It’s just that my lazy apprentice is still sleeping. Even if I give you this big iron pot, there’s no way you could take it back on your own, right? How about..."

Shu Ci saw him stalling and looked increasingly impatient: "You just need to give it to me, no need for all this chatter."

The blacksmith opened his mouth, seeing her temper, he couldn’t say much, frowned, and said: "Even if that’s the case, madam, why don’t you come with me?"

He tossed aside the cloth on his shoulder and led Shu Ci into a stone house filled with miscellaneous iron pieces, pointing to the large black iron pot leaning against the wall, almost half a person’s height.

He didn’t like Shu Ci’s tone and attitude, no longer as polite as before, and said with a hint of sarcasm:

"This pot was made according to Madame’s request. If Madame doesn’t have the ability to carry this pot away on her own, you shouldn’t blame me for not forging it well according to your specifications."

Seeing the large pot, Shu Ci was very satisfied.

Without wasting words with him, she walked straight over and casually picked up two hemp ropes piled on the ground.

She gripped the pot’s edge with one hand, her arm lifted, and the large pot rose into the air with ease and landed steadily on her back, as she twisted and tied the hemp ropes around her waist.

Under the blacksmith’s dumbfounded gaze, she had already walked out the door holding the large pot with a steady stride.

A pot that required the combined strength of two grown men to lift, yet she, a mere woman, could carry it so effortlessly. The blacksmith was amazed and clicked his tongue in wonder.

At this moment, an old voice came from the door.

"Master Wang, I wonder if the Hundred Iron Sword I asked you to forge last night is ready?

I plan to go to the river tonight to suppress demons, so everything must be perfect... Hmm? Isn’t this Madame Baili?"

Hearing the voice, it was actually Old Taoist Huang. Perhaps he came to fetch the sword and happened upon Shu Ci, his previously pretentious tone immediately filled with unconcealable joy.

"To think I could meet Madame here, it must be fate."

Shu Ci was in a rush to go home to stew meat, and in her hurry, she ran into the old Taoist from the previous day.

When Shu Ci was in a good mood, even if the old Taoist’s foul breath polluted her delicate fox nose, she could endure a bit.

But after a whole night of nightmares, her mood was not just bad. The old Taoist now stood like a human wall in front of her, though he was chatting happily, his words and actions subtly blocked her way.

Additionally, last night’s big argument with Baili An was mostly because of this person.

Yesterday’s seemingly nice face had now become quite annoying to Shu Ci, exuding a mischievous and shifty aura everywhere.

Truly displeasing for the fox!

The old Taoist oblivious to Shu Ci’s deathly stare.

Just looked at her with her slender body carrying a pot far too large for her frame.

He laughed with surprise: "Madame, why are you here alone so early in the morning? And carrying such a large pot all by yourself?"

The old Taoist was both delighted and distressed, his thin hands trembling as he reached out.

As if afraid the iron pot would crush her slender figure, his face was full of fake concern.

"Your husband must really be heartless, making you do such strenuous work alone.

This man of yours is utterly useless, if you have to do everything yourself, what’s the point of having him?

Quick, let this old Taoist help you with the pot..."

He said he wanted to help with the pot, but his hands, trembling like chicken claws, were indecently reaching for her chest.

Shu Ci’s gaze was aloof, carrying a trace of indifference.

She snorted coldly, moved her foot, and a forging hammer lying at her feet was kicked up, its heavy head directly hitting the old Taoist’s elbow.

The two reaching arms recoiled with great force, striking his face hard with the back of his hand, producing a loud slap.

The old Taoist yelped in pain, stumbling back two steps, his elbow instantly swelling, his face turning red from his own slap.

Shu Ci’s expression was cold, as if she was a different person from yesterday: "Old fool, if you can’t even stand properly, you should take care of yourself first."

The old Taoist incredulously stared at Shu Ci, who had turned hostile after receiving gifts, struggling to comprehend what just happened.

Not until the nosebleed flowed into his mouth, the metallic taste irritating his throat, did he become enraged: "How dare you!"

Shu Ci glanced at him lightly, "What am I daring?"

She walked slowly from shadow to Chuyang, her seductive face showing traces of sinister cruelty, radiating a soul-stirring beauty under full display of her aura.

The overwhelming murderous intent accumulated over hundreds of thousands of years in death and slaughter is something no mere mortal could ever compare to.

The old Taoist felt his heart seize, both shocked by this terrifying aura and entranced by the increasingly stunning beauty.

In an instant, his momentum and anger were completely suppressed, leaving him to pitifully murmur:

"Madam... Why be so fierce? This old Taoist did give you a golden hairpin..."

He sneaked a glance upward, noticing that today Shu Ci’s attire was particularly simple, her long black hair unfettered, spreading like ink on her shoulders, still breathtakingly beautiful even without any adornment.

The old Taoist’s eyes were transfixed, muttering again, "What? You don’t like the hairpin I gave you? Why aren’t you wearing it?"

Reminded by him, Shu Ci then recalled that she had indeed accepted a hairpin from this old man.

Just last night, in a fit of anger at that boy, she had squeezed it into a round golden bean.

Initially Shu Ci had put it away, intending to reshape it into a hairpin during the night. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

But when it came time to sleep, she was too taken with munching on steamed buns by the fire, and in the end, the golden bean vanished without trace.

As a Demon, Shu Ci never had much concept of money, merely regarding it as a trivial thing, unworthy of regret even if lost.

She frowned and said, "The hairpin was troublesome, didn’t like it, threw it away."

The old Taoist didn’t believe her nonsense; what woman in the world doesn’t love gold, finds it bothersome, and casts it away?

He believed she simply wanted to keep his belongings for herself.

Wow! Wow!

Took his money, yet unwilling to pay the price, how could such a good thing exist!

The old Taoist’s eyes suddenly turned spiteful, he spoke coldly, "Madam, this statement makes no sense, there is no free lunch in this world!

Having accepted this old Taoist’s belongings, this matter won’t be let go easily?!"

From his words, it seems the hairpin wasn’t actually a gift?

He expected compensation?

Human dealings are truly troublesome, petty!

If so, why not make it clear when giving the items?

Shu Ci is a strategist in political machinations, even a conspirator.

Yet she knows little of worldly affairs, uninformed on human matters, and having long dominated life and death, as a ruler of a realm, she seldom speaks of reason or righteousness with others.

Not to mention, the hairpin was initially proactively given by the old Taoist.

In the Demon World, whatever she desires, regardless of whether the owner is willing, there’s no debating moral right or wrong, as long as she wants it.

Strength commands, the weak speak of principle.

She cast another glance at the old Taoist, laughed coldly, making her face look peculiarly insidious and malicious, causing the old Taoist to shiver all over.

Suzie didn’t bother exchanging another pointless word with him, carrying her iron pot, she walked away afar.

The old Taoist watched with sinister eyes at Shu Ci’s departing figure, fists clenched tightly, murmuring in anger, "I can’t swallow this humiliation and anger! I’ll make you pay, just you wait!"

"Master..." a young disciple slowly emerged, hesitantly glanced at the old Taoist, then said, "If Master wishes to deal with that woman, disciple does have some leverage over her husband."

The old Taoist uttered an ’Oh?’, and looked at the disciple with deep meaning.

The young disciple seemed somewhat afraid of his methods, shrinking slightly, but thinking of the benefits he’d gain from fulfilling his master’s wish, couldn’t help but flatteringly approached him, whispering closely.

The old Taoist first looked surprised, then gave a sinister smile.

"By this account, this cunning fox-like woman truly won’t escape the grasp of this Tao, everything depends on tonight."