Jian Zhen stood there in a daze for a long time, unable to come back to his senses.
Fu Changhuan’s eyes seemed to deepen somewhat. He looked at Jian Zhen and said, “Jian Zhen, you are an immortal grass nurtured for billions of years by the ancient divine mountain Wanmie Mountain. You are the purest and kindest spiritual plant in this world. It is normal that you, being kind-hearted, would feel pity for him. But you have borne the little Demon God for the demon clan. You have already repaid the hundred years of cultivation he gave you. There is truly no need to dwell on it too much.”
A breeze blew over, carrying a faint coolness.
As well as the sweet fragrance of the flowers planted outside the Demon Palace hall, flowers that Ye Jisheng had arranged for the maids to tend over the past hundred years, and the familiar scent Jian Zhen had often smelled by the window over those same hundred years.
Jian Zhen gently shook his head and said, “No.”
“It’s not because of gratitude.” He could not explain it clearly, but he lifted his head to look at Fu Changhuan. His eyes were clear and clean as he said, “Immortal Venerable, thank you for telling me this today. I already understand.”
Fu Changhuan still wanted to say something.
Jian Zhen stepped away and turned around. “This isn’t a place to talk. Immortal Venerable should return first. When there’s an opportunity, we can speak in detail. I—I need to go back now.”
Fu Changhuan saw the somewhat disordered steps of the person leaving. After a moment of silence, he did not stop the one whose heart was in chaos.
Jian Zhen indeed returned to the hall in a muddled state.
In the hall, the wet nurses had finally coaxed the little milk baby to sleep. Seeing Jian Zhen enter from outside, they smiled and said, “Little Highness is so well-behaved. Knowing you were busy in the hall today, he didn’t fuss at all and has already fallen asleep.”
Jian Zhen walked to the cradle and looked at the child sleeping inside the wooden bed.
The fair little face and long eyelashes resting over closed eyes, sleeping so obediently and adorably. He was so carefree, utterly unaware of any suffering in the world.
A maid entered from outside.
The maid lifted the tray and said, “Honored Lord wrote a new recipe two days ago and said he would personally cook meat cakes for Little Highness. The kitchen has already prepared all the ingredients. Will the Honored Lord go over now?”
Jian Zhen came back to his senses from his daze. “Oh… mm, alright.”
When sitting idle, he always could not help but think too much. If he could find something to do, it would be much better.
The maid led the way in front.
Jian Zhen stood in the kitchen. Because Little Red’s growth speed was different from ordinary children, he ate meat cakes and such meals earlier than normal children. It was just that demon clan meat cakes were often half-raw, and the baby sometimes did not like to eat them.
The cook said, “Honored Lord, shall I prepare the meal according to your instructions?”
Jian Zhen shook his head. “I’ll do it myself.”
The cook did not object and vacated the kitchen.
Following the steps in his memory, Jian Zhen tried to pan-fry the meat cake. The meat slowly changed color in the pan. But when he tried to lift it with the spatula, it stuck to the pan. Struggling to flip it over, he discovered that the meat cake had already burned.
After putting down the spatula, Jian Zhen let out a soft sigh.
The afternoon sun slanted westward.
Jian Zhen fried a few burnt pancakes. He placed them in a bowl at the side, tasted a few bites himself. The pancakes he had fried carried a somewhat charred taste as they entered the mouth, a bit hard and somewhat dry. Holding the plate, he sat on the steps and ate two pieces.
Only when someone walked over and stood before him.
Ye Jisheng’s tall figure blocked some of the afternoon sunlight. He said, “Did that d*mn white-haired b*stard come over and mess up your head, making you even able to swallow this kind of thing?”
Jian Zhen was momentarily stunned. There were too many points to complain about in that sentence; he didn’t even know where to begin.
He put down the tasteless pancake in his mouth.
Jian Zhen looked up and said, “Who’s white-haired?”
Ye Jisheng smiled meaningfully. “What do you think?”
Jian Zhen: “……”
Could he be talking about the Immortal Venerable?
Jian Zhen probed, “You knew he came?”
Ye Jisheng said lightly, “Otherwise? Do you think I am that easy to deceive?”
Jian Zhen would constantly refresh his sense of amazement at Ye Jisheng’s power. Holding the plate, he asked, “Then you actually agreed to let me meet the Immortal Venerable?”
Ye Jisheng let out a cold laugh. “If I didn’t let you see him, would you not meet him?”
Why did that sound a little strange?
Jian Zhen felt somewhat uncomfortable, as if he were a wife caught by her husband for having an affair.
