The Heart Seed’s Revelation

Ji Jie willingly arched her backside again. Tou, without a moment’s hesitation, conjured the Sky-Piercing Great Pillar, the very weapon that had sent her flying moments before, back into his hand.

Though a size smaller than before, a single strike from it would be excruciatingly painful. Her backside still throbbed with a fiery ache from the previous blow; another would undoubtedly inflict unimaginable agony.

Yet, Ji Jie harbored no worries, for she observed little Qiao Qiao’s rising panic. Everything was unfolding precisely as she had anticipated.

“Pigtail sister, I’m sorry! I shouldn’t have called you a bad person. Please let maid sister go! Punish me instead; just me!”

Qiao Qiao, her face streaked with tears like pear blossoms in the rain, clung to Ji Jie’s backside and cried out to Tou.

“I’m not a bad person, so can I stay for dinner tonight?” Dinner remained Tou’s primary concern. He retracted the Sky-Piercing Great Pillar, and his expression softened considerably.

“Yes! Yes! As long as you don’t punish maid sister anymore, I’ll ask Mama to make you lots and lots of delicious food tonight!” Fearing Tou might change his mind, Qiao Qiao quickly spoke, without even wiping her nose.

Witnessing Qiao Qiao’s tear-streaked, disheveled appearance, Tou disdainfully wrapped an arm around Four-Master’s neck, pulling back and waving a hand. “Let’s spare her today! Four-Master, I want to go out…”

Tou glanced around at the ancient trees and dense forest, certain there was nothing amusing to be found. After a moment’s hesitation, he amended his statement:

“Let’s ask the Village Chief about the Water Monkeys’ whereabouts and go find them instead! I’ve heard that the meat of powerful demon beasts is quite delicious!”

“Oh, Tou, you certainly get motivated whenever food is mentioned!” Yue Ye Si, also commanded by Tou, was nonetheless willing to do anything for him from the bottom of her heart. If not for her own foolishness, forgetting to bring spirit stones when they left, how could she have allowed Tou to suffer such injustice, having to complete tasks and live in this village just for a meal?

Had she possessed spirit stones, she would have ensured her little apprentice enjoyed lavish feasts of meat, fish, immortal birds, and exotic beasts every single day. Still, she was quite pleased to see Tou dressed in a beautiful little skirt.

“It’s all because of you two idiots! You haven’t even dug up a single piece of useful information after all this time! Any random dog would be more helpful than both of you!”

With Four-Master exposing his intentions, Tou unhappily twisted a small hickey onto her neck, then kicked in Ji Jie’s direction, cursing in a most unpleasant manner.

“Forgive me, Master! This time, I will definitely extract useful information!” Ji Jie, fully embracing her role as a maid, reported to Tou before heading towards the Village Chief.

“Maid sister, I’ll help you too. If you get the information you need, you won’t be punished, right?” Qiao Qiao asked, following closely behind. Though she had apologized to Tou, a hint of suspicion still lingered within her.

“Indeed! But merely obtaining the information is just the bare minimum. I must do even better, making it easier for Master to hunt Golden Body realm Water Monkeys in the future. Only then will my efforts as a maid truly hold meaning!”

Ji Jie, without slowing her pace, swiftly arrived before the Village Chief.

“Four-Master, let’s go join the excitement too.” Tou stretched languidly on Yue Ye Si’s back. Qiao Qiao was ignoring him, and he felt bored. With everyone now interested in the Water Monkeys and gathering around the Village Chief, Tou had even less to do.

By going to the Village Chief’s side, even if he couldn’t grasp a single word the old man spoke, Tou could at least supervise Ji Jie, ensuring she didn’t slack off.

“The Heart-Eating Demoness and her connection to a Golden Body realm being… well, it’s all because of me, actually.” The Village Chief said, lifting his shirt to reveal a grey heart-shaped mark over his chest. Seeing the mark, the Village Chief sighed deeply, and just as he was about to speak, Ji Jie interjected with a shout:

“You, you offered your heart to the Heart-Eating Demoness!”

