Yu Wei had never seen a human city before.
When she was in the mortal world, she had only lived in a few desolate border villages. Any mortal with even a bit of ability would not remain so close to the Demon Realm. Most of the villagers were elderly, weak, sick, or disabled, and there were scarcely any able-bodied adults.
Later, she had been brought directly back to the Xuantian Sect by its Disciples. Although there were many people in the sect, they were all uniformly managed. Their clothing, routines, and schedules were nearly identical. As a result, Yu Wei had never truly seen how ordinary people lived.
Now, standing within a vast and bustling immortal city, she could no longer hear the natural sounds of mountains and rivers. Instead, countless noisy voices flooded her ears.
The shops meant for cultivators floated in midair, and cultivators constantly passed overhead. To Yu Wei, it felt as though people surrounded her from every direction, above and below, leaving her nowhere to hide. The lack of refuge made the cat feel deeply insecure.
Even after returning to human form, Yu Wei stayed close to Yu Chengyan, clutching his sleeve. Yet no matter how much she tried to shrink her presence, more and more people along the road turned to look at them.
If she were still in her cat form, her fur would likely have stood on end from the inexplicable attention.
She had no awareness of her own appearance or Yu Chengyan’s, and did not realize how eye-catching the two of them were together. Fortunately, they soon reached their destination.
Yu Chengyan chose a restaurant in the city center and led her to a private window seat on the fifth floor. The location offered a good view, allowing the little cat demon to eat while admiring the scenery. With some distance from the crowds outside, she could also relax more easily.
He ordered several sweet dishes according to Yu Wei’s taste. After the waiter left, Yu Chengyan looked up and, as expected, saw that the girl who had been tense outside was now leaning over the windowsill, peering out with curiosity.
“What’s that place for?” she asked, pointing at the pavilions suspended high in the air.
Yu Chengyan glanced over, read the signs hanging above the shops, and explained them one by one. It was Yu Wei’s first time encountering such things, and she listened with great interest.
Before long, the dishes were served.
Yu Wei was no longer very picky. After all, no matter how average the food outside was, it could hardly be worse than the outer sect cafeteria.
She especially loved meat and sweets, and Yu Chengyan had ordered all her favorites. She ate with obvious delight, her eyes practically shining.
“How is it?” Yu Chengyan asked.
“Delicious!” the girl replied with her mouth full, speaking indistinctly. “But it’s not as good as what you make.”
At that simple sentence, Yu Chengyan’s originally cold features softened at once.
He smiled faintly. “As long as you like it.”
The young man’s appearance was already cool and refined. When he smiled, it was like sunlight falling upon crystalline snow, radiant and dazzling.
As Yu Wei continued eating, she suddenly felt something was off. In the past, when Yu Chengyan cooked for her, she would eat while he busied himself cleaning up, and she had never found it strange.
Now that they were seated face to face, she noticed that her side of the table was piled with dishes, while his side was completely empty, save for a cup of tea. He had not touched a single bite and had simply watched her eat the entire time.
“Aren’t you eating?” Yu Wei asked.
Yu Chengyan shook his head. “I’ve already reached bigu.”
The girl blinked, clearly not understanding. Yu Chengyan had no choice but to explain differently. “After reaching the Golden Core stage, a cultivator’s physique differs from that of mortals. We no longer need food. And abstaining from grains helps with more efficient cultivation.”
The little cat did not understand, and the little cat was deeply shaken.
“You wake before dawn and work so hard at cultivation just so you don’t have to eat?” Yu Wei exclaimed in shock. “Why would anyone do that?”
Yu Chengyan was momentarily at a loss. He did not know how to explain this to her. For ordinary people, having the opportunity to cultivate and advance was a tremendous blessing, a rare fortune beyond consideration.
The Great Dao and immortality were almost everyone’s dream.
But for a cat, such benefits seemed meaningless.
Still, this was a good opportunity. Perhaps he could finally have a deeper discussion with Yu Wei about the meaning of cultivation.
“Because cultivation grants longevity, eternal youth, and even the chance to ascend to immortality,” Yu Chengyan said slowly, looking into the girl’s clear eyes. “Most importantly, it allows you to grow stronger and protect yourself from harm.”
He continued, “Xiao Wei, this is a dangerous era. Without the protection of a sect, you might be hurt. But if you have the strength to defend yourself, nothing bad will happen.”
“But nothing bad is happening right now,” Yu Wei replied, blinking her catlike eyes, clearly not as serious as he was. She scooped up a piece of pastry with her spoon and continued eating.
Yu Chengyan’s long, strong fingers suddenly closed around her wrist.
Yu Wei lifted her head in confusion and met the young man’s solemn gaze. Something was suppressed in his eyes, making him appear almost cold in his seriousness.
Yu Chengyan did not realize how much that expression resembled Xie Jianbai.
“Just because nothing happens now, does that mean nothing will happen in the future?” Yu Chengyan said in a low voice. “If…” He had intended to give an example, but even as a hypothetical, he did not want to associate misfortune with Yu Wei.
