Jian Lin closed her eyes and took a moment to recover. She discovered another annoying habit of the Demon Lord: he liked to train her in secret.
Sometimes, he would notice minor flaws in her actions, but he would never point them out, preferring to let her discover them herself.
What was this scoundrel after? Did he get a kick out of seeing her embarrassed?
Jian Lin opened her eyes and glared, her gaze shifting from the Demon Lord's face to the affection value display. The number there had gradually increased to 05 through their daily interactions.
If it weren't for the affection value, Jian Lin would have truly suspected the Demon Lord disliked her.
Jian Lin frowned and pondered this feeling, then suddenly had an epiphany. The Demon Lord's way of expressing affection was just like a child's – pulling pigtails, hiding insects, and playing pranks on those they liked.
Once she figured it out, she felt even more speechless. She never imagined that in her two lives, her first relationship with a man would be with such a childish person.
"Lord Chong Yuan," Jian Lin asked curiously, "Forgive my presumption, but I'd like to know how old you were when you cultivated your Golden Core?"
"Why are you asking this?" The Demon Lord put down his chopsticks, his gaze filled with confusion.
"Idle chat, to deepen our understanding, to increase our affection," Jian Lin rested her arms on the table, squinting and leaning closer. "I won't do anything to you, don't be scared."
The Demon Lord frowned. Jian Lin's gaze was sinister and clearly abnormal. He rejected her, "I don't believe you. You must have ulterior motives."
Hmph, so difficult to deal with.
Jian Lin sat up straight and said with a cold face, "Even if you don't tell me, I can guess. You couldn't have been older than twelve when you cultivated your Golden Core."
Upon cultivating a Golden Core, one could maintain their youthful appearance forever. In Jian Lin's opinion, not only had his appearance remained unchanged, but some of his mentality had also stopped at twelve, like his elementary-school-kid dating style.
Hearing her guess, the Demon Lord raised his chin and said narcissistically, "What, are you jealous?"
See, this was truly pure elementary school behavior!
"Jealous of your big head!" Jian Lin finally couldn't help but get angry and started acting out. "I don't care, it's all your fault. You teach me that illusion technique, and I'll forgive you once I learn it."
To deal with elementary school kids, Jian Lin decided to fight fire with fire and become a spoiled brat.
"Do you still need me to teach you?" The Demon Lord said coolly. "I remember your current face is fake, isn't it..."
The scoundrel really held a grudge.
"So what if it is," Jian Lin didn't take the bait, continuing her act. "I just want you to help me."
"You clearly have a way yourself," the Demon Lord said, utterly confused. "Don't you have invisibility? You showed me before."
"I just don't want to use it, I want you to help me." Jian Lin was determined to spar with him today; the scoundrel needed to be taught a lesson.
The Demon Lord looked confused, then his eyes suddenly flashed. He looked at her deeply and said hesitantly, "Are you... are you acting spoiled with me?"
Acting spoiled? Jian Lin's body stiffened. It wasn't an exaggeration to say that at her age, hearing this word gave her goosebumps.
Even more terrifying was that she actually was acting spoiled. Dating an elementary school kid really did lower one's IQ.
Jian Lin was still angry, but then she laughed at herself.
Seeing her laugh, the Demon Lord was even more confused. Indeed, the most unfathomable thing in the world was a woman's heart.
However, he eventually taught Jian Lin the illusion technique. After learning it, Jian Lin showed a satisfied smile and was no longer as angry with the Demon Lord. She happily pulled him up the mountain.
The twelve peaks of the Guanlan Sect were arranged in a surrounding formation, centered around the two main peaks, Guanhai and Canglan.
Canglan Peak was adjacent to Chiyan Peak, with Cangnan Town nestled between the two. Standing at the fork in the road at the foot of the mountain, Jian Lin paused and asked for the Demon Lord's opinion.
To the east was Canglan Peak. Many people could be seen on that mountain path, all rogue cultivators heading to the Immortal Sect大会.
To the west was Chiyan Peak. It was very quiet, with no one in sight. It was understandable that no one would go to Chiyan Peak at this time.
Jian Lin wanted to take this opportunity to sneak back and see where the original body lived, hoping to find some clues.
But she understood that the Demon Lord's risky visit to the Guanlan Sect was to find a way to break the curse and rescue the people of the Demon Sect.
Both matters were important, and she couldn't choose between them.
"How about we act separately? We can meet at the place where we had breakfast in Cangnan Town this evening," Jian Lin suggested.
The Demon Lord hesitated for a moment, then quickly made his decision, "No need. I'll accompany you to Chiyan Peak first."
Jian Lin's heart warmed. Dating this scoundrel gave her a headache, but when it came to important matters, the Demon Lord was always reliable.
"Alright, then let's make it quick," Jian Lin said to the Demon Lord as they climbed the mountain. "Actually, I have no clue about this matter. Before I was framed as a scapegoat, I never doubted the sect. I only thought that my stalled cultivation was my own fault. It was everything that happened later that changed my mind. If I go back this time, I just want to look at it from a different angle, perhaps I'll discover something I overlooked back then."
The original body had always lived on Chiyan Peak, had not seen much of the world, had no master to protect her, and was alone and helpless, like a tiny ant that could be crushed at any moment.
After Jian Lin transmigrated, various issues indicated that her body was definitely problematic, and the Guanlan Sect was definitely suspicious.
