Undoubtedly, the content on the bamboo slip resembled a diary.
Since Ye Yu’s departure, Nangong Jingtang had been recording her thoughts here.
Over the course of seven days, the first few entries spoke of longing and sorrow, but on the final day her emotions had clearly begun to unravel.
Her handwriting became utterly chaotic, allowing one to feel the crushing weight of her repression.
Ye Yu never imagined that their parting would inflict such immense psychological harm upon Nangong Jingtang.
Whispered murmurs at his ear?
Could it be that she had developed a heart demon?
By all rights, that shouldn’t be possible! Nangong Jingtang was a Demon King Realm expert.
With such formidable strength and her experience in cultivation, she would have faced every conceivable trial—how could she suddenly fall prey to a heart demon for no reason?
Ye Yu frowned, his gaze falling on the heartbound knots in the bamboo basket.
Each exquisitely crafted knot seemed to testify to Nangong Jingtang’s profound devotion.
He could almost picture her, alone in those lonely days, folding knot after knot.
In that moment, Ye Yu accepted Nangong Jingtang’s feelings in his heart.
He vowed to find her as soon as possible and spare her any further anguish of longing!
That very day, Ye Yu left the Peacock Clan’s territory and set out in search of Nangong Jingtang.
After three months of twists and turns—
Ye Yu had advanced into the late Immortal Lord Realm, yet there was still no sign of Nangong Jingtang, as if she had vanished entirely from the Demon Realm.
This made him increasingly anxious.
The Demon Realm was rife with powerful figures and fraught with danger.
Even a being like Ye Jizui, who had reigned for three hundred thousand years, could be assassinated—what, then, was impossible?
Ye Yu worried that something had befallen Nangong Jingtang.
If anything were to happen to her, he would never forgive himself.
Thinking of Ye Jizui, he felt regret—such a fine senior cultivator, yet even after so long no one had discovered his killer.
Everything was so bewilderingly shrouded in mystery!
Ye Yu could not help but sigh.
Just then,
a familiar aura surged toward him. Ye Yu turned, and a powerful force struck him, sending him stumbling back two steps.
Looking down, he saw Niu Erhua—whom he had not seen for some time—had leapt into his arms.
The force was so great that it was almost impossible to resist.
That little girl must have used some demon power to increase her speed—otherwise, with only Nascent Soul Realm strength, how could she have shaken someone at the Immortal Lord Realm?
“Big brother, I’ve found you again! Will you make me some river crabs to eat?” Niu Erhua’s voice brimmed with expectation.
Clearly, in her eyes Ye Yu was a walking gourmet.
Whenever she saw him, she got to eat delicious river crabs—hence her excitement.
Ye Yu easily guessed her foodie motive.
Since she was so direct, he had no trouble discerning her true intentions.
Without further ado, Ye Yu improvised on the spot, captured an unfortunate boar demon, and roasted a whole pig.
There was no water here, so crab was out of the question, but roasting a whole pig posed no problem.
As the aroma wafted through the air, Niu Erhua’s mouth watered.
In truth, what she ate mattered less than how delicious it was!
When she took her first bite of the roast pig, Niu Erhua knelt as she ate.
“Thank you for this blessing. Such a delicious meal deserves ceremony!”
Ye Yu, who genuinely liked this mischievous girl, gently patted her head and said, “Eat properly and stop putting on a show.”
He then asked casually, “Hmm, this is the northern part of the Wing Demon City—what are you doing here?”
Niu Erhua swallowed with effort, then answered earnestly, “This is my family’s territory! Of course I’d be here. But I didn’t expect to run into you—and I never imagined you could cook something more delicious than river crabs.”
“Big brother, meeting you is my good fortune. By the way, don’t leave tonight—this evening is the big day when I inherit the chieftain’s position. I’ll invite you to drink!”
At these words, Ye Yu raised an eyebrow.
“Who, chieftain? You? You’re only at the Nascent Soul Realm—how can you be chieftain?”
“Who says a low realm can’t be chieftain?” Niu Erhua tossed aside the pig bone in her hand and continued earnestly, “As the only daughter of my father, since he’s gone, I naturally must shoulder the chieftain’s role!”
Ye Yu nodded silently.
A father passing leadership to his daughter was not unheard of, especially in a small clan with few members—it wasn’t particularly strange.
Yet his assumption was quickly overturned.
By the time Niu Erhua finished the whole roast pig, five figures descended from the sky.
Each one towered impressively, and the demon aura around them was intense.
Three among them were Demon King Realm experts, and the remaining two were at the peak of the Immortal Lord Realm.
Such a lineup was nothing if not formidable.
The moment they appeared, they shielded Niu Erhua behind them and fixed wary gazes on Ye Yu.
“Chieftain, who is he?”
At the icy voice, Niu Erhua frowned and said to the man at their head, “Uncle Niu Li, don’t be so tense—this is a distinguished guest I invited. I want him to attend my chieftainship ceremony tonight!”
Uncle Niu Li fell silent for a moment, then spoke in a deep voice, “Chieftain, the inheritance ceremony is of great importance. It’s problematic if he isn’t from our clan.”
Niu Erhua shook her head repeatedly, then took Niu Li’s large hand and said, “I insist! I want Brother Ye Yu to attend my inheritance ceremony—he’s also Aunt Yue Wanqiu’s friend!”
Ye Yu felt his cheeks burn.
Great, his generation rank had just been demoted again!
No way was he going to let her keep calling him “brother.” She’d have to call him “uncle.”
Otherwise, how would he address her before Yue Wanqiu? “Aunt”? Too absurd!
Surprisingly, upon hearing that Ye Yu was a friend of Yue Wanqiu, Uncle Niu Li’s wariness visibly lessened.
He exchanged glances with his companions, then said in a low voice, “Since you’re a friend of ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) Lady Yue Wanqiu, it should be all right.”
“Friend of the Ye family,” he added, “by our chieftain’s order, we welcome you to our Manniu Clan to witness the ceremony!”
