In the little stone of the Immortal Lord's house
As dusk settled, the entire Jade Palace was enveloped in twilight. The last golden rays of dawn faded from the eaves, and the sun and moon continued their revolving cycle in this world.
Xie Zhuo temporarily settled the little demon in the side hall. The thought of how to deal with another life born in the small world crossed his mind, but he didn't pay much attention to it and returned to his bedroom.
It was called his bedroom, but he hadn't slept since becoming an immortal. Although there was a minor demon in the hall today, nothing major happened, and he meditated on his couch as he always had.
After an unknown amount of time, a slight noise suddenly came from the doorway. Xie Zhuo remained seated cross-legged on the couch, seemingly unaware of the noise.
His eyes were not yet open, nor had he released his divine sense, yet he could hear the rustling of fabric getting closer and closer.
Not to mention that every move in the small world could not escape his notice, even ordinary people who knew some martial arts could detect this movement.
Moreover, this "little thief" who barged into the hall without being summoned made no attempt to conceal himself.
It was no secret that he, as the master of this Jade Palace, could not hide it from him.
The sound of fabric rubbing grew closer, then stopped abruptly, only to resume when it became louder. Xie Zhuo opened his eyes and met the gaze of a small bundle lying beside his bed.
Upon being discovered, the "thief" immediately abandoned his plan to climb onto the bed and sat down on the ground.
"Zhuoyu, hold me."
Xie Zhuo, who was once again called a "little thief," did not make any move, but lowered his eyes and quietly examined the small lump on the ground.
She changed into a more suitable outfit, and the hair that had been hanging down to her face during the day was now tied into two buns by the puppet, fully revealing her chubby baby fat. Her round eyes stared at him without blinking, showing no fear in his presence. Although she didn't have many words when she spoke, she stumbled over her words much less.
The stone on the ground couldn't stand it any longer. Seeing that the person on the bed hadn't moved for a long time, the person who had called out to them a moment ago pursed their lips, and the baby fat on their face jiggled. They sat on the ground and stretched out their arms: "Immortal Lord, hold me."
Xie Zhuo didn't want to pay attention, but his cultivation was interrupted and another voice kept ringing in his ears. Since it wasn't appropriate to continue meditating, he simply got off the bed, picked up the child from the ground, cast a cleansing spell, and carried the child to the bed.
He poked the soft face in his arms, recalling how the child couldn't even walk steadily during the day, yet now he had found his way directly to his bedroom. He said helplessly, "I don't know whether to call you stupid or clever."
Little Stone grabbed Xie Zhuo's fingers that were poking his face with both hands, pressed his face against Xie Zhuo's chest, and showed satisfaction in his eyes, pretending not to understand what Xie Zhuo was saying.
Xie Zhuo then turned to the important matter: "Why did you come here? Didn't I tell you that you can't enter the study or bedroom without being summoned?" He pulled the person into his arms, his tone neither too gentle nor too harsh.
Little Stone buried his face in the young man's chest, his voice mumbling and indistinct. From Xie Zhuo's angle, all he could see were the child's chubby cheeks as he spoke.
"The Immortal Lord brought me back, and I want to stay with him."
Xie Zhuo was taken aback by the child's change in address, recalling that he had picked the child up when the child called him "Immortal Lord." He felt the weight in his arms, a faint smile flashing in his eyes. The child, looking up at him with curiosity, gripped his clothes even tighter.
"I want to be with the Immortal Lord."
The hand clinging to his collar occupied only a small piece of fabric, which he could easily push away. However, the lines extending from the neatly arranged shirt under that small fist seemed to gradually spread from the inside out.
"Just for one night."
Although Xie Zhuo said that, from that day on, a brocade cloud blanket appeared on the bed where Zhuoyu Immortal Lord had no bedding.
...
—
"Immortal Lord".
"Immortal Lord?"
"Immortal Lord..."
Days passed by like this, and occasionally a sound that wasn't annoying would echo throughout the Jade Melody Palace. No matter where Xie Zhuo was in the palace, he could always see a figure peeking out from a corner.
When he turned his gaze to that figure, the little demon who had been obediently staying in the corner ran over and lay on his knees or snuggled into his arms the moment their eyes met.
The moment the clatter of boots on the floor stops, he can learn what the little demon saw that day, or a flower or a blade of grass in his domain.
He had told Xiao Yao that it was best to stay where he was supposed to be, which could be the side hall he had prepared for him, or other places he wanted to go, or even his bedroom.
In short, you can't follow him around all the time.
The little demon's eyes lit up, and she nestled skillfully into his arms, saying, "My favorite place is by the Immortal Lord's side."
He knew the little demon wasn't lying. Although the little demon's origins were extraordinary, it was ultimately just a stone without any spiritual energy. The fact that it could develop sentience and transform into a human form from a stone within a hundred years was because it had been by his side for a long time and had been nurtured by his spiritual energy.
