Indeed, if one lives long enough, one can see anything.
Qi An never expected that she would witness a nimble old man in the Demon Realm, running around while publicly demanding kisses and hugs from the Demon Lord.
Mo Qing seemed long accustomed to such scenes. He remained composed, only extending a finger to freeze the old man in place just as Bu Nianjiao was about to get close.
The immobilized Bu Nianjiao was neither angry nor impatient; instead, he was cheeky, his eyes crinkling with glee. “Little Qing-er, whenever you’re away, I feel cold sleeping at night! Hurry up and release the spell so I can love you properly!”
Qi An’s eyes widened. What kind of brazen talk is this!
She couldn’t help but look at Mo Qing.
Mo Qing sighed, rubbing his forehead. Discovering her unusual expression—a result of her overactive imagination—he explained, “I was raised by him. He has always rambled like this; you need not pay him any mind.”
Bu Nianjiao finally noticed Qi An and said in surprise, “Who is this little girl? Is she my daughter-in-law? I finally have a daughter-in-law!”
Mo Qing glanced sideways at Bu Nianjiao. “When did I become your son?”
Bu Nianjiao looked aggrieved. “You can’t deny that I raised you! If you don’t like that, is ‘niece-in-law’ okay then?”
Mo Qing relented slightly, “I will let you take advantage of me just this once.”
Qi An: “…”
Is the problem really whether I am called a daughter-in-law or a niece-in-law? The term “wife” itself is incorrect, isn’t it?
Before Bu Nianjiao could shout “niece-in-law” at her again, she preemptively declared her identity clearly: “I am Qi An, an immortal official of the Heavenly Realm. I have come to the Demon Realm this time to propose marriage to Princess Yuejiao on behalf of the Heavenly Realm’s Third Prince. Accompanying His Highness the Demon Lord here is also to complete the final procedure of the marriage proposal.”
“Yuejiao girl? I think I’ve heard of her.” After thinking for a moment, Bu Nianjiao looked incredibly disappointed. “If that’s the case, doesn’t that mean I don’t have a niece-in-law?”
“You will,” Mo Qing stated firmly, followed by a warning with a smile, “I am releasing the spell now. If you try to pounce again, I will have you sit here and watch beauties until dawn.”
Bu Nianjiao pouted his lips, which were exceptionally rosy amidst his long beard. “Fine, I won’t hug you!”
Mo Qing curled his finger slightly. Bu Nianjiao stumbled a bit, unable to maintain his balance, but he was finally free to move. He hurried toward the two, ignoring Mo Qing’s dangerous glare, and reached out to grab Qi An’s hand. “Little Immortal, let me calculate your fortune…”
Mo Qing was quick-witted, brushing his hand away, his gentle voice cold enough to freeze. “Do you want to lose your hand?”
Bu Nianjiao recoiled his hand, grumbling, “She’s not even a niece-in-law; why are you so nervous?”
Mo Qing tilted his head to look at him, his smile seemingly laced with poison. “Do you want to lose your tongue as well?”
Bu Nianjiao immediately covered his mouth, giving Mo Qing a pitiful, coquettish look. The cub he raised hasn’t even sold himself off yet, and he’s already acting like he despises his “old father.” Truly, men don’t stay when they’re grown!
Seeing the little glint in his eyes, Mo Qing knew he was mentally choreographing a tragedy about a son abandoning his father. “Stop thinking such nonsense. We are here to retrieve the Cloud-Dust Silk.”
Bu Nianjiao was shocked. “And you say she isn’t a niece-in-law! You even came together to retrieve the Cloud-Dust Silk!”
Qi An said, “You have misunderstood, sir. As I just stated, I am here to retrieve it on behalf of the Third Prince.”
Bu Nianjiao tilted his head strangely and was about to say something, but after meeting Mo Qing’s gaze, he smiled. “Cloud-Dust Silk, is it? Come, come with me.”
Qi An and Mo Qing followed Bu Nianjiao through the Hehe Demon Palace. Behind the high buildings, there was a lush, green woodland—a secret paradise hidden within the bustling city. Looking around, she saw red silk ribbons tied to every towering tree; these, she assumed, were the Cloud-Dust Silk ribbons Mo Qing had mentioned earlier.
Bu Nianjiao led them deep into the woods, becoming uncharacteristically serious. “These Pan-Yuan Spirit Trees are nourished by the demonic energy of the Demon Realm. Every strip of Cloud-Dust Silk hanging from the branches represents the marriage of a demon. Obtaining this silk is the final step of the proposal.”
Qi An noticed that the deeper they went, the lighter the color of the silk became, transitioning from red to yellow. She wondered if the color held special significance. When she asked, Bu Nianjiao replied, “The more profound the influence one has on the Demon Realm, the closer the silk’s color shifts toward gold.”
As he spoke, he stopped and pointed to a tree. “Look at this one; it holds the marriage of the most influential demons.”
Qi An looked up and, sure enough, the ribbons on that tree shone like gold foil under the sun. “The Cloud-Dust Silk you want is on this tree.”
Although there were fewer ribbons on this tree than on the others, there were still over a hundred. Qi An asked sincerely, “May I ask which one is Princess Yuejiao’s?”
