Chapter 189: Dangerous Relationships

"How would I know what her name is? Where she's from?" Rayan shrugged his shoulders, stretched out his hand, and kneaded the girl's full chest in public. "She's just my ride for tonight, I'll name her when I'm excited enough. If Lord Imperius wants to know, he can stand aside and watch."

The girl, with her face flushed from Rayan's rough handling, showed both embarrassment and annoyance, but it also conveniently masked her nervousness.

Imperius, with a look of disgust, glanced at Rayan. "Lord Rayan, I used to think you were of unclear lineage, but now I officially retract that view—you indeed are a noble, and the most filthy and lowly kind at that."

"Thanks for the compliment."

Rayan, unfazed, smiled and continued to twirl his finger over the increasingly hardening nipples of the girl through her silky clothing. "If there's nothing else, Lord Imperius, please step aside, I need to find a place to ride my horse."

Imperius looked again at the girl in Rayan's arms. A proper lady would not be publicly toyed with like this; perhaps she really was just a prostitute. Moreover, the girl seemed delicate and weak, not at all like the dangerous individual described in the orders. However, by the standards of a prostitute, she was too attractive and too modest; her dress, though revealing, had an air about it unlike the common street prostitutes—

Imperius cleared his throat and questioned the girl, "Madam, tell me, which brothel do you belong to?"

The girl looked panic-stricken at Rayan.

Rayan laughed opportunely, "What, Lord Imperius, you want to inquire about her residence so you can visit after I'm done?"

Imperius, hearing a low chuckle from his companions behind him, turned around angrily, glaring. Once the laughter subsided, he turned back to glare at Rayan, "Lord Rayan need not bother himself with such matters, I am simply ordered to inspect every suspicious woman."

"You'd better ask Lord of the Redwood patriarch then."

Rayan said with feigned bravado, "And while you're at it, thank him for his thorough hospitality on my behalf, tell him, I'm very satisfied."

Imperius's face, wrinkled with age, suddenly frosted over. With his status, it was naturally impossible for him to interrogate the Redwood patriarch—this was somewhat strange, but currently beyond his control.

He pondered for a moment with furrowed brows, then gently shook the reins of his horse, brushing past Rayan and the girl, "Take care, Lord Rayan, and be careful not to overexert yourself riding, I'm still looking forward to our duel."

Rayan smiled slightly, calling out to Imperius after he had walked a few steps away, "Oh, by the way, if you find that female thief, make sure to let me know, I want to see if she's the one who stole my lineage document. Of course, I hope you don't have to search all night, it would be bad for your health, making you unable to compete with me tomorrow."

Imperius snorted through his nose and rode off without a word, his companions quickly following.

Watching their disappearing figures, the girl in Rayan's arms let out a huge sigh of relief.

"Thank you."

The girl tried to break free from Rayan's arms but was tightly confined.

"It's still not safe here, keep moving—"

Rayan lowered his voice, his face darkening, "You're the twilight demon envoy, aren't you?"

The girl tensed again, "Since you've guessed my identity, why are you still helping me? Aren't you afraid of being implicated?"

"Helping you?"

Rayan sneered, "No, I'm not helping you, I just want something from you."

The girl realized Rayan's hand was still on her chest, she involuntarily shivered, took a trembling breath, and said, "It turns out you are more dangerous than those men earlier."

Rayan removed his fingers from the girl's chest, his expression calm, "You've come to understand too late. The Dark Demon Lord's head has weakened your power, making you no different from an ordinary woman. If you dare resist me, I will kill you without hesitation."

The girl knew Rayan was not bluffing. She could sense this man was not one to pity or spare women, especially since she was a demon, not a true human. Now, in the hands of such a man, unable to use her own powers, she could only clench her teeth and endure, nestling like a little bird in Rayan's embrace—for dealing with a human who knew her identity was simpler than facing all the humans of the Auroria Continent.

"You know I'm from the demon race, and you know I took the head of the Dark Demon Lord, so naturally, you must know the twilight believer who summoned me."

The girl, feigning toughness, said, "Since you know that believer, you must be aware of how formidable we demons are, right? I may be under your control now, but to bully me is to disrespect His Majesty the Dark Emperor—"

"Oh? Is that so..."

Rayan raised an eyebrow, about to speak, when a troop of soldiers rode past on the road. He quickly placed his hand back on the girl's chest and wrapped his other arm around her delicate waist. Before the girl could cry out, his lips sealed hers.

The passing soldiers, clearly from a minor family's private army, seeing Rayan's attire, dared not approach to question him but nodded politely and hurriedly moved on to avoid disturbing Rayan's "pleasures."

The girl forcefully pushed against Rayan's chest, breaking free from his warm lips.

"So you're saying—"

Rayan, nonchalantly pinching the girl's chest without letting go, slowly said, "You are the Dark Emperor's woman?"

