The Lover's Prattle

Demon Scum//5.1

Lin Zhao leaned against the trunk to sleep, while Qingruo sat next to him, holding the branch to poke at the fire in front of them. At this time, Yunze stepped towards them from where he was in the middle of the air. At first glance, he seemed far away from the couple. However, as the wind carried him over, he seemed to be much closer, only two to three steps away. Qingruo glanced at Lin Zhao, who remained asleep, and then made a shushing sound at Yunze.

Smiling brightly, she exclaimed, "Father, you came out of seclusion already!" Yunze was wearing a navy blue robe, and he carried a huge sword that was half a meter wide and one and a half meters long. His cultivation had increased another level, and now one can say that he could be one of the best in the cultivation world.

"After I came out of seclusion, I heard there was a call for everyone to hunt down the black and white pair of evildoers"* When Yunze first came out of seclusion, his first objective was to find his daughter. He had originally placed a tracking buckle on her body, but because the buckle had never shown that she was in danger, Yunze had never actively used it to find her location.

*黑白双煞 I'm assuming Lin Zhao is the black/dark/evil half, while Qingruo is the white/light/good half.

The fire was extinguished silently, and the tip of the wood branch did not have any remaining traces of smoke. Lin Zhao's body contracted, and he wrapped himself tighter into the blanket before opening his eyes. They were colored blood-red and were as piercing as an eagle's eyes. Qingruo stood in between her father and her lover, and when she realized that Lin Zhao was awake, she quickly turned around. He looked over at her, pitifully shivering while clutching his blanket. With a cloudy gaze, Lin Zhao smiled when he saw Qingruo turn back. His scarred face looking incomparably ugly. Qingruo gave him a slight smile and then performed a quick warming spell to appease him.

Turning around once again and smiling sweetly, Qingruo called, "Father," and stepped forward to hold Yunze's arm. Yunze, with a somber face, was as still as a mountain. He did not talk to or look at her, and instead stared at Lin Zhao. He looked about ready to kill Lin Zhao at any second. Qingruo touched her face out of embarrassment, and then continued to shake his arm and call out, "Father!~" Lin Zhao stood up, and Yunze's cold aura target him immediately. Qingruo's current cultivation was not comparable to her father's, so she didn't know that the warming spell she cast was actually of no use.

Li Zhao's knees were extremely stiff, and as he supported himself up using the tree trunk, he could hear the sound of his knees cracking. Holding the quilt in his arms and folding it into his QIankun bag, Lin Zhao smiled sincerely at Yunze. With a respectful tone, he said, "Peak Leader Yunze, I am Lin Zhao. Nice to meet you."

Yunze snorted, but Qingruo still held his arm tightly and coquettishly. He turned his head and knocked his knuckles against Qingruo's forehead. Her sight was now fixed onto Yunze, but Yunze's gaze was fixed onto Lin Zhao. The violent depths of Yunze's eyes could clearly be seen, and now his murderous intent was so strong, it seemed to pour from his eyes.
"How did you meet this scoundrel?" Yunze couldn't bear to hate Qingruo, but he wrinkled his face and asked her in a stern tone. He pried one of his hands away and took a look at her forehead. Yunze did not use a lot of strength against her just now, but Qingruo was pretending to be pitiful, so he still cast a healing spell just in case. Yunze retracted his hands behind his back, slightly lowered his head, and looked into her eyes carefully. Qingruo, his only daughter, grew up in the palm of his hand. The cultivation world did not attach much importance to filial piety, and familial bonds were not strong. Many cultivators only had a bit of guidance from their parents, but not love. He was the same and did not have loving affection from his parents. Yunze sighed, his face still frozen with his brows stiff, and he raised his hand to rub her hair, "Did you get hurt?"

Qingruo's eyes were bright and clear as she said, "No." then she cast a little side to the side to her, "Father, my cultivation increased another level.~"

Yunze's voice held a touch of fatherly pride as he tooted his own horn and said, "But you still have a ways to go from your father's level."

He laughed wholeheartedly in both a praising and encouraging way, then took all the good things he had on his body and put it in one Qiankun bag. "See what you like," he said. Then he turned and walked to Lin Zhao. Yunze saw how the color of Lin Zhao's skin was discolored, his face was scarred, and how he could be killed by just one of Yunze's fingers.

Lin Zhao saw the irony and disdain in her father's gaze, but the former stood upright against the trunk with his spine straight and his chin slightly raised to look straight at Yunze. He had already lost feeling in his legs, but he didn't show it on his face. Lin Zhao smiled lightly, and with a voice that contrasted his appearance, said, "Uncle." The last time Lin Zhao still called Yunze Peak Master, but now he has directly addressed Yunze as Uncle.

Yunze moved his fingers and retracted the cold aura that surrounded Lin Zhao's body. The latter almost immediately collapsed, but he quickly turned and his hands quickly clasped the trunk behind him. Lin Zhao's posture remained straight, his slight smile stayed on his face, and he gave off a leisurely feeling.

Yunze directly asked him, "What are you going to do now?" Yunze did not care about Lin Zhao's life or death, but he was worried about Qingruo's safety. She, on the other hand, had already taken the valuables from her father's bed and had put them in her bag; Qingruo walked over to YUnze's side to return his Qiankun bag. Yunze saw the obvious discomfort of Lin Zhao, as his fingertips had been already pierced by the textured tree bark and were now bleeding. The pungent smell began to permeate the air.

Qingruo pursed her lips and said nothing as she walked over to stand with Lin Zhao, stretching her hands out to hold most of his weight. Lin Zhao was relieved and quickly leaned into her. His breath was cool and blew into the hair near her horns. It caused slight itchiness and warmth to spread throughout her body.

Yunze looked at Qingruo and clenched his fists with his hands behind him. His eyes narrowed, and his words were direct and cruel. "What kind of creature are you? Are you even worthy? Even if a human and a demon get together, do you not know the outcome?" Yunze roared, and the surrounding trees were trembling from the violent pressure he exuded.

"Father! You..." Lin Zhao raised his fingers to stop Qingruo's lips from continuing to speak. Turning his head and raising his eyebrows at her, his red eyes sparkling like a dazzling blood-jade. "Uncle, I would never let go of her, even if I die, I will take her with me." Yunze raised his hand and slashed directly down to release a fierce palm wind attack. The defensive array that Lin Zhao put down shielded both himself and Qingruo; however, Yunze's magic attack cracked the shield in two, and Lin Zhao sprayed a mouthful of blood.

"Lin Zhao!"