Case 23: “One Who Defended Justice and One Who Blinded By Hatred.”

While the little Gu Zhuxuan arguing with Duan Gen, the villagers who were feasting at the banquet turned their attention to them. The tree fairy saw the situation wasn't good and urged the little Gu Zhuxuan to go back, the little Gu Zhuxuan almost agreed with the tree fairy until she heard Duan Gen said resolutely, "Don't ever try to get close to the princess again."

Gu Zhuxuan frowned and took a step forward to block the tree fairy. The tree fairy felt sweet in her heart but at the same time, there was some bitterness mixed in it, because the fact that she's a demon and can't mingle with humans cannot be denied. What Duan Gen said regarding the demon race wasn't necessarily wrong, it's true most of the demon race was either cold-hearted or bloodthirsty, and she just happened to be the cold-hearted one... at least until she met Gu Zhuxuan. For the first time in her long-lived life, she felt such warmth that rarely could be obtained in this cruel world. Originally, the tree fairy was reluctant to be separated from Gu Zhuxuan even if it's for their own good. But now that Duan Gen is here, she had to force herself to be apart from her.

"Zhuxuan, it's enough. Go back and follow what he said." The tree fairy said softly, although her face was smiling but her eyes clearly contained an immense bitterness in it, how could Gu Zhuxuan not notice it?

Unfortunately, before Gu Zhuxuan could say anything her father had brought several warriors and came to the gate.

"Xuan'er! You demon dare to bewitch my daughter! I shall let you experience the consequences!" Gu Jingxin already took his mighty axe out, once he did this, the surrounding warrior also unsheathed their weapon and glared viciously at the tree fairy.

Duan Gen snorted and turned his gaze from the tree fairy to Gu Zhuxuan, "Well? What are you going to do, Your Highness? If you don't return and promise to never fraternize with the demon again, I'm afraid things will become really ugly."

The tree fairy frowned, she placed her left hand on Gu Zhuxuan's shoulder to cover her and said dispassionately, "Oh? Is the honored Grandmaster threatening the little children? What a very good example you are."

Gu Zhuxuan flushed a bit due to the sudden hug, she tilted her head upwards and stared at the tree fairy in a daze. The tree fairy noticed her gaze and lowered her head to meet her gaze, she smiled beautifully which looked very attractive, Gu Zhuxuan felt amazing when she saw it.

"How presumptuous!"

Duan Gen who noticed the two girls staring at each other passionately couldn't bear to watch it any longer.

"Xuan'er, come here! Get away from that shameless demon!" Gu Jingxin urged and dropped his axe to the ground, he kneeled while spreading his arms wide to welcome Gu Zhuxuan.

Gu Zhuxuan anxiously grabbed the tree fairy's soft hand that wrapped around her and stared at the tree fairy as if begging to stay. Her Spessartine eyes glowed which added to her charm, the tree fairy was attracted by this adorable look of hers. They said it was the demon who seduced the human, but the truth is it was the other way around.

The tree fairy raised her other hand to smoothen Gu Zhuxuan's eyebrows, she stared softly at Gu Zhuxuan and looked a bit helpless. Because if she takes Gu Zhuxuan here and now, the whole village will pursue them, moreover her cultivation level isn't as high as Duan Gen. Only death awaits her if she commences a battle with him, but that's not the problem. She's a demon who is not afraid of death, it's just she's afraid if she leaves this world, her Zhuxuan will be sad and at the same time, she's afraid she couldn't experience the same warmth in her next life. However, in this tight situation, what can they do?

Looking at the current situation, Liu Meifeng as the invisible spectator also had a headache. She knew why her Shifu would despise demons, but she never knew her own Shifu would be blinded by hatred. Somehow, she regretted herself for not being born early or coming here early. But at the same time, she was also reluctant to die so fast in her previous life. Liu Meifeng could only sigh stressfully and continue to watch the scenery before her.

Before the tree fairy could do anything, Gu Zhuxuan broke free from her and firmly grasped her hand. The tree fairy was taken aback and couldn't say anything for a moment, Gu Zhuxuan didn't pay attention to the dumbfounded look on the tree fairy's face, she had already turned her gaze to the people who resented their bond. With a resolute gaze, Gu Zhuxuan roared, "Jiang Xiang is my friend and the 'howl of my wolf soul'!"

To an outsider like Duan Gen and tree fairy, they had no idea what that sentence meant. But as inlanders, the whole villagers who heard Gu Zhuxuan's words were all shocked and astonished. Even Gu Jingxin couldn't restrain his jaw that had already opened wide, how could his eldest daughter fall into the hands of this beautiful demon!

