Baili Xiao sheathed his sword, his head bowed as he walked step by step towards the palace, his figure desolate.
...
Meanwhile, Jing Feng had just arrived at Black Crow City.
Jiang Ye, covered in dirt, complained with a mournful expression, "Why are you only arriving now?"
Jing Feng awkwardly scratched the back of his head. "What's the hurry? I'm here now..."
As it happened, Bai Ran and her group also returned to Black Crow City.
"Little Piggy~ Look at him~" Jiang Ye pounced towards Zhu Que like a shameless dog.
Zhu Que, with a look of disdain, took a large stride to dodge Jiang Ye. "You're a grown man, how can you be so effeminate?"
Jiang Ye pouted, muttering something.
At this moment, Xiao Zi, who was in the spatial artifact, spoke up. "Release me. I suddenly remembered that brat's teleportation scroll is still with me."
Upon hearing this, Bai Ran released him.
"Where did you pop out from! You scared me!" Jiang Ye, startled by the sudden appearance of someone behind him, lost all color in his face.
Xiao Zi raised his eyebrows, deliberately teasing him. "Naturally, you're too stupid. I've been here all along."
As soon as Jing Feng saw Xiao Zi, he strode angrily towards him. "Where's my teleportation scroll?"
It was all his fault. Jing Feng's mind was filled with Jing Yun now.
"Lost it," Xiao Zi said with a sly grin. Jing Feng's anger flared upon hearing this.
"Lost it! You actually lost my teleportation scroll!"
Would he have to borrow Jing Yun's scroll forever from now on...?
Visibly, Jing Feng's anger subsided, and he even looked a little... gleefully foolish?
Xiao Zi flicked his tail, raising an eyebrow as he looked at Jing Feng. "I was lying."
He handed over the teleportation scroll, but Jing Feng's face fell.
Jing Feng snatched the scroll and left in a huff.
Xiao Zi chuckled deeply, but then, as if remembering something, his expression turned somber.
Bai Ran smiled gently at him. "Xiao Zi, what's your real name?"
Xiao Zi was the name she had given him, and he had been using it. At this moment, Bai Ran suddenly wanted to know his true name.
The ears on Xiao Zi's head twitched, and he seemed to be in a very good mood.
His fluffy, large tail gently brushed against Bai Ran's cheek. His eyes were filled with tender affection. "From the moment you gave me my name, I had a name."
Demonic beasts could form contracts with humans, and their names were usually bestowed by the contracting person.
Therefore, Xiao Zi had never had a name of his own since he was young.
He was respectfully called the Demon Emperor by his kin. It was only after meeting the "little brat" that he got a name.
"But you gave me such a stupid name!" Xiao Zi was so angry he wanted to strangle the person in front of him.
What was wrong with wearing a bit more purple! What was wrong with his tail tip and ears being purple! It was just a little purple!
The tenderness Bai Ran had just felt was instantly extinguished, leaving not even a trace.
"Alright, alright. Since you haven't contracted with me, if you don't like this name, go find someone else."
Xiao Zi blinked a couple of times. "You're actually kicking me out?"
Shi Tian, in the spatial artifact, breathed a sigh of relief. He had thought the male master's position was in jeopardy, but fortunately, Xiao Zi was incorrigibly foolish.
"Fine! I'm leaving! Don't come begging me to come back!" Xiao Zi turned and left, not looking back at all.
But as soon as Xiao Zi turned around, his ears drooped sadly.
Who knew when they would meet again after this parting. Forgive him for saying goodbye in this way...
"Xiao Zi," she said, looking at his retreating back with a smile.
Xiao Zi stopped, but he forced himself not to turn back until he heard a voice say, "Come back safely."
Finally, Xiao Zi's eyes couldn't help but well up with tears.
"Stupid brat, you talk too much..."
Xiao Zi's figure gradually disappeared. Bai Ran felt a deep reluctance in her heart, but there was nothing she could do.
He had his own mission and burdens to bear; he couldn't stay by her side forever.
After the wreckage in Black Crow City was cleared, a funeral was held for all the deceased.
The sky was gloomy, and snow white fluttered down.
After the funeral, the people also composed themselves and began their new lives.
All the city lords had died, and the ancestors had perished in the Nine Heavens, so the entire Upper Realm was now under the jurisdiction of Black Crow City.
...
"Is this correct?"
Yao Er wielded his sword, and Jing Feng nodded eagerly beside him. "Yes, just like that."
Day after day, he was exhausted. He had to cook, report to the Venerable Master, and now he had to look after the child.
"Lord Feng, you've worked hard. Have some fruit. These were just picked fresh and are very sweet."
A woman placed the washed fruit on a nearby stone table, her face full of smiles.
"Mmm! So sweet!" Tang Yi, who appeared from somewhere, took a bite of fruit with one hand.
Jing Feng glanced at her. "Why are you here?"
Tang Yi finished the fruit in a few bites. "The Venerable Master ordered me to bring some treasures to Madam. Haven't you seen her?"
Upon hearing this, Jing Feng chuckled gleefully. "Madam probably doesn't have time to see you."
At this moment, Bai Ran looked at the tall stacks of paper on the table, her face as dark as the bottom of a pot.
