After saying this, Qin Lingxiao led Lingyun Pavilion’s disciples down the mountain first.

Since Cui Xiaoxiao’s appearance had disrupted the original trajectory from two hundred years ago, and Wei Jie had missed the opportunity to be poisoned by the Po Hun Snake, Wei Jie wouldn’t amount to much in this lifetime.

When Qin Lingxiao’s soul transmigrated back two hundred years and awakened, he discovered that the Demon Pearl in his hand had already disappeared.

He needed to hurry back to find that Demon Pearl. Moreover, since he had the opportunity to live again, if he grasped it well, his cultivation might be even more profound than Wei Jie’s from two hundred years ago – it all depended on how he utilized these opportunities.

As for Cui Xiaoxiao, this damned girl had repeatedly rejected his goodwill – she was truly a stinking stone in a latrine!

Wasn’t she refusing to yield? Fine! She probably didn’t know the power of the Soul-Locking Cuffs yet – let her enjoy them thoroughly!

He wanted to see if she would beg him to unlock the Soul-Locking Cuffs the next time they met…

Seeing him leave just like that, Cui Xiaoxiao shouted: “Hey! How can you just leave like that? At least leave the key!”

Unfortunately, Young Pavilion Master Qin departed with ethereal grace, disappearing without a trace in the blink of an eye.

Seeing that Lingyun Pavilion, who had been leading, had left, the other three major sects found it meaningless to remain.

So some who cared about face made some threatening remarks to the Wei family head before departing gracefully.

After all the outsiders had left, Cui Xiaoxiao also planned to slip away, but as soon as she moved, the shackles connecting her to Wei Jie rattled.

Cui Xiaoxiao remembered she was under the Gold-Dissolving Curse and might be able to melt this occasionally silver-gleaming chain.

But when she reached out to touch it, the silver chain didn’t budge at all. Moreover, when her hand touched the iron chain, she could feel the airflow surging within it like a living thing – it was not made of ordinary metal.

Wei Jie tried cutting it with his sword, but with a sharp clang, his broken sword snapped.

Cui Xiaoxiao’s head ached again.

Damn Qin Lingxiao! Knowing this thing was hard to unlock, he had shackled her together with the great demon Wei Jie – what were his intentions?

Seeing they couldn’t unlock it immediately, Wei Jie tugged at Xiaoxiao’s arm and said: “Let’s leave here first.”

But before they could leave, they were stopped by Wei family head Wei Jingfeng.

The burly man, built like a pagoda-bearing heavenly king, first glared fiercely at Wei Jie, then sternly looked Cui Xiaoxiao up and down before speaking with dissatisfaction: “I heard just now – you… Is Wei Jie’s master?”

Wei Jie stepped in front of his second uncle before Xiaoxiao could speak, his expression cold: “Today is Father’s Memorial Day. I only came to pay respects to my father. We’ll leave now and won’t disturb your peace.”

Wei Jingfeng seemed angered by this Wei family demon spawn, his eyes bulging as he said sternly: “Bastard! Is that how you speak to your elders? If not for your grandmother asking me to save you, I should have let the Four Great Sects beat you properly…”

Before he could finish his reprimand, trembling calls came from the mountain slope: “Ah Jie, have you returned? Grandmother has missed you so much…”

Several robust middle-aged women were carrying a soft sedan chair, treading on grass as they rushed over.

When the sedan chair landed, an old woman only about four feet tall jumped down from it like a jumping bean.

This old woman was white-haired, with her hair barely held in a bun behind her head. Her face was covered in wrinkles, and her teeth seemed to have all fallen out.

She was short in stature but held a phoenix-headed golden walking stick taller than herself. Her movements were so agile that she looked as comical as a street-performing dwarf.

Seeing her, the pagoda-bearing heavenly king Wei Jingling quickly walked over, bending his tall frame to respectfully call: “Mother, I’m here. Why did you come over?”

Cui Xiaoxiao watched dumbfounded – such a tiny woman was Wei Jingfeng’s mother? How did she give birth to such a tall son like a pagoda-bearing heavenly king?

However, since Wei Jingfeng called her mother, this old woman must be Wei Jie’s grandmother.

In the demon head’s history that Cui Xiaoxiao previously knew, there never seemed to be any segment about the demon head acknowledging relatives. The Wei family had always distanced themselves from Wei Jie from beginning to end, never acknowledging his surname “Wei”!

But why would Wei family members come forward to help today, driving away the Four Great Sects’ pursuers for Wei Jie?

Soon, Cui Xiaoxiao learned the answer from this Wei family matriarch.

Grandmother Wei tearfully had Wei Jie crouch down, touching his hair and cheeks. After seeing he was unharmed, she finally felt at ease and turned to Cui Xiaoxiao, who was also crouching beside them: “Girl, I heard what you said earlier. Others say this child, Ah Jie, has gone bad, stealing things everywhere. I never believed he was so bad, and today it’s proven true. Just as you said, when someone takes his mother’s things without asking, what’s wrong with him demanding them back? Speaking of it, we Wei family elders, are incompetent, letting this child be bullied by outsiders!”

Saying this, the Wei family matriarch seemed to remember her eldest son, who died young, her old eyes filling with tears as she touched and retouched her grandson Jie’er’s face.

