"What are you looking at so intently?" Bai Ran walked towards Long Jinhan, who was handling affairs of the Demon Realm, placing her hands on his shoulders.
Long Jinhan curved his lips and handed her the document he held. "It's the person who ascended to the Ninth Heaven today."
Her gaze swept over it, and Bai Ran immediately spotted the small characters in the center of the document—Wen Ke.
"All soldiers, heed my command. Escort these two out of the city safely—"
"She respects me as a general, so I will treat her as one of my own—"
"One day, the two of us will meet again—"
Memories surged through her mind, and Bai Ran couldn't help but smile. She hadn't expected the day of their reunion to come so quickly.
"Is it someone you know?" Long Jinhan reached out and covered Bai Ran's hands on his shoulders.
Bai Ran nodded slightly, smiling as she pointed to Wen Ke's name. "I met this woman in the Upper Realm. She's straightforward and enthusiastic, just like my mother. She's also a martial general."
"Wen Ke… Coincidentally, she is currently in the Demon Realm. Shall I summon her?"
Hearing this, Bai Ran was taken aback. Such a coincidence that she was in the Demon Realm right now?
She leaned down and whispered something in Long Jinhan's ear, then smiled gleefully.
Wen Ke acted swiftly. An hour later, she appeared within the Demon Realm palace.
She was still the same as before, her long hair tied high, holding a red-tasseled spear, valiant and decisive.
The atmosphere in the grand hall was oppressive. She knelt on one knee, her hands clenched tightly due to nervousness, her eyes fixed on the ground, not daring to look up.
From the main seat, Long Jinhan's cold and heavy voice rang out, "Do you know why I summoned you here?"
Wen Ke pursed her lips, her heart pounding, "Your subordinate… does not know…"
She had only just ascended to the Ninth Heaven when she received orders that the Demon Lord summoned her and she had to enter the hall immediately.
This whole ordeal made Wen Ke think she had done something wrong, and even led to the Demon Lord personally summoning her to mete out punishment.
Long Jinhan turned his head, looking at the fiery red figure who had appeared beside him at some point, his eyes filled with tenderness.
But when he looked at Wen Ke, his tone softened slightly, "You are clearly human. Why are you in the Demon Realm?"
The atmosphere was too oppressive, making Wen Ke break out in a sweat, "Your subordinate knows that among the four major powers, only the Demon Realm's army is exceptionally brave and skilled in battle."
"So, after I ascended to the Ninth Heaven, I thought… I thought…"
Whether it was due to her heightened nerves or Long Jinhan's imposing aura, Wen Ke's mind went blank for a moment, and she stammered for a long time without being able to speak a complete sentence.
"You thought of learning something, so that you could benefit humanity?"
"That's right!"
As soon as she said it, Wen Ke was so annoyed she almost punched herself. What "that's right"?
Wasn't she indirectly saying she was here to steal their skills?
As her words fell, the grand hall instantly fell silent, the air thick with a suffocating tension.
Wen Ke closed her eyes tightly, feeling as though she was on the brink of death.
"Pfft—" However, a woman's laughter echoed, reaching her ears.
Bai Ran had never seen such a nervous and frightened Wen Ke, so she couldn't help but chuckle.
A woman? Down below, Wen Ke lowered her head, her heart filled with curiosity. There was someone else beside the Demon Lord, and a woman at that?
"Look up." Long Jinhan's voice rang out again, making Wen Ke's heart leap.
"Your subordinate dare not."
"Look up. Did you hear me?" This time, it wasn't Long Jinhan who spoke, but Bai Ran.
Upon hearing this, Wen Ke's body stiffened. It seemed she recognized her voice. Then, she incredulously raised her head and met Bai Ran's gaze directly.
"Bai Ran—!?" Why was she in the Demon Realm too???
Wen Ke stared at her blankly, her eyes filled with confusion and bewilderment. From her expression, it seemed she was quite familiar with the Demon Lord?
Long Jinhan reached out and gently held Bai Ran's hand. "You have just entered the Ninth Heaven. It's normal to have some confusion."
"She is the mistress of the Demon Realm, my wife."
As he spoke, Wen Ke's mouth gaped open so wide it could fit an egg. "So you're her man!"
After saying that, she quickly lowered her head again, realizing her impropriety, "Your subordinate spoke without thought! Demon Lord, please forgive me!"
"It's alright. You took care of my wife in the Upper Realm, so you don't need to be so formal in front of me."