The little demon liked to stay by his side simply because she coveted the spiritual energy emanating from him.
In the end, they were just ignorant little demons.
Because, in a certain sense, the little demon was born because of him.
He reaps what he sows.
The scales in his heart gradually became unbalanced without him even realizing it...
Xie Zhuo looked down at the child who had climbed onto his lap again. The little demon was holding one hand high in front of him, with a plump seed lying in its tiny palm.
The dark brown seeds split open, revealing a faint hint of green.
In the world he created, a life free from his control was born.
Over a sufficiently long period of time, it might be a good experience.
—
Each region in the celestial realm presents a unique scene.
It rained today, a rare occurrence, in the Jade Palace.
Fine rain drifted in the air, a small portion blown by the wind into the corridor, landing in front of a pair of tiny boots, leaving a puddle of water.
With each blink of her eyes, filled with wonder, she could see the water droplets gradually increasing on the ground. The ripples spreading across the pond in the courtyard were something the little demon had never heard of before in her narrow world.
He glanced back at the figure inside the room. The sky was overcast, and the room was still dim in the early morning. The young man's face was half-hidden in the shadows. The wind blowing into the room from the open doors and windows dispersed the smoke curling from the incense burner. The young man's gaze pierced through the haze and looked into the depths of the rain.
Xie Zhuo wasn't looking at him. The little demon hesitated for a moment, calling for people and exploring the water droplets falling from the sky. Just as she turned her head and took a step back, a clear voice came from behind her:
"It's raining, come back."
His boots landed heavily on the puddles, and raindrops blown into the corridor by the wind fell on his robes, sliding down the water-resistant fabric. The little demon, seemingly oblivious, bent down to catch the water droplets rolling off his clothes, his own hair getting soaked.
The cool touch of the raindrops on his scalp was completely unfamiliar to him. He completely forgot what the young man inside the house had said and ran up the steps into the yard.
Just as I reached the edge of the pond where the water was rippling, my foot slipped and I fell into the water in front of me.
But the surface of the pond was still covered with ripples from the falling raindrops. The little demon's body floated in mid-air, the rain curtain around her blocked by a layer of spiritual power, and she slowly drifted towards the house.
Xie Zhuo glanced at the little demon floating in front of him, pawing at the air like a turtle, and couldn't help but chuckle.
The curve of his lips caught the little demon's eye, causing her to pause for a moment, a look of suspicion flashing across her face. Then, as if understanding the mockery, she spoke up angrily:
"Immortal Lord, put me down."
The young man did as he was told and put the child down, but before doing so, he did not forget to use magic to dry the child's hair.
The moment the little demon landed, as he expected, she burrowed straight into his arms, but instead of finding a comfortable spot to settle in as usual.
He pressed down on the little demon that kept wriggling its pupa: "What's wrong?"
"My lord, it itches," the little demon said, pointing with her index finger to the spot where her neck and collar touched.
Xie Zhuo raised an eyebrow slightly, "You even know the word 'itch' now?"
Despite saying that, he still reached out and lifted Xiao Yao's collar, seeing a few strands of hair stuck to her neck. "Your hair is messy, that's why it's itchy when it's stuck to your neck. Go and have the puppet comb your hair for you." Xie Zhuo said as he helped Xiao Yao remove the hair.
"Fairy Lord, comb my hair." The little demon, now feeling more comfortable, stopped struggling and slumped onto the fairy's lap, bossing him around.
Xie Zhuo never made any demands on this newborn little demon. Upon hearing this, he simply placed the limp little demon on the futon in front of him and said, "Sit down, I'll comb your hair."
A translucent jade comb appeared in his hand. The little demon in front of him sat cross-legged on the futon, her back against his knees, not wanting to exert any extra force.
Xie Zhuo untied the hair tie on Xiao Yao's head, and strands of hair, not yet reaching her shoulders, fell through his fingers, with a few unruly strands sticking up.
The comb gently brushed against his scalp, and his fingers gathered the soft strands of hair, retying the hair tie.
"Immortal Lord, are you done yet?" The little demon propped her head up and yawned listlessly.
Xie Zhuo glanced at the neatly styled hair and was somewhat surprised by his own skill:
"alright."
As soon as the two words were spoken, the little demon lay down on the young man's lap, ignoring her newly tied hair. She wriggled a couple of times, and her entire demonic silk slipped into the Jade Immortal Lord's arms. She looked up at the jade comb in the young man's hand, which he had not yet put away.
Seeing that the little demon was staring at it, Xie Zhu handed the jade comb to her.
The little demon held the jade comb in her hands and played with it for a while, but then lost interest. With one hand holding the jade comb, she used the other to tug at the ribbon on the young man's clothes.
