A thousand years had passed since the War of Immortals and Demons. Jingmie walked through the chaotic Demon Hall, rubbing his temples as he asked, "She's caused trouble again, hasn't she? Where is she?"
The maids in the Demon Hall all shook their heads.
Jingmie sighed. "Fine, I'll go find her."
He left the Demon Palace. The blue epiphyllum flowers of the Demon Realm were in full bloom, radiant and dazzling. Jingmie passed through the flowers, brushing aside fireflies along the way, until he found the little troublemaker at the edge of the forest.
She sat perched on a tree, her hair tied into two small buns with purple ribbons dangling down. Her fair, jade-like feet were covered in mud, swinging back and forth, the bells on her ankles tinkling crisply. A mosquito flew past her face, and without blinking, she reached out with her delicate little hand and squashed it.
The girl appeared to be about four or five years old, sighing like a little adult as she gazed boredly at the Barrier by the boundary stele. "Ugh."
Jingmie found it amusing. He approached, picked up the little purple shoes she had left on the ground, and levitated to clean her muddy feet with a purification spell before slipping them back into the shoes.
"Princess, why have you come here again?"
The girl turned her head and huffed in a childish voice, "Did they tattle on me again? Those useless idiots! All they know how to do is complain!"
Her face was adorable, with long, thick eyelashes, but she bared her teeth at Jingmie, trying to look fierce. "What's the point of telling you? You wouldn't dare lay a finger on me anyway!"
Jingmie replied, "Wouldn't dare, wouldn't dare."
The girl absentmindedly picked at the tree bark, her gaze fixed beyond the Barrier.
Jingmie pretended not to understand her thoughts. "The Lord of Beilai submitted a complaint. He said the Princess buried his beloved son in a swamp and made a pink flower bloom from his head. Even after he was rescued, he's been crying nonstop."
A mocking smile curled at the girl's lips. "So what?"
Jingmie continued, "Half a month ago, the Princess bullied the chubby daughter of the Gray Bear Spirit so badly that she was chased by Crimson Flame Bees. Last month, the Princess destroyed the Demon Pond of the Lord of Nanxiu. And the month before that, when the Princess visited the Crane Spirit's home, she nearly skewered their newborn grandchildren and roasted them."
The girl retorted impatiently, "But I didn't roast them, did I?"
Jingmie fell silent for a moment. "...If Jing hadn't intervened in time, the little demon cranes would have ended up in the Princess's stomach. Now, no one dares to invite the Princess to their homes."
In other words, little Princess, you have no friends left. The children of the Demon Realm have all decided to cut ties with you. Understand?
The girl pouted. "I never liked them anyway."
Her eyes, round and purple like grapes, shimmered with unshed tears. If Jingmie didn't know she was a little demoness, he might have thought she was genuinely upset.
"Now, the complaints against the Princess have piled up in the palace. When the Goddess returns, you'll be punished."
The girl swung her legs, falling silent. She kicked at the Barrier, sending ripples across its surface like water. With a mischievous grin, she punched it with her tiny, pink fist—a fist that carried immense force—yet the Barrier remained unmoved.
"Ugh, so annoying!" The girl leaped down from the tree and stormed off on her short little legs.
Jingmie glanced in the direction she had been staring. Beyond the Barrier lay the endless human realm, a place the denizens of the Demon Realm could not enter, and from which outsiders could not come.
With a sigh, he chased after the little troublemaker.
Instead of returning to the Demon Palace, she crouched on the ground, poking at an anthill with wide, curious eyes.
Rain was rare in the Demon Realm, and the ants, disturbed by her antics, scurried about in panic.
The little demoness smirked wickedly, summoning a dark purple flame in her palm.
Jingmie grabbed her hand with a headache. "Princess, the Goddess will be angry."
"Let her be angry! It's not like she cares about me anyway." The flame in her palm extinguished, but her clear voice nearly shouted.
Jingmie couldn't help but chuckle. So, she was sulking because the Goddess hadn't returned yet.