As he spoke, Long Jinhan stood up and looked at Bai Ran, "You two catch up. I still have matters to attend to."
Bai Ran nodded, understanding that Long Jinhan knew Wen Ke would be too nervous around him, so he found an excuse to let them have some time alone.
She turned her head to look at Wen Ke, who was still kneeling on one knee, and saw her staring intently at her, her eyes sparkling with eager gossip.
…
"Whoosh—" In Bai Ran's courtyard, Wen Ke gulped down an entire cup of water before exhaling a long breath, finally letting go of her anxieties.
"No way, you kept such a big secret from me? You didn't say anything back then, I thought your man was just an ordinary person," Wen Ke narrowed her eyes and questioned Bai Ran.
"Also, you and the Demon Lord ganged up to put on a show just now, it scared me half to death."
She really thought she was going to lose her life… Who knew it was just a play put on by a couple.
Bai Ran chuckled, "General Wen, who fears nothing, actually has someone to fear?"
Hearing this, Wen Ke became flustered, "He's the Demon Lord! How could I not be afraid?"
Saying that, she waved her hand, "I was planning to search for you everywhere after ascending to the Ninth Heaven. Now that I see you've become the mistress of the Demon Realm, I can finally rest easy."
"How did you know I was in the Demon Realm?"
"Just a hunch."
Bai Ran smiled helplessly. Her intuition was always terrifyingly accurate.
Just then, Tang Yi ran over, her expression anxious, "Madam! Madam! Ting Lan is injured!"
"Ting Lan? Who is Ting Lan?" Wen Ke asked Bai Ran, who had started to rise anxiously.
"It's a merman. Let's go see him."
Wen Ke nodded and followed. However, when she saw the merman's appearance, she was so mesmerized she couldn't look away.
The man lay on the shore, his long hair spread over his slender back, adorned with wet water droplets. His sapphire-blue tail shimmered in the sunlight, incredibly beautiful.
What made Wen Ke's heart flutter even more was Ting Lan's posture as he propped himself up, his pitiful expression akin to a dog fallen into water—truly endearing.
"What happened?" Bai Ran crouched down to examine Ting Lan.
Unexpectedly, Ting Lan reached out and pointed to his shimmering tail, where there was a very small cut, "It was cut by a reef…"
Bai Ran's face darkened. Looking at the fingernail-sized wound, she sighed, "You really cherish this tail, don't you."
After applying the ointment, Ting Lan rolled comfortably on the shore, looking at his flawless tail with great satisfaction.
But who knew that a sudden, fervent gaze made him involuntarily shiver.
Ting Lan stiffly turned his head and looked back, only to find a strange woman beside Bai Ran staring at him with eyes full of excitement.
Her expression was as if she wanted to devour him alive.
"Who… who are you…"
Wen Ke strode forward, grasping Ting Lan's hands, her eyes seeming to churn with burning passion, "Are you married?"
Bai Ran, standing to the side, looked at the enthusiastic Wen Ke and then at the flustered Ting Lan, as if catching a whiff of gossip.
"He is not married, nor does he even have someone he likes."
Upon hearing Bai Ran's words, Wen Ke's expression became even more fervent. She held Ting Lan's hand tightly and eagerly began, "My name is Wen Ke! The legitimate daughter of the Wen Manor, a family of three!"
Ting Lan's mouth twitched uncontrollably. He wanted to pull his hands away, but she was holding on so tightly that he was completely immobilized.
"Miss Wen, I'm sorry… I like gentle and virtuous women…"
Unexpectedly, Wen Ke completely ignored his words, reached out with her long arm, and slung Ting Lan over her shoulder.
"Bai Ran, is it okay if I take this person with me?"
Ting Lan, on her shoulder, struggled incessantly, but Wen Ke, being a martial general, had incredible strength, "Let go! Did you hear me!"
Watching the two of them, Bai Ran couldn't help but smile, "That's no problem at all."
"Then I'll come find you next time!"
Wen Ke steadily carried Ting Lan and disappeared from Bai Ran's sight in a few steps.
Tang Yi, standing not far away, had watched the entire scene with her mouth agape, "Madam! Will that Wen Ke hurt Ting Lan?"
Bai Ran shook her head helplessly, "Hurt, probably not."
Three days later, when they met again, it was unclear what method Wen Ke had used, but she had actually made Ting Lan completely submissive.
The secret behind it was probably known only to themselves.
"I didn't expect your sensitive spot to be your tail."
"Shut up!" exclaimed a certain fish, blushing with embarrassment.