How could a mother and son, separated for a thousand years, possibly get along well immediately after they had just met?
Yu Lijing glanced at Yu Xinyi, sighed softly, and left without saying anything.
"Wait a moment." The Demon Lord suddenly spoke up, "This is the Venerable Lord. For thousands of years, the Demon Realm has benefited greatly from the Venerable Lord's protection."
Upon hearing the Demon Lord's words, Yu Lijing turned around, her icy gaze sweeping over the Demon God before she curled her lip and said, "As the Demon Lord, you actually have to rely on outsiders to protect the Demon Realm. How... humph."
Yu Lijing didn't say what came next, but her two hums made the Demon Lord's expression change.
Yu Lijing's contempt for the Demon Lord was so great that she didn't even bother to hide it.
"It seems you don't recognize me." Mo Yun didn't care about Yu Lijing's attitude and said with a gentle smile.
Yu Lijing frowned slightly: "Do I recognize you?"
Even when facing the supreme demon god, Yu Lijing felt no awe whatsoever.
“I have a deep connection with you.” As he spoke, Mo Yun reached out and touched his forehead. The flame mark that had just disappeared reappeared, so clear that Yu Lijing was shocked and stared at him in disbelief.
"How did my mark end up on you?" Yu Lijing asked incredulously.
That flame mark was her personal mark.
Only her relatives, or people who have special meaning to her, will have this mark.
"You did me a great favor back then, and I promised to repay you," Mo Yun said calmly.
The Demon Lord suddenly realized and looked at the Demon God. No wonder the Demon God helped the Demon Realm without saying anything back then, and that help lasted for a thousand years.
Despite experiencing so much, the Demon God never backed down and always put the demon realm first.
"I have done you a great favor?" Yu Lijing frowned, trying hard to recall, but her thoughts were in a mess and she couldn't remember any details from the past.
The more I thought about it, the more my head ached, and I was already sweating profusely.
“To you, I was just an unknown nobody back then,” Mo Yun said slowly as he sat there. “However, I will definitely repay the kindness I received back then.”
"A thousand years of protection, two tribulations across the Three Realms, that should be enough, right?" Mo Yun's words startled the Demon Lord.
What does the demon god mean by this?
A thousand years have passed, and the demon god has protected them for so many years.
If we're talking about two tribulations across the Three Realms... the first time the Demon God appeared counts as one, so does the second one refer to this one?
In other words, after this, will the Demon God no longer protect the Demon Realm?
"Your Majesty, do you mean... to leave the Demon Realm?" the Demon Lord asked in surprise.
He was completely unprepared. Over the years, the demon realm had become accustomed to the protection of the demon god, and such a sudden departure caught him completely off guard.
"Not immediately, but after this matter in the Three Realms is over." Mo Yun turned his head to look at the Demon Lord, speaking in a conciliatory manner, without saying that he would leave immediately.
Having done this much, we have absolutely done our utmost.
If the demon god were to turn around and leave now, no one could do anything to him.
The demon god stayed in the demon realm voluntarily to protect it.
Even the Demon Lord doesn't have the power to keep the Demon God.
"Your Excellency, this matter is too sudden. Let's discuss any issues after this matter in the Three Realms has passed." The Demon Lord was the last person who wanted the Demon God to leave.
Yu Lijing had been watching the Demon Lord and the Demon God talk, and only then did she speak up, "Demon God?"
Mo Yun turned to Yu Lijing, nodded slightly, and softly hummed in agreement.
"So it's the famous Demon God." Since leaving the forbidden area, Yu Lijing has heard the words "Demon God" the most every day in the royal city.
With just a casual inquiry, one can find out what role the Demon God has played in the demon realm all these years.
Moreover, after leaving the forbidden area, she clearly felt that the spiritual energy of the demon realm was so abundant, completely different from when she was the demon lord, it was like heaven and earth.
She had always thought the Demon God was some kind of three-headed, six-armed being, but she never expected him to be so splendid, making it impossible to look away.
