Chapter 13 Prayer: "I hope the God will like it."...

Deep within the eerie, dense forest, demonic soldiers wearing black armor and masks are searching the woods.

The little demon, having transformed into its original form, carried the heavily injured man on its back, struggling to traverse through a dark, ancient forest.

"It's alright, Baili Sheng," the little demon comforted her as she flew, panting. "We'll be fine."

"Don't close your eyes, I'm sure I can get you out of here..."

The man stared blankly, his eyes dark and devoid of any light.

The voice that came out was incredibly gentle: "Okay."

The moment the words were spoken, a beam of demonic light, carrying a chilling power, struck.

The little demon's body fell from mid-air like an autumn leaf.

But the moment she hit the ground, the little demon transformed into human form and cushioned the man's fall.

Before she could even cry out in pain, the little demon quickly got up and struggled to pull the man toward the muddy swamp not far away.

The filthy, foul-smelling mud gradually masked the blood and faint demonic aura emanating from the two of them. Just before their heads were submerged in the mud, the little demon pursed her lips and said, "Baili Sheng, look at me."

A soft, slender hand covered the man's lips, plunging him into darkness.

The swirling mud, filled with withered branches, rotten leaves, and the bones of wild beasts, engulfed the two, as if countless tongues were licking their skin.

The man stared at the little demon, whose cheeks were puffed up from suffocation.

After an unknown amount of time, the little demon lifted the man out of the mud, panting heavily, and then wiped the mud off his body and face.

The little demon's face only revealed a few patches of fair skin, which were filthy.

"We're saved," the injured little demon said with a smile.

Amidst the relief of surviving the ordeal, the man said, "From now on, I'll teach you magic, how about it?"

"Really?" The little demon nodded in surprise. "Okay!"

"I hope you don't mind that I'm a cripple now."

“You’re not a cripple,” the little demon said earnestly, “and…”

She laughed: "You were so amazing before, and you taught me. I'm sure I'll become amazing too."

"That way we can be protected!"

The little demon's innocent and foolish smile gradually blurred, and in its place came a gentle "Baili".

In a daze, Baili Sheng felt a sudden surge of protective demonic light, and he abruptly opened his eyes.

Before me stood the familiar Demon Palace, its pearls and fluorite shimmering with a faint purple light, cold and desolate.

Directly in front of her, Qingjiao held a celadon bowl in her hand, her face faintly pale due to the magical light blocking out the view.

Baili Sheng sat up, without concealing his demonic light, and looked at the bowl in Qingjiao's hand.

“This is my homemade mead,” Qingjiao said with a smile. “Baili, I remember you used to praise it as delicious.”

Baili Sheng stared at the bowl of wine for a long time before slowly saying, "Is this Qingjiao Fairy's way of proving her sincerity?"

Qingjiao nodded and quietly said, "Yes."

Baili Sheng laughed: "Unfortunately, the time is not right now. This wine is too sweet, and I am not some lowly demon with such tastes..."

Before he could finish speaking, Baili Sheng's expression suddenly tightened.

Qingjiao also seemed to realize something, her expression changing slightly. She recalled the unusually calm demonic light she had seen around Baili Sheng when she first entered the Demon Palace, and suddenly asked, "Baili, were you dreaming just now?"

Even ordinary immortals no longer dream often.

As a primordial demon whose age is unknown, dreams are a kind of omen, and should be extremely rare.

Since his return, Baili Sheng has never trusted anyone again, nor has he been able to sleep peacefully.

But just now, he fell asleep.

Baili Sheng's eyes turned cold: "It's just an absurd dream."

Qingjiao bit her lower lip tightly: "Who did you dream about?"

Baili Sheng lowered his eyes slightly, and after a moment, the protective demonic light around him gradually subsided. He stood up and took the mead from Qing Jiao's hand.

The clear surface of the wine swayed and reflected a smiling face covered in mud.

Baili Sheng shook off his smile, tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp: "Only the finest wine is worthy of this venerable one."

*

White Mist Cliff.

Before dawn, Hua Xun got up early and was now laboriously digging out handfuls of soil from beside the waterfall and tucking them onto her old clothes.

Once enough soil had been collected, it was moved to the back of the palace, to the spot where the deity had stood and gazed out the previous day.

This place truly lived up to its reputation as a divine realm; even the soil was five colors, faintly shimmering with light.

