I am Guhuoniao, not an umbrella demon, please do not disturb me.

“Princess Goldfish, I’ve told you before, the Divine Phoenix cannot be easily dealt with. She is different from us, and her status in this world is very special. If you rashly ask her for help, it will only harm her in the end, do you understand?”

“I’ve always told you that your own strength is the most important thing. Relying on others is never a long-term solution. I hope you can understand that.”

Upon hearing this, Princess Goldfish hesitated, as if she wanted to say something to refute Lord Arakawa.

Arakawa no Nu saw this, but didn't say anything more.

"To grow, you must learn to be self-reliant and persistent."

"I won't listen, I won't listen, you're lecturing me again."

Princess Goldfish tried to run away, but Arakawa stopped her with a nod.

"I will handle the matter of Arakawa myself. I am the Lord of Arakawa, but I must tell you that the title of Lord of Arakawa..."

Having said that, Princess Goldfish ran off, landing on a large bubble on the water's surface and disappearing into the distance. On her face, the Lord of Arakawa saw a few tears, knowing she must have taken his words to heart.

He understood that Princess Goldfish had always wanted to ask the Divine Phoenix to resolve everything. The reason why Princess Goldfish thought this way was that she didn't want to lose the wonderful family of Arakawa, nor did she want to lose any member of the family. So when she heard that even the Divine Phoenix couldn't help and that taking rash action might harm her, Princess Goldfish felt lost, as if her last hope had been extinguished.

Lord Arakawa certainly wouldn't blame Princess Goldfish for not believing him, because he was indeed no match for the Four Symbols Sect.

Princess Goldfish arrived at a deserted island, sat on a large rock, hugged her knees, and curled up. She cried, cried very sadly. These tears were for Arakawa and for the Lord of Arakawa.

She kept saying that she didn't want any more of her friends to get hurt or die.

The Lord of Arakawa is naturally included in this category.

She didn't want anyone to get hurt, and she didn't want to see anyone die, especially the Lord of Arakawa, whom she described as either a big idiot or a complete moron.

Those bad guys were clearly there to kill him, so why did he insist on fighting back so fiercely, only to end up covered in wounds?

She knew that if things continued like this, the Lord of Arakawa would surely die at the hands of those people, but she could only watch helplessly.

As for herself, it would be considered very good if she could avoid causing trouble for the Lord of Arakawa.

The future is shrouded in darkness and despair. If Arakawa is destroyed, where will they go?

Princess Goldfish was destined never to find the answer to this question. In the days that followed, she kept running away. She became withdrawn and unwilling to talk to other demons, even the carp spirit, who was closest to her, could hardly exchange more than a few words with her.

This change is really big. You know, the old Goldfish Princess used to talk about ruling the world all the time. She was like a little clown, and she liked to get angry. Each time she got angry, it would never last more than five minutes. The longest she ever threw a tantrum was twelve minutes. The reason was that when the Kappa was distributing snacks, everyone got some but she was the only one left out.

She has maintained this state for three full days.

In three days, the Four Symbols Sect attacked twice, and more monsters died, including eight at once.

After learning about Princess Goldfish's situation from the carp spirits, Lord Arakawa didn't say much or try to comfort her.

Because he understood that the goldfish's time to grow up was approaching.

The price she will pay will be unbearable.

If she can pull through and overcome this, she will undoubtedly grow into a powerful demon who is in no way inferior to him. If she cannot overcome this, then the life of the Goldfish Princess will be utterly dark.

With his gaze fixed on a small island in the distance, Arakawa no Nushi could see the tiny figure of the Goldfish Princess.

If possible, he would like to wait a few years or even a decade or more, at least let Princess Goldfish grow up a bit more, at least let her live a few more years of innocent and happy life.

But life isn't something he can just do as he pleases.

Time waits for no one, not even the Lord of Arakawa.

In the past, his arrogant personality led him to believe that humans were foolish and insignificant. He always felt that he had to set his sights higher in order to become a true strongman.

But recently, he suddenly had a change of heart. He began to feel that a peaceful life is more valuable than becoming a strong person. What is difficult is to maintain this peace and tranquility.

What is the purpose of becoming strong? Isn't it to live a free and unrestrained peaceful life?

