"Did you already anticipate this?" Jiuli Xue, observing the unusually calm cherry-haired girl before her, lightly touched her lips with her fingertips, her enchanting crimson fox eyes narrowing. After a moment, she revealed a meaningful smile.
"So it seems, Miss Saintess, you're hiding many secrets I'm unaware of."
"Ah, you've piqued my curiosity and desire for knowledge, how unfair~" Jiuli Xue's aggressive gaze roamed over Vanessa, the implication clear.
"I'm almost tempted to pluck out your scheming heart and see what secrets it holds that interest me so~"
"Flattery indeed. Speaking of schemes, I am but a fraction of what you are, Miss Inu," Vanessa replied with a light smile, her hands resting on her abdomen. Even now, having just escaped danger, she maintained her polite and modest demeanor, like a lady who would never lose her composure.
"Indeed, you must have guessed my identity to some extent, right?" Jiuli Xue toyed with her beautiful, soft tresses. "It must have been hard for you, playing along with me for so long."
"But indeed, there's one question I can't find an answer to." Jiuli Xue refocused her gaze on the girl who still smiled gracefully under her imposing presence.
"Since you had guessed my identity, why didn't you take action when I was at my weakest? You must have seen that I was defenseless back then, right~?" True to her nature as a fox spirit, every word she spoke was laden with innuendo.
"Miss Inu, firstly, I don't know who you are. I only heard from Mr. Red Demon that you are a demon of status. Secondly, I am not the church's saintess; you are mistaken," Vanessa answered effortlessly, her eyes shimmering with mirth, her tone flawless.
"Ah? You say you're not the saintess of the Fanghui Church?"
"I'm just a commoner, nothing more than an ordinary # Nоvеlight # townsfolk. I dare not compare myself to the esteemed church," Vanessa said evenly.
"Common, ordinary? Pfft, how can an ordinary townsfolk, who can unleash divine flames, be common?" Jiuli Xue mocked.
"Ah, even as a demon, I can't help but say a few words, Miss Saintess, you really are too much."
"As a saintess, you're supposed to have a duty to eradicate demons, yet what did you just do? Flirting with a high-ranking demon like me?"
"If the followers and the Pope of the church knew, who knows what they would think?" Jiuli Xue threw a coquettish look.
"Miss Inu, let me explain again, I am not any saintess, nor can I just see His Holiness the Pope whenever I wish," Vanessa responded, not falling for such simple provocations.
"Really now, Miss Saintess, are you serious? Even if I don't mind much, being mistaken for a dog or something similar over time can be quite annoying."
"My apologies, but I'm not well-informed. After all, in our human world, only pets like little dogs wear collars~" Vanessa said with a smile, covering her mouth as if she had just realized her impoliteness, adding, "Sorry, if I offended you, please forgive me."
"Never mind, call me whatever you like for now, but in the future, you'll need to change how you address me. After all, in the demon world, ranks are strictly observed, and addressing a master in such a way would result in punishment," Jiuli Xue warned, her eyes narrowing in a seemingly friendly reminder.
"Rest assured, there will be no future," Vanessa stated confidently with a smile. "I am certain, after tonight, we will have no further dealings."
"Certain? Do you think this is the church where your word is law?" Jiuli Xue laughed coquettishly. "Since you, as a saintess, enjoy talking so much with a demon, why not come and visit my home?"
"Miss Inu, as I said, I am not a saintess, nor a clergy member, just a common passerby. You have no need to trouble a passerby who has been kind to you," Vanessa ignored Jiuli Xue's ridicule and mockery, her smile remaining graceful and appropriate.
"You're right, it's the duty of the saintess and clergy to eradicate demons, but I am neither, nor do I have any relation to the church. I'm just a defenseless woman."
"Eliminating demons is something I could neither physically nor morally do. Moreover, celebrating the defeat of a high-ranking demon is a privilege reserved for the church, how could I, a mere village girl, presume to do such?"
"If it weren't for seeing this 'defenseless woman' smashing the heads of several Red Demons with a page hammer, Jiuli Xue might have believed her a bit."
"Alright, if Miss Saintess doesn't want to admit it, then could you tell me your name?"
"Out of politeness, I think it should be you who introduces yourself first since you initiated this conversation," Vanessa responded. "That's common sense, isn't it?"
"Miss Saintess cares about these formalities? Alright, let me introduce myself. I am the eldest daughter of the King of All Foxes and the Queen of Succubi, the current lord of the myriad demons, Jiuli Xue." Jiuli Xue caressed her ample, tender bosom with a seductive and soul-capturing voice.
"A common townswoman from the capital of Camellia, just a village girl from the countryside, Vanessa," Vanessa said lightly, unconcerned with calling herself a village girl.
"Vanessa?"
"So, your full name is Vanessa Aeciphysis, is it?" Jiuli Xue said with a smile.
"Miss Jiuli Xue, I am a commoner without a surname."
"Oh, is that so? Miss Vanessa, do you remember your great-grandmother, the last Fanghui Saintess, Sophia Aeciphysis, who eradicated the former King of All Foxes, Jiuli Wang, who was also my father?" Jiuli Xue's eyes narrowed dangerously, sizing up Vanessa from head to toe.
"It's only reasonable for the descendant to pay for the sins of their ancestors, right?"
"Miss Jiuli Xue, I'm just an uneducated country girl, I've never heard of what you're talking about, nor dare I claim kinship with a saintess," Vanessa remained unfazed.
"Country girl? Uneducated? No worries, follow me, and I guarantee you a life full of experiences."
"I must decline, young lady. I have no plans to travel far from home at this time, so please don't make things difficult for someone who has shown you kindness."
"What if I insist on making things difficult?" Jiuli Xue licked her lips, looking at Vanessa as if she were a prey she had been hunting for days, now trapped and inevitable.
"Miss Jiuli Xue, if I may be so bold, your behavior from the start has been quite offensive and rude, making me quite uncomfortable, and it is not befitting of a lady," Vanessa kept her smile, her gaze fixed on the black collar around Jiuli Xue's neck.
"I think, perhaps, you might need a refresher course in etiquette."