While praising the waterfall, Hua Xun stirred the water from the cascading waterfall into the soil.

Once the soil was moist, she carefully took the flower seeds out of her purse, planted them one by one in the soil, and then carefully watered them before she was done.

The sky was already bright. Hua Xun wiped the sweat from her brow as she turned around and was startled by the fiery red crow that suddenly appeared behind her.

"Liu Huo, when did you get back?" Hua Xun breathed a sigh of relief after the false alarm.

“Hee.” Liu Huo raised her head to her and pointed to the patch of soil that was once again shrouded in celestial mist.

"Is that what you're asking about?" Hua Xun guessed. "I'm planting flowers."

"Can you keep this a secret for me until it blooms?" Hua Xun asked softly.

Liu Huo blinked, seemingly pondering her meaning, before glancing meaningfully at her purse.

Hua Xun immediately understood, muttered "greedy bird" to himself, and then tactfully took out a peach blossom cake.

Liu Huo's eyes lit up, and it pounced on the peach blossom cake, swallowing it whole. Then, remembering something, it proudly raised its head, looked at the God's palace, and let out a low cry.

Hua Xun looked in the direction it was pointing, and then suddenly realized that it was time to go to the Divine Lord's Palace to cultivate.

Hua Xun hurriedly washed her hands and wiped her face haphazardly before running off, but then remembered something and turned back: "Liu Huo, is there anything dirty on my face?"

Liu Huo looked closely at her face and shook his head innocently: "Jie Jie".

During this time together, although Hua Xun couldn't fully understand what Liu Huo was saying, she did understand that one short cry meant affirmation, and two cries meant negation.

Seeing it bark twice, Hua Xun felt relieved, took out yesterday's scripture from her purse, and hurriedly ran towards the Divine Lord's Hall.

As she ran through the flower-lined path, she couldn't help but think that this scene was very similar to the group of children she had seen going to school in the human world.

She had only recently taken human form and watched with curiosity for several days.

I watched them whispering to each other in school and getting their ears pulled by the teacher in exasperation; I watched them being punished by the teacher for being late and standing in the corner. I listened to their clear reading voices from the window and even tried to read along with them for a few sentences.

When the children discovered her, she became nervous and her wings were exposed due to her unstable transformation.

So they threw stones at her, driving her back into the woods, and then they all left in a swarm.

Now, she is able to enroll in school, and is even being personally taught by the revered Nine-Tiered Divine Lord of the Three Realms.

Thinking this way, Hua Xun felt a sense of pride and her steps became even more cheerful.

Upon arriving at the temple, the deity sat behind his desk as he had the day before, still in the dignified posture of a divine statue, his tolerance as vast as the ocean.

"My Lord," Hua Xun said respectfully.

The deity put down the scroll and was about to speak when he saw her face and hummed in response, his voice slightly raised at the end.

Under the God's deep gaze, Hua Xun couldn't help but become nervous: "God, what's wrong?"

The Divine Lord said gently, "It is Five-Colored Breath Soil." After a few moments of contemplation, he added, "Is it a popular trend among humans?"

Hua Xun was still confused. After realizing that the "Five-Colored Breath Soil" mentioned by the deity was the soil she had dug up that morning, she hurriedly raised her hand and wiped her cheeks and forehead haphazardly.

Seeing the five-colored soil stuck to her cuff, Hua Xun immediately recalled the cunning look in Liu Huo's eyes earlier: "I asked Liu Huo, but I didn't expect..."

The deity smiled indulgently: "Liu Huo is naturally mischievous."

After making sure there was no more mud on her face, Hua Xun sat down opposite the God-King: "What did the God-King say about human customs?"

The deity nodded: "I have seen humans smear mud on their faces and pray to me for rain."

"Did they manage to get what they asked for?" Hua Xun asked curiously.

The deity smiled and said, "I don't remember very well."

Hua Xun paused for a moment, then thought again that it was probably hundreds or even thousands of years ago, so it was normal not to remember.

If asked what she did on a certain day three years ago, she couldn't remember.

"Can we ask the God for anything?" Hua Xun couldn't help but ask again.

The deity smiled and said, "You can give it a try."

Hua Xun's eyes lit up, but after thinking about it carefully, she couldn't remember what she wanted, so she simply gave up and was about to pick up the scripture.

"Take a look at this item, is it missing or incomplete?" The deity waved his hand, and an indigo mustard seed bag appeared on the desk.