The girl was not very old, only about sixteen or seventeen years old. At this age, Phoenix Lady had already been a mother for two years. If this girl wasn't the Dark Emperor's woman, it wouldn't matter much, but if she truly was, Rayan would not pass up the opportunity to toy with her—this had nothing to do with romance, but rather, it was a manifestation of a man's inflated possessiveness and ambition.

"I am one of the four disciples of His Majesty the Dark Emperor, his youngest and most beloved disciple!" The girl said angrily, reaching to cover her chest. "You, you will pay for what you did to me today."

A flicker of anger passed through Rayan's heart, but his fingers continued to linger on the girl's full chest, kneading freely. "Let's not even talk about whether you can leave the human world alive today. Even if you can return to The Nether Demon Realm, what could your Dark Emperor master do to me? Open the portal to the plane, send a demon army to attack me? Great, that way I could quickly make a name for myself in history!"

The girl gasped in pain, "Let go, you—let go! Otherwise, I will..."

Rayan grabbed her arm, preventing her from reaching for the magic bell that could influence the mind, and with a burst of audacity, he kissed her lips again. This time, his aggression was full-blown, and the force of his fingers caused the girl to moan in pain.

A tail, smooth like a snake, emerged from beneath the demon girl's skirt, attempting to strangle Rayan's throat.

Rayan had anticipated this move from the demon girl and swiftly caught the conical tail fin, causing her to lose her strength.

"Let go..."

The demon girl switched to pleading, as if her life was held tight in Rayan's grasp.

The tail twisted and struggled in Rayan's hands, a sensation that made Rayan's heart race suddenly.

He pushed her against the wall, pinning her body with his own, his fingers trailing from her chest down, lifting her skirt, and forcefully moving between her tightly clenched legs, his actions as rough as an enraged beast—

Just as he was about to force her legs apart, he suddenly stopped. A tear from the demon girl fell onto his face. The tear itself had no strength, nor was it warm, but for him, it was like a collapsing glacier, instantly engulfing his entire body, the weight too much for him to bear.

He originally intended only to frighten the demon race girl, provoked by her claim of being the Dark Emperor's most beloved disciple. However, during the process of scaring her, his actions, driven by an uncontrollable impulse, turned into a desire for complete conquest.

Somewhere deep within him, a strange force attempted to control him. If it weren't for that tear, he wouldn't have come to his senses and realized he had lost the basic rationality of humanity.

He quickly adjusted his breathing, withdrew his hand from the demon girl's skirt, and removed his other hand from her bodice. Then, taking a half step back, he said coldly, "Wipe away your tears, and if you dare threaten me again, next time it won't just be like this."

The demon girl was startled, not expecting this dangerous beast to let her go at such a moment; she had thought she was doomed...

"Come to my arms," Rayan commanded.

The demon girl quickly wiped her tears and shakily leaned against Rayan.

"I'll take you to the inn to meet your summoner, who will help you leave this world," Rayan said as he embraced her again and walked on.

Confused by Rayan's hot-and-cold attitude, the demon girl asked, "Whose side are you really on?"

Rayan scoffed, "I'm not interested in you, or the Dark Demon Lord's skull, for that matter. I said I wanted something from you, but really, I just didn't want you to take the demon skull back to The Nether Demon Realm. I can't let the Dark Emperor get hold of it, nor do I want the Holy Light to easily capture you. I'm not on anyone's side; if I have to say, I'm on my own side."

The demon girl nodded lightly, "I understand."

She paused, then looked up at Rayan with her deep blue eyes, "I don't need to meet the twilight believers. Even if I did, she wouldn't be able to help me—she nearly killed herself summoning me, she'll never be able to open a portal again in this lifetime."

She sighed, somewhat frustrated, "I thought this summoning would bring a surprise back to His Majesty the Dark Emperor, but I didn't expect the curse placed on the demon skull to be so strong, making me weak and vulnerable to abuse—"

Realizing that her words were too direct, she quickly glanced at Rayan. Seeing that he was just cold-faced and not angry, she continued with relief:

"This weakened state, if I don't find a demon race expert to remove it soon, I fear I'll really become an ordinary woman."

Rayan smiled lightly, "No wonder such a formidable demon girl is so afraid of me, a mere mortal. You're worried, the longer you delay, the less ability you'll have to open the portal back to The Nether Demon Realm."

The demon girl nodded helplessly, untying a bundle from her waist and carefully handing it over to Rayan along with its contents. "Since you're not on the side of the Holy Light, and if I take it back, it might weaken the entire demon race—so, I'm handing it over to you, but at the same time, I also want to ask you for a favor."

Rayan accepted the bundle without changing his expression, weighing it slightly. He found that the demon skull was more than twice the size of a human's skull and heavy as a gold nugget. He wasn't in a hurry to open it but instead casually hung the bundle at his waist and turned to ask the demon girl:

"What do you need my help with? I'm not a magician; I can't open the portal for you."