Heavy with regret, Ling Wu walked out of the teahouse.
She raised a hand to shield her eyes from the harsh sunlight, in no mood to be cheerful.
The demon had slipped away, and to make matters worse her purse was nearly empty. Her plan to buy storybooks was probably sunk.
Who knew when she'd next get down to the mortal realm? How was she supposed to survive up on the mountain with nothing to amuse herself!
For all of this, Ling Wu blamed Songhe.
If he hadn't smashed her stall back then, with that silver tongue of hers she'd have made a tidy fortune. She wouldn't be reduced to this—having to pick the cheapest thing on any menu.
That wretch Songhe! she cursed inwardly.
She passed a small stall selling storybooks. Her steps turned leaden, her eyelids no lighter. She wanted every single book on that table.
That cursed Eldest Senior Brother, making off with her treasured storybooks and not even offering compensation!
One last look at the books, then she strode past the stall, a sulky edge rising in her chest.
But just as she was drowning her sorrows, a hand landed on her shoulder from behind. A familiar voice followed: "Ah-Wu. We meet again."
Yizhen. Again.
What was with this guy? Why did she run into him every single time she came down?
Wasn't he the Demon Lord? Was the demon realm really that idle? What did he get out of loitering in the mortal world all day?
And dressed so flamboyantly, too. In the span of a few moments, Ling Wu had already collected several venomous glares from the young ladies of the town—while those same ladies looked at Yizhen with faces full of spring. Talk about a double standard!
Ling Wu was annoyed. She shrugged her shoulder and knocked his hand off.
"Keep your distance, sir. Proper men and women don't touch. People will get the wrong idea."
Yizhen looked at his rebuffed hand, entirely unbothered. "What brings Ah-Wu here?"
"Why are you here?"
Don't even think about pumping her for information.
Yizhen answered freely anyway: "As I told Ah-Wu last time, there's still one demon I haven't found." He suddenly leaned in close, a faint smile on his lips. "I saw Ah-Wu reach for a talisman just now. Were you probing that demon's true form?"
He saw that?
"You saw it and didn't make a move?!" Ling Wu dressed him down without mercy, scrubbing herself of all blame. "I'll be honest with you—this demon is your jurisdiction. You saw it with your own eyes. How could you just stand there and watch! This is not on me. I didn't even come down here to hunt demons. Go find it yourself."
She'd been worrying about exactly this—coming home with no one to catch the demon. If the little thing caused trouble and hurt someone, how guilty would she feel later!
His arrival suited her perfectly.
Really, these mortals should thank her. Without her, who knows how long that demon would have run rampant through the city!
One look at her smug expression and Yizhen knew exactly what she was thinking.
His Ah-Wu. So endearing.
"Um—excuse me—" Meeting that besotted look of his, Ling Wu felt her face go warm.
What was with this fellow? Why did he look at her like that every time they met? Unless... unless they really had met before? Fine, say they had—why did he have to wear an expression of such devoted, deep-rooted love about it?
She did not feel that way about him!
Yizhen surfaced from his daze. "Call me Yizhen."
Ling Wu turned it over and over in her head, the name stuck in her throat, refusing to come out.
"Yizhen... Lord Yizhen?" she ventured carefully, eyes full of caution.
He was, after all, the overlord of the demon realm, and she was nobody. Calling him by his bare name didn't seem proper.
"Yizhen is fine."
Still she waffled.
Seeing her pained expression, he gave a helpless little sigh. "You're not a demon. You don't have to use their way of addressing me."
And with that, the fog cleared. Look at her, applying rank and hierarchy to every corner of the three realms. She wasn't under his authority—no real need for any of that 'my lord' business.
She accepted the explanation, and thereafter his name rolled off her tongue with remarkable ease.
Neither of their meetings so far had shown Yizhen any malice toward her, so she let her guard down. With him around, she wasn't worried about the demon hunt at all. In no time, her mood was sunny again.
Yizhen took her back to the storybook stall she'd just passed and, with a sweep of his hand, bought every book on the table.
Under Ling Wu's stunned gaze, he formed a hand seal and sent them all directly into her storage bracelet. "I saw that Ah-Wu liked them. And I happen to have some spare coin."
"What else does Ah-Wu like? Just take it. Don't worry about money."
Inside, Ling Wu was already screaming. Where did this rich lord come from—and not only deep-pocketed but this generous!
If he'd just said upfront that he was loaded and kind, she'd have glued herself to him as a friend ages ago! And she was nobody's prude. When someone was footing the bill, of course she wasn't going to be polite about it!
In less than half a day, her storage bracelet was stuffed to the brim—and so was her belly.
One word: bliss.
She wasn't the only happy one. The vendors were thrilled too. The reason was simple: Yizhen paid in silver ingots, and when they scrambled to make change, he just waved them off.
How was that any different from handing out free money?
And at the end, worried she'd be short on coin next trip, he gave her several gold ingots as well. Ling Wu accepted without a second's hesitation, mouth full of courtesy: "Oh, you really shouldn't have! Money is a mere trifle—I hardly need all this!"
Yizhen's mouth twitched. If she'd pocketed them any faster, he might actually have believed her.
When night fell, Ling Wu said her goodbyes.
"Thank you for the hospitality today, Brother Yizhen. I'll be sure to call on you and repay the favor someday. All gatherings must end in parting. And look how late it's gotten—the demon in the city is all yours now. I have to head back up the mountain."
Hee hee. Laden with loot. If Yizhen hadn't been standing right there, she'd have opened her storage bracelet right then and there to admire her stockpile.
"Who knows when we'll meet again," Yizhen said, a trace of sorrow in his voice.
He stepped closer and held her gaze, pleading: "Can't Ah-Wu stay with me a few more days?"
Looking at that expectant face, Ling Wu guiltily looked away.
Oh my. Why was this man suddenly like a puppy, gazing up at her with those big eyes? That look, that voice, that fortune—how was she supposed to refuse!
Sensing her hesitation, the corner of Yizhen's mouth curled.
His Ah-Wu was still so easy to fool.
On the surface, he kept the longing expression perfectly.
"Does Ah-Wu not want to stay a while longer? You were having such a good time, weren't you? I want Ah-Wu to be this happy always." Then his tone pivoted. "But if Ah-Wu really has matters to attend to, then go. I'll be here all alone, with no friends to keep me company. Not lonely at all. Not one bit."
On the last words, he weighted his voice and glanced up to read her face.
Still waffling.
Ling Wu remembered her original purpose: play for the day, then go straight back. She absolutely could not let Master or her senior brothers find out she'd snuck out.
But a whole day had passed and Kunlun had shown no sign of movement. Besides, even if her senior brothers did find out, it was a scolding at worst. As long as it didn't reach Master's ears, it was all manageable.
So what harm could a few more days do?
She had just opened her mouth to agree when a streak of golden light shot toward them, forcing Yizhen and her apart.
A white-robed figure appeared not far away. Ling Wu fixed her eyes on it—and felt her legs turn to water.
The newcomer had features like a painting, but his presence was cold as frost. He was looking down at her and Yizhen both, the barest ghost of a smile on his lips. A smile that never reached his eyes.
Ling Wu's heart went cold. Her voice shook: "M-Master!"