Sang Dai looked at her.
Hua Ying’s eyes turned red. “So I came. And I’ve been here for ninety years. Many children have grown up, started families, and become independent. But they return every month to play with the younger ones and help me with my work. I have so many children now. I am the ‘mother’ to many.”
She lifted her head, a single tear falling down her cheek. “This place is no longer just a job for me. The Lord pays me a generous salary every month, perhaps worried that I might leave and no one would care for these children. But I don’t care about that at all—I won’t leave.”
“For so many years, only the Beast Realm has been free from war. Only here can I and these children survive.”
Hua Ying leaned down and kissed the forehead of the drowsy baby in the swaddle.
Sang Dai didn’t know what to say.
She knew Su Xuan was a great ruler, and she knew he hadn’t waged a single war since taking the throne. But she hadn’t realized that Su Xuan had built a city in the Beast Realm to shelter people who weren’t even demons.
Su Xuan wasn’t just a great ruler—he was also a truly good demon.
Suddenly, their gazes met.
She held a baby in her arms, while he was surrounded by a crowd of children.
Under the night sky, fireworks bloomed one after another, and laughter in the courtyard rang out as clear as silver bells.
[This is the gift I’m giving you, Dai Dai.]
As a young girl, she hated war. It meant she had to fight, leaving no time for herself. Her body was exhausted.
As a grown woman, she still hated war. She had seen too much death, lost too many comrades. Her heart was weary.
So the gift Su Xuan gave her was the very thing she had longed for as a girl—a gift that, even now as an adult, she cherished just as deeply.
A world without war, without death. A world of peace and safety.
A world where she didn’t need to constantly train with her sword, didn’t need to rush into battle again and again. A world where she wouldn’t lose comrades or loved ones to the horrors of war.
Sang Dai’s eyes curved into crescents as she smiled at Su Xuan.
Hua Ying said softly, “Madam, we all just want to live well.”
Sang Dai nodded with a smile. “We will all live well.”
They spent most of the night playing with the children. When the Mid-Autumn Festival finally passed and the latter half of the night arrived, the children fell asleep, and Sang Dai and Su Xuan left the small courtyard.
They walked side by side along the narrow path. It was already deep into the night. Apart from the night watch guards, there were far fewer people on the streets than earlier.
Sang Dai suddenly said, “Su Xuan, I really like it.”
Su Xuan turned his head, his tall figure graceful as he clasped his hands behind his back. He looked at her.
Sang Dai repeated, “I really like it.”
“What do you like?” he asked.
“I like the Beast Realm.”
“And the immortal realm?”
“Hmm, the immortal realm isn’t as peaceful as the Beast Realm. It doesn’t have a ruler as good as you.”
The smile on a certain fox’s face could no longer be hidden. “Is that so?”
Sang Dai stepped closer to him and said, “Su Xuan, what I like is the Beast Realm you’ve created—no war, no death, no scheming, no broken homes or ruined families. So, for the road ahead, I’ll walk it with you. The Four Realms will never fall. Even if I die—”
Su Xuan covered her mouth with his hand, the warmth of his palm pressing gently against her lips, silencing her words.
She caught the faint scent of grass and wood from him, a clean and calming fragrance that had always lingered on Su Xuan since as far back as she could remember.
“Sang Dai, don’t say such inauspicious things.”
The sword cultivator’s clear eyes blinked up at him, innocent and obedient.
Su Xuan’s Adam’s apple bobbed, and his lashes trembled slightly. He withdrew his hand from her lips and gave her cheek a light pinch.
There wasn’t much flesh on her face, but her skin was smooth and pale. He was careful not to use too much force.
Pulling his hand back, he said, “You won’t die. The Guixu won’t collapse. The Four Realms will be fine. You can investigate what you want to investigate. The Beast Realm is behind you. You are not alone.”
[So, Dai Dai, you can walk your own path.]
