Chapter 57 Little Demon

Chapter 57 The Little Demon Scamp

"Ji'er." The Demon Lord arrived outside the courtyard.

Chu Ji immediately ran out, "Father!"

The Demon Lord looked at Chu Ji, his first thought being how much he had grown, and how much taller he was. The last time they met, Chu Ji only reached his chest; now he was up to his ear.

It had only been two years, and he had grown so much.

He affectionately reached out to pat Chu Ji's head, but Chu Ji pushed him back with the hilt of his sword against his chest.

The Demon Lord paused, the warmth fading. "What are you doing?"

Chu Ji scrutinized his father from head to toe, then asked, "Do you have any other children besides me?"

The Demon Lord was stunned.

"Having you alone has been enough trouble; how could I dare have another?"

When Chu Ji was young, he acted obedient in front of Lin Xun, but his true nature was exposed in front of his father. Little demon scamps were the hardest to raise, especially when he couldn’t control his demonic energy.

Chu Ji: "Heh."

The Demon Lord slowly came to his senses—no wonder he wasn’t allowed to pat his head. He immediately clarified, "Your mother and I only have you."

"Really," he said sincerely, "Just raising you is enough for me. I can’t afford to raise another."

This was true. He had spent centuries collecting treasures, and in just a few years of Chu Ji’s life, they were nearly depleted. This world didn’t have enough treasures for him to raise another child.

The Demon Lord looked at Chu Ji and said, "I heard from your mother that you’ve found a cultivation partner?"

Chu Ji didn’t comment on his father’s claim of not being able to afford another child. As for the cultivation partner, he admitted, "Yes."

The Demon Lord let out a long sigh. "You’re still not fully grown."

Chu Ji immediately became displeased. "I’m nineteen, almost twenty."

The Demon Lord said without mercy, "As a human, you’ve grown up, but as a demon, you’re still far too young."

A nineteen-year-old demon was still a cub.

Chu Ji didn't bother arguing with his father. His father was hundreds of years old and couldn’t even remember his own age, but his mother was only in her twenties back then—why didn’t he say she was young?

Right now, he was human.

The Demon Lord was worried—deeply worried.

The first thing he wanted to do after leaving seclusion was to find Chu Ji, but the immortal sect members outside had alarmed many great demons of the demon clan, all of whom had been lurking near the demon palace. He had been told by Chu Ji’s mother to deal with those matters.

He looked at Chu Ji, his golden eyes, just like Chu Ji's, filled with anxiety. "If you have a little demon scamp, how will we raise it? There hasn't been enough time."

They needed at least another hundred years to accumulate treasures before they could raise another little demon scamp.

He looked at Chu Ji and asked, "Where’s your jade pendant?"

He hadn’t felt the jade pendant since leaving seclusion. If he hadn’t detected Chu Ji’s presence in the demon palace, the first thing he would have done was find him.

Chu Ji was still processing the earlier comment about him having a little demon scamp. Distractedly, he replied, "It broke..."

How would he have a little demon scamp?

The Demon Lord’s expression changed as he looked at Chu Ji. "Tell me about it."

That jade pendant was made from a piece of jade that had been beside him when he was nurtured by demonic energy. That jade had accompanied him for centuries and had long become a part of him. He had specifically chosen that pendant for Chu Ji as a main stone, connecting it to a dozen elite Demon Guards in the demon palace.

Now that the pendant was broken, he hadn’t sensed anything—that wasn’t normal.

Chu Ji came back to himself and explained briefly. He didn’t mention the text he had seen, only saying he was curious and visited the immortal sect, where he met Jun Xueyi. Later, he went to play at Linshui Sect and explored an ancient secret realm with the sect members, where he encountered the Three-eyed Auspicious Beast.

The rest didn't need explaining, as the people of Linshui Sect already knew.

If his uncle and the others knew, his mother would know, and if his mother knew, his father would find out sooner or later.

The Demon Lord’s expression flickered with changing emotions before he finally patted Chu Ji’s shoulder. "You’ve really grown up. You even saved your mother and me."

