Chapter 61

This place was truly wonderful, perfectly suiting Su Ling's taste.
She found herself in a vast valley surrounded by mountains. However, due to its expansive size, it felt more like a sprawling meadow.
At the forefront was a lake that occupied a third of the valley's area. Su Ling's eyes lit up at the sight. Back when she ran a restaurant in the mortal world, she had always wanted to specialize in seafood. However, there were no lakes nearby, and she found it too troublesome and lacked the energy to manage such an endeavor, so she had abandoned the idea.
But now, seeing this, she couldn't help but feel pleasantly surprised.
But as Su Ling looked, she suddenly felt the color of the lake seemed off, as if it had been split into two halves.
She voiced her confusion.
Yi Heng, standing beside her, gazed at her with his dark eyes and softly explained, "This is a Yin-Yang Lake I created using formations. It divides the lake into two parts that don’t interfere with each other, one side is seawater, the other is fresh water, so different aquatic products can be raised separately."
Everything Su Ling had mentioned, he had accomplished.
So, she could stay here peacefully.
Su Ling was indeed overjoyed. Without realizing what Yi Heng was truly thinking, she simply immersed herself in happiness.
Both sides of the lake were already teeming with life. Just by watching from the shore, Su Ling could see plenty of fish and shrimp leaping in the water.
There were freshwater crayfish and deep-sea lobsters.
It was simply perfect!
Beyond the lake, what delighted Su Ling even more was the remaining third of the land, which had been cultivated and planted with various fruits and vegetables.
The spiritual energy here was rich, and the produce seemed to be tended by someone, making each piece look fresh and vibrant. Just the sight of it made Su Ling’s appetite stir.
In addition to the fruits and vegetables, there were many animals, not kept in pens but roaming freely. From time to time, a rabbit would hop up to Su Ling’s feet, then wander off in a daze. Mother hens led their chicks around, and further away, antelopes and deer drank from the freshwater side.
Among the tall trees, most were fruit trees, and many birds had flocked here. The clear chirping of birds served as a constant backdrop, as if cleansing the soul.
It truly was a paradise.
And it was her paradise alone.
Su Ling almost laughed out loud, it was just too wonderful. As for the tavern she used to run or people like Meng Jin, she had completely forgotten, swept away by this overwhelming joy.
Here, she could barbecue, fish, eat crayfish, lobsters, sashimi…
It was incredible!
Except…there was no one else here.
Just as she thought this, she spotted several figures in the vegetable patch, previously hidden from view.
"Are there people here?" Su Ling asked in surprise.
Yi Heng shook his head. "They’re puppets."
Su Ling immediately lost her curiosity. Even if she hadn’t seen it firsthand, she knew about puppets, cultivators used the corpses of other cultivators to refine them. Righteous sects had them too, but the methods of demonic cultivors were far more brutal.
Su Ling had no interest in corpses whatsoever.
Hearing the answer, she quickly averted her gaze and looked back toward where she had been resting earlier.
It was a simple bamboo hut, but unlike her old one, it held hidden depths. Everything inside was of the finest quality, including the door curtain, which felt smooth and flowing to the touch, like the Dove chocolate commercials, so delicate it seemed as if it would tear with a tug.
But in reality, even when Su Ling used her spiritual power, she couldn’t tear it.
Yi Heng told her it was made from heavenly silk.
Even the bedding on her bed was woven from heavenly silk, just of a higher grade.
Of course, it was also because Su Ling was still too weak to tear it.
Beside the bamboo hut was a kitchen, where a puppet stood guard. Yi Heng said this puppet had been a culinary cultivator in life, and even in death, cooking was its instinct, its skills were excellent.
Looking at all this, Su Ling felt as if she had arrived in heaven, especially when she remarked, "The spiritual energy here seems especially dense?"
She didn't even need to focus intently, just by being in this space, she could feel a continuous stream of spiritual energy eagerly pouring into her body. The two years she had spent delayed in the mortal world were rapidly being replenished by this rich spiritual energy.
The speed was astonishing; even without deliberate cultivation, it was several times faster than her previous day-and-night efforts in the mortal world.
Yi Heng nodded slightly. "Yes, I set up a spirit-gathering array here."
