Su Su took a breath and said with a smile, "Lord Jingmie noticed that the Demon Lord enjoys Drunken God Brew, so he asked me to bring more."
She poured the Drunken God Brew into a cup and raised it to hand to Tantai Jin.
Tantai Jin's crimson Demonic Pupils swept over her face before settling on the wine in her cup. Su Su felt somewhat nervous under his gaze, her heart still holding an indescribable melancholy.
Su Su didn't know whether she hoped Tantai Jin would drink this cup of wine or refuse to take it.
She had come from Zhahe City to find him, wanting to pull him out of his loneliness and despised predicament, but she had ultimately arrived too late—Tantai Jin had already fallen into the demonic path.
Yet Su Su was the last God in the world.
She knew that what she was doing now would put her in opposition to him once more, and she couldn't fulfill her promise under such circumstances.
He was actually right—she was a liar.
Tantai Jin took the wine cup from her hand.
"Jingmie is thoughtful." The smile in his eyes faded slightly as his pale fingers swirled the cup, the fragrance of Drunken God Brew filling the entire bedchamber.
Just as the cup reached his lips, Tantai Jin casually set it down. Remembering something, he looked at Su Su and said softly, "Today is the Flower Festival in the mortal realm. Would you like to go see it?"
At the mention of the Flower Festival, Su Su abruptly raised her eyes.
He silently watched her, waiting for her answer.
Five hundred years ago on the Flower Festival, Tantai Jin had promised her a lifetime together. He had given her the position of empress, only to receive six Soul Extinguishing Nails in return.
These tens of thousands of days and nights had been his alone—his lifetime.
Ye Chu Feng had said he rescued their grandmother and provided for her until her old age, and Ye Xiao hadn't died either.
Su Su shifted her gaze from the wine cup and said quietly, "Alright."
The cold, heavy atmosphere between them dissipated slightly. The chilling aura around his demonic features lessened as Tantai Jin said indifferently, "Since we're going out, you can't go like this, little Demoness. This lord will change your attire for you."
He wrapped his arms around her right there, his sleeve sweeping past as a dressing table appeared before them.
Su Su looked closely—it was a mortal woman's vanity case.
The youth's fingers were slender and elegant as he picked up the wooden comb from the table and actually began to style her hair himself.
Trapped in front of him, Su Su couldn't see his expression and couldn't help asking, "The Demon Lord knows how to do this?"
Tantai Jin had already combed to the ends of her hair. He said calmly, "There's nothing I don't know how to do."
A child raised in the cold palace should know how to do everything.
Not only did he know how to style women's hair, he had even worn women's clothing—to survive, one must learn everything.
"This lord had several elder brothers in my youth," he said. "They were more lenient toward women than men. They told me that if I was willing to dress as a woman, they would let me eat my fill and dress warmly."
This was the first time he had spoken to Su Su about his past. Su Su couldn't help asking, "Then did you wear them?"
His comb paused for a moment before he laughed, "No."
Having witnessed how difficult his childhood had been, Su Su felt relieved hearing this. "Mm."
Tantai Jin's lips curled coldly.
He hadn't told the truth—he had worn a young palace maid's dress for seven full days. But they hadn't let him off; instead, they had intensified their humiliation.
Locked in a side room, completely drenched, then tricked into running before the emperor.
The emperor took one look at his attire, his face changing dramatically. After a long moment, he angrily waved his sleeve: "Absurd! A bastard will always be a bastard."
In the end, Jing Lan'an had appeared and saved his life.
From then on, he never again believed his imperial brothers' words. They had all died, one by one. The one who survived was him, this little bastard.These hands of his had killed many people, and to survive, he had gradually learned how to please others. Yet in this filthy world, only the person in his embrace made him willing to offer that pleasure willingly.
Tantai Jin styled her hair into an elegant chignon, picking up two crimson hairpins to secure them in her tresses.
He raised his hand, and a mirror materialized in his palm. "Take a look."
