After teaching Ren Kurogane Tushan's sensory barrier technique, Honghong ensured that he would be able to carry out his mountain patrol duties independently, even when she had to leave Tushan for other matters.
One day, while Ren Kurogane was cultivating, Yaya appeared at his residence, sneaking around like a thief.
"Yaya?"
"Don't talk. Come with me!"
As she spoke, she pulled a black cloth over Ren Kurogane's head and forcibly abducted him!
"Mmph! Mmph!"
After struggling for quite a while, Ren Kurogane finally felt the ground beneath his feet again.
He removed the black cloth from his head and immediately demanded, "Yaya! Where are you taking me?"
Looking around, he could tell that they were definitely outside Tushan's territory.
"Where the hell have you brought me? Are we even still in the country?"
Yaya grinned proudly.
"Little Tiger! Today, we're not going to have an adventure inside Tushan. We're going outside Tushan!"
"Outside Tushan…"
Ren Kurogane's mind went blank.
He couldn't understand why he was here. He wasn't even a Demon Emperor yet. Going into the outside world at his current strength was practically asking to die!
Seeing him standing there in a daze, Yaya waved her little hand in front of his eyes.
"Little Tiger, what's wrong? Don't you want to come out and have some fun?"
"Of course I don't!"
Ren Kurogane grabbed Yaya by the shoulders and spoke with a serious expression.
"We're just weak little demons! If we leave Tushan's territory without permission and humans discover us, they'll capture us, skin us, and tear out our tendons! Besides, humans love soaking various animal body parts in liquor. And a strong, healthy tiger like me is exactly the kind of creature they love most…"
Ren Kurogane continued rambling, while a huge question mark appeared above Yaya's head.
"Demon King? Little demon?"
What did those two terms have to do with each other?
After all, Yaya herself hadn't even reached the Demon King Realm yet!
If Ren Kurogane hadn't broken through, she wouldn't have brought him along to play in the first place.
Yaya had known since childhood that the outside world was dangerous. Despite having grown up this much, this was her first time leaving Tushan's territory.
Smack!
Yaya slapped Ren Kurogane's hand away and frowned.
"I don't know what the future will be like, but right now, a Demon King is definitely a powerful figure in their own right! Nobody wants to offend a Demon King, so stop worrying!"
"That's just something people say! Do you know how many Demon Kings there are in this world? I'm merely one of them now! I'm still among the weaker ones!"
Looking at Ren Kurogane's anxious face, Yaya finally understood just how worried he really was.
"Looks like you have a serious misunderstanding about your own strength~" Yaya said. "Don't worry. Once you've seen enough demons, you'll understand how powerful you actually are."
Yaya knew there was no point trying to explain it to him. The only way to change his mindset was to let him see for himself how strong he was.
Just then, rustling sounds suddenly came from the bushes around them.
"Who's there?!"
Ren Kurogane immediately became alert, staring warily at the bushes.
He opened one hand, and an invisible blade of wind took shape in his palm.
As he remained on guard, a rabbit hopped out of the bushes.
Yaya was just about to breathe a sigh of relief and say something when a sharp wind blade shot forward, instantly slicing the rabbit in half!
"Eh?"
Yaya stared at the little rabbit, now split neatly down the middle, her mind completely blank.
"Hey! What are you doing?!"
Ren Kurogane immediately covered Yaya's mouth with one hand and warned her, "Don't shout! What if we attract humans or demons over here?"
Yaya struggled furiously, pried his hand away with her little hands, and took a deep breath.
"You idiot… You're being way too cautious!"
"I'm not! When you're out in the world, caution is the most important thing! Otherwise, you won't even know how you died!"
Ren Kurogane spoke with a solemn expression.
"I'll explain everything once we get back. Right now, the most important thing is to leave this place and return to Tushan!"
He released his demonic power to sense the surrounding area and discovered that although they had left Tushan's territory, they weren't very far away.
He immediately summoned a gentle breeze, lifted himself and Yaya into the air, and returned to Tushan's territory in the blink of an eye!
Only after landing did Ren Kurogane finally relax. He set Yaya down from his shoulders.
Yaya planted her hands on her hips.
"Now explain. What exactly are you so worried about?"
Ren Kurogane was just about to speak when another figure appeared behind them.
Honghong looked at the two of them and asked, "Did you two just go outside?"
Hearing her big sister's voice, the little fox Yaya shuddered. She stiffly turned around and met her sister's slightly angry gaze.
"Yaya, didn't I tell you before that you weren't allowed to leave Tushan?"
"Well… um…"
Yaya's eyes darted around before finally settling on Ren Kurogane.
Without hesitation, she pointed at him.