"Here? The entire place?" Su Ling's voice rose involuntarily.
Yi Heng nodded again.
Su Ling gasped sharply. Such a massive spirit-gathering array, how much effort and, more importantly, how many spirit stones had it cost?
As someone who was extremely poor, with nothing but silver to her name, she genuinely felt a pang of regret before saying, "Well, Master, I can't let this go to waste. I'll have a meal first and then start practicing."
Yi Heng was stunned for several seconds before nodding. "Alright."
But in reality, he had been waiting for a long time, expecting Su Ling to ask him why he had brought her here, when they could leave, what would happen to the mortal world, and what about Meng Jin?
Yet none of these questions came.
It was as if she had completely forgotten them.
For a moment, Yi Heng couldn't help but wonder if she was still drunk and hadn't sobered up yet.
What puzzled him even more was that she had never once asked about his identity. The vague sense of "why" he had felt before resurfaced, and an incredible thought crossed his mind: Had she, like Meng Jin, known his identity all along?
The thought flickered briefly before he quickly dismissed it. At this point, such considerations were irrelevant. Whether she knew or not, she had to live by his side, that was all that mattered.

With a single command from Su Ling, the puppets immediately sprang into action.
She requested steamed lobster and crab, and within the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, the food was served. The culinary puppet was plump and round-faced, with a smiling expression that made it seem far from lifeless. As it placed the dishes on the table, it even said, "Enjoy your meal, honored guest. If anything isn't to your taste, please let us know."
Su Ling quickly nodded, grinning foolishly.
Once the puppet left the room, she turned her attention to the ingredients before her.
Oversized lobsters and crabs lay obediently on the plates, exuding a fresh, oceanic aroma without any fishy smell.
How could Yi Heng, who had set up a spirit-gathering array here, possibly raise ordinary mortal food in the lake?
These were first-grade spirit beasts, not particularly high-level, but non-aggressive, with tender, pure flesh free of impurities.
Yi Heng found it strange, unsettled by Su Ling's calm demeanor.
But she didn't speak, so he suppressed those questions. Seeing that she was about to start eating, he immediately washed his hands and began shelling for her.
A cultivator's strength far surpassed that of an ordinary mortal. The shells were so thick that Su Ling had thought she would need scissors, but with just a slight exertion of force, the shells cracked open, revealing the tender pinkish-white meat inside.
Everything was prepared according to Su Ling's taste, including the dipping sauce.
Yi Heng helped with the shelling, insisting that Su Ling eat her fill of seafood before he stopped.
"You should eat too," Su Ling said, placing a crab leg into Yi Heng's bowl and nudging his arm to remind him to eat as well.
After their earlier embrace, though nothing had been explicitly stated, a tacit understanding had formed between them. Her tone was no longer as polite as before.
Yi Heng curved his lips slightly. "Mm."
He took a bite. The flavor was good, but to him, it was merely passable. Since it wasn't made by Su Ling, he didn't feel that sense of delight. Right now, he only wanted to watch her eat.
The two quickly finished the meal. Su Ling clapped her hands and said, "Master, I'm going to go practice now."
Yi Heng nodded silently. "Alright."
And so, Su Ling really went. The door closed, and she lay on the bed inside, eyes shut tight, circulating her cultivation technique. The spiritual energy that had always been automatically entering her body now gathered around her like a violent storm, lining up to be absorbed.
Yi Heng had thought she would at least make some small move, thinking about how to escape.
But everything was so different from what he had imagined!
She really was just cultivating, without any other actions!
Yi Heng pressed his lips together, his expression complex, tinged with a hint of conflict and confusion. He didn't quite understand why he had done all this in the first place.
Perhaps he had misunderstood.
That Meng Jin, maybe he actually had nothing to do with her.
Otherwise, she wouldn't be so calm.
Thinking this, Yi Heng took out a communication talisman.
Half an hour later, Princess Snake's voice came through, pleading for forgiveness: "Demon Lord, this subordinate admits her mistake. Those mortals didn't know the truth, they just assumed Miss Su and Meng Jin were running the shop together and must be a couple. But so far, the two haven't shown any intimate behavior."
"This subordinate is willing to accept punishment."
