When he woke up, it was already bright outside.

The rain had stopped at some point, but there was still standing water outside. Water droplets fell from high places, seeping into the grass, soil and wood. The fresh greenery was washed clean, the blue stones intermingled with the green, and even the air seemed filled with a moist freshness.

Zhou Yin opened his eyes and discovered that his injuries had greatly improved. Not only had his damaged dantian been repaired, it was even more stable than before. A thick spiritual power flowed through his meridians, exuding a warm laziness. At this rate, perhaps he could advance in less than three months.

In fact, he didn't really remember the details of last night. Looking back now, it seemed there was only a chaotic haze left in his mind, hovering between clarity and infatuation, rising and falling, drifting unsteadily.

The flames around had gone out, but it wasn't cold.

An arm was draped across his waist, holding him tightly. That person's head rested in the crook of his neck, his chest rising and falling with long breaths, seemingly still asleep.

The messy bedding was crumpled beneath them, full of wrinkles and traces of passion. Clothes were scattered haphazardly to the side. The two were nearly naked. Zhou Yin looked down and saw that from his chest to his lower abdomen, as far as he could see, his body was covered in mottled red and purple marks.

He sat up slightly, his voice a bit hoarse from sleep: "Get up."

The other person didn't move at all, still fast asleep.

Zhou Yin's expression didn't change as he reached his hand to the acupoint on the other's waist and poked it with his index finger.

"Oww!" Zhou Chen jumped up, his eyes brimming with tears as he accused, "You bullied me again, I was clearly still sleeping!"

He was able to tightly hug Zhou Yin's waist while sleeping, with even more strength than usual. Zhou Yin couldn't be bothered to expose him and sat up to get dressed.

"Let me, let me!" Zhou Chen, having failed many times, had long developed a thick skin. He eagerly sidled over to help Zhou Yin get dressed and comb his hair - while copping a feel.

"My little Yin's hair is so nice, and his waist is so slender!" Naughty hands swept over Zhou Yin's waist, taking the opportunity to grope a few handfuls while tying his belt.

He gathered up that head of raven-black hair, fondling it lovingly. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Zhou Yin's expressionless profile, the corners of his eyes still faintly showing the redness left by a passionate night, but his demeanor had long returned to normal.

Zhou Yin was getting impatient with his dilly-dallying and was about to do it himself when a pair of arms suddenly wrapped around him from behind, holding him tightly.

"Do you regret it?" came a low voice with a barely audible unease.

Zhou Yin was silent for a while before sighing, a rare occurrence. "This is just my usual expression, as you well know."

This could be considered an indirect explanation, right?

Unexpectedly, there was no movement from behind for a long time. Zhou Yin slightly furrowed his brows. If he didn't speak, so be it, but as soon as he opened his mouth, a few words could provoke the other into a towering rage. It was quite a feat, but when it came to tender comfort, he had never tried it before.

Just as he was pondering how to phrase his words, he suddenly heard a string of gleeful giggles from behind: "My little Yin Yin is so shy, even your confessions are so subtle. I just knew you love me deeply and definitely won't regret it! Oh, I'm so happy! I can't stand it, when we get back I must announce it to the world and let everyone know we've pledged our lives to each other. It'll anger them to death!"

Zhou Yin: "..."

In fact, this person's skin was already thick enough to be unrivaled in the world. Why would he need any comfort?

Before he had time to put on a cold face, Zhou Chen pressed up against him, shamelessly pulling him in to canoodle for a long time. They almost reenacted the scene of passion before Zhou Yin finally lost his patience and declared an end to it with a slap to the back of Zhou Chen's head.

Zhou Chen finally behaved himself, not daring to let his hands wander anymore, and complained, "You only know how to bully me..."

Zhou Yin ignored him and said, "Now that the demon beasts have been exposed, does Tianyan Sect still have any use in the eyes of the Upper Realm?"

One could imagine the chaos they would face upon returning to Tianyan Sect, and this was only the beginning. A net had already been cast, and the masses were still in the dark.

Many people were caught in the middle, only able to see the step right in front of them, unable to glimpse the entire game. The Taichu Continent had never known true peace.

From the battles of the gods in ancient times to the chaos between immortals and demon beasts, to the current fragmentation and each faction ruling itself, a foreseeable storm of blood and brutality would soon stir up shocking waves that would sweep across the entire continent.

