After Luo Xinlan's death, Jiang Ningshu felt an emptiness in her heart, devoid of any sense of security.
"Su Luo, tell me, who can I trust now?"
"Don't ask the same question twice, Demon Lord."
Su Luo wouldn't offer a single word of comfort, perhaps because he himself had no answer.
It seemed there was no one in the Heavenly Demon Sect whom the Demon Lord could trust, not even herself.
"Sorry, can you stay with me for a while?"
Suddenly, Jiang Ningshu burst into tears, sobbing uncontrollably.
Su Luo, with a hand resting on his shoulder, felt it was inappropriate to leave.
Reluctantly, he stayed by her side, listening to her cries.
It was only then that Su Luo remembered: why had the Demon Lord's strength recovered so quickly?
But given the atmosphere, it wasn't the right time to ask. He would have to wait for another opportunity.
Fortunately, her recovered strength was only at the Nascent Soul level, not enough for her to act without restraint. She still had to tread carefully within the Heavenly Demon Sect.
Though perhaps not as carefully as before.
And so, Su Luo silently accompanied Jiang Ningshu as she cried for hours.
As she wept, Jiang Ningshu began to recount her story with Luo Xinlan, starting from their youth.
Su Luo wanted to interrupt—he already knew most of it—but seeing her in such a state, he decided to let her speak.
He remained silent throughout, simply listening.
"Sorry, and thank you for staying with me."
"Don't apologize. You're the Demon Lord, after all."
Jiang Ningshu nodded, wiping her tears.
"You can go back now."
Jiang Ningshu planned to bury Luo Xinlan, her last friend. From now on, she would be alone.
Su Luo nodded and left.
This wasn't something he could comment on. Staying silent was the best course of action.
He would check on Jiang Ningshu later to see how she was doing.
By then, it was already dark, and Su Luo returned to his residence.
Yun was waiting at the door.
"You're back so late. Did something special happen?" Yun asked, as it was indeed later than usual.
"Nothing much."
There was no need to elaborate on such matters.
"Oh." Yun suddenly sniffed at Su Luo. "What's this? You smell like... another woman's fragrance?"
"It's the Demon Lord's."
There was no point hiding that.
"What happened? What happened?" Yun's face lit up with curiosity.
"We talked about some things."
"What things?"
"That's not for you to know."
"Come on, tell me!"
"Your pleading won't work."
Seeing Su Luo's firmness, Yun gave up. Pushing further would only annoy him.
"That's great, Su Luo. If you've gotten close to the Demon Lord, don't forget about us. Take us along too."
"Haha, I'm enough to handle things. We don't need the Demon Lord."
"Right, of course. I've always believed in you, Su Luo."
Yun's sudden change of attitude made Su Luo uncomfortable.
This wasn't right. How could Su Luo compare to the Demon Lord? Shouldn't Yun keep doubting him so he could boast more?
But Yun insisted on her absolute loyalty to Su Luo, even surpassing her loyalty to the Demon Lord, leaving Su Luo with nothing to criticize.
"Su Luo's back?"
This time, it was Little Yu who appeared. She had just finished her training and looked exhausted.
"Yeah, how was it? Tough, huh?"
Su Luo had designed a rigorous training regimen for her.
"It's fine. If it makes me stronger, I can handle it."
"Good. You've been training hard for days. It's time to rest. Tomorrow, I'll take you around the Heavenly Demon Sect."
"Okay!" Little Yu said happily, looking forward to the next day.
It wasn't the Heavenly Demon Sect that excited her, but the chance to spend time with Su Luo.
Seeing their conversation, Yun decided it was best not to press further about earlier.
Lately, the Demon Lord had been seeking Su Luo out often. Had something happened between them?
The diary didn't mention much about the Demon Lord, and Nangong Xiyun found it hard to investigate her affairs.
Nangong Xiyun felt that things were becoming more complicated.
Maybe she should find a chance to meet the Demon Lord?
But on second thought, if she were discovered, her identity as Yun would be compromised.
Nangong Xiyun quite liked her current life.
She would find another opportunity to probe into the Demon Lord and Su Luo's relationship later.
...
The next day, Su Luo took Little Yu out.
When it came to the Heavenly Demon Sect, the first place to visit was naturally the Heavenly Demon Palace.
"Little Yu, that's where the Demon Lord resides."
They could only look from afar. Without an invitation, no one could approach casually.
"Is the Demon Lord really as powerful as the legends say?"
Little Yu had heard many rumors about the Demon Lord, but even with her current cultivation, some seemed exaggerated.
"Yes, she's very powerful."
Su Luo couldn't deny that. At her peak, the Demon Lord was formidable.
"Stronger than you, Su Luo?"
"That's hard to say. I haven't reached my peak yet."
"Can I become that strong too?"
Little Yu thought that if she could reach such a level, she could ease Su Luo's burdens and help him achieve his goals.
"Of course. It's only a matter of time. I believe in you. One day, you might even be able to punch and kick the Demon Lord."
"No, no, no! It's not that easy."
Such exaggerated praise made Little Yu blush, feeling unworthy.
Su Luo laughed at her reaction. She was just too adorable.
But then, a voice spoke up from behind.
"If possible, could you refrain from punching and kicking me?"
It was the Demon Lord, Jiang Ningshu, standing behind them.
Su Luo was instantly embarrassed. He had been overheard, and by the person in question.
"Demon Lord, I was just joking. Don't take it seriously. What brings you here?"
"Finishing what I didn't complete yesterday."
After burying Luo Xinlan, Jiang Ningshu had kept vigil at the grave all night. She had just returned when she overheard Su Luo's conversation.
"I see."
Little Yu subtly moved behind Su Luo, cautiously observing the woman before her.
So this was the Demon Lord?
As Little Yu studied her, Jiang Ningshu also took a moment to look at Little Yu.
"You must be Little Yu. I've heard quite a bit about you."
Little Yu nodded, retreating further behind Su Luo.
She wasn't afraid of the Demon Lord because of her aura, but rather because this was her first encounter with such a legendary figure. She felt shy—no, more than shy.
Jiang Ningshu glanced at Su Luo and Little Yu, briefly reminded of Luo Xinlan. But she quickly shook her head. That was all in the past...
"You two seem close. I won't disturb you any further."
With that, she walked toward the Heavenly Demon Palace.

