An inn stood at the border of the Middle Three Continents, less than 3,000 miles away from the Flowing Fire Prefecture.
“Xiao Jiu, are you okay?”
Shizi held a bowl of hot water, looking worriedly at the haggard-looking Ling Yao sitting on the bed.
Ling Yao didn’t speak; she only stared blankly at the empty space beside her.
After a long time, once the water had turned cold, she spoke softly, “I’ve thought of a method that will allow me to break through to the Nascent Soul stage within 1 year.”
Normally, even for a gifted cultivator, it would take at least 5 to 10 years to break through from Foundation Establishment to the Nascent Soul stage.
“That’s a good thing!”
Shizi was genuinely happy for Ling Yao.
Their situation was actually not much better than Yun Heng’s. In fact, it could be said to be worse.
A Xiang had Yun Heng as a backer, and Yun Heng had the Changsheng Yun family behind him.
No matter how Xuan Sun labeled them as suspects, it would be difficult for him to take action without sufficient evidence.
But Ling Yao was different.
Her appearance was identical to the one on the wanted poster. Although her transformation was successful, subtle traces of demon aura still lingered around her.
Furthermore, the two of them—one old and one young, one at the Foundation Establishment stage and the other at the Golden Core stage—would face certain death if they were truly caught by Xuan Sun.
Therefore, if Ling Yao could rapidly increase her cultivation to deal with Xuan Sun, it was an excellent development no matter how one looked at it.
“…But the price is a bit high.”
Ling Yao looked toward Shizi. “First, if I choose this path, my route will inevitably overlap with ‘his,’ and I will see scenes that I absolutely do not want to see.”
Ling Yao was too familiar with Yun Heng. She was so familiar with him that after hearing the name “Flowing Fire Prefecture,” she had already guessed his route and final destination.
This was the same path he had taken her on in her past life.
“Second, the time is too long, and there are too many uncertainties…”
As she said this, Ling Yao found it somewhat laughable.
To an Immortal King, 10,000 years was but a blink of an eye.
But to a 16-year-old girl, 1 year… felt far too long.
It was so long that… she didn’t even dare to imagine how far ahead Yun Heng would be in 1 year, and whether she could even catch up to him as a 16-year-old at the Nascent Soul stage.
In fact, Ling Yao had not yet realized that the divinity she had cultivated over 10,000 years had mostly faded away during the time reversal.
If it weren’t for that, she would never have experienced this wavering hesitation, so like that of an ordinary child.
“…Third, if I do that, I will certainly expose all of my demon aura. At that time, whether it be Xuan Sun, the demon race, or even the dragon race, they will all discover me.”
Ling Yao pursed her lips.
She wanted to say that perhaps Shizi should stay away from her and that she would find her again once she had enough strength.
She was currently too weak; if Shizi stayed with her, she would only be constantly dragged into the crossfire…
But in the end, Ling Yao didn’t say it.
Because Shizi was her only remaining family in this world. If even she left… Ling Yao felt that she might truly be consumed by an inner demon.
Besides, this wasn’t a dead end. If she cultivated there, even if experts who sensed her demon aura tried to break in, they would inevitably be entangled by countless ancient formations.
Combined with Ling Yao’s familiarity with the environment, there was room for maneuvering if she played it smart.
Beyond that, Ling Yao’s hesitation had another layer. But this was something she could never speak of—
In her past life, she had lost Yun Heng because she pursued power. If she missed him again in this life because of that same pursuit… then what was the point of her rebirth?
But if she didn’t pursue power, how could she clear the path for him and make him notice her again?
Shizi looked at Ling Yao’s lowered eyes and sighed softly.
She moved to Ling Yao’s side, sat down, and gently pulled her into an embrace, patting her back softly. “You’re only 16 years old. Many times, you don’t actually need to think so much. Just relax.”
Facing Shizi’s comfort, Ling Yao didn’t even know what expression to make for a moment.
“I’ve been studying human storybooks recently and saw a line. I’m not sure if the meaning is what I think it is—’Is it not a joy to have friends come from afar?'”
Shizi interrupted Ling Yao’s attempt to argue and said softly, “Since you treat me as an elder, I will fulfill that role. But in this life, there are many things an elder cannot help you with.”
