The reason the term "demonic" is included in the title of the future Empress Yuanzhen is that, by the standards of modern society's morality, she possessed substantial psychological flaws.
Firstly, she bullied the weak and feared the strong; secondly, she was cunning and mistrustful; thirdly, her moods were unpredictable.
Bullying the weak and fearing the strong referred to how she regarded ordinary human lives as worthless, yet she feared i Yingxue as one would fear a tiger or a wolf.
In history, Zhao Yuanzhen, to avoid the official manhunt, fled from Jiangnan Province all the way to Nanjiang Province. Along the way, to prevent her whereabouts from being exposed, she killed the innocent in numbers that could be counted in the thousands, causing an extrely adverse societal impact.
Being cunning and mistrustful ant that she never trusted anyone else, only valuing her own strength.
Even after later accepting the governnt's offer of amnesty and dividing the governance of the nation's internal and external affairs with i Yingxue, Zhao Yuanzhen never considered forming her own faction or support base.
She established no faction, took no disciples, passed on no teachings—her one hobby was to write her autobiography and make docuntary films, boasting about how formidable she was.
Her unpredictable moods were what she was most criticized for.
Before Zhao Yuanzhen got angry, she would often pretend to speak gently; when she was pleased, she often deliberately showed anger.
Perhaps she did not want to let others see through her thoughts, but such unpredictable behavior undeniably made those around her feel like they were "on thin ice," making it very hard to have any good feelings toward her.
Of course, at this ti, Zhao Yuanzhen was not yet the reclusive and odd Demonic Empress of the future, but that didn't an Yan Yu could take her lightly.
It was now about one o'clock in the morning, and there were not many pedestrians on the road.
Although Zhao Yuanzhen's clothing was sowhat eye-catching, at first glance, passersby would only think she was a young lady from the Hanfu circle and would not actually associate her with cultivation.
The only thing to avoid was the ubiquitous street surveillance caras—after all, once the authorities and i Yingxue communicated and reached a preliminary cooperation, they would soon start looking for Zhao Yuanzhen, the Demonic Sect Enchantress, so she absolutely could not be caught on cara.
Yan Yu was a high school senior who commuted from a rented room nearby and had lived there for nearly three years. He had long beco familiar with the arrangent of the street caras. At this mont, he was leading Zhao Yuanzhen through a complex path, sotis crossing over bridges, sotis taking small riverside paths, and sotis even passing through bushes...
In short, he was doing his best to avoid the main roads to stay out of the public surveillance caras' range.
If there was no way to avoid a particular area, he would turn around and instruct her to cast the Invisibility Technique, transforming into a black mist to drift past unseen.
Zhao Yuanzhen was oblivious to the existence of caras but noticed that Yan Yu's route was exceedingly peculiar; there were many places where she even needed to beco invisible to comply... Could this be so kind of profound formation?
That's right, since the mastermind behind him was intent on saving , he naturally wouldn't forget to set up corresponding high-level formations to block the paths of the pursuers behind .
But why were the steps to disengage the formation so strange?
They didn't conform to the Nine Palaces, resembled not the Bagua, didn't fit into the Seven Absolutes, and were unlike the Liu Ren... It looked like a child wandering around aimlessly.
No, no, Zhao Yuanzhen, don't be foolish!
How could you easily decipher the thought patterns behind the formation steps set by a master tactician? Who do you think you are?
Just morize them properly! There will be plenty of ti later to study this profound formation. Don't be distracted by needless concerns right now!
Yan Yu, however, was unaware of Zhao Yuanzhen's thoughts. Seeing her looking around and desperately trying to rember the route, he couldn't help but feel amused inside.
While he didn't explain the concept of "surveillance caras" to her, had she already sensed that the public environnt was not safe enough?
Indeed, in the original tiline, she managed to escape over 1800 kiloters upstream along the Yangtze River from Jiangnan Province, managing to evade capture for a continuous ten years—her wariness and sense of crisis were far beyond her peers.