Ji Jie was utterly astonished. Her gaze then shifted to Qiao Qiao’s father, who was casually playing with his wife’s backside nearby. As if to confirm something, she stepped forward and grasped his arm.

Simultaneously, another warm, jade-white hand also seized Qiao Qiao’s father’s arm.

It was Yue Ye Si. She, too, was startled by the mark on the Village Chief. Shouldn’t all those who had offered their hearts to her—humans, demons, or beasts—have been sealed away by the Human Emperor a hundred years ago? Why would one appear before her now?

There could only be one explanation: this Village Chief was very likely the Heart Seed that the Human Emperor had stolen long ago. The only way to confirm this possibility was to ascertain whether the Village Chief had left behind any descendants.

In this world, verifying if a child was one’s own kin was quite simple; one merely needed to check if their bloodline matched. Most adults had already performed this test on their children, yet Yue Ye Si and Ji Jie intended to carry it out themselves.

This matter was of immense importance! Not a single step could go wrong!

To Qiao Qiao’s father’s bewilderment, a slight prick of pain shot through his arm as two drops of his blood were separately extracted by the two women. The blood was then injected into the Village Chief’s body, where it seamlessly integrated without any rejection. This confirmed that Qiao Qiao’s father was indeed the Village Chief’s biological son.

“What’s wrong?” The Village Chief asked, puzzled, unaware why these two were verifying his bloodline with his son.

“Nothing at all. I merely heard that those whose hearts were consumed by the Heart-Eating Demoness could not leave behind descendants. I was simply curious if it was true. It seems those were just rumors! So much time has passed; naturally, the information isn’t entirely reliable!”

Despite her words, Ji Jie harbored different thoughts. She had extensively researched the Heart-Eating Demoness, as her own Xiao Yuan had also offered their heart, just like the Village Chief.

For Xiao Yuan to survive, they needed to consume a heart every month. Presumably, the Village Chief, in his own struggle for survival, frequently ventured into the forest to hunt demon beasts and devour their hearts, thereby provoking the Water Monkeys’ retaliation!

In her quest to restore Xiao Yuan to normalcy, she had begun searching for clues, but matters had not unfolded smoothly. The righteous cultivators had deemed Xiao Yuan a heretic and eliminated them!

Now, Xiao Yuan’s Heart Seed resided within Ji Jie. For some unknown reason, she felt that Xiao Yuan was still alive, convinced that by entering the Heart-Eating Demoness’s Lake Heart Palace, she would surely discover a method to revive Xiao Yuan.

Her deliberate misstatements were due to Yue Ye Si. This Heavenly Human realm expert also seemed to possess knowledge regarding the Heart-Eating Demoness. As a Heavenly Human, her perspective was undoubtedly far superior, and her understanding much deeper than Ji Jie’s. Ji Jie feared exposure, especially since one of the three Heart Seeds required to enter the Heart-Eating Demoness’s Lake Heart Palace—the Demon Heart Seed—was already in her possession.

The Human Heart Seed, which she had sought for a long time, was now right before her eyes. Through the lineage of blood, it was undoubtedly present in one of the three individuals: the Village Chief, Qiao Qiao’s father, or Qiao Qiao herself!

If Yue Ye Si knew the method to enter the Lake Heart Palace, she would surely extract the Human Heart Seed from one of the three. In that scenario, Ji Jie’s future attempt to seize the Human Heart Seed from Yue Ye Si would be more arduous than ascending to the heavens!

She prayed that Yue Ye Si would not set her sights on the Human Heart Seed!

“Eh?” Tou was suddenly jostled back and forth by Yue Ye Si. Uncomfortable on her back, he was about to curse when he nudged Four-Master’s back, only for his eyes to catch sight of the Heart-Eating Demoness’s mark on the Village Chief. As if struck by an idea, he leaped over and poked it with his staff.

“So, you were once a Human Heart Seed. Let me see which of you three is the Human Heart Seed. I’ve wanted to play in the Heart-Eating Demoness’s palace for ages!”