Guan Yi: “The Holy Demon is the spiritual pillar of the entire demonic path, just like how we cultivators revere the heavens and the earth. A being of his stature couldn’t possibly show up in our world.”
“Ever since he massacred all the cultivators of the Tianxiao, Qiongyu, and Yao realms and forced them into seclusion, he’s been slumbering in the Holy Demon City. Even demonic lords who make pilgrimages to him can’t see him.”
“I suspect some powerful demon once received his blessing and accidentally left something behind, which Ma Chi happened to stumble upon. If you or your brother-in-law ever see Ma Chi again, don’t try to capture him. Run immediately. Don’t let him notice you.”
Ying Ran frowned deeply.
“He’s that dangerous? Can you handle it?”
Guan Yi: “We’ve reported it to the court. They’ll send high-ranking Xuan officers. Oh, and I suspect the one who used a corpse to attack you last time might have been that same demon.”
“In any case, be careful.”
Ying Ran nodded.
Guan Yi took a sip of tea.
“I’m leaving now.”
Ying Ran saw him to the door and reminded him, “You be careful too.”
“Of course.”
Guan Yi smiled and turned to find his colleagues, only to spot a dog standing on a hill watching him—it was Xiao Huang from Ying Ran’s household.
He recalled how Xiao Huang had eaten human flesh that day.
Looking at its sturdy body and the yellow tip of its tail, something flickered in his mind, but he couldn’t quite grasp it.
A colleague called him, “Guan Yi, let’s go. Still got another house to visit.”
“Alright.”
He left with his colleagues.
What’s there to think about?
It’s just a dog Ying Ran raised—how strange could it be?
That evening, Xu Liling’s flying steed landed outside the courtyard.
Xiao Huang immediately wagged its tail and eagerly trotted up to report: “Awoo woo woo, awoo awoo…”
Three Xuan officers came today.
They said the person who sold the flying steed had turned into a demon.
It must have been due to the demonic aura lingering on the magical artifact you traded for the steed.
Even though you already weakened the aura with your Holy Demon cleansing technique, the seller still used that residual aura to enter the demonic path—how greedy.
Xu Liling responded with a hum and tossed it a meat bone.
The dog wagged its tail and crouched on the ground submissively, gnawing the bone near the door.
Xu Liling tethered the flying steed behind the house.
As he returned, Ying Ran had already come out to greet him.
“Can you tell the shopkeeper to let you come home earlier from now on? Guan Yi came by today and…”
She told him about Ma Chi and said, “Ma Chi still hasn’t been caught. If he continues killing, it’ll be too dangerous.”
She was still shaken, especially knowing her husband had once been in close contact with a demon.
Xu Liling stroked her hair.
“It has nothing to do with us. I’ll speak to the shopkeeper tomorrow.”
Ying Ran nodded and changed the subject to what they should eat that night.
Xu Liling went into the kitchen to cook.
While waiting, Ying Ran took out a sachet to embroider.
Her sachet was nearly finished.
She tied a talisman for warding off demons to it and handed it to Xu Liling when he came over.
“This is a sachet I made for you, and this is a demon-warding talisman Guan Yi gave me. Keep it on you when you go out.”
Xu Liling furrowed his brow slightly, took the sachet, removed the talisman and set it aside, then hung up the sachet.
Ying Ran: “Hey, what are you doing?”
Xu Liling remained expressionless.
“The talisman clashes with the herbs in the sachet.”
Ying Ran: “Really?”
The sachet only contained regular herbs for repelling insects and freshening the air—how could it clash with a talisman?
She didn’t understand, but Xu Liling was well-read and knowledgeable—he wouldn’t lie to her.
They had dinner and bathed, then went to bed.
Though things were dangerous and chaotic outside, ordinary people like her still lived their lives as usual.
Late at night, everything was silent.
Ying Ran was half-asleep when she heard knocking.
She let out an uneasy hum.
Xu Liling patted her gently.
“It’s alright, I’ll go check.”
Ying Ran was very sleepy but still opened her eyes.
“Be careful.”
She sat up, leaning on the bed, still tense from the scare about Ma Chi.
She needed Xu Liling to return before she could sleep again.
Xu Liling put on his robe and went outside.