Hua Xun looked at Shen Jun with a puzzled expression, opened the mustard seed bag, and probed it with her spiritual sense.

When Hua Xun discovered what was inside, she opened her eyes wide in shock.

Inside the mustard seed bag, grains, fruits, and vegetables were piled up like a small mountain, and pots, pans, and utensils were all available. There was also a stove and thousands of flints, enough to last him for several years.

"My Lord, these are..."

"Your demon core is still quite fragile. If you force yourself to abstain from grains, it may harm your body," the Divine Lord said calmly.

Hua Xun's heart trembled. Even though she knew that this was just a love given to her by a god, the same love as that given to all living beings, she still couldn't help but be moved.

"Thank you, Divine Lord." Hua Xun's eyes welled up with tears as she stood up and solemnly expressed her gratitude.

With the encouragement of this mustard seed bag, Hua Xun practiced the Mind-Clearing Mantra with extra effort all day, achieving twice the results with half the effort compared to yesterday.

As dusk fell, Hua Xun eagerly returned to her room, laid out the stove and flint from the mustard seed bag, and carefully wiped them clean, unable to put them down.

Hua Xun froze when she reached into the mustard seed bag again and saw the pear blossom cakes and peaches neatly stored in the corner.

It's very familiar.

Hua Xun's mind worked quickly, and she soon remembered that the offerings she had stolen from the deity at the temple in the human realm were exactly these two items.

Then, recalling how she had managed to freeze Jin Huan, who possessed far greater magical power than her, and the golden light that appeared out of nowhere when Jin Huan tried to escape…

There was also the unexpected summons from the God-King during the celebration.

Hua Xun's breath was slightly condensed.

Did the deity secretly... help her?

Almost simultaneously, Hua Xun felt a slight throbbing in her mind and chest, and her heart warmed.

Thinking of the skills she had honed during her years among humans, Hua Xun couldn't help but feel eager to try them out.

A spark is ignited by infusing a flint with a trace of magic, and the furnace built of fine stone leaves no trace even after being burned.

Hua Xun took out the cooking utensils, put in the grains and water, sat on the fire, and watched the water slowly boil and the fragrance of rice gradually spread.

Her stomach, which hadn't eaten grains for a long time, throbbed with hunger. Hua Xun swallowed hard, but still didn't forget to scoop out a bowl and run to the front hall with it.

The hall was empty. Hua Xun called out in confusion, "Divine Lord? Divine Lord..."

The sound stopped abruptly when it touched the light and shadow behind the fairy curtain.

The deity sat once again on the high platform behind the celestial curtain. Through the faintly visible white veil, his appearance was sacred, and his divine light was hazy, making it impossible for anyone to look directly at him.

Hua Xun froze in place, still holding the congee in her hand, not daring to take another step.

It wasn't until the deity's voice, as gentle as a clear spring, flowed out that she finally regained that sense of familiarity.

The deity asked, "Why did you turn back?"

Hua Xun clutched the congee, looked up at the deity, and the words she wanted to ask him if he had secretly helped her remained on her lips. She only said, "I have tasted the pear blossom cakes and peaches that the deity gave me, and they are very delicious."

The deity looked down at her through the celestial veil and said, "Very good."

With just these two words, Hua Xun inexplicably became certain that the Divine Lord had guessed that he knew about what happened at the Divine Lord's Temple that day.

She laughed and didn't mention that day again: "I cooked some porridge and wanted to send it to the God."

The deity slowly replied, "Gods do not need to eat."

“I know,” Hua Xun said dejectedly, pursing her lips and withdrawing her outstretched hand. But then, as if remembering something, she looked up at the high and mighty god and asked, “What if this is an offering I’m making to the God-King?”

The deity pondered for a few moments, recalling her question during the day: "Can one ask the deity for anything?" He smiled quietly and said, "I have never seen such an offering before."

He asked gently, "Since these are offerings, do you have any wishes for them?"

Hua Xun was taken aback: "A prayer?"

"Exactly."

Hua Xun was about to say no, but then she thought for a moment and said seriously, "I hope the Divine Lord will like it."

Shenjun Jiuqing still smiled faintly.

This is the first time someone has offered sacrifices; they only hope that the gods will be pleased.

A note from the author:

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The God-King's concept of divine life is beginning to be shaken [winking emoji]