“Even if your kin were wiped out, I imagine you must have some old friends, right? Even if those friends can’t help you now, you can make new friends your own age. I think… that might make things a bit easier for you.”
Ling Yao was stunned.
It wasn’t because of Shizi’s vague logic—which clearly came from someone who had only read half a book—but because she suddenly thought of someone.
Someone who, in a sense, truly counted as a “friend.”
“Ding Huai… meng.”
The girl murmured the name.
***
Demon Inspection Department, Fifty-ninth Case Room.
“I can’t stay in this Demon Inspection Department for another day! Sister, feed me peanuts!”
“They’re on the table. Can’t you get them yourself?”
Ding Huairou rolled her eyes. After finishing a dozen more pages of official documents, she rose from her seat and walked over to her sister, who was exactly 800 years younger than her.
“What’s wrong, Xiao Meng? Were you bullied by that disfigured guy, Xuan Sun, again?”
Ding Huairou reached out and pinched Ding Huaimeng’s cheek.
“Who else could it be but him?”
Ding Huaimeng chewed on the nuts, letting out crunching sounds of protest.
In truth, they weren’t biological sisters.
Ding Huaimeng was an abandoned infant Ding Huairou had found during a routine demon inspection.
Since Ding Huairou felt that she was only 800 years old and very young, she thought being a mother would make her look too old, so she simply had Ding Huaimeng call her “Sister.”
“Don’t be angry. I’ll beat him up for you when he comes back next time.”
Ding Huairou chuckled and then, as if by magic, pulled out two more bags of peanuts from her robe. “Try these.”
“I stole them from the Forty-ninth Seat. Apparently, they’re a new variety planted by the Yun family in the mortal realm!”
“…I say, Sister, can’t you eat a different kind of nut for once?”
Ding Huaimeng was caught between laughter and tears by her sister’s antics. “I’ve been eating peanuts for 20 years!”
“It hasn’t been 20 years.”
Ding Huairou unhappily flicked Ding Huaimeng’s forehead. “You were already 2 years old when I brought you back. It’s only been 18 years, okay?”
Ding Huaimeng sighed helplessly.
She admired her sister greatly, and had even joined the Demon Inspection Department just so she could one day fight by her side.
It was just this obsession with peanuts… Ding Huaimeng simply couldn’t accept it.
When she was a child, Ding Huaimeng had once suffered through the terrifying experience of eating nothing but peanuts for three meals a day, 6 weeks in a row.
It was from that moment on that Ding Huaimeng began to cultivate with double the effort, just so she could reach the Foundation Establishment stage quickly, achieve inedia, and get away from peanuts!
She just couldn’t understand why her sister loved these little things so much when they were only meant for the occasional snack.
“Speaking of the Yun family…”
Ding Huaimeng looked at the two bags of peanuts in Ding Huairou’s hands. “Sister, are you familiar with their eldest young master?”
Ding Huairou blinked. “I’ve never even met him. Why?”
She suddenly became nervous.
‘Don’t tell me… the cabbage I raised with such difficulty was somehow snatched away by that playboy?’
If that were the case, she would definitely call Yun Heng out tomorrow and find an excuse to lecture him!
A superior lecturing a subordinate was perfectly reasonable, right?
“It’s nothing, just a guess of mine.”
Ding Huaimeng sighed.
It was hard to say where her guess came from. But after being lectured by Xuan Sun today, Ding Huaimeng suddenly remembered what had happened with Yun Heng near Cuiwei Village 1 month ago.
That day, they had finished drinking with Yun Heng and received a warning from the southwest via the Monster Hunting Mirror.
They had headed there fully armed and searched for an entire night, yet they hadn’t even smelled a trace of a demon.
Afterward, Squad 762 went deep into the Black Wind Forest and searched for seven days and seven nights, nearly flipping the soil over, but they still found nothing.
At the time, Ding Huaimeng had joked with Lu Wenbo about whether someone had tampered with the Monster Hunting Mirror…
Then, meeting Yun Heng again in Yunmeng Prefecture, he had inexplicably become entangled with a highly suspicious girl who was likely a demon.
So, Ding Huaimeng was wondering if there was a possibility that Yun Heng had used some kind of inconceivable divine ability to tamper with the Monster Hunting Mirror, thereby misleading them into the Black Wind Forest… all to protect Ling Yao, who must have been near Cuiwei Village at the time.