Arriving at the door of the rental, Yan Yu took out his key from his pocket and silently opened the door.
"Co in," he said.
Zhao Yuanzhen carefully stepped over the threshold, while glancing at the security door from the corner of her eye.
The door was actually made of tal, how strange.
But to a Cultivator, even if it were forged from fine steel, it could not withstand a single spell... No, this residence couldn't possibly be so unprotected. There must be so powerful prohibitions hidden inside!
Once back ho, Yan Yu carelessly patted the nearby chair:
"Take a seat."
Zhao Yuanzhen cautiously sat down, only half of her rear touching the chair, appearing quite tentative, her gaze not daring to wander.
Seeing her so proper and well-behaved, Yan Yu felt a sudden urge to laugh.
The Demonic Empress Yuanzhen naturally bullied the weak and feared the strong. At this mont, misled by the disparity in information, she thought she had the support of a mastermind behind her, so she did not dare to act rashly.
As ti passed, she would soon realize sothing was amiss and begin to test Yan Yu's true identity incessantly.
However, the degree of cunning and suspicion characteristic of the Empress Yuanzhen was almost unparalleled.
As long as she couldn't confirm that the alleged tactician "absolutely did not exist," she would not dare to take the risk of offending him by making a move on Yan Yu.
Combining the above information, the answer to how he should interact with her in the future beca clear:
Endurance.
The more you suppress and trample her, the more she will believe you are acting boldly, and the more she will dread the possibility of a "great power" behind you;
But if you are excessively polite and attentive to her throughout, it will only make her more suspicious of your identity... As the Empress Yuanzhen herself said in her autobiography docuntary, "The Demonic Sect does not value gentleness, respect, thrift, and yield; it's all about the rciless law of the jungle."
If you're not weaker than , why would you show kindness?
Therefore, the logic of a Demonic Sect Enchantress who responds to toughness and not to gentleness, referring to her as a masochist also wouldn't be too far off.
With his plan set in mind, Yan Yu nonchalantly crossed his legs, looked at the cowering, trembling, helpless Demonic Sect Enchantress opposite him, and arrogantly instructed:
"Since you've chosen to seek refuge with , don't you even understand basic etiquette? Go get a bunch of grapes from that fridge, wash them, and bring them to ."
Zhao Yuanzhen was taken aback by his words, biting down on her silver teeth in secret, thinking, "Could it be that he's treating like a servant?"
Having grown up in the Demonic Sect, she was accustod to all manner of sycophantic ugliness and knew well the principle of survival through bending or standing firm when necessary.
Perhaps the reason this person was ordering around was on the orders of his master, deliberating testing to see if I was obedient enough.
If I showed the slightest hint of rebellion, I would be deed "a useless chess piece" and discarded without rcy!
Consequently, she held back her displeasure and crisply responded, walking over to the iron chest that Yan Yu had pointed out.
Upon opening the chest, a cold draft rushed out. Zhao Yuanzhen clicked her tongue in wonder, thinking this must be so sort of a Storage Magical Treasure for ice, intended for storing fine wines and dishes, but why is it so unwieldy and difficult to carry?
She had just taken out the grapes when Yan Yu spoke again:
"The kitchen is over there. Turn on the tap in the sink, and wash the grapes thoroughly. Gently rub them with your hands, make sure there's not a speck of dust on them, nor any damage to the skin."
I'll rub your dog head clean off! Zhao Yuanzhen cursed silently to herself but turned the tap as instructed and saw the tap water gush out, causing her another shock:
Such an ingeniously designed water pipe! If a channel were to be dug here, turning it into a stream with twists and turns, it would indeed add a touch of Jiangnan elegance.
Yet Yan Yu, unaware of Zhao Yuanzhen's intentions to rip up his ho's flooring, simply urged her on:
"Are you done yet? Why are you so slow?"
"Done, done." Zhao Yuanzhen, having carefully washed the grapes and plated them on a porcelain dish, presented them to Yan Yu with the respect of a maid.
