Ruyi squeezed to the front of the candied hawthorn mountain, smoothed her somewhat disheveled hair, and crouched down with a smile to speak to the chubby boy: “How about letting big sister have it? Big sister will trade you two skewers for it.”

The chubby boy stubbornly said, “No way, I can only eat one skewer, and I want that one.”

Scratching her forehead, Ruyi had little patience and immediately let a bit of demonic energy seep from her fingertips.

A clear cough came from the distant carriage.

Stiffening slightly, Ruyi helplessly withdrew her hand and smiled again: “That skewer looks very sour, trust big sister.”

“If it’s so sour, why are you fighting me for it?” The chubby boy looked suspicious.

Ruyi sighed, her long eyelashes drooping as she said with difficulty: “My husband wants to eat it. He only eats the one at the very top of the hawthorn mountain.”

“What’s a husband?”

“Someone very important who can support each other with me through the rest of my life.” Ruyi blinked. “If he can’t eat it, he’ll cry, and I can’t bear to see him cry.”

The chubby boy tilted his head: “That’s the same as me, I’ll cry too.”

As he spoke, tears immediately welled up.

Ruyi froze.

She couldn’t hit him or coax him—wasn’t this making things difficult for her? According to her way of thinking, why make it so troublesome? Just put the person to sleep with magic, then pay for the candied skewer and leave.

Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, Ruyi took out a piece of broken silver and placed it in front of him: “This could buy not just one candied hawthorn skewer, but an entire hawthorn mountain. Trade with you, okay?”

The chubby boy stopped crying and hesitantly looked at the broken silver, but still said: “I don’t want this. If you want that skewer, then play with me. When I’m happy from playing, I’ll give it to you.”

The corner of Ruyi’s fake smile stiffened for a moment.

It was only because this child was seven or eight years old—if he were older, she would have beaten him up like a local ruffian.

Just one candied hawthorn skewer, where was it worth her wasting so much effort?

Cursing internally, Ruyi still nodded: “Where shall we play?”

Shen Qiyuan sat by the carriage window watching her, stars twinkling in his eyes.

He knew she was the most impatient person. Even looking at her back, he could guess she had wanted to hit someone early on, but Ruyi still suppressed her temper, holding one large and one small candied hawthorn skewer, following that child toward the Rainbow Bridge.

This couldn’t help but remind him of long ago.

Fellow cultivators on Qidou Mountain often switched partners. As years passed, the differences in character between Liu Ruyi and him became increasingly apparent. He was quiet and steady, she was irritable and quick to anger. Even their master said they were no longer the most suitable companions.

But he didn’t want to change partners, and neither did she.

So every time someone came to challenge them, she would be very irritated. When her temper flared, her attacks lacked restraint, often beating fellow cultivators so badly they couldn’t get out of bed for months. He felt it was excessive and mentioned, “Don’t injure people so severely.”

From then on, Liu Ruyi restrained herself. Every move and technique carried restraint, so much restraint that she would even injure herself.

He felt uncomfortable watching: “You don’t take Master’s words seriously, but you take mine as truth.”

What did Liu Ruyi say to him then?

She said, “Shen Qiyuan, I might not be able to remember everything you like, but whatever you dislike, I will remember by heart—isn’t the bare minimum of liking someone not doing things they hate?”

She spoke very seriously, and he listened very seriously.

So later, when he heard she had fallen to demonhood, he became so angry.

When Liu Ruyi fell to demonhood, she gave up not only her divine bones and future, but also gave up the matter of liking him.

His heart stung sharply. Shen Qiyuan pressed his lips together and returned to his senses.

The person in the distance was still playing with that child. The displeasure between her willow brows was about to overflow, but she stayed put, honestly, without using demonic arts again.

One candied hawthorn skewer wasn’t worth her doing this—what was worth it was him.

Pressing the corners of his lips, Shen Qiyuan relaxed his brow and lowered the carriage window.

Half an hour later, Ruyi returned breathlessly with the candied hawthorn skewer, seemingly having a belly full of curses to spit out. But when she met his gaze, she exhaled and ultimately said nothing, just stuffing the skewer into his hands: “How is this thing better than little pastries?”

Shen Qiyuan took a bite. The red sugar coating stuck to his lips, making his entire face two parts more radiant.

Ruyi blinked, suddenly feeling that this thing was quite good.

She propped her chin watching him, little drops of laughter rising in her eyes: “Eat more.”

Her gaze was nakedly provocative, as if it had hands that could strip clothes.

Shen Qiyuan remained composed, eating while asking: “Have you thought about a question?”

“What?”

“Where are your master’s eyes and ears?” He bit into a hawthorn. “If he didn’t see the situation just now, wouldn’t you have struggled for nothing?”

Ruyi’s face fell: “Why didn’t you mention this problem earlier?”

He didn’t answer, eating the candied skewer bite by bite until it was completely clean.

As the Demon King’s most capable disciple, Liu Ruyi should logically know the Demon King’s spy network layout, unless the Demon King didn’t truly trust her. But now it seemed she didn’t know.

So the question arose: she was already a thorough demon and willingly worked for the demon race—why didn’t the Demon King trust her?

“You go back to the Meeting Immortals Inn first.” He spoke up. “I’m going to handle some business.”

“Alright.” Ruyi nodded and stood up cleanly and efficiently as before, stepping out of the carriage.

However, the next instant she pounced back, embracing him solidly, intimately kissing away the sugar residue at the corner of his mouth, then released him with a smile: “See you later.”

They weren’t ordinary fellow cultivators, nor ordinary opponents, so naturally they couldn’t part in such an ordinary way.

Shen Qiyuan smiled gently, watching her enter the inn before withdrawing his gaze and instructing the driver to go to the Azure God Temple.

Although the Azure God had to suffer the pain of reincarnation, there were benefits too—namely that his incense offerings flourished far beyond other immortals. If one had exceptional talent, cultivated diligently, and had merit, returning to the Nine Heavens wouldn’t be difficult.

So he spoke softly to his statue in the temple: “This mortal world is extremely tiresome. Strive to return to heaven and have a look.”

Birds in the trees outside the temple suddenly took startled flight.

Shen Qiyuan glanced sideways and sent out his spiritual sense to follow. He thought the bird would go to the Demon King, but unexpectedly, the bird flew out of Great Qian, actually flying far toward the Nine Heavens above.

Shen Qiyuan was somewhat puzzled.

Demons feared him advancing further because they were afraid he would use slaying demons to accumulate merit. What did the people in the Nine Heavens above have to fear?