The Demon Lord initially paid it no mind, but when Protector Liu mentioned it, he found it difficult to ignore. His gaze fell on the two of them, and the more he looked, the more something felt off.
Jian Lin's fierce demeanor towards Bai Xian was indeed peculiar. Compared to her calculated seduction and appeasement by his side, she was clearly more genuine and at ease with Bai Xian.
With matters on her mind, Jian Lin was simultaneously worried about Bai Xian causing trouble and conflicted about whether to save the disciples of Chi Yan Peak. She didn't notice the Demon Lord's subtle thoughts at all. If she had known the Demon Lord's true intentions, she would have been so angry she'd spit blood. Was it wrong for her to be gentle, considerate, and pleasing to him? This dog man was so obnoxious; she should have slapped him and made him show off his abs for her to touch, instead of him getting angry and being sarcastic over her touching him once. He was truly spoiled with bad habits.
Speaking of which, Jian Lin was particularly afraid of Bai Xian disrupting things and delaying their plans, wishing she could tie him to her. When they set off that evening, she strongly insisted on riding in the carriage with Bai Xian. For safety, the Demon Lord and his subordinates disguised themselves as a merchant caravan and headed south. Xie Jin was already prepared to meet them and escort this group of subordinates back to the Demon Realm for recuperation.
Ever since leaving the small courtyard, Jian Lin's heart had been in her throat. She nervously stared out the carriage window, afraid of triggering the twelve peaks' forbidden spells. Bai Xian, leaning against a soft cushion, said relaxedly, "Don't worry. Lord Demon Lord is very clever. He used a blind spot in the forbidden spells to cast one on me, creating a perfect constraint. Within this, I can't make any extraneous moves."
Jian Lin looked back at him. After a moment of thought, she found it strange. "You seem to have some kind of issue. You don't seem to care at all when others thwart you." It wasn't just the twelve peaks' forbidden spells, but also the matter of Chi Yan Peak's spirit-absorbing formation earlier. Both were Bai Xian's doing, yet he dismantled them without hesitation, as if it had nothing to do with him.
"What difference would it make if I cared? When you're under someone else's roof, you have to bow your head," Bai Xian said helplessly. "As long as I can't break your seal, I can only survive by pleasing you."
A flicker of surprise and admiration crossed Jian Lin's eyes. "So you noticed. I thought you hadn't." When Jian Lin had initially removed the seal, she was afraid Bai Xian would run off. She had deliberately kept a contingency, using the system to swap and leave a remnant of the seal on Bai Xian. As long as Bai Xian dared to leave her side, that remnant would trigger, dragging him back into the White Jade Bell. Over the past few days, Jian Lin had intentionally left a few loopholes for Bai Xian. He showed no intention of leaving, leading her to believe he was being cautious. She hadn't expected him to have seen through it all.
"I may not understand your sealing techniques, but I understand people. What someone fears, what they care about, is all written in their words and actions," Bai Xian said, pointing to his eyes and smiling calmly. "I see it clearly. You can't hide anything from me."
Jian Lin stared at Bai Xian, once again feeling the terrifying aspect of the man before her. Bai Xian, a living corpse, was physically weak. Any rogue cultivator above the Golden Core stage could easily kill him. Yet, this was a man who was skilled in divination, formation arrays, the most powerful forbidden spell master, and also adept at manipulation. If asked what Jian Lin feared most about Bai Xian, it was his planning, scheming, and psychological tactics. His every move made Jian Lin overthink. For example, his obediently helping her to destroy Chi Yan Peak's formation made Jian Lin suspect that Bai Xian must have had his own benefits from doing so. However, she couldn't figure out what those benefits were, only regretting her own dullness and fearing being led by the nose by Bai Xian.
"Don't stare at me so much," Bai Xian teased with a smile. "You know that serious look in your eyes can easily make me misunderstand."
"Misunderstand what?" Jian Lin asked subconsciously, lost in thought.
"Misunderstand that you like me," Bai Xian replied with a smile.
"Shut up!" Jian Lin said indignantly. "Who would like a living corpse like you? You're cold all over. Sleeping with you would surely give me nightmares." Jian Lin genuinely thought this. If she were to consider Bai Xian as a potential boyfriend, the most terrifying aspect was that he had no heartbeat and no body temperature. Jian Lin absolutely could not accept that.
Bai Xian looked profound, seizing on the key point to attack Jian Lin. "Miss A'Pei, so you've imagined sleeping with me? I am truly overjoyed." Jian Lin felt a blockage in her chest. In an argument, she couldn't win against Bai Xian. In the end, she angrily slapped him, threatening him to shut up and not speak again. Jian Lin had no idea that the conversation between the two in the carriage was being heard word for word by the Demon Lord. His mood was extremely complex, and he was particularly, intensely bothered by Jian Lin's words about sleeping together. He realized a serious problem: for Jian Lin, embracing, kissing, and even more intimate contact were very important matters. And he had completely different ideas from her on this matter, even calling her frivolous. So, to her, was he a particularly detestable man? The Demon Lord, driving the carriage alone, gazed into the vast night, seriously contemplating matters concerning Jian Lin, and unknowingly, his affection value increased by one. Jian Lin, who had been resting with her eyes closed, suddenly heard the system's notification of points received and opened her eyes in surprise. She hadn't done anything. Was the Demon Lord's affection triggered by his own imagination? What was he imagining? Jian Lin covered her mouth, quietly opened the carriage door gap, and looked at the Demon Lord's back in the darkness, quickly dismissing her thoughts. Impossible, absolutely impossible! The Demon Lord wouldn't be imagining inappropriate things at such a crucial juncture. That would be too terrifying. But he had felt affection! Jian Lin was not a naive, ignorant, pure young girl. A healthy adult male imagining a woman who made him feel affection, what else could he be imagining? Jian Lin fell into confusion, her mind unable to settle, and she couldn't cultivate all night.
