Jian Lin quickly scrambled to her feet and, with a flick of her wrist, hid behind the Demon Lord, peeking out with one eye at the young lady.
The young lady, holding a whip, stared fixedly at the Demon Lord, her eyes glazed over and her face flushed. The arrogant and overbearing demeanor she had displayed earlier was gone, her presence significantly diminished. She forced herself to say, "Who are you? By what right do you get to decide if it's over?"
"I am merely an unknown rogue cultivator, traveling with my sister. She is young and ignorant; as her elder brother, I should take responsibility," the Demon Lord said calmly. "What I say is indeed not final. If the young lady is unsatisfied, she can confront me directly."
The young lady tugged backward, retrieving the whip from the Demon Lord's hand. Her tone softened considerably. "You are indeed more sensible than your sister. I will let her go today. You owe me a favor. Come to Jinlin Mansion when you enter Daliang City. If you fail to keep your appointment, I have ways of finding you and will teach you a lesson. Try me if you don't believe me."
"I would not dare. Tomorrow, after I enter the city, I will certainly keep my appointment," the Demon Lord replied indifferently.
"Very well. What is your name?" the young lady asked, her eyes betraying a hint of anticipation.
"Lin Yan." The Demon Lord adopted a surname that matched Jian Lin's assumed name, creating a false identity for himself.
"Lin Yan, I've remembered. See you tomorrow!" With that, the young lady turned away haughtily, boarded another carriage that had arrived to pick her up, and quickly disappeared within the city gates.
After the argument and the fight, the onlookers finally dispersed, preparing to head to nearby towns and villages to rest for the night.
With the commotion over, Jian Lin followed the Demon Lord, saying coolly, "Why is our Lord Chong Yuan being so kind today to save me? According to your usual nature, wouldn't you just watch coldly and teach me a lesson? Unless..."
The Demon Lord mounted his horse and slowly rode forward, asking lazily, "Unless what?"
"Unless that young lady's carriage was broken by you!" Jian Lin said indignantly. "It's all your fault for being so meddlesome. Look, we can't get in now!"
A slight smile curved the Demon Lord's lips. "It was my doing. I originally just wanted to teach her a lesson, but I didn't expect her to have such a temper. I miscalculated."
"Still pretending to be a good brother," Jian Lin mounted her horse and leaned in close to his ear, whispering, "I think you're in trouble this time. That young lady clearly likes you. I wonder how you'll handle it tomorrow."
Jian Lin's spirits soared. Previously, she was always the one causing trouble and getting criticized by the Demon Lord. Now, the tables had turned, and it was finally his turn. Jian Lin smiled even more happily.
"I'm just a rogue cultivator. Even if the young lady fancies me, the Jinlin Sect won't allow her to do anything," the Demon Lord said nonchalantly. "At most, I'll play along with a young girl. It's not a bad situation to be in."
Jian Lin thought about it and agreed. That young lady was clearly pampered and delicate, probably around seventeen or eighteen years old, in the prime of her youth. Whatever she wanted, it wouldn't be a loss for the Demon Lord.
"What do you want to do?" Jian Lin asked, feeling inexplicably annoyed. "Lord Chong Yuan, you're truly not picky. You're willing to get close to anyone. You really don't uphold male virtue!"
Facing Jian Lin's accusation, the Demon Lord tilted his head in confusion and looked at her. "What is male virtue?"
"To be pure and self-respecting, not to mess around," Jian Lin replied.
"You're angry?" The Demon Lord looked at her deeply and asked with interest, "What are you angry about?"
"I..." Jian Lin only then realized she was angry. She immediately deflated, her gaze darting away as she said uncomfortably, "I'm worried about you! What if someone takes advantage of you?"
"Don't worry, it's not that easy to take advantage of me." The Demon Lord squeezed his legs, and his horse whinnied, pawing the ground before galloping forward.
Jian Lin watched his retreating back, her gaze involuntarily drawn upward to the "01" above his head, feeling a pang of unease.
She pondered why. Perhaps it was because she had long considered the Demon Lord her private possession, and she couldn't stand him interacting with other women.
Besides, he had already shown interest in her. How could he then flirt with other women?
But were all men so broad-minded? He only had a little interest in her, not enough for vows of eternal love. He shouldn't mind other women throwing themselves at him, should he?
Her mind raced with chaotic thoughts, and Jian Lin only felt a dull ache. She was determined to see how this scoundrel would handle the situation!
That night, they couldn't secure rooms at the small town's inn and had to camp in an open field. Fortunately, they had bought plenty of food, so Jian Lin wasn't too disheartened.
Gathered around the campfire, Jian Lin tossed chestnuts into the flames. As soon as she heard a pop, she'd retrieve them and place them on a clean stone to cool.
After roasting for a long time, Jian Lin felt the first batch was ready. She reached back to grab the chestnuts from the stone, but her hand met empty air.
She immediately turned around, looking in disbelief. The stone was indeed bare; not a single chestnut remained.
"Mo Chongyuan!" Jian Lin exclaimed angrily. "You stole my chestnuts!"
The Demon Lord opened his eyes and calmly replied, "I thought you were roasting them for me. You even placed them near me, and since you weren't eating them, I had no choice but to eat them for you."
Jian Lin laughed in exasperation. "Weren't the chestnuts hot? How did you manage to eat them?"
