Demon Blood, Maiden Vail

The sun was rising over Yuhua City, dyeing the clouds golden.

In the quiet courtyard near the east wing of the Clearmist Pavilion, **Lin Yuan lowered his voice and looked at his mother**.

> "Mom… there's something I need to say. Another bad thing happened yesterday."

**Lady Mingyan**, who had just finished wrapping up a soul-calming talisman, looked up.

> "Go on, my son."

> "A woman I was saying goodbye to… hugged me. But it wasn't just a normal hug. She—touched me. Inappropriately. I didn't expect it. I felt—ashamed. Like I lost control of the situation."

Lady Mingyan exhaled slowly, her expression calm.

> "Son, let me tell you something real. In this world, there's a saying: *'When the hero saves the beauty, the beauty falls in love.'*"

> "If she saw your male form—strong, handsome, kind, and rich—she might've seen you as a gift from the heavens. In a world where men are rare, and even fewer are good, women naturally chase the ones they can love or rely on."

She smiled, tilting her head.

> "Funny, isn't it? In the past, men died for justice or revenge. Now… they kill each other over the right to love a woman. And yet you, my beautiful son, will never have to fight for love. Love will come to fight over you."

Lin Yuan looked away, flustered.

> "Still… it wasn't right."

> "I agree. And you were right to walk away. But don't hate them. You are beautiful. Your qi is pure. You carry both mortal kindness and demon courage. You are everything a broken heart wants."

> "It's not that she meant harm, maybe just... longing. But I'll still beat her up if she does it again."

They both chuckled.

> "Thanks, Mom. But I also can't sleep yet. I've got a **bodyguard mission** till the end of the **Beast Auction** tonight. Can you give me a medicine to help me stay awake?"

Lady Mingyan handed him a warm jade bottle.

> "One drop under the tongue. But after the mission, sleep like the dead. That's an order."

Lin Yuan walked down the corridor and stepped into a sunlit garden where **Lady An** sat beneath a silk canopy, **reading aloud from a jade scroll**.

**Tearlume**, wrapped in soft robes—one leafy green dress cooing happily. The baby's cheeks were plump and pink, her eyes big and glimmering like spirit dewdrops. Her chubby arms rested above her head, and her little nose wiggled as she made quiet baby sounds.

> "You're just in time," Lady An said. "Your husband has arrived, little one."

> "Please stop calling me that in front of her…" Lin Yuan muttered, face red.

Lady An smirked. "Why not?"

> "Because… I want her to choose her future herself. I'll be her older brother if needed. Not a husband forced on her."

Lady An raised an eyebrow playfully. "Then we four are taking her as our daughter now. She's adopted. Official. You happy?"

Lin Yuan sighed. "Fine… if that's what she wants."

> "So? Why are you here?"

> "Second Mother sent me. I don't know why."

> "Then sit down and stay with the baby."

Lin Yuan knelt beside the spirit cradle. Tearlume stirred in her robes and turned slightly, then let out a small snort and hugged her tiny pillow—**a moonlotus blossom**.

> "She's so quiet," Lin Yuan whispered.

> "She's a thousand years old in spirit. Yet, just a baby in flesh."

Lin Yuan leaned closer, heart softening.

> "When she grows up… people will come for her. Duel me for her. Or think I'm her father. If we're still in Taiyin Sect, they might even think I'm her *mother*…"

He shook his head.

> "Should I… give her flowers? Will she think cutting trees is wrong?"

Lady An smiled.

> "Just love her. That's enough."

She brought a bowl of fragrant rice with exotic bird meat and fed both Lin Yuan and the baby.

Tearlume happily chewed the soft meat, her chubby cheeks jiggling as she ate.

Her round arms reached out for another bite.

> "How lovely she is," Lady An whispered. "And chubby too."

Her **baby skin was like mist-touched peach petals**, soft and warm. Her little **ankles glowed faintly green**, a sign of healthy spirit root growth. Her **eyes sparkled**, and her **smile made spirit butterflies land around her cradle**.

Lin Yuan, watching her, thought:

> *If I can just stay with my family for one more year… even one more… I'll be content.*