A night passed, and the sky brightened. The caravan had already driven to the outskirts. After crossing a mountain, they would reach the pier, where the ship arranged by the Demon Lord was waiting. As long as they could safely board the ship, traveling by water would be fast and safe, avoiding much of the jolting. This matter would be more than half successful. The Demon Lord focused on the journey, showing no intention of stopping. By noon, Bai Xian couldn't stand it anymore. He requested a rest, water, and some tonic to maintain his strength. Seeing Bai Xian's sickly appearance, which didn't seem feigned, the Demon Lord stopped the carriage by the roadside, deciding to rest for a while. Jian Lin got out of the carriage, happily stretching and moving her body. Ancient carriages had no shock absorption system, and riding in them was truly torture. She proactively offered to find water. The Demon Lord, unwilling to leave his subordinates, could only watch her leave alone. Bai Xian pushed open the carriage door, moved himself to the entrance, enjoying the breeze on his face while his eyes darted around, discovering something interesting. He secretly calculated in his heart, then quietly struck up a conversation, "Lord Demon Lord, do you like Miss A'Pei a lot?" The Demon Lord glanced back at him lazily and said dismissively, "It's none of your business. Stop prying." Bai Xian reached up to stroke his chin and continued with a smile, "They say the person involved is often blind, but the bystander sees clearly. Lord Demon Lord, if you are troubled, why not listen to a few words from me?" The Demon Lord remained unmoved, continuing to gather firewood to boil some water for drinking. "It's like this, I'm just saying, and Lord Demon Lord can just listen," Bai Xian persisted, speaking to himself. "Liking someone is a selfish thing, like obtaining a peerless secret manual; you want to hide it for yourself and absolutely refuse to let anyone else read it. If someone does, and you can't control your murderous intent, that's a normal thought." "In your eyes, wanting to kill someone is a normal thing?" The Demon Lord tilted his head, pointed at him with a branch, and subtly threatened, "Bai Xian, do you not want to live? I can fulfill that for you." Bai Xian's smile did not diminish, and he politely reminded, "Lord Demon Lord, I am already dead. You cannot kill me." Their gazes collided in the air, probing each other, sparks flying, and they arrived at an important conclusion: they both found each other extremely displeasing. Jian Lin returned with the bamboo tube and poured the water into the clay pot. While waiting for the water to boil, she sat beside the Demon Lord and took out a osmanthus cake from her Qiankun bag for lunch. "I want some too," Bai Xian said from the carriage, extending his hand. "Miss A'Pei, give me a piece." Jian Lin paused, reluctantly saying, "There's none left. This is the last piece. If I give it to you, I'll have nothing to eat." "Then split it with me," Bai Xian said with a smile. "I just want to taste it. Give me a little." Jian Lin pouted helplessly, broke off half, and was about to throw it to Bai Xian when another hand intercepted it. "I want some too," the Demon Lord stopped Jian Lin and took the osmanthus cake. "Give it to me." "Huh?" Jian Lin was stunned, looking at her empty palm, not understanding what had happened. The Demon Lord had never liked to eat. Why was he so eager today? Bai Xian still had his hand extended, putting on a pitiful look, gazing at Jian Lin expectantly. Jian Lin was truly exasperated with these two men. Why were they fighting over a single osmanthus cake? No one ate them when there were plenty, but they fought over the last piece. So childish. "Alright, alright, I'll give you this half. I won't eat it, okay!" Jian Lin threw the other half to Bai Xian. Unexpectedly, it was intercepted by the Demon Lord again. He snatched the half osmanthus cake and slowly put it into his mouth. The sweet taste of the osmanthus cake was exceptionally good. The Demon Lord suddenly understood Bai Xian's words. Liking someone truly was a selfish thing. For example, this osmanthus cake; the moment he thought about giving it to Bai Xian, he felt uncomfortable all over. Jian Lin was stunned, frowning at the Demon Lord, and asked softly, "Are you hungry? I have other snacks. Do you want some?" "No," the Demon Lord replied haughtily. "I only like osmanthus cake." What on earth was going on? Men's hearts were like needles in the sea; she couldn't figure it out. After the midday rest, they set off again. Jian Lin wanted to get into the carriage, but the Demon Lord stopped her. "You sit outside, with me." Jian Lin paused, her probing gaze falling on the Demon Lord's face. What was wrong with him today? He seemed strange all over. At this moment, she increasingly suspected that the Demon Lord had imagined something terrible last night. She silently sat outside the carriage door and accidentally touched the back of the Demon Lord's hand. She instinctively pulled away, afraid of provoking the Demon Lord. She didn't expect that her slight movement of pulling away would indeed provoke the Demon Lord.