Upon hearing the words 'Demon Monarch', both Lei Lie and Old Huang's expressions changed drastically, their hearts filled with terror. Lei Lie was especially frightened, holding his breath and not daring to make a sound. Recalling that the woman he had flirted with earlier was actually a Demon Monarch, Lei Lie felt nothing but regret, so much so that he wanted to slap himself a few times.
While regretting, he also felt fortunate—fortunate that Yunyan Fairy had shown mercy at the time. Otherwise, he truly wouldn't have known how he died.
"Brother Lei Lie, this old man thinks you should sincerely apologize to Yunyan Fairy for what happened last time."
"This...
Didn't I already apologize last time?
I even set up a banquet to invite her, but she...
Didn't come. It's not my fault."
Indeed.
Previously, although he didn't know Yunyan Fairy was a Demon Monarch, the fact that she hadn't moved a finger yet made him feel as if he had plummeted into Hell. Lei Lie was no fool; he naturally knew he had encountered a master. Therefore, the second time, he went to apologize in person and even prepared a banquet. Unfortunately, Yunyan Fairy did not attend.
"That's precisely why you should apologize even more sincerely."
Old Huang stared at Lei Lie, his expression serious as he advised, "Yunyan Fairy is a Demon Monarch, not someone our kind can afford to offend."
Lei Lie took a deep breath and asked, "Old Gu, do you think I should go and sincerely apologize to Yunyan Fairy again?"
If he had offended a Spirit Immortal, or some Spirit Demon or Spirit Monster—even an Arcane Immortal, Arcane Demon, Arcane Monster, or even an Immortal Monarch or Demon Monarch—Lei Lie wouldn't be this terrified. But a Demon Monarch...
Lei Lie was genuinely frightened from the bottom of his heart.
In the Great Desolate, Demons were already terrifying existences.
If it were a Demon Monarch...
That was even more fear-inducing.
After all, since ancient times, Demons had been associated with evil, slaughter, and cruelty. Precisely because of their evil nature, in a sense, the deterrence of a Demon Monarch was far more terrifying than that of an Immortal Monarch or Demon Monarch.
"What's this?"
Gu Qingfeng laughed. "Scared already?"
"That's a Demon Monarch! Even if my guts were bigger, I wouldn't dare offend a Demon Monarch."
The more Lei Lie thought about it, the more afraid he became. He said, "How about I go and sincerely apologize again? Old Huang, and you too, Old Gu, come with me. Brother, I'm really a bit scared."
"Brother Lei Lie, don't worry. This old man is willing to accompany you."
"Old Gu, you come with us too. Once this matter is settled, whatever you say goes."
Gu Qingfeng shook his head and smiled. "Forget it. I don't think you need to go."
"Why not?"
"I was just joking with you earlier, teasing you for a bit of fun. Don't take it seriously."
"What joke?
Old Gu, what do you mean?"
"I mean that woman isn't any Demon Monarch at all. She doesn't carry any Heavenly Mandate, and she isn't a Demon either. She's an Immortal, just like you, though she has indeed concealed her true cultivation."
What!
Hearing this, Lei Lie froze on the spot, as if he couldn't believe it. He asked again, "Old Gu, are you saying...
It's true?
You were just joking?
Yunyan Fairy isn't a Demon Monarch?"
"No."
Once confirmed, Lei Lie immediately felt as if a great weight had been lifted off his shoulders. The stone hanging in his heart finally dropped, and he plopped back into his chair. Laughing and crying, he said, "I say, Old Gu, could you please not make such jokes next time? Do you have any idea how scared I was just now?"
"Well, we were just idling anyway. A little joke for some fun. Come on, let's drink to calm your nerves."
"Old Gu, one cup of wine isn't enough to calm my nerves. Look at how much cold sweat you've scared out of me!"
As he spoke, Lei Lie pulled open his robe. Sure enough, just as he said, he was drenched in cold sweat.
"Is it really that bad? Weren't you the one boasting about having guts and having friends among demons, monsters, and ghosts all over the Myriad Heavens and Worlds?"
"No matter how big my guts are, they can't withstand your kind of scare! As for those demon and ghost friends, that was just us bragging while drinking. You actually believed it?"
"Alright, alright, alright!
My fault. Today, my treat, specifically to calm your nerves."
"Old Gu, you said it. Then I won't hold back. This time, I'll drink to my heart's content."
"Don't worry, drink as much as you want. I'll definitely make sure you're satisfied."
"Hahaha!
That's more like it."
"Fellow Daoist Gu..." Old Huang asked again, "Were you really joking with us earlier? Is Yunyan Fairy truly not a Demon Monarch?"
"That's right, it was indeed a joke. What about it, Old Huang? Does she look like a Demon Monarch to you?"
"This..." Old Huang didn't know which of Gu Qingfeng's words were true and which were false. To be honest, when Gu Qingfeng said Yunyan Fairy was a Demon Monarch earlier, he had truly believed it. Although he couldn't see through Yunyan Fairy and didn't know who she really was...
After all, he had cultivated for a hundred thousand years. His experience and knowledge were far beyond what people like Lei Lie could compare to.
Based on his judgment, Yunyan Fairy didn't seem like an Immortal either. Coupled with the means she had used against Lei Lie earlier, Old Huang had his suspicions. However, Gu Qingfeng suddenly denying it outright left Old Huang somewhat uncertain.
Shaking his head, he didn't dwell on it and said, "Brother Lei Lie, this old man still thinks you should sincerely apologize to Yunyan Fairy."
"Why?
Old Gu was just joking with me. That woman isn't a Demon Monarch. Why apologize?"
"Even if Yunyan Fairy isn't a Demon Monarch, her cultivation and strength are not something we can provoke. Just in case, this old man thinks it's better to be cautious."
Gu Qingfeng chimed in, "A real man owns up to his actions. What's there to fear about apologizing?"
"Old Gu, it's not that I don't want to apologize. I apologized last time, but she didn't accept it. You know, I'm still a man. I have some face to save. Apologizing to a woman is already embarrassing enough. If she still doesn't accept it, where will I put my face, Lei Lie's face, in the future?
Especially with so many people on the deck."
Gu Qingfeng nodded, showing understanding. "How about this: I'll call her over. We can all have a drink and get to know each other."
"Old Gu, you can invite Yunyan Fairy over?
I set up a grand banquet last time, and she didn't even give me face."
Gu Qingfeng laughed. "You are you, and I am I. She didn't give you face, but that doesn't mean she won't give me face."
"Really?
Old Gu, it's not that I don't believe in your abilities, but...
That woman is unusually aloof. To be honest, Old Gu, since boarding the ship, many people have tried to invite her for a drink. Among them were famous figures—elegant Immortals from this celestial domain, heroic Immortals from that celestial domain, this Immortal, that Immortal, this great family, that great immortal realm. Even the young master of this Xuantian Great Vessel personally invited her, and she didn't give him face either."