Chapter 73: Demon Lord (18)

This was an ordinary human city, but no one knew that the Demon Lord had once lived here for a period of time.

Back then, he had been very young. His mother had fled from the Demon Realm to the Human Realm in order to safely give birth to him.

Pursued by demon hunters, they had wandered from place to place, barely surviving. Eventually, they had found a brief period of peace in this very city.

But that was a long time ago. The buildings he had once known had since been rebuilt, and the place where he had lived had turned into an inn.

At noon, Qian sat on the second floor of the inn, having a meal with Huai You Nong.

Two children, ordering so many of the restaurant’s signature dishes—it was obvious they weren’t short on money. Naturally, this attracted some unwanted attention.

A couple walked up to the second floor. Upon seeing them, the woman’s eyes flickered before she suddenly rushed forward, crying out, “My children! I’ve finally found you! Where have you been? I only looked away for a moment, and you disappeared! I was worried sick! Come home with me, quickly!”

She reached out, trying to hug Huai You Nong, while the burly man beside her attempted to grab Qian.

Just as they were about to make contact, both of them suddenly convulsed, collapsing onto the floor with blood foaming from their mouths.

Whether they were kidnappers targeting wealthy children or members of some criminal gang, they had dared to snatch people in broad daylight because they had some degree of confidence. Unfortunately for them, low-level villains had crossed paths with a high-level one.

“Stop looking and eat your food.” Huai You Nong turned the child’s curious face back toward the table.

Qian’s cheeks were puffed out as she chewed, but she still wanted to watch the commotion.

The restaurant’s staff and other guests quickly gathered around the fallen pair, with two bystanders checking their condition. The entire second floor was in an uproar.

Qian continued eating while watching the scene unfold, her round eyes gleaming with excitement.

“If you’re done eating, we’re leaving,” Huai You Nong said.

He wiped the oil from her mouth in a perfunctory manner, then dragged her casually past the crowd and down the stairs. No one even noticed their departure—until someone happened to glance at their table and let out a startled cry.

“The two kids are gone!”

Out on the street, Huai You Nong was keenly aware that they were being followed.

A group of ill-intentioned mortals trailed after the two “easy targets,” leading them into a secluded dead-end alley. Just as they were about to pounce, ready to capture the children, they were met with an unexpected shock—

The alley was completely empty. The two kids had vanished into thin air!

Huai You Nong had already taken Qian to another city.

The only time he stopped was when she complained about being hungry or tired. Otherwise, they were constantly on the move, heading toward a specific destination.

Sometimes, he used his demonic energy to transfer them quickly. But as they got closer to their goal, he used it less and less, instead relying on mortal means of travel, as if he had some concerns.

Traveling like this, Qian soon became fed up.

Children needed time to play, but Huai You Nong considered most of her activities a waste of time.

Want to go shopping? Not allowed.

See a stray puppy and want to pet it? Not allowed.

Want to stop and watch street performers? Not allowed.

…

If she didn’t absolutely need food and rest, Huai You Nong would probably have denied her those as well.

And the more he restricted her, the more she acted out.

“I’m not going any further. I’m staying right here.” Qian sat on the threshold of an inn, hugging a nearby pillar.

Her initial excitement about leaving the Demon Palace had long since faded. She was completely deflated now, and even her cheeks looked less plump than before.

They were almost at their destination, yet she was throwing a tantrum again. Huai You Nong felt his patience wearing thin.

For years, as the Demon Lord, he had ruled supreme—who had ever dared to defy him, much less make demands of him?

Yet this child had been making requests non-stop throughout their journey. She wanted to eat this, drink that, and insisted on stopping to see anything she hadn’t encountered before.

One moment, she didn’t want to walk anymore. The next, she refused to ride in the carriage and demanded to ride a mule instead.

She had begged for cakes, only to refuse to eat them—insisting on feeding them to donkeys, dogs, or ducks in a roadside pond instead.

The second he took his eyes off her, she would disappear, hiding in some random corner.

She hadn’t sat still for a single day.

“I’m too tired. I don’t want to walk anymore.” Qian clung to the pillar.

Huai You Nong said coldly, “Didn’t I let you rest here overnight?”

“I’m still tired.” Qian refused to let go.

Huai You Nong figured she was just being lazy again and pried her fingers off the pillar. “Enough of this. Get in the carriage.”

Immediately, Qian screamed, “Ahhhhhh! No! My stomach hurts!”

This wasn’t the first time she had claimed to have a headache or a stomachache. She did it all the time—until he gave in to her demands.

Huai You Nong found it both exasperating and amusing. He let go of her.

“Fine. Then stay here. I’m leaving.”

With that, he climbed into the carriage and ordered the driver to move. He really did leave her behind.

The innkeeper’s wife rushed out, seeing that the pair of twin siblings who had stayed the previous night were now fighting. The older brother had just abandoned the younger sister and driven away.

By the time she reached the door, the carriage was already gone, leaving only the little girl sitting alone on the threshold.

The woman felt sympathy for the siblings. They had no adults with them, and the older brother, though just a child himself, was clearly struggling to take care of his younger sister properly.

“Little one, why are you fighting with your brother?” she asked gently. “Don’t worry, he won’t really leave you behind. He’ll come back for you soon.”

She squatted beside Qian, rubbing her back in a soothing motion.

“You shouldn’t sit on the threshold—it’s in the way of people coming and going. Come inside and sit on a proper chair while you wait, okay?”

