With a night of swift travel, they reached the edge of the demon realm as dawn broke.
The Demon Lord slowed his pace, landing in a dense forest to rest. They would leave the demon realm once the night market opened.
Jian Lin was exceptionally silent, her mind replaying the scene of Xiao Li being captured by the Demon Emperor, her heart heavy with an overwhelming sense of powerlessness. She didn't know what to say.
On one hand, she remained detached, believing nothing mattered as long as the Demon Lord was alive; her mission could continue.
On the other hand, she felt deeply involved, blaming herself for insisting on sealing the High Priest, which had angered the Demon Emperor and led to Xiao Li's injury.
The world was fake, but the pain was real. She wanted to be indifferent, but she couldn't convince herself.
Jian Lin lay like a corpse. The Demon Lord put her down, and she remained motionless, not caring about the dirt on the grass.
The Demon Lord looked at her with disdain, reached out, and pulled her up. "If you're unwilling, then go back and save Xiao Li. What's the point of acting like you're dying now?"
Jian Lin raised her eyes and looked quietly at the Demon Lord, then suddenly asked, "My Lord Demon Lord, when did you find out Xiao Li's true identity?"
"At the spiritual脉 at the foot of the mountain," the Demon Lord said, yanking Jian Lin up and leading her to a clean stone by the stream. "She didn't intend to hide it from me. She's smarter and more determined than you think. She has her own ideas."
Jian Lin slumped by the stream. The Demon Lord ignored her, stepping forward and sitting on a clean stone. He covered his chest with his hand, his brow furrowed in pain.
Seeing this, Jian Lin's attention was drawn, and she asked with concern, "My Lord Demon Lord, are you alright?"
"It's nothing serious, just a minor injury." The Demon Lord closed his eyes, clearly about to cultivate to heal himself.
Jian Lin walked over and leaned against a nearby rock, lost in thought. The sun came out, the mist dissipated, the stream sparkled, and a gentle breeze blew. Everything was perfectly beautiful.
It was so beautiful that Jian Lin couldn't accept it. After careful consideration, she still couldn't let Xiao Li go.
She felt guilty, resentful, and stifled.
As the Demon Lord had said, if she couldn't stand it, she should go kill. She wanted to return to the demon city, find a way to understand Xiao Li's situation, and absolutely not leave like this, abandoning her.
She silently stood up, looked at the Demon Lord, and bid him farewell in her heart. She was going to tackle a side quest, and would continue the main mission when she returned.
With that, she turned to leave. After taking just two steps, the Demon Lord suddenly spoke.
"Wait, where are you going?"
Jian Lin turned back and said firmly, "Back to the demon city, to find Xiao Li."
The Demon Lord opened his eyes and sneered, "With you? You don't even know how to fly. Don't tell me you're going to walk back."
Not quite. Jian Lin had a lot of points, and Tao Niang was with her. She would always find a way.
"Tao Niang can help me," Jian Lin turned to face the Demon Lord, cupped her hands, and said solemnly, "Thank you for taking care of me these past few days, My Lord Demon Lord. We didn't find Zhan San Dao this time in the demon realm, and I have failed you. I will continue to find ways to investigate and will definitely give you a satisfactory result."
"That's not important," the Demon Lord said nonchalantly, resting his hands on his knees. "The purpose of coming to the demon realm this time wasn't necessarily to find Zhan San Dao. You don't need to worry about it."
Jian Lin gave a bitter smile and said with difficulty, "How could it not be? My Lord Demon Lord, you don't need to comfort me. I will take responsibility for my words. I still hope to find Zhan San Dao, and My Lord Demon Lord wished me success in cultivating my golden core."
A breeze blew, ruffling the Demon Lord's hair. His eyes flickered, and he suddenly said, "I'll help you. Stop looking for him."
"What?" Jian Lin thought she had misheard.
"I'll help you cultivate your golden core. You don't need to find Zhan San Dao."
Jian Lin was surprised, and a sour, swelling feeling washed over her. She took a deep breath, suppressed the feeling, and said firmly, "I cannot accept favors without earning them. I haven't fulfilled my original promise and am not qualified to receive your help, My Lord Demon Lord. I'm leaving!"
With that, Jian Lin, as if afraid she would regret it, ran quickly into the forest.
"Jian Mu Sheng, if you dare to leave, have you forgotten the poison I put in you?" the Demon Lord's cold voice came. "Take one more step, and I'll make the poison act."
Jian Lin almost stopped short. She raised her hand and looked at the red dot on her wrist. To be honest, she had forgotten until the Demon Lord mentioned it.
"My Lord Demon Lord, you're being unreasonable," Jian Lin turned back and said indignantly. "Go ahead and poison me, I'm leaving anyway."
Jian Lin continued forward. She didn't believe the Demon Lord would actually let the poison take effect; he was always stubborn but soft-hearted.
Before she had taken two steps, her wrist suddenly went numb, and a sharp pain instantly spread to her heart. Without any room for struggle, she fell face-first onto the ground.
Jian Lin's vision went black. She cursed herself for being naive. That scoundrel of a Demon Lord, whenever she thought he was being a little kind, he would give her a taste of hardship to bring her back to her senses.
Footsteps approached. The Demon Lord slowly walked over to her, flipped her over, and squatted down, mocking, "Go on, I won't stop you."
Jian Lin remained in her walking posture, her body aching and numb, her blood rushing to her head. Her vision went black, and she finally fainted.
