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Chapter 29: Going Home with Him — Accompanying the Demon Emperor to Rob

Between the ten thousand zhang peaks, Chen Moqing calmly held a snow white small beast, watching as this puffed up little fluffy ball scratched at his fingers and refused to let go, growing increasingly agitated with continuous mewing sounds.

He slightly raised his finger and gently stroked those round soft beast ears: "I never expected the customs of the demon realm to be so... peculiar. It's true that the upper beam sets the example for the lower beam."

Cang Shun met those eyes of his that contained a faint smile: 【...It has nothing to do with me!】

He had puffed up into one large dandelion again.

Angrily hugging Chen Moqing's finger, the more he thought about it with each step back, the angrier he became, his fur becoming increasingly bristled.

Chen Moqing buried his palm into that large swath of fluffed-up fur rising in the air and said: "Your Majesty the Demon Emperor hadn't told me before that in the eyes of the demon clan, we like this aren't quite proper."

Cang Shun: 【......】

The small fluffy ball turned into a guilty-looking small fluffy ball, shrinking into his chest: 【I didn't expect it either... the customs of the demon realm have actually become so twisted】

He muttered on and on about this, nothing more than things like "the world is declining in virtue," "truly didn't know," "it wasn't like this before," his round demon eyes filled with innocence.

He continued nestling in this young human's embrace, showing no intention whatsoever of moving away.

Chen Moqing listened to this Demon Emperor's soft chirping sounds and smiled faintly, saying nothing more.

Soft fur swayed gently in the wind, and the snow-white small beast sniffed the faint pleasant fragrance on the young human's body, then poked out a small head from between his arms.

High in the air, a barrier suddenly rose, countless bright red demon inscriptions layering and flowing, ninety-nine restrictions forming an impenetrable cage, sealing off a hundred li of land.

Cang Shun clicked his tongue and said: 【It's the Vermillion Bird again】

Chen Moqing said: "It seems the Vermillion Bird Demon King is very concerned about you."

Cang Shun: "???"

Cang Shun's fur puffed up again, looking extremely disdainful: 【You're not allowed to pay attention to him! He's not intelligent!】

Then he slapped out a paw and shattered the restrictions, then raised his hand to clear away the aura in this place, repairing the traces of the restrictions being broken. This way, no one noticed as the Demon Emperor openly returned to his own cave mansion.

A hundred li away mountains rose and fell undulating, vast and majestic, within a hundred li, the broad and flat mountainous terrain stretched endlessly, with only one ten thousand zhang peak standing solitary within it, surging toward the sky, piercing straight into the clouds, like a sharp blade pointing accusingly at the heavens.

The Demon Emperor's cave mansion.

Brilliant golden demon inscriptions encircled the ten thousand zhang peak, like an ocean of gold cascading inverted from the sky—this time, it was a restriction set by Cang Shun himself five thousand years ago.

Chen Moqing followed Cang Shun through the unobstructed barrier, his eyelashes drooping slightly, looking at this snow-white small beast with an unperturbed expression.

He did not know what the Demon Emperor, not yet three hundred years old five thousand years ago, was thinking when he set restrictions on his own cave mansion.

Had he already foreseen back then that he would sink his body into the Demon Abyss and never return home again?

His sleeve was gently tugged, and the snow-white small beast in his arms raised its head, turning toward him.

【My cave mansion... hasn't been tended to in a long time, it might be somewhat disorganized】

Cang Shun's voice was slightly low.

【Don't find it distasteful】

Chen Moqing said: "When I first met the Demon Emperor, I was still chewing on grass roots."

Cang Shun let out an "oh".

Then he definitely wouldn't let him chew grass.

Nor would he let him sleep on the ground.

At the midpoint of the ten thousand zhang peak, a magnificent gate towering a hundred chi high was embedded within thick mountain stone, its entirety made of black jade material, with dark gold patterns flowing through it. Upon closer inspection, those gold patterns faintly formed the shapes of swimming dragons, emanating vast spiritual energy.

Chen Moqing recognized at a glance that it was a gate carved from a single piece of naturally flawless Black Dragon Jade—in the upper prefecture, a piece of Black Dragon Jade the size of a fist could be auctioned off for a price of over a million spirit stones, yet the piece before him was already over a hundred chi tall, merely serving as the gate to the Demon Emperor's cave mansion.

He scratched the snow-white small beast under the chin: "So Your Majesty the Demon Emperor is wealthy enough to rival a region."

【This?】Cang Shun slowly swished his tail, scoffing, 【Robbed it from a blind loach who didn't have eyes, who told him to be no match for me, and he even boasted about swallowing me. I beat him until his face was bruised and swollen, and he cried very loudly】

Chen Moqing: "This matter is actually recorded in the historical texts."

