“My bone age is no more than fifty. It is common knowledge that demons grow slowly. It takes at least several thousand years for them to grow into a young man. How could I possibly give birth to this half-grown boy?”

"Don't listen to this fiend's nonsense! Everyone, attack together and take him down!"

The lie was easily exposed, as if it were made of paper. The crowd rushed forward, but Demon Lord Mingying easily shook them off. However, he was injured by the arriving ancestor.

Demon Lord Mingying wiped the blood from the corner of his lips with his thumb, rolled up his robe, and took Tu Longjian and the young Mingying away, escaping without a trace.

Upon landing, Demon Lord Mingying half-knelt on the ground, clutching his chest, clearly suffering a severe injury.

Tu Longjian grabbed Demon Lord Mingying by the neck and slammed his injured body against the surrounding tree trunks, causing him to frown and let out a muffled groan.

Tu Longjian leaned closer, his eyes fixed on his handsome but bloodless, pale face, and smiled with an air of certainty:

"You hate me? You want to kill me?"

"Unfortunately, on the night you were tormented by your inner demons, you had already signed a second contract with me. Whether in body or mind, you are my beloved."

Demon Lord Mingying spat out a mouthful of blood and chuckled. The movement aggravated his broken ribs, making the pain even more intense, but it only excited him more.

“My heart was originally with you. Do you know that my heart, like a blade of grass, beats because of you, and I no longer need it.”

His tone was both cold and venomous, yet also like a lover's whisper.

"Keep hitting me. The more pain I feel, the more my heart is moved. When plants grow flesh and blood, that kind heart can die."

The young demonic shadow cannot return to her body yet. If, as he said, a new heart is born, she will no longer be able to control him. At this moment, the demonic shadow is like a hot potato to Tu Longjian.

Tu Longjian frowned and remained silent, unaware of the actions of the Demon Lord Mingying's subordinates.

The young man, Mingying, knew something was wrong. The moment the dark light appeared, he lunged forward, his body shattering into pieces.

Mingying's last remaining gaze was fixed on Tu Longjian, her eyes filled with deep reluctance and longing.

"The price I pay for returning to my body is my disappearance."

He had just been bathed in the light filtering through the cave when he was about to lose it.

The Demon Lord Mingying straightened his chest, and countless fragments of Mingying entered, frantically growing flesh and blood, pushing the heart of grass and wood that was about to beat out of his body. From then on, the two became one.

Countless inner demons followed, baring their fangs and claws, trapping the mind of Demon Lord Mingying. He screamed repeatedly and rolled wildly on the ground.

Tu Longjian sensed that the power of their contract was strengthening. With the return of Mingying, the Demon Lord Mingying had completely become her contracted pet, which put her at ease.

With a hint of disappointment, Tu Longjian looked down at the Demon Lord Mingying, who was clinging to her legs and pleading desperately.

"Please, take out my heart."

"I feel so bad, my inner demons are attacking me."

"A prisoner still so arrogant? Me?"

"I...I beg you, Master!"

Tu Longjian leaned down and lifted his chin, her eyes gentle as water: "This is the sin you have to bear for killing him, so accept it obediently." She forcefully shoved the Demon Lord Mingying's chin aside.

"Ah!" Demon Lord Mingying cried out in pain, clutching his chest and trembling uncontrollably. The inner demons seemed to have a physical form, constantly piercing through his body like a form of torture.

I'm going to kill you!

No, I can't kill you!

The will of the Shadow Demon and the will of the Demon Lord Shadow Demon were in conflict, causing him excruciating pain, as if a thousand ants were gnawing at his heart.

After an incense stick had burned, Tu Longjian frowned as she looked at Mingying, who was still writhing on the ground in pain. In truth, if the young Mingying hadn't been relatively obedient under her care, she might have executed him on the spot, given the crimes he had committed as Demon Lord Mingying.

However, since the two are now in a contractual relationship, Tu Longjian naturally wouldn't be foolish enough to let him fend for himself. If he stayed here any longer, the ancestors would find him soon. So she took the Shadow Shadow back into the contractual space and suppressed it with the Sunset Banner.

The greatest demon was subdued by Tu Longjian, and the remaining demon army was no match for them. Even if Commander Wen broke the agreement, the human cultivation world could still suppress them.

It just so happens that this place is not far from the mortal realm. Tu Longjian remembered the hasty and careless handling when he first entered this world, and decided to go back and take a look, which can be regarded as giving the original owner an explanation.

----------------

The mortal realm is divided into several kingdoms, making it much smaller compared to the cultivation realm. Due to the limitations of the spiritual realm, Tu Longjian's cultivation level was suppressed to the Qi Refining stage.

Fortunately, she knew how to use teleportation arrays, and soon arrived at the country she had just transmigrated to, the Song Kingdom.

However, once she entered the territory of the Song Kingdom, she found that the vegetation was sparse, and the land was littered with corpses of the starved, a stark contrast to the richness of other countries.

"Mom, I'm hungry~"

The emaciated child cried, while his sunken-cheeked mother dodged his cries and frantically stuffed shriveled flatbreads into her mouth.

The child's cries grew fainter and fainter, disappearing without a trace after a single sob.

Tu Longjian had changed into simple clothes, but she was still very conspicuous on the famine-stricken streets. She frowned as she took in the miserable state of the people, and then nimbly left the slum.

The situation in the capital was quite different from that outside. The city was as prosperous as ever, with brothels and taverns still open, creating a magnificent scene.

While passing by a casino, a man who looked like a beggar was kicked out.

He was about forty years old, but his skin was disgustingly wrinkled. He lingered at the entrance of the casino, crying and shouting, "Let me gamble! I'm sure I can win this time!"

"Pah! You scoundrel, you were lucky enough to be released from prison more than ten years ago during His Majesty's ascension to the throne and a general amnesty. You've lost all your remaining assets. What do you have left to wager?"

“I…I, I still have a fine coffin at home.”

"Oh dear, what bad luck! Who wants your drafty, smelly coffin in that shabby hut? Everyone knows that you, Young Master Liu, are so poor from gambling that your old father doesn't even have a bed. He's already living in a coffin before he's even dead."

“I can also arrange a ghost marriage! My elder sister was a famous beauty in the city back then, but she died young. I’ll find her a good family to marry into.”

Slap! A weak slap landed on his face. The elderly Liu father was furious. He leaned on his cane, trembling, and beat his chest and stamped his feet.

"What a terrible thing! You wretched beast, you've ruined our family business, and now Yao'er is being forced into a ghost marriage by your own brother after death. What kind of sins have I committed? What a misfortune for my family!"

"Yao'er!" His voice was filled with endless regret. If only he had handed the family business over to his obedient and sensible daughter, the family wouldn't have fallen into such ruin, with everyone dead.

As Liu's father wiped away his tears, a figure as beautiful as a fairy appeared in his cloudy old eyes, resembling his deceased daughter, which made him freeze in shock.

"Ah!" Liu Hao was terrified, cold sweat pouring down his face. He frantically tried to back away, but Tu Longjian continued to slowly approach him.

"Elder sister, I was wrong. I won't arrange a ghost marriage for you anymore. Please...please forgive me—" Liu Hao was forever frozen in that moment of terror. A silver hairpin was stuck in his chest, and he died.