With a beauty in his arms, he had to restrain his thoughts to discuss serious matters. Zhou Chen felt like a pitiful cabbage being exploited by his wife. "I don't know if it still has any use, but those demon beasts were originally created by the Upper Realm to sow discord. There are only so many of them, not enough to overturn the human race, so this move of theirs has basically been thwarted by us.

"But with Chengming's methods, he definitely won't place all his hopes on Tianyan Sect. Perhaps he still has hidden pieces in other sects. If all else fails, he can directly send down heavenly punishment and dispatch people to destroy the world. But if he does that, the image the Upper Realm wants to maintain in the eyes of mortals will be shattered. He won't use that move unless absolutely necessary."

He paused, then said, "Shangxuan Sect may not be very peaceful either. You should be mentally prepared."

Zhou Yin didn't speak.

The reason he had ties with Shangxuan Sect was firstly due to Old Man Qinghe's scheme, secondly because Yun Zong was a comrade he approved of, and thirdly because Shangxuan Sect could provide some conveniences for his cultivation. As for Huang Wenjun, He Yun and the others, for the sake of their past relationship, he would lend a hand if he could help.

Beyond that, it had nothing to do with him. He had never been a person of universal love and compassion, bringing blessings to all living beings. Having a handful of companions by his side in this life was already a rarity.

"The demon beast race allows you to meddle in the affairs between the Upper Realm and the continent?" He looked at Zhou Chen.

Even if Zhou Chen was the Demon Emperor, he couldn't possibly ignore the opinions of the majority of his race.

Zhou Chen's eyes immediately curved into crescents. "Ah Yin, are you worried about me? I knew my little Yin Yin is the best. Of course it's natural. In this world, only I can see through your deadpan face to your pure-hearted essence. If you don't love me, who could you love?"

Zhou Yin felt that there were no words left in this world that could be used to describe this person. He simply closed his mouth and let him prance around to his heart's content.

Half an hour later, Zhou Chen finally settled down and remembered the important matter at hand. "In the war between immortals and demon beasts, the demon beast race was nearly wiped out, with only a few old men left dreaming of restoring the demon beast race to its former glory. With my intervention, there is now an opportunity to disrupt the plans of the immortal realm. They naturally jumped at the chance. As for the newly born demon beasts, they are still quite loyal to me, so you don't need to worry." He then kissed Zhou Yin's face.

Zhou Yin was silent for a moment. "I have to go back."

Zhou Chen was shocked. "So soon? It's still early!"

Zhou Yin glanced outside the cave, not knowing how the sun high in the sky could be considered early.

Suddenly, Zhou Chen started crying out in pain. "Ah Yin, my stomach hurts!"

Zhou Yin calmly tied up his hair, securing it with a white jade hairpin.

After a while, Zhou Chen didn't say anything, just sat there with a pale face, looking like he was about to cry, clutching his abdomen, gritting his teeth and panting, looking miserable.

Zhou Yin sighed, walked over, and placed his hand on Zhou Chen's wrist to take his pulse. He frowned slightly, his expression softening with a hint of imperceptible tenderness.

"Why did it suddenly start hurting?" He asked while reaching out to massage Zhou Chen's belly.

Zhou Chen whimpered, "Maybe it's because of our passionate night, a pearl embryo has secretly formed..."

Zhou Yin: "..."

A moment later, a scream rang out from the cave, scaring away all the skylarks resting on the tree branches outside.

"I was wrong, I was wrong, I was wrong. Ah Yin, you're too rough, wah!"

By the time the two returned to Tianyan Sect, the sky was already filled with the glow of sunset.

Tianyan Sect was in a mess everywhere, with many injured people still being treated in the square. People were coming and going, looking rushed, and no one seemed to notice them.

Zhou Yin walked to his residence. Zhou Chen originally walked half a step ahead of him and opened the door attentively.

As soon as a crack opened, his face suddenly changed greatly. He turned around and said, "Let's not stay in this broken place. How can I let you suffer? Let's go to the best inn in town!"

Zhou Yin said calmly, "What's in the room?"

Zhou Chen smiled, "There's nothing at all." He blocked the doorway with his body, refusing to let him in.

Zhou Yin looked at him.