The Demon Realm was different from the outside world, lacking both rich spiritual energy and distinct seasons. Everywhere was dry, giving people a sense of inexplicable depression.

Winter City, however, was different from other places. Its weather was dry, cold, and harsh year-round. The undulating hills and forests outside the city were all a sheet of white. Yet that white wasn’t snow but a special kind of white stone.

People within the city mostly built their houses with this stone, making the entire Winter City appear as a snow city, which was how it got its name.

When Shi Yan stood at a window in the forbidden palace looking out, she finally saw the true appearance of Winter City. Pure white extended to the horizon, seemingly at odds with the name “Demon Realm.” During her journey here in the great black snake’s mouth, she wasn’t sure if she was carsick or snake-sick, but she hadn’t seen anything.

In terms of scenery, this place was much better than Crane Immortal City. But it was too cold—she stood by the window for a while and nearly froze into a popsicle. The cold here could make even a Transformation Immortal stage cultivator like her feel cold, which was truly impressive. She wondered how the lower-level cultivators here survived.

Back in Crane Immortal City, she occasionally heard people talk about Winter City and Sima Jiao, but she had treated it as idle gossip and never investigated whether it was true or false. Most of those who spoke about it had never been to Winter City either. Through word of mouth, Winter City was indeed described as a snow-covered city in their accounts.

So seeing is believing. Just like before meeting Sima Jiao, she couldn’t believe that Sima Jiao with his notorious reputation was a man who behaved like a crazy cat.

She didn’t know when he would be happy, or what would make him angry. Nor did she know what to say to make him happy, or what would make him angrier. In short, he was inscrutable.

Shi Yan: I don’t dare speak jg

Fortunately, even when she angered him, he didn’t take it out on her. He would only look at her with an expression that said, “You’re sick now, so I won’t argue with you. Just wait until I vent my anger elsewhere and come back to talk to you.”

Shi Yan found this quite amusing.

Since entering the forbidden palace, she hadn’t been able to leave. Sima Jiao’s forbidden palace was very large, vast, and empty. Apart from the black-clothed Sima Jiao and a great black snake wandering around, there was only her, the newcomer, without even a single maid.

Was this the kind of status a Demon Lord should have? Honestly, she had thought it would be like an emperor’s treatment, with a large group of people serving.

Shi Yan felt that, based on her first impression of Sima Jiao, he didn’t seem like the meticulous type of person who would take care of others. So in this palace where nothing was available, she would probably suffer a bit.

She expected to eat and sleep poorly. But there was nothing she could do; she considered herself imprisoned.

And then she was immediately proven wrong.

First, a group of trembling demon generals carried in a super large bed. The bedding was plentiful and neatly arranged. Mattresses, brocade quilts, and pillows—nothing was missing. Shi Yan stared in disbelief at the bright red character for “happiness” on them. Of course, the expressions of those demon generals weren’t much better.

“My… my lady, this is what the Demon Lord ordered us to bring. Is it alright to place it here?” one demon general said.

Shi Yan remembered this demon general; he was the one who had led the army to attack Crane Immortal City. Previously, she had seen him standing dignifiedly on his mount, commanding thousands of ferocious demon cultivators with a wave of his hand. She had thought this big shot looked like the brutal type who would laugh maniacally while chopping up corpses, his large knife emanating killing intent. Now, however, he was smiling like an old eunuch serving the Empress Dowager.

This attitude changed too quickly, showing that he had been well-trained by Sima Jiao.

And what was with this “my lady” business?!

Not only did people bring a bed, but afterward, there was an endless stream of people bringing in a large pile of things—folding screens, seats, cabinets, couches, and the like. The floor was also covered with brocade-patterned carpets. Soon, the palace where she was staying was decorated like a newlywed bridal chamber.

Shi Yan looked at all this with a headache. Did this mean Sima Jiao wanted to marry her here?

Good heavens, what kind of melodramatic substitute bride script had she been given? A few days ago, she was just a security guard at Rouge Platform, and today she was about to become the wife of the ferocious Demon Lord. This life experience was truly too tumultuous.

And if this news got out, she was afraid it would be the death of her Shi family father—she still didn’t understand the whole story, so for now she would keep the name Shi Yan.

Shi Yan mentally played out substitute bride scenarios for a while. She also thought for a long time about how to escape the marriage, or how to avoid the wedding night. But when Sima Jiao returned and saw the room full of red, he was even more disgusted than she was. With a frown, he asked her, “What is all this mess? Who did this?”

Shi Yan thought to herself, damn it, wasn’t this what you ordered?

This irritable brother Sima Jiao quickly called back the demon generals who had arranged the room. A group of demon generals obediently stood before him waiting for him to speak.

