Chapter 147

Ning Xu casually waved her hand, and the Endless Demon Fire spread, instantly reducing the two demons to ashes.

Although the Endless Demon Fire was the sacred flame of the demon race, its lethality toward demons was just as formidable. The demons had no special means to resist its burning; their only fate was death and annihilation. These two demons didn’t even have the chance to struggle before they disappeared within the crimson flames.

After dealing with them, Ning Xu turned to Si Yan with a half-smiling expression. “You like being a kept man?”

Si Yan responded warmly, “I only like being kept by you.”

Ning Xu didn’t reply, but the slight curve of her lips showed she was in a good mood.

Pointing at the spot where the two demons had vanished, she analyzed, “If the demon race is determined to obtain the demon core fragments, then the ones who came today are definitely not the only ones.” These two were likely just scouts sent ahead.

Since three fragments had already been consumed by Brother Pig, the last fragment became even more crucial.

As Ning Xu walked forward slowly, she suddenly noticed Si Yan moving closer from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder. His warm breath brushed against her neck, his presence impossible to ignore.

She instinctively turned her head to glance at him. His eyes were deep black, perfectly shaped, with long lashes that were enviable.

At this moment, his gaze was filled entirely with her reflection.

He smiled at her, his expression obedient, soft, and utterly endearing—the kind of smile that belonged to an Innocent Cultivator.

Ning Xu: !!!

Who could resist a dog’s sudden act of cuteness?

Especially when that dog’s heart and eyes were only for you.

Ning Xu felt her heart soften. She chuckled, “Fine, you can eat soft rice.”

Si Yan hummed in response. “Good, but only from you.”

That statement didn’t quite sound like something an Innocent Cultivator would say. It was more like something an experienced old dog would say—carrying a hint of possessiveness.

For a moment, neither of them spoke. They simply stood there in this back hug, holding the position for a long, long time.

After a while, Si Yan asked, “Xu Xu, we’re together now, aren’t we?”

Ning Xu, “Mm.”

Hearing her affirmative answer, Si Yan said nothing more. He only tightened his arms around her waist, pressing himself firmly against her.

The Valley of Hundred Gu wasn’t warm; the deeper into the valley, the colder it became.

Yet, a scorching warmth gradually spread from him to her, driving away the external chill.

As the sky darkened, Ning Xu finally spoke. “There’s something I still don’t understand about the demon core fragments.”

Si Yan straightened up, reluctantly loosening his arms around her waist. “Should we ask Brother Pig?”

Ning Xu, “That was exactly my thought.”

With that, she released Brother Pig from her Spirit Beast Pouch.

Having absorbed three demon core fragments, Brother Pig had grown to over a thousand jin in weight. Its massive body made its already tiny eyes appear even smaller. Its entire form was pink, the flesh looking firm and plump—if turned into red-braised pork or rib soup, it would surely be delicious.

Despite being contracted for years, Ning Xu had never actually conversed with Brother Pig.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to—Brother Pig spent most of its time sleeping to digest the demon core fragments it had consumed. In fact, throughout the years, its total waking time didn’t even add up to a full month.

Of course, if she really needed to communicate, she could. But back then, she had the Melon-Eating System by her side, and Brother Pig never seemed eager to talk to her either, so she simply let it be.

Now that she thought about it, Ning Xu felt she had been quite neglectful as a master—because today was the first time she actively tried to bond with Brother Pig.

Once summoned, Brother Pig lazily sprawled on the ground, its thick flesh spreading across the floor.

Ning Xu spoke, “Brother Pig, I have something to ask you.”

Brother Pig lazily replied, “What do you want to talk about?”

As soon as it opened its mouth, a deep male voice resonated. The voice was pleasant, though it sounded groggy, as if it might fall asleep at any moment.

Ning Xu asked, “It’s about the demon core fragments. You’ve refined three of them already. Aside from your cultivation improving, have you gained anything else?”

Brother Pig yawned and replied casually, “Yeah.”

It tapped the ground with its hoof, giving Ning Xu a meaningful look.

Ning Xu hesitated for a moment, but before she could react, Si Yan had already placed a few plates of food in front of Brother Pig.

These were dishes he had intentionally prepared in advance, so Ning Xu could eat whenever she wanted.

Brother Pig gave Si Yan a satisfied glance before contentedly picking up a piece of chicken. As a Taotie, its appetite was insatiable. Regular food couldn’t fill its stomach, but it could bring it some comfort.

After munching on a few pieces, Brother Pig finally spoke again. “Each demon core fragment carries the most profound memories of the Demon King. If we were to number them one, two, three, and four, I have absorbed the first three fragments. Only the last piece remains.”

Ning Xu was surprised at this revelation. She pondered for a moment before asking, “Do these memories affect you?”

Brother Pig shook its head. “No. My philosophy is different from his; there’s no way we’d resonate with each other.”

Ning Xu instinctively asked, “How are you different?”

Brother Pig bit into a sausage, chewing as he replied, “He wanted to become the ruler of this small world and worked tirelessly toward that goal. I’m not like him. I just want to eat and drink every day.”

Ning Xu: …

She was a bit surprised. “Brother Pig, didn’t you devour the three fragments to become stronger?”

Brother Pig stated matter-of-factly, “Only by becoming stronger can I slack off more effectively.”

Ning Xu: …

That reasoning was frustratingly sound.

Si Yan chuckled softly and said, “The demons seem intent on obtaining the fragments. What do you think they need them for?”

It was common knowledge that the demonic energy within the fragments was far too violent for ordinary demons to absorb. Any regular demon who swallowed a fragment would only end up exploding.

