Raised You in Vain for a Hundred Years

"Thank you for your trouble, Your Majesty the Demon Emperor."

Damian Black didn’t say another word.

He didn’t leave, either.

Lily Bai took a deep breath and looked him straight in the eye. "Damian, every word I said yesterday came from the bottom of my heart. I really... wanted to share both hardship and happiness with you."

Damian Black looked at her, silent.

"But it seems I’ve become a burden and a bother to Your Majesty. I won’t bring it up again."

Lily Bai smiled at him: "I’m the type who can pick things up and put them down! I’m fine, really! So please, Your Majesty, don’t take it to heart."

Damian was silent for a long moment, then said, "Very well."

Lily Bai gave him a polite salute and turned to leave.

Chacha glanced in confusion at Lily Bai, then at Damian, smiled and waved goodbye to him, and followed Lily out.

Damian muttered under his breath, "A hundred years raising you, and the moment you finally turn into a person, you just run off with her..."

......

The next day, Lily Bai, Nine Li, and Chacha made it out of the Tribulation Storm Array.

The Divine Realm soldiers spotted them and escorted them onto Leo Li's spirit vessel.

Leo Li raised an eyebrow. "So what happened in there? You vanished for days without a peep!"

Lily and Nine Li explained that after they entered, a strong wind swept them into a gorge, separating them from the other disciples.

They also discovered an Array Core.

But the two of us together couldn't even scratch it!

With no other options, they finally managed to catch an Evasion Node drifting by and escaped following it.

"The Demon Emperor must've beefed up the defenses around the Array Core," Nine Li grumbled. "Honestly, we shouldn't have come in all loud and proud. Sneaking would've been way smarter."

"Do you think Young Master Drake is stupid?" Lily Bai retorted, "The moment anyone enters the array, they can sense it—there’s no way to sneak in! Isn’t that right, Young Master Drake?"

Leo Li didn’t reply.

He knew she was right.

But being called "stupid" stung.

Nine Li’s eyes reddened. "I don’t even know where the other disciples ended up after that wind hit… Are they alive or dead?"

Just then, Lord Faustin burst out, shouting, "Nine Li! Lily! You’re back!"

"Master!" Both looked world-weary.

"What happened to you two? Why were you gone so long?" Lord Faustin asked, sounding mournful.

The two repeated that they’d been blown into a gorge.

"Just glad you made it out alive! My child! You look so thin!" Lord Faustin hugged Nine Li’s head like a frantic mother hen.

Nine Li looked aggrieved.

Lily Bai couldn’t bear to watch.

He’d actually gotten chubbier, hadn’t he?

The Primeval Demon Wilds are rich in resources, and the fairy fruit is packed with aura.

He’d been eating nonstop these days.

"Nine Li looks perfectly fine, Lord Faustin, no need to worry so much," Leo Li said coolly. "Besides, you’ve spent most days holed up in your room with your picture albums. Doesn’t look like you were all that worried."

"What’s that supposed to mean, Young Master Drake?" Lord Faustin coughed. "Of course I was worried about my disciples! If I didn’t have my albums to pass the time, I wouldn’t have made it through a single day!"

Leo Li remained expressionless.

"Come on, let’s get you two into the cabin to rest." He tried to drag them inside.

"Hold on!" Leo Li called out.

All three turned to look at him.

"Who’s that?" He pointed at Chacha.

"Oh! Him! He’s a tea tree we found in the valley when we were stranded. He happened to transform while we were stuck there, so I accepted him as my immortal attendant," Lily Bai explained.

Leo Li remarked, "You certainly had a leisurely time."