Jian Lin didn't want to deal with the Demon Lord. He was insensitive and didn't understand women's hearts, always asking why she was crying, which only made her want to cry more.
The pleasure boat was lively, filled mostly with cultivators, and even some rogue cultivator couples with their children out for a stroll.
A little girl with twin buns, about four or five years old, ran excitedly through the boat cabin. She suddenly saw Jian Lin shedding tears, stopped in her tracks, and said with childish innocence, "Big brother, you're bullying someone and making big sister cry. That's not good behavior, you need to say sorry."
The little girl had been pampered since childhood and didn't understand fear, only wanting to be a messenger of justice.
The Demon Lord raised an eyebrow. This child was amusing. Since Jian Lin was ignoring him, he was happy to have someone to talk to. "But I don't think I did anything wrong. Should I still say sorry?"
The little girl leaned closer and said earnestly, "My daddy says that sometimes 'sorry' is like a sesame candy. You say it to others just to make them happy."
Hearing this philosophical statement, Jian Lin's tears immediately stopped. She blinked and looked at the little girl seriously, unable to resist giving her a thumbs-up.
The little girl was not shy and grinned, coming closer. "Big sister, don't cry. My mommy says if you want something, just ask for it. Crying is the most useless way. When I want candy, the more I cry, the less my mommy gives me. Only when I ask nicely will she give it to me."
Jian Lin's heart melted. The little girl was so well-raised, with a strict but reasonable mother and a loving, humorous father. Her words had completely stopped her tears.
She looked at the little girl's adorable cheeks and wanted to give her some snacks. But then she felt it was too cheap. Such a kind and lovely little girl deserved the best blessings.
After much thought, Jian Lin exchanged with the system for a small sachet containing a peace charm. It was embroidered with two cute little persimmons, symbolizing everything going smoothly. In reality, it could ward off a major disaster.
Jian Lin trusted the system implicitly, as it had set up this world. If it said it could ward off disaster, it surely could.
The little girl accepted it without any hesitation and happily ran back to her parents.
Returning to silence, Jian Lin turned to the Demon Lord. Just as the little girl had said, she answered his question directly. "Why am I crying? Because I feel like you don't care about me. You always say I don't like you, but you're not me, how can you know? I'm telling you clearly now, I like you a little bit. You are the closest person to me in this world. If you don't want me, I'm very sad, so I cry."
In her two lives, this was the first time Jian Lin had confessed her feelings sincerely. She had thought it through, let it go, and cast aside all her pride to confess to this insensitive scoundrel.
Even if he didn't respond, she wouldn't regret it.
The Demon Lord looked at her steadily, without speaking. He reached into his embrace, fumbled for a moment, and pulled out a bottle of pills. He spread his palm flat, "I don't have sesame candy. Take this bottle of Nine Revolutions Returning Spring Pills instead. These pills are very sweet, like candy."
Jian Lin bit her lip, unsure why, but she felt like crying again.
This scoundrel, he was quite something.
"Is it harder for you to say 'sorry' than to kill you?" Jian Lin asked irritably.
"One only needs to say sorry when they've done something wrong. To coax someone, you just need to give them candy," the Demon Lord replied very seriously.
Jian Lin was about to explode with anger. She snatched the Nine Revolutions Returning Spring Pills and said hatefully, "Fine, fine, you're always right, you're always correct, alright?"
"Don't mock me," the Demon Lord turned his head away proudly. "When I do something wrong, I will naturally apologize. If I haven't done anything wrong, then I haven't."
Jian Lin couldn't help but roll her eyes, not wanting to talk to the Demon Lord.
Just then, the little girl walked over with her parents, greeting them enthusiastically. It turned out the parents had come specifically to thank them.
Jian Lin stood up to respond, carefully observing them. The mother had slightly higher cultivation, around the late Foundation Establishment stage, while the father was a bit lower, at the middle Foundation Establishment stage. Both were very enthusiastic and good at conversation. They did a small business between Liangcheng and the Immortal Realm, a very happy family.
For rogue cultivators, whether they could cultivate a Golden Core was a hurdle. Only rogue cultivators who cultivated a Golden Core were qualified to register as disciples in major sects.
Jian Lin chatted and exchanged pleasantries with them, while the Demon Lord sat aside with a cold expression. The parents were perceptive and didn't linger, quickly taking the little girl away after expressing their thanks.
Jian Lin watched the backs of the family of three and sighed softly, "What a happy family. My parents and I were probably like this back then. I hope the little girl grows up safely by her parents' side."
"She will. That little girl has ordinary talent and won't be accepted by any major sect. She won't have any great breakthroughs in the future, at most like her mother," the Demon Lord said indifferently.
"That's good," Jian Lin said sincerely.
"What's good about it? Living an ordinary life," the Demon Lord scoffed. "If it were me, I'd rather not have come."
It was easy for him to say, this scoundrel with such high standards. Jian Lin suddenly had a curious question.
"Lord Chong Yuan," Jian Lin asked, puzzled, "you don't like ordinary things, so why did you fall for a mortal girl? This doesn't fit your personality."
The Demon Lord leaned back against the chair and said narcissistically, "Perhaps she was the most beautiful in the world. She must have had some exceptional qualities for me to like her."