When he opened the door, he saw Xiao Huang with glowing crimson eyes, staring at a figure at the courtyard gate.
Xu Liling stepped forward, and the figure immediately trembled all over.
“Holy Demon… Holy Demon Lord…”
The man stammered in excitement, falling to his knees.
It was Ma Chi—the fugitive the Xuan Bureau had failed to catch.
Eyes filled with fanatical devotion, Ma Chi knelt and looked up at Xu Liling.
“I never imagined I could meet the Holy Demon Lord in such a remote and wild place. To receive your blessing…”
When the Holy Demon Lord first found him, he had asked for his shop’s treasure—a dragon steed with Desolate Bloodline.
He had thought this shabby scholar was talking nonsense.
But the Lord produced a Universe Jade Bottle capable of storing vast amounts.
He had thought it was an immortal artifact and considered himself lucky, so he traded the dragon steed he had painstakingly acquired.
Later, when he played with the artifact, he sensed the overwhelming demonic energy on it.
He had handled demonic items before—usually sold them on the black market for a good price.
But this one… the aura was so intense, so terrifying, and so awe-inspiring that it made him want to kneel.
He felt his soul being purified.
His mundane body suddenly felt heavy.
He knew then—this was a sign of entering the path.
A mere mortal, yet he could now embark on a cultivation path!
Even if it was the demonic path.
He couldn’t bear to give up such fortune.
He kept the bottle, slowly absorbing its energy and aiding his transformation with bloodshed.
The deeper he fell into the demonic path, the more he realized the artifact’s power and sensed a worshipful reverence rising from his demonic soul—pointing toward a higher existence.
That direction was the Holy Demon.
That was his reverence and adoration for the Holy Demon Lord!
The demonic path is eternal, the Holy Demon is supreme!
The Holy Demon is the faith of the demonic path!
Ma Chi bowed low to Xu Liling.
“Thank you, Holy Demon Lord, for giving this humble demon new life. I offer you everything I have. May you not disdain my lowly self.”
Xu Liling looked down at him calmly.
“Then go die.”
Ma Chi’s eyes shone with devotion.
“Yes!”
He drew his blade to take his own life.
Xu Liling pointed to the pitch-black forest nearby.
“Don’t dirty my courtyard.”
Ma Chi: “Yes. To be able to make a pilgrimage and hear the voice of the Holy Demon Lord in this lifetime, I have no regrets even in death.”
Ma Chi raised his blade and walked toward the mountain forest.
Xu Liling instructed Xiao Huang (the dog), “Go, make sure nothing is left behind.”
With that, he locked the courtyard gate and returned to the house.
Xiao Huang headed toward the forest, not at all surprised by Ma Chi’s fanaticism.
Xu Liling’s words naturally carried a power that could bewitch people’s hearts.
Even though Xu Liling had sealed away his demonic form and appeared no different from a mortal, to demons, he still possessed an innate pull— like a devout believer hearing the voice of their god.
Xiao Huang entered the forest.
Within the woods lay a still-warm corpse.
On the corpse’s face was a smile of contentment.
***
The door opened.
Ying Ran’s heart tightened.
Seeing it was Xu Liling returning, she asked, “Who was knocking?”
Xu Liling: “A rabbit ran into the door and got bitten to death by Xiao Huang.”
Ying Ran breathed a sigh of relief, laid back down, and mumbled, “Why didn’t you save the rabbit?”
She rather liked little rabbits.
Xu Liling lay down beside her, blew out the lamp, and pulled her into his arms.
“It was actually a wild boar.”
Ying Ran closed her eyes.
“Was it a wild boar or a rabbit?”
Xu Liling: “A wild boar.”
Ying Ran: “So now it’s a rabbit and a wild boar? Why don’t you just say it was a pig-rabbit monster?”
She knew he was trying to comfort her, so she wouldn’t feel sad about a rabbit being killed by a dog.
Xu Liling: “Then it was a pig-rabbit monster.”
Ying Ran was amused, pinched his cheek gently, and fell asleep in his arms.
***
The next morning, Xu Liling got up to head to Jinshui Town.
Ying Ran also got up, but without changing out of her sleepwear, she helped him attach the sachet and protective talisman to his waist.
“Be careful not to lose these.”