Though Chu Ji spoke lightly about it, he could tell how difficult it must have been.

Since it was an opportunity left by a god, it certainly wasn’t something demons could easily touch. For Chu Ji to achieve what he did at his age was a truly desperate gamble.

But his child was still just a little demon.

Chu Ji turned his head away slightly. "Actually, Jun Xueyi didn’t intend to take your fortune either."

During that time, Jun Xueyi hadn’t spoken a word of truth.

The Demon Lord composed himself and chuckled. "Defending him already?"

He didn’t care whether heaven was fair or not—he didn’t follow the Way of Heaven. Jun Xueyi was now Chu Ji’s partner, and in his view, it was a good thing that Jun Xueyi had such abilities. If he hadn’t, Chu Ji would have been pushed to the point of shattering the jade pendant—how helpless he must have been.

Now, as your Immortal Venerable says, the two of them were family.

This time, when he reached out, he finally was allowed to pat Chu Ji’s head.

Gently ruffling his hair, he said with relief, "Our Little Demon Lord’s cultivation has now surpassed my own. You’ve truly grown into an adult."

But...

The Demon Lord’s tone shifted. "Don't go having a little demon scamp now. We can’t afford to raise one yet. Wait until we can properly provide before you have one."

He would need to refill all those treasure halls he had filled for raising Chu Ji first before even thinking about another.

With that in mind, he asked, "Did you give your partner any betrothal gifts when you married him?"

Chu Ji: "What?"

The Demon Lord: "You didn’t?"

The two stared at each other. The Demon Lord: "And he was willing to come back with you?"

Chu Ji: "Oh, I brought him back by force."

The Demon Lord: "..."

He realized that Chu Ji had probably used up everything he had.

He said reluctantly, "Then hold off on having a child for now."

We truly can't afford it.

Chu Ji: "......"

He said expressionlessly, "Father, we can't have children."

The Demon Lord stared at Chu Ji, taking a moment to process it. "He's a man?"

Chu Ji nodded.

The Demon Lord was a little disappointed; he had assumed it would be like our Immortal Venerable. But a man was fine too—as long as Chu Ji was happy. "Then we don’t need to prepare things for raising a little demon. That’s not bad either."

Chu Ji got back to the point. "I met someone drenched in your demonic energy. I wanted to kill him, but then I noticed my mother’s sword light on him. He said he was my brother."

The Demon Lord frowned. "Impossible. Your mother and I only have you."

Chu Ji: "I know. I wanted to ask—was your fortune ever stolen?"

The Demon Lord shot that down. "If his fortune was stolen, at most he’d carry my demonic energy. Your mother’s sword intent can’t be stolen."

Chu Ji: "Then what is he?"

"I can’t kill him," Chu Ji stated plainly. "I’m unable to kill him. It’s as if, in some unseen way, he’s connected to me."

The Demon Lord zeroed in on what mattered. "Who is this person? Connected to whom?"

Chu Ji, it clicked. "Qingfeng Sect Leader..."

He immediately headed to the main hall.

-

In the hall, a crowd watched Jun Xueyi holding their breath.

Jun Xueyi sat beside Lin Xun and said, "I came willingly. We’re both into each other. I don’t know what caused the misunderstanding, but I apologize. Sorry. Now that that’s done, if there’s nothing else, everyone can leave."

His tone was flat, devoid of any emotion.

From start to finish, he didn’t really look at anyone, not even his master.

Qingfeng Sect Leader clutched his heart. "Xue Yi."

Only then did Jun Xueyi look his way. "I left you a letter."

That box, aside from repaying the years of nurturing, contained a letter—a thank-you letter to his master. It mentioned his own death, an ending he had arranged for himself, staking his life on whether Chu Ji loved him back.

But none of this had anything to do with the Qingfeng Sect.

He had repaid the resources the Qingfeng Sect invested in him tenfold. He had repaid the sect leader’s care, including enduring Lang Yue all this time.

He helped Lang Yue build authority, turning him from someone useless at cultivation into someone with decent cultivation among his peers, trusted by the Qingfeng Sect’s disciples and elders as the Eldest Senior Brother.