Five thousand years ago, the Demon Emperor once had a battle with a notorious vicious flood dragon in the demon realm, fighting so fiercely that heaven and earth shook and the sun and moon lost their light—in the end the flood dragon was defeated and exiled to the borders of the demon realm.

Cang Shun, upon hearing this, quietly glanced at Chen Moqing.

He seems to remember things about me particularly clearly.

Does he... does he really like looking at things about me.

A fluffy tail swished back and forth, and for some reason wound around the young human's wrist.

Chen Moqing watched this Demon Emperor tilt his head and say nonchalantly: 【This is a cave mansion I dug out myself, in the entire demon realm, this mountain is the most beautiful】

Chen Moqing gently stroked the tip of the fluffy tail: "A hundred li plain, one peak surging toward the sky, truly magnificent."

Cang Shun hummed, his tail winding around the young human's wrist one more time.

The gate carved from Black Dragon Jade opened, revealing the true appearance of the long-sealed Demon Emperor's cave mansion.

The cave mansion was spacious and high-ceilinged, extending inward for an unknown number of zhang, as if horizontally tunneled through the interior of this peak. Due to years of being sealed and the restrictions in place, it had not gathered dust.

Chen Moqing entered while holding the snow-white small beast, somewhat surprised.

As the cave mansion of the Emperor of the demon realm, the interior furnishings were unexpectedly simple. Everything within sight was simple stone tables and stools, stone couches and stone beds.

The snow-white small beast jumped onto a stone bed so broad it could accommodate dozens of people lying down, slowly rolling around a few times, like a white tangyuan that had fallen into a pool.

Chen Moqing sat down by the bed's edge.

Hard as iron.

It was as if he had returned to those days long ago in the northern border of Zhou Kingdom, sitting on muddy ground and chewing grass roots.

He smiled.

Cang Shun: "……"

Cang Shun scraped at the stone bed and said: 【I made all of this myself!】

Chen Moqing looked at the uneven edges of the stone bed: "Yes, workmanship that rivals nature."

Cang Shun rolled around a few more times.

It seemed a bit poky.

Quietly crawled onto the young human's lap and quietly nestled down.

Though the cave mansion was in the mountain, it was not dark at all. The walls were embedded with dozens of enormous luminous pearls, and after the passage of a thousand years, they still radiated a lustrous glow.

Chen Moqing: "According to the historical texts, is this the spoils of war obtained from the great battle between the Demon Emperor and the leader of the merfolk?"

Cang Shun's tail tilted slightly upward: 【Precisely so. That old fellow lacked respect for his age and invaded the terrestrial demon tribes. I slapped him back into the sea with one paw】

Chen Moqing: "Indeed more domineering than what is recorded in the texts."

The snow-white small beast's tail tilted even higher, tugging at the young human's sleeve, gesturing for him to follow.

In the depths of the cave mansion, Cang Shun led Chen Moqing to another stone door and gestured for him to open it.

The moment the stone door was pushed open just a crack, brilliant golden light poured out from within.

Ten-thousand-year-old profound turtle shell, thousand-year merfolk silk, Vermillion Bird tail feathers, True Dragon scales, nine-revolution spirit wood, heaven-grade immortal stamens…Chen Moqing swept his gaze casually and saw no spirit stones, only supreme heavenly materials and earthly treasures that spirit stones could not buy. Any single item taken out and placed in an Upper Prefecture sect would become a treasure to guard the sect.

His tone rose slightly: "Your Majesty the Demon Emperor's valuable items, surely they were not all robbed."

Cang Shun: "?"

Raising his chest righteously: 【How can it be called robbing! They clearly weren't a match for me, and after begging for mercy, they actively handed things over!】

Then he raised a paw and tugged at the young human's sleeve: 【Like whatever you want, take it freely】

Chen Moqing indeed walked around in there, but did not take anything away, and came back out holding the snow-white small beast.

Cang Shun pawed at his sleeve: 【Nothing you liked?】

Chen Moqing: "Got spoiled for choice, I'll look again later."

Cang Shun let out an "oh" and said very generously: 【It doesn't matter if you take everything】

Anyway, placing things here or placing them on this person made no difference.

Chen Moqing smiled and stroked the fur of the snow-white small beast.

After touring the Demon Emperor's cave mansion, he returned to the stone bed and closed his eyes to cultivate.

This ten thousand zhang peak had extremely rich spiritual energy, making it an excellent place for cultivation, and this stone bed was precisely the spiritual eye of the entire mountain peak.

The young cultivator's dark robe fell like flower petals across the stone bed, his frost-white long hair draped down in winding trails, transforming into scattered white snow.

Cang Shun sat quietly beside him, staring unblinkingly at this person's focused profile.