Another problem soon arose: how could one achieve such freedom and unrestrained behavior without considerable strength?

Leaning against an old tree on the shore, now shorter than before, Arakawa no Nushi opened his hands and then clenched them tightly.

"I'm sorry, little one."

"I promised you that Arakawa would exist forever, but I'm afraid I'll have to make it happen by you."

Dark blue power surged within Arakawa no Nushi's body. He had spent his entire life on a journey, constantly striving to become stronger. He possessed no special abilities that could unleash their full potential; if he had, he would have used them long ago instead of waiting until today. All he had was the accumulated skill he possessed.

With these resources, it is more than enough.

In most cases, it's not that you're not strong enough, but rather whether you're willing to pay the corresponding price.

Even death.

Arakawa no Nushi stood up, put his hands behind his back, and went to the boulder where he usually liked to stand.

From here you can see the entire Arakawa region.

Please vote for me, sob sob sob

Volume Two: The Journey of the Demon Scroll: Chapter Nineteen: The Road Ahead for Arakawa

Bai Qingyu was unaware of what happened in Arakawa, far away in Nanquanzhou, and didn't care. Ever since confessing to Zhentian, her life had undergone some strange changes. The day after the confession, she found Zhentian adorable no matter how she looked at her.

It's a kind of cuteness that I never noticed even after living together for so many years.

Aside from that, she spent a somewhat awkward day with Zhen Tian. After gradually adapting to the new relationship, life began to feel like a few strokes of color had been added to a painting, both exactly the same as usual and seemingly completely different from usual.

Bai Qingyu finally understood why newlyweds always have a honeymoon. Unfortunately, the word "honeymoon" was destined to be out of reach for her. There was nothing she could do; she could ignore the children and spend a whole night confessing her love, but she couldn't abandon them for a month.

"Auntie, hey, Auntie!"

The little hand waved up and down in front of Bai Qingyu, and when Bai Qingyu came back to her senses, she found that Yuzhanjin's small face, no bigger than a palm, was in front of her.

She was watching Zhentian air out her quilts and thought Zhentian looked really good in her dress today.

"What's wrong, Miketsu?"

"Um, Auntie, can I go out and play with Xiaoyao?"

"Of course, remember to come back before lunch." With that, Bai Qingyu took out a few taels of silver from her sleeve and handed it to Yu Zhuan Jin.

"Thank you, Auntie!"

With the silver in hand, Yuzhanjin and Xiaoyao happily went out, leaving Xiaoli and Bai Xiaoya, who was squatting on the ground playing in the mud, at home.

"Sister, is it alright for those two to go out on their own?"

After Zhen Tian finished airing the quilt, he came over and sat opposite Bai Qingyu. He gently poured Bai Qingyu a cup of tea and then pushed it towards her.

"Of course not. Even if something goes wrong, the two of them need to learn how to handle it. They need to grow and gain experience in facing the outside world on their own. If these small setbacks defeat them, then I'll be the one with the headache."

Bai Qingyu lay on the table, propping her cheek up with one hand, while the index finger of her other hand twirled a strand of her long black hair. "After I went to Arakawa, I didn't feel anything else, except for growth. I have a deep understanding of that. Raising children is not a simple thing, especially when it comes to their growth."

"Growth always comes at a price, but it's a necessary process."

"I don't wish for Xiao Yao and Yu Zhuan Jin to become powerful and influential demons. What I hope for most is that they can grow up with this mindset and shed their immaturity at the lowest possible cost."

Upon hearing Bai Qingyu mention Arakawa, Zhen Tian asked, "Didn't you say that Arakawa is currently fighting with the Four Symbols Sect of the human race? What's the outcome there? It's been several days, and that child, Goldfish Princess, still hasn't arrived."

Princess Goldfish only came twice, but she had a great time both times. Masahiro had a very good impression of her.

Before Princess Goldfish left, she told her to remember to come and play often if she had the chance. Princess Goldfish readily agreed, saying that she would definitely come if she had the chance, and she would bring her friends along.

"That child..."

Mentioning the Goldfish Princess, Bai Qingyu sighed softly, "I guess that child may never have the chance to come again. The Four Symbols Sect has officially started a war with Arakawa."

