Throne of Seals: The God of Magic Descends, the Demonic Tide Breaks at Dawn

Chapter 96 A Glorious Return to the Demon-Exorcising Pass, A Gentle Evening Breeze
When Holy Spirit's gaze fell on Lin Ye and Cai'er, a subtle, almost imperceptible gentleness crept into his metallic voice.

"So it was you. No wonder I didn't encounter any demons along the way. It turns out you killed them all."

The Holy Spirit smiled helplessly.

"But weren't you at Zhennanguan? How come you're here now..."

Lin Ye and Cai'er exchanged a glance and burst out laughing.

Looking back on the twists and turns of this journey now, it all seems almost like a dream.

So Lin Ye recounted what he had encountered during this period, including slaying the Serpent Demon God and destroying the Demon God Pillar.

And the story of encountering the demon race, eliminating demon hunters, and saving the King-level Demon Hunter Team No. 17.

"Although I really want to praise you, you must be very tired from the journey. Come back with me and rest first."

Holy Spirit Heart gently patted Lin Ye's shoulder, then turned his gaze to Cai'er.

"Your mother misses you very much."

Cai'er's heart skipped a beat, then she nodded gently.

"My benefactor, I'm heading back to the Holy City now. Thank you so much for saving my life along the way!"

Tianqing, leading his teammates, bowed deeply to Lin Ye.

"We're all companions, no need to be so polite."

Lin Ye waved his hand, indicating that no more salt was needed.

Tianqing scratched his head, then smiled helplessly, and led his teammates deeper into the Exorcism Pass.

"Come on, your Aunt Lan must miss you a lot."

Holy Spirit put his arm around Lin Ye's shoulder, showing no signs of being a father-in-law.

Cai'er followed closely behind, watching the two people in front of her, and couldn't help but smile slightly.

……

Inside the Exorcism Gate.

The sweet aroma wafting from the kitchen hadn't yet dissipated when Lan Yanyu, wearing an apron and wiping her hands, heard familiar laughter coming from the doorway. The cloth in her hand fell to the stove with a "thud."

She ran outside in her slippers, the stray hairs at her temples swaying gently with each step. When she saw that tall, imposing figure, her eyes welled up with tears.

"You silly child, why didn't you tell me you were coming back?"

She reached out to pat Lin Ye's arm, but pulled her hand back as soon as her fingertips touched the fabric. Instead, she grabbed Cai'er's hand and examined it closely.

"Have you lost weight? Look at that face, you definitely didn't eat well outside."

Lin Ye scratched his head and was about to speak when Lan Yanyu grabbed his wrist and pulled him into the house, her palm warm and cozy.

"Come in quickly, I just steamed your favorite osmanthus cake. Lingxin was just talking about it yesterday, saying that the osmanthus smells wonderful right now..."

She chattered on and on, the smile lines at the corners of her eyes like ripples on water. When she turned around, she caught a glimpse of Holy Spirit leaning against the door frame, laughing, and gave her a reproachful glare.

"Come and serve the dishes!"

Beside the carved round table, a magic crystal lamp emitted a soft, warm light, illuminating the piles of roasted magic pork and stewed spirit mushrooms on the table.

As soon as Lan Yanyu finished setting out the silver plate filled with honey-soaked berries, she picked up her jade chopsticks and placed a piece of glistening roasted meat into Lin Ye's bowl.

"Eat more. The tenderloin of the Shadow Demon Boar is the most nourishing. You're always on missions outside, so you need to replenish your spiritual energy."

Lin Ye's bone china bowls quickly piled up into a small mountain, and Cai'er smiled as she pushed the stir-fried moonflower in the bowl to her mother.

"Mom, you should try this too. I heard it was picked from the outskirts of the Holy City and has the purest spiritual energy."

Lan Yanyu slapped her hand away and instead added a spoonful of spiritual marrow soup to her plate.

"Drink more spiritual marrow to replenish your energy, so that you don't fall behind Lin Ye in cultivation."

