The first light of dawn painted the quiet morning a misty blue, everything clear and beautiful.
The two walked out of the inn, following a secluded alley to the riverbank. They casually found a stone to sit on, and the Demon Lord took out the slips of paper, drawing one at random to open and read.
Jian Lin sat beside him, leaning closer to look. The first one made her want to burst out laughing.
That night, Jian Lin had only sent Xie Jin one message, but Xie Jin had excitedly replied with a long string of them.
Although the Demon Lord wasn't reading them in order, Jian Lin felt it didn't matter. What Xie Jin said repeatedly was all the same thing.
In fact, it was pretty much as Jian Lin had predicted. Xie Jin's numerous messages were all expressions of shock, followed by a torrent of suggestive words.
For example, he expressed his affectionate concern for Jian Lin, stating that if she needed any help, he had a large supply of medicine and she shouldn't hesitate to ask.
The Demon Lord clenched his fists, clearly infuriated by their conversation. He questioned her impatiently, "That night, you did that to me, was it just to tell Xie Jin?"
The Demon Lord's chest ached with anger. Jian Lin was truly lawless, not taking his words seriously. In terms of provoking people, she was on par with Xie Jin.
"No, telling Xie Jin was just a side thing," Jian Lin stated her true feelings seriously. "Everything, of course, is predicated on me liking Lord Chongyuan."
The Demon Lord scoffed, "Your liking is rather frivolous, as frivolous as womanizing!"
That was too much. Jian Lin felt genuinely wronged.
She had been with this scoundrel for so long, spending every day together. What was wrong with a kiss or a hug? It was as if she had committed a capital offense. What kind of logic was that?
Besides, she hadn't forced him. He clearly had feelings for her. The scoundrel was truly unreasonable.
"Yes, I am frivolous," Jian Lin said angrily. "Don't worry, I'll stay far away from you from now on. I, ah, I'm going to find other men to play with."
Jian Lin intended to use a provocation tactic, but the Demon Lord didn't fall for it at all. He continued to flip through the slips of paper, quickly finding the second topic of conversation between them.
Xie Jin promised that if Jian Lin helped confirm the Demon Lord's physical condition was fine, he would tell her about the mortal girl the Demon Lord cared about.
The Demon Lord unfolded a slip of paper, waving it in front of Jian Lin. He said incredulously, "If you wanted to know those things, why didn't you just ask me directly? I've never hidden anything, and I've already told you many things."
Jian Lin had to admit this point. When it came to the mortal girl, the Demon Lord was very generous. He told her as much as he could remember.
"That's because Lord Chongyuan, you don't remember much," Jian Lin said with a fawning smile. "I just wanted to hear the story from someone else, there was no other intention."
"I don't understand you," the Demon Lord shook his head and continued reading their messages. "She is no longer in this world. What good will it do you to know so much?"
"It does no good, it's just my jealousy acting up," Jian Lin sighed and explained. "Lord Chongyuan, you truly don't understand a woman's heart. She was your deceased white moonlight, and I can never win against her. If I knew some of her flaws, I would feel a little better."
"She has no flaws," the Demon Lord replied earnestly. "Although I don't remember anything about her, I know the feeling. I am certain she has no flaws."
Jian Lin wrinkled her nose and said impatiently, "Alright, alright, I get it. Stop praising her, it makes me uncomfortable."
The Demon Lord chuckled softly. Seeing Jian Lin's troubled expression seemed to lift his mood considerably. "However, since you want to know, go ask Xie Jin. I also want to know what exactly he knows."
Jian Lin glanced at the Demon Lord in surprise, then couldn't help but laugh. After bickering for a long time, they finally cleared the air at this moment.
On the way back, Jian Lin bought a lot of food for the three people at the inn, and it was still steaming hot when she carried it back.
Jian Lin first delivered the food to her senior brother and senior sister. Lin Zhi had not yet woken up, and Wen Mingyuan sat beside her. Jian Lin left with peace of mind and turned to the adjacent room.
She pushed open the door and saw Bai Xian lying weakly on the bed. She asked with concern, "Great Priest, do you need breakfast? Would you like to try some?"
Bai Xian propped himself up with his arm, not hiding the longing in his eyes. "Actually, I don't need to eat, but I don't mind trying."
"Then please get up yourself, I won't feed you," Jian Lin placed the breakfast on the table and opened the oil paper wrapping, which was still emitting steam.
Bai Xian looked at the rising mist and smiled knowingly. How many years had it been since he had seen such a scene? It was truly nostalgic.
He dragged his weakened body to sit up and used his chopsticks to taste a little of everything, like a pampered and picky young lady.
Jian Lin shrugged. Fearing waste, she finished the remaining breakfast and then asked the innkeeper for a pot of hot tea. She drank it down, refreshing her palate.
After tasting the breakfast, Bai Xian lay back down to rest. Jian Lin sat by the table, motionless, with no intention of leaving.
The Demon Lord had left on business, saying he was going to gather information and that she should not act rashly. Jian Lin didn't want to disturb her senior brother and sister, so she had to stay with Bai Xian, and also to keep an eye on him to prevent any mischief.
Jian Lin's gaze was intense, and Bai Xian couldn't ignore it. He had to sit up and chat with her. They talked back and forth, and soon it was noon.
