To be honest, the Demon Lord was long accustomed to Jian Lin's eccentricities. His change in perception began when she, through some unknown means in the Demon City, instantly transported him and Tao Niang outside the city, helping them escape the Grand Priest's pursuit.
Jian Lin displayed abilities that far surpassed her cultivation level. Coupled with Granny Holy Fox's assessment of her and her occasional peculiar way of speaking during their daily interactions, these details led the Demon Lord to suspect Jian Lin's true identity.
She was definitely not just a simple mole for the Guanlan Sect.
Meanwhile, after their journey through the demon realm and facing life-or-death trials, the Demon Lord could confirm one thing: at least for now, Jian Lin harbored no ill will towards him.
Even if it was an act, he could only say she was a master of deception, and he was willing to be fooled.
With these thoughts, the Demon Lord reached out and took the test strip, saying indifferently, "Use it. I have no other options anyway. Might as well try anything to save a dying horse."
Jian Lin withdrew her hand and glanced sideways, teasing, "Lord Chong Yuan, a word of advice: stubbornness in speech often leads to a bad outcome."
The Demon Lord snatched the test strip, a faint smile playing on his lips, "Then I look forward to that day."
Jian Lin let out a cold snort, haughtily handing over the test strip and explaining how to use it.
The test strips were off-white. After being stained with the black-red blood, the Demon Lord tested everyone and then placed them on the worn wooden table in the main hall in order.
Jian Lin sat opposite him, staring intently at the test strips. She had said it would take at least ten minutes to show results. Jian Lin timed it precisely, waiting patiently. As time ticked by, she suddenly grabbed the Demon Lord's arm excitedly, gesturing for him to look at the test strips.
The strips had turned blue. The black-red blood had vanished, leaving only a light blue color, exactly as the system had described.
If there was no change, it meant a normal wound. If it turned blue, it indicated demonic energy.
Jian Lin frowned deeply, her mouth opening as if to speak, but she didn't know where to begin.
If you say this matter is outrageous, it's actually not. Ever since the Twelve Peaks Massacre, it has been confirmed that the Guanlan Sect has ties with the demon realm.
But if you say it's normal, the foremost immortal sect, the righteous path, cooperating with demons time and again, is committing a grave sin that warrants heavenly punishment.
Demons have no regard for human ethics or principles, nor do they possess a Dao heart. Their cultivation methods are simple, direct, and brutal. In their eyes, it's normal for relatives to kill each other for food and demon cores.
Demons can eat other demons, but humans cannot eat humans. This is the biggest difference between humans and demons.
Jian Lin couldn't help but sigh. The foremost immortal sect, the Guanlan Sect, revered by everyone in the cultivation world, would eventually backfire if it continued to associate with demons, becoming a city of sin.
In the original work, the Guanlan Sect was indeed the ultimate villain. It was said that when they removed their masks, they revealed monstrous, inhuman visages, and were eventually annihilated by the combined efforts of the male and female protagonists.
So, the groundwork for this was laid this early.
The Demon Lord lowered his gaze, staring at the test strips on the table, and said in a low voice, "This point proves that the powerful forbidden spell cast by the Twelve Peaks, which cannot be dispelled, was indeed guided by the demon realm."
Jian Lin remained silent.
Suddenly, the Demon Lord changed the subject, saying confidently, "Fortunately, I learned some demonic arts in the demon realm. Tomorrow, we'll go up the mountain to examine the formation's core. Perhaps we can find something."
"Go tomorrow?" Jian Lin snapped back to attention, worriedly asking, "Shouldn't we plan more?"
"There's nothing to plan," the Demon Lord stood up, walked to the door with his hands behind his back, and looked at the sky, "My people were uprooted. Whether I go tomorrow or the day after makes no difference. It's better that I go myself to investigate."
Jian Lin looked back at his retreating figure and silently nodded in agreement. There was indeed no need for further planning.
As evening fell, the small courtyard was dilapidated, with only three main rooms. Protector Liu had arranged the patients in the east and west rooms, while she herself usually stayed in the main hall for easy supervision of the patients and to guard the door.
But with the Demon Lord's arrival today, things were different. Most importantly, Protector Liu did not dare to share a room with the Demon Lord and Miss A Pei; it was too awkward, and she had to find a way to resolve it.
In the evening, she used the excuse of boiling water and sat outside for most of the day, but she couldn't sit there forever.
After much deliberation, she decided to go inside and have the patients squeeze together to sleep in the west room, tidying up the east room for the Demon Lord and Miss A Pei to rest.
With this decision made, Protector Liu got up and walked to the entrance of the main hall. Peeking through the worn door, she saw the dim oil lamp inside. Miss A Pei was leaning over the worn wooden table, seemingly studying something, while the Demon Lord leaned in, looking at her, extremely close.
Protector Liu marveled inwardly, thinking the distance was far too intimate; there was definitely something going on.
Normally, she would have quietly retreated to guard the door for the Demon Lord, but seeing that it was getting late, she had to brace herself and knock on the door to speak with the Demon Lord.
The Demon Lord called her in. Protector Liu bowed and, getting straight to the point, quickly explained her plan.
Unexpectedly, before the Demon Lord could speak, Jian Lin raised an objection.
"Don't disturb the injured. We don't need to sleep; we can just sit anywhere. Besides, we're leaving first thing tomorrow morning, so there's really no need to trouble yourself."
Protector Liu was startled. Leaving tomorrow morning?
