Chapter 1: Well Said, A Reward For You

“The Demon Lord of the Myriad Demons Sect, Lin Xun, is said to have three heads and six arms! He stands over ten feet tall! Wielding the sect’s demonic spear, he has spent his life consumed by bloodlust! But that Lin Xun has always worn a mask! No one has ever seen his true face!

Legend has it that Lin Xun relentlessly challenged the righteous sects, and by the age of eighteen, he had already reached the strongest realm in the world! A god among divine beings!

But two years ago, Lin Xun suddenly vanished!

Everyone believed Lin Xun was dead!

It wasn’t until a few months ago, when the Elder of Heavenly Secrets, his life at its end, performed one last divination. He foresaw that the reason for Lin Xun’s disappearance was his desire to break through once more, to become an existence on par with the Great Dao itself!

To challenge the Heavenly Dao! To ascend to the heavens and stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the [Haotian]! How could this Lin Xun be so arrogant! In the end, he suffered a backlash from the Heavenly Dao!

But then, the Elder of Heavenly Secrets said in his final moments…”

In the teahouse, the blind storyteller paused and took a sip of tea.

“Said what? You damned old man, just say it!”

At the tea tables, the patrons, their curiosity piqued by the cliffhanger, grumbled in dissatisfaction.

The blind storyteller smiled. A young boy collecting money was already making the rounds with a basin, asking for tips.

“Fuck!”

“Blind man, I, Old Wang, will make sure to be your neighbor tonight!”

“You’d better watch that old horse of yours today, your horse is about to disappear!”

Despite the curses, many people still tossed in some money.

The old man cleared his throat. “The Elder of Heavenly Secrets said, ‘Lin Xun is gravely injured, but not dead! In a hundred years, he will return to his peak! The Myriad Demons Sect will unite the world, and the world will descend into an endless hell!'”

The tea patrons all sucked in a cold breath of air! As if they believed this embellished tale, they felt that in a hundred years, the world would be in peril.

Although it didn’t occur to any of them that they most likely wouldn’t live for another hundred years anyway.

The blind old man said, “Everyone, do not panic! The Elder of Heavenly Secrets had one more thing to say after his divination!”

“Fuck! How many ‘one more things’ are in this final divination!”

The blind old man chuckled.

“The Elder of Heavenly Secrets’ final words were: ‘The one who will vanquish Lin Xun is none other than the Saintess of the Violet Mist Holy Land, Jiang Qingshang!’

Now, who might this Saintess of the Violet Mist be? She is the number one beauty under the heavens! The top of the Beauty Rankings! Her talent in the way of the sword is a rarity seen only once in ten thousand years! The foremost genius of the righteous path! She made a name for herself throughout the world after only three years of cultivation.

So what if it’s a hundred years from now! Our Saintess will surely be able to maintain order in the world! And slay that Demon Lord!”

“Well said!”

“Well said!”

“Blind man, your horse is safe again!”

Thunderous applause erupted in the teahouse, followed by another flurry of coins.

And in a corner of the teahouse, an elegant-looking man smiled as he stood up, left some money for his tea, and slowly departed.

“I’m home.”

In a small, dilapidated courtyard, the man pushed open the door and walked in.

In the yard, a young woman was on her tiptoes, hanging up laundry.

A wooden hairpin was tucked sideways into her woduoji hairstyle. The craftsmanship was exquisite, but the material was inexpensive. She wore a blue, misty-smoke blouse, its tassels brushing against her dark silk hair. Her fragrant, delicate, jade-like beauty outshone the flowers, her fingers were like carved scallion roots, her lips like they held cinnabar.

The hem of her skirt was tucked up, her long sleeves rolled, revealing half of her fair, jade-like arms. Water droplets slid down her arms, creating a kind of pure and fresh beauty.

She was his wife. They had just been married for a month, but they had known each other for two years.

“You’re back so late, did you keep those children for after-school lessons again?”

“No, I listened to a storyteller for a while on my way back.”

The man, who had transmigrated to this world fifteen years ago and was now working as a teacher, walked forward and took the clothes from his wife’s hands.

“A storyteller? What’s so good about that? It’s nothing more than some fabricated stories.”

She handed him the clothes, and he hung them up.

“It was alright.”

As the man helped his wife hang the laundry, he recounted the story he had heard to her.

By the time the story was finished, the clothes were all hung.

“The Demon Lord and the Saintess? That’s somewhat interesting.”

After hearing the story, the young woman named Jiang Qing’s peach-blossom eyes sparkled with a beautiful luster in the sunlight.

