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

I wonder where this kid came from, and whether he has any connections.

"Auntie, who was that person just now?"

Chang Sheng sheathed his sword, beads of sweat on his face indicating that he had expended considerable energy.

“That annoying guy has been watching me for over ten days, thinking I would hurt civilians. He even tried to fight me before, but I always managed to get rid of him. If you hadn’t come today, I would have chopped him up.” Bai Qingyu took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from Changsheng’s face.

"Come on, go home."

"Ah."

Even after returning home, Changsheng didn't forget to look back in the direction the young cultivator had left, seemingly having a deep impression of him.

Bai Qingyu didn't interfere much. She had come to terms with things these days; children will eventually grow up and become independent, and it was best to let go when the time was right. It was also a good thing that Changsheng had found a companion; having a friend with you when you're out and about would save you a lot of trouble.

Bai Qingyu changed her mind about the nameless kid, thinking he was a hothead. She suddenly felt that being a hothead wasn't so bad. At least she didn't have to worry about him scheming against Changsheng. With his intelligence, he would definitely be completely controlled by Changsheng.

Back in the courtyard, Bai Qingyu sat on a tree branch, weaving a new paper umbrella with some materials in her hand. It was no longer the wooden umbrella she usually made. The biggest difference between the two was that one was made of wood and the other was made of oiled paper.

Compared to wooden umbrellas, oiled paper umbrellas are lighter and more rainproof.

This is another way for her to make money besides fortune telling.

"Sister Bai, would you like some tea?"

Zhen Tian stood by the table brewing a cup of tea. During this time, she had nothing to do at home, so she learned to weave umbrellas from Bai Qingyu. She had prepared most of the materials that Bai Qingyu had.

"Wait for me to get down." After fixing the umbrella ribs, Bai Qingyu jumped down from the tree.

It was a really nice feeling to spend a wonderful afternoon drinking tea with Shinten.

However, to Bai Qingyu's surprise, an uninvited guest arrived outside the courtyard on a normal, peaceful afternoon.

Bai Qingyu was sipping tea when she suddenly heard a somewhat familiar voice coming from outside.

"Oh, isn't this Little Holly?"

Outside the small courtyard, Lin Yimiao peeked out and called out to Dongqing, successfully diverting Dongqing's attention. Lin Yimiao waved at her, "I'm here!"

Dongqing was still practicing his sword in the courtyard when he heard the sound. He turned his head and saw Lin Yimiao in a Taoist robe standing outside the courtyard, waving happily. He didn't know if she was just passing by or had come to investigate intentionally.

"Go ahead and see what she wants from you." Bai Qingyu propped her chin on her hand, not intending to interfere.

Let's hear what they have to say first. How could Lin Yimiao have found us by such a coincidence? She certainly didn't believe it. The Tianyang Palace was located in the east of the city, while her little courtyard was in the west. It was too unbelievable that they could bump into each other like this.

"Sister Lin, is there anything I can help you with?"

Having just finished sword practice, Dongqing's nose and forehead were covered in sweat, and he put away his longsword.

Lin Yimiao looked a little embarrassed, clearly not just passing by by chance. "Um, it's nothing. I was just looking for someone and happened to see you when I passed by."

"Oh, I see."

"You've already started practicing swordsmanship."

"Yes, that's right. I also want to become a sword immortal like Sister Lin."

"Haha, forget about me. My cultivation is still very weak. You should learn from your aunt. Her cultivation is amazing."

"But Aunt doesn't carry a sword."

"Even without a sword, you're still a sword immortal. By the way, have you always lived here?"

"I'm only staying here for a short time. My aunt said I can practice swordsmanship here, so I'm staying here."

Bai Qingyu overheard the two girls' conversation. Lin Yimiao only mentioned one key piece of information: she was looking for someone. Bai Qingyu thought of that clueless young man from that morning; he was probably here to see this guy.

The girls continued chatting. Dongqing had a fairly good impression of Lin Yimiao, unlike Changsheng who stood aside and ignored her. It was clear that Lin Yimiao also liked Dongqing quite a bit, and later she even took the initiative to invite Dongqing to go on a mission together to see the daily life of the Tianyang Palace disciples.

As soon as Bai Qingyu heard this, he knew he was in trouble. Sure enough, the little girl looked over with her expectant eyes, her face practically screaming "Can I do it?"

Many of the books Bai Qingyu bought for Dong Qing contained stories of cultivators traveling the world with swords to eliminate demons and protect the righteous path. These stories left a very deep impression on Dong Qing when she was young, and she longed for such a life. Now that she had the opportunity to meet these legendary cultivators, she was naturally excited and looking forward to it.