Su Su was surprised to find it quite beautiful—unlike when she wore white robes, she now resembled a peach blossom in full, radiant bloom.
Hesitantly, she reached to remove her veil.
If she kept the veil on at such a moment, Tantai Jin would surely grow suspicious. But just as her fingers brushed behind her ear, a cold hand grasped hers.
Tantai Jin said, "Leave it be."
He seemed unconcerned about what lay beneath the veil.
They stepped out of the Demon Realm.
As Tantai Jin had said, the mortal world was deep in night. In recent years, with the sudden rise of Demonic Beasts, the human realm was far less prosperous than before.
Dynasties had shifted—the Xia Kingdom from five hundred years ago was gone, the Zhou Kingdom had vanished, and every patch of land now belonged to new empires.
Hanba had brought unending drought to many regions, and Demonic Beasts had once slaughtered freely. Yet on this Flower Festival night, the streets were unexpectedly lively.
There were even fire dragon dances, children chasing after them with cheers, and young women laughing joyfully.
Taverns had opened for business, and lantern riddle games were underway.
Tantai Jin lifted his hand, and a drifting slip of paper landed in his palm. He chuckled softly, "Gentle rain falls timely as silk. Such are mortals—fragile and vulnerable, yet tenacious as wild grass."
They thrive endlessly. Mighty Gods have fallen, greedy demons have been sealed away, yet the weakest of mortals endure forever, generation after generation, reborn with the spring breeze—even certain customs preserved entirely.
Su Su couldn't tell if he meant it as praise or scorn, so she simply stood by his side, playing the role of an obedient little Demoness.
An elderly woman by the street called out to Su Su, "Young lady, come see these beads! On the Flower Festival, string twelve unity beads for your husband, and you shall never part."
Su Su turned her gaze to the so-called "unity beads." They were merely ordinary mortal trinkets, bestowed with auspicious meaning by a lovely name.
Su Su didn't approach. Nearby, a young couple stood—the woman earnestly selecting twelve beads while the man watched her with a doting smile.
"Young lady, why hesitate?" the old woman chuckled. "The gentleman beside you has been watching you all this while."
Su Su lifted her eyes as prompted and indeed met Tantai Jin's faintly amused gaze, which held a dangerous glint.
Only then did she remember—she was now disguised as a female Demonic Cultivator, and every female Demonic Cultivator under heaven naturally desired to be with the Demon Lord.
"Go buy them," Tantai Jin commanded when she remained still.
Su Su curved her eyes into a smile. "I came out in a hurry and have no money, Demon Lord. Surely we can't rob a mortal, can we?"
Tantai Jin watched her smiling eyes, untied the warm jade from his waist, and thrust it into her hand. "Use this."
"But it's—"
"I ordered you to go, so go! Must you waste words?"
Su Su had no choice but to clutch the priceless warm jade and trade it for a few ordinary beads with the old woman.
The old woman hastily protested, "This won't do, this won't do!"
With a quiet sigh in her heart, Su Su exchanged the jade pendant Tantai Jin had given for a single small pearl.
The pearl was still valuable, and the old woman beamed with delight, nearly offering all her beads to Su Su.
Su Su said, "I'll just pick twelve."While she was selecting the matching beads, Tantai Jin turned around and gazed toward the other end of the street.
Reflected in his Demonic Pupils was the image of that person.
The once proud son of heaven was now trapped in a prisoner’s cart. Several Monster Exterminators stood by, solemnly declaring that the person in the cart was a Demonic Beast who had previously killed many and had now lost his demonic power.
The Flower Festival was already bustling, and with the common folk’s deep-seated hatred for Demonic Beasts, the moment they heard the prisoner could no longer resist, they swarmed forward, hurling objects at the cart.
A cold smile curled at the corner of Tantai Jin’s lips. What a coincidence to encounter Gongye Jiewu in a place like this.