That’s enough.

He knew very well what his master expected of him when his cultivation reached the quasi-Demigod stage—to help Lang Yue become a god together.

But he had paid it all back. From now on, Lang Yue’s affairs were not his problem.

Lin Xun shot a look at Jun Xueyi, realizing this person had a remarkable talent for pissing people off with just a few words.

Watching the crowd below too scared to even get mad, she felt like laughing.

So she laughed.

Total cowards.

Especially Qingfeng Sect Leader, whose face instantly paled.

Jun Xueyi’s words made it clear: he was severing ties with the Qingfeng Sect.

Heartbroken and in disbelief, Qingfeng Sect Leader said, "Xue Yi, that’s not what I meant. After all these years of camaraderie, I..."

Jun Xueyi didn’t even smirk. "It’s paid back."

"Anything else? If not, disperse. With all of you here, aren’t you afraid your sects might be ambushed?" His tone was mild, but it sent chills down everyone’s spines.

Many grew restless.

Someone immediately mustered the courage to take their leave.

Lin Xun waved a hand. "Disperse. If you come causing trouble so rudely again, don’t blame me for slaughtering you all."

Members of other sects hurriedly apologized and got out of there.

Before leaving, they bid farewell to the Linshui Sect members, didn’t even glance at the Qingfeng Sect as they quickly exited the demon palace.

Soon, only the four from the Linshui Sect and the dozen or so from the Qingfeng Sect remained in the hall.

Lin Xu spoke out, "Back then, your Qingfeng Sect came accusing us, insisting Jun Xueyi had been bewitched by my younger brother, that Jun Xueyi was captured and made into a cauldron, that Jun Xueyi was imprisoned by my brother. You sounded so convincing then, even inciting all the immortal sects to join you in coming after us demons. Why are you silent now?"

"It wasn’t us—it was Lang Yue who said it," a disciple mumbled under his breath.

He was immediately snapped at by Qingfeng Sect Leader, who looked at Jun Xueyi with disappointment. "If that’s the case, today’s events were all a misunderstanding. I apologize to the demon palace."

Lin Xun shoved Jun Xueyi back.

After all, Qingfeng Sect Leader was still Jun Xueyi’s master. Who knew what he was thinking, bowing to Jun Xueyi now?

She said, "You three, go find Ji’er and chill. We’ll handle the rest."

Lin Xu naturally took Lin Yun’s hand. "You got it, Aunt."

He’d been pissed off with Jun Xueyi for a long time—especially after he’d held Chu Ji earlier, fooling him when he couldn’t recognize him.

He’d find a chance to throw down with this guy someday.

The three had just left the hall when Chu Ji and the Demon Lord arrived.

The Demon Lord looked at the three before him, recognizing Lin Xu and Lin Yun. The kids from back in the day had grown so much.

After a moment of reflection, he shifted his gaze to Jun Xueyi and instantly recognized who he was.

Because Jun Xueyi carried a heavy, unique vibe—Chu Ji’s unique demonic energy.

This wasn’t something an ordinary partner could achieve.

It was easy to be tainted by demonic energy, but to be imbued with a demon’s signature energy was difficult.

This person used underhanded methods.

Chu Ji's unique demonic energy is determined by his bloodline, something all demons submit to. Now that it has tainted another person, it's hard not to suspect something else.

Like a substitution scheme.

Demigod-level cultivation.

His eyes flashed crimson—he had never fought someone with Demigod-level cultivation before.

Lin Xu and Lin Yun both sensed trouble. Seeing the Demon Lord staring fixedly at Jun Xueyi as if he were prey.

Lin Xu: "Uncle-in-law."

The Demon Lord tilted his head and tossed Lin Xu and Lin Yun back to their seats. "Go amuse yourselves elsewhere."

Chu Ji glanced back. "...If you two want to fight, take it outside."

His father was battle-hungry—so much so that, aside from him and his mother, he showed no one a kind expression.