Bu Nianjiao had not stayed serious for long. “If you give me a kiss, I’ll tell you. How about it?”
The moment the words left his lips, he felt a chill creep up his spine. Turning his head, he saw Mo Qing looking at him sinisterly. He shuddered and immediately acted righteous. “The one at the very top is the silk you want.”
Qi An bowed in thanks and, flicking her sleeves, flew gracefully to the treetop. She found her movements much lighter than before a result of the high-quality spiritual pills she had been consuming over the past few days. She was overjoyed, and her gratitude toward Mo Qing deepened tenfold. She thought that once she became a formal immortal official of the Hehe Immortal Palace, she would definitely have to scour the Marriage Registry and introduce him to some stunning, single Upper Gods.
Full of anticipation for the future, she reached out toward the topmost ribbon. However, the moment her fingertips touched it, she felt a sharp, numbing pain. Following that, she was shocked to see a lion-like beast appear out of thin air on the branch.
It paced slowly toward Qi An, its heavy footsteps making a “thudding” sound, yet it did not bend the branch in the slightest. Qi An immediately leaped to another branch, but the beast stared at her fixedly, as if she were its prey.
At that moment, Bu Nianjiao’s voice drifted up from below: “That is the Cloud-Dust Silk’s guardian, the Fate-Protection Beast. You can only obtain the silk once you subdue it. The more powerful the demon, the fiercer the beast. By the way, a reminder: you can only challenge for a ribbon on a Pan-Yuan Tree once a month. Once you get off the tree, you have to wait until next month.”
They could have told her that earlier! She had nearly fled the tree just now.
Qi An stared blankly at the Fate-Protection Beast, caught in a dilemma. While she pondered a strategy, Bu Nianjiao nudged Mo Qing with his elbow, a mischievous grin on his face. “You’re very bad, you know? Tricking a young girl like that. I don’t remember teaching you to be a deceiver. Don’t go telling people I raised you.”
Mo Qing said helplessly, “If I didn’t trick her, she would run away again.”
Bu Nianjiao froze, then feigned wiping away non-existent tears. “It hasn’t been easy. A hundred years later, you’ve finally let go of that person from before.”
Mo Qing’s gaze remained fixed on Qi An, unwavering. “There is no ‘before’ or ‘now.’ All along, it has only ever been her.”
Bu Nianjiao gave an enlightened “Hm” sound, but realized what he meant a moment later, stuttering, “She… she is that mortal?”
After receiving confirmation from Mo Qing, Bu Nianjiao was unable to close his jaw for a long time. A hundred years later, after all this turning around, the person in Mo Qing’s heart is still that one, and he actually managed to find her! Look at that—this loyal, deep-loving soul was raised by none other than Bu Nianjiao!
Bu Nianjiao pestered Mo Qing for a while longer. Mo Qing managed him while keeping his eyes on Qi An. Before an incense stick of time passed, Qi An descended from the tree with a golden, glowing ribbon in hand.
Bu Nianjiao exclaimed in wonder, “So fast! How did you do it?” He had been too busy talking to Mo Qing to watch Qi An deal with the beast.
Qi An recalled that moments ago, the beast had approached her slowly. She had prepared a defensive stance in terror and quickly cast a simple trap, intending to lure it in. But to her surprise, the beast was not as ferocious as Bu Nianjiao had described; rather, it was incredibly endearing. After pouncing on her, it wiggled around and acted spoiled, showing absolutely no awareness of its role as a guardian beast.
“I gave it a kiss on the forehead, and it picked up the Cloud-Dust Silk and gave it to me,” Qi An asked, puzzled. “So, is this guardian beast just for show?”
“…” Bu Nianjiao cast a meaningful glance at Mo Qing. “This guardian beast is just as useless as its master.” Countless top-tier experts of the Demon Realm had failed at the hands of the guardian beast; it was impossible for it to be just for show it was simply that the beast understood its master’s heart.
Regardless, Qi An successfully obtained the Cloud-Dust Silk.
Bu Nianjiao conjured a ledger and said, “Write your name at the end, and this silk belongs to you.”
Qi An signed her name readily and handed the silk to Mo Qing. “With this, is the marriage between the two royals confirmed?”
Mo Qing accepted the silk and smiled. “Confirmed.”
Qi An was overjoyed. “That’s great!” Her official position was finally within reach!
Seeing this, Bu Nianjiao seized the opportunity. “Since you’re so happy, why not have a drink here to celebrate? I would also like to take this opportunity to get to know Qi An better!”
Mo Qing blocked Qi An behind him. “No need. You don’t need to know her.”
Bu Nianjiao was not discouraged. He transformed into a young child with large eyes and a dainty nose, scampering past Mo Qing on short legs to grab the corner of Qi An’s robe. Blinking his watery eyes, he said in a sweet, sugary voice, “Sister Immortal, stay! Please?”
Qi An gasped it was too cute! Clutching her fluttering heart, she turned to look at Mo Qing. “Why don’t we stay for a few cups?”
Mo Qing looked down at Bu Nianjiao, catching his successful, smug grin, but he eventually compromised. “As long as you are happy.”
Unfortunately, the wine that followed was not something Qi An enjoyed.