"It was him! He forced me to take him outside!"
"What?! Don't try to pin this on me! You're the one who forced me to go outside!"
"What do you mean I forced you?! You're a Demon King now! How could I possibly force you to do anything? You were the one abusing your superior strength and forcing me to take you outside!"
Honghong calmly watched the two of them blame each other. Her expression revealed nothing.
Only after they had both shouted themselves hoarse did she finally speak.
"Both of you are going into seclusion. Yaya, you aren't allowed out until you reach the Demon King Realm. As for Ren Kurogane…"
Honghong looked at him, unsure how to arrange his punishment.
Should she tell him to cultivate until he reached the Demon Emperor Realm?
That didn't seem very realistic.
After all, there were only four Demon Emperors in the entire world at present. That alone showed how difficult it was to reach that level!
In the end, Honghong said, "Forget it. Just continue your daily cultivation and mountain patrols. Next time, be more careful and don't let Yaya abduct you again. Nobody would believe that a Demon King had been kidnapped."
"Yes! Thank you for your mercy, Leader Honghong!"
Ren Kurogane was deeply moved.
Beside him, Yaya was practically grinding her teeth to dust.
Her big sister had openly taken Ren Kurogane's side! The Second-in-Command was furious!
Although her sister had made the decision, a devoted sister-con like Yaya would never blame her. Instead, she'd simply put all the blame on Ren Kurogane.
Ren Kurogane felt a chill run down his back.
He glanced at Yaya and forced a smile.
"Um… Sister Yaya, I'll bring you some pastries later!"
"Hmph!"
Yaya snorted and vanished in a flash of blue light.
When Ren Kurogane turned around, he discovered that Honghong had already left too.
"Those two…"
Ren Kurogane shook his head helplessly, transformed into a gust of wind, and returned to his cultivation spot.
For the next six months, Honghong took Ren Kurogane with her on mountain patrols every day, drastically reducing his personal time.
However, spending every day with Honghong gave Ren Kurogane a tremendous sense of security!
At least he didn't have to worry about Yaya bundling him up and carrying him away again.
As they walked across the grass, Ren Kurogane looked at Honghong ahead of him, his mind in turmoil.
Should I try to save Honghong?
During the six months they'd spent together, Ren Kurogane had keenly sensed the pain hidden within her heart.
It was an indescribable kind of suffering. It wasn't hatred directed at others, but hatred directed entirely at herself.
Simply put, Honghong wanted to kill herself.
For some reason, however, she had never gone through with it.
And that was why she suffered.
Ren Kurogane knew the source of Honghong's pain: the little Taoist priest she'd accidentally killed.
But even knowing the cause, he had no idea how to help her find redemption.
Was he supposed to do what Dongfang Yuechu had done and make Honghong fall in love with him?
Forget it!
Ren Kurogane wasn't interested in romance. At least until he reached the level of that Golden Pig, he had no plans to get involved in a relationship with anyone.
Walking ahead, Honghong frowned slightly.
Over the past two days, she'd noticed that Ren Kurogane seemed to want to tell her something. Yet he always hesitated and never managed to say it.
If it had been anyone else, Honghong wouldn't have bothered giving them a second glance.
But Ren Kurogane was different. What if he wanted to tell her something about humans and demons living together peacefully?
If he'd just tell me already, I could start taking action sooner!
Honghong was becoming a little irritated.
The two walked slowly along the mountain path, one ahead of the other, each lost in their own thoughts.
In the end, Ren Kurogane still didn't mention Honghong's inner turmoil.
What if he upset her and she kicked him out?
He had no intention of leaving his comfortable life behind to suffer out in the world!
I wonder how old Dongfang Yuechu is now… Forget it. I don't even know where he's living, so I wouldn't know where to look for him anyway.
Lost in his thoughts, several more days passed.
One day, while Ren Kurogane was cultivating, a sudden wave of cold swept toward him. He immediately opened his eyes, and a ring of gentle wind formed around his body to protect him.
"Sister Yaya, welcome back!"
Ren Kurogane smiled.
Standing before him was Yaya, who had finally broken through to the Demon King Realm. A thin layer of frost covered the surface of her red clothes.
She looked at Ren Kurogane with a broad smile.
"Come on! Let's go out and have some fun!"
The moment he heard the words go out and have some fun, Ren Kurogane became alert.
"Are we leaving Tushan again?"
"Of course! We're both Demon Kings now. Do you really think we need to worry about being beaten to death by a Demon Emperor?"
Yaya spoke as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"Besides, there are only four Demon Emperors in the world right now. Apart from my incredibly powerful big sister, one is in Tushan waiting for someone to complete their fate-binding, another was beaten to a pulp by my sister, and the last one is in the south. Even if we accidentally wander into their territory, they'll let us go out of respect for my sister!"