"I don't remember ever doing you any favors." Yu Lijing was often confused, but if she had ever met such a dazzling man before, she would never forget him.
"When I met you, I was worthless, just an insignificant nobody," Mo Yun said with a smile. "What? Don't you remember me at all?"
Yu Lijing slowly shook her head, unable to recall ever having met such a person, no matter how hard she tried.
"If you were a mediocre person, why would I have left my mark on you?" Yu Lijing's mind was a little confused, and she was vague about the past, but that didn't mean she was stupid.
For such a powerful demon god to dedicate himself so wholeheartedly to protecting the demon realm, he must either be mentally unstable or have ulterior motives.
Yu Lijing's question was reasonable and indeed raised a "suspicious point" regarding the demon god's protection of the demon realm.
All eyes were on the demon god, eager to hear his answer.
Mo Yun smiled gently and said slowly, "The mark was left by me at my request."
beg?
Everyone gasped, finding it hard to believe that this word was associated with a demon god.
Yu Lijing looked at the Demon God with a strange expression, slightly raising her eyebrows and waiting for his answer with a questioning look.
Mo Yun smiled slightly, not finding anything wrong with what he had just said: "Because I don't like to owe anyone anything."
"It seems the favor you received that day was immense." Yu Lijing smiled slightly, quite pleased to see such a thing.
Regardless of what she did to help the demon god that day, the reward she received today is well worth it.
"Everyone must be tired today, let's rest first." The Demon Lord said, his questioning only directed at one person, which was naturally the Demon God.
“Alright.” Mo Yun knew that the Demon Lord was not in the mood to talk about the Demon Realm right now; their family matters were enough for them to discuss.
Mo Yun got up and pulled Liu Lanyan away, arriving at the palace where he was resting in the royal palace.
Inside the side hall, Yu Lijing called out to Yu Xinyi, "Xinyi, come with me, let's have a good chat."
"I'll go see Mother in a bit." Yu Xinyi continued to refuse, causing Yu Lijing to frown.
She naturally wouldn't get angry at her own son, but she took it all out on the Demon Lord, glaring at him fiercely before turning and leaving.
After they all left, only the Demon Lord and Yu Xinyi remained in the side hall.
"Father..." Yu Xinyi called softly.
"Xinyi, go back and rest first." After saying that, the Demon Lord suddenly seemed to remember something and added, "Don't think too much. Your mother just has a bit of a temper... All these years, living in the forbidden area, your mother has had a very hard life."
"For the safety of the demon realm, your mother secluded herself in the forbidden area. Your mother was a good demon lord, so don't blame her. She also wanted to take care of you. When she left, she cried, unable to bear leaving you..."
The Demon Lord spoke to Yu Xinyi almost incessantly. As Yu Xinyi listened to the Demon Lord's words, his gaze grew increasingly deep, and a strange light flickered in his eyes.
"Father," Yu Xinyi spoke, interrupting the Demon Lord, "What is it?"
The Demon Lord asked Yu Xinyi curiously, then thought of a possibility: "Father didn't lie to you, it's all true."
"I know," Yu Xinyi nodded and said in a deep voice, "I just want to ask, why is Father still defending Mother?"
The Demon Lord didn't immediately grasp the meaning behind Yu Xinyi's words and looked at him strangely.
"Why does Father still protect Mother after she treated him like that?" Yu Xinyi felt a dull pain in his heart, as if a rusty knife was slowly cutting into his heart, drawing blood. It hurt so much...
Upon hearing Yu Xinyi's question, the Demon Lord was taken aback for a moment, then laughed: "What nonsense are you talking about? That's your mother."
Yu Xinyi said nothing, but stared intently at the Demon Lord. His focused gaze caused the smile on the Demon Lord's face to slowly freeze.
The Demon Lord tried his best to maintain a confident smile, but unfortunately, he failed. In the end, he couldn't even keep up the stiff smile and had to put away his painfully stretched lips.
After a long silence, the Demon Lord sighed softly, "Xinyi, you should leave the matter between your mother and me alone."
