Chapter Fifty-Seven: So This Is What My Master Truly Is...

Half an hour later, by the wineberry tree, Meng Meng stood with her arms crossed, leaning against the trunk. She made no move to help as Zhang Ning plucked the small cherry-like fruit and tossed them down to her. Their positions remained as before, but the dynamic between them and the atmosphere had changed entirely.

“So, that’s exactly what I’m telling you!” Meng Meng exclaimed, her tone brimming with indignation.

Wiping sweat from his brow, Zhang Ning’s grin stretched ear to ear. The subtle sense of being cared for, cherished in someone’s hands, left him floating with delight. He barely even bothered to explain how to eat these wineberries to Meng Meng.

After Meng Meng had said she had something to discuss, Zhang Ning, as a citizen of the great foodie empire of Azure Water Star, instinctively suggested they talk over some snacks—which led to this outcome. He climbed the tree himself to pick wineberries for this young lady. The fruit’s juice was fragrant and sweet, with a faint hint of alcohol—a natural fruit beer, with delicious flesh to boot. Of course, Zhang Ning had no ulterior motive; even children could hardly get drunk on these berries.

As he picked fruit, Zhang Ning listened to Meng Meng’s complaints. It turned out she really had come to make trouble at first, all because Zhang Ning had taken her family’s live-broadcasting technology!

Faced with Meng Meng’s rapid-fire accusations, Zhang Ning could only smile ruefully and accept them. He’d learned later that Su Ye had directly activated the highest-level sleeper agent the Grand Freedom Demon Sect had planted in the Meng family, snatching the technology almost by force. The decisiveness of it left everyone privy to the matter shocked and perplexed—if that agent had waited for a major event like the righteous-demonic war, just how much chaos could he have stirred?

Using Zhang Ning’s authority, Su Ye had deployed this trump card merely to acquire the broadcasting technology. While not a loss, it did seem like a waste of potential. That’s why Su Ye had then asked Zhang Ning just how important live-streaming was to him.

For Zhang Ning, the streaming system was a vital trump card! Every client he activated consumed precious attention points, and having the Meng family’s technology was far more than just removing shackles from a tiger. In this martial world where strength reigned supreme, live-broadcasting might seem useless to others, but to Zhang Ning, it was invaluable.

Su Ye’s obedience left Zhang Ning unsure whether to praise him or not. Still, Zhang Ning could imagine how a conversation with Su Ye would go—Su Ye would take all the blame without a word of defense, no matter how Zhang Ning scolded or punished him.

Talented, but a bit too high-handed... Still, Zhang Ning had given his consent, even if he hadn’t approved of such underhanded means.

His thoughts wandered, but laughter continued to bubble uncontrollably from his lips. Meng Meng soon grew tired of hearing it.

“Are you done yet? Is having Master protect you really such a joy? Is it that big a deal?”

Zhang Ning didn’t answer, but muttered inwardly, How could it not be?

Meng Meng had just explained everything, including the fact that the Myriad Aspects Demon Lord had gone to see her father. It was the first time Zhang Ning learned that from the very beginning, his master hadn’t just sternly refused the Meng family’s inquiries, but had repeatedly rebuffed them, and finally even gone to their residence to shield Zhang Ning—utterly unreasonable, fiercely protective. The realization moved Zhang Ning deeply.

So Master cares for me this much in secret!

From the start, Master had barely spoken to him, hadn’t even asked for a formal bow of apprenticeship... Was he really the type whose love is deep but unspoken?

As this thought took root, Zhang Ning giggled, unable to hold it back. Countless ideas raced through his mind, all about how to repay his master’s kindness.

Inevitably, his hands slowed. Meng Meng, genuinely hungry now, rolled her eyes at the sight, thoroughly exasperated by his lack of composure.

Realizing that talking to Zhang Ning at this moment was futile, Meng Meng glanced around and suddenly her eyes lit up. Zhang Ning, lost in his daydreams, did not notice her movements.

The Meng Residence.

Chu Hanyu hummed a little tune as he walked out, already imagining how amusing the resulting misunderstanding would be. At last, he felt he’d vented some of his pent-up frustration.

Yet after stepping out the Meng family’s main gate, he found himself at a loss for what to do next. He felt no particular attachment to the Grand Freedom Demon Sect, and thinking of Xing Qiluo only gave him a headache. She wasn’t nearly as obedient as in childhood—how much better it had been when she’d silently followed him everywhere. How had she grown so fussy with age?

Chu Hanyu rubbed his temples, then, on a whim, pulled a dark storage pouch from his robes and took out a longevity lock.

He gazed at the lock, its once-bright metal now yellowed by the passage of time, forged from ordinary materials that could not withstand the years. A faint smile touched his lips. With practiced hands, he opened it and drew out a slip of paper.

“Let’s see if I’ve finished all the things I once wanted to do.”

Since childhood, Chu Hanyu had written down a hundred things to accomplish when he grew up, from tugging the elder’s beard to earning the respect of his master and senior brother, even to wrestling with a beast of Martial Saint rank—all meticulously listed.

He’d opened the note full of expectation, but after scanning its contents, his face fell. He put it away without a word.

So my future self really is useless!

Yet after a moment, he shook off the mood. With only the memories of his boyhood, he was impulsive as ever.

A mischievous smile curved his lips. Since so many things remained undone, why not start now?

He picked one at random—to drink with the most forthright soul in the world!

Two hours later.

Wuji Sect.

Chu Hanyu rested his chin in one hand, gazing in boredom at the man across from him, his heart filled with disappointment. He hadn’t expected fate to deal him such an unfair hand in every way.

He had sought out another Demon Lord besides himself and Xing Qiluo—the Divine Cauldron Demon Lord, Yin Wuji! According to all the intelligence Chu Hanyu had gathered, Yin Wuji was a master of physical strength. Although he favored the spear and inherited family techniques, his true passion was brute force—smashing things apart with sheer power! No wonder Chu Hanyu considered him the most forthright person alive.

Many in the Azure Skies Realm admired Yin Wuji’s manliness, flocking to his Wuji Sect in droves.

He had, after all, built a holy land from nothing! Though it lacked the deep foundations of older powers, with a Martial Lord’s lifespan, wasn’t time itself all he needed to build strength?

Of course, what made the Divine Cauldron Demon Lord most famous was the rumor that he’d abducted a righteous fairy for a wife, along with his ruthless, scorched-earth methods... In all the Azure Skies Realm, no one embodied the title of Demon Lord more than he.