Nerida’s face immediately grew wary.

She took a step back.

"Young Master, perhaps you should reconsider?"

Aaron Sinclair gave a sly smile. "Aunt Nerida, look how nervous you are. I never said I refined them myself."

Nerida patted her chest. "Oh my god, you scared me to death."

The Young Master was just too much of a menace when it came to Alchemy; she was practically traumatized. Her Spirit Beast, Wuwu, was still bald and had only just started to grow a bit of fuzz back a few days ago.

"A while ago, I ’found’ a batch of Elixir Pills. They’re not bad. I’ll have them distributed to the disciples later to help them improve their strength."

Nerida looked at him.

"’Found’?"

Her face was a picture of disbelief.

’It’s more likely he took them from someone else,’ she thought. ’So who was the unlucky fool who crossed the Young Master? Don’t be fooled by his well-behaved, harmless appearance. When it comes to being sharp-witted, I think even the two Exalted Ones can’t compare to him.’

Aaron Sinclair: "Something like that."

The corner of Nerida’s mouth twitched.

’Something like that means not like that at all!’

Celeste Grant stood to the side, watching Nerida’s reaction. She knew then that her son wasn’t as well-behaved as he appeared.

That night, the Bloodfiend Den was a scene of wild revelry, and fireworks lit up the sky all night long.

The only thing missing was a DJ to get everyone dancing.

Once everyone had had a few drinks, Elder Lawson stood up, raised his cup, and asked,

"My Lady, when will you and The Exalted One hold your union ceremony? We want to drink to your wedding! In The Mortal Realm, when two people are together, they get married."

In The Mortal Realm, getting together involved the Three Letters and Six Rites, a phoenix coronet, and a red wedding gown. But The Cultivation World didn’t have so many mundane rituals; if you loved someone, you just made an oath to the Heavenly Dao and became Taoist Companions.

At that moment, others began to chime in.

"That’s right! The Exalted One, we want to drink to your wedding too!"

Nerida smiled faintly. "Why pick a date when you can just seize the day? Become Taoist Companions today! You’re practically an old married couple already, don’t be shy."

Seated upon his throne of skulls, Javier Sinclair’s hand, which held his wine cup, paused. He cleared his throat, a blush creeping onto his face.

"Are you all rebelling? What’s the rush?"

Though that’s what he said, his eyes darted toward Celeste Grant.

Javier Sinclair looked calm on the surface, but his mind was already racing.

’For hundreds of years, I’ve focused solely on Cultivation, paying little mind to matters between men and women. I never thought about becoming Taoist Companions with anyone.’

’This woman’s appearance in my life was an accident. It caught me off guard at first, but the outcome has been good.’

He was just about to ask her what she wanted.

Celeste Grant glanced sideways, her gaze meeting Javier Sinclair’s.

She smiled faintly.

"We’re not in a hurry. Right, Exalted One?"

The moment her words fell, Javier Sinclair’s expression cracked.

"You..."

He was speechless.

’When did I ever say I wasn’t in a hurry?’

Javier Sinclair gripped his cup and downed the wine in one gulp.

’This woman doesn’t want to be with me. Is she just toying with me and won’t take responsibility? She even kissed me before. Was it all fake?’

Celeste Grant’s gaze fell on his face. For some reason, she felt he looked incredibly wronged right now.

’Hahahaha.’

’This man is so adorable.’

Celeste Grant couldn’t help but let out a soft chuckle.

She turned to the crowd and said, "To me, marriage is a once-in-a-lifetime event with just one person, so it must be approached slowly. I want to fall in love with your Exalted One in a normal way, so we’re not in a hurry. We need to nurture our feelings more. When we do get married, you will all definitely have seats at the main table."

As long as he wasn’t the type to be fickle, she wasn’t against becoming Taoist Companions with him. It was just a matter of time.

She wasn’t Jocelyn Grant; she couldn’t be with just anyone.

Celeste Grant was very serious about relationships. If she committed to someone, it was for life, and only with that one person.

The clouds in Javier Sinclair’s eyes finally cleared. He waved a hand at the crowd.

"Can’t even drinking shut your mouths? You dare talk about me. Look at all of you! Have you found a Taoist Companion? How many Spirit Stones have you saved this year? You can’t even sort your own lives out, and you’re worried about me? Get lost, all of you!"

The Exalted One’s sharp tongue was at it again.

Still, The Exalted One already had a son. Many of them had never even held a woman’s hand. His words really hit where it hurt.

Celeste Grant chuckled softly and addressed the crowd. "Although there are more men among our Bloodfiend Den’s disciples, there are quite a few female cultivators as well. I’ll organize a matchmaking event for you all. If there’s someone you like but you’ve been too shy to say anything, all you have to do is present a flower to the person you admire. If they’re interested, you’ll have made a successful match. But this sort of thing requires mutual consent. If they’re not interested, you can try to win them over, but you absolutely cannot force anyone. We may be Demon Cultivators, but we have standards."

As soon as she said this, the eyes of every man and woman present lit up, finding the idea novel and exciting. The male cultivators’ eyes shone particularly bright.

In truth, their standards for finding a wife weren’t high.

But female cultivators from the outside were terrified of their reputation; just approaching one would scare them off. And the female cultivators from their own Demonic Sects were not to be trifled with, so they didn’t dare make a move for fear of getting beaten up.

’But a fierce wife is fine, as long as she gives us some face in public. It’s good enough just to get a wife these days.’

"My Lady, we’re willing to participate!"

"Me too!"

"And me!"

Javier Sinclair: "..."

He felt that ever since this woman arrived, his Bloodfiend Den was no longer the one he knew.

’Whatever,’ he thought. ’The Bloodfiend Den has no rule against disciples finding Taoist Companions. Let them do as they please.’

That night, the entire Bloodfiend City was bustling with excitement...

...

「At the same time.」

Twenty thousand li away, near the Blackrock Mountains, there was a remote village.

In a room, Jocelyn Grant was leaning against the chest of a burly man.

"Ivan, have you gotten your tribe’s Holy Artifact yet? When can I reconstruct my Spirit Root?"

"Soon, Jocelyn. Just wait a little longer."

Jocelyn Grant was getting anxious.

’Wait? He’s telling me to wait again.’

She really didn’t want to wait anymore.

She felt incredibly frustrated.

She even started to suspect that Ivan Hawthorne didn’t trust her, or maybe he didn’t love her at all and had no intention of letting her use the treasure that could reconstruct her Spirit Root.

’It’s all Celeste Grant’s fault. If it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t have fallen this far.’

’Bitch.’

’Once I reconstruct my Spirit Root and go back, I won’t let her off.’

Despite these thoughts, the expression on her face was that of someone who didn’t want to make things difficult for him.

"I’m sorry. I’m just afraid I’ll grow old and won’t be able to stay with you forever. Ivan, I’m so scared."

The woman’s voice choked with sobs as she spoke.

"That won’t happen."

The two people speaking were none other than Jocelyn Grant and Ivan Hawthorne, her current man.

He had found Jocelyn Grant, covered in blood, in a ditch on his way back from a supply run with his tribesmen. He was stunned by her beauty the moment he saw her and brought her back with him.

He was glad he had brought her back. Jocelyn was kind-hearted; they had fallen in love, married, and now even had two children.

It was just a pity that Jocelyn had been persecuted by evil people who had dug out her Spirit Root. Although her injuries had healed, she was now just an ordinary person, unable to practice Cultivation.

He couldn’t wait any longer.

That item.

He had to get it.

He *must* get it.