But…
It did seem like that?
Jian Zhen gave a light cough and said gently, “The Immortal Venerable just simply came to see me…”
Ye Jisheng’s tone was indifferent. “I have no interest in Fu Changhuan’s purpose. If he dares to sneak into the Demon Realm again, I will capture him and tie him to the gates of the Demon Realm, let him stay there to his heart’s content.”
Jian Zhen often seemed out of place with the big boss’ line of thinking because he wasn’t perverted enough.
The little grass took a deep breath, about to speak.
Ye Jisheng took the plate from his hands and said, “Come in.”
Jian Zhen was stunned for a moment, stood up, and followed him into the kitchen.
Ye Jisheng wore a black robe trimmed with gold. His tall and noble figure standing in the kitchen seemed somewhat out of place. But the man rolled up his sleeves, stood by the stove, cast a spell to clean the pot, and placed the meat patties into it. His movements were natural and skilled, flowing like drifting clouds and running water, exceptionally beautiful.
Jian Zhen watched from the side, dumbfounded.
If anyone in the Three Realms saw this scene, their jaws would drop in shock.
The high and mighty, ruthless Demon God was personally cooking meat patties for his child, even sprinkling some salt midway to ensure the proper taste.
Soon the kitchen was filled with fragrance.
Jian Zhen obediently watched as Ye Jisheng placed the meat patties onto a plate and said, “Come taste.”
“Okay.”
He walked over, picked up a piece with chopsticks, and put it into his mouth. The fragrant, soft, and crispy texture instantly spread between his lips and teeth. Jian Zhen’s eyes lit up, and he couldn’t help but take another bite.
Ye Jisheng reminded him, “No one’s competing with you. Eat slowly.”
Jian Zhen almost choked. After quickly finishing one pancake, he looked at Ye Jisheng and said gently, “How are you so good at cooking?”
Ye Jisheng leisurely washed his hands clean and said indifferently, “Forgot.”
Jian Zhen was dumbfounded. “Forgot?”
“Mm.” Ye Jisheng said, “After I passed the Tribulation of Soul Transformation at Wanmie Mountain and successfully became a god, I forgot all memories of the past. There are only some records left.”
Jian Zhen said, “Then doesn’t that mean you don’t know what kind of person you were before?”
A trace of disdainful smile crossed Ye Jisheng’s handsome face. He said, “Given the Demon Clan’s situation back then, it’s not hard to guess. At most I was sold into slavery and lived worse than pigs and dogs. The faces of the people in the Three Realms, what surprise could there be?”
Jian Zhen fell silent unconsciously.
Even the meat patty in his mouth no longer seemed so fragrant.
The afternoon sunlight streamed in, bringing a bit of residual warmth. The kitchen still carried the smoky scent of cooking.
Jian Zhen said, “I think the Three Realms are so big. Maybe there were exceptions?”
Ye Jisheng glanced sideways at him.
Biting the pancake in his mouth, Jian Zhen said, “Anyway, if it were me, if I had eaten such delicious pancakes thousands of years ago, I would definitely have treated you well.”
Ye Jisheng let out a scoff. “Is that all that makes me worthy of your special regard?”
Jian Zhen looked up. His pitch-black eyes clearly reflected Ye Jisheng’s figure as he stared at him directly. The midday sunlight fell upon his shoulders. He suddenly broke into a smile, his crisp voice carrying laughter. “You’re also good-looking.”
Ye Jisheng raised a brow. His red eyes gazed at the person beside him, his aura dangerous and powerful. He said, “Do you know where the last person who praised my looks went?”
Jian Zhen asked curiously, “Where did they go?”
Ye Jisheng curled his lips. “To h*ll.”
Jian Zhen: “……”
The little grass’s smile immediately disappeared.
But thinking about it carefully, after staying in the Demon Clan for so long, it did seem that no one had ever praised the Demon God’s appearance.
In fact—
There were many impressions and evaluations of Ye Jisheng in the Three Realms, but very few people would comment on the Demon God’s appearance. Yet objectively speaking, Ye Jisheng was extremely handsome. His features were exquisite and deep-set; his pair of red eyes were like gemstones, giving a soul-stirring sensation without being gaudy. The Demon God’s temperament was threatening and powerful. His tall stature and formidable aura often made people not dare to look at him directly.
Suppressing the faint fear in his heart, Jian Zhen asked, “Why?”
Ye Jisheng said lightly, “Forgot.”
Jian Zhen: “……”
Big boss, your memory really isn’t great!
