Thunder rumbled as jagged lightning briefly illuminated the dark, snowy night before fading away.

Mu Sujing and Jiang Miao had walked far, disappearing into the darkness shortly after.

The bonfire continued to burn as Ling Luo tugged on Yue Liangze’s sleeve before sitting down to warm herself.

Yue Liangze looked down at her and asked, “Cold?”

Ling Luo pointed at the fire and said, “There’s active spiritual energy everywhere here. This level of ritual spell isn’t very effective, so yes, it’s a bit cold.”

Standing, Yue Liangze said, “You told Yuan Yuan you had something to discuss with me. I brought you something when I came over.”

The clothing box was still in his spirit pouch, waiting for Ling Luo to curiously ask what it was before he presented it. However, Ling Luo replied with an inscrutable expression, “I know, Song Yuan Yuan told me.”

Yue Liangze: “…”

Ling Luo: “He said you bought beautiful clothes for a little demon girl.”

Yue Liangze’s face remained expressionless, but his eyes fixed on Ling Luo.

Little demon girl?

Ling Luo spoke unhurriedly, “Yuan Yuan is very worried that his little father might be enchanted by a skilled and experienced little demon girl and be swindled of both wealth and virtue. He specifically asked me to come and enlighten you, to set you back on the right path.”

Set back on the right path?

Yue Liangze maintained a calm expression, holding back before finally saying, “What does he know.”

Ling Luo rested her chin on her hand and smiled at him.

Yue Liangze continued, “So how do you plan to enlighten me?”

His deep, steady eyes held a hint of assessment.

“You know about fox spirits, right? Because they’re beautiful and enjoy causing mischief in the mortal realm, they’ve been involved in many romantic tales,” Ling Luo said. “Whether it’s scholars heading to the capital for examinations, novice martial heroes entering the jianghu, or wealthy young masters out for leisure—all become bewitched by shapeshifting fox spirits, willing to do anything to be with them.”

“Even fox spirits who have just learned to take human form and know nothing of worldly troubles will fall desperately in love with mortals. But humans and spirits walk different paths, yet somehow each couple inevitably encounters cultivators who hunt demons.”

“The cultivators earnestly advise the mortals, saying the fox is a spirit that specializes in bewitchment, delighting in enchanting mortals to consume their essence for cultivation.”

“The cultivators plead desperately, trying to enlighten the mortals to return to the right path, but the mortals simply refuse to listen. In the end, they either face life-and-death separation from the fox spirit or seclude themselves in the mountains to spend their lives together—either way, they never turn back.”

Ling Luo raised her head to look at the quietly listening Yue Liangze and said, “So you see, Song Yuan Yuan truly understands nothing. Don’t mind him. If you truly like that little demon girl, then like her properly. Why would you need to be enlightened to turn back?”

“What’s wrong with being a demon girl? This little demon girl hasn’t even stirred up trouble or thrown the mortal realm into chaos! A proper orthodox sect member, and yet at this point not allowing people to be together—”

Yue Liangze bent down, one hand gently gripping her chin, silencing the rest of her words with a kiss.

The wind carried fine snow with it, and Ling Luo watched as flakes settled on the man’s clothes and hair.

Yue Liangze looked down at her, his expression serious. “I like you regardless of what you are. Ling Luo, people have more than one side to them—you do, and so do I.”

At this moment, Yue Liangze shielded her from the approaching snow and wind.

Ling Luo’s heart once again beat rapidly because of this man. She suddenly let out a hum, wrapped her arms around Yue Liangze’s waist, and buried her head against him, muttering, “You’ve grown much bolder lately, always acting recklessly.”

Yue Liangze stroked her head. “This isn’t reckless.”

Ling Luo: “Then what does Immortal Danshui consider reckless?”

Instead of answering, Yue Liangze bent down to scoop her up entirely and carry her on his back, walking out into the wind and snow.