"Wait a minute, I'll go ask my aunt."

After saying that, Dongqing hurriedly ran to Bai Qingyu's side, "Auntie, Sister Lin invited me to play at the Tianyang Palace's residence. Can I go? I will definitely take good care of myself. Now that I have a sword, I can be considered half a sword immortal."

To be honest, Bai Qingyu was really in a dilemma.

If it were the old her, she definitely wouldn't have agreed. How could a twelve or thirteen-year-old girl be allowed to mingle with a group of cultivators? Besides the danger, who would be responsible?

"Holly, the life of a monk might not be quite what you imagine."

"I want to go see Auntie, please let me go, I'll definitely be back before dark!"

“This…” Bai Qingyu hesitated.

After putting away the demon sword, Changsheng came over and said, "Aunt, let Dongqing go if she wants to go. Otherwise, she'll be thinking about it all the time and won't be able to practice her sword skills. You know her personality."

If Dongqing misses this opportunity, he'll probably lose his appetite and sleep again.

"Sigh, go ahead, come back before dark. Otherwise, never come back." Bai Qingyu sighed inwardly.

"Great! I knew Auntie was the best."

Holly cheered and skipped away.

What she didn't know was that Bai Qingyu's hesitation wasn't entirely due to concern for her safety. Tianyang Palace cultivators didn't have to slay demons and monsters every day. Even if they really had to deal with some kind of evil monster or demon cultivator, no matter how bad-minded Lin Yimiao was, she would know to keep Dongqing away.

The main point is that once this initial step is taken, there will soon be a next time, and the time after that, and countless times.

Bai Qingyu wasn't bragging, but with Dong Qing's talent and Dao heart, he could definitely get into Tianyang Palace through connections. Some of those random elders and peak masters would definitely be tempted.

“Aunt, Dong Qing is not young anymore. She knows these things herself. Let her choose this path herself.”

Chang Sheng spoke, revealing what Bai Qingyu was thinking.

After Dongqing went to the Tianyang Palace's residence, Bai Qingyu didn't know what had happened, but she returned very happily with a bottle of pills. It seemed that the disciples at the Tianyang Palace's residence had a very good impression of her. According to Dongqing herself, the older sisters at the Tianyang Palace were very friendly, and they even taught her swordsmanship, helped her find some mistakes in her swordsmanship, and told her some cultivation techniques.

Dongqing gained a great deal from this, and her cultivation became twice as effective with half the effort. Even Bai Qingyu had to admit that everyone has their own expertise, and as a demon, she really couldn't have seen through Dongqing's problems at a glance like the cultivators at the Tianyang Palace.

The following period went exactly as Bai Qingyu had predicted. Lin Yimiao frequently came to see Dong Qing, but for a while afterward, she didn't need to come anymore. Dong Qing could go there on her own by wearing a sign indicating the location of the Tianyang Palace on her waist.

For a moment, Bai Qingyu didn't know what to say. Dong Qing was well taken care of at the Tianyang Palace's residence, and his cultivation level increased visibly.

This is similar to how Dongqing had always been practicing on her own with a textbook, but now that a teacher is suddenly explaining things to her, her talent has naturally led to rapid improvement. Therefore, it's no longer possible to stop her from going to the Tianyang Palace's headquarters at this point.

Not only Dongqing, but Changsheng has been going out of the county town almost every morning these days to fight one-on-one with that young cultivator named Yang Xiuye. The two really did become friends after fighting, and by the end, it was just a pure exchange of skills and ideas.

Bai Qingyu had gone out with him once and witnessed that the cultivator named Yang Xiuye ​​was almost brainwashed by the idea of ​​immortality. If it weren't for his age, Bai Qingyu felt that this guy would at least call Changsheng "Big Brother." Now he calls him "Brother Liu."

At this point, one child had leaned towards the demonic path, while the other had begun to lean towards the righteous path.

Changsheng believed that the cause of eliminating demons and protecting the righteous world was all a lie. Peace and prosperity were achieved through bloodshed, and before that, one's own strength was the most important thing. Without strength, one was nothing and could not even protect one's own family.

Dongqing's philosophy is basically the same as that of Tianyang Palace: everything is for the sake of all living beings.

Time flies, and more than a month has passed in the blink of an eye.

Having stayed in this small county town for over two months, Bai Qingyu wasn't in a hurry. Anyway, it was very dangerous outside. A group of cultivators dispersed and killed any demons they encountered.