"Immortal Lord, what is this?"
He grabbed a pendant hanging from the young man's waist—a finely crafted safety buckle, its smooth texture barely larger than his palm, with two grayish feathers, one large and one small, dangling from it. This ornament, in both size and shape, seemed mismatched with the waist ornament.
Xie Zhuo raised a hand, cradling the little demon's palm. The rounded peace amulet lay in both of their palms, two feathers coiled around it. Half of the feather spilled from the child's small hand into his, causing a slight tickle that startled him. He abruptly closed his fingers, enveloping the object in his palm along with the child's hand:
"I don't remember... It was something I carried with me when I was in the mortal realm before I ascended to immortality."
This ornament was something he had with him when he woke up after his ascension, and he had always carried it with him in the past years. It was probably something he cherished when he was in the mortal world.
The coolness of the raindrops emanated from his palm. The little demon raised his other hand and covered the young man's clenched hand. He had never left the Jade Melody Palace since birth, and was inevitably curious about the mortal realm Xie Zhuo had spoken of.
What is the mortal realm?
Xie Zhuo loosened his grip on the bundle, removed the safety buckle, and put a new rope around the little demon's neck:
"Let me take you to see it."
As soon as she finished speaking, Xiao Yao, forgetting the extra thing around her neck, wrapped her arms around Xie Zhuo's neck and asked excitedly, "When are we going?"
"Now."
...
The Jade Palace was cleared up again, and sunlight streamed through the doors and windows into the unchanging interior, but the two figures were nowhere to be seen.
—
Xie Zhuo suppressed his cultivation level, and carrying the child in his arms, he appeared in a bustling mortal market.
The market was bustling with activity. He concealed his and the little demon's presence and blended into the crowd unnoticed.
The surrounding environment fell into the eyes of the little demon. Having never seen any life other than himself and Xie Zhuo, he didn't even want to blink. Everything he saw was unheard of. Unfamiliar sounds and smells challenged his narrow worldview. He stared at the bustling street in front of him for a long time without moving.
"Do you want to get down and walk by yourself, or do you want me to carry you?" Xie Zhuo raised his hand and waved it in front of the stunned child.
The little demon was watching intently, unable to think clearly enough to reply. She simply kicked her legs in his arms, and the young man, understanding her intention, put her down on the ground.
Despite saying he was leaving, the little demon was no more excited than seeing rain in this completely unfamiliar place. He cautiously held Xie Zhuo's little finger until he took two steps and realized that the ground beneath his feet was no different from that in the Jade Palace. Only then did he become lively and, like an ordinary person in the mortal world, he took Xie Zhuo's finger and approached the stall.
Xie Zhuo stopped at each stall, following the force of his hand. Xiao Yao usually only glanced at them before pulling him to the next stall.
"Immortal Lord, I want that one."
Xiao Yao stopped in front of a general store, pointed to the hair tie that the previous customer had bought, and looked up at him before speaking.
Xie Zhuo stared intently at the object the little demon was pointing to. It was a hair tie held by a little girl, with a sparkling bead hanging in the middle.
He politely declined the child's request: "That's for the little girl..."
“Young master, that’s too much. My hair ties aren’t just for young girls.” After finishing serving the previous customer, the stall owner heard the conversation between the two people who had stopped in front of the stall. He took out the hair tie that Xiao Yao pointed to from the stall and handed it to Xie Zhuo: “My hair ties are suitable even for young masters from the capital. Your son is so handsome, it will definitely suit him.”
The little demon looked at the beads hanging in front of her eyes, her hand already outstretched. Hearing the stall owner's words, she asked in a daze, "Who is your son?"
The stall owner smiled and held the bead down to his hand: "Of course it's for you, young master." The little demon happily took the shiny bead in his hand. Seeing his delighted expression, the stall owner coaxed him gently: "Take a closer look. If you like it, I'll have your father buy it for you."
Before Xie Zhuo could explain, Xiao Yao stared at the hair tie in her palm as the stall owner had instructed. After a moment, she tilted her head back, gently shook Xie Zhuo's hand, and said, "Daddy, buy it for me."
"I..." Xie Zhuo had just uttered a single word of explanation when he was completely silenced. His expression was complicated for a moment as he took out some silver to pay: "Keep the change."
The stall owner, delighted to see the extra silver, stuffed a silk ball into the little demon's hand, which had returned to the young man's arms, while casually chatting with his big customer: "How old is your son?"
The little demon held the silk ball in his arms and struggled to count it on his fingers. Before he could finish counting, Xie Zhuo's voice rang out above him: "Not even three years old yet."
"Father, I..." Before the little demon could finish her correction, the young man covered her mouth and pulled her into the crowd.
-----------------------
The author's note: This is how the bottom line is lowered again and again.
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