"It's fine. My cultivation is profound; I can retrieve chestnuts from fire with my bare hands. Eating a chestnut is nothing," the Demon Lord said cockily.
What kind of world was this? For her to eat a chestnut, it depended on one's cultivation level?
Jian Lin clenched the wooden stick in her hand, so angry she couldn't sit still. She stood up and kicked a nearby old tree, practicing! Working hard! Improving!
The Demon Lord, hearing Jian Lin tormenting the old tree, belatedly realized she was angry again.
However, this time she wasn't directing her anger at him, so they didn't argue.
The Demon Lord lowered his gaze and pondered. The reason for Jian Lin's anger was likely that he had eaten her roasted chestnuts. Although it wasn't intentional, the cause was ultimately him, and he needed to apologize.
With that in mind, the Demon Lord tossed a handful of chestnuts into the fire. He listened for the sound of them popping, then retrieved them one by one. After about ten were roasted, he held them in his hands and went to find Jian Lin by the old tree.
Jian Lin was engrossed in her practice when she suddenly smelled roasted chestnuts. She turned her head and saw the Demon Lord standing beside her. Seeing her look over, he extended his hand, offering her the chestnuts.
About ten plump, round chestnuts lay in the Demon Lord's large palm. Jian Lin stopped her movements, her heart instantly softening. She asked softly, "For me?"
"For you," the Demon Lord said, shaking his palm. "I apologize for this. From now on, if you make something, I will confirm with you before I eat it."
Oh, the way he said that! Was she that stingy?
The Demon Lord didn't usually enjoy eating. Whenever he did, it was merely to show her respect, eating a few bites casually to taste.
Eating a few chestnuts wasn't a big deal. Why was she acting so crazy?
If he really had to confirm before eating everything, wouldn't that be awkward, cold, and distant? It would be worse than being strangers!
"No need," Jian Lin immediately refused, saying earnestly, "From now on, if I make something, eat it if you want. You don't need to confirm with me. I'm willing to share any food with you."
"If you think that way, then why were you angry?" the Demon Lord asked, confused. Had he misunderstood?
Jian Lin had a flash of insight and smiled bitterly. She belatedly realized that she wasn't angry about the chestnuts at all.
She was angry about the Demon Lord's indifferent attitude. The chestnuts were just a scapegoat.
The chestnuts were innocent, and the person who roasted them for her was also innocent.
"I'm moody and unpredictable. I have a few days where I just want to go crazy," Jian Lin explained, biting the bullet, then forcing a smile. "It's not a big deal. Don't worry about it. Eat your chestnuts!"
Jian Lin reached out to take a chestnut, trying to divert attention. However, as soon as she touched it, she snatched her hand back, burned. "So hot!"
The Demon Lord hadn't lied. He truly wasn't afraid of heat, which explained why he could eat them so quickly.
The Demon Lord remained silent. He withdrew his hand, pinched the chestnut with his fingers, peeled off the shell, and handed the kernel to Jian Lin. "Hold it like this, and it will cool down quickly."
Jian Lin extended her palm. The round, sweet chestnut kernel, from her palm, burned all the way to her heart.
In her two lifetimes, this was the first man to peel chestnuts for her.
The Demon Lord's hands moved swiftly, and he soon peeled all the chestnuts, handing them all to Jian Lin.
Jian Lin's hands were too small, so she had to cup them with both hands, obediently sitting back down by the campfire to eat.
The fire crackled. Jian Lin finished the sweet, soft chestnuts, her heart feeling much calmer.
"Lord Chong Yuan," Jian Lin said softly, "Actually, the reason I was angry was because you were so indifferent about going to see that young lady."
"I am indeed indifferent," the Demon Lord replied, opening his eyes in confusion. "The Jinlin Sect is nothing to fear, nor is that young lady. She's only at the Golden Core stage, and she doesn't seem very cunning. What are you worried about?"
"It's not about that," Jian Lin said, moving closer to the Demon Lord. "As a woman, I could tell at a glance what her intentions were. She's infatuated with your beauty and invited you over. What if she tries to take advantage of you?"
"She can't defeat me," the Demon Lord frowned. "Even without using my demonic energy, I am a top-tier expert. Do you think a little girl at the Golden Core stage can defeat me?"
"It's not about fighting you," Jian Lin said, unable to help herself, directly stating her concern. "If she kisses you, touches you, or does even more, what will you do?"
"Oh," the Demon Lord responded, a smile appearing at the corners of his lips. "So that's what you're worried about."
"Yes, I'm worried about that. Because it's harmless to you, even enjoyable," Jian Lin said, breaking it down. "Would you hit her?"
"How do you know this would be enjoyable for me?" the Demon Lord asked. "You know I have no women around me, so why would you guess this?"
Jian Lin froze. That's right, the Demon Lord had no women in his harem. They had even discussed this before, which had led to memories of his past with mortal girls.
"Having no women is one thing, but refusing women's advances is another," Jian Lin said, her heart pounding like a drum. She mustered her courage and asked, "Lord Chong Yuan, a hundred years have passed. The girl you liked has long since reincarnated. Are you still remaining pure for her?"
The Demon Lord's eyes caught the firelight, and for a moment, a flicker of sadness crossed them. "I didn't intend to remain pure for her. It's just that time passed without me realizing it."