As he asked this, Ye Zichen tensed up. He looked intently into Xue Beibei’s eyes, unwilling to miss even the slightest change in her emotions.
“You want to know who he is? To his surprise, Xue Beibei seemed troubled. She put her hand on her chin, then continued, “I actually don’t know all that much about him.”
Ye Zichen kept pushing. “Can you tell me whatever it is you do know?”
“Of course I can.” Xue Beibei pressed her lips together. “He’s been there since before I was born, or maybe even before my oldest sister was born. You might not know about this, but the prisoners down there are all of other races, and they snuck into our territory to gather information. You were down there, so I’m sure you saw that it’s a mix of yao and demons. When my dad catches a spy, he doesn’t kill them. He just imprisons them, and after a set amount of time, he’ll let them go.”
“Great Emperor Xue Yang sure is compassionate,” exclaimed Ye Zichen.
“He says it’s not easy to cultivate, and they all came here for the sake of their own people. Besides, once they’re captured, they’re not a threat, so we might as well leave them with their lives and give them a second chance,” explained Xue Beibei.
“But what about the guy on the third layer?”
“He’s a bit strange. Once, when I was little and didn’t know any better, I snuck off to play in the dungeons, and I went down to the third layer and…. Well, I left pretty quickly.” Xue Beibei sharply changed the subject. “Afterwards, I went looking for my older sisters, and my eldest sister told me never to go down there again, so I never did.”
“Then….” Ye Zichen was a bit frantic.
Xue Beibei sensed this, so she continued her story. She had quite a bit to say, but she didn’t say what Ye Zichen most wanted to know.
“Is that all you know?” Ye Zichen arched his brows.
“That’s all I know.” Xue Beibei nodded. “None of them would tell me any more, and I didn’t keep pushing. Furthermore, I never took another step into the dungeons, so this is all I know. I’ve already told you everything I can tell you.”
“Didn’t you say you’ve got a strong sense of curiosity? You gave up without finding anything out?”
“When I was little, I was scared of my dad. Big Sister Qianhe told me to ask my dad, but I didn’t dare,” pouted Xue Beibei.
“Only Great Emperor Xue Yang knows the inside story?” Ye Zichen fell silent.
He was overcome with curiosity about the mysterious demon on the third layer of the dungeons. He really wanted to know just who it was. He had a certain premonition….
That whoever it was, they were no ordinary Demon God!
Rumor had it that before Kui Lin, the current Demon Emperor, took the throne, the former Demon Emperor inexplicably disappeared in his prime. Afterward, there was no more news of him.
A few Demon Gods had supported Kui Lin’s rise to power. Even now, there was no word of the former Demon Emperor’s whereabouts, or what had happened to him.
For such a mighty Demon Emperor to disappear without a trace was naturally suspicious. Some people said he’d gone to the Outside, and that the Outsiders had killed him. Others said that he’d simply grown tired of his position and went off to live in seclusion.
But those in the know knew that neither explanation was logical. No matter how strong the Outsiders were, the former Demon Emperor was the strongest non-transcendent cultivator in existence. There was no way the Outsiders could just kill him like that. It was possible that he’d grown tired of his position, and that he’d willingly abdicate, but he would have chosen someone he trusted to take the throne in his place. He’d cared deeply about the demon race, and there was no way he’d just run off to live in the mountains and forests without a word, leaving his race without a leader and overpowered by both humans and yao.
Ye Zichen had heard stories of this, but at the time, he hadn’t had much of a reaction.
Yet now, he’d discovered such a terrifying prisoner in the Xue Family dungeons, someone stronger than any of the current emperors, someone so strong, it was terrifying….
He couldn’t help but connect him to the missing former Demon Emperor.
If it really was the former Demon Emperor imprisoned down there, why was he in the Xue Family dungeons of all places? Was his disappearance related to the Xue Family?
Could it be that the Xue Family was consorting with demons?
“Hey, what are you thinking about? I’m talking to you! Are you listening?” Xue Beibei jumped onto the bed, grabbed Ye Zichen’s face, and shouted at him.
Only then did Ye Zichen come back to his senses. Xue Beibei let go of him, then put her hands on her h.i.p.s. “What’s up with you? I’m talking to you, but you’re ignoring me!”
“I was asking about that communication device. It seems like it has tons of little games on it. They’re really fun to play, so I want one too,” said Xue Beibei, scrunching up her nose.
“No problem. I’ll have one shipped to you within a few days.”
“Great, it’s a deal!” Xue Beibei laughed in delight and jumped off the bed.
Ye Zichen took this opportunity to remind her, “Beibei, remember: what we discussed today is to stay between us. Don’t talk about this with your dad or anyone else, okay?”
“I got it, but lying to my dad feels weird. Also, if you really want to know the details, you have to ask him anyway.” Xue Beibei batted her eyes, then laughed impishly. “Let me tell you, Dad dotes on second sister the most. I heard the Hermit Emperor say that only you can save her. Given your personality, I’m sure you’d agree to help without asking anything in return, but I advise you to use this to threaten my dad. If you do, he might tell you whatever you want to know. I’ve given you a weapon, so you have to give me one of those devices, and it should be a good one. If it’s low quality, I don’t want it.”
She batted her eyes then grinned wickedly. Then, with one last reminder to get her a phone quickly, she dashed out of the room.
When Xiao Yumei and Pu Jingwan heard that, they couldn’t help but stare.
“They say that kids are their fathers’ downfall, and they’re right. She sold her own father out for a cell phone. I wonder what Great Emperor Xue Yang would say if he knew?”
“But then, we can work that to our advantage too!”
There was no way they could threaten Xue Yang, and they absolutely had to save Xue Mo.
Still, talking to Xue Beibei had enlightened him. He really could use this as an opportunity to get some of the answers he’d been craving. Of course, he’d have to proceed with the utmost caution!
