Chapter 57

The surprise came too quickly, nearly overwhelming Yi Heng’s senses.
He looked down at the girl in his arms. Their eyes met, and something seemed to click into place in his heart.
The soft, delicate body pressed against him, this was no illusion.
He also clearly understood that such a posture should not exist between master and disciple. So Su Ling wasn’t completely indifferent to him. Was that why her first reaction, upon hearing his enemies were coming, was to follow him?
Realizing this, Yi Heng’s heart warmed, and he almost nodded in agreement.
But he had already thought things through. For Su Ling’s long-term development, at least in the early stages, she shouldn’t be too deeply entangled with him. Otherwise, if others noticed, it would only bring her hardship.
As an ordinary mortal, even if she had now stepped onto the path of immortality, as long as she claimed ignorance, that she had been deceived, and with her pure spiritual energy, untouched by demonic qi, and her exceptional talent even after being sealed, those people wouldn’t harm her. Instead, they would want her to become a member of the righteous path.
So Yi Heng wanted to take her with him, but after careful consideration, he still didn’t agree.
Su Ling anxiously threw herself into his arms, determined not to let go. But after just one sentence, she felt a sudden dizziness, her thoughts faded, her eyes closed, and she slumped softly into his embrace.
Yi Heng felt a sudden weight on his chest, his heart tightening as he opened his eyes to see a peaceful, rosy sleeping face.
Her hair was slightly disheveled, likely from restless sleep.
She was truly different from those in the cultivation world, who would never waste time sleeping, always striving to break through and advance further.
Including himself.
But here, beside Su Ling, Yi Heng experienced what it meant to have tranquil days.
It also gradually faded his desire for death. If possible, he wished to stay with Su Ling forever, enjoying the beauty of the mountains and forests with just the two of them.
However, now that he had this thought, certain matters needed to be resolved.
His identity as the Demon Lord meant that aside from death, there was no other way to relinquish it, especially not for those who had loyally followed him.
Even demonic cultivators, burdened with bloodshed, were not entirely devoid of humanity.
He had to fulfill his duties before he could return to her side, wishing only that this time could be shortened.
Yi Heng sighed softly, but instead of the usual violence, a faint regret and deep anticipation rose in his heart.
Once he had settled his subordinates and recovered from his injuries, everything would return to how it was before.
He slowly lowered his head, his pale lips gently brushing the girl’s forehead before pulling away. Then, he carried her to the bed, tucked her in, and gazed at her reluctantly before leaving.
He hadn’t just realized it now.
He knew clearly that he couldn’t take Su Ling with him, so he had pretended not to know, delaying again and again until he could delay no longer, choosing this moment to bid her farewell.

The moment she lost consciousness, Su Ling rolled her eyes in frustration.
Her original plan was to follow Yi Heng all along, but her current identity was that of an ordinary mortal girl who knew nothing, so many things couldn’t be said in advance.
Even if she had vaguely sensed it, she thought Yi Heng would notice beforehand.
Unexpectedly, he did notice, but his first instinct was to exclude her, setting the stage for the plot’s original development.
After a brief moment of panic, Su Ling calmed down. As long as the female lead didn’t interfere, he wouldn’t end up as he did later.
Now that she had taken the female lead’s place, things wouldn’t unfold as they had originally. She wouldn’t join a major sect, wouldn’t get entangled in love-hate conflicts with the heir of a great sect, and certainly wouldn’t stand against him.
As long as she ensured that, Yi Heng wouldn’t change.
Thinking this, when Su Ling woke up and found herself sitting in a chair, surrounded by a crowd of onlookers, she quickly composed herself after a brief scare.
Mu Sen, the leader of the righteous path’s top sect, the Ten Thousand Swords Sect, had arrived with a group of righteous cultivators upon detecting the Demon Lord Yi Heng’s location. They found the place empty, with only an ordinary girl who had just stepped onto the path of cultivation, sealed by demonic energy and in a deep sleep.
To ensure there were no hidden traps, some continued the pursuit in different directions, while Mu Sen stayed behind with a few disciples to question the girl.
Of course, they also recognized that this girl had excellent talent and a body of pure spiritual energy, making her a desirable candidate to recruit into their sect. Thus, their attitude was very gentle. Seeing her wake up and get startled by their group, they quickly put on a friendly smile: "Don’t be afraid, little girl. We are cultivators from the Spirit Realm, here to pursue a demonic cultivator. We won’t harm innocent people, so rest assured."
Su Ling wasn’t actually afraid. She believed Yi Heng wouldn’t harm her, but he had knowingly left her alone here despite the danger.
Seeing how gently this person spoke further confirmed their intentions. Su Ling quickly sat up, relieved to find her clothes intact. Blinking innocently, she asked, "Is there something you need?"
"We just wanted to ask, the person who was with you all along, did he mention where he was going?" Mu Sen inquired.
The others also maintained gentle expressions, showing none of the usual disdain toward mortals.
Su Ling looked puzzled. "Are you talking about my master? Isn’t he at home?"
Mu Sen had already known this and wasn’t surprised, but he feigned astonishment. "He took you as his disciple? And taught you spells?"