Ling Luo wrapped her arms around his neck, eagerly seeking his warmth.

Yue Liangze asked her, “Do you want to protect Jiang Miao?”

“‘Protect’ isn’t the right word. She’s trapped in a cage, and I want to pull her out,” Ling Luo explained, then asked, “But doesn’t the Sacred Sword Sect plan to handle the Moon Palace’s affairs?”

“Third Senior Brother said not to interfere,” Yue Liangze relayed Bai Cang’s words. “This is the Moon Palace’s own business. The Jiang family once refused the Sacred Sword Sect’s intervention.”

After hearing this, Ling Luo laughed, “So the Sacred Sword Sect has its pride too—once rejected, they can’t be bothered to care whether you live or die.”

Her words left Yue Liangze somewhat helpless.

He walked very slowly, yet each step was steady. Time passed too quickly, but he wished to hold onto these moments.

“Jiang Miao’s stubborn insistence has angered both the Jiang and Mu families. Her days will become increasingly difficult,” Ling Luo tilted her head to look at him. “Do you know what Jiang Miao wants to do?”

Yue Liangze answered expressionlessly, “Kill all the overseers and the Jiang family members.”

“The Mu family is just the first shackle constraining her; the Jiang family is the second,” Ling Luo said with a mysterious smile. “But she doesn’t realize there’s a third shackle waiting for her. Even if she kills everyone in both great families, she still won’t be free.”

“Because her bloodline forever contains a demon that might be revived. She’s been trapped in the Moon Palace for too long, only scheming against those within the palace, unaware that to the entire cultivation world, anything associated with demons marks her as an outsider.”

Jiang Miao would not gain freedom through this; instead, she would be confined to an even larger cage, with more and stronger people watching her.

This was also why, after the Mu family’s decline, the Jiang family still abided by their agreement and lived properly according to the rules.

Because the Jiang family elders understood clearly that in this vast world, only the Moon Palace offered them a place to survive.

Yue Liangze said solemnly, “If she continues down this path, she’ll only die faster.”

“Anyway, we can’t stop her,” Ling Luo didn’t continue discussing Jiang Miao, turning instead to look at the silent lake in the night. “I’d bet that there’s definitely a sealing site beneath this water.”

Yue Liangze: “The Moon Palace has more demon seals than anywhere else in the world. It’s not surprising to find a seal under the water.”

“How is that not surprising? Look how large this lake is—what kind of demon would warrant such grand treatment?” Ling Luo pointed toward the lake. “Do you know about the Twenty-Six Demons?”

Yue Liangze thought for a moment before replying unhurriedly, “Because they were chosen by the Death Mist Gates, and there are only twenty-six Death Mist Gates, they’re called the Twenty-Six Demons.”

“The Death Mist Gates are impressive,” Ling Luo said mysteriously. “Extremely impressive.”

It was rare for Yue Liangze to hear her praise anything as impressive, yet he had to acknowledge she spoke the truth.

The Death Mist Gates couldn’t be cultivated, obtained, or seized—they could only choose the masters of their own accord.

They could easily tear through space for transportation and possessed the strongest defense in the world. When closed, no spells, ritual laws, or sword intent could attack or interrupt them.

This was just the intelligence known to the cultivation world. Not many of the Twenty-Six Demons were active in the world, so people rarely saw the Death Mist Gates.

The reason why the Bone Demon had drawn the attention and vigilance of the Twelve Great Immortal Sects was because he was one of the Twenty-Six Demons.

Ling Luo said, “So what’s sealed under this water might not be some Demon King or Demon Lord—even one of the Twenty-Six Demons could warrant such treatment.”

Yue Liangze: “Compared to a Demon King, the Twenty-Six Demons still seem somewhat inferior.”

Ling Luo: “…”

Would you care to repeat that?

She said calmly, “The Death Mist Gates favor strength, and the demons they choose are all formidable—some even surpass Demon Kings.”

