Demon Blood, Maiden Vail

The four men looked shocked.

"Little girl," one of them sneered, licking his lips, "do you even realize the situation you're in?"

Lin Yuan, still disguised as a beautiful young girl, stood quietly as the four cultivators surrounded him.

"You're young... beautiful... the Slave Lords will pay handsomely for you," another muttered.

"You should've asked your Sect Leader before coming here," said a third. "It's too late now."

But just as one stepped forward—

**A dimensional gate tore open.**

Out stepped four women—elegant, fierce, and terrifying.

Lady Mingyan raised her hand.

**"Soul-Shaking Roar!"**

A massive soundwave echoed across the forest.

Lady Fengyuan stepped beside her.

**"Time Freeze."**

The world around them slowed to a crawl.

Lady Baihua raised her delicate hand.

**"Spatial Lock."**

The space around the enemy cultivators solidified like steel.

Lady An whispered softly.

**"Moonlight Illusion: Loved Ones' Embrace."**

The four attackers fell into a daze, eyes wide with emotion, as they were trapped in an illusion of joy and reunion.

Lady Mingyan drew her sword—and in a single moment—

**Their heads fell like tofu chopped by a butcher's blade.**

Blood never touched Lin Yuan.

Lady Mingyan sheathed her blade and glanced toward Lin Yuan.

"I knew someone would try to kidnap you. But this confirms something else... there's a spy in the Taiyin Sect. From the Demonic Path."

Lin Yuan frowned. "But they had no sect badge, no markings... why?"

Lady An answered calmly, "Because if caught, soul-searching would expose everything. They use false names, fake identities—thousands of them—to avoid detection."

Lady Baihua added with a grin, "On the bright side, your money problems are solved."

"I see they've already placed concealment formations with defensive and killing formation.It is perfect for your ships.I will bring the formation," Lady An said,

"I'm going for a flight," said Lady Fengyuan, stretching her limbs.

"I can catch some rats," said Lady Baihua playfully. "I used eat them when I was young.Then I hunt them not to eat, just to catch. It's fun!"

Lin Yuan blinked. "How will you catch them?"

"I can bend space, make a tunnel to their nests—or teleport directly to them. But digging tunnels is more fun."

Fifteen minutes later, she returned with a **thousand spirit rats** packed inside a storage ring. "Children shouldn't kill this many," she said gently, "so I did it. Here."

She handed the heavy ring to Lin Yuan. It was so dense it **dug a hole** in the ground when it landed. They laughed.

They loaded the rats into Lin Yuan's small spirit ship and flew to the nearby pet shop.

Lady Baihua said, "Go in as a man this time. You're not a girl."

Lady An collected her arrays, and they drifted through the city. Lady Fengyuan joined them mid-flight.

The shopkeeper accepted the rats and paid them well—**10 high-grade spirit stones.**

"That's why the ship felt like a tortoise," Lin Yuan muttered.

The shopkeeper asked, "Interested in beast eggs or cubs?"

Lady Mingyan stepped forward. "Let's see."

Among the eggs, one caught their eye.

"It's a dragon egg," the shopkeeper said proudly.

Lin Yuan frowned. "Aren't you afraid of dragons?"

Lady Baihua sniffed. "It's a snake egg. Space-type bloodline. But... it's unfertilized."

Shopkeeper insisted, "It's alive."

Lady An narrowed her eyes. "Then we'll report you if you're lying."

After some time he give them discount from 20 to 2 high-grade stones.

Lady Mingyan picked up another egg. It was cold.

"Dead," she said.

"Fine, one-tenth the price."

She paid with Lin Yuan's money.

Then they found a real dragon egg. **Lady Baihua's face turned serious.**

"Give it to us, or we'll report you to the dragons."

"How did he even get it?" Lin Yuan asked.

Lady Baihua explained, "It's a Sea Dragon's egg. They bury their dead. Humans steal dragon cores, rob graves... the eggs are easy to carry compared to adult corpses."

The shopkeeper paled. He gave it up without a word.

Lady Mingyan bought an Armadillo cub for one middle-grade spirit stone.

"Do you have its meal chart?"

"No," the shopkeeper admitted.

Lady Baihua gave Lin Yuan her egg. "Keep it beside your bed. My baby will hatch in 2 or 3 months."

They returned to their pocket dimension.

Lin Yuan visited the blacksmith to buy pots and pans. Upon returning, he found Sect Leader Yuexian waiting with fruit juice.

"You're acting like a wife from a story," Lin Yuan teased.

Yuexian sipped her tea. "Don't you think i am acting like a mother?"

"You're too young to be a mother."

"Why are your mom older than me, then?"

