Mi Lu: “……”

City Lord’s wife? What kind of nonsense is that?

Just as he was about to correct this misconception, he heard HuLü Yan burst into hearty laughter from behind him.

In an instant, the quiet hall was filled only with HuLü Yan’s laughter.

HuLü Yan laughed with abandon, leaving Lu Hai and Jing Zi’ang bewildered.

Seeing that Mi Lu didn’t show any signs of discomfort or even a slight frown, Lu Hai and Jing Zi’ang realized that they had guessed correctly. Not only was this flamboyant young man the City Lord’s wife, but he was also one who had the City Lord’s deep favor.

A strange idea floated around in Lu Hai and Jing Zi’ang’s minds. They slowly sat up straight, exchanged a subtle glance, and seemed to have understood something from each other’s gaze. Then, they started laughing along as well.

“Hahahaha!”

“Hahahahaha—”

Their laughter grew more exaggerated by the second.

Mi Lu remained confused, glancing at Lu Hai, then Jing Zi’ang, and finally turning back to look at HuLü Yan.

It was clear that HuLü Yan was overjoyed; his happiness radiated from his eyes and brows, his dark, shining eyes like they were speaking, gazing fixedly at Mi Lu, unrestrained joy and affection evident without the slightest attempt to conceal it.

He asked softly, “City Lord, when will I get to be your true, official wife?”

HuLü Yan wrapped his arm around Mi Lu’s waist, leaning close, his warm breath brushing against Mi Lu’s face.

Looking into HuLü Yan’s eyes, Mi Lu suddenly felt a little dizzy.

The warm breath stirred his body heat, causing his blood to flow faster through his veins.

The areas of his skin touched by that breath tingled, feeling almost as if they were being lightly singed.

It felt like ants were crawling over him—

Warm and tingling.

Soft and itchy.

This feeling was truly strange and unfamiliar.

Mi Lu pulled himself out of the daze, paused for a moment, and tried to find a suitable answer from his disordered thoughts. “I…”

Before he could speak, a slightly cool fingertip pressed gently against his lips.

Then, he watched those thin lips move: “You don’t need to give me an answer now. I can wait.”

After saying that, the finger pressed a little harder against his lips before quickly pulling away.

Mi Lu’s lips parted slightly, and he froze for a moment before silently closing his mouth.

For some reason, the scene from the previous night came to mind—HuLü Yan embracing him on the high platform, confessing his feelings. Suddenly, a bittersweet sensation quietly spread in his heart.

On the other side, Lu Hai and Jing Zi’ang had stopped their dry laughter and, taking turns, began flattering HuLü Yan.

“The City Lord’s wife has such a straightforward personality, no wonder he’s deeply loved by the City Lord.”

“Exactly! The City Lord and his wife are perfectly complementary, one calm as the moon and breeze, the other vibrant and dazzling. Even their appearances are exceptional, truly a pair born under the stars.”

They racked their brains, using every flattering word they’d accumulated over the years on Mi Lu and HuLü Yan.

Just as they were running out of words, HuLü Yan suddenly urged them, “Keep going, I like listening.”

Lu Hai: “……”

Jing Zi’ang: “……”

Seeing the bitter look in Lu Hai and Jing Zi’ang’s eyes, Mi Lu had to cough lightly to interrupt them. “Alright, it’s already noon, and you two have come a long way. Let’s have lunch first; whatever business you have can wait until afterward.”

Lu Hai and Jing Zi’ang shot Mi Lu grateful glances, nodding eagerly. “We’ll follow the City Lord’s arrangements.”

Ah, the descendants of the Lin family were so easy to get along with!

Their temperaments were exactly like the late Master Lin Chong—approachable, understanding, and never using power to oppress others.

As for the City Lord’s wife—

Where on earth did HuLü Yan find such a person?!

He was practically spoiled rotten, becoming more and more brazen under HuLü Yan’s indulgence. He even behaved this way in front of HuLü Yan, disregarding any decorum!

When they rose to leave, they sneaked glances at Mi Lu but couldn’t find anything particularly exceptional about the City Lord’s wife, apart from an attractive face.

But they knew the Demon Realm had no shortage of people who thrived on their looks. Even the renowned beauty of their realm, Lady Wan, wasn’t much less beautiful than the City Lord’s wife—

Alright, maybe a lot less…

But at least Lady Wan was a woman, with high cultivation and beauty, and could extend the Lin family lineage for HuLü Yan.

The City Lord’s wife, however, was clearly just a big man; how could he bear children for HuLü Yan?

With minds full of discontent toward the City Lord’s wife, Lu Hai and Jing Zi’ang couldn’t understand why HuLü Yan favored him so. As bystanders, they could only sigh and resign themselves.

The two heaved a silent sigh, looking up only to be caught by a dark, brooding gaze.