Since Xiaoxiao was locked together with Wei Jie, she was also forced to crouch with Wei Jie, listening to the short grandmother’s head-patting lecture.

Hearing this, Xiaoxiao suddenly understood.

Her earlier rebuke of the Four Great Sects for crying thief while being thieves, clearing Wei Jie of the charge of stealing without cause, had caused the Wei family to step forward and help this renamed demon spawn escape…

Terrible! It was because of her again that the past had changed!

For a moment, Cui Xiaoxiao again had a feeling that something big was wrong… How was Wei Jie’s path to becoming a demon getting more and more off track? Would she end up like Qin Lingxiao said, dying badly for interfering with heavenly secrets?

Just then, the old matriarch smiled as she carefully examined Cui Xiaoxiao, then said, “Since you’re locked together with my grandson, come sit at the Wei family first and see if there’s a way to unlock it.”

Once the old matriarch spoke, even the Wei family head had to comply. Though Wei Jingfeng looked reluctant to let Wei Jie up the mountain, he could only stand aside and let the grandparents reunite.

As the newly minted master of the Wei family’s prodigal son, Cui Xiaoxiao also received proper and courteous treatment from the Wei family.

Cui Xiaoxiao knew the Gold-Dissolving Curse was still on her, so she still couldn’t touch gold or silver. Now alone without her fellow disciples’ help, eating was problematic.

Since she could freeload meals at the Wei family, she’d fill her stomach first.

Wei Jie was unwilling to have any involvement with the Wei family, maintaining a cold expression toward his second uncle throughout.

However, he seemed unable to be harsh with that dwarf matriarch and could only humor the old woman first, staying briefly at the Wei family.

During dinner, Wei Jie was somewhat surprised by his master’s appetite – he saw Xiaoxiao’s small face buried in a large bowl.

If he remembered correctly, this should be her third bowl already.

Even with one hand forced to be shackled to his, it didn’t affect this young girl’s appetite at all.

Cui Xiaoxiao had been roughing it all along this journey. Though she’d had a few full meals in Fei County, they were just ordinary home cooking.

Always cautious, she initially didn’t touch her chopsticks. Only after seeing the Wei family grandmother eat did she pick up her chopsticks.

But to be safe, she initially served many dishes to Wei Jie, having him test for poison first.

But in others’ eyes, it truly looked like a virtuous master and filial disciple, harmonious and happy.

After feeling reassured, Xiaoxiao could enjoy the delicious food with peace of mind.

The Wei family’s dishes were prepared with some unknown delicacies – the shrimp served were as long as a forearm, and the fish were large and delicious, making Xiaoxiao’s appetite soar. She couldn’t eat enough.

The man beside her seemed to find her eating unseemly, constantly kicking her leg under the table. She looked at Wei Jie with irritation, glared back at him, then continued filling her stomach.

After finishing her third bowl, she slowly leaned back in her chair, thinking: No matter what, she couldn’t become a starving ghost in this time two hundred years ago!

The dwarf grandmother quite liked Xiaoxiao’s casual manner. She had someone serve post-meal fruits, then squinted her wrinkled eyes and smiled: “Our demon-subduing Wei family has always inherited the duty of guarding the Underworld. Because we shoulder the responsibility of both realms, shuttling between yin and yang, we must regulate our yin qi and eat somewhat special ingredients. All Wei family members must consume extremely yin substances from childhood, adapting bit by bit. The fish and shrimp you just ate were nourished in the Wangchuan River near Fengdu. Ordinary people would vomit uncontrollably or even faint after just a few bites. But you ate so much without any reaction… It seems your supernatural abilities are quite considerable!”

At this point, the old woman slightly raised her head, and her wrinkled eyes suddenly blazed with sharp light: “Girl, I’ve long sensed a hidden demonic nature in you. What’s the story behind this?”

After saying this, the kind elderly smile had completely vanished from the old woman’s face, and the killing intent in her eyes was impossible to look at directly.

Though only a four-foot-tall old woman, at this moment her aura felt like a lapdog transforming into a lioness.

Cui Xiaoxiao smacked her lips, finally understanding why Wei Jie had been kicking her leg under the table.

The Wei family’s food really wasn’t easy to swallow!

As soon as the old woman finished speaking, Wei family guards around them drew their swords and placed them at Cui Xiaoxiao’s neck.

Under Qilao Mountain, guarded by the Wei family, lay thousands of demons from the Underworld. If demonic creatures infiltrated and broke the Wei family’s guarding seals, the consequences would be unthinkable.

Though Wei Jingfeng was now the Wei family head, the real decision-maker was this withered Wei family matriarch.

She had sensed this girl’s unusual demonic nature early on and had people serve fish and shrimp nourished by Wangchuan River water to test her.

This test revealed something suspicious! She wasn’t afraid of the Yin cold and ate so much at once!

So young, but what a pity for her delicate appearance – she had already become a demon! What was the background of this little girl who claimed to be the Lingshan Talismonger Sect Leader?

Beside her, Wei Jie calmly drank a cup of wine. When Cui Xiaoxiao glanced at him with wide eyes, he annoyingly raised his cup to her in a toast, then tilted his neck back and drained the fine wine.

This couldn’t be blamed on him – he’d nearly kicked her shoes off earlier, but still couldn’t stop her from eating heartily.