The recent talk of the demon realm was about Winter City Demon Lord Sima Jiao’s dao partner. Regarding this woman who rarely appeared in public view, some said she was a demon cultivator, while others said she was formerly a disciple from the cultivation world. All kinds of rumors were flying around.

The original Liao Tingyan had been a spy under the former Winter City Demon Lord. Though not many people in Winter City knew her identity, there were a few. However, after Sima Jiao arrived in Winter City, he found everyone who knew Liao Tingyan’s identity and interrogated them.

This ancestor’s method of obtaining information was always brutally straightforward. So after he “questioned” them one by one, all of them were destroyed, including the former Winter City Lord.

This resulted in interested parties only being able to discover information about Liao Tingyan’s few years in Heron Immortal City and some speculation about her former identity in the cultivation world, no matter how hard they tried to investigate. Everything else remained an untraceable secret, instinctively causing people to feel more awe toward this mysterious woman.

The “mysterious woman” Liao Tingyan spent her days with a small three-headed child Hong Luo and a large black snake that everyone feared, strolling around inside and outside the forbidden palace or in the less crowded places of Winter City.

After she had wandered around a few times, another rumor spread in the city, saying she had given birth to a daughter for Demon Lord Sima Jiao. The reason both she and Sima Jiao had been absent from the demon realm for some time was because Sima Jiao was concerned and had taken her to a secret place to give birth.

Liao Tingyan: “…”

Hong Luo: “Am I that legendary daughter?” She did not like the Zhi Hun tribe who had caused her death and given her new life, so after settling the grudge with them, she didn’t live with their tribe but stayed by Liao Tingyan’s side.

She now had the body of a child born not long ago. In this world, she only trusted her one and only friend, so naturally she felt more secure staying by her side.

What surprised Liao Tingyan was that when Sima Jiao heard this rumor, he didn’t refute it, but instead asked her: “Don’t you want a daughter?”

Liao Tingyan honestly said: “Not really.” Besides, although Hong Luo casually called her “dad” quite often, it was all in jest. Who would become a father and child?

She didn’t know how Sima Jiao understood it, but after two days, he brought a boy who looked five or six years old to meet her. The boy also had a snow-white face, black eyes and hair, wearing a black robe, with a face at least seventy percent similar to Sima Jiao’s, like a miniature Snow White.

Liao Tingyan: “???” What the hell? Is this your illegitimate child?!

Sima Jiao showed no warmth to the small boy who seemed to be his illegitimate son, maintaining that stepfather-like expression. However, the small boy very skillfully ran to Liao Tingyan’s feet and circled.

Seeing his practiced movements, Liao Tingyan felt a strange sense of familiarity and blurted out: “Snake snake?”

The situation became clear. The great boss Sima had somehow given his lethal weapon, the black snake, a human form. But it only had a human form—the child didn’t seem to know how to speak, only hissing, raising his face to smile at her—honestly, when that little face smiled, it was too intimidating, with a strange coldness, more terrifying than a ferocious snake face.

“Not a daughter, how about this son?” Sima Jiao asked her.

Liao Tingyan looked at him in disbelief. May I ask, how does your brain work?

Sima Jiao pressed her forehead, “Take it out for a walk.”

Liao Tingyan was pushed into action, taking the newly appeared little boy out to parade around. Sure enough, rumors immediately spread that she had given birth to Sima Jiao’s eldest son years ago, but due to too many enemies, he had been secretly hidden and educated by Sima Jiao.

Liao Tingyan: Without ever being pregnant, I’ve suddenly become a mother of two.

The black snake couldn’t maintain human form all the time. He had just mastered the ability to transform not long ago, and it was forcibly accelerated by external powers. He often couldn’t help reverting to snake form. When he was a snake, Liao Tingyan could treat him just as a pet snake, but once something took human form, she instinctively treated it as a person and became emotionally attached.

These days, Sima Jiao doesn’t like to move much. He lay on a jade bed, his long hair hanging down like a waterfall over the edge, his exposed wrists and ankles almost blending with the jade color of the bed.

Liao Tingyan went to find him and, seeing his condition, instinctively held her breath. She crouched in front of the bed, holding the black snake who had transformed into a child.

Sima Jiao, with his eyes closed, put his hand on her head. “What are you doing?”

