"It's a pity that compared to my master, his demeanor… is really worlds apart," Yaoyao said, resting her chin on her hands, openly teasing me.
I rolled my eyes. No matter how mediocre he was, he was still a prince of Chaoxian, capable of integrating three religious doctrines, indicating intelligence. I, a commoner, only received a nine-plus-three-plus-four education. How could I compare my demeanor to his?
"Alright, back to business," Yaoyao straightened her posture, facing Shen Xingyue. "I want to talk to you, or rather, I want to ask you to convey a message to the higher-ups of Shabiya for me."
Shen Xingyue adopted a similar pose, but her intention wasn't to straighten her back, but to accentuate her chest. "Okay, speak."
"I want to establish a new sect, including the Eight Demons. We can be under Shabiya's control, but Shabiya cannot dictate or divide us," Yaoyao said.
"Can I interpret your words as… a complete surrender?" Shen Xingyue asked.
Yaoyao had never discussed this with me. I guessed she had a sudden impulse, this idea just came to her.
"You can say that," Yaoyao replied.
Shen Xingyue turned to look at me. "Is this also your opinion?"
As a human, I naturally hoped to reconcile with an organization like Shabiya, which represented the official stance of Yanxia. Having one less enemy was always a good thing.
"I listen to my master," I said.
Shen Xingyue clasped her hands, her two long and beautiful thumbs spinning rapidly. This gesture usually indicated that the owner's brain was working overtime.
"Agreed, but I have three conditions," Shen Xingyue said.
"Go ahead."
"First, according to current regulations, all sects must be affiliated with the Shabiya department of a province or prefecture-level city. If the General Bureau approves, you must be affiliated with Jinling Shabiya, not Shengjing, Fucheng, or Benxi."
Shen Xingyue brought this up, likely to maintain her tracking and control over our team.
I looked at Yaoyao. She didn't object, so I spoke for her: "Where we affiliate doesn't matter. This condition is acceptable. What's the second one?"
My home was in Jinling anyway, so it would be more convenient in many aspects. Furthermore, the climate, economy, population, and healthcare in the south were all more advantageous.
"Second, if the sect needs to expand and recruit new members, you must obtain permission from the management department. If the management department does not permit it, you cannot forcibly expand the sect."
"Heh, are you worried I'll contact more demons?" Yaoyao asked with a smile.
"Exactly," Shen Xingyue replied frankly. "Just the few of you are already troublesome enough!"
"No problem either, right?" I tentatively asked Yaoyao.
"No problem. I don't know any other demons anyway," Yaoyao said. "What's the third condition?"
"Third, if my department needs to conscript members from your sect for missions, you have to… provide personnel and manpower." Shen Xingyue's tone clearly weakened when she said this, possibly anticipating Yaoyao's refusal.
If it were me, I wouldn't agree either. Wouldn't that be equivalent to fighting for Shabiya?
Unexpectedly, Yaoyao readily agreed: "No problem, as long as it's not some 'suicide squad' cannon fodder mission."
"Oh? Really?" Shen Xingyue was overjoyed and quickly added, "Of course, it won't be a suicide squad, and certainly not cannon fodder. Your strength is immense, and if we use you, it will be for critical tasks. We will not let you bear risks higher than our own."
Yaoyao reached across the table. "Deal. I'll await your news."
Shen Xingyue and Yaoyao shook hands, reaching a consensus. Shen Xingyue stated, "With these conditions, the possibility of approval from the General Bureau is very high!"
It seemed like there was nothing left for me to do.
Alright, in the end, I was still a puppet.
After the handshake, Shen Xingyue stood up, looking relaxed and pleased. "Then that's it for now. I'll go back immediately to submit the request and write the report."
After Shen Xingyue left, we hadn't finished our skewers yet. Yaoyao and I sat opposite each other and continued eating.
"Chengfeng, why didn't you ask me why I wanted to make peace with Shen Xingyue?" Yaoyao asked.
"Isn't this good? We can't keep hiding forever," I said. "Based on today's outcome, I can understand why there was the battle at Jiuxian Cave before, and why last night you tacitly allowed me to lead the eight demons alone into a battle with the 'Mohe' in the tunnel. You could have rushed back, but you deliberately didn't, right?"
"Oh? You figured that out? Go on," Yaoyao said, smiling with interest.
"The battle at Jiuxian Cave was your way of proving your strength to Shabiya. Last night in the tunnel, you wanted to showcase the strength of these eight demons to Shabiya. By fighting, you aimed to prompt negotiations and have Shabiya proactively seek us out for appeasement," I analyzed.
Yaoyao patted my head. "So clever! However, you only guessed half of it."