“It is rather interesting, but a bit absurd. Why would that Demon Lord Lin Xun be so bored as to destroy the world… He’s probably living a perfectly good life right now.”

“You’re not that Demon Lord, how would you know Lin Xun is doing well?” The corners of her mouth lifted slightly, a sight even more brilliant than the summer day.

“Hehehe, that’s because I am that Lin Xun~~~ Back then, your husband, after suffering the backlash from the Heavenly Dao, was reduced to a mortal, all my spiritual power gone.” The teacher, named Lin Pei, pointed to himself with sincerity.

“Oh?”

His wife gave a half-smile, her pair of peach-blossom eyes crinkling slightly, utterly charming.

“If you put it that way, what the Elder of Heavenly Secrets said makes sense. That Lin Xun really wouldn’t be a match for the Saintess.”

“Why is that?”

“That Saintess is the number one beauty under the heavens. If my husband were that Demon Lord, I’m afraid his soul would have been stolen away by her.”

“That wouldn’t happen.”

“Why not?”

“The storyteller said the Demon Lord of the Myriad Demons Sect is dashing and suave, handsome and elegant, immensely talented, and gentle as jade. If anyone’s soul is getting stolen, it would be him stealing hers.”

“That’s even more impossible.”

“Hm?”

“Because I am that Saintess, and hasn’t my soul long been with you?”

“I’m done for. Now I’m a little panicked.”

“Hm?”

“Marrying such a beautiful wife is already enough to make people jealous. And she’s the Saintess on top of that. Am I going to be hunted down?”

“It’s alright.” The woman stood up and gently tapped his forehead. “Because I will protect you.”

“Then I thank you, my dear wife.” Lin Xun stood up and bowed with his hands clasped.

“As I should. If you get bullied, who will provide for me?”

After noon, having eaten lunch, the young woman went to work at the City Lord’s manor. She was a relative of the female City Lord of Luo City, and also her personal secretary.

And during the time his wife was away, Lin Xun would draw some adult-oriented storybooks.

For example, “Silver-Haired Siblings on a Train,” or perhaps “School Swimsuit Water Frolic.”

He usually didn’t dare to draw when his wife was around.

Stealing a half-day of idle leisure, after he finished drawing, Lin Xun washed his hands and lay down on a recliner, closing his eyes to enjoy the warm afternoon sun.

With his eyes closed, Lin Xun’s thoughts couldn’t help but drift.

He couldn’t help but recall how he had choked to death on water in his past life, and then transmigrated to this world.

Transmigration was one thing, but he had become a five-year-old brat… and without parents.

After that, he began to struggle to make a living, bearing a weight that no one his age should have had to bear.

Then he was tricked into joining a demonic sect, and then…

Thinking of everything that had happened before, Lin Xun couldn’t help but shake his head with a wry smile.

“Forget it… At least for now, a life like this is quite nice, wouldn’t you say, old friend?”

A warm breeze swept through the courtyard, rustling the clothes hanging out to dry.

That pitch-black clothesline pole actually let out the faint hum of a spear…

“Your Highness, the Demon-Slaying Assembly is imminent. The Holy Master urges you to return at once. There can be no more delays.”

In a teahouse, a woman with a delicate face approached the young woman who was listening to the storyteller.

This delicate woman was her handmaiden, and also one of her protectors.

“Shh…”

The young woman raised a long, slender index finger to her cherry lips.

The handmaiden, who had been about to say more, naturally fell silent.

Following the Saintess’s gaze, the handmaiden also looked toward the storyteller on the stage.

“A hundred years later! Lin Xun, having returned to the world, was gravely wounded by the Saintess of the Violet Mist’s sword.

The Saintess asked: ‘Do you know why you must die?’
Lin Xun replied: ‘Because you and I, righteous and demonic, cannot coexist!’
‘No,’ the Saintess shook her head, ‘it is because you disturbed my husband’s peace and quiet.’

As her words fell, the Saintess swung her sword.”

At this point, the handmaiden was already looking at her master with a face full of astonishment.

From below the stage, sounds of dissatisfaction rose even louder.

Shouldn’t the Saintess slay the Demon Lord for the sake of the common people? Why would it be because of her husband!
Wait a minute! Why does the Saintess have a husband! I can’t accept this!

Only the stunningly beautiful woman below the stage tossed a silver ingot, her pleasant voice slowly drifting out:

“Well said, a reward for you.”

…

…

(End of this chapter)