Liao Tingyan: “Are you secretly up to something again?” She couldn’t distinguish between this man’s uncomfortable and comfortable appearances, because even when he was in extreme pain, he looked the same as when he was calm.

Sima Jiao: “I did do something.”

He opened his eyes and turned to look at her. “What’s wrong?”

Hearing him speak so casually, Liao Tingyan touched his hand and found it was ice-cold. She felt somewhat relieved. She vaguely understood that when his body was cool, he was generally in a good state. If it became hot, that wasn’t a good sign.

Feeling reassured, she remembered her purpose for coming and placed the child’s two small paws on the edge of the bed, asking him: “Aren’t you going to give him a name? I don’t think I’ve ever heard you call him by name before?”

Sima Jiao finally gave the black snake a glance. This creature, originally just an ordinary little snake, had now become like this, almost as if it were his creation under special circumstances.

This snake had been with him for many years, always very afraid of him. Initially, it didn’t dare stay long in his presence. To him, the only difference between it and a dead object was that the snake moved and breathed. But when something stays by your side for a long time, it inevitably becomes somewhat special.

“It has no name,” Sima Jiao said. “You can give it one.”

Liao Tingyan: “Should it take your surname or mine?”

Sima Jiao: “…You plan to treat it as a son?”

Liao Tingyan: “…Wasn’t that what you said? Were you just messing with me again?” A man’s words, a devil’s lies.

Sima Jiao: “Forget it, just pick any name.”

Liao Tingyan felt it necessary to consult the child’s opinion, so she lowered her head and asked the black snake: “What do you want to be called?”

Black snake: “Hiss hiss—”

Liao Tingyan, being particularly democratic: “Alright, then let’s call you Sisi.”

Sima Jiao: “…”

He pressed his forehead, then laughed on the bed as if he had epilepsy.

Liao Tingyan watched him laugh, leaned closer, and rested her head on his hair: “Dual cultivate? The spirit mansion kind?”

Sima Jiao’s laughter stopped abruptly. “What, still not hurt enough?”

His expression became a bit strange as he looked at Liao Tingyan and said: “You’ve never actively asked for it before. Could it be that you enjoy this kind of pain?”

Liao Tingyan: “Why are you making me sound like a pervert?! I’m very afraid of pain. In this life, I fear pain the most.”

Sima Jiao: “Then just stay put.”

Liao Tingyan found it hard to explain. She might have some special connection with Sima Jiao, as lately, she kept feeling something was off about him, making her anxious. But since he wouldn’t say anything, she thought perhaps during spirit mansion dual cultivation she could find the answers herself, only to be rebuffed.

Liao Tingyan thought for a moment, picked up the gosling (referring to the snake child), and walked to the hall entrance, pushing him away. “Go play with Hong Luo.” Then she closed the door and walked back. In her mind, she imagined herself pounding on the bed shouting ‘Are you going to cultivate or not?’ When she returned, she found Sima Jiao sitting up, undoing his belt, casually tossing his outer clothes beside the bed, then lying back down.

“I don’t want to move. If you want to come, then come yourself.”

Liao Tingyan: “…?” What’s wrong with you, big boss? Other people’s domineering CEOs all say “Get on top and move yourself,” but you’re this tired? Seeing you so exhausted makes me exhausted too!

She walked over, grabbed Sima Jiao’s shoulders, and shook him twice. “Then tell me, is something wrong with you?! What’s happening with the fire in your spirit mansion? Why is it burning stronger and stronger? I don’t think it’s good. Are you hiding something from me?”

Sima Jiao: “There is indeed something I haven’t told you.”

His face was written all over with “what can you do about it?” — that typical boss-like disdain. Liao Tingyan felt a bit frantic. Perhaps influenced by the flames in his spirit mansion last time, she felt irritable and inflamed. Steeling herself, she directly began to pull at Sima Jiao’s belt.

……

What ‘you don’t want to,’ is just a lie.

Liao Tingyan felt that if she believed this guy’s lies again, she would be a fool.

Although Sima Jiao was behaving strangely, his demon generals’ enthusiasm for establishing merit for him had not diminished. Three months later, they had collected the entire map of the demon realm, and the whole demon realm came under Sima Jiao’s name. He truly became the sole ruler of the demon realm.

At the same time, Shi Qianlü, whom he had been hunting for a long time, was also captured.