HuLü Yan lowered his mouth slightly, giving them an ambiguous smile. “What are you two thinking?”

Lu Hai: “……”

Jing Zi’ang: “……”

Cold sweat beaded on their foreheads.

HuLü Yan stood, lifting Mi Lu and setting him aside before striding toward them.

It was only then that Lu Hai and Jing Zi’ang realized how tall the City Lord’s wife was—nearly a head taller than HuLü Yan himself. When he stood before them, it was like facing a towering mountain, an intimidating aura pressing down on them.

HuLü Yan had his hair tied up, revealing clear and smooth facial contours, his thick black lashes casting two small shadows on his snow-white skin.

He looked down at Lu Hai and Jing Zi’ang, his voice calm and emotionless, but his words made their hair stand on end: “Are you badmouthing me in your minds?”

Hearing this, Lu Hai and Jing Zi’ang both drew in a sharp breath, their legs going weak, nearly slipping off their chairs.

How did he know what they were thinking?

No…

HuLü Yan was still watching them from behind.

They couldn’t let him find out what they thought about the City Lord’s wife!

Don’t be fooled by HuLü Yan’s refined demeanor; when he lost his temper, very few people could withstand it.

Lu Hai wiped the sweat from his forehead, forced a feeble smile, and said, “The City Lord’s wife must be joking. How would we dare speak ill of the City Lord’s wife? Besides, the City Lord’s wife and the City Lord are such a perfect match; even if we wanted to, we wouldn’t find a thing to say.”

“Exactly, exactly.” Jing Zi’ang chimed in quickly, “We only think well of the City Lord’s wife; there’s no end to it.”

HuLü Yan kept his expression blank, his gaze cold as it swept between them.

Lu Hai and Jing Zi’ang trembled, cold sweat streaming down their faces.

It was peculiar; the City Lord’s wife didn’t seem to have much ability or a discernible cultivation level, and yet they feared him so deeply.

After a long, tense silence, the atmosphere suddenly relaxed.

HuLü Yan stepped back, his face breaking into a bright smile. “The City Lord is right; you two have come a long way and must be tired. Let’s finish lunch quickly so you can rest.”

Lu Hai and Jing Zi’ang, nerves taut until now, relaxed visibly.

In that instant, they breathed a lot easier and responded in unison, “Thank you, City Lord’s wife.”

“No need to be so formal,” HuLü Yan replied, seeming to enjoy the title “City Lord’s wife.” Seizing the moment when Lu Hai and Jing Zi’ang weren’t looking, he gave Mi Lu a quick wink.

Mi Lu looked at him helplessly.

After some thought, he decided not to expose HuLü Yan’s mischievous act.

Poor Lu Hai and Jing Zi’ang…

The City Lord’s household servants had already prepared the evening banquet. To welcome Lu Hai and Jing Zi’ang, who had traveled from afar, the City Lord’s steward arranged a small feast in an open-air area.

Because of the arid climate, Drunken City had very little greenery; most of its vegetation was centered around the lotus pond Mi Lu and HuLü Yan had visited.

But the City Lord’s household was different from the outside world, like a verdant oasis thanks to spirit stones that nourished lush trees and flowers. The banquet area was surrounded by willow trees swaying gently in the breeze.

As night fell, servants lit a ring of luminous night pearls around the clearing, making the area as bright as day.

Mi Lu and HuLü Yan sat at the head of the table, with Lu Hai and Jing Zi’ang seated on either side.

While they were dining, the steward came to report—

Three more city lords had arrived with their entourages from neighboring towns and were now outside the City Lord’s residence.

Mi Lu said, “Let them in.”

The steward knew full well who held real authority in this household. After observing them for some time, he had noticed that while the new City Lord took charge of major decisions, he left the handling of smaller matters mostly to Mi Lu.

As for the big matters, they were generally matters of life and death, so the steward had gradually shifted his priorities. As far as he was concerned, whatever Young Master Mi said was as good as if the new City Lord had spoken.

“Understood.” The steward nodded respectfully and withdrew.

Not long afterward, the steward returned with three new city lords.

These three were notable figures, each heading a sect within the Demon Realm, though their sects and cities were far inferior to those of Lu Hai and Jing Zi’ang. Upon seeing Lu Hai and Jing Zi’ang seated at the banquet, the three were visibly surprised.

They had thought that, with their current status, Lu Hai and Jing Zi’ang wouldn’t need to go to the trouble of courting the Lin family’s descendants.

Unexpectedly, these two had beaten them to it!

The three felt a pang of regret but quickly sped up to greet Mi Lu and HuLü Yan.

And then they were stumped.

Before them sat two young men—both seemingly the Lin family’s descendants. Which one was HuLü Yan?

Normally, they could probe their cultivation levels to find out, but sitting before them was HuLü Yan himself; they dared not try to sense his level!

Unless they were tired of living and wanted to experience having their spiritual energy drained.