Princess Snake was extremely embarrassed and anxious. She had worked so hard to get this job, only to mess it up so thoroughly and in such an absurd way.
Yi Heng's eyes darkened, his voice icy. "Go to the Infernal Realm and receive your punishment."
"Yes." her voice suddenly grew heavy, filled with despair.
The communication talisman in his hand turned to dust.
A fleeting smile appeared on Yi Heng's handsome, expressionless face, only to vanish almost instantly. He slowly closed his eyes, sensing that only the two of them remained as living beings in this valley, and felt an overwhelming sense of contentment.
This was actually quite good.
No one else could see her now.
In the beginning, Yi Heng had taken on a disciple to show those who coveted his innate spiritual body that not only did he possess one, but his disciple did as well.
Even if it was just a disciple, they still couldn't lay a finger on her!
Back when he had escaped the clutches of the Mystic Moon Sect and fallen into demonic cultivation, it wasn't as if no one else had tried to seize his body. But he had been fast enough to evade them, and later, they simply couldn't defeat him.
By the time he rose to power, those people had either gone into hiding, or he himself had no idea who they even were.
He wanted to send a natural-born spirit body with the same cultivation level as he once had right before them, waiting for them to lose control and strike, then he would appear and capture them all in one fell swoop.
Initially, Su Ling was meant to be the bait.
But before long, Yi Heng abandoned this idea. Even before he fully understood his own feelings, he was unwilling to let her face danger. So, before leaving, despite being severely injured, he placed a seal on her body to suppress her Natural Spirit Body.
To ensure Su Ling's safety.

This valley had been prepared under Yi Heng's orders since his return two years ago. Initially, he simply wanted to gift it to Su Ling.
But after hearing about Su Ling and Meng Jin, he became momentarily irrational and turned it into a chain, wanting to keep her here with him forever.
Yi Heng was not a man of gentle temperament.
Because he began remembering things at an early age and had too many memories stored in his mind, many matters accumulated in his heart, gradually shaping him into the person he is today.
Falling into the demonic path might have been his inevitable fate.
He was darkness from the very beginning.
Only before, he forcibly suppressed it.
Now that he had met someone he couldn't bear to let go of, once given an excuse, in truth, if he had genuinely wanted to know the truth, he would have investigated Princess Snake's report himself. But her report merely gave him a pretext.
A pretext to keep Su Ling confined by his side.
As for the truth
It no longer mattered.
As long as she stayed by his side, that was enough.
Yi Heng opened his eyes, a flicker of madness passing through his dark pupils. The corners of his lips curled up, and his slender fingers gently brushed over his eyes.
See, even though it was a misunderstanding.
He truly felt it was wonderful because she wasn't afraid of his eyes and was willing to stay by his side, giving him her complete trust.
Thinking of this, Yi Heng's mood improved even more. Gazing at the closed door before him, the thought of her inside warmed his heart. Unwilling to leave, he slowly walked to the door, sat directly on the floor, leaned quietly against the wall, propped his chin with one hand, and waited for the person inside to come out.
If she was here, he would stay with her.
If she threw a tantrum, he would let her vent, as long as she stayed by his side.
But what Yi Heng never expected was, Su Ling didn't make a fuss at all.

What is the ultimate definition of a homebody?
Eating and drinking in bed, never leaving it except to use the bathroom.
Now that Su Ling was a cultivator, she didn't even need to use the bathroom, impurities were automatically expelled from her body. With the only reason to leave the bed gone, Su Ling truly seemed to have grown roots in it.
During meals, all she had to do was open her mouth, and the culinary cultivation puppet would deliver the food.
In this world, culinary cultivators naturally knew how to prepare a wide variety of dishes, most of which Su Ling had never tasted before. Thus, even eating three meals a day didn’t bore her. Moreover, now that Su Ling had reached the Foundation Establishment stage, her need for food had diminished. When she wasn’t in seclusion cultivating, she only remembered to eat at most once a day during breaks in her training.
She was so focused that she rarely felt hungry, so she didn’t stick to fixed mealtimes. She only ate when she craved something, and often, she had various dried meats and fruits as snacks, making regular meals even less necessary.