Only a beast like the Taotie could bypass these restrictions and truly assimilate the fragments.

Si Yan speculated, “Could it be that they’ve found a way to use the fragments?”

Brother Pig spoke in an uninterested tone, “Not really. They just want to use the fragments to resurrect the Demon King.”

Ning Xu: ???

Wait a minute, Brother Pig, how could you say something so earth-shattering in such a calm voice?

Brother Pig took a sip of winter melon soup and leisurely continued, “Although I haven’t obtained the last fragment, from the first three, I can tell that the Demon King was an ambitious being. But as you can see, he never achieved his goal, and the demons and humans have maintained stability for so many years due to a single treaty.”

“Perhaps, before he perished, he had already arranged a way to resurrect himself.”

“I’m not sure about the specifics, but it’s definitely related to the fragments.”

Brother Pig’s pig tail swayed lazily as he said in a relaxed tone, “But since I’ve already consumed three of them, if they want to revive the Demon King, they’d have no choice but to sacrifice me.”

Brother Pig was Ning Xu’s life-bound spiritual beast. If Brother Pig were sacrificed, Ning Xu would also lose half her life.

Upon hearing this, Ning Xu’s expression remained unchanged. She said, “Sacrificing you is out of the question. I won’t allow it.”

Brother Pig wasn’t surprised by her response at all.

He simply asked, “So what do you plan to do?”

Ning Xu spoke unhurriedly, “The fact that you’ve devoured three fragments is widely known in the cultivation world.”

“The demons long for the prosperity of the human world, but their own environment is too barren. That’s why they want to seize territory from human cultivators. However, according to Hu Yao and the others, not all demons are in favor of war.”

“As long as they can live like human cultivators, and as long as both sides have their actions restrained, that should be enough.”

Brother Pig stretched lazily. “It sounds like you already have an idea.”

Ning Xu said slowly, “Yes.”

Some demons had even jokingly suggested before that Brother Pig should become the new Demon King. Initially, Ning Xu hadn’t taken the idea seriously, but now she was reconsidering.

If a demon had to ascend as the new ruler of the demon race, then why not let her own life-bound spiritual beast take the throne?

When the time came, she could represent Brother Pig in signing a non-aggression treaty with the humans, ensuring the long-term stability of the cultivation world.

Of course, this was just a preliminary plan. The immediate priority was to find the fourth fragment of the Demon King’s core.

Ning Xu had already discussed the fragment’s location with the Melon-Eating System, so it didn’t take them long to track it down. However, just as they were about to act, a group of demons suddenly appeared and surrounded them.

Leading them was an exceptionally handsome fox demon.

A name immediately surfaced in Ning Xu’s mind—Hu Cao.

And this Hu Cao happened to be an old acquaintance.

Hu Cao looked at Ning Xu with great interest and said, “It’s been a few years, and you’ve gone from a mere Qi Refining disciple to a mighty Nascent Soul cultivator.”

Ning Xu replied, “Yeah. Back when I saw you at the morning assembly, you had this much cultivation. Now, after all these years, you still have the same cultivation, not a single bit of progress.”

Hu Cao’s expression darkened. “You—”

Ning Xu feigned curiosity. “Have you been staying in the demon clan all this time? Haven’t you gone to look for Xu Shixing?”

Xu Shixing?

Who?

Seeing the confusion on Hu Cao’s face, Ning Xu realized he had truly forgotten about that person. She smiled slightly. “The male cultivator you dual cultivated with when you were infiltrating the Wenxin Sect.”

She remembered so clearly because Xu Shixing was her former fiancé—a scumbag who had completely fooled the original Ning Xu.

Hu Cao dug into his memory and finally recalled the name. With an indifferent expression, he said, “Oh, him? A worthless piece of trash.”

Then, his interest shifted, and he said with a knowing smirk, “I heard he was your ex-fiancé? But it looks like you’ve found a new lover. I suppose you don’t care about him anymore.”

As he spoke, his gaze turned suggestive as he swept his eyes over Si Yan, licking his lips slightly. “Your new lover looks much better than your last one.”

Hu Cao had lived for many years and seen all kinds of people.

Beautiful ones, obedient ones, gentle ones, rebellious ones…

It was precisely because he had encountered so many that he could instantly judge someone’s level of cultivation, their personality, and whether they could be easily seduced.

If conquering Xu Shixing had been child’s play, then getting Si Yan would be a much greater challenge.

He looked like someone difficult to win over—far, far harder than Xu Shixing.

Faced with such a person, Hu Cao wasn’t confident he could succeed. In fact, he might get himself killed before he even got the chance to try.

Ning Xu said, “What, are you interested? Too bad—he’s mine.”

The Melon-Eating System happened to return at this exact moment. As soon as it came back, it frantically announced its presence.

【He’s yours, Host! You actually said the Innocent Cultivator is yours!】

【Ahhhhh, that overwhelming possessiveness—it’s absolutely thrilling!】

【Host, have you finally taken that crucial step toward the Innocent Cultivator?】

Hearing the noisy voice of the Melon-Eating System, Ning Xu realized that she had actually missed it.

It had only been upgraded for a week, yet at this moment, she inexplicably felt as if she were reuniting with an old friend.

She said slowly, “Taken the crucial step?”

“No, Si Yan and I are already together.”

The Melon-Eating System: 【???】

Wait, it had only been gone for a week, right?

What exactly happened in the short time it was away?

How did its Host suddenly end up with the Innocent Cultivator? It was curious, it was shocked—it wanted to devour all the juicy gossip!