This time Liao Tingyan didn’t go to see. On the first day Shi Qianlü was brought in, he was personally executed by Sima Jiao, both person and soul completely dispersed. The Shi clan, which had stolen from Gengchen Immortal Mansion for many years and had been on the run from Sima Jiao’s hunt for nearly ten years, finally met its end.

However, when Shi Qianlü died, many people heard his venomous curse. He said Sima Jiao would also eventually die by fire and meet the same fate of soul dispersion as himself. With his dying strike, Shi Qianlü used an immortal weapon to pierce Sima Jiao’s abdomen.

Sima Jiao’s body began burning from the wound, temporarily unable to stop as if his entire being had become flammable material ignited by Shi Qianlü’s immortal weapon. This scene caused all the Winter City demon generals and newly submitted demon generals and lords to change color with shock.

In the end, Sima Jiao temporarily controlled the flames, but his expression was grim as if he couldn’t hold on. Soon, he closed the forbidden palace and wouldn’t come out, delegating all affairs to his demon generals.

Hearing the news, Liao Tingyan hurriedly ran to the hall and saw Sima Jiao with a little blood in his hand, leaning against the bed, expressionlessly gazing out the window. She rushed over to check his wounds. Sima Jiao didn’t stop her, removing his hand and letting her examine freely. But when she lifted his clothes, she saw a smooth abdomen with no wound.

Liao Tingyan: “Where’s the wound?”

Sima Jiao: “There is no wound. Shi Qianlü was already finished. He couldn’t hurt me.”

Liao Tingyan: Alright, I get it, he’s planning something.

Sima Jiao didn’t leave the forbidden palace for a month, and neither did Liao Tingyan. The closed forbidden palace was like a cage, isolating them from everything outside.

Until one day, there was a great commotion outside. The traitors had been lured out.

Sima Jiao finally stood up. Liao Tingyan was cracking melon seeds while watching a livestream. Seeing this, she took out the straight knife she had prepared long ago and also stood up.

Sima Jiao’s somewhat warm hand rested on her wrist, squeezing her fingers that smelled of melon seeds, pushing her back down. He said in a low voice: “Tonight, sit here and watch Winter City burn.”

His tone was somewhat strange as if carrying a bloodthirsty killing intent and some inescapable excitement. Simply put, it was the tone that typical villain bosses use when they’re about to do something evil—quite perverted.

Seeing that he had no intention of changing his mind, Liao Tingyan truly sat back down and watched as one place after another outside caught fire. The towering flames illuminated this snow-white city into a bright red color in the night.

By dawn, the flames had extinguished. It was only afterward that Liao Tingyan heard from Hong Luo how many people had died that night. Just counting the demon generals, almost half had perished. Many of the city lords from the newly conquered cities who hadn’t submitted weren’t required to submit anymore, since they had lost their lives.

The demon realm was a strange place. The more cruel Sima Jiao was, the more loyal his conquered demon generals became. Since arriving in the demon realm, he had killed too many demon cultivators. This was the largest scale yet as if to celebrate bringing the entire demon realm under his control, so he held a lively fireworks party.

It was at this time that finally thoroughly intimidated those people. Liao Tingyan felt as if he was taming beasts. She followed him out on a tour once, and almost all the demon generals, as soon as they saw Sima Jiao appear and saw his flames, instinctively felt fear and submission.

“Too many people are hard to manage. Now it’s about right,” Sima Jiao explained to Liao Tingyan.

Liao Tingyan pointed out: “But you never managed them at all.” He just killed whenever he was displeased, frightening everyone into obedient lambs.

If he remained present, there naturally wouldn’t be a need to specially manage them.

Sima Jiao rubbed his brow and smiled.

The large territory outside the demon realm that belonged to Liao Tingyan soon had cities built. Liao Tingyan preferred that area, so Sima Jiao took her to live outside, leaving the Winter City forbidden palace empty.

Liao Tingyan felt as if they were relocating the capital. The current capital was named after her, called Yan City. Many demon cultivators relocated from the demon realm, filling this city. According to demon realm customs, the demon cultivators living in this city automatically became her subordinates and had to follow her rules. Liao Tingyan didn’t know how she had inexplicably become a city lord.

Before they knew it, they had lived in Yan City for seven years.