"Father, I'm not a child anymore," Yu Xinyi asked. "Isn't my performance today enough to earn your trust?"
The influence he has gradually built up over the years is enough to show that he has the ability to take on responsibilities.
The Demon Lord remained silent for a long time before slowly and laboriously asking, "Xinyi, have you ever liked someone?"
It's really strange to talk about this with my son, but Yu Lijin's attitude today has hurt him a lot.
Yu Xinyi slowly shook his head. He might have had feelings for some women, but he hadn't reached the point of liking them.
"When you truly like someone, you'll find that you become someone you don't even recognize." The Demon Lord chuckled self-deprecatingly. "Father knows that your mother didn't have me in her heart. Back then, she only chose me because I was very strong."
At this point, the Demon Lord laughed: "Xinyi, your father was also incredibly powerful back then. Although he didn't have the same prestige as the Demon God today, he was still the number one person in the Demon Realm."
Yu Xinyi nodded: "I believe it. Father is now the number one person in the demon realm."
Even though he knew it was Yu Xinyi's flattery, the Demon Lord still smiled happily. To receive his son's affirmation was better than any other honor.
"There's no reason, I just like her." The Demon Lord sighed softly, "So... I'll do anything for your mother."
"Don't hold a grudge against your mother. She was also doing it for the sake of the demon realm, just with slightly harsher methods. However, as the demon lord, you can't protect the demon realm if you're not ruthless."
The Demon Lord chuckled self-deprecatingly, "Your father's abilities aren't strong now, otherwise there wouldn't be a Venerable Lord protecting the Demon Realm."
"Alright, stop thinking about it so much. Whether Yu Jinshuo's forces are as peaceful as they seem is still a worrying matter." The Demon Lord didn't intend to talk much about his relationship with Yu Lijin, but instead shifted the focus to matters concerning the Demon Realm.
After all, things need to be prioritized, and besides, if Yu Lijing's matter is brought up again, Yu Xinyi will dislike his mother even more.
"Go and rest. We can talk about anything else tomorrow." Urged by the Demon Lord, Yu Xinyi bowed and withdrew.
Inside the side hall, only the Demon Lord remained, sitting alone in the main seat. The empty side hall felt increasingly cold, making him feel a chill run through his body. The chill that emanated from his very bones made him close his eyes wearily and lean back in his chair to rest.
In the palace where the demon god rested, Liu Lanyan sat there as usual, showing no intention of asking any questions.
"Lanyan." Mo Yun handed a cup of warm tea to Liu Lanyan.
Liu Lanyan smiled and accepted the drink, then lowered her head and slowly sipped it.
"When I met Yu Lijin, I didn't have the abilities I have now; you could even say I was at the very bottom of the social ladder." Mo Yun decided to be honest with Liu Lanyan, even if she didn't ask, he wanted to tell her anyway.
"Because of her, I had an opportunity to become who I am today." Mo Yun said slowly, as if he were talking about someone else. Perhaps it was because so much time had passed that he had forgotten how he felt that day.
"Therefore, I must repay the demon realm." Mo Yun was very calm, but he would never fail to do what he was supposed to do.
"A thousand years, two great calamities in the Three Realms—this is the repayment I promised her in my heart." Mo Yun said, while carefully observing Liu Lanyan's reaction. "Lanyan, are you angry?"
Liu Lanyan quickly shook her head: "I already thought of that. You must have some connection with the demon realm."
As she spoke, Liu Lanyan laughed again, which puzzled Mo Yun, who asked curiously, "What are you laughing at?"
"I'm so happy." Liu Lanyan put down her teacup, turned her head and reached out to gently pinch the Demon God's cheek. It was so nice to pinch, she couldn't bear to pinch it a few more times. Seeing the Demon God's fair cheeks turn slightly red, she felt great.
Ignoring the little hand playing on his cheek, Mo Yun asked, puzzled, "What's so exciting?"
"I'm glad you're a grateful person, not ungrateful or irresponsible." Liu Lanyan was very satisfied with the Demon God's actions.