"Huh? Should we go help them? Is it okay to go to Arakawa?"

"I initially wanted to help. After all, Arakawa is our neighbor, not far from our Tongzhou. But the Lord of Arakawa wouldn't let me help. Didn't I tell you last time? This demon is quite bold. I'm worried he'll drag me down with him. He'd rather carry the burden alone than help."

When the topic of Arakawa came up, Bai Qingyu wanted to go and take a look.

The Lord of Arakawa doesn't want her to get involved, but if something goes wrong, she'll help take care of things afterward until Princess Goldfish grows up and can take on a major role.

Princess Goldfish is only a little older than Xiaoyao, yet she has to shoulder the entire burden of the Arakawa River. This is too cruel for her. Whether it is passive growth or being forced to bear the heavy responsibility of the Arakawa River, it is not something a demon of her age should bear. She is still young, and it is normal for her to maintain her previous liveliness.

That's how the world is; there's no power to choose, only the fate of being chosen.

With so many demons in Arakawa, why did the Lord of Arakawa choose the Goldfish Princess? Bai Qingyu guessed that it was probably because of the Goldfish Princess's talent. Looking at the entire Arakawa, although there are many demons in the demon register, the Goldfish Princess is the only one who is truly talented.

It's not that the other demons are particularly bad at talent, but they are far inferior to the Goldfish Princess.

Therefore, Arakawa no Nushi was also helpless. If he had a second choice, he probably wouldn't have chosen Kingyo-hime either.

Arakawa's burden is not something any demon can shoulder. Talent, strength, and prestige are all indispensable. There is no demon that can satisfy all three conditions at the same time, nor is there one that can satisfy two conditions. Only the Goldfish Princess is somewhat capable.

As for strength and prestige, those can be developed and cultivated gradually.

Anyway, she, the Divine Phoenix, will help hold things off for a while.

Standing up, Bai Qingyu reached out and took Zhen Tian's hand. "We really need to go check out the Arakawa area. Let's go now; it's not too late."

"Ah."

Zhen Tian nodded slightly. After giving some instructions to Cai'er beside her, Bai Qingyu left without hesitation, taking Zhen Tian's hand and disappearing into the courtyard in the blink of an eye, flying towards Huangchuan.

She hadn't planned to go to Arakawa today, but while thinking about Princess Goldfish, she suddenly thought of a possibility.

If I remember correctly, the Four Symbols Sect has attacked Arakawa four times in the past few days, each time lasting less than half an hour before ending abruptly.

If I'm not mistaken, this group wants to wear down Arakawa continuously before aiming for a fatal blow.

Arakawa isn't stupid. Faced with this situation, there's absolutely no way he can outlast the enemy. The enemy has abundant resources while he has nothing. So, in this situation, rather than being slowly worn down, the best course of action would be to fight head-on when he's at his peak.

This way, at least there's some hope; even if we can't win, we can still drag the other side down with us.

This has happened so many times already, and at such a high frequency, almost once a day. How could the Lord of Arakawa not see through the other party's intentions?

Since you've already figured it out, why did you insist on not fighting to the death?

It's impossible that they're waiting for Princess Goldfish to grow up.

If it's not Princess Goldfish, then the only person he's waiting for is himself.

Only when he arrives can he confidently and boldly fight with all his might.

Bai Qingyu hoped that her idea was wrong, because if it was, then it would be really troublesome.

Just as Bai Qingyu was thinking about this, he could see several figures fighting fiercely in the sky above the Huangchuan River from afar. Intense spiritual energy fluctuations spread out, and five figures were surrounding and killing one person in the middle. This figure being surrounded and killed was none other than the Lord of Huangchuan himself.

The opponent's strength was quite formidable, consisting of four Void Refinement cultivators and one Nascent Soul cultivator. These four Void Refinement cultivators stood in the four cardinal directions, with phantom images of the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise emanating from their bodies. While continuously suppressing the Lord of the Wild River, they were also releasing power to the old man in the center.

The five of them joined forces to defeat Lord Arakawa alone, without even sending out his disciples.

The previous deployment of disciples was intended to distract Arakawa, but today they are getting a little more serious.