Jian Lin's eyebrows furrowed, filled with jealousy. "Oh, since you like her so much, why don't you go find her? Inquire about who the most beautiful woman in the world is, and then you'll know!"
"Mortals have short lifespans. By the time I have the time, thirty years will have passed. I don't think she would want to see me," the Demon Lord's eyes were tinged with melancholy. "Besides, it's just a wild guess. I have no concrete clues, so I can't find her."
Indeed, thirty years. Half of a woman's life had passed. Even if she couldn't let go, what meaning would a reunion have?
Jian Lin was also melancholic, then thought of something else. "But she must have reincarnated by now, right? Lord Chong Yuan, you can meet her again and rekindle your past relationship."
The Demon Lord's gaze sharpened, and he said meaningfully, "You seem very interested in her. What? Are you going to help me find her?"
Jian Lin was exposed and avoided his gaze, stubbornly denying it. "What does it have to do with me? I wish you'd never find her, then you'd only like me."
The Demon Lord reached out and pressed Jian Lin's forehead, messing up her bangs. "You really know how to make yourself unhappy."
"Let go! You scoundrel!" Jian Lin struggled and covered her hairstyle. "I finally styled my hair, and you messed it up! I'll fight you!"
The Demon Lord wouldn't listen to her. As they bickered, the gloom of tears gradually dissipated.
The night was deep, and a crescent moon hung high in the sky. Jian Lin leaned by the window, suddenly turned back, poked the Demon Lord, and whispered, "We can see the Twelve Peaks of Guanlan Sect!"
The Twelve Peaks of Guanlan Sect, viewed from high above in the deep night, looked like twelve brilliant pearls, forming a restraining encirclement. It was said to be a divine miracle left behind by the God Realm, showcasing the majestic aura of the foremost sect in the cultivation world.
The Demon Lord glanced at it coldly and grunted.
Jian Lin turned around and sat next to the Demon Lord, asking softly, "Lord Chong Yuan, have you been to the cultivation world before?"
"No. What the Immortal Realm has, we have too. I have no reason to come here," the Demon Lord replied softly with his eyes closed.
Jian Lin noticed the Demon Lord's choice of words. He had started to be careful, no longer mentioning anything related to demons. Jian Lin recalled the Twelve Peaks' powerful forbidden spells and felt a surge of nervousness.
She closed her eyes and regulated her breathing, confirming multiple times that her demonic energy was sealed before slowly exhaling.
"Indeed, if only we could remain in our own wells and rivers, never interfering with each other," Jian Lin sighed.
"Impossible. Recently, I've come to understand something. As far as I know, for about two hundred years, no one in the Immortal Realm has ascended to godhood," the Demon Lord's tone was laced with mockery. "The highest faith cannot be realized, and the people of the Immortal Realm are going mad. Therefore, they will inevitably attack us to motivate cultivators, comfort people's hearts, and vent their frustrations."
Jian Lin nodded silently. She understood the logic. This was a matter of primary and secondary contradictions. When the primary contradiction cannot be resolved, one must resolve the secondary contradiction.
"That's not right. Since no one can ascend, why is your home safe and sound?" Jian Lin asked.
"Because my family is small, and due to their mediocre talent, they are not so fixated on ascension. Most people are just exploring how strong they can become."
Understood, understood. It was indeed like that. This was what was called psychological expectation.
The setting of this world was becoming more and more interesting the more she thought about it.
In the latter half of the night, Jian Lin slept for a while. In her hazy dreams, she actually saw herself playing chess with someone.
Black and white pieces moved on the chessboard. Jian Lin and the other person engaged in elegant conversation and debate, seemingly about matters of immortals and demons.
On the small tea table beside her, there was a small square ding. It was bronze in color, and from the small holes on the lid, wisps of white smoke rose.
The more Jian Lin looked at the ding, the more familiar it seemed. Wasn't this the ding the Demon Lord had given to Boss Snake? It was called… Li Yang Divine Venerable's.
What else had Li Yang Divine Venerable done? Oh, right. He had given the Water of the Heavenly River to Huai Yin Jun.
What a mess! Jian Lin was angry in her dream and woke herself up.
Suddenly, the pleasure boat jolted, and she abruptly opened her eyes. The sky outside was bright, but the weather was gloomy, as if it were about to rain.
"Cangnan Town has arrived," she murmured.
Cangnan Town. In the original body's brief life, happy memories were all related to this small town.
This was the closest town to Chiyan Peak. During breaks from classes and cultivation, they would sneak out in groups to play.
The town was filled with rogue cultivators who did business while cultivating, all hoping to be accepted as disciples on the mountain.
These people always treated the chief disciples of Guanlan Sect with respect and warmth. Jian Lin always received preferential treatment whenever she came out to play.
Unfortunately, after her cultivation stagnated, she had no face to come down and play, so she could only stay cooped up in the mountains, cultivating day and night.
As she disembarked with the crowd, the scene before her overlapped with her memories. She said to the Demon Lord, "I want to go for a stroll."
Unexpectedly, the Demon Lord spoke at the same time, "I'll take you somewhere."
Their eyes met, and Jian Lin conceded, "Uh, I just wanted to wander around, it's not anything important. I'll go with you."
The Demon Lord pondered for a moment before replying, "After I finish my business, I'll accompany you for a casual stroll."
Jian Lin smiled sweetly. "Alright, what business do you have?"