Ren Kurogane folded his arms and considered whether this was a good idea.
"But I'm responsible for patrolling the mountains now. I can't just abandon my post!"
Yaya's eyes curved into a mischievous smile.
"It's fine! Just go ask Sis for leave~"
Ask for leave…
What a nostalgic phrase.
Since transmigrating, Ren Kurogane had spent three years cultivating. After that, life had been so comfortable that he'd never even thought about asking for time off.
Now that Yaya had brought it up, he began to wonder whether he actually had any leave days available.
At Rongrong's office, the two stood in front of her with flattering smiles.
"So, you want to take some time off and go out to play with Sister Yaya?" Rongrong asked, her eyes widening in surprise.
She stared blankly at the two shameless troublemakers standing before her.
"Yes, yes! Lady Rongrong! I want to see what the world looked like in this era, too~ And with Sister Yaya protecting me, this is a rare opportunity! So… please?"
"Rongrong! I'm a Demon King now, too. If we go out into the world, we'll be practically invincible! You can relax and let us go!"
Yaya smiled confidently.
Just as Rongrong was struggling to decide what to do, Honghong walked in from outside.
"Let them go if they want to."
The moment Ren Kurogane and Yaya turned around to leave, Honghong raised her hand and sent two streaks of red light into their bodies.
"This is my magical power. If either of you is in danger of losing your life, I'll sense it immediately and come to your rescue."
Seeing that even Honghong was willing to let them go, Rongrong could only sigh.
"Since Sister Honghong has agreed, fine. But you two must be careful. If you encounter humans along the way, make sure you stay alert."
"Don't worry, Rongrong! When I'm out in the world, I won't easily trust anyone, whether they're human or demon!"
Ren Kurogane grinned.
"That's good…"
Rongrong had barely finished sighing when she looked up again.
Ren Kurogane and Yaya were already gone.
"Those two…"
She turned toward Honghong, only to discover that her sister was standing motionless, looking somewhat shocked.
"Sister? What's wrong?"
Rongrong's voice brought Honghong back to her senses.
After a brief pause, Honghong shook her head.
"It's nothing. I'm just surprised that Ren Kurogane has already reached the peak of the Demon King Realm."
"Hehe~ His cultivation talent really is incredible. He's even more talented than those of us demons born from heaven and earth. When he returns, should we let him comprehend the Tree of Acknowledgement?"
"Let's wait until he returns before deciding."
Soon, Rongrong was left alone again.
She sighed.
"Sigh~ Everyone's going out to have fun…"
By then, Ren Kurogane and Yaya had already left Tushan's territory and were flying off in a random direction.
"Hahahaha! We can finally go out and have fun without sneaking around!"
Yaya laughed heartily.
Ren Kurogane was delighted, too. He let Yaya climb onto his back, and the two happily soared through the sky.
After flying for quite some time, Ren Kurogane finally landed and let Yaya down.
"Sister Yaya, is there anywhere you'd like to go?" he asked.
"Me? This is my first time outside. How would I know where to go?"
The two stared at each other.
The next second, they started walking in the same direction as though they'd silently reached an agreement.
Since they had no destination, they might as well see where the road took them!
Several hours passed.
Just as the two were beginning to feel bored, they spotted what looked like a fairly decent household in the distance.
"Oh! There are finally people around!"
Ren Kurogane's eyes lit up.
But the next second, he grabbed Yaya, who was about to rush forward, and warned her.
"Sister Yaya, don't let your guard down!"
"Huh?"
Yaya looked at him blankly.
Ren Kurogane spoke with a grave expression.
"When it comes to mysterious little villages hidden deep in the mountains, we must be extremely cautious. Places like this, far from anywhere else, often conceal things that will eat you alive without even spitting out your bones!"
Hearing this, Yaya immediately understood what Ren Kurogane was getting at. Her entire body tensed.
"Then what should we do? Destroy the village?"
"No! There's no need to go that far."
Ren Kurogane smiled.
"Come on. Let's release some of our demonic aura. If they're ordinary people, they'll feel uncomfortable and treat us with respect. If they're cultivators, they'll probably turn around and run away."
"Got it! We need to show off our muscles."
"Exactly! You're a quick learner!"
The two exchanged mischievous grins.
Their demonic auras spread outward, stirring up a cool breeze as they swaggered toward the village.
At the village entrance, a child who had been playing with his own feces spotted two unfamiliar people approaching.
He immediately turned and ran for his life, shouting as he went.
"It's bad! Outsiders have found us!"