But for some reason, whenever Ye Jisheng said that, Jian Zhen would always feel a slight sense of regret.
Jian Zhen said, “If only there were a way to restore your memory.”
Seeing that he was eating quickly, Ye Jisheng casually handed him a cup of water. “What happened thousands of years ago, I stopped caring about it long ago. Not everyone is like that white-haired one, a useless thing trapped in the past and unable to get out.”
Jian Zhen nearly choked on the meat patty in his mouth.
While letting him drink some water, Ye Jisheng said, “Why did you suddenly think of making this?”
Jian Zhen explained, “The baby likes to eat well-cooked meat patties, so I wanted to try making them myself…”
Right!
This was supposed to be for the baby!
Jian Zhen looked at the last piece on the plate and glanced at Ye Jisheng somewhat guiltily.
Ye Jisheng, however, didn’t seem to care. “You eat yours. Leave his to the cook.”
Jian Zhen said, “You’re not making any for the baby anymore?”
Ye Jisheng let out a scoff. “I’m not a cook. Why would I make him pancakes?”
Jian Zhen lowered his eyes and bit into the pancake, thinking, then why did you make them for me, are you my cook?
The Demon God being his cook.
It somehow even sounded a bit glorious.
The kitchen in the afternoon was warm and cozy. Before long, the little one in the Demon Hall woke up. Jian Zhen handed the last piece on the plate to the child. The little fellow indeed loved it after biting into it, not even crying anymore.
Jian Zhen said, “This little guy really is happy as long as there’s something to eat.”
The wet nurse smiled beside them. “Not at all. We usually prepare carefully seasoned delicacies for His Highness too, but he doesn’t eat much of those. He only likes what Your Excellency and His Excellency feed him.”
Jian Zhen’s brows curved slightly. He lowered his eyes to look at the child dressed in little clothes and said softly, “Little Red, grow up quickly. When you’re older, Daddy will make you even more delicious food.”
Ye Jisheng smiled in an unreadable way.
Jian Zhen remembered the kitchen he had nearly blown up earlier, gave a light cough, and added to the baby, “Or let your father make it for you.”
The little milk baby was very happy hearing this, his chubby little hands opening. By the bedside lay a small flower toy that swayed in the wind before finally falling to the ground, where the wet nurse picked it up.
Jian Zhen said, “He likes this toy a lot?”
The wet nurse explained, “His Highness’s demonic power is very strong, he just can’t control it well. Before, he would accidentally erase parts of his toys. Now he doesn’t. This flower has a mechanism, you have to inject a certain amount of demonic power and rotate it to open it. Once opened, the petals bloom. His Highness likes it very much, but he hasn’t mastered the trick, so he’s never seen it bloom.”
Jian Zhen grew interested too. “That magical?”
The wet nurse nodded with a smile. “Yes.”
After returning the toy to the baby, Jian Zhen said with a smile, “Then you’ll have to work hard and try to open the mechanism.”
The little baby held the unopened toy, his round, plump face full of grievance.
Ye Jisheng let out a soft scoff.
Before Jian Zhen could react, the man’s demonic power descended squarely onto the toy. Not long after his power was injected, the flower opened. Inside were meticulously carved petals, crystal clear and exceptionally beautiful.
Jian Zhen’s eyes lit up. “It opened! How did you calculate the demonic power so quickly?”
Ye Jisheng said indifferently, “There’s no need to calculate. As long as enough demonic power is injected, once the mechanism can’t withstand it, it will naturally open.”
As he spoke,
Ye Jisheng tossed the toy back beside the baby, his gaze falling on the little one as he parted his lips and said, “See that? Only when your power is strong enough will you get what you want.”
Jian Zhen: “……”
How could there be such a hardcore parenting method?!
However—
What shocked Jian Zhen even more was that although the baby on the bed was still muddle-headed and couldn’t quite understand Ye Jisheng’s words, the little milk baby seemed stimulated by what had just happened, as if instinctively enlightened.
His round, soft little hands opened, and an invisible demonic power spread out. Under the catalysis of that power, the toy flower faintly could not withstand the gradually increasing pressure. In the end, it trembled in midair and bloomed again.
Jian Zhen said in surprise, “Wasn’t Little Red’s demonic power sealed?”
Ye Jisheng sat lazily in a nearby chair. “I said before, this seal can only be broken by himself. However much he can control, that much he can use.”
Jian Zhen suddenly understood.
The seal Ye Jisheng had given the child was not meant to seal his power, but to let the child learn to control the power he could grasp in the process of using it. As the child grew and gained better control over his strength, those powers would gradually break through the seal. It turned out that from the very beginning, Ye Jisheng had already considered all of this.