In the future he would live here, so this place would need to be rearranged.

The human body was somewhat weaker than the demon body—although this person was not weak at all, but sleeping on soft bedding would be more comfortable, and he was probably also more accustomed to human-style furnishings and arrangements.

Cang Shun raised his hand again, gently playing with that ice-cold silken long hair.

When they first met, he had never thought that he would return home together with him.

In the blink of an eye, the time they had spent together was already…

Cang Shun suddenly remembered something.

Chen Moqing finished one round of cultivation, opened his eyes, and looked at the snow-white small beast that had jumped onto his lap, tilting its small head up at him.

【I'm already three hundred years old!】

Chen Moqing was somewhat surprised: "When was it?"

【A few months ago!】

Chen Moqing calculated the number of days, and at that time he had been focused on researching formation principles, indeed had not paid attention to time.

For practitioners of cultivation, tens of years pass like a snap of the fingers, let alone neglecting a brief year.

He gently pinched that fluffy paw: "A pity, I missed your birthday."

Cang Shun, upon hearing these words, turned his head indifferently.

【I never celebrate birthdays, that's something only demon cubs who haven't been weaned celebrate】

Besides, he had no father or mother, born of heaven and earth, and except for himself, no one would remember his birthday.

"I will remember it," in the next moment, Cang Shun heard that clear and pleasant, warm voice, "If there is an opportunity next year, I will celebrate your birthday for you."

Cang Shun: "……"

Well, okay then.

Actually he didn't particularly want to celebrate a birthday anyway.

But, since this person said it… then okay.

The snow-white small beast jumped onto Chen Moqing's arm.

He certainly wasn't anticipating anything, not at all.

He rubbed against this person's fingers, wrist, and sleeve cuffs.

Rubbing back and forth everywhere.

Chen Moqing picked up this small fluffy ball that had begun gently nuzzling him and stood up, saying: "Where is the nearest marketplace?"

Cang Shun thought for a moment before saying: 【To the east, approximately a thousand li】

Chen Moqing took out a talisman.

A space-spanning earth-escape Talisman.

The prosperity of the demon realm was much like the upper prefecture of the human realm. A thousand li to the east, an ancient city occupied vast territory, named the Eastern Emperor City.

In a restaurant within the city, they sold spiritual beast meat that was quite popular. A young demon client carrying a snow-white spiritual leopard borrowed the kitchen from the shopkeeper at great expense.

Two hours later, in the private room, the snow-white small beast jumped onto the table and paced back and forth two times.

One plate of white sugar cake, one dish of braised fish, one bowl of fresh fish soup.

"This place has no osmanthus," Chen Moqing said, "White sugar cake, I don't know if you will like it."

Cang Shun looked at him.

These were all made by this person's own hands.

Made for him.

"Consider it a belated birthday gift, Your Majesty the Demon Emperor, do not find it distasteful," Chen Moqing smiled slightly, "It has been a long time since I cooked, I don't know if my skills are rusty."

Cang Shun immediately said: 【Just looking at it, it's better than what those people make】

He buried his head and took a light bite of white sugar cake.

【!】

Better than osmanthus cake.

The snow-white small beast's beast ears suddenly perked up.

Chen Moqing watched this small fluffy ball buried in the plate and thought to himself, a little white sugar cake eating little white sugar cake.

Cang Shun ate several pieces of white sugar cake, then contentedly moved aside and eagerly took a bite of the braised fish.

【!】

Then took a sip of the fish soup.

【!!】

The snow-white small beast buried its entire head in the plate, eating heartily.

"It seems my skills are not rusty."

"Meow!"

Not long after, three empty plates were placed on the table, and the round and plump small fluffy ball moved to Chen Moqing's side, softly pressing against him, exposing its belly, rubbing against the back of his hand over and over again.

【When is your birthday?】

Cang Shun tilted his head, asking as if very casually.

Chen Moqing's tone was light and indifferent: "It has already passed."

Cang Shun stared at him unblinkingly, his gaze not shifting an inch.

After two seconds, Chen Moqing said: "When it comes to next year, I will tell you."

Cang Shun thought to himself, that works.

He raised his paw and hugged the young human's slender and fair fingers, gently pressing his head against them, rubbing for a while, then pressing them under his own soft belly, as if wanting to hide it away.

No wonder those demon cubs who hadn't been weaned always cried out during their birthdays.

The Demon Emperor thought lightly to himself, his tail behind him wagging rapidly.

He certainly wasn't happy, he was just… his mood was a bit good.

【I'll take you somewhere】

Chen Moqing: "To do what?"

【Rob… to get something】

Cang Shun said righteously.

Chen Moqing nodded: "Mm, on the first day in the demon realm, accompanying the Demon Emperor to rob."

Cang Shun: "……"

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