He crouched down. The little girl before him was so small, not even reaching his height while he was squatting. Her face was smudged with dirt, her eyes brimming with grievances, yet she stubbornly put on a facade of defiance and ferocity.
But with her chubby cheeks, how could she ever truly look "ferocious"?
Jingmie said, "I already told the Princess, the Goddess will return later this time. She went to the River of Wailing Ghosts in the Underworld. That place is treacherous—even for a God, it takes time to search through all the souls there."
Tantai Zimi retorted, "But she's been gone for so long! Every hundred years, she goes to all these dangerous places, fights beasts, visits some sea, and now the Underworld! Everyone says the Demon Lord is already Soul Scattered!"
Jingmie frowned. "Princess, you mustn't speak like that. He is our lord, your father."
Tantai Zimi could no longer hold back her tears. "I don't want a father! I just want my mother!"
Perhaps feeling embarrassed by her outburst—typical of a child—A Mi covered her face and ran off, wailing, "I'm not crying! I'm not crying at all!"
As the girl disappeared into the distance, Jingmie felt a pang of sorrow.
The Demon Lord had been gone for a thousand years. Under the Goddess's rule, the Demon Realm had enjoyed peace. The little Princess, born of divine and demonic blood, aged slowly. Though she was already a thousand years old and possessed formidable Cultivation, at heart, she was still a child who yearned for her parents' company.
The Goddess continued her search for Tantai Jin. She had tried countless methods. Once, she returned covered in blood, so weak she could barely stand. That incident had terrified the little Princess. Since then, every time the Goddess left, the little Princess would climb a tree to watch for her return.
This time, three months had passed since the promised return date, and the Goddess still hadn't come back. The little Princess grew increasingly irritable—mischievous by day, secretly crying into her pillow at night.
Jingmie understood her thoughts. The more trouble she caused, the more the Goddess would worry about her, perhaps staying in the Demon Realm a few extra years to discipline her.
Jingmie and Jing took turns caring for the little Princess. She was the Demon Lord's posthumous child, the only princess of the Demon Realm. Everyone cherished and respected her.
As long as the Goddess refused to give up on Tantai Jin, the Demon Realm held onto hope—hope that their lord would one day return.
His bones and blood had transformed into the Demonic Vein, ensuring the endless flow of Demonic Energy in the Demon Realm. Now, the demon children born here no longer had to spend their lives in hiding.
To the world, Tantai Jin was a hero. Yet, he never knew of the little Princess's existence.
No wonder A Mi was angry.
To her, the man who had never been part of her life was always stealing her mother's time.
Born a Goddess, noble and peerless, she often behaved like a wild child.
Even her bullying of the Gray Bear Spirit's daughter stemmed from envy—envy of their happy family.
With the Demon Lord's blood in her veins, the little Princess had many bad habits she couldn't shake.
The first rain of the Demon Realm fell when Su Su finally returned.
That morning, A Mi changed into a clean dress and sat obediently on a small stool, letting the demon maids dress her up. She was beautiful, a masterpiece of nature's craftsmanship. In her docile state, she melted hearts.
Several maids bustled around her, occasionally feeding her pastries.
A Mi sat on the threshold, her eyes wide and expectant, like a lost kitten waiting for its owner.
Jing walked over and stared at her expressionlessly for a moment, realizing the little demoness wasn't as troublesome as she'd thought.
When the child was just a baby, she could see through Jing's glamorous facade to the withered corpse beneath. Those clear eyes were like a demon-revealing mirror, unsettling.
But now, looking at her, she was just a kitten-like child.
A Mi held grudges, but she also forgot them quickly. The moment she saw Su Su, she cheered and hugged her legs.
Su Su bent down and picked up her small, soft daughter. "Did A Mi cause any trouble while I was away?"
The little girl shook her head vigorously. "Mother, A Mi missed you so much!"
Su Su's heart softened.
Chongyu flew over. "Did A Mi miss Chongyu too?"
A Mi chirped, "Yes!"
Su Su spent a long time with her, coaxing her to sleep.
