"Miss Tantai, why are you so agitated?" the Nine-Headed Flame Lion asked in confusion. "We just want to send you home, not push you into a fiery pit. Your reaction is too extreme!"
"Is going home something so terrifying for you?"
"You truly don't know what's good for you. I wish I had a home to go to." He let out a sigh at this.
Though he could be a bit lewd at times...
He also had deep emotions for the word 'home'.
He missed home too.
But he didn't know where home was.
Because he only remembered that he came from the Third Heaven.
He knew nothing else.
"The greatest suffering in the human world isn't homelessness, but having a home you cannot return to!" Chen Nan lit a cigarette, his mood suddenly turning melancholic.
He missed home too.
He missed his parents, his younger sister, his daughter, and his lovers...
He also longed for a normal life.
But he bore the future of the Three Realms.
He carried too much responsibility.
He was destined to be on the run.
To endure the pain of separation from loved ones.
Tantai Shuang's eyes were filled with pain. "I want to go home too, but I cannot."
"Brother Chen, you might not know this."
"The humans and demons of the Third Heaven have already united."
"They are currently heading east."
"It is said they are heading to the Myriad Demon Cave to level it and reclaim the land occupied by the异魔 (Yì Mò)."
"What does this have to do with you being unable to go home?" Chen Nan felt awkward. How could he not know about this? The eastward advance was his plan!
Tantai Shuang sighed. "The alliance of humans and demons fighting the 异魔 (Yì Mò) is indeed a good thing. It has a high chance of saving the Third Heaven."
"But I heard that the human leader is a lecherous, depraved, and debauched demon."
"Wherever he goes, he orders women from his clan to be offered to him."
"When my tribe learned of this, they planned to send me to that demon first."
"Naturally, I refused, and that's how I escaped from the tribe."
???
???
Chen Nan and the Nine-Headed Flame Lion exchanged bewildered glances.
In each other's eyes, they saw utter confusion.
The Nine-Headed Flame Lion sent a telepathic message: "Boss, the person Miss Tantai is talking about can't be you, right? Wait, besides you, who else would dare call themselves the human leader?"
Chen Nan was also a bit flustered!
He had his share of female companions, and he admitted he was a bit of a scoundrel.
But he was definitely not the kind of person who acted on lust and was debauched.
However.
He also didn't understand why he had been portrayed as such a depraved individual!
"Brother Chen, please don't send me back to the tribe, okay?" Tantai Shuang pleaded, her eyes full of entreaty. "I really don't want to go back to serve that demon. I... I can be your maidservant, I'll do whatever you ask, as long as you don't send me back."
"They will reach Black Mountain Tribe in the next two days. I truly don't want to be treated as a plaything and sent to that demon."
Her face was tense, and glistening tears welled up in her eyes.
It evoked a strange sense of pity.
A feeling of being pitiable and lovely.
The Nine-Headed Flame Lion grinned, revealing a mischievous smile. "How about dual cultivation, pretty lady?"
Tantai Shuang froze.
She hadn't expected the Nine-Headed Flame Lion to ask such a direct question.
She glanced nervously at Chen Nan and said with a blush, "If Brother Chen doesn't mind me, I... I... I am willing to dual cultivate with Brother Chen."
"Miss Tantai, I have very important matters to attend to and must leave. I cannot take you with me on this journey," Chen Nan said with a strained smile. "Therefore, I must send you back to your tribe!"
The 异魔 (Yì Mò) already knew of his existence. They would also know that he had gathered strong individuals from both human and demon races to march towards the Myriad Demon Cave for the final decisive battle.
Therefore.
To be cautious, he had to investigate first.
Then, he would wait for the strong individuals from the Third Heaven to arrive, and they would attack the Myriad Demon Cave in coordination.
Before that, he couldn't have Tantai Shuang by his side.
Even if he could bring her into the small world he had created.
It wouldn't be enough to guarantee Tantai Shuang's safety.
After all.
When danger struck.
He planned to lure the 异魔 (Yì Mò) into the small world.
To put it plainly.
Tantai Shuang could not accompany him.
There was also another crucial reason.
Chen Nan wanted to accompany Tantai Shuang back to Black Mountain Tribe.
First, to meet up with the strong individuals from the Third Heaven.
And to find out which scoundrel had slandered his name.
Damn it!
He was such a bright, handsome, and positive peerless handsome man, how had he become a debauched demon?
The Nine-Headed Flame Lion said cheerfully, "Miss Tantai, there's no need to be nervous. You've seen my boss's strength. It's no exaggeration to say he's invincible in this era."
"Just put your mind at ease."
"With him intervening, your tribe's chief surely wouldn't dare send you to that demon."
"Also."
"My boss is your savior, are you sure you want to defy his wishes?"
His words were like a resounding slap in the face.
Tantai Shuang quickly released her hands that were tightly grasping Chen Nan and hastily wiped away the tears from her face. "I'm sorry, Brother Chen. I shouldn't have defied you."
Yes.
Chen Nan had saved her life.
He was her savior.
How could she defy his words?
What was the difference between that and ingratitude?
Chen Nan: "Alright, take us to your Black Mountain Tribe!"
Tantai Shuang nodded, slightly dazed.
She couldn't defy Chen Nan's words.
But she absolutely would not be sent as a plaything to that demon.
Not even if she died.
And so.
Chen Nan brought Tantai Shuang onto the Nine-Headed Flame Lion's back. They flew thousands of miles south. Along the way, the gluttonous Taotie returned to Chen Nan's side, fully satisfied.
He was then taken into the small world. As the sun began to set,
a majestic black mountain appeared before Chen Nan's eyes.
"Brother Chen, this is our tribe!" Tantai Shuang whispered. This was her home, the place where she was born and raised.
She had always deeply loved this black mountain range.
However.
Ever since she heard that she was to be sent to that human leader.
Her beloved home had transformed into a boundless purgatory.
Everything familiar to her had turned into ferocious 异魔 (Yì Mò).
Those 异魔 (Yì Mò) bared their teeth at her, wanting to tear her to shreds.
She wanted to escape.
But found she couldn't.
This filled her heart with intense fear, unwillingness.
And... despair.
"You little brat, where did you run off to? You finally know to come back? Are you trying to get us all killed?" As they approached the front of the tribe, a middle-aged woman who looked over fifty rushed out, scolding them.
She was Tantai Shuang's mother, named Wu Mei.
"Mother, I..." Tantai Shuang opened her mouth, but didn't know what to say.
Wu Mei looked at Chen Nan behind her and asked angrily, "Who are you? Did you deceive my daughter?"