Qian didn’t respond, but she allowed herself to be led inside and sat down next to the counter.

The innkeeper’s wife poured her some water and gave her a handful of peanuts, sunflower seeds, and cakes. But Qian didn’t eat any of it. She just sat there, listless.

Watching the siblings interact, the woman noticed something—

The little girl always fussed and made noise around her brother, but now that she was alone, she was perfectly quiet.

The innkeeper’s wife guessed that she had been frightened by her brother’s abandonment. So, she continued to comfort her.

“Don’t be afraid. Your brother will definitely come to pick you up later. I can tell that he still likes you.”

The child suddenly said, “He doesn’t like me.”

“It’s better if he doesn’t like me.”

The innkeeper chuckled. “What childish nonsense. When your brother comes back, don’t throw a tantrum at him on purpose. You two are siblings, the closest people in the world to each other.”

The child said again, “He’s not my brother.”

“He doesn’t like me, and I don’t like him either.”

The innkeeper assumed she was just upset and said with a smile, “Oh my, such a temper.”

She had a lot of work to do, so after reminding Qian not to wander off and to wait here for someone to pick her up, she went back to her tasks.

Qian buried her head in her arms.

Suddenly, the system’s voice rang in her ears. It rarely spoke to Qian now unless necessary. In every world, its host would become increasingly resistant to it, often ignoring its words. The system found this dull and spent most of its time in hiding.

【Host, look at how terrible the target of this world is to you. You don’t have to be polite to him, right?】

“None of your business! Go away!” Qian shouted fiercely.

The system, feeling rebuffed, muttered a few more words, but when she didn’t respond, it gradually fell silent.

Qian curled up even smaller, her head still buried in her arms. Occasionally, her shoulders trembled slightly, making her look pitiful.

After a long time, she finally lifted her head—only to see Huai You Nong standing in front of her.

He had his arms crossed, his face dark, looking at her with that same disapproving “strict stepfather” gaze.

“Are you coming or not?” he asked.

A moment later, Qian was led out of the small inn by him.

This time, however, they didn’t get into a car. Instead, Huai You Nong took her to the busiest street in town. The street was filled with vendors and bustling crowds, and at a street corner, someone had drawn a circle on the ground, performing for an audience.

Passing by a vendor selling candied hawthorn, Huai You Nong, for the first time, bought one without being asked.

“Take it. Didn’t you keep pestering for one earlier?”

Qian glanced at him before slowly taking it.

Huai You Nong then pulled her into a crowd gathered around a street performance. Without hesitation, he pushed through the people and placed her at the front.

“Stand here and watch.” Though his tone was still harsh.

Qian took a bite of the candied hawthorn and watched the performer’s little tricks. Her furrowed brows gradually relaxed, and as she became engrossed, her eyes lit up, finally revealing a smile.

Huai You Nong held her hand. When the performance ended and the crowd dispersed, he led her to other lively spots in the street.

Passing by a stall selling sweet soy milk, he asked with a stern face, “Do you want some of this?”

Qian nodded.

Huai You Nong spent an entire afternoon with his daughter on this, in his opinion, utterly uninteresting street. Only when dusk approached did he take her back to the small inn, planning to stay another night.

He thought that the child was reluctant to leave because she liked the innkeeper, who had bathed and combed her hair—perhaps reminding her of her mother.

As the street lamps lit up, Qian dragged her feet, walking exceptionally slowly. Huai You Nong, unusually, didn’t urge her to hurry.

She had barely eaten half of the candied hawthorn, and the remaining half was clutched in her hand, the sugar melting into a sticky mess.

Suddenly, Qian said, “Because I’m noisy and cause trouble, you don’t like me, right?”

Huai You Nong snorted. “At least you know how noisy you are.”

His daughter didn’t like him at all. She called him “bad dad” and constantly made a fuss.

She never acted like this around Liu Sha back in the Demon Palace.

Huai You Nong was well aware that he wasn’t suited to raising children. He didn’t know how to interact with her, but he understood her little thoughts.

She only made trouble for him because she rejected him.

Qian repeated, “So you definitely don’t like me, right?”

Huai You Nong, impatient, said, “Right.”

The child pursed her lips. She looked a little sad, but at the same time, strangely relieved and happy.

She even warned him, “You must not like me!”

“If you want me to acknowledge you as my daughter, you have to cultivate properly. Stop being so lazy and spoiled.”

As Huai You Nong spoke, he suddenly realized she had stopped moving. Turning back, he saw that she had crouched down again, his face darkening even more.

“You ate snacks, walked around, watched performances. Now what?”

Qian crouched on the ground, curling into a ball, clutching her stomach.

Sensing something was wrong, Huai You Nong squatted down to check on her, but before he could react, Qian’s head tilted—and she vomited violently.

For the past two days, she had been unusually energetic yet incredibly noisy. That morning, she had even complained of a stomachache, but Huai You Nong had dismissed it as her making a fuss.

Only now did he realize that it might be caused by the parasite inside her body.

The parasite, which supposedly only fed on demonic energy, had begun to devour the other power within her.

“If you were really unwell, why didn’t you say anything?!” Huai You Nong was furious.

Qian was just as angry. She had told him! Every time she said something, he just bought her food and toys to shut her up, telling her not to whine!

Frowning, the child opened her mouth—

And threw up all over her father.