“Xiao Wei, suppose that today someone wanted to kill me. Because I have strength, I can easily resolve the crisis,” he said, his voice tight. “But if I had never cultivated and had no power to resist, then today would be the last time you and I met. You would never see me again. Would you feel reluctant to lose me? If I can protect myself, we will have many, many days together. I can take care of you for many years.”
He raised his head slightly and asked softly, “Would you feel sad for me?”
The girl looked at him. His questions struck her one after another, and in his eyes she saw a pain so deep it was nearly despair.
She did not understand those emotions, but seeing him like this and hearing his hypothetical, her own heart seemed to ache faintly.
She had never truly experienced the meaning of loss. Yet when she imagined never seeing Yu Chengyan again after today, her chest felt tight.
“But… but you wouldn’t,” she said, trying to organize her thoughts. “You’re very smart. Ah Ning says you’re a cultivation genius. Nothing will happen to you. But I know I’m not suited for cultivation. I’m not very clever.”
Yu Chengyan wanted to shake his head, but she continued in her soft, gentle voice, “You’re different from me. The things I like are eating good food, reading storybooks, and basking in the sun. I don’t want to give up what I love just to live longer. Even if I became the most powerful person in the world, if I were unhappy every day, wouldn’t that be pitiful?”
She said, “I don’t want immortality, and I don’t want to become powerful. I just want to be happy every day.”
“You’re wrong,” Yu Chengyan said urgently. “If… if something happens, you won’t be able to eat the food you love or read your storybooks anymore. But if you have the ability to protect yourself, you can live longer and enjoy happiness for a longer time. Isn’t that better?”
It was the first time Yu Wei had seriously thought something through.
What Yu Chengyan said did make some sense. Yet after pondering for a long while, she still answered, “Future happiness doesn’t mean much to me. As long as I’m happy today, that’s enough. Even if I die tomorrow, if I was happy today, then it’s fine.”
Her heartfelt words nearly shattered Yu Chengyan.
Deep down, he knew this was simply her nature. After all, she was a demon.
The demon race was inherently free-spirited. They did not fear death, but preferred to live vividly and without restraint while alive.
Yet to the blood relatives left behind, forced to witness her death and continue on alone, such freedom was unbearably cruel. Wanting her to live was Yu Chengyan’s heart demon, his obsession. Even though he knew that when Yu Wei died, she likely would not feel regret or sorrow.
Her calm acceptance of death meant she would leave them behind, while the living would remain trapped in endless torment.
Yu Chengyan tightened his grip on her hand. After a long silence, he spoke in a strained, hoarse voice, “Don’t say things like that, all right?”
Yu Wei looked up blankly. She saw that his eyes were red. He stared at her stubbornly, holding onto her.
“You must live well. Live longer than anyone, live happily,” Yu Chengyan said, his voice rough. “Even if I die, I won’t let anything happen to you.”
The weight in his gaze was overwhelming, so heavy that Yu Wei did not know what to do.
She seemed to stir his emotions so easily with just a few words, making him either happy or sorrowful.
Even a little cat demon with negative emotional intelligence finally sensed something. A thought surfaced in her mind. She seemed to be very important to him, perhaps even more important than she was to Ah Ning.
Yu Wei did not want to see him so distressed. She wanted to comfort him but did not know how. After all, she truly had no talent for cultivation.
“I’ll live well, and you should live well too,” Yu Wei said gently, patting the back of his hand in reassurance. “I don’t have much talent anyway. You’re the amazing one. Since that’s the case, why don’t you work hard to become the strongest in the world and protect me? Then we can both be happy. Wouldn’t that solve everything?”
Yu Chengyan’s sorrowful thoughts were abruptly interrupted.
For a fleeting moment, he had nearly compromised. Remembering the agony of his mother’s death, he had almost decided to abandon his principles and simply protect Yu Wei himself while letting her remain carefree.
The instant she said those words, he nearly nodded. Then he froze.
Wait. Becoming the strongest in the world to protect her, was that not exactly the pattern of his parents?
Yu Chengyan’s face darkened at once.
No! Absolutely not.
In the span of a single meal, his emotions had churned like a storm, rising and falling. Meanwhile, the instigator remained blissfully unaware. Seeing that his mood had improved, she leaned closer and said curiously, “Did you almost cry just now? That’s embarrassing.”
Yu Chengyan fell silent. His fists clenched.
By the end of the meal, he had ordered too much. Yu Wei could not finish it all and insisted on taking the leftovers with her.
Yu Chengyan had no desire to let outside food enter his storage ring, so he simply finished everything she had left behind.
At that moment, a transmission from the Celestial Realm sounded once more.
For some reason, Yu Chengyan felt an inexplicable sense of foreboding.
He was still holding a stack of peach pastries. The girl, who had just eaten her fill, was once again trying to snatch them. With his left hand raised high to tease the cat, he retrieved the communication artifact with his right, switching from projection mode to a private setting audible only to him.
“Lord Ling Xiao,” Immortal Lord Xinghan’s voice sounded by his ear as he lowered his tone. “Celestial Lord Zheqing has transferred his affairs to the other Celestial Lords. Within the next few days, he should descend to the mortal world to undergo tribulation.”