Sima Jiao didn’t say a word, just pointed at those things, and they were all so frightened they ran away carrying those items, quickly bringing back other normal furniture instead. They then waited anxiously for Sima Jiao’s instructions.

Sima Jiao turned to ask Shi Yan, “How do you like it?”

Shi Yan: Why are you using the tone of a newlywed couple decorating their room together and asking for the other’s opinion?

“…Um, it’s fine,” Shi Yan said hesitantly. At least it looked more like a place where people could live than before.

After the palace furnishings were arranged, people came to bring food. It was still those demon generals—their hands, which usually held knives and swords for killing people, were now carrying plates of dishes.

Shi Yan found it painful to watch and felt it was surreal. To put this scene in common terms, it was like an emperor making his civil and military officials and close ministers do the work of palace maids and eunuchs. She didn’t know whether to say this emperor’s operation was too provocative or too high-class.

These demon generals were also not used to, doing this for the first time. Each was as awkward as a young woman getting into a bridal sedan chair for the first time.

“My lady, the Demon Lord ordered us to bring you some food. If there’s anything else you want to eat, please feel free to command us,” the long-bearded demon general, very uncomfortable with his new role as a steward, spoke with great difficulty.

Shi Yan was also not accustomed to her new identity as “my lady,” but when asked if there was anything she wanted to eat, she did have something to say. Regardless of what the plot was, food is the most important thing for the people!

“I want to eat Red Cherry Fruits,” she said solemnly.

Red Cherry Fruits were a specialty spirit fruit of the Demon Realm, grown only in a few cities in the southern part of the Demon Realm. They were extremely precious, thumb-sized, and looked somewhat like cherries. Moreover, these spirit fruits were delicate, difficult to grow, and difficult to transport, making them expensive everywhere.

As soon as she spoke, within moments, several demon generals brought in a large basket of Red Cherry Fruits.

“This is all we have in the city for now,” the demon general said with some anxiety, afraid that Sima Jiao, who was sitting to the side with an expressionless face, would be dissatisfied with his ability to handle matters.

Shi Yan: What do you mean “all we have”… In Crane Immortal City’s Rouge Platform, that high-consumption place, it would cost a huge amount of demon stones to buy a small plate, and each small plate would only have nine tiny fruits. Now you’re bringing them in baskets!

After working at Rouge Platform for several years, she couldn’t afford even a small plate of Red Cherry Fruits. She never expected that after being kidnapped, she would be able to eat Red Cherry Fruits to her heart’s content. Now she was starting to waver a bit.

“Take Chi Lao, Hui Che, and Jiu Feng cities for me,” Sima Jiao suddenly spoke.

Chi Lao City, Hui Che City, and Jiu Feng City were all major southern cities in the Demon Realm where Red Cherry Fruits were grown.

Hearing this, the demon generals immediately became energetic. People in the Demon Realm loved battle and killing—that was no joke. For them, fighting over territories and resources, and fully enjoying life were the most important things. Moreover, these demon generals who were allied with Sima Jiao mostly had grand ideals of establishing achievements and unifying the Demon Realm, just waiting for Sima Jiao to lead them to realize it.

If you asked them, they would say those southern cities should have been conquered long ago, but their Demon Lord had been so unfocused, that they didn’t know what he was up to. As subordinates, they didn’t dare ask no matter how anxious they were. Now they had finally received a clear order.

Sima Jiao’s one sentence made it seem like an emperor’s pre-war mobilization. The group of demon generals was extremely excited, rubbing their hands and leaving eagerly.

Shi Yan: “…” It’s not for me, is it?

This was even more exaggerated than Yang Guifei’s lychees.

Sima Jiao looked at her. “What else do you want?”

Shi Yan: Like hell, I dare say anything. If I said I wanted marinated duck from the outside world, you might just unify the Demon Realm and then conquer the cultivation world too.

Shi Yan: “Nothing else.”

Sima Jiao suddenly smiled, scratching her face. “Still the same, you like to trick me.”

Shi Yan: No, no, no, it wasn’t me who did it. I didn’t trick you, old man. I wouldn’t dare.

She felt itchy where he had touched her face and scratched it herself.

…Wait a minute?

She touched her face for a while, then took out a mirror and looked at herself, immediately shocked. Where had the scar on her face, the size of a copper coin, gone?

“Where’s my scar?” Because she was too surprised, she instinctively turned to ask Sima Jiao.

This scar had been a mark on her since she came to this world. The Shi family’s father and brother had told her it was burned by Sima Jiao. His spiritual fire was special, and injuries made by it couldn’t be treated by other methods, so they could only leave it. Otherwise, such a scar would be easily healed in the eyes of cultivators.

