Du Juan was involved in many things, and Xu Milu didn't know whether Wei Ying knew that his wife was a demon.

Wei Ying was a romantic and unconventional man. He once became sworn brothers with Hu Silang. When Lu Wenshan got married (to a fox spirit), Wei Ying expressed that he was willing to marry the fox spirit because of her charm.

Moreover, everyone could see that Wei Ying and his wife Xu Fangnian were deeply in love back then. How could he marry a new lover so soon after his wife's death?

Being romantic is not the same as being vulgar.

Xu Milu did not ask rashly, but planned to inquire with the demons who had lived in Chang'an for a long time.

The world of Journey to the West is full of predestined relationships and sworn enemies; there might be some great mystery in it.

...

After being away for many days, Xu Milu returned to the Mountain and Sea Restaurant, yet she didn't feel like a stranger.

Banners fluttered outside the restaurant, and a single lamp shone on the door. Pushing the door open, the interior was brightly lit, with a large luminous pearl on the ceiling emitting a soft glow.

The two crystal tanks in the center were spotless, and the fish in them were slapping their tails and splashing water, their scales shimmering, looking very relaxed.

The modified Bloodthirsty Roses on the rooftop seemed even more vibrant, with velvety petals layered upon layer, blooming densely, and large swaths of green leaves climbing down the walls, their exuberant vitality almost bursting out of the restaurant through the windows.

The fruit trees planted in the backyard, nourished by the spiritual energy of the yard, have already bloomed for the third time this year. The orange blossoms, each about the length of a finger, are hidden beneath the green leaves, creating a festive scene. It seems that this year will be another bumper harvest.

A sturdy sycamore tree stands upright, its branches and leaves lush and verdant, layer upon layer, filling the courtyard with a subtle fragrance when a gentle breeze blows.

The shop must be regularly cleaned; the floor was dust-free, the tables were free of ash, and even the stove, which hadn't been used in a long time, was spotless. The cutting board and knives were all neatly arranged to one side.

Even on the tables where diners eat, there are several narrow-necked vases filled with charming wildflowers—and scattered around are some chubby little figures carved from wood, clearly the work of Chenxiang.

Xu Milu could guess without even trying that Dai Zi was probably begging Chen Xiang for toys again.

The two children, the former being older but young in spirit, and the latter being younger in age but already mature in spirit, together made Chenxiang seem like the elder brother.

"This is the restaurant you run?"

Aqing wandered around the shop curiously, seemingly unable to get enough of the sights. She nibbled at the fish in the crystal tank, her beautiful face filled with longing.

"Is this the kind of fish you said you could make Peony Silver Fish Sashimi? It's huge!"

"If you want to eat it, I'll catch one tomorrow and cook it for you. I haven't had sashimi for quite some time, and I'm actually craving it."

While responding to Aqing, Xu Milu looked down at the records in the self-service seed exchange machine:

【Wheat Ear Egg Seedlings (Producible) * catties (Sold Out, Not Available for Purchase)】

【Bicolor Mandolin (breedable) * catties (restocking)】

[Giant Delicious Mushrooms (Cannot be Breeded) *catties (Sold Out, Not Available for Purchase)]

Ping Pong Grape Variety (Propagable) * catties (Restocking in progress)

【Rice and Coconut Seeds (Propagable) *catties (Sold Out, Not Available for Purchase)】

Breadgrass seeds (non-breedable) * catties (available for sale)

【Seaweed Wheat Seeds (Propagable) * catties (Sold Out, Not Available for Purchase)】

【Polar Giant Tomato Seeds (Propagable) * catties (Available for Purchase)】

Applegrass seeds (non-propagable) * 3000 jin (sold out, not available for purchase)

【Juicy, inverted apple variety (can be propagated) * catties (Sold out, no longer available for purchase)】

【Fried Chicken Dandelion Seeds (Non-breeding) * catties (Available for Sale)】

【Luo Luo pig breed (breeding) * head (currently being restocked)】

Earthworm Baby (Breedable) * Head (Restocking in progress)

[Fluorescent strawberry larvae (breedable) * unit (available for sale)]

【Peach Blossom Head Mica Baby (Cannot Breed)* (Sold Out, Not Available for Purchase)

...

...

There were hundreds of purchase records, all generated when Xu Milu was not around, and the energy stones in the exchange device were almost full.

Seeing the message notification that "restocking in progress," Xu Milu was in a great mood.

It seems that while she was away, Aoki, William, Zhang Cang, and the others in other dimensions were also working hard.

—Even Ah Chou, who raises slimes at the monster ranch, contributed a lot, and the number of earth dragon cubs more than doubled compared to last year.

Xu Milu waved her hand, putting the energy stone into the system to charge the dimensional jumper. The huge energy interference almost woke up Xiao Qi, who was in hibernation.

—Ever since Lavinia admitted that Seven was not a mechanical life form but a soul vessel, it has remained withdrawn.

It wasn't that Xiaoqi couldn't accept reality and was running away, but rather that the remaining fragments of the plane contained too much information, and it would still take some time for it to fully digest them.

Seemingly startled by Xu Milu and A Qing's conversation, the fire spirit resting in the stove suddenly jumped up:

"!"

Upon seeing that it was Xu Milu, the fire spirit was overjoyed and the flames rose three zhang high, turning the entire kitchen red. From the outside, it looked like a restaurant was on fire.

"You've grown quite a bit since I last saw you. Did Red Boy secretly feed you stones again while I was away?"

Xu Milu reached out to soothe the fire spirit; the intense heat, enough to melt steel, couldn't harm her in the slightest.

"Good fire spirit, please extinguish the flames. Don't disturb the neighbors and let them think our shop is on fire."

The fire spirit was soothed by its master, and the flames around its body suddenly shrank a few inches. It rubbed against Xu Milu's hand obediently, just like a well-behaved puppy.

Ah Qing carefully examined the fire and couldn't help but exclaim in admiration:

"It's really strange. Fire spirits are naturally occurring spiritual beings. It is said that they were stone monsters that were born in the Flaming Mountain area when the heavenly fire fell five hundred years ago."

This kind of thing is the hardest to develop sentience. There are quite a few in the alchemy room of the temple, but none of them have developed sentience like the one in your hand.

"Could it be that the feng shui of your shop is better than other places?"

"Whether or not it develops its own intelligence is all due to fate. In the beginning, it was just a treasure for cooking and making tea in my hands. Who knew that after using it more, it would develop its own consciousness."

Xu Milu flicked the fire spirit, fed it a piece of charcoal, and only after sensing the little creature's joy did she put it back on the stove.

"Take that Sudhana for example. He feeds it Samadhi Fire every day behind my back. Isn't he afraid of refining this little thing directly? With so many good things fed to it every day, even a real stone would become a spirit."

As the two were talking, they seemed completely unaware that slender vines suddenly surged in the courtyard, silently climbing up Xu Milu's feet from the shadows.

Where did this little sprite come from?

How dare they cause trouble here?

Aqing's eyebrows twitched, a thin layer of anger flashing across her face. Just as she was about to explode, she saw Xu Milu smiling and winking at her.

"Shh..."

She raised her hand and, with a feigned grab, pulled out a chubby New Year picture doll from behind her and hugged it tightly.