She looked at the Demon Lord, unsure of her next task.
"You stay here and don't follow me. Take good care of them. I will find a way to send you back to the demon realm as soon as possible," the Demon Lord told Protector Liu.
As expected, Protector Liu couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. She lowered her gaze and forced herself to say, "Yes, your subordinate will do her utmost to complete the mission."
Jian Lin watched silently from the side. The injured patients were protected by the Guixi Pill, which stabilized their heart meridians, and they remained in a coma all day. This dilapidated courtyard was also rather dull, and it was truly difficult for Protector Liu to stay here alone.
Seeing her undisguised disappointment, Jian Lin felt great sympathy for her. However, she also understood that someone needed to stay at the courtyard.
With this in mind, Jian Lin stood up and pulled Protector Liu outside, "Oh, by the way, Lord Demon Lord wants to drink tea. Let's go boil some water for him."
The Demon Lord frowned, "I didn't—"
"Don't worry about the trouble; I'm happy to serve Lord Demon Lord," Jian Lin turned back with a playful smile, cutting off the Demon Lord, and pulled Protector Liu outside.
The sky was overcast, and the surroundings were pitch black. The dilapidated, drafty kitchen had no lights, so they could only use the glow from the stove.
In fact, Protector Liu had already been boiling water for half the day. Jian Lin directly stoked the fire and threw in two more logs.
She asked Protector Liu to sit down. Their knees touched, and she took out a handful of pine nuts from her Qiankun bag and offered them to her.
"Protector Liu, staying in this broken courtyard all the time, isn't it very boring?" Jian Lin asked softly.
"Not boring. It's a good time for closed-door cultivation," Protector Liu looked at the pine nuts in her palm, not accustomed to casual conversation, and said stiffly, "Besides, this is Lord Demon Lord's order. I have no complaints and will definitely complete it."
"Oh, I'm not the Demon Lord, why are you telling me this?" Jian Lin nudged Protector Liu's shoulder with her hand, saying intimately, "I have many storybooks here. I'll give you a few. Read them when you have nothing to do. What style do you like?"
Protector Liu's back was straight, "Miss A Pei, I... I don't know. I haven't read storybooks..."
Jian Lin glanced at her sympathetically. To reach the position of protector as a weak woman, she must have put in much more effort, likely spending all her time cultivating without leisure for entertainment.
"It's okay, I'll recommend a few I've read. They're absolutely wonderful." Jian Lin enthusiastically stuffed storybooks into Protector Liu's hands, all of which had been certified by her and Tao Niang as being loved by both the refined and the common people.
Protector Liu hugged the storybooks, and her affection for Miss A Pei grew. It was respect before, and now it was respect mixed with fondness.
After they chatted for a few moments, a cool breeze suddenly blew in, and fine threads of rain passed through the broken window, falling on them, bringing a refreshing coolness.
Jian Lin's Qiankun bag contained everything, a full set of teapots and cups, and her favorite floral tea bags. Pouring hot water to brew it released a sweet, intoxicating, and charming aroma.
"Let's go. This room doesn't block the rain. We'll go to the main hall for tea," Jian Lin said, carrying the teapot and trotting back to the main hall.
Protector Liu naturally followed, and the awkwardness between them greatly diminished.
The floral tea was too sweet. The Demon Lord took a sip and said disdainfully, "Is there no other tea?"
"No, Lord Chong Yuan. If you don't like it, drink less," Jian Lin retorted with a smile, "This is floral tea that girls like. I brewed it specifically for Protector Liu. Come, Protector Liu, let's two drink it."
Protector Liu sat below, pursed her lips into a smile, her gaze shifting back and forth. She took a sip of the sweet floral tea and sighed contentedly.
With the Demon Lord's arrival, she had put aside her worries of the past few days, and the taut string in her heart could finally relax.
Miss A Pei gave her plenty of snacks and storybooks, caring for her gently and considerately, like she would a child.
The light rain and the scent of tea that night were remembered by Liu Zhi'er for a very, very long time, even until the end of her life.
The next morning, the sky was exceptionally clear after the rain. The thick dark clouds had dispersed, revealing a azure blue.
The Demon Lord and Jian Lin bid farewell to Protector Liu and, amidst the morning bustle, quickly vanished into Cangnan Town.
Yesterday, they had disembarked from their cruise ship and gone directly to Protector Liu's small courtyard, heading towards a sparsely populated area, and had not really explored the town.
Now, as they arrived at the bustling town center, Jian Lin realized how excessively lively it was. By early morning, just having breakfast, she had seen at least three people from other sects.
This Immortal Sect Assembly was truly lively.
As Jian Lin ate her breakfast, she perked up her ears to listen to the discussions around her, about who won first place in the Sword Trial Competition and who excelled in the Alchemy Competition.
Suddenly, she heard Hao Jun's name, and Jian Lin remembered something important.
"Shouldn't we disguise ourselves?" Jian Lin whispered to the Demon Lord, "Hao Jun has seen us; he'll definitely give us away."
"I don't need to," the Demon Lord finished a wonton and said slowly, "I used an illusion technique at the Golden Scale Sect, so they don't know my true appearance."
"What?" Jian Lin didn't believe him. "When did you use it? How come I didn't notice?"
"Because I didn't use it on you," the Demon Lord explained patiently, "If I changed my face, you definitely wouldn't be used to it. I found it troublesome, so I didn't use it on you."
Good heavens, what was this called? Invisible to you?
Did she have to say thank you for that?