What a useless city lord! Busy every day, barely able to eat, constantly dealing with all sorts of matters in the city!
In the past few days, Bai Ran had been worn out, both physically and mentally.
"Zhong Zi, come here. I'm going for a walk," Bai Ran said, rubbing her temples as she stood up.
Zhong Zi, being suddenly called upon, was a little stunned. "But..."
Dong Ling casually slung an arm around Zhong Zi's slender waist and rested her head on his shoulder. "This is the King's order, Lord Zhong. You must obey."
A wave of goosebumps ran from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. Zhong Zi quickly pushed Dong Ling away. "Don't lean so close!"
When he looked again, Bai Ran was nowhere to be seen, leaving only the two of them in the room.
Zhong Zi's face was a dark cloud as he met Dong Ling's eyes. "It's all your fault."
Dong Ling tilted her head, feigning ignorance.
Meanwhile, within the demon realm, Xiao Zi's sharp claws were covered in blood, piercing through hearts again and again.
Since his departure, a portion of the demon race had harbored aspirations of usurping the throne. The demon race had been divided into two factions: the New Emperor faction and the Old Emperor faction.
The demon race was in internal conflict, with constant warfare.
As the Demon Emperor, Xiao Zi was at the forefront, leading the Old Emperor faction's demons in battle daily.
However, Lin Ze remained as if he had never been there, doing nothing, nor seizing the opportunity to unify the demon race.
Xiao Zi wiped the blood from his face, a smile playing on his lips.
Just wait, little brat. When I return safely, I'll give you a grand gift.
...
Bai Ran walked down the street, immediately drawn to a crowd gathered by the roadside.
She saw a naked man, bound by chains, kneeling before the Mercenary Guild.
His body was covered in whip marks, and blood was flowing from his wounds.
"Li Hu, kowtow to me once, and I'll give you a pill. How about it?"
A man stood before Li Hu, shaking a porcelain bottle.
The surrounding villagers chattered incessantly, discussing the kneeling man.
"It's Li Hu again. He came to steal pills again."
"Isn't it? He's stolen quite a few of my steamed buns these days."
"We've hit him, scolded him, but it's so annoying. Why doesn't anyone manage him?"
"Exactly. Even if the soldiers arrest him and beat him, even if he's tortured, he'll be back stealing the next day."
Bai Ran, looking through the crowd, saw Li Hu kneeling. He glanced at the porcelain bottle. "How do I know if the pills inside aren't fake?"
The man in front of him was so angry he laughed. He poured the pills one by one onto Li Hu's head.
"See? Real pills. If you don't want them, then don't."
Li Hu stared at the pills for a long time, then began to kowtow, one thump after another.
Bai Ran, observing from the crowd, raised an eyebrow. These pills were obviously fake, just made to look very real.
The man giving the pills laughed wildly. He scanned Li Hu's body from head to toe with an extremely lewd gaze.
His physique was truly good, a strong build that clearly indicated great strength.
One could only imagine what he would be like at night...
At this moment, patrolling soldiers arrived. The leader pushed through the crowd and questioned the man about the situation.
As soon as the man saw the soldiers, all his wicked thoughts vanished. "It's him! He came to steal our Mercenary Guild's pills again!"
The leader understood the situation and was about to take Li Hu away, but Li Hu shoved the soldier aside and collapsed on the ground.
He was seen picking up the pills one by one with his teeth.
Just as Bai Ran was about to leave, the leader, with sharp eyes, spotted her. "City Lord!"
Bai Ran sighed. "Why are you calling me? Continue with your business."
"Yes!" The leader quickly pulled Li Hu up from the ground.
The surrounding villagers were stunned. This little girl was the City Lord! She was the one who had bloodily cleansed the entire Upper Realm not long ago!
Hearing this, Li Hu stared fixedly at Bai Ran, gritting his teeth. "It was you! You killed my father!"
Bai Ran frowned and stopped the leader. "What do you mean?"
Li Hu's face was ferocious, his eyes looking as if he wanted to kill. "My father was just going to Black Crow City to look for someone! And you cruelly murdered him!"
Hearing this, Bai Ran understood. His father was likely one of those who came to seize the crystal mine, and he had lied to Li Hu, claiming he was going to Black Crow City to look for someone.
At this moment, a dark figure emerged from the crowd, his tall stature shielding Bai Ran from behind.
"Your father wasn't looking for someone; he was going to kill."
A familiar presence. Bai Ran's eyes widened gradually. "Long Jinhan? What are you doing here?"
A large hand took her small one, his voice trembling slightly. "I missed you."
A cold sensation from his palm reached her. Bai Ran instinctively wanted to pull her hand away.
...
Tang Yi finished the last fruit, clapped her hands, and stood up. "I've left the treasures here. You can give them to Madam."
Jing Feng looked at the pile of fruit pits on the ground and said helplessly, "Actually, the Venerable Master could have come himself."
He could have seen Madam again and delivered the items personally.
Tang Yi smiled and shook her head. "Then you don't understand. The Venerable Master is incredibly busy lately."
"He's searching for a way to separate his inner demons, keeping an eye on the Divine Realm's movements, and managing the Demon Realm. How could he have time to accompany Madam?"