Chu Hanjin seemed to realize something, his gaze dark as ink, “What do you mean?”

Yue Lin replied, “Nothing. It’s just a pity that the Saintess is no longer here. If she were, you could give up your life for someone’s love. But now, without her, you might give up your life and get nothing, not even a laughable reward.”

He turned to Chu Hanjin, his voice seemingly gentle but full of hidden meaning as he asked, “Don’t you think?”

There was a faint sarcasm in his tone, a mockery of a heartless person.

Wasn’t it also a veiled jab?

Chu Hanjin didn’t argue further, “Think whatever you want.”

Yue Lin gave a slight hum, tightening his grip on Chu Hanjin’s hand. Being able to openly hold Chu Hanjin’s hand in public seemed to bring him particular joy.

—And he was quite eager to play the role of a loving husband.

Ahead, a couple strolled by, the man picking out a sachet for the woman. Yue Lin, naturally, insisted on pulling Chu Hanjin along to buy a sachet too. When the man took his wife to see the colorful lantern displays, Yue Lin also dragged Chu Hanjin along to join in.

A crowd gathered around a brightly lit platform, watching with excitement.

“Wow! Amazing!”

“This guy’s got skills! Walking across such a high beam like that—clap for him!”

“That flip was awesome!”

Chu Hanjin asked, “What is this?”

Yue Lin explained, “It’s the Lantern Festival, and they’re competing for the lantern prize. They build a structure out of wood and lanterns. The challenger is blindfolded and has to walk through the sea of lanterns and reach the top to claim the prize. If they make it, they earn glory.”

In front of them, a young man was walking on the high platform. Below, the sounds of laughter and encouragement from other young men and women filled the air. Some shouted, “Go left, go left!” “Jump up!” “Don’t go forward, you’ll fall!” But the young man lost his balance and fell to the ground.

“Ah!” a young woman’s voice chimed, “Your boyfriend didn’t make it? He fell last year, and again this year. Maybe it’s time to break up.”

Another woman laughed, “But he really tried.”

“What’s the use of trying? The youngest person to ever succeed at the Lantern Festival was seven. Your boyfriend clearly has no talent.”

The first girl rolled her eyes, saying nothing more.

“The Lantern Festival is also a place for men and women to court each other. Unmarried young men and women come here to have fun, and whoever grabs the top prize is naturally noticed and admired,” Yue Lin said.

Chu Hanjin watched the group of boys and girls chasing each other, his gaze drawn to the scene.

Suddenly, a gasp echoed through the crowd—

“Oh no!”

Someone tried climbing but due to lack of skill, fell off.

Chu Hanjin watched intently, holding his breath slightly as the person fell.

Yue Lin turned to look at him, his gaze deep, “Would you like to see a flawless performance?”

Chu Hanjin realized something, “Hm?”

Yue Lin’s voice was low, “I can show you something truly impressive.”

With that, he walked towards the registration stand.

The elderly man responsible for building the lantern platform every year was smoking a pipe. When he saw Yue Lin remove his mask and take the white cloth for blindfolding, his expression changed slightly, though he smiled and said, “Looks like we’ll finally have someone make it to the top tonight.” But he didn’t say more after that.

The person who had succeeded at the age of seven? That had been Yue Lin.

Yue Lin stepped onto the platform. His eyes were covered with the cloth, and he stepped onto a thin wooden beam. Red lanterns hung on either side, their light flickering from the middle. Several rings of fire burned on either side of the path, and any misstep could lead to burns or a fall.

Yet, Yue Lin moved gracefully, leaping onto the beam as lightly as a white crane spreading its wings. His blindfold didn’t seem to hinder him at all. He walked confidently to the end of the beam, turned smoothly, and stepped onto a series of thin, rope-like wooden planks, kicking off to leap even higher—

The crowd marveled at the sight.

“It’s like he can see everything.”

“Incredible! What a memory and decisiveness, to walk every step so perfectly!”

Hidden mechanisms in the beams occasionally sprayed flames, shot fireworks, and shifted directions to make the challenge even more thrilling and entertaining for the audience.

Amidst the burning lanterns and sparks, Yue Lin moved swiftly, sometimes dashing through a sea of fire, sometimes strolling leisurely, and sometimes landing steadily from a great height. When he reached the highest level, he threw a handful of burning powder into the air. It exploded with a crackling sound, lighting up the sky with dazzling sparks, creating a breathtaking and beautiful scene.

Below, Chu Hanjin watched Yue Lin’s figure reflected in his eyes, silently observing.

The crowd erupted in cheers.

“He made it to the top! Amazing! Who is this guy?”

“And he’s so handsome!”

“Tonight’s most popular young man has to be him!”

Yue Lin removed the black cloth from his eyes with one hand, scanning the crowd for Chu Hanjin.

From across the distance, their eyes met.

In the midst of all the applause and praise, Yue Lin leaped down, landing right in front of Chu Hanjin.

Amid the compliments and cheers, Yue Lin simply stared into Chu Hanjin’s eyes, raising an eyebrow, “Did you enjoy it?”

Chu Hanjin replied, “It was great.”

Yue Lin said, “That performance was just for you.”

Those few words struck directly into Chu Hanjin’s ears. He said nothing, the bright lights obscuring the blush creeping behind his ears.

For a brief moment, standing amidst the crowd, Chu Hanjin entertained the thought—if he weren’t himself, just an ordinary person in this crowd, watching someone he loved win glory for him—it seemed… pretty nice.

Yue Lin took his hand again and said, “Let’s go.”