The girl clung to the cloth tiger Su Su had brought back, refusing to let go, even pressing her cheek against it as she slept.
Su Su clutched her chest. Chongyu worriedly called, "Su Su."
"Shh, A Mi's asleep. Let's talk outside."
She left the Demon Palace, coughing lightly as she steadied her spirit.
As a Goddess, she had ventured into the Underworld, scoured the River of Wailing Ghosts, and finally understood how Tantai Jin must have felt back then.
The waters of the River of Wailing Ghosts were black and cold. But the most despairing thing in the world was not being able to find even a trace of that person.
The souls of mortals returned to the river after dispersing, but where would a Demon God's soul go?
The lonely grave in the Zhou Kingdom's imperial mausoleum couldn't even preserve a skeleton.
"Su Su, don't be sad. We'll find him one day," Chongyu comforted. "If you could return from death, surely the Demon God can too."
Su Su smiled faintly but said nothing.
Carrying a lantern, she went to the side hall to review the petitions.
During her absence, the Demon Masters would document major events in the Demon Realm through these petitions.
With A Mi asleep, it was the perfect time to go through them.
Many petitions detailed A Mi's mischievous antics. Su Su rested her chin on her hand, reading with amusement. To her, these were also milestones in her daughter's growth.
She understood the child's sensitive heart and knew A Mi acted out to keep her close.
But Su Su couldn't give up on Tantai Jin.
If even she gave up, what would become of him?
This time, Su Su stayed until midsummer in the Demon Realm.
With her mother around, A Mi became a proper, dignified little princess. Her hair was neatly styled, her clothes clean and tidy, and she stopped bullying other children.
Su Su personally made pastries from her memories of the mortal realm and had A Mi share them with the demon children. Gradually, they forgot past grievances and welcomed the little Princess back into their circle.
The little Princess played every day until her cheeks flushed pink.
In the evening, a spirit bird delivered a letter.
Outside the window, the epiphyllum flowers bloomed and withered. Su Su read the letter—it was from Qu Xuanzi.
Qu Xuanzi wrote that in the depths of the Lan Cang Sea lay a type of white fragrant stone said to be capable of reconstructing an immortal's skeleton.
But the Lan Cang Sea was vast, its depths littered with dangerous fragments of ancient Divine Artifacts. Even for a Goddess, venturing there posed risks.
Yet, Su Su's heart reignited with hope. No matter what, she would go.
The only thing holding her back was little A Mi.
The tiny girl, purple bells jingling at her ankles, ran in. "Mother, Mother, look what I got today!"
Her skirt was bundled up, filled with all sorts of gifts.
Chongyu spotted demon fangs among the presents and stifled a laugh. Some child must have stolen their father's prized fangs to curry favor with the little Princess.
Su Su kissed her rosy cheeks and held her close, watching the purple epiphyllum flowers bloom and fade outside the window.
"Mother always looks at these. Even Jingmie and Jing like to watch them," A Mi said. "But A Mi's seen them for a thousand years already."
Su Su patted the little girl's head. "For A Mi and the children of the Demon Realm, these are sights you've known since birth—eternal flowers under the sun, moon, and mountains. But for the demons, this peace was something they yearned for over tens of thousands of years. It was your father who gave everything to make it possible."
A Mi grumbled, "A Mi doesn't want to hear about that person."
Despite her words, her ears practically perked up.
Su Su's eyes softened with amusement. This habit of saying one thing while meaning another—who did she inherit it from?
"Because of your father, A Mi has a home now. You're the Princess the demons respect."
A Mi puffed out her cheeks. "Don't think A Mi doesn't know—Mother's going to leave again."
Su Su tapped her forehead. "A Mi, if even I give up on him, he'll never come home."
A Mi clutched Su Su's sleeve with her tiny, fair fingers.
"Then... then..." Deep down, she knew her father was pitiable. If Su Su abandoned her, her heart would shatter. "Then Mother has to come back early this time. And don't get hurt."
"Okay, I promise."