Yue Liangze explained patiently, “Demon Kings evolve from pure spirit demons and possess their territories. Most of the Twenty-Six Demons are demon cultivators, and demon cultivators typically convert from mortals, so their bloodlines are inherently inferior.”

Ling Luo: “…”

So you have bloodline prejudice too!

How infuriating!

Ling Luo bit his neck angrily, “Do you look down on the Twenty-Six Demons?!”

He truly did look down on them.

Not just the Twenty-Six Demons.

He looked down on Demon Kings and Demon Sovereigns as well.

But Yue Liangze’s disdain didn’t mean these demons weren’t powerful.

Some were very powerful, even ridiculously so—few in the current cultivation world would dare to fight them one-on-one.

Ling Luo’s bite wasn’t painful, but it made his heart itch.

Yue Liangze subtly praised the Twenty-Six Demons, “I don’t look down on them. Even one Bone Demon can keep the Twelve Great Immortal Sects on alert for months—even a Demon King might not wield such influence.”

Only then was Ling Luo satisfied.

She narrowed her eyes, surveying the surroundings—the lake beneath the snow mountains. If the weather were better, with more flowers and grass growing around, and a more beautiful environment, being sealed here and dying wouldn’t be so bad.

Ling Luo was completely unaware that as she surveyed the area, she was viewing it with the mindset of examining a gravesite.

As she looked up, the wind blew snow into her face.

Ling Luo immediately became displeased, inwardly criticizing and condemning the place to dust.

Her Mount Tiazhao was better.

It had mountains full of flowers and fruits that bloomed throughout the four seasons: spring brought an abundance of flowers, summer turned the mountains as green as emerald seas, autumn offered fruits scattered everywhere, and winter brought gently falling snow, creating an exquisite painting in the silence of all things.

Ling Luo was very content with Mount Tiazhao.

In her plan, she would die there, and even if her bones were crushed and her spirit scattered, whichever season or scenery she saw at the end would satisfy her.

Yue Liangze had stayed at Mount Tiazhao for so long that all the spirits and minor deities there knew and liked him.

Ling Luo thought that she should tell the spirits of Mount Tiazhao in advance that after her death, the mountain would belong to Yue Liangze alone. Any demons, monsters, or humans who tried to take it should be driven away.

But then she remembered the black fire surrounding Mount Tiazhao—with Wusheng guarding it, others probably couldn’t seize it anyway.

Besides, Mount Tiazhao had been thrown into disarray by the Four Forbidden Beasts, with flowers and trees strewn all over the ground.

And Yue Liangze had died.

He would never again be able to build his little courtyard or tend to those fragile, delicate flowering vines.

Ling Luo grew increasingly angry as she thought about it.

Who did those Four Forbidden Beasts think they were, daring to destroy the courtyard and flowering vines Yue Liangze had made for her?

Fuming, Ling Luo tilted her head and kissed Yue Liangze’s cheek.

Yue Liangze was slightly startled and stopped, turning his head.

Ling Luo: “Earlier, Jiang Miao said my senior brother is a good person.”

Yue Liangze asked, “Chu Yi?”

“My senior brother is indeed very good and kind. Kind people should all live long lives without worries,” Ling Luo whispered near his ear. “You too—not only should you live a long life, but you should also stay healthy, free from illness and pain.”

Even cultivators fall ill, and some illnesses only affect cultivators.

“I want you to live well. No one is allowed to bully you, much less speak ill of you or slander you. You’re a thousand times, ten thousand times better than those people.”

Yue Liangze stood in the wind and snow. Before him lay overlapping snow mountains, behind him stretched the vast lake. Dark clouds pressed down overhead in this terrible night and weather as thunder continued to rumble. Yet every word Ling Luo whispered in his ear was firmly etched in his heart.

Whether it was the heavy snow and wind or the woman’s words that were too gentle, as Yue Liangze blinked while standing in the night, the corners of his eyes turned slightly red.