Look at how filthy this mortal world is. When circumstances change, even someone like Gongye Jiewu, who once cared for all living beings, could end up like this.
Su Su approached and asked, "What are you looking at?"
Just as she was about to glance over, Tantai Jin said indifferently, "Nothing. Where are the beads?"
Su Su opened her hand, revealing twelve lustrous, gleaming beads in her palm.
The thought that the person she once loved was now in such a wretched state at the other end of the street stirred an uncontrollable surge of malice within him.
"String them together before giving them to me."
Su Su paused, her eyes lowered. She knew full well that there was no future for her and Tantai Jin, and she had no desire to leave behind such a token.
In the nightmare demon’s dream, she had once used a phoenix feather to make a sword tassel for him, but the tassel was never completed, and she had never waited for Cang Jiufeng.
"Demon Lord, I am merely a lowly Demonic Cultivator. I may perish at any moment. This symbol of unity should be reserved for your future Demon Queen."
"Do you think I would believe in such things?" he sneered. "My Demon Queen will naturally receive far better. Whatever I desire, I need not beg from anyone."
After listening to his disdainful words, Su Su blinked and said, "Since it’s something the Demon Lord scorns, then I won’t give it to you."
His expression turned cold, his gaze fixed intently on her.
Su Su suppressed a laugh and lowered her eyes. "Stringing beads takes time."
Tantai Jin realized she was teasing him. For a moment, he seemed lost in thought—it had been so long since he had seen such a lively Su Su.
An indescribable feeling welled up in his heart.
"Let’s go," he said, turning away first, his tone detached.
The young girl hurried after him. "Wait."
Suddenly, a warm piece of jade was pressed into his palm. He heard her soft, laughing voice say, "After all, this is something to be kept close. Take good care of it. It’s not worth exchanging for a few beads."
Seeing him remain silent for so long, Su Su looked at him curiously.
Tantai Jin forced out a hoarse reply. "Mm."
Even if it was only a stolen moment of warmth, he found himself content. In truth, how much hatred remained? He knew all too well that his resentment stemmed from unfulfilled desires. The moment she showed even a hint of response, the long-dead parts of his heart would begin to revive with renewed vitality.
The malice in his heart vanished without a trace, and suddenly, Tantai Jin dared not let Su Su linger any longer.
He feared she would see Gongye Jiewu, feared she would pity another. He had already spared Gongye Jiewu once—how could he bear to see her return to his side?
As long as he lived, she could only belong to him.
His fingers slid down, clasping her hand tightly. Lowering his gaze, he said, "Let’s go back."
Amid the laughter and chatter on the street, the next moment they found themselves in the cold, desolate Demon Realm.
Time moved much slower in the Demon Realm than in the mortal world, and it was still a frigid, lonely night.
As if afraid she might change her mind, Tantai Jin sat beside her, watching as she strung the beads.Su Su had never intended to deceive him over such a trivial matter. She threaded the twelve beads one by one with a red silk cord.
This scene inexplicably overlapped with the nightmare demon's dreamscape. She silently continued stringing them.
Chongyu, hidden on her person, noticed that each bead passing through Su Su's hands was ultimately imbued with a faint white glow.
It was an invisible essence—what was originally an ordinary mortal bead bracelet gradually came to genuinely contain a God's blessing.
Yet it was a pity that a God's blessings could never manifest upon themselves.
Chongyu suddenly felt there was something pitiable between them, for Tantai Jin would never know this secret.
After stringing the beads, Su Su placed the bracelet in Tantai Jin's palm. She knew that having shown compassion today, it was no longer appropriate to take the thumb ring. She would have to find another time tomorrow.
She bowed and prepared to leave.
Suddenly, her hand was grasped, and something was placed in it.
The black-robed Demon Lord said coldly, "A return gift. You may go."
Su Su lowered her gaze—it was a dark, lustrous thumb ring.
She suddenly dared not look up. So Tantai Jin had known—he had known everything all along.
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