Xu Liling patted her cheek.
“Go back to sleep.”
Ying Ran gave a soft “Mm,” hugged him, kissed him, and returned to bed.
When the sun was high, she got up, reheated the food Xu Liling had prepared, and sat in the courtyard to eat.
Suddenly, she heard a strange voice: “Host… I’ve finally… found you…”
She looked up in alarm and saw a fresh corpse crawling toward her on all fours.
She screamed, dropping her bowl in fright.
Xiao Huang growled and lunged forward, biting the corpse.
Ying Ran immediately became anxious—worried that Xiao Huang might be hurt by the “system,” and also worried that Xiao Huang might hurt the system.
But then the corpse began to convulse, and Xiao Huang suddenly went stiff and collapsed as if electrocuted.
“Xiao Huang!”
Ying Ran rushed to check on him.
Xiao Huang opened his eyes, tearfully, and opened his mouth:
“Host…”
Ying Ran screamed and threw Xiao Huang aside, demanding, “Did you kill Xiao Huang!?”
System: “That dumb dog isn’t dead. I just really hate dogs, and I didn’t want to use a dog’s body.”
But it had no choice—dead bodies were too stiff to speak clearly, and possessing living people other than the host was against the rules.
So it could only temporarily use the dog’s body.
The system took a few steps toward Ying Ran, eyes wide and pleading: “Host, let’s bind again. I’m your system!”
“Don’t you remember? We were supposed to go do missions in a fluffy romance novel. But something went wrong during the transmigration.”
With a dog’s face full of sorrow, the system said, “Our bond was severed, and you fell into this world and reincarnated.”
“I’m just a beginner system, I can only endure low-level energy worlds. This world’s energy is too strong—I can’t absorb it or contact headquarters.”
“Host, we can only accept this world’s missions and complete them to earn rewards and return to HQ.”
It stepped forward again: “Host, let’s rebind now!”
Ying Ran stepped back and shook her head: “I’m living a good life in this world. I won’t do any missions. If possible, go bind with someone else.”
System: “I can only choose you.”
It began anxiously spinning in circles—and soon, unable to help itself, started chasing its own tail.
System: “And Host, I’ve already partially received the mission information from this world. This world is facing destruction. The mission is to save it—”
Ying Ran (interrupting): “Then I definitely can’t do it. I’m just a mortal.”
The system couldn’t stop chasing its tail and didn’t respond right away.
Ying Ran watched the system in exasperation.
Eventually, the system stopped and stomped its paws: “I told you I hate dogs the most!”
Then it looked at Ying Ran with teary eyes: “But Host… do you remember? You died suddenly. If you don’t complete the mission, you can’t return to your original world to be revived. You’ll truly die in this world.”
Ying Ran’s gaze dimmed at the mention of her original world.
She whispered: “Then I just won’t go back.”
She had already died.
Being able to live another life here was already a blessing.
System: “Host, don’t you want to use your phone again!?”
Ying Ran: “I’ve almost forgotten how to use a phone.”
System: “What about computer games!?”
Ying Ran: “I didn’t really play games.”
System: “What about your family!?”
Ying Ran: “They’re all gone.”
System: “Then you… you…” (it was stuck)
“Think carefully—there must be something in your original world that you miss!”
Ying Ran: “You mean the never-ending workload, a body with back pain at a young age, nearsighted eyes…?”
System: “Stop.”
The system covered its mouth with its dog paw—even it didn’t want to go back now.
It had once thought she had a happy life—after all, she had gone out of her way to save a dying kitten on the roadside.
That kindness made the system believe she’d be the perfect heroine for a sweet romance novel, which was why it chose to bind with her.
But now…
Still, the mission had to be completed!
System: “Can’t you think of something good?”
This system, it seemed, wasn’t as cold and mechanical as those in the transmigration novels Ying Ran had read.
Ying Ran smiled, crouched down, and spoke gently to it: “If you had come two years earlier, maybe I would have gone with you. Before I got married, my parents used to impose traditional rules on me, and I often wished I could return to the modern world and enjoy its conveniences.”
“But now I’m married. My husband treats me very well. Everything in life that used to feel inconvenient—he’s taken care of for me.”
“He has no parents or friends. Just me. If I leave him behind, what will he do?”
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