Gu Yuncheng ordered the battlefield to be cleared and the fallen soldiers to be taken back to their homeland before ascending the city walls.
Looking at the land, sky, and forest, stained red by so much blood, Gu Yuncheng felt a mix of emotions. This was a battlefield in the demon realm, where they had defended against attacks from outer demons countless times, each time suffering heavy losses. He felt reluctant, but there was no other way. If they didn't hold the line, more would die if the demons broke into the demon realm.
This time, they had won, but they had lost half their soldiers.
Gu Yuncheng's heart grew heavy. He dared not look again at his citizens lying in pools of blood and fled into the city, heading for the most magnificent building there.
In a room on the top floor of the building, a man bearing a six-tenths resemblance to Gu Yuncheng lay on a bed. He was not old, but he looked weathered. The man was severely injured, his face pale, and a beautiful woman was tending to him. The beautiful woman looked at the man on the bed with worry, her face showing undeniable fatigue.
The moment Gu Yuncheng pushed open the door, the beautiful woman noticed him. She offered Gu Yuncheng a strained smile and asked with concern, "Cheng'er, have they retreated?"
"Yes."
"That's good." The beautiful woman then turned her gaze back to the man on the bed, no longer looking at Gu Yuncheng.
Gu Yuncheng stepped forward, cast a concerned glance at the man still lying motionless on the bed, and then sat beside the beautiful woman. He said, "Mother, you have been taking care of Father for many days, and you must be tired. Go and rest. Your son is here."
"No," the beautiful woman shook her head. She finally looked at Gu Yuncheng again and instructed, "Cheng'er, you have just come from the battlefield and are also very tired. You should go and rest. Your Father is here with Mother. You have to manage the battlefield and the demon realm, but don't forget to take care of yourself. Don't wear yourself out."
"Mother, don't worry. Your son can still manage."
"You brat, your mother told you to go rest, so go rest. Why so much talk?" The man lying on the bed had woken up by now and spoke to Gu Yuncheng without any politeness.
Seeing that the man had woken up, the beautiful woman paid no attention to Gu Yuncheng and focused entirely on the man, asking with great care, "You're awake. Does your wound still hurt? Do you want some water?"
Seeing the beautiful woman's concern for him, the man said gently, "My dear wife, do not worry. Your husband is fine. The wound does not hurt, nor do I wish for water. You have taken care of your husband for many days; you have worked hard."
"How have I worked hard? I've only changed your dressings. It's you who suffered such a serious injury." As she spoke, tears began to fall.
The man quickly comforted the beautiful woman, completely ignoring Gu Yuncheng, who was sitting beside them. Gu Yuncheng, looking at the couple, felt that he was used to this. Truly.
After calming the beautiful woman, the man looked at her and said, "My dear wife, you have been worried. It is my fault."
"Let's not talk about that. It's good that you are alright. Get well soon; the city needs you to manage it."
Completely ignored, Gu Yuncheng thought, "I miss Luo Luo."
The couple spoke for a while longer before the beautiful woman remembered she still had a son. She said to the man, "Speaking of which, after you were seriously injured, I immediately sent word to Cheng'er, and he came right away. He just came from the battlefield. The outer demons have retreated."
Upon hearing his wife mention Gu Yuncheng, the man finally deigned to cast a glance in Gu Yuncheng's direction. Seeing Gu Yuncheng still there, he said irritably, "You brat, didn't your mother tell you to go rest? Why are you still here?"
"Fine, I'm an eyesore to my father here. I'll leave now."
Gu Yuncheng rolled his eyes inwardly but maintained a neutral expression. He said, "Yes, Father. Your son will go and rest immediately."
"Wait a moment." The beautiful woman stopped Gu Yuncheng, who was about to leave, and asked, "Cheng'er, you came in such a hurry. Does Luo Luo know?"
"Replying to Mother, your son told Luo Luo that something had happened in the outer realms, and she told me to come."
"By the way, you brat, with Luo's talent, isn't it about time she could go to the battlefield? You must instruct her well. The battlefield is dangerous, and she must be extremely careful. Also..."
When it came to Ling Luo Yi, the man was more concerned than he was about his own son, talking endlessly about battlefield precautions. The beautiful woman listened carefully, nodding in agreement from time to time.
Gu Yuncheng looked at the two of them, unsure of what to say. They weren't this attentive to their own son. When he went to the battlefield for the first time, his father had thrown him directly into the midst of the outer demons. He had barely managed to save his life.
Despite his internal complaints, Gu Yuncheng patiently listened to the couple's nagging. Although Luo Luo had fought against outer demons, it was only in training simulations, which were different from real outer demons. Luo Luo had been to the battlefield before, but she hadn't fought. Some things required the experience of those who had been there for years. His father and mother, the former Demon Emperor and Empress, had been fighting the outer demons for tens of thousands of years, so their experience was very rich.
The former Demon Emperor, having spoken until his throat was dry and feeling he had missed nothing, looked at his son and found him displeasing in every way. He said irritably, "Alright, everything that needed to be said has been said. You go and rest. Remember to tell Luo all these things, understand?!"
"Yes."
Gu Yuncheng returned to his room and lay on the bed, but he did not rest. Instead, he kept thinking about Ling Luo Yi. He was still bothered by Ling Luo Yi's lack of disappointment and slight relief when she heard he was leaving. He didn't know why. Was he putting too much pressure on her?
Meanwhile, with Qiu Yuanxi already asleep, Ling Luo Yi was suffering from insomnia. She stood by the window, looking at the clear and bright night sky, her eyes filled with confusion.
"Master, what's wrong?" Little Feng Xi transmitted, sensing Ling Luo Yi's chaotic emotions.
Ling Luo Yi stood by the window. The wind in the early March night was still a bit chilly, but it had no effect on her. She let the cold wind blow on her, feeling as if it were blowing away her jumbled thoughts. Ling Luo Yi transmitted, "Little Feng Xi, I don't want to hide things from A'Su anymore. Whether he loves me or hates me, I don't want to pretend to be this way to face him anymore."
Upon hearing this, Little Feng Xi was startled and asked, "Master, are you going to reveal everything about yourself?"
"Little Feng Xi, don't worry. I won't say anything that involves you."
"Master, that's not what I meant." Little Feng Xi quickly explained, thinking Ling Luo Yi was unhappy.
"I know. It's just that I also want to live without a burden on my mind. Actually, I used to live this way. I'm just returning to my former self."
"Master..."
"I'm not a sentimental person, but I care about A'Su's opinion of me. I'm afraid he'll think I'm cruel and heartless, so I was afraid of being discovered and developed this sentimental personality. Before I went into seclusion, I didn't think there was anything wrong with this personality, but now I feel truly tired."
"But Master, the Demon Emperor has seen your true self. If he really minded, why would he like you?"
"Yes, he has seen it, and because he has seen it, he likes me. But why would I overlook this point?"
"Master, perhaps you yourself feel you are not worthy of the Demon Emperor. That's why you overlooked it, wanting to become someone worthy of the Demon Emperor. You restrained your personality, and slowly you got used to it and couldn't find your former self."
"So I want to live as myself again." Ling Luo Yi's eyes were clear, without any hesitation.
"Mm!"