For the time being, Su Ling never grew tired of the culinary cultivator’s food, so she didn’t even have to lift a finger, she simply enjoyed herself every day.
When she first arrived in this valley, Su Ling, having sensed the rich spiritual energy, immediately went into seclusion for three months. By the time she emerged, she had reached the mid-Foundation Establishment stage.
After leaving seclusion, Su Ling asked about her tavern. Yi Heng told her that he had already assigned someone to manage it and that Meng Jin had left shortly after she did.
After some thought, Su Ling said, "Let’s close it down gradually. There’s no need for the tavern anymore."
With this divine residence at her disposal, the tavern seemed insignificant. Without Su Ling there to oversee it, anyone else sent to provide spirit food would struggle. Not everyone had her unique constitution, which allowed her to maintain a net gain of spiritual energy even in places with thin spiritual qi. The cultivator sent to replace her would likely need a high level of cultivation, but the mortal realm had almost no cultivators above the high Qi Refining stage precisely because everyone sought to advance and was unwilling to stay in such a place.
If she wasn’t there, sending someone else to manage the tavern would be a miserable fate for that person. It was better to just close it.
This answer left Yi Heng stunned for a long time. Just when he thought he understood Su Ling well enough, she always managed to surprise him, while also warming his heart, perhaps because she shared the same feelings as he did.
Hearing her reply, Yi Heng reached out, pulled the girl into his arms, and gently kissed her forehead. "Alright, I’ll take care of it."
In truth, Su Ling was just too much of a homebody. She felt this place was perfect, why would she need a tavern?

Another year passed.
Outside the valley, dark clouds gathered, and heavenly thunder roared. The demonic cultivators in the vicinity trembled with fear. Heavenly tribulation for demonic cultivators was far more terrifying than for ordinary cultivators, so their dread of it was bone-deep. Whenever they encountered a cultivator undergoing tribulation, they would flee far away.
But this time, the demonic cultivator Yin Kui stared at the rolling lightning in the distant sky, his expression puzzled. "Why is this heavenly tribulation so mild?"
It didn’t seem like the tribulation for breaking through from Foundation Establishment to Golden Core. Although there were only three bolts of lightning, they appeared no different from ordinary mortal thunder, posing minimal threat to a cultivator at the peak of Foundation Establishment.
Another demonic cultivator secretly rolled his eyes and muttered, "Are you blind? Can’t you see the golden light within the thunder? That’s the radiance of merit! The one undergoing tribulation must have done many good deeds."
"Merit radiance!" Yin Kui exclaimed, his eyes filled with envy.
Meanwhile, the envied Su Ling was grimacing as she watched the impending lightning strike, constantly trying to bolster her courage. With her modern mindset, she couldn’t help but feel that this thunder would be the death of her.
She was utterly terrified.
As if sensing her fear, the roiling thunderclouds hesitated for a moment, then silently split in half, reducing their power once again.
Yi Heng, who had been observing the situation the entire time, was speechless: “...”
Honestly, if the one undergoing the tribulation weren't his wife, he would be jealous.
Su Ling noticed it too and felt reassured. She glanced down at Yi Heng waiting for her on a mountain peak, smiled faintly, gritted her teeth, and said, "Come on!"
As her voice fell, the heavenly tribulation that had been lingering in the air finally descended with a deafening "Boom!"
The flash of lightning illuminated the land.
Su Ling felt a surge of immense energy rushing toward her and instinctively used all her spiritual treasures to block it.
After a few "Crack! Crack!" sounds, the top layer of inexpensive spiritual treasures shattered, while the others remained completely intact.
Not a single strand of Su Ling's hair was even damaged.
Having gauged the approximate power of the tribulation, Su Ling calmed down completely and faced the subsequent lightning strikes with full confidence.
"Rumble, "
After two more strikes.
Su Ling landed on the ground, still holding most of her spiritual treasures intact. She watched as the dark clouds in the sky dispersed, revealing a dazzling golden light of virtue that descended upon her. At the same time, a sweet rain fell, nourishing all living beings in the surrounding area, including the valley.
She closed her eyes and accepted the gifts bestowed upon her by the heavens of this realm.