Otherwise, how could one explain why Ling Yao, who had been confirmed as a demon by Lord Xuan Sun, had sought out Liuli Valley?
Unfortunately, this was only Ding Huaimeng’s sixth sense speaking.
Not only was there no evidence to prove that Yun Heng was connected to Ling Yao, but they also currently had no evidence that the little girl beside her was a demon.
“If only the Monster Hunting Mirror could display the detected demon aura in some special way…”
Ding Huaimeng murmured to herself.
“What are you thinking?”
Ding Huairou smiled.
“If the Monster Hunting Mirror could really do that, we people in the Demon Inspection Department would have been phased out long ago. When that time comes, your sister will have to go beg on the streets.”
“Begging is still 10,000 times better than working in the Demon Inspection Department!”
Ding Huaimeng pulled her thoughts back, returning to the indignation she felt when she first arrived. “If I had known, I wouldn’t have joined this cursed Demon Inspection Department in the first place!”
“Fine. I’ll go write your resignation application tomorrow.”
“Uh… I was just joking.”
“Mhm, I was joking too.”
“Ahhh—! Ding Huairou! You’re bullying me again!! (Peanut)”
(Opening her mouth to eat it, munch munch) “By the way, I just received news. Isn’t your Squad 762 supposed to write a collective report? Are you sure you shouldn’t hurry up and write it? It’ll be dawn soon~”
“Ah—my head hurts—why do I not only have to rush back overnight from the Middle Three Continents, but also have to rush a report overnight?! The Demon Inspection Department really isn’t a place for humans to stay, boohoo…”
***
Meanwhile, in the Eighth Case Room of the Demon Inspection Department.
“Xiaoyue, what are you thinking about?”
Having finished her hard day’s work, Weiyang removed her mask and looked gently at Lin Xiaoyue, who was staring blankly out the window.
Lin Xiaoyue was playing with a bamboo flute that didn’t look like it was of very high quality, seemingly hesitating whether to play it.
“Thinking about a friend.”
Lin Xiaoyue put the bamboo flute back into her storage bag and jumped down from the windowsill. She approached Weiyang and nodded politely. “Sister Hua.”
“You’ve worked hard these past two days.”
Weiyang was a bit shorter than Lin Xiaoyue, but she still stood on her tiptoes to pat Lin Xiaoyue’s head.
“After all, the rules were set by the Pacification Commissioner. I can’t give you any shortcuts in this regard.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
Lin Xiaoyue shook her head and looked at Weiyang. “Sister Hua, is there nothing you want to ask me?”
Since Weiyang had personally brought her back from the Lower Three Continents, and the primary target of the Earthly Branch Judges was Yun Heng, the previous interview process for Lin Xiaoyue had been more or less a formality, no different from an evaluation.
“Sometimes I really wonder if there’s some 10,000-year-old fossil hidden in your heart.”
Weiyang smiled and affectionately poked Lin Xiaoyue’s forehead.
Lin Xiaoyue smiled back and remained silent.
“I originally wanted to ask you what your relationship is with that kid from the Changsheng Yun family…”
Weiyang opened her eyes, and the gazes of the two women finally met for the first time.
Strangely enough, Weiyang’s eyes were like those of a sheep, with square pupils. However, she usually kept her eyes narrowed, so few people ever noticed.
There were even many rumors in the Demon Inspection Department that if Weiyang ever truly opened her eyes, it meant…
She had killing intent.
“But on my way back just now, I stopped by to ask Elder Lan for a divination. After thinking about it, I decided it’s best not to meddle in these muddy waters.”
Weiyang closed her eyes again and gave a gentle smile.
“So, at least for the next 2 or 3 months, I have no problem. Regarding Yun Heng, I’ve already put the Fifty-ninth Seat in charge of surveillance. As for you… I still trust my eye for people.”
Lin Xiaoyue lowered her gaze and remained silent for a long while before finally letting out a long breath.
“There is one thing you can be sure of, Sister Hua. Between the demon race and me… there is a life-and-death grudge that can never be reconciled.”
“In other words, my stance has been consistent with the Demon Inspection Department from beginning to end.”
“From beginning to end?” Weiyang teased.
“From beginning to end,” the girl replied seriously.