Around noon, as Jian Lin was discussing what to eat with Bai Xian, Wen Mingyuan came to knock on the door, excitedly announcing that her junior sister had woken up and invited the Great Priest to come and chat.
Upon hearing this, Jian Lin was overjoyed and accompanied Wen Mingyuan to visit her senior sister.
The original host and Lin Zhi had been close friends, but they had drifted apart for various reasons, having barely spoken for nearly three years.
Even so, Jian Lin was a little nervous. Although she had a different face, she was still afraid Lin Zhi would recognize her, as their figures were the same.
Jian Lin deliberately altered her habits, slowing her steps as she walked to the bedside. Lin Zhi sat at the head of the bed, looking over from a distance, smiling weakly and thanking the Great Priest.
"You're welcome," Jian Lin said, feigning profundity. "I'm doing this for myself, so don't feel burdened. Everything that is happening now is the result of your own accumulated karma and blessings."
The three exchanged polite pleasantries, and Jian Lin suddenly remembered something. She took out the spirit tablets of Wen Mingyuan and Lin Zhi from her Qiankun bag and handed them to each of them, asking them to find an opportunity to destroy them.
Jian Lin had originally wanted to resolve this for them, but Bai Xian had told her it was useless. Spirit tablets with names inscribed on them could only be destroyed by the person themselves; others could not act on their behalf.
The two were startled to see the spirit tablets and quickly asked what these terrifying things were.
"Curses. Don't ask too many questions about the specifics. The secrets of heaven must not be revealed. If I say too much, I might incur a backlash," Jian Lin unconsciously adopted Bai Xian's way of speaking. She continued, "You two must remember to use your purest power to destroy them. This matter is very important, and I hope you two will take it to heart. It's alright if you can't destroy them immediately, but the important thing is not to forget. Do you understand?"
Wen Mingyuan and Lin Zhi nodded, indicating they would follow the Great Priest's instructions.
Wen Mingyuan still had one question. "Great Priest, don't laugh at me, but I have insufficient talent. I'm just a mortal, where would I have any power? I don't know when I'll be able to destroy them."
"If you have no power, then cultivate diligently. If you give up on yourself, of course, you will have no power," Jian Lin encouraged them, and more so, herself. "Lin Zhi, your Golden Core has been repaired. You must know how difficult that was. You must cultivate well from now on and not let today's efforts go to waste."
Listening to Jian Lin speak, Lin Zhi felt, for some reason, that she had seen her somewhere before at a certain moment.
Jian Lin didn't stay long, fearing she might reveal herself, and soon got up to leave.
Wen Mingyuan escorted her to the door, then closed it and returned to Lin Zhi's side, ready to discuss their departure.
Lin Zhi suddenly asked, "Senior brother, what was the name of this Great Priest?"
"I think it was Lin Jian. I didn't ask in detail and always respectfully called her Great Priest. What's wrong?"
"Nothing," Lin Zhi shook her head and suddenly smiled. "Perhaps I'm mistaken. I just feel like she looks familiar. Perhaps it's fate."
"The Great Priest is indeed a very kind person," Wen Mingyuan smiled gently. "I get along very well with her. The Great Priest is so quirky and always reminds me of..."
Wen Mingyuan suddenly fell silent, realizing that name could not be spoken.
Lin Zhi understood perfectly. She reached out and held her senior brother's hand, whispering, "Senior brother, I secretly kept a set of her clothes. When we leave here, let's find a place with beautiful scenery and build a cenotaph for her."
Wen Mingyuan's eyes welled up with tears, and he clasped his junior sister's hand back. At that moment, he felt as if he had returned to the past.
He had returned to his spirited, carefree youth. The three of them were friends for life.
Fortunately, he hadn't come too late, and he had managed to keep one person. His regrets in this life were fewer.
Jian Lin leaned against the doorframe, eavesdropping on their conversation inside. Tears flowed uncontrollably. She clearly felt that it wasn't her who wanted to cry, but the original host who wanted to cry.
Two more days passed quickly. Lin Zhi's recovery was swift. At the same time, Guanlan Sect's Chiyan Peak was making constant small movements. The Demon Lord, fearing complications, suggested that the two leave soon.
Although Jian Lin was reluctant, she didn't say much.
One afternoon, she saw her senior brother and sister, disguised as traveling merchants, board a cruise ship. They left Cangnan Town to live in Daliang City.
Jian Lin watched the cruise ship disappear into the horizon, then turned to look at the Demon Lord, who had been accompanying her. Fortunately, he was there, so she wasn't too lonely.
"Lord Chongyuan, I never got a chance to ask you," Jian Lin walked up to him. "What exactly happened? Why did my senior brother and sister have to leave so quickly?"
"Hao Jun is dead," the Demon Lord said softly.
Jian Lin was shocked. Hao Jun was Yuan Shuo's proudest disciple, a person of noble status, rumored to be the illegitimate son of a mortal emperor.
Not only that, but Jian Lin remembered that Hao Jun had survived until the latter half of the Immortal-Demon War in the original story. The Immortal Sect Assembly hadn't even concluded yet, so how could he be dead?
"How did he die?" Jian Lin asked.