With Jun Xueyi's cultivation level, he wouldn't get badly hurt, and Chu Ji believed Jun Xueyi wouldn't harm his father either.

Jun Xueyi sighed. His Young Master showed no concern for him at all—he'd only just been brought back to life.

He looked at the man before him, whose pressure was genuinely overwhelming—an aura tempered through real combat.

The Demon Lord, the one who unified the demon race.

Jun Xueyi took a deep breath. "Father, please."

Upon hearing this, the Demon Lord's pupils dilated slightly.

Jun Xueyi felt targeted.

This was the first demon he had encountered who truly embodied what a demon should be.

The demons in the demon palace had started acting more human due to Immortal Venerable Lin Xun's presence.

Even Chu Ji seemed more human.

But the Demon Lord was different—the wildness and bloodlust inherent in his bones were downright unnerving.

This unease was unavoidable, regardless of one's cultivation level.

Lin Xun watched them leave one after another. Honestly, she wanted in on the fight too.

She, too, enjoyed combat.

But every family needs at least one responsible adult.

Lin Yun stood up. "Aunt, can we go watch?"

A fight like this—even catching a glimpse would be instructive.

Lin Xun: "Go ahead."

She believed both of them could control themselves and wouldn't harm Lin Xu and Lin Yun.

Meanwhile, after arriving at the main hall, Chu Ji first searched around but detected no sign of Lang Yue's presence.

Since Lang Yue was tainted with his father's demonic energy, it would be easy for him to lay low within the demon palace.

After thinking for a moment, he said, "Mother, Dad killed that Lang Yue. He said Lang Yue was connected to you somehow and asked where you want him buried."

Lin Xun: "?"

His father actually left a body intact after killing someone?

Before Lin Xun could speak, the first one to freak out was the Qingfeng Sect Leader. "What!"

He snapped at Chu Ji, "Say that again!"

Seeing his reaction, Chu Ji immediately knew he'd struck a nerve with his earlier statement.

Lang Yue had claimed Chu Ji couldn't kill him, but apparently only Chu Ji couldn't.

He said pointedly, "Lang Yue is dead."

"I couldn't kill him, but the demon palace has no shortage of people who can. He's dead, dead!" He looked at the other members of the Qingfeng Sect and said, "Lang Yue is a demon, yet he's been stashed away by your Qingfeng Sect for so long. And now you still..."

Before Chu Ji could finish, the Qingfeng Sect Leader had already drawn his sword.

Lin Xun: "Seeking death."

Daring to pull a sword on her child in her presence—like she was already dead and gone.

The Qingfeng Sect Leader's eyes turned red, his entire body trembling as he stared at Chu Ji as if looking at his child's killer. "You killed my Yue'er."

Chu Ji recalled something: in the Qingfeng Sect's ancestral hall, there were unlit life lamps. Could one of them have been Lang Yue's? After all, Lang Yue seemed more important to the sect leader than Jun Xueyi, so his life lamp would surely be placed up front. Yet, at the time, he hadn't seen a life lamp bearing Lang Yue's name.

Was it because Lang Yue was supposed to be dead, or was Lang Yue unable to light a life lamp?

Lang Yue also knew about the original storyline—what exactly was he?

Chu Ji stopped his mother. "Mother, I'll handle this myself."

Today, he would make him spill the truth.

He had no patience for guessing games.

Nor did he have the patience to search for Lang Yue.

If possible, he would use this to force Lang Yue out.

Lin Xun looked at the sword in her hand and could only put it away and sit back down.

She would just watch her son fight.

Nearby, Yin Xu took the opportunity to recount Lang Yue's past behavior at the Linshui Sect to Lin Xun.

Lin Xun paused. He even knew about that?

She hadn't even known what was sent back then—she couldn't be bothered to check.

Yin Xu also repeated the Qingfeng Sect's explanation.

Sacrifice, rebirth, heavenly fortune.

After listening, Lin Xun's expression remained unchanged, but she partially believed the explanation.

She stood up. "Brother, sister-in-law, keep an eye on things. I have something to attend to."

She hoped it wasn't what she thought it was.