Jian Lin asked the Demon Lord if he knew any techniques for absorbing cultivation.
At this moment, to avoid attracting attention, the two were cautiously climbing from the dense forest behind the scenes.
The Demon Lord cleared a branch for her and said affirmatively, "Of course. My family initially did not object to mutual killing and seizing cultivation. There are many wicked and terrifying cultivation methods. Sometimes, an entire sect would disappear overnight due to internal strife caused by cultivation absorption techniques."
Oh, no wonder the Demon Sect became the Demon Sect. Speaking of which, it wasn't unjust.
"That means, Lord Chong Yuan, you... have done such things for nothing?" Jian Lin did not hide the contempt in her eyes, her heart in turmoil. If this scoundrel dared to do such wicked things, she would definitely kill him.
"No," the Demon Lord glanced at her and said patiently, "The reason my father became the head of the family was because he created a forbidden technique. Absorbing others' cultivation would lead to backlash and explosion. He used this to kill the previous master and reorganize the family order. Those who dared to use cultivation absorption techniques all died. Those who survived followed him. Even though he knew about cultivation absorption techniques, no one dared to use them."
Jian Lin felt admiration upon hearing this. The Demon Lord's father was truly a remarkable figure. He had done a great deed.
"Even now, this forbidden technique cannot be broken by anyone?" Jian Lin asked in disbelief.
"After my father died, I became the guardian of the forbidden technique. Unless I die, no one can break the forbidden technique," the Demon Lord said narcissistically.
Jian Lin's admiration for the father immediately shifted to the Demon Lord. Her eyes sparkled as she praised him, "It must have been hard being the head of the family. You are truly a man of integrity!"
The Demon Lord stiffened, almost sliding down the tree. These words... sounded so strange.
As they spoke, the two had already reached the peak and saw red brick walls.
Chiyan Peak was still red. The buildings were all made of red glazed tiles and red bricks. From afar, they looked like flames, sitting conspicuously between the black mountains and green trees.
This was the first time Jian Lin had seen Chiyan Peak with her own eyes. From her aesthetic perspective, this style truly lacked the transcendent aura of a cultivator. Instead, it looked like it had rolled around in the mortal world several times, filled with desire for money and power.
And Yuan Shuo had indeed taken this to the extreme.
The Demon Lord led her around the formation and quietly landed in the backyard. Jian Lin stepped on the bluestone slabs, looking up, her emotions stirred by the scene, and the suffering belonging to the original body gradually surfaced.
The poor child lived in the most remote courtyard in the northwest corner.
Jian Lin followed her memory, leading the Demon Lord towards where the original body lived.
Before they found the courtyard, the Demon Lord suddenly stopped and grabbed Jian Lin's wrist, saying, "Wait, let's check to the left first."
"Huh?" Jian Lin blinked, asking in confusion, "What's wrong? That side looks like the kitchen, used for the young junior disciples who have just joined the sect and haven't reached the stage of abstaining from food. Is there... anything strange about it?"
The two crept over. The Demon Lord leaned against the wall and looked through the openings in the flower wall. "There's a well there. Are there any other wells around here?"
"There are basically no wells in the backyard. Cultivators don't need to eat. One well in the kitchen is enough."
"That's it then..." The Demon Lord turned back and said to Jian Lin seriously, "The feng shui of this place is a bit strange. Let me take a closer look."
Jian Lin was surprised, "You know feng shui?"
"How can you set up formations without knowing feng shui?" The Demon Lord said disdainfully. "Didn't the Guanlan Sect teach you?"
"The Guanlan Sect mainly focuses on sword cultivation," Jian Lin replied honestly. "My master always said that alchemy and formations are unorthodox paths. If you're interested in the future, learn them yourself. Cultivators should primarily focus on sword cultivation."
The Demon Lord realized, "No wonder the junior disciples don't understand, and their masters can do whatever they want?"
Jian Lin was confused and was about to ask for details when the Demon Lord ahead suddenly stopped.
He pointed to the north and said, "That wall over there seems to have been recently repaired. It looks strange."
Jian Lin looked over, trying to recall memories that didn't belong to her. She then looked back and confirmed twice, finally recognizing, "That wall used to be the path to my small courtyard. Why has it been sealed?"
The distribution of residences in the backyard was arranged for the convenience of taking care of the junior disciples. Those with lower cultivation were closer to the kitchen, and after cultivating a Golden Core, they would be assigned to places closer to their masters.
Jian Lin was a special case. She was not young but had not cultivated a Golden Core. She had to make way for Yuan Shuo's disciples, so she had to move to the farthest corner.
However, this small path had always been open. She didn't know why it was sealed now.
"Of course, it had to be sealed. This wall is used to block evil spirits," the Demon Lord said as he led her over, seeming to have a slight idea. "Let's go, we'll go to your original room."
Jian Lin nodded. With a leap, she perched on the wall, ready to climb over. Her small courtyard was on the other side.
Unexpectedly, as soon as she poked her head out, the courtyard gate suddenly made a sound. A small door had been newly opened to the south, and someone was walking in.
It was a young man, about twenty years old, wearing plain casual clothes, not a Taoist robe. He didn't look like a cultivator.
Jian Lin stared at his face, inexplicably feeling a sense of familiarity. Then she suddenly came to her senses. This was a senior brother who had been very good to the original body. Later, he gave up halfway, withdrew from the sect, and chose to live a normal mortal life.
Why was he here?