After the spiritual energy was restored: Goddess girlfriends came knocking.

When the capital of Tushan was undergoing changes.

Chang'an City was decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations.

After defeating the four-nation coalition, they were so busy receiving refugees and expanding the city walls that they didn't even have time to catch their breath.

In Pei Xiao's words, after repelling the four-nation coalition and Jiang Yan breaking through to the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm in one go, if they didn't get drunk, they would be letting down the brothers who died under the city walls.

Jiang Yan originally wanted to handle the matter discreetly, but was surrounded by people in the council hall who took turns persuading her.

Liu Qingyi was also there. Her injuries from the battlefield had almost healed, though she was still a little pale, but she was in good spirits.

He leaned back in his chair, unusually speaking without his usual lazy tone.

"You now represent more than just yourself. You represent the entire city of Chang'an, and even the human race of the Ten Thousand Demon Realm. After everything that has happened, we all need a celebration like this."

Jiang Yan pondered for a moment, then nodded.

As night falls, lanterns illuminate the entire city.

Looking down from the city wall, the entire city of Chang'an seemed to be supported by a river of light, with lights flowing along the main street all the way to the city gate, and then turning back to spread into the alleys.

The streets were lined with makeshift stalls selling sugar figurines, masks, and spiritual teas and fruits, with shouts of vendors rising and falling.

The children weaved through the crowd, chattering and comparing whose sugar figurine was the biggest, holding up the ones they had just received.

Cang Yao held Jiang Yan's arm, with Jian Li beside her.

The little girl held a string of candied hawthorns in her left hand and a sugar figurine in her right.

His cheeks were bulging, but his eyes kept glancing at the stalls next to him.

Cang Yao wore a light gold dress today, which made her already delicate eyebrows and eyes look even more dignified and noble.

She practically clung to Jiang Yan, her face pressed against his shoulder, occasionally pointing out a lantern for him to see, and then pulling him to the next stall.

"Husband, look at that lamp." Cang Yao pointed to a glass fish lamp on the street corner.

"purchase."

"That cake looks good too."

"purchase."

"that--"

"Buy them all." Jiang Yan pulled her closer to him to prevent them from being separated by the crowd.

Cang Yao looked up at him and smiled, her peach blossom eyes curving into two crescent moons.

Jian Li watched from behind, silently taking a bite of the candied hawthorn.

Many people recognized Jiang Yan, but they all tacitly refrained from approaching him.

They simply stood at a distance and watched, then lowered their heads and whispered among themselves to their companions.

"Is that the lady next to the city lord the city lord's wife? My goodness, she's so beautiful."

"Only a woman like this is worthy of our city lord."

"Of course! Who is our city lord? Is there anyone in the world he isn't worthy of?"

"A man like the city lord is worthy of even a celestial being."

"What are celestial beings? Our city lord is destined for ascension!"

The murmurs came from behind him, and Jiang Yan remained silent.

Cang Yao heard every word of these words, her lips curving into an uncontrollable smile. She hugged Jiang Yan's arm even tighter, her peach blossom eyes brimming with undisguised pride.

"My husband."

"Um?"

"I'm very happy."

"Um."

"How about we do this every year from now on?"

"it is good."

Cang Yao buried her face in his chest and rubbed against him.

On the other side, Jian Li secretly glanced at the two of them, her eyes filled with envy, and she gently bit her lips.

My master's wife is so clingy. I wonder when I can be as clingy to my master as she is.

Realizing she was having wild thoughts, her face turned red again.

……

late at night.

The banquet was in full swing inside the city lord's mansion.

Pei Xiao held a wine bowl and drank with Lu Zhanshuang, while a group of generals gathered around them, making a ruckus.

Cangwu sat in the corner, unusually not bothered by the noise of the group, and slowly drank a glass of wine.

Tu Shan Jing also relaxed and raised his cup to Jiang Yan in a distant toast.