Gu Jingxin gritted his teeth and roared, "Xuan'er! How dare you to declare something like that to this shameless demon! Do you even know what those words mean?!"

Hearing the rage beneath those words, the tree fairy and Duan Gen could more or less understand what the 'howl of my wolf soul' means. Yet, they're still not sure if it's exactly what they thought since Gu Zhuxuan is only five years old. How could a five years old kid know anything about romance?

On the other hand, the culprit who lit the fire, and provoked the whole people in her clan was offended and her face grimaced. This is the fourth time they slandered Jiang Xiang! How can she not be angry?

"All of you...!! Even you father! Jiang Xiang is not the kind of demon like all of you think! She's kind, beautiful, and caring! The way she ate and walked were all graceful, even her short movements looked very captivating! How could you slander her and call her shameless!" Gu Zhuxuan said angrily and barred her small fangs, like a wolf cub protecting her master. Then, she turned her gaze to her father and said with determination,

"I know what that sentence means. It means as an acknowledgment for a soul mate... Jiang Xiang is my friend and my soulmate. We will always get along!"

The whole crowd suddenly goes silent, hearing what Gu Zhuxuan said just now had answered Gu Jingxin's doubt... Yes, this child doesn't know what those sentences truly means. Although she isn't necessarily wrong about the soul mate meaning, however, there is more to it than just a soul mate. It means as a partner for one time and life, a partner who vows to stay loyal and faithful, one who will resonate their souls together. This is the whole meaning behind that sentence, in short, what Gu Zhuxuan had said is like a declaration of a marriage proposal.

"Xuan'er, this..." Gu Jingxin had a hard time to explain the truth, he's also afraid if his daughter is actually turned out to be a mirror grinder.

Looking at the complicated expression on Gu Jingxin's face has confirmed the speculations that both Duan Gen and the tree fairy had. Well, a girl is still a girl after all... you can't blame a five years old kid for not understanding the marriage tradition of her own clan. Duan Gen sighed distressfully, not only the princess didn't understand her feelings, she was even stubborn about her own unknown feelings.

While all the present people were distracted by their own thoughts, Gu Zhuxuan nudged the tree fairy's sleeve lightly and whispered, "Let's go while they're distracted."

The tree fairy hesitated for a moment, but seeing Gu Zhuxuan's determined look, she couldn't help but follow her words. She hugged Gu Zhuxuan and suddenly disappeared along with the wind. The first one to notice was Duan Gen, he was very angry about getting distracted by such inconvenient things. He is secretly sworn to find this sly Oak demon and bring back Gu Zhuxuan even if he must use a bit of force.

Before Liu Meifeng moved to the next scene, Duan Gen had already regained his clarity and pushed Liu Meifeng's soul out of his heart. When the two had gone back to each of their minds, Duan Gen pushed Liu Meifeng harshly, the tea on the table was knocked, making the table wet and smells like Chrysanthemum. Liu Meifeng supported her body while placing one hand on her chest, she grunted a bit and asked with doubt, "Shifu… what have you done?"

Duan Gen didn't say anything, he turned his back and was about to leave the cottage. Liu Meifeng hurriedly grabbed his sleeves and pestered, "Shifu, just what did you do?! What have you done to the two of them?!"

Duan Gen gritted his teeth, turned around, and slapped her face fiercely until blood came out of her mouth. His face was dyed with red and feel extremely angry, "It's none of your business! Don't stick your nose to where you shouldn't be! Just focus on your training, why bother meddling other people's business?!"

Although, the slap on her face hurt terribly, but Liu Meifeng in her previous lives had experienced more physical torture by her parents. In short, this slap is nothing compared to the pain of her past lives. She stared back at Duan Gen indifferently and said, "He who controls others may be powerful, but he who has mastered himself is mightier still." Liu Meifeng paused and smiled sarcastically, "Say, Shifu… do you understand what this sentence means?"

Since Liu Meifeng couldn't slap Duan Gen's physically, she decided to 'slap' him by his behavior. Duan Gen might be the strongest and the first Cultivator who had reached the Dasheng level, but what does it mean if you can't even find peace and control yourself? When Liu Meifeng lived as Xu Haoran, she joined Taoism and respected Lao Tzu very much. Hence, even now she still remembers most of His quotes for life references. This world might slightly be different than her previous world, but the system isn't much different.