ts me of treason?" "Correct. The host must return to the capital and gradually build up influence." "Wait—I have half a million soldiers, and you want me to go back to the capital to 'build influence'?" "Host, you are currently the Northern Garrison General, loyal to the Great Xia Dynasty." "Of course I am loyal to Great Xia! Absolutely loyal!" "But you keep referring to yourself as 'We'..." "Never mind the details! Summon all the regional commanders and military officers! We suspect treacherous officials are manipulating the court! They shall march with Us to the capital and purge the corrupt!" "......"

+【Epic Battles!】 "Your Highness, they say Linxi Temple is miraculous. Won’t you make a wish?" "A wish? It should be making wishes to me." "That may be so, but since you’re already here..." "..." "Fine. Then grant this princess a consort to play with." "He must be obedient, devoted, and utterly infatuated with my body—so much so that he’d kneel and kiss my feet." "Your Highness, that’s not a consort. That’s a dog." "Then add clever, witty, heroic, ambitious yet pragmatic..." "Hmm, that’s enough for now. I’ll add more later." After tossing out these words half in jest, Princess Anle departed the temple—only to catch a fleeting glimpse of the Bodhisattva statue smiling at her. Meanwhile, Yang An, fresh out of university, was having a very bad day. Good news: He’d transmigrated into another world with a cheat granting tenfold combat power. Bad news: He’d immediately fallen into the clutches of a certain villainess. Good news: Said villainess possessed peerless beauty and royal status. Bad news: She was absolutely monstrous!!! In the frozen wilderness, Yang An knelt beneath Qin Guo’er’s feet, drenched in sweat despite the cold. Desperately clutching her porcelain-perfect foot—the very one poised to crush his throat—he could only think: How do I survive this?! Need answers NOW!

m back to his original world. In the end, he realized he had overthought things. [Hey, why is Shen Manni, the female lead, acting strange? Shouldn't she be fawning over the male lead at this point?] [Zhou Qiaoqiao, are you sick? Weren't you supposed to break off your engagement today?] [Damn it! An Youyi, please do your job as an undercover agent and sell my information to the protagonist, you idiot!] ... At this moment, Xu Mo himself didn't know that these female leads had already heard his inner thoughts. Then they decided not to play by the rules. Xu Mo: Please respect my profession as the big villain!

d intelligence to keep the plot moving, and sometimes even the protagonists are forced into absurdly dumb decisions. Why does the A-list celebrity heroine in urban romance novels ditch the top-tier movie star and become a lovestruck fool for a pockmarked male lead? Why do the leads in historical tragedy novels keep dancing between love and death, only for the blind healer to end up suffering the most? And Gu Wei never expected that after finally landing a villain role to stir up trouble, she’d pick the wrong gender! No choice now—she’ll just have to crush the protagonists as a girl!