“Teacher, teacher, that’s not how you tie it—slower, slower! One mistake and all your work is for nothing, so you must calm your mind!”
“This hand goes here, not there.”
“Stop. Move down three notches and secure it!”
Nangong Jingtang, passing a hillside, heard a childish voice. It was surely her clansman, Nangong Lin. Her memory of the youngster ran deep—he had been the one to teach her the heart-knot. But why was he here? And whom was he teaching now?
She hurried forward and found an unexpected scene: Nangong Lin and Ye Yu sitting cross-legged, each holding strands of red cord—the very material for the heart-knot. One instructed; the other learned.
Upon spotting Nangong Jingtang, Nangong Lin sprang up and bowed. “Greetings, Lord Nangong!”
Ye Yu merely glanced her way and remained ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) silent. This was a crucial moment: a heart-knot was nearly complete. Distraction now could ruin everything.
Nangong Jingtang signaled Nangong Lin to step aside, then approached Ye Yu, watching intently as he worked.
Moments later, Ye Yu finished the final weave. A perfect heart-knot lay between them. He placed it gently before Nangong Jingtang.
“In truth, this is very intricate,” he said softly. “I thought I’d been careful, but I failed several times. This is my only success.”
Nangong Jingtang’s body tensed as she regarded the knot. “Why did you suddenly decide to make this?” she asked cautiously.
Ye Yu smiled. “Is it not the Peacock Clan custom to express love? I intended to craft several to give you. Yet, of all this time, I made only one. Compared to the many you wove, I am slow. I hope you won’t mind.”
She shook her head, clutching the knot to her heart. One is enough. One is perfect. I accept your affection—please accept mine! She set her basket before him.
In Peacock Clan tradition, the highest token of love was a mutual exchange of heart-knots, each offering one to the other—a bond said to draw the Demon God’s blessing. Though Ye Yu had made a single knot, it still fulfilled the custom’s spirit.
That day, they became a couple.
But suddenly, the ground trembled violently. A pillar of five-colored light shot into the sky in the distance. Even from afar, Ye Yu and Nangong Jingtang saw it clearly—it came from Beast City!
Before Ye Yu could react, Nangong Jingtang’s jade bracelet snapped. Her heart sank; her expression hardened. Shang Jinleng’s seal had been broken—someone had tampered with it, or else he could never escape after three hundred thousand years!
She glanced toward her clansmen. Having sealed Shang Jinleng so long, she knew his vengeful nature: he would seek retribution at once. She must strike him down immediately, or he might absorb more demons and advance to the half-step Demon Emperor realm, becoming unstoppable.
With resolve, she entrusted Ye Yu to guard the clansmen and vanished. In her mind, Demon Lord was still Demon Lord—Ye Yu, at his realm, would be outmatched by Jinleng. Safety was paramount.
What she did not know was that Ye Yu’s Demon Lord realm was no ordinary one. Having opened his heart to her, he would not let her face danger alone. Without hesitation, he headed toward Beast City.
After three hundred li, a lone figure blocked the path: a slender, middle-aged man with white-streaked temples and the air of a scholar. His demon aura was as calm as still water, betraying no depth.
“Sheep Clan’s Ye Yu?” the man called. Ye Yu’s mouth twitched—he hated that title. Still, he replied coldly, “We’ve never met.”
“We’re strangers, yet I know of you,” the man said. “From the Bone-Dissolving Mountain justice fanatic to Beast City’s destined demon, many have watched you. A Sheep Clan demon lord under thirty is astounding. We planned to wait until you reached Demon King realm, but recent events compel me to meet you now. Would you join the Sanctuary? I’m Qiao Wensong, Seventh Elder of the Sanctuary.” He spoke with evident pride.
Ye Yu raised an eyebrow. “A Sanctuary elder?”
According to Nangong Jingtang, even a peak Demon King was only an Envoy in the Sanctuary. What realm, then, must an elder be? The demon qi resurgence had barely reached Demon King realm, not Demon Emperor. So Qiao Wensong was neither Demon Emperor nor half-step. Ye Yu pondered silently.
Qiao Wensong stiffened at Ye Yu’s silence. “Surely you have something to say? What is your realm?”
Ye Yu cut to the chase. Qiao Wensong smiled. “I’m merely at the peak Demon King realm—for now.”
Ye Yu’s lips curled in a half-smile. “‘For now,’ you wear that pretense well.”