Seeing Duan Gen's frowned expression, Liu Meifeng knew he understood what she meant, she released the hand on his sleeves and said calmly, "Shifu, I know you despise the demon race because they had besieged your village and caused your granddaughter to be burned to death. But you see… there are many kind demons or those who secretly seek to mingle with us, humans." Liu Meifeng took a deep breath and asked back, "If the one who besieged your village was from a human race, are you going to kill every human as well? We've been traveling together for years, and we know exactly some humans had a corrupted heart. Even worse than the demon itself… in the memories earlier, you can see that the Oak demon had no malice towards the princess. Even the princess acknowledged her as her partner, where's the harm?"

Though Liu Meifeng had already released Duan Gen, he didn't try to escape or move an inch, he seemed to be lamenting in his mind and perhaps he was encouraged by his undying pride. Instead of replying with a reasonable excuse, Duan Gen still urged, "She's just bluffing. Who knows what will happen in the future, when she gets what she seeks."

Liu Meifeng sneered and said casually, "All I could see is a big wedding in the future."

"You—!!", "Besides— I didn't mean to speak badly about the White Wolf race. But you can see how fare this village is. If we hadn't come here at the right time, perhaps they might still be struggling with fetching water at the lake. And if we didn't come here, the disputes between their village with the Minotaur might still be on-going. Now look, they're working together, settled with peace, and even mingle with each other like casual friends. Say, if we can form a friendship with the Minotaur, why not with the Demon? Besides, the Oak demon helped us to rescue the second princess and even told me the location of the Black Lotus without asking anything back. Although I do not know yet if it was true, she had no benefits to trick me, and you might as well know this. Even if the two had gone separate ways, the Oak demon still actively made the princess's favorite wooden animal mannequin, and gave it every night on her birthday without revealing her identity for these past few years. Is that also a trickery?"

Duan Gen turned his gaze to Liu Meifeng, he seemed to be surprised by the last sentence. The Oak demon actively giving birthday gifts to the princess without revealing herself? Is this the truth? Or is there some dark magic inside it? No, that can't be… no matter how strong the spell is, I still could detect it. But there's clearly no evil spell around the village…

Seeing Duan Gen's astonished expression, Liu Meifeng felt satisfied in her heart. It seems like her Shifu finally could be persuaded a little. Since the tower has been burned, she might as well add more gasoline to it, "And didn't the Oak demon also persuade the princess to go back with you? The one who isn't willing was the princess, and you would be lying to me if you can't see the helpless expression on her pretty as Jade face."

What Liu Meifeng said is right, back then he was blinded by his hatred, so every demon he saw he will subconsciously think of them as a bad and imbecile thing. But now that Liu Meifeng mentioned it, the Oak demon looked very helpless and even willing to swear on a cursed talisman to never associate with the princess or anyone in the village again.

Duan Gen sighed and felt embarrassed, it's not an everyday occasion where you see the master being taught by their disciple instead.

"Fine, fine… you're right… I was controlled by my own anger and hatred. Making myself always looking at the past and even haunted by it. No matter what I do, I can't let it go…"

Liu Meifeng smiled and patted Duan Gen's arm, "It can't be that fast, especially when they were important to you. Don't worry, there is me, I will help you to relieve the past and I'm not as weak as you think. I will definitely survive and won't leave you. So, believe me this time… okay?"

Duan Gen closed his eyes for a moment, feeling grateful and sad with what Liu Meifeng said. He opened his eyes and wiped the blood on Liu Meifeng's lips which were almost dry, "Sorry, I hurt you."

Liu Meifeng pretended to make an aggrieved expression and complained, "Yes, it hurt so much! As compensation, I want you to restore the princess's memories!"

Duan Gen bopped Liu Meifeng's head lightly, "You ungrateful disciple! Really can't let your Shifu become mellow even for a second, huh?!"

"The moment you become mellow, I feel goosebumps, so I want compensation instead! Now, I'll go fetch the princess here and restore her memories!"

Duan Gen also pretended to be angry, "I haven't agreed yet!"

"In my principle, silence means yes, since Shifu didn't reject or accept it, I'll just think Shifu is shy and needs extra attention to know what he means."

Duan Gen wanted to smack Liu Meifeng's head again, but she had already escaped from the cottage to fetch Gu Zhuxuan. Duan Gen who was left alone in the cottage couldn't laugh or cry seeing this, where have you seen a Shifu who is obedient to their disciple instead?

"Where did I raise her wrong?" Duan Gen pinched the middle of his eyebrows and secretly complained to himself.