Everything he did was always silent and far-reaching.
By the crib,
Jian Zhen lowered his eyes to look at the baby playing happily. In the past, he had thought the Demon God too powerful and domineering. Perhaps he would be a good ruler, but not a good father. Yet he had done very well.
The wet nurse smiled and said, “His Highness is so smart. In the future, he surely won’t cause much worry for you and His Excellency.”
Jian Zhen’s brows softened. He looked at the child in the cradle and gently squeezed his little hand. He only hoped that in the future the child could grow up carefree but great power carried endless responsibility.
His child was no exception.
Neither was his Ye Jisheng.
The next day.
Night fell.
The heavy darkness descended, draping a veil over the night. Today was another Red Moon night. In the past, on such days, Ye Jisheng would go into seclusion, and Jian Zhen would never interfere.
But today, Jian Zhen stepped into the territory of the cold pool.
Boundless chill rushed toward him.
Jian Zhen stepped over one stair after another, finally stopping before the cold pool.
Ye Jisheng sat by the cold pool. His black hair spread in the water, and curse marks extended from his neck. Before, they had been faintly visible, but now the scalding red marks were clearly seen. When Jian Zhen stood beside him, he opened his eyes.
Jian Zhen crouched down. His hand fell onto Ye Jisheng’s body. The curse marks were scalding hot and burned his skin; his fair fingertips turned red, yet he endured the pain and did not withdraw them, because he knew that the pain at his fingertips was not even a fraction of what Ye Jisheng was enduring at this moment.
Ye Jisheng said, “What are you doing here?”
Jian Zhen said, “I wanted to come see you.”
“Did you hear that from the white-haired one?” Ye Jisheng’s red eyes were like blood. His tone was light, making it impossible to detect any pain. “Did he tell you to come?”
Jian Zhen said, “He said you’re about to die.”
Ye Jisheng did not refute it. The man merely curled his lips in a smile and said lightly, “And if I am?”
Jian Zhen’s eyes instantly reddened.
Ye Jisheng, however, did not care. He looked at Jian Zhen and said meaningfully, “Once I’m gone, no one will restrain your freedom. With that Face-Changing Pearl, you can freely go anywhere in the Three Realms. Aren’t you happy?”
Jian Zhen said, “I’m not happy.”
Ye Jisheng was somewhat surprised. “Isn’t this what you always wanted?”
Jian Zhen said, “No.”
Ye Jisheng did not speak. He only said, “When you first took form and left Demon Realm Mountain, if not for me, if not for Fu Changhuan’s wanted order, you would already have been free. Are you afraid that once I’m gone, no one will be able to balance Fu Changhuan?”
It was rare that he did not call him white-haired.
Ye Jisheng seemed surrounded by unending coldness and danger. He smiled and said leisurely, “Then before I die, how about I kill Fu Changhuan? After that, in the Three Realms, there will be no one left to restrain you. How about it?”
As if killing someone, even killing the leader of the Immortal Clan, was nothing more than a lift of the hand to him.
Ye Jisheng had always been like this. Once mad, he would do whatever he wanted. Wherever he existed, everyone in the Three Realms slept with a breath caught in their throats, fearing him, yet submitting to him.
Jian Zhen said, “Not how about it.”
The smile on Ye Jisheng’s face faded slightly, leaving only a thin chill.
But Jian Zhen said gently, “When I’m by your side, I don’t feel restrained. Wherever I go, you never stop me. Sometimes you’re very bad-hearted, but you’ve never hurt me. When I want to see you, you always see me. It’s strange, clearly you’re always so bad-hearted, but when I stay by your side, I’m happy. I want to be with you, not only now, but for many years in the future. I’ve always thought so.”
Ye Jisheng did not speak. In the depths of his eyes, flames seemed to burn out of control.
By the cold pool, the fragile and soft youth looked at him quietly. Jian Zhen’s voice was very light, yet carried firm strength. He said, “Ye Jisheng, you say you’ve never believed in fate, nor worship Heaven. I don’t either. So if the Heavenly Dao wants your life, I won’t allow it.”
Ye Jisheng smiled. The curse marks on his body were crimson, looking unbearably painful, yet he raised his head without care and said, “Do you even know what a Heavenly Tribulation is to dare say such things? Aren’t you afraid at all?”
Jian Zhen said honestly, “I’m afraid.”
Silence fell all around.
His voice landed: “But I’m more afraid of losing you.”
