"Does Jia'er...want him to come back?"
Song Jia paused when she heard Zhao Cheng's question.
Naturally, the answer to his question would be a definite yes.
But...
Song Jia's eyes landed on Zhao Cheng's hands that were gripping the sink. He himself might not be aware of it, but every muscle in his body had tensed up the moment she brought up Xu Jinhai.
She changed her mind and asked, "How long can you remain conscious in Xu Jinhai's body?"
Zhao Cheng blinked. "At least...four days."
Song Jia thought about it. Nova would return after three days, so it was just in time for him to meet Zhao Cheng. Song Jia knew that Nova was probably aware of his existence, that's why he gave her those confusing instructions.
Song Jia narrowed her eyes. If Nova were to meet Zhao Cheng, she wondered what his reaction would be? Her A.I. boss went away just as Zhao Cheng regained consciousness. That kind of perfect timing might only be a coincidence, but Song Jia felt that her instincts were probably right.
It wasn't the first time Nova had hidden important details of her mission away from her. She was also weary of having to second-guess everything. For once, she wanted her stoic boss to lose his composure.
Song Jia made up her mind.
"No...it's fine. I'll just wait for Xu Jinhai to naturally come back."
Song Jia felt a pinprick of guilt for Xu Jinhai. She added, "Can you know if he's doing okay?"
Zhao Cheng coughed, covering his lips with his fist. He didn't expect that she would choose himself over Xu Jinhai, even if it was a temporary decision.
Four days to spend time with her...
Despite his best efforts, the corners of his lips still curled up, his emotions unable to be suppressed.
He immediately said, "He's fine."
Song Jia nodded. Considering that Zhao Cheng was only a past incarnation of Xu Jinhai, it was expected that he wouldn't be able to remain as the 'main personality' for too long. Four days were also within the scope of her expectations. Once Xu Jinhai returned, she would apologize to him.
Because of her brief excursion with Zhao Cheng, work had piled up for Song Jia. Although the various demon lords were no longer foolish enough to directly challenge her rule, they still created ways to bother her.
"State your complaint."
Song Jia sat on the throne, with Zhao Cheng sitting on a chair beside her. She stared at the two demons that were kowtowing below the dais, her legs crossed. Because of her posture, a bit of skin was exposed.
"..."
Zhao Cheng's expression was black. He fidgeted in his seat, really wanting to throw a blanket over her.
When the demons were about to lift up their heads, a cold voice commanded, "Look back down."
The demons instinctively obeyed. It was only a split-second later that they realized it wasn't the voice of the Great Demon Queen that ordered them.
Song Jia's heart jumped a little. She looked at Zhao Cheng with surprise.
Zhao Cheng's tone immediately turned apologetic as he faced Song Jia.
"Jia'er, I didn't mean to undermine your authority. It's just..."
His eyes fell on her legs again.
Other people seeing her like this, he really...wanted to gouge their eyes out!
Song Jia followed the direction of his gaze and blushed. What the hell, wasn't it only her calves that were showing? She stopped crossing her legs and decided to sit properly.
This ancient man...even women during the Tang dynasty could show their cleavage. You are restricting this grandma's seductive appeal!
Of course, Song Jia only said these complaints in her head. If she decided to expose her skin, although misfortune wouldn't befall her, it would definitely fall on the people who had seen her.
"No, it's alright." Song Jia waved her hand and accepted that the fate of demonkind rested in her choice of outfit.
There were three demons kneeling below her. Each of them belonged to a different court.
A demon of envy, a lust demon, and a demon of greed. According to their various recounts, the female demon of envy was in a relationship with the male lust demon. But the male lust demon, considering his sin of 『Luxuria』, couldn't be content by being with just one woman. He decided to start a relationship with a female greed demon as well.
The problem in this situation was that the male lust demon had children with the demon of envy, but he didn't fulfill any of his responsibilities and indulged with the greed demon all day long. Because of this, the demon of envy became consumed by her sin and poisoned the female greed demon, causing her to become terminally ill.
The male lust demon became angry, and broke all relationship with the demon of envy. That was when they decided to bring this troublesome matter to the palace court, and let the monarch decide the justice for all of them.
Song Jia looked at the three demons below her and felt a bit speechless.
"Your Majesty, I am a lust demon! It should already be expected in our relationship that I will not be able to stay faithful to a single woman!"
"Your Majesty, I only did those things because he forced me! If he didn't indulge in that greed demon all day long, would I even try to kill her? Our children are so pitiful!"
Only the greed demon weakly coughed, looking as if she was about to keel over and die then and there.
"In fact, the two of you were wrong." Song Jia massaged her forehead. "Athough demons that belonged to the sixth court of 『Luxuria』 are expected to be fickle considering their nature, you should still try to fulfill your responsibilities as a father. As for you, the demon that belongs to the court of 『Invidua』, rather than taking such an extreme measure, you should have forwarded this matter to your demon lord first. Even you, demon of 『Avaricia』, should show some restraint. Why did all of you impulsively act on your own?"
Song Jia glanced sideways at Zhao Cheng. She pursed her lips and asked, "Can I ask you to be the one to hand out their punishment?"
Zhao Cheng's expression was distant and detached.
But when he heard her voice, he didn't hesitate as he said, "If that's what you want."
Song Jia nodded.
Zhao Cheng stood up. His tone was calm as he announced, "For the demon from the court of 『Invidua』, and for the demon from the court of 『Luxuria』, I hereby sentence you both to death."
Song Jia was stunned.
"For attempting to kill another person's life, this female demon of envy is guilty of murder. For not protecting the greed demon properly and not knowing his own responsibilities, this male lust demon is guilty as well. Because of your conflict, you have dragged an innocent life to death. Thus, I sentence you both with execution."
The male lust demon turned pale. "But I didn't try to murder anyone! Why do I have to die as well...?"
"Ignorance, incompetence, inattentiveness, and failure to see things properly. Being like this, yet daring to be with somebody else? Look at the female greed demon by your side. The hands that killed her may not be your own, but does that absolve you of your sin?"
Zhao Cheng's expression slowly hardened. He came down from the dais and stood in front of the male lust demon. His hands grabbed his throat.
"You should open your eyes and see it clearly. With this much ability, do you think you deserve her? With these filthy hands and body, are you worthy enough to touch her?"
With every sentence that was spoken, his grip on the neck of the male lust demon tightened.