Holy Spirit Heart picked up the crystal glass containing the berry wine and took a small sip. His gaze swept over the smiling couple opposite him, and he slowly opened his mouth.

“It’s rare for you to come back this time, so stay here a while and take a break.” Lan Yanyu immediately replied, “Yes, the demon invasions have been less frequent these past few days, so I’ll cook you some good food for a few more days.”

Lin Ye nodded repeatedly after hearing this, and just as he took a bite of the roasted meat, he heard Lan Yanyu suddenly ask a question.

"When are you two planning to...?"

Before he could finish speaking, Holy Spirit tapped the back of his hand with a silver spoon and gave his wife a wink.

"Why talk about these things while we're eating? The children have their own plans."

Cai'er's ears turned blushed, and she secretly looked up at Lin Ye, only to meet his smiling gaze. She immediately buried her face even lower.

The twilight glow outside the window seeped into the room, intertwining with the light from the magic crystal lamp to create a warm halo. The steam rising from the soup pot, mixed with laughter filling the room, rippled with an exceptionally gentle warmth.

After meal.

The Demon Exorcism City was bathed in the hazy moonlight, and the stone slabs still retained the warmth of the daytime sun.

Lin Ye held Cai'er's hand and walked slowly.

"Look over there."

Cai'er suddenly stopped and pointed to the magic crystal lamp on the street corner.

In the pale purple glow, several young men dressed as trainee assassins were buying candied magic fruits from a vendor, their silvery laughter drifting on the evening breeze.

She turned her head to look at Lin Ye, the glint in her eyes brighter than the lamplight.

"Do you remember the first time we came here? You insisted on buying me that glowing sugar figurine, and ended up getting a scolding from the shadow guards who were secretly following us."

Lin Ye chuckled softly, tucking a strand of her wind-blown hair behind her ear. "Who told you to stare at the sugar figurine for a full quarter of an hour?"

When his fingertips touched her slightly cool earlobe, Cai'er trembled slightly and moved closer to him.

Most of the shops along the street had their lights off, except for the blacksmith's shop, which was still dimly lit. The clanging and banging of hammering mixed with the hissing of quenching were particularly clear in the quiet night.

As she passed by the herb shop, Cai'er was suddenly attracted by the moonflower on the windowsill and leaned over to take a gentle sniff.

"It smells so good, it's blooming even more profusely than the one in our Assassin's Hall's backyard."

"I'll come back tomorrow to ask the shopkeeper for some flower seeds."

Lin Ye took out a piece of osmanthus cake wrapped in oil paper from his pocket.

This was given to him by Lan Yanyu.

"Have something to eat first, so you won't be hungry at night."

Cai'er took a small bite, the sweet fragrance spreading on her tongue. Suddenly, she tiptoed and planted a light kiss on his cheek, then turned and ran forward, her skirt sweeping across the stone pavement with a soft rustling sound.

Lin Ye finally caught the playful hem of the skirt and gently pulled it back, causing Cai'er to bump into his arms.

The moonlight flowed down his shoulder line, casting a soft glow on the top of her hair.

When he lowered his head, his nose brushed against the back of her ear, and he smelled that familiar fragrance mixed with moonflower scent.

"Why run?"

His voice carried a hint of laughter, and the vibrations of his chest traveled through the fabric of his clothes like gentle drumbeats in spring.

Cai'er buried her face in his chest and chuckled softly, "I was afraid you wouldn't be able to catch up~"

Her fingers, however, secretly hooked the sash of his robe and tied a small knot.

The sound of a night watchman striking his clapper drifted from afar, "dong—dong—" twice, echoing far and wide in the quiet night.

Lin Ye led her back, slowing his pace so that the stone pavement clattered under his feet, as if echoing their heartbeats.

The evening breeze lifted his robes, gently enveloping their clasped hands.

When Cai'er looked up, she met his gaze, which held something warmer than starlight, making her suddenly realize that the night in this Demon City could be so long, so quiet, and so sweet.

(End of this chapter)