On a midsummer morning in the Demon Realm, Jingmie arrived as usual to take the little Princess for her morning lessons.
But the great hall was empty.
"Where's the little Princess?"
Logically, with the Goddess having just left, the little girl should have been on her best behavior for a while.
Yet, she was nowhere to be found. He teleported to the Barrier but saw no sign of A Mi.
Now even Jing began to panic. Frustrated, she nearly tore her hair out before a thought struck her. "Check if the Demonic Artifacts in the forbidden area are still there!"
The two rushed over and found the seal on the Marrow Cleansing Seal's pedestal broken, a tiny footprint left on the stone platform.
Jing nearly collapsed. "That little demon! Just wait till we catch her!"
The little Princess had stolen her father's Marrow Cleansing Seal, used it to open the Barrier, and followed Su Su to the mortal realm.
What were they supposed to do now? Though Jing often complained about the little troublemaker, the moment something happened, she was ready to beat even Jingmie up.
Jingmie chuckled nervously. "She's powerful. Even if she went to the mortal realm, no one could hurt her."
Jing snapped, "She's a child—equivalent to a five-year-old human, don't you understand?"
Humans were cunning. A single piece of candy could lure away their innocent child.
Jingmie panicked. "What do we do? We have to inform the Goddess immediately."
Su Su had just left the Demon Realm when she received word that her daughter was missing—having stolen a Demonic Artifact and fled to the mortal realm.
Frowning, she grasped the severity of the situation. Setting aside her trip to the Lan Cang Sea, she turned back to search for her daughter.
A Mi was naive, her mind and body still that of a child. Though mortals couldn't harm her, if she encountered immortals who recognized the Demonic Artifact on her, it would be disastrous.
The Marrow Cleansing Seal had opened the Barrier, masking the little Princess's aura.
Meanwhile, the little girl everyone was desperately searching for spat out dirt. "Ptooey!"
Unable to use Sword Control, she had ridden the enlarged Marrow Cleansing Seal to escape, only to face-plant upon landing.
After studying how to escape the Demon Realm for a thousand years, she had finally seized her chance.
Chin held high, hands on hips, she climbed a hill on her short legs.
She was going to find her father too. It wasn't just her mother who refused to give up on him—A Mi hadn't given up either!
As she walked through the mortal streets, she asked everyone she met, "Do you know my father? His name is Tantai Jin. He's very, very powerful."
Everyone shook their heads, stunned by the little girl's striking beauty.
She encountered a few shady characters who exchanged glances before grinning and claiming they knew him, offering to take her to him.
Overjoyed, A Mi followed—only to be bagged.
"This girl is gorgeous. She'll fetch a sky-high price no matter where we sell her."
A Mi gnashed her teeth in anger and promptly beat them all up.
Before they could react, the flying little girl had pummeled them until their heads were covered in bumps, then planted them in the ground with only their heads exposed, weeping bitterly.
Bad people! They didn't know her father and dared to trick her!
"You can come out when flowers grow from your heads!"
Left to search alone, A Mi wandered until exhaustion set in.
By dusk, she could no longer fight her drowsiness and fell asleep on a tree at the entrance of a small town.
A Mi was awakened by barking.
Looking down, she saw several large yellow dogs circling the tree, growling fiercely.
Curious, she observed them. These dogs resembled the demon hounds of her realm but weren't quite the same.
Her gaze shifted to a gray-clad man passing beneath the tree, carrying hunted game.
She nibbled her soft little fingers, tilting her head to study him.
He was tall—tall and lean, like a straight, cold bamboo. The plain gray robes did nothing to diminish his presence. He stood out in a crowd.
A Mi had never seen anyone like him. He was different from Jingmie, Jing, and everyone else in the Demon Realm.
The Demonic Artifact on her agitated the dogs, and soon, barks erupted throughout the entire town.
The man paused, sensing something, and turned to locate the source of the disturbance.
Atop the ancient tree at the town's entrance, a delicate, doll-like little girl blinked her watery eyes at him.
"Do you know my father?"
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