Not far from the lantern platform, a man dressed in black emerged. His sleeve was tied off, one arm missing, giving him a desolate and downtrodden appearance. He called out hastily, “Yue Lin.”

Not just Yue Lin, but Chu Hanjin also turned to look.

This was the first time since returning to the Demon Realm that someone had directly called Yue Lin by name.

Yue Lin raised an eyebrow, “Liang Shan, it’s you.”

Liang Shan’s expression was a mix of sorrow and complexity, “You… you’re not dead?”

Yue Lin glanced at Chu Hanjin and gently introduced, “This is an old friend of mine.” However, for some reason, he reached out subtly to shield Chu Hanjin.

Liang Shan immediately dropped to his knees, bursting into tears, “Yue Lin, I’m sorry! Back then… what happened back then…”

Chu Hanjin understood the situation.

Betrayed by those closest to him, this man seemed to be one of the culprits.

Liang Shan banged his head on the ground, hard enough to draw blood, “I was wrong! I wronged you! If you want to kill me or torture me, I’ll take whatever you give me. I can even die right now!”

Chu Hanjin inwardly clicked his tongue.

Everyone in the Demon Realm seemed to have the same reaction upon seeing Yue Lin.

Seeing that Liang Shan was about to get blood on Chu Hanjin’s shoes, Yue Lin reached out and helped him up, his tone calm, “Liang Shan, what is our relationship? I understand you. Stand up, don’t kowtow anymore. What happened in the past is in the past.”

“Even if you can forgive me, I have no face to keep living…”

Chu Hanjin found this statement rather amusing.

When Yue Lin wasn’t alive, Liang Shan could keep on living. Now that Yue Lin was alive again, Liang Shan suddenly couldn’t live anymore. Who was he performing for?

But Chu Hanjin said nothing.

Yue Lin, holding Chu Hanjin, appeared quite friendly, “I didn’t come back from the dead to seek revenge. I’ve found a wife and just want to settle down. The conflicts of the past—my beloved has helped me forget all about them. So don’t be childish and disrupt my life again.”

These words made Chu Hanjin’s skin crawl.

Sure enough, Liang Shan looked doubtful, kneeling there, caught between disbelief and relief.

Yue Lin pretended to ponder for a moment before saying, “I used to love going with you to drink the Emperor’s brew at Yun Lou. If you really want to make it up to me, why don’t you go get me a jar right now?”

Liang Shan’s face lit up with joy. He stood up, his empty sleeve swinging as he rushed off to the market, soon returning with a jug of wine and offering it to Yue Lin.

Yue Lin took a sip and then dramatically smashed the cup on the ground, “The past is forgiven!”

Liang Shan immediately nodded, tears welling up in his eyes, “Brother…”

“I’m out with my wife. We’ll walk around a bit more, and we’ll catch up some other time.”

After sending Liang Shan away, Yue Lin led Chu Hanjin to a quieter place. As soon as they were alone, Yue Lin spat out the wine he had just drunk

, his expression dark.

Having just returned to the Demon Realm, Yue Lin knew that those who had hurt him in the past were undoubtedly nervous, fearing his retaliation. Liang Shan might have been probing to see how Yue Lin would react.

Thus, Yue Lin put on an act of magnanimity to reduce the number of potential enemies.

But something about the situation suddenly struck Chu Hanjin as off.

He looked at Yue Lin and asked quietly, “Why did you return to the Demon Realm?”

Yue Lin met his gaze, “What do you mean, why?”

Chu Hanjin was silent for a moment. Knowing Yue Lin’s deep hatred for the Demon Clan, he would rather stay hidden away in the wilderness than rejoin them. He had always drawn a clear line. Yet now, he had come back.

His voice dropped, “Was it to get revenge on me? To make me angry, so you could openly…” He hesitated before continuing, “bully me?”

Yue Lin looked down at him, a slight smile tugging at his lips, “Is that what you think?”

Chu Hanjin shook his head, gazing at the distant lanterns, “Or is it to take revenge on them? After what they did to you, did you come back for revenge?”

Yue Lin lightly tapped his chin with his fingers, not confirming or denying it, “You can keep guessing.”

But Chu Hanjin rejected this idea.

He looked into Yue Lin’s eyes, “If you only wanted revenge, with your strength, there’s no need to be polite to them. You could just slaughter them all—it’s the quickest and simplest way. In the Demon Clan, usurping the throne always involves a bloodbath. The fields would be littered with corpses, the rivers filled with blood. Only by force can you make them submit.”

Yue Lin’s gaze remained calm as he lifted his chin, “Go on.”

Chu Hanjin continued, “When you inherited your father’s position, you didn’t just kill him—you also wiped out all of his old ministers who didn’t obey you. That’s how you secured your power. Because they always had the potential to conspire against you and rise up again.”

The factional struggles within the righteous sects were fierce, but they were mostly conducted in the open, restrained by moral principles. Though undercurrents surged, it rarely spilled into outright conflict. In the Demon Clan, however, the strong preyed on the weak. The victor became the ruler, and most leadership changes involved mass casualties.

Chu Hanjin had a faint inkling, “So, what is it you really want to do now that you’ve returned to the Demon Clan?”

The lantern lights shone brightly in front of them.

Yue Lin’s face was cast in shadow, and he let out a soft chuckle, “Are you overthinking things?”

He seemed to find it amusing, “You’re right. I’m just here to get revenge on you.”

After a pause, he added, “What, or did you think I couldn’t bring myself to get back at you?”