Lin Yuan chuckled. "I don't know. But you seem younger. Moms don't cry loudly in front of kids. You cried.Maybe I'm wrong. But I see in our village a man beats his wife. She start crying but when children come they hug each other and the women feed children and go to rever said and cry. Sect leader say ,"what it different?" Lin Yuan say ,"she cry but not in front of children. You can't stop your tear. You don't have life experience." Sect leader asked,"Why you have so much experience ? " "After experience we usually go to village and observe with formation." "Don't they see your formation. It's actually a protective formation that protect village from wild beat. And If a best die it will be there food. We also talk with old people. They have many life lesson and gossip. " "What happened to the women? " "The man take the children to the bed. And teach his child to lessen to their mom or she might leave you. When they sleep the man go to his wife and apologize. She don't talk to him. He brings some flower and a necklace for her. She don't forgive him. She stay there and eventually sleep. The man wach over him. He gives his outer clothes to her. Before morning she woke up and say I won't forgive you. The man say I'm sorry. Then he give a branch and give it to her and ask her to beat him. She beat him until the branch broke. And she go to sleep with her children." "What happened after that ." "The man sit there until morning. In morning his second wife come and see blood in his shirt. She go to doctor and woke him up to get medicine". Sect leader spoke in middle of taking, "I know man are like this .They talk about love and if they see beautiful girls they start loving someone else." Lin Yuan shop talking. And go to table and start eating. Sect leader ask ,"why you stop talking." Lin Yuan say, "you know what is the point of repainting." Sect leader say , "I don't mean that way. " Lin Yuan say, "ok I understand." She ask ,"Then why don't you continue?" "Second wife come home and apply medicine. She also give him food. After eating he changed his clothes and go to work. Second wife take clothes and start washing. But first wife come and see her washing. In noon the man come back to eat. They are poor. The man was a farmer. Second wife made steam bun and first wife bake sweet potato. The man eat stam bun with her and ask children to eat but they don't get parmition from mom and they don't go. After eating he give a kiss in forehead. He was going to work but first woman through sweet potato. He catch them. Children also throw sweet potato but he don't catch them. The man order them to ask for forgiveness. They apologize and the man say I don't like this kind of behavior. After finishing work he go home and try to enter first wife house. The women say I don't want you to come here.He ask his daughter to Distedut some candy with his brother and mom. Then he go to second wife house give her candy. They go to man's parents house. I don't watch after that but. I heard everything was normal but he never enter the first woman house. He someday stay at second wife house and someday stay under trees. He also read story and his children join him. First wife lessen from distance. One day she take him to his house and they leave happily ever after." Sect leader say ,"what happened after that?" Lin Yuan say, "don't you wanna know what happened before that." " Yes." "Once, there was a boy named Chen Wei and a girl named Meilin. They were married when they were still children. Not out of love—just old customs. But as they grew, so did their bond. They fell in love, quietly, gently."

The Sect Leader folded her arms. "This sounds like an old village tale."

Lin Yuan smiled. "If you want me to stop, say so. Otherwise… let me finish."

She remained silent.

"One morning Chen Wei went to the river to fetch water for Meilin to bathe. As he approached, he saw a girl bathing across the stream. She wasn't naked, but the sunlight played on her figure through the mist. Her name was Xiaoyu."

Lin Yuan looked down.

"She had no parents—both killed in a beast attack. Her elder brother had brought her to the village. Chen Wei asked around the next morning. There is a tradition if you see a woman bath you have to take responsibility.It only accident or you are Drigrase to your parents.So without hesitation, he went to her brother and proposed. Her brother accepted ask her opinion ,she wants to observe him. Six months later, Xiaoyu said she was ready. They married."

The Sect Leader raised an eyebrow. "And Meilin?"

"She was devastated. She cursed Chen Wei every day. She felt betrayed—not just by a husband,but his best friend.One day, in anger, she insulted his mother. And he… he slapped her."

Lin Yuan's voice lowered.

"Just once. But it was hard. She fought him then, hitting him again and again. He never struck back. Just stood there, taking it." "You heard what happened after that "

"Time passed. Xiaoyu became pregnant. Then one day, an old elder of the village died. He had three wives. His youngest, Madam Lian, was only thirty-one. She was quiet and dignified. She had a daughter, Yue'er, who was the same age as Chen Wei and his first wife"

Lin Yuan closed his eyes for a moment.

"Chen Wei proposed again. Madam Lian accepted. Meilin and Xiaoyu were furious. How could he bring another woman into the house while one was pregnant and the other still grieving?"

The Sect Leader asked softly, "Did they fight again?"

Lin Yuan shook his head. "Madam lian made toys for the children, sewed clothes for the household, cooked warm meals with laughter in her voice. Madam Lian never tried to compete. She cared for Xiaoyu during childbirth, and even comforted Meilin during her outbursts."

He smiled.

"Slowly, the resentment melted. Meilin still flared up sometimes. Xiaoyu still felt jealous now and then. But they learned to speak, to laugh. To be sisters."

She gave a thoughtful hum. "If Chen Wei had been a rich cultivator, he would've calmed them with spirit stones. That's how big clans do it."

Lin Yuan smiled. "You're right. But not all pain can be soothed with treasure "

The Sect Leader gave him a long look. "You speak as though tHe answered, softly, "I listen lili