"Yes," Su Ling replied with a slight smile. "He taught me many things. Are you looking for him?" She glanced around, noticing she was in the living room with both bedroom doors open, revealing the empty house. Granny Li was sitting nearby, watching her with concern. Su Ling found it strange and asked, "Is my master gone? He didn’t tell me anything. Do you know where he went?"
Mu Sen looked disappointed. "We were hoping you might know where he went."
"I’m sorry, I can’t help you," Su Ling said helplessly, spreading her hands.
Mu Sen shook his head in resignation, gave up, and walked out with a wave of his sleeve.
Following his movement, Su Ling noticed Meng Jin, whom she had sent away earlier, standing in the courtyard. Mu Sen approached him and bowed respectfully.
Meng Jin’s demeanor was different from before, the young man’s handsome face now carried a maturity and weariness that didn’t match his age, tinged with a hint of helplessness as he looked at Mu Sen. "I told you, that little girl doesn’t know anything."
"I thought since the Demon Lord took her as a disciple, he might value her a bit more," Mu Sen said awkwardly.
From the moment they arrived at the bamboo hut, they had quickly investigated everything. Although Yi Heng had taken a disciple, he didn’t seem to value her as much as they had expected; it was more like a pastime during his leisure.
The reason he hadn’t left earlier was due to his severe injuries.
Now that the demonic cultivators had come to take him away, it was like releasing a tiger back into the mountains. Trying to do anything further would be difficult. But since it wasn’t over yet, they had to keep trying.
Meng Jin’s voice remained calm as he said indifferently, "If he valued her a bit more, would you use her as a hostage?"
Mu Sen’s expression turned even stranger, and he quickly shook his head. "How could we do that?"
Yi Heng’s current power was immense, even ten great masters self-destructing hadn’t been able to kill him. If they insisted on a fight to the death, they would be the ones to perish. Since they failed to eliminate the Demon Lord at his weakest, once he returned to his territory and recovered, their goal would no longer be to fight to the death but to seek peace.
For the sake of some nonsense stirred up by the Mystic Moon Sect, how many talents have the righteous path lost?!
Now, things have come to this, no one is willing to suffer further losses.
The righteous and the demonic have never coexisted peacefully, but high-level demonic cultivators and righteous cultivators generally try to avoid interfering with each other. As long as you don’t cause trouble, we won’t hunt you down.
It’s mainly the cultivators at the Golden Core level and below who constantly clash and wear each other out.
Therefore, facing the possible return of the Demon Lord Yi Heng, the righteous path has long reached a consensus: even if Su Ling truly is his valued successor, they wouldn’t dare touch her. Either the Demon Lord wouldn’t care, or he would be enraged, recover from his injuries, and start another bloody conflict.
They simply can’t afford to play that game.
Moreover, this young girl is surrounded by dense spiritual energy, without a trace of demonic aura, and her talent is excellent. If they could recruit her, that would be the best outcome.
Mu Sen was speaking with Meng Jin.
Just then, another female cultivator approached Su Ling with a gentle expression and said softly, “Little girl, living alone in this mortal world is truly difficult. Our Ten Thousand Swords Sect is the leader of the righteous path, with excellent cultivation resources and friendly senior and junior brothers and sisters. Your talent suits us well, why not join our sect?”
Su Ling glanced at the female cultivator, shook her head, and said somewhat apologetically, “I have no great ambitions. I just want to stay in this mortal world and have no desire to leave.”
The female cultivator was puzzled. “How could you not want to? You’ve already stepped onto the path of immortality. Are you really willing to endure the mortal cycle of birth, aging, sickness, and death, turning to dust after a mere hundred years?”
For cultivators of the spirit realm, this was unthinkable.
Once one has tasted immortality, who would want to watch their beauty fade?
Yet the young girl nodded earnestly. “I am willing.”
The female cultivator was left speechless.
The Ten Thousand Swords Sect couldn’t stay for long either. Seeing that Su Ling truly had no intention of leaving with them, they all departed.
The bamboo cottage, which had briefly regained some liveliness, was once again empty.
Only Meng Jin remained, pacing over with an oddly gentle and mature smile on his face. “Miss Su, what do you plan to do next?”
Su Ling found it a bit strange and rubbed her arms uncomfortably. “Why do you ask?”
“Before he comes for you, I have to protect you,” Meng Jin said.
He hadn’t gone far and had suddenly received a message last night ordering him to protect Su Ling. If anything happened to her, the entire righteous path would pay in blood.
That man was a madman. Even though Meng Jin knew Su Ling was his weakness, he couldn’t do anything about it, unless he only cared about his own interests and was confident he could escape Yi Heng’s pursuit.
But he was neither, so he had no choice but to accept the task.
Hearing this, Su Ling’s lips curved into a smile, and the annoyance from being knocked unconscious faded a little. In a rather cheerful mood, she nodded and said, “I plan to open a restaurant somewhere in this mortal world.”
Meng Jin’s smile stiffened, and he asked in surprise, “O-open a restaurant?”
Wouldn’t the logical step be to venture into the cultivation world?
She’s already a cultivator with decent talent, yet she still wants to stay in the mortal world?
And on top of that, open a restaurant?
Does she really enjoy cooking that much?
Su Ling nodded firmly. “Yes!”
This was her dream!
Since Yi Heng was gone, she might as well take this opportunity to have some fun. After all, she had plenty of money.