She seemed to have had a long dream. After an unknown amount of time, she suddenly woke up, unsure of the current year.
Slowly regaining her senses, Jian Lin looked around and suddenly realized something was wrong. Where was she?
The surroundings were dark, with only a solitary lamp burning in a corner, illuminating a pitch-black, sturdy cage. The walls were made of uneven rocks, and beneath her was a narrow wooden bed with straw bedding. She was covered with a thin cotton quilt.
This was... a prison? How did she end up in prison again!
Jian Lin tried to go to the cell door to check the situation, but her body wouldn't cooperate. She fell to the ground, her limbs stiff and numb.
After a moment of disbelief, Jian Lin remembered that it was the poison the Demon Lord had given her. Therefore, the one locking her in the prison must be him!
"Help!" Jian Lin shouted at the top of her lungs, "My Lord Demon Lord! I'm dying! You can't abandon me!"
As she was making a fuss, a somewhat familiar, slightly high-pitched voice rang out, "Oh dear, my Miss A Pei, why did you fall down? Your body hasn't recovered yet, you should be resting well."
It was Chief Steward Hei Yu. They had returned to the Demon Sect!
Jian Lin looked up and quickly began to plead, "Chief Steward, please save me. It's dark and damp here, and it's not a good place to recover. Please let me out!"
The Chief Steward glanced cautiously outside, ensuring no one was around, then lowered his voice to Jian Lin, "Miss A Pei, My Lord Demon Lord has ordered that you are not to be released, nor are you to be given food, drink, or anything else. Anyone who pleads for you will be locked in the dungeon as well. Miss A Pei, you should save your strength and stop shouting. Take care of yourself."
Jian Lin calmed down, supported herself by the bed frame, and sat up with difficulty. She felt that the Chief Steward was treating her quite well. She lowered her voice and asked, "Chief Steward, what do you think My Lord Demon Lord's intentions are?"
"Oh dear, it's hard to say," the Chief Steward said with a look of amusement. "It's been so many years since anything like this has happened in the Demon Sect. Anyone who angered My Lord Demon Lord before was either killed or kicked out. As for being imprisoned, Miss A Pei, you're the first."
Was this something to be proud of?
Jian Lin was furious. Suppressing her anger, she smiled at the Chief Steward and said, "Chief Steward, let's not talk about that. Can you help me pass a message to My Lord Demon Lord, telling him I've woken up and wish to see him?"
"No problem, I'll definitely tell him," the Chief Steward said, flicking his horsetail whisk and agreeing cheerfully. "It's just that I don't know if My Lord Demon Lord will come. Miss A Pei, take care of yourself."
After the Chief Steward left, Jian Lin felt the ground was cold and hard. The chill seeped into her body from the base of her spine. She exerted all her strength to climb back onto the small bed, wrapped herself tightly in the thin quilt, her mind in turmoil.
She couldn't go save Xiao Li and was imprisoned by the Demon Lord. Judging by the Chief Steward's words, the Demon Lord wouldn't come to see her anytime soon. All in all, she was utterly defeated.
Jian Lin frowned, sighed, and drifted off to sleep. When she woke up again, she felt much better, and the stiffness and soreness in her body had lessened. An idea began to form.
No, she couldn't just wait to die. She couldn't get out, but there were demons who could!
She closed her eyes and mobilized her demonic energy, gathering all her strength in the back of her hand. She silently called out Tao Niang's name, wanting to summon her.
The process wasn't smooth. After several fumbling attempts, a pink stream of light flashed before her eyes, and Tao Niang appeared!
"Tao Niang!" Jian Lin opened her eyes in surprise, which then turned into shock. "Why... why have you become like this?!"
Tao Niang had become a palm-sized human figure, sitting by the bed. She wore a simple pink and white plain dress, her black hair loose, with no decorations on her head. She looked simple, delicate, and pitiful.
"My demonic energy is insufficient, so I can only appear like this. I apologize for making you laugh, Miss A Pei," Tao Niang said weakly.
"No, it's not..." Jian Lin's face turned pale as she remembered the Demon Lord's words. "You became like this because of me, didn't you?"
The Demon Lord and Hong Qu were in a contractual relationship. If the Demon Lord died one day, the contract would be dissolved, and Hong Qu would regain her freedom.
She was different from Tao Niang. In that critical moment, she had subdued Tao Niang. Tao Niang was her demonic beast, surviving by relying on her power. If she died one day, Tao Niang would disappear with her.
Not only that, but Tao Niang's strength was entirely dependent on Jian Lin. If Jian Lin didn't eat, Tao Niang would be even weaker.
Jian Lin felt immense guilt, her face heavy with remorse. She apologized, "It's all my fault for having such low cultivation, I've implicated you. I originally wanted you to follow the Demon Lord. If I had known, I should have persisted then."
"No, I'd rather follow you," Tao Niang covered her mouth and chuckled softly, her usual gentle demeanor returning. "If I had followed the Demon Lord, how would I face Hong Qu? We are old acquaintances, and our past interactions were quite harmonious. I wouldn't want to create a rift or enmity in my heart because of this."
"You always consider things thoroughly. I was careless," Jian Lin slapped the pillow hard, which jolted her arm, making it numb. She gasped in pain and said softly, "Don't worry, I will find a way to replenish your demonic energy as soon as possible. However, I have something to ask of you now. I'm sorry to trouble you, Tao Niang, but you must help me."