation in the palm of her hand was gone.

Su Li quickly wrote a character in the palm of Shi Jiaojiao’s hand.

A faint red light flashed by, unfortunately, an ordinary person like Shi Jiaojiao could not perceive it.

Shi Jiaojiao looked at her empty palms, slightly embarrassed.

"Cousin... what are you doing?"

Su Li confidently proclaimed, "I drew a talisman with the saliva of a top-grade cup king in the palm of your hand. If a demon tries to harm you, one slap from you onto the demon’s body might not severely injure them, but it will definitely last until I come to rescue you."

Shi Jiaojiao: "....."

Cousin is still the same cousin, feeling less and less reliable... What should I do?

Has his mind become muddled from too much reading?

Shi Jiaojiao suddenly thought in terror, could it be because he became foolish from reading too much that he believed her words about demons.

The more Shi Jiaojiao thought, the more pessimistic she became, and her mood sank even lower.

She felt she had suffered ten thousand points of damage from her own family.

In a huff, with her face puffed up like a blowfish, she turned and walked away.

After walking a few steps, she turned back and ran to Su Li’s study, gathering all the yellow talismans from the cabinet.

Though cousin was unreliable, at least the talisman papers he somehow obtained from some obscure corner were useful.

Shi Jiaojiao made up her mind that even if everyone thought she was insane tomorrow, she would ensure all the able people and odd talents in the city were summoned.

Just then, she suddenly realized something: what is reputation compared to one’s own life?

As long as she spoke nicely to her family, the people of Shi Mansion should not blame her maternal grandparents and her uncles and aunts too much.

The girl’s heart was just too soft; she worried about this and that, fearing that her own issues might cause a lot of trouble.

It was only when she could no longer hold back that she finally made a decision.

According to Su Li, the girl should have sought help from home much earlier; any elder who loves their children, no matter how absurd they feel, would still patch things up a bit with their children.

In fact, Su Li had his own selfish reasons for not reminding his naive little cousin.

If the people from Su Residence and Shi Mansion actually found a skilled Taoist and captured the demon, where would he find another demon as foolish as this one?

When he had just refined the top-grade cup king, Su Li could vaguely sense the consciousness of the King Cup.

It conveyed to Su Li in bursts of joy, sensing the presence of something tasty.

Following its guidance, it turned out to be the demon energy left by the Carp Spirit on the Old Madam.

Shi Jiaojiao quietly affixed the yellow talismans she had taken back to her bed, the door, and windows, placing a few where they wouldn’t attract attention.

She kept the remaining one in her sleeve, never letting it leave her side, even clenching it tightly in her palm while she slept.

Only then did she feel somewhat relieved and extinguished the candle.

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

That night, the dense darkness, thick as ink, slowly slid across the ground like ripples on water.

Where it passed, it left behind a wet, sticky trail, similar to the mucus on the external surfaces of an aquatic creature, accompanied by a fishy, foul odor.

This cluster of black viscous substance slid to the front of Shi Jiaojiao’s room.

From within this puddle of jelly-like black substance, slowly, a humanoid figure began to stretch upwards.

The air filled with the increasingly intense smell of rotting fish.

Slowly, the humanoid figure transformed into the likeness of Yu Jiaolan, the Carp Spirit, except her current facial expression was sinister and ugly.

On her stomach, previously as large as a three-month fetus, a wound the size of a bowl revealed its black scar, from which the vile stench emanated.

Yu Jiaolan’s ghostlike gaze dwelt on the wound on her abdomen, her eyes brimming with malice.

Despite the barrier of the door, her gaze, tangible as if it could pierce through, seemed ready to shoot into the body of the girl inside the room.