Yan Yu lay lazily on the sofa, not even bothering to get up, but simply gestured towards his mouth with his hand.
Hateful little thief, do you actually want to feed you? Zhao Yuanzhen was livid.
But upon reflection, his daring arrogance was surely because he had the support of a powerful spellcaster as his master, right?
Detestable. It's not that I'm willing to kneel to you—it's only out of respect for your powerful master that I'm temporarily yielding.
Suppressing the anger at being humiliated, Zhao Yuanzhen patiently picked a grape and lightly placed it in his mouth.
Yan Yu watched her seemingly submissive yet humiliated expression as he ate the washed grapes, finding it increasingly amusing and entertaining.
However, just like tempering a hawk, he knew there had to be a degree to which he pushed her—knowing when to tighten and loosen his grip. If he pressured her too much, it might drive her to desperation and provoke a violent reaction, which would backfire on him.
Having wielded the big stick, naturally, it was ti for a carrot, so he smiled slowly and said:
"Don't bear a grudge because of this. In the art of divination, the most important thing is the cycle of cause, effect, and retribution. Your respectful conduct towards today—who knows if I won't be the one to help you out in the future?"
Zhao Yuanzhen's eyes instantly lit up, and she asked:
"How will you help?"
The enchantress can't seem to keep her composure, still unable to change her nature of seeking quick success... Yan Yu then leisurely said:
"Tell , do you wish to defeat i Yingxue?"
Of course, I do! If not for the vast gap in innate talent and strength, I would have already flayed that wretched woman, ground her bones to dust, seized her soul, and trapped her to torture day and night!
Thinking of how she had been hard by i Yingxue and ended up in this strange world made Zhao Yuanzhen burn with rage, though her face showed only docility and sweetness as she said:
"Now, as a humble girl under the protection of your sect, I simply follow the host's lead. Whatever your master orders to do, I shall do, only wishing to preserve my life and daring not to think of anything else..."
Before her words were finished, her chin was lifted by soone.
Yan Yu gently took hold of her chin, forcing Zhao Yuanzhen to look directly at him as he said arrogantly:
"Don't try to be clever with , it won't work."
"Seeing as how you've been so obedient in serving , I can reveal so of your future fortunes to you. Listen well."
"Within ten years, you'll stand no chance against i Yingxue; a decade later, your strengths should be closely matched."
"Twenty years from now, the tables will turn in terms of offense and defense. Whether you wish to kill or flay her, she'll have no choice but to take it! But this is premised on your acting according to destiny, not on your own whims. Otherwise, if you should perish mid-way, there will be no power to turn back ti. Do you understand?"
Yan Yu's tone was profound, his face bearing the mystic smile typical of fortune tellers, which suggested he had revealed as much of destiny as he dared.
Whether you believe it or not, I'll paint you a big picture here, sustaining hope within you.
Zhao Yuanzhen was stunned for a mont, her body trembling violently, her cheeks flushed with excitent as she said in her delicate voice:
"Is it really as you say, honorable master?"
"Of course." Yan Yu nodded nonchalantly.
Zhao Yuanzhen quickly put her imagination to work: Could this be the implied suggestion of taking as a disciple?
If I comply with the commands of the powerful divinator behind him, he's willing to nurture , or even accept as his disciple, help advance my cultivation bravely and powerfully, teach art of moving mountains and filling seas, and ultimately have the overwhelming power to easily crush i Yingxue!
In that mont, beneath the layers of caution, defense, and apprehension in Zhao Yuanzhen's eyes towards Yan Yu, there finally erged a hint of dependence, greed, and longing.
Yan Yu could see it, but he had no idea about her "disciple imagination"; he simply thought her obsession with killing i Yingxue had driven her mad, so he smiled enigmatically and said nothing more.
Of course, he spoke the truth. In her previous life, Zhao Yuanzhen, even with her constant fleeing and hiding as Zhao Running, eventually beca a figure on par with i Yingxue.
In this life with his assistance, how could she possibly fail to win against i Yingxue?
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