Seeing the three’s nervous faces, Lu Hai and Jing Zi’ang could guess that they were facing the same dilemma they had encountered earlier.

Fortunately, they had used their wits to test the waters.

But they wouldn’t offer any advice now.

Lu Hai and Jing Zi’ang looked on gleefully, distancing themselves from the situation and watching with amusement.

In the end, Mi Lu came to their rescue, waving a hand. “No need to stand on ceremony; find a seat anywhere.”

Relieved, the three said in unison, “Thank you, City Lord.”

After they were seated, Mi Lu asked them to introduce themselves.

The normally high-ranking city lords now resembled obedient chicks, taking turns to introduce themselves in meticulous detail.

Once they finished, Mi Lu finally had the chance to voice his curiosity: “Now that you’re all here, I’ll get to the point—what brings you on this trip?”

The three deferred to Lu Hai and Jing Zi’ang with uneasy looks.

After a pause, Lu Hai took the lead, “City Lord, to be honest, we’ve waited a long time for this day!”

Mi Lu paused. “What do you mean?”

“Ever since the passing of Master Lin Chong, the Demon Realm has been without a leader. People are constantly scheming, fighting, and plotting, and the chaos from our internal conflicts alone has claimed countless lives. If the righteous sects were to invade now, wouldn’t the Demon Realm be left defenseless?” Lu Hai stepped to the center of the clearing, knelt, and respectfully knocked his head on the ground. “I humbly implore the City Lord to lead the Demon Realm against the righteous sects.”

Lu Hai’s words were firm, his tone filled with sincerity. They even brought tears to Jing Zi’ang’s eyes. He rose to kneel beside Lu Hai.

For the first time in years, these two old rivals stood on the same side.

“Please, City Lord, lead the Demon Realm to reclaim our territory. We’ve been forced into this barren land, living in squalor. I can’t stand these days any longer!”

Seeing this, the three quickly knelt behind Lu Hai and Jing Zi’ang.

“We beseech the City Lord to take the position of Demon Lord—”

As soon as the five city lords knelt, their entourages followed, filling the ground with kneeling figures. With their foreheads pressed against the cold earth, they echoed, “We beseech the City Lord to take the position of Demon Lord—”

Mi Lu was stunned by the sight. He turned to HuLü Yan, only to find him once again leaning against him.

HuLü Yan’s hand slipped onto Mi Lu’s hand resting on his knee, his fingers weaving through his tightly.

Seeing HuLü Yan’s indifferent expression and calm reaction, Mi Lu suddenly understood something.

It seemed that many people knew HuLü Yan was a descendant of Lin Chong.

Perhaps even HuLü Yan himself knew.

While he was in this daze, he heard HuLü Yan respond lightly, “Alright.”

The kneeling crowd froze in unison.

They hadn’t expected this other person to respond so readily on behalf of the City Lord without the City Lord himself showing any reaction!

“Our City Lord can indeed become the Demon Lord, as you wish, but there’s one thing that must be done first—” HuLü Yan released Mi Lu’s hand and leisurely rose, stepping around the long table to stand before Lu Hai and Jing Zi’ang.

His drawn-out tone echoed in the still night, sending chills down everyone’s spine.

A sense of foreboding washed over them.

Lu Hai and Jing Zi’ang instinctively tensed, not daring to meet HuLü Yan’s gaze.

They stared hard at the ground, catching a glimpse of HuLü Yan’s figure as he passed them by, stopping before the other three city lords.

The three were perplexed, but since the City Lord sitting at the head had not objected, they dared not speak up.

In the next instant, the man kneeling in the middle was abruptly lifted off the ground.

The two on either side jolted, reflexively looking up, and were horrified to see HuLü Yan lifting him by the collar with one hand, thrusting his other hand straight through his chest.

A sickening sound rang out as blood gushed from the hole in his chest.

The man’s face showed disbelief, then shock, and finally agony, all in a brief instant.

HuLü Yan gave him no chance to resist, pulling his hand back swiftly.

The man let out a grunt, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

The blood splattered onto the faces of those on either side, who trembled all over but dared not move. Fear had taken hold of their nerves, freezing them like stone statues, as they watched HuLü Yan toss the man aside like a rag.

In HuLü Yan’s hand was a blood-soaked heart, with a talisman folded into a square stuck to it.

His long, slender fingers clenched.

The heart was crushed to pulp, and with a ripping sound, the talisman paper split in two, fresh blood seeping out.

At that exact moment—

In the study of the Wenren household.

Wenren Zheng spat out a mouthful of blood, as if in unbearable agony, sliding off his chair and clawing at the carpet with his fingers.

“Father!” Wenren Xiao hurried forward, trying to help him back up. “Father, what’s wrong?”

Wenren Zheng took a shaky breath and said with a trembling voice, “He…knows…”