Shi Yan had gotten used to the existence of this scar. Occasionally when she looked in the mirror, covering the scar with her hand, she would marvel at the beauty of this body. But the existence of the scar didn’t make her feel uncomfortable either. Just occasionally, looking at it would make her inexplicably anxious, like dreaming of going somewhere to take an exam but encountering something on the way that made her late, feeling the disappointment of failing the exam.

But now, she didn’t know how this small scar had suddenly disappeared. Had Sima Jiao healed it for her while she was asleep?

Sima Jiao looked at her, suddenly revealing a gloomy look in his eyes as if thinking of something hard to accept. He reached out and pulled Liao Tingyan closer, his thumb gently rubbing the spot on her face where there had been a small scar.

Shi Yan’s back tingled and her scalp tightened from his slightly cool finger.

She moved backward, but Sima Jiao cupped the back of her head and pulled her back. He stared at her face. The scar was gone, with just a faint red mark that would probably soon return to normal, just like her—she would always return to normal.

Sima Jiao didn’t want to recall that day ten years ago.

He had been born alone, and after a long time, never considered others. For Liao Tingyan, he had already used up all his care.

But he was too confident in himself, thinking that Shi Qianlü couldn’t find his whereabouts. He had hidden Liao Tingyan well, and he believed that the commotion he had caused in the inner mansion at that time was enough to attract all eyes. With Liao Tingyan in Wind Flower City, naturally, no one would pay any attention to her, and she wouldn’t be in any danger.

As arrogant as he was, with his exceptional cultivation, how could he consider the possibility of “what if.”

When he made that defensive magic treasure for Liao Tingyan, he told her that even if someone attacked it for half a day, it wouldn’t break and would be enough to protect her life. But he hadn’t considered that his power could instantly break through the defense—because he never thought he would hurt Liao Tingyan.

But in fact, it was his power, along with Sima Shi’s power, that had caused her to suffer a disaster.

Later, in the process of searching for Liao Tingyan, he thought, there was still the method of soul transmigration. Even if she had died, he could still revive her, and everything would remain unchanged.

Sima Jiao had never cared much about life, and with the method of revival in his hands, he had even less reverence for death.

But in these years, having searched everywhere for Liao Tingyan without finding her, he finally slowly understood that the frightening thing about death wasn’t death itself, but the separation it brought.

Ten years ago, when he stood on that scorched earth, his heart was full of anger and various intense emotions, unable to think of anything else. Later, over these years, a feeling that could be called “fear” slowly emerged in his heart. The fear of loss was something he had never experienced before.

But with his pride, he would never admit that he was afraid of anything; he just appeared more capricious.

Shi Yan: Now there seems to be a strange, heavy atmosphere in the air! This is bad—from his expression, it looks like he’s fallen into some terrible memory. Now with the two of them staring at each other like this, under normal circumstances, they would kiss next. Damn, she doesn’t dare!

Sima Jiao’s fingers, caressing her face, pressed more heavily. He said, “Don’t make me laugh.”

Shi Yan: “Huh?” I’m wrong, I didn’t! What did I do to make you laugh?

Sima Jiao stroked that part of her face again, then suddenly stood up and walked out.

Shi Yan mused: You don’t know why a cat suddenly comes to rub against your hand, nor do you know why it suddenly turns away and leaves.

But with a large pile of delicious food in front of her, it was best not to waste any more time.

She ate the Red Cherry Fruits she had always wanted to try and tasted the other dishes, feeling that the tastes of those in Winter City were truly wild. The traditional Demon Realm style of random stir-frying and stewing was the same regardless of the ingredients, with cooking methods that were identical and completely lacking innovation. In the Demon Realm, only imported marinated duck from the cultivation world had any flavor.

According to her habits, after eating, she would find a place to rest. Before, it was in the crown of a large tree in Rouge Platform’s back garden, or under the tree shade on the roof of the Shi family home. Now… where should she sleep?

Shi Yan hesitantly entered the hall from earlier and found no one inside. There were two places to sleep: a large bed and a couch.

She chose the couch without hesitation because the big bed was too neat, while the couch looked softer. Its smooth curve was perfect for her head, and the pillows also suited her aesthetic taste. The slightly messy feel even made her feel sleepier.

She lay down and felt extremely comfortable, letting out a long breath. It was too suitable, feeling as if she had precisely aligned with a groove and could sink right in.

Sima Jiao sat by the window behind the folding screen, unsurprised to see Shi Yan choose the couch. He had messed it up earlier and thrown a few pillows on it. Liao Tingyan had always liked to lie in such places; whenever she saw them, she wanted to lie down.

Shi Yan quickly fell asleep. After she was sound asleep, Sima Jiao came to her side, sat on the couch, lifted her ankle, and fastened an anklet on it.

This new defensive magic treasure—he had prepared it for a long time, and now he could finally give it to her.