In gratitude for helping this world overcome its calamity of death and saving so many lives, Su Ling received her due reward, along with the favor of the heavenly way.
Su Ling smiled brightly at the heavens in gratitude, then turned and leaped into Yi Heng's arms, her voice crisp and cheerful: "Hurry back! Have you prepared the food I wanted?"
"It's ready!"
Yi Heng replied swiftly, holding her as they returned to the valley.

Yi Heng waited year after year.
He kept expecting Su Ling to clamor to leave and confront him.
But it never happened, Su Ling remained calm.
Even after their child was born, she never brought up the matter of leaving, turning it into a lingering worry in Yi Heng's heart.
As a cultivator, he hadn't dreamed in many years, but because of this matter, Yi Heng woke up startled several times from dreams of Su Ling suddenly erupting and secretly leaving.
In his dreams, he searched the entire world but could not find the departed Su Ling.
Upon waking, Yi Heng held Su Ling tightly, wishing only to keep her by his side for even longer, turning it into an even deeper obsession.
Yet Su Ling still said nothing.
As the child slowly grew up and learned to speak, they finally began clamoring to go out.
At this point, Yi Heng's heart sank, yet he also felt a sense of relief. Perhaps liberation was near, how would Su Ling treat him then?
But then she said, "Are you really going out?"
The three-year-old Yi Haijun nodded his adorable little head and said in a childish voice, "Yes!"
Su Ling curved her lips into a smile and looked at Yi Heng.
Yi Heng’s face was slightly pale, but he still maintained a faint smile as he looked at her, waiting for her judgment, as long as she didn’t leave him.
Su Ling said, "Husband, how about you take the baby out? I’m so tired"
Yi Heng: “...”
It suddenly dawned on him that the thing he had been anxiously waiting for, hoping she would bring up, might not be Su Ling insisting on going out, but rather why hadn’t she mentioned it yet?
Once she brought it up, Yi Heng’s heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled. Looking at her response, he suddenly felt like laughing, but another worry arose: Shouldn’t Su Ling go out too?
She’s been holed up in this valley for over ten years!
"How about we go out together?" Yi Heng tentatively suggested.
Su Ling frowned. "But I haven’t finished drawing my array yet. You take the baby, and I’ll wait here for you."
Yi Heng: “...”
Yi Haijun: "Dad, take me with you!"
"Dad!"
His son’s clear voice kept ringing in his ears. Yi Heng decisively shook his head, pulled his wife into his arms, and whispered, "My lady, haven’t you grown tired of the scenery here after all these years? Let’s go out and have some fun first, and come back when we’ve had enough, alright?"
"How could I be tired of it!" Su Ling pouted her little mouth and began counting on her fair, delicate fingers. "I’ve lived here for fourteen years, but I spent five years in seclusion. The rest of the time was spent on arrays and spells. The time I actually spent enjoying this place was only a few months."
Yi Heng: ".."
"Besides, I’ve only eaten half of that chubby uncle’s recipes. I have to finish them at least."
Yi Heng: "…"
Su Ling frowned unhappily. "What’s wrong? Am I not right?"
Yi Heng shook his head with difficulty. "No, but there’s plenty of food outside too."
Su Ling turned her face away. "I don’t want to go."
Yi Heng’s heart sank again. Had he kept her confined for so long that he’d damaged her?
He felt a pang of regret and frustration, his heart twisting into a tight knot, aching fiercely.
Suddenly, an idea struck Yi Heng, and he asked softly, "Why don’t you want to go out at all?"
Su Ling sighed, leaning against him limply like a boneless creature, and said lazily, "Because it’s so tiring. I’d have to walk on my own, and who knows, we might run into a bunch of annoying troubles. It’s just too much hassle. It’s so much better here, there’s food, drinks, and fun things to do. Besides, I haven’t reached master level in arrays yet"
Yi Heng: "…That’s it?!"
"Of course! Isn’t that serious enough?" Su Ling retorted.
Yi Heng was utterly speechless. He simply picked her up, grabbed their son with his other hand, and, gritting his teeth, leaped lightly into the air, saying, "I’ll carry you. You won’t have to walk."
Su Ling was still a bit displeased. Watching the valley rapidly recede into the distance, she let out a soft humph.