Sang Dai’s eyes stung, but her smile grew brighter. “Su Xuan, do you think I’m foolish?”
Su Xuan replied coolly, “You are quite foolish.”
[Foolish and blind, at that.]
Sang Dai laughed again. “Hmm, I mean in another sense.”
She said, “Now that my innocence has been proven, and I’ve awakened as a Heaven-Grade Spiritual Root, I could quietly live the rest of my life in the Beast Realm. I wouldn’t need to concern myself with the Guixu’s spiritual veins, the Four Realms, or my master’s matters. As long as I stay away from the Guixu, I could live safely and peacefully forever, far from everything.”
“But I insist on investigating the destruction of the Guixu’s spiritual veins. I insist on clearing my master’s name. Even knowing the destiny that Senior Ling Yin spoke of, I still want to involve myself with the Guixu. Even though it might lead me to the very fate she foretold. Don’t you think that’s foolish?”
Su Xuan stared at her deeply, taking in the slight redness of her eyes.
The night wind tousled her dark hair, swaying the tassels of her hairpin.
Suddenly, Su Xuan raised a hand and gently brushed aside the strands of hair obscuring her face.
“Sang Dai, a Heaven-Grade Spiritual Root awakener is resilient. You can stand on your own and do what you believe is right. The Sang Dai I know will only move forward and never retreat.”
Sang Dai was the one who, before forming her core, dared to take an unformed Su Xuan and risk death to fight for freedom despite being hunted by the Beast Realm.
Sang Dai was the one who, with a shattered Golden Core, dared to face the Ten Thousand-Kill Array alone. With no protection or preparation, she had fought against a Grand Tribulation of Lightning while dragging her poisoned body into the fray.
In Su Xuan’s eyes, Sang Dai had always been brave and unyielding.
He admired this Sang Dai.
Everyone would admire Sang Dai.
“The world is full of ignorance. What is right, what is wrong, what is true, what is false—perhaps even we can’t distinguish them. But if you don’t walk to the end, how will you ever know if your path was right or wrong?”
Su Xuan plucked the slightly askew hairpin from her hair and carefully pinned it back in place. His expression was calm. “So, just walk your own path. The road you choose will never be wrong.”
Even though he knew the fate Ling Yin spoke of, Su Xuan had never tried to persuade Sang Dai to give up her quest and live a quiet life with him in the Beast Realm.
Because Sang Dai wouldn’t do it. Sang Dai would never stop.
He wanted her to live, but if she chose a path that led to death, he would not stop her.
“Sang Dai,” he said softly, “walk your own path.”
[No matter the immortal path or the Yellow Springs, I will accompany you.]
Sang Dai suddenly lowered her head, covering her eyes and rubbing them.
The sword cultivator’s voice was soft. “Ah, the wind is too strong—it got into my eyes.”
Su Xuan panicked and bent down to check her eyes. “Is it serious? Let me blow on them.”
Sang Dai lifted her gaze, her eyes glistening with unshed tears, the rims reddened.
“It’s not serious. I’ve already rubbed the dust out.”
[Dai Dai…]
Sang Dai took a deep breath, forcing a smile back onto her face. “Su Xuan, I want to see more of the Beast Realm. Let’s stay up all night, shall we?”
Su Xuan straightened up and looked down at her. “Not tired?”
“We Heaven-Grade Spiritual Root awakeners are very resilient.”
She was mimicking his earlier words.
Su Xuan suddenly laughed out loud. “Since you’re so resilient, why not come with me and do something else?”
He leaned down, bringing his face close to hers until their noses nearly touched.
Sang Dai caught the faint, fresh scent of grass and wood on him. The night wind lifted his silver hair, a strand brushing against her face—smooth and cool.
She met his gaze.
[Want to kiss.]
Sang Dai clenched her fists. “I…”
Su Xuan suddenly grinned and poked her nose. “Idiot.”