Lu Fa and Tu Shanye brought over bowls of wine to pour wine for Jiang Yan, who accepted them all and drank one bowl after another, while the surrounding noise grew louder and louder.

Cang Yao sat to the side watching Jiang Yan, who was surrounded by the crowd, her eyes full of smiles.

As the banquet was drawing to a close, Jiang Yan noticed that Liu Qingyi was sitting alone on the stone steps outside the side hall, holding a wine pot in her hand, looking up at the moon.

He then took two bowls of wine and went outside.

Liu Qingyi took the bowl, clinked it with his, tilted her head back and gulped down more than half of it, squinting at the bright moon overhead.

"You did very well," Liu Qingyi said, her voice slightly hoarse from the alcohol. "Much better than I expected."

Jiang Yan didn't reply, but just stood quietly beside him.

"I am from the Vast Domain." Liu Qingyi's voice lowered.

"Back then I was young, and I joined the army on the border. I fought against the demon race for many years and killed a lot of demons." He paused, "Once I accidentally sneaked into an abandoned village and found a little female demon in the ruins, named Yu Yan."

Jiang Yan's hand, which was holding the wine bowl, froze in mid-air.

"She was this tall back then." Liu Qingyi raised her hand to her waist, the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes smoothing out. "I should have killed her, but she was too small, huddled in the corner, looking at me, neither crying nor running away, I couldn't bring myself to do it."

"I hid that girl."

He said it very softly.

"We went through a lot more later."

"I gradually discovered that the demon race was not all like what I had read in the books. Yu Yan would clumsily bandage me when I was injured."

"They would secretly slip roasted wild fruit into my food bag."

"She loves to laugh, and when she laughs, she has a shallow dimple on her cheek."

He stopped there.

Jiang Yan continued, "And then what happened?"

"Then one day, a man came to the battlefield, wearing our armor, but he was a traitor who had defected to the demon race."

"He led the demons in a night raid on our camp. Of the entire camp, only I survived."

"Yu Yan shielded me and caught the sword energy to save me."

His voice was hoarse.

"That traitor didn't kill me. He stood there looking at me and said, 'Living is more painful than dying.'"

"This leg was also ruined around that time. It could have been cured long ago, but I didn't want to. I kept it so that I wouldn't forget."

"Later, I drifted to the Demon Realm and eventually came to the Jiang family. That was how my life was supposed to be."

"Until you were born, until the day I saw him on the city wall, that man."

He paused for a moment, then said, "But since you killed him, I guess I got my revenge."

At this point, Liu Qingyi suddenly laughed and patted Jiang Yan on the shoulder: "You are my disciple, so it makes no difference whether you kill me or I kill you."

Jiang Yan picked up the wine pot and filled it for him.

"Anyway, thank you, Jiang Yan."

The two clinked glasses and drank it all.

Liu Qingyi remained silent for a while.

"There are some things I shouldn't have said," he said after a few seconds of pause.

"No matter what, don't let Tu Shan Ruoshui down."

Jiang Yan paused for a moment, then nodded.

Watching Liu Qingyi pick up the wine pot again, tilt her head back, and take a swig, a faint smile appeared on her lips.

Jiang Yan could see that the knot in her teacher's heart was loosening; the thing that had been suppressed with alcohol was personally unearthed during the battle beneath the city walls.

……

Meanwhile, outside Chang'an City.

A group of monks were passing through the city gate.

The leader was a woman with a cool and aloof appearance. Her white robe was trimmed with light blue cloud patterns, and she held a long sword that was wrapped tightly in a cloth cover.

She was looking up at the rows of lanterns on the city wall when a junior sister came up behind her, chattering incessantly.

"Senior Sister Zhou! You're always either in seclusion or practicing your sword, it's rare for you to come out like this."

"Look how high the city walls of Chang'an are! They're even bigger than our sect's! Apparently, it's a celebration these days. We're so lucky!"

"Senior sister, are you even listening to me? Senior sister—"

Zhou Caiwei looked away, a slight smile curving her lips.

"I heard you."