The world is vast, and even within the area surrounding the Immortal Pagoda State, such a large number of cultivators scattered around would be like fine sand thrown into the ocean, disappearing in the blink of an eye. That being said, Bai Qingyu was reluctant to take the risk, because he had also heard that things were about to end in the Immortal Pagoda State, and the demon race of the Hundred Thousand Mountains had finally realized they had fallen into a trap.

The Demon King was trapped in Immortal Tower State, but he took full responsibility for his actions. He dealt with the cultivators who pursued him after he set fire to the capital; he didn't summon his lesser demons. Instead, people from various sects falsely claimed to be acting on the Demon King's orders, luring the demons out to their deaths.

Demons are generally not very bright; they still blindly rush into such an obvious trap.

Lesser demons are dealt with by the outer disciples, while stronger demons are dealt with by powerful cultivators once they enter the Immortal Tower State.

After so many years, the monsters of the Ten Thousand Mountains finally realized the trap, but it was too late.

Bai Qingyu felt that there were very few monsters in the Ten Thousand Mountains, and most of them died here.

The area of ​​the Ten Thousand Mountains is vast, the domain of the demon race. However, it is extremely difficult for ordinary wild beasts to become demons. The growth time of children born to demons is almost three to five times that of humans. As a result, no matter how many demons there are, there will not be enough to kill.

The fact that they've persisted for so many years shows that the demons of the Ten Thousand Mountains are indeed something special.

Upon learning this news, Bai Qingyu instinctively thought that there might be a traitor among the monsters of the Ten Thousand Mountains.

Everyone says demons are stupid, but they are just straightforward. Calling them stupid is an understatement. The fact that no one has been found to be falsely conveying the Demon King's orders over the years means there must be a problem within the demon realm.

Think about it, isn't this the same tactic that humans have always used? When it comes to playing mind games with humans, the demon race is far inferior.

The demon king finally couldn't hold on any longer. After learning that countless demons outside had died because of him, he was said to be going to fight to the death with the cultivators outside.

"A demon king like him can't be that stupid. Burning down the capital is tantamount to courting death."

Bai Qingyu sat at the table and deduced to Zhen Tian, ​​"There must be something that made him extremely angry, not from the cultivators but from the Great Spirit Dynasty."

"The current situation is that the human cultivators are clearly surrounding the demon race without killing them, and their aim is to kill the entire demon race. The demon king did not choose to fight to the death under such humiliation, but only decided to fight to the death now. There must be a reason why he absolutely cannot die."

"In summary, it was something the human race used to trap the demon king."

Bai Qingyu tapped her fingers lightly and rhythmically on the table, while resting her cheek on her other hand.

"I can't think of anything other than love that could drive a demon king to this level."

"Love?" Zhen Tianzheng stared at Bai Qingyu's small hand, then looked up with a puzzled expression when he heard this.

“Yes, love.” Bai Qingyu gazed into the direction of the Immortal Tower State. “The power of love is the most terrifying, the most terrifying of all. Even those with the strongest cultivation will find it difficult to extricate themselves from it, and may even be willing to give up everything.”

"Love can turn a person into a god or a demon in an instant, and make them do things that seem impossible to outsiders."

At this point, Bai Qingyu paused.

"For example, Zhen Tian, ​​if you fall deeply in love with someone, and then one day that person is suddenly killed, and you know that the murderer is hiding in the capital, and at this time you also have the power to destroy the world, you will also change your current personality and vow to avenge your love. As for the Demon King, his personality is definitely proud and aloof, how could he stand this?"

Bai Qingyu reached out and pushed the cup on the table over. "That's why the capital was burned down."

“Love…” Zhen Tian looked at the cup on the table that Bai Qingyu had pushed over.

If I fall in love with someone...

Seeing that Zhen Tian was starting to worry about this, Bai Qingyu said, "It's just an example, don't mind it."

"Mmm." Zhen Tian nodded obediently.

I couldn't help but wonder, what would she do if Bai Qingyu were killed or captured? Would she watch over her or avenge her?

Zhen Tian spent the entire day thinking about this problem. Bai Qingyu noticed that she was distracted throughout the afternoon and thought that what she had said had frightened her, so she specially made some of her signature pastries to comfort her.

·

For the first month of the two months, Bai Qingyu spent almost all her time in the city telling fortunes and treating patients. Because she was accurate, there were long queues every day when she went to her. In the later days, Bai Qingyu found that the people who came to her for fortune telling were mostly parents with children.

Bai Qingyu was happy to tell the children's fortunes, and the question she was asked most often was whether her child would be chosen by Tianyang Palace to go up the mountain to cultivate.

Upon inquiry, it was learned that Tianyang Palace would be recruiting disciples to cultivate on the mountain in three months.