The figure in front of her disappeared, replaced by a nine-tailed fox with sleek, flowing fur.
Though he had slightly reduced his size, he was still much larger than Sang Dai.
The nine-tailed fox looked down at her from above. “Get on.”
Sang Dai nodded eagerly, smiling. “Alright!”
The fox lowered himself slightly, and the sword cultivator deftly leapt onto his back.
He turned and leapt swiftly onto the nearby mountainside. Despite his massive form, the nine-tailed fox was astonishingly light and agile, racing up the steep cliff with ease.
Sang Dai hugged his neck, stroking his soft, fluffy ears.
The fox moved so quickly that the icy wind cut against her face like blades. Quietly, Sang Dai created a barrier of spiritual energy around herself and Su Xuan to shield them from the cold wind.
“Sang Dai, this is the Beast Realm.”
Lights sparkled below like stars scattered across a chessboard. The vastness of the Beast Realm stretched endlessly, its expanse protected by a powerful barrier. From the peak of the high mountain, the sword cultivator on the fox’s back straightened to take in the breathtaking view of the Beast Realm.
“Sang Dai, where do you want to go?”
Sang Dai pointed southeast. “Let’s start there.”
“Alright.”
The nine-tailed fox leapt down from the mountain peak, sprinting through the forest. Demon cultivators caught a glimpse of a silver shadow streaking past, and before they could see what it was, it had already disappeared without a trace.
Sang Dai rested her face against his fluffy fur. The night wind was bitterly cold, so Su Xuan intensified the surrounding hellfire.
The elongated flames expanded, transforming into a cloak that draped over the sword cultivator’s shoulders.
She felt very warm.
“Su Xuan, thank you.”
Her voice was very soft, so soft she thought Su Xuan wouldn’t hear it.
But the nine-tailed fox’s movements paused briefly—just for a moment—before he resumed running toward their destination.
Wherever Sang Dai pointed, Su Xuan would go.
As an ancient divine beast, his true form could teleport thousands of miles in an instant. His speed was unparalleled, and in one night, he had taken Sang Dai to see almost half of the Beast Realm.
When dawn began to break, the nine-tailed fox slowed down, walking leisurely through the forest.
The Beast Palace was just ahead; a little farther, and they would be home.
Su Xuan stopped, turning his fox head slightly to glance at Sang Dai, whose arms rested around his neck.
The sword cultivator had fallen asleep.
The form of the nine-tailed fox vanished, and the black-robed youth appeared, carrying the sleeping sword cultivator on his back. He adjusted her head slightly, nestling it into the crook of his neck, her cheek brushing against his.
He suddenly felt like laughing.
“So resilient, huh?”
She hadn’t even managed to see the entire Beast Realm before falling asleep from exhaustion.
Though he teased her with his words, Su Xuan carefully carried her and began walking toward the Beast Palace.
The guards at the gate were about to salute him, but he spoke first: “Don’t wake her up.”
The demon attendants immediately closed their mouths.
Su Xuan carried her all the way to the main hall. Gently, he removed her shoes and outer robe, then placed the sword cultivator under the blankets.
He had seen her sleeping face countless times before—during that month she stayed at the Beast Palace to recover, he had often held her while she slept.
But never before had his heart felt so calm as it did now. Sitting by the bed, he lightly touched the side of her face.
The sword cultivator didn’t stir.
Su Xuan’s lips curved into a smile as he took her hand in his.
“Dai Dai, I should be the one thanking you.”
Thank you for existing in this world.
He felt an overwhelming sense of happiness and gratitude for her presence.
Su Xuan leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on the back of her hand.
It was fleeting, barely a touch.
“Dai Dai, I can only hold out for a little longer.”
So please, hurry—hurry and accept me.
His heat was approaching. At one hundred and thirty-three years old, would he finally be able to marry her?
Su Xuan poked her forehead lightly and brushed aside the strands of hair at her temple.
“I really, really like you.”