Let me explain, it's not what you think.

A month has passed.

Zi Yao is really different from other women. She seems to revolve entirely around Lu Chen and executes his orders with absolute strictness.

During this time, she also provided Lu Chen with a large amount of cultivation resources for his practice, and even personally taught him some cultivation techniques and combat insights.

The only pity is that she is a demon, and some combat techniques are completely unsuitable for Lu Chen, so she cannot improve his combat power.

But Lu Chen was quite satisfied with this.

In particular, he was truly, truly safe in the demon realm, with no more worries about his identity being exposed! He ate well and slept soundly!

He and Ziyao were not related by blood, and their only connection was a son who appeared out of nowhere. But she was willing to give so much for him unconditionally, so he couldn't possibly ask for too much in return.

So, to repay her kindness, he accepted Ziyao's identity and lived a good life with her, raising her and their child together.

After all, he was just a minor Golden Core cultivator; all he could do was make Zi Yao happy.

But that was enough. It gave Ziyao a great sense of satisfaction and made her feel incredibly happy.

If... it would be even better if Wang were willing to go further.

One day, the two took their son out for a spring outing. On the way home, Lu Chen couldn't help but ask.

"Yaoyao, why are you so good to me? As a being with free will, shouldn't you at least consider yourself when you do things?"

"Hehe, if the King and I were a normal married couple, I would have my own emotions, will, thoughts, and plans for the future."

"But unfortunately, we live as a clan. A concubine is merely your property. Everything about a concubine is at the king's disposal. A concubine's home is merely the king's territory. This is the rule of our lion clan."

Lu Chen frowned.

"I don't want you to be like that. I just want you to live a normal life with me. I don't need you to make any sacrifices for me, and you don't need to be a lower social class than me!"

Zi Yao frowned.

She couldn't quite understand it.

Shouldn't men be overjoyed by my performance? Only a month has passed, and Lu Chen has already accepted me and acknowledged my status. So why does he want to be on equal footing with me now?

"No, the Lion King is the supreme being of the clan. This has always been the rule of our lion clan: nothing within our territory can be disobeyed!"

This isn't because she's traditional, but because she understands that the price of breaking the rules is something she can't bear in a short period of fusion!

After all, she was originally an innovator, but under the influence of fate, she had to become a traditionalist.

Didn't she want to wake up nestled in Lu Chen's arms every day? She wanted it so badly! But she couldn't do things that weren't permitted by the "Lord of the Territory"!

"But I am not the Lion King, I am a human being, and I want you to be my equal!"

"If this is the king's order, then I will carry it out!"

Although she didn't understand why Lu Chen didn't want to rule her, she was actually happy inside.

After all, this was Lu Chen relinquishing power to him.

He is a true gentleman; he did not choose the wrong person, nor did he entrust his fortune to the wrong person!

Hearing Zi Yao's stubborn words, Lu Chen sighed.

She was clearly a very intelligent woman with her own opinions and ideas, but she was unfortunately trapped by the "bad habits" of the lion clan!

"This is my order. I'm asking you to be yourself and not revolve around me!"

"Your concubine obeys!"

"However, before that, I would like Your Majesty to do one more thing."

"What is it? Just say it straight, no need for all this 'concubine' stuff!"

"Yes, I hope... my husband, before that, you will take a few more concubines to keep the family running. After all, right now you only have me and one other... the family is severely understaffed!"

Zi Yao blushed slightly after she finished speaking.

This wasn't because she mentioned taking a concubine, but because it was the first time she had called him "husband."

"puff!!"

"Do you know what nonsense you're spouting? Who would put a hat on themselves?"

Zi Yao tilted her head.

"In the lion clan, lionesses are basically responsible for everything, while male lions are only responsible for territory and... duels! So it's impossible for a clan to grow strong with just a concubine and that woman; the concubine is also for the sake of the clan's development!"

"Ahem, let's not talk about this anymore. I already have a lot of debts. I've had a few days of peace now. If I were to find a few more lions, would I even be able to live?"

"Are you referring to the girl I brought you back that day? If you wish, I will go and bring her here to serve you right now!"

Lu Chen: "..."

"Then why didn't you do it sooner?"

"I was also in a state of confusion back then. I thought that having me and that woman was enough, and I certainly didn't want too many people to share you. If it weren't for the King's sake, I would have killed them all long ago!"

"But after this period of time, I really enjoy being commanded and ordered around by Your Majesty! Before, I just lived one day at a time, and then it was endless cultivation and resource acquisition, which was incredibly boring!"

"Now that I live with Your Majesty at the center of my life, I have a purpose in my heart and feel that life is full of hope. Moreover... I can no longer even entertain the thought of disobeying Your Majesty's orders, so... please forgive me, Your Majesty!"

"..."

"How could I possibly blame you? We can just address each other normally."

"Yes, thank you, my husband! You're the best!"

As Zi Yao spoke, she mustered her courage, stepped forward, kissed Lu Chen, and ran away as if fleeing.

This was the first time in a long time that she had acted on her own free will.

"By the way, you don't need to bring her back. I've already let her know she's safe. The debt I was talking about is with another woman..."

"Understood, everything here belongs to my husband, and he can make the decisions as he sees fit!"

Lu Chen stood in the courtyard, watching Zi Yao's retreating figure, and shook his head.

He raised his right hand, and the demonic rune on the back of his hand glowed slightly.

The light flashed three times, and three figures emerged from the spiritual light.

Zhuang Jingbai was the first to stand firm, one hand on her waist and the other holding Lu Chen's arm. Before her eyes had fully adjusted to the light, she began to look around.

The ground was purple, the stones were purple, and the mountains in the distance were purple. Her brows furrowed into a knot.

Because Lu Chen had cut off the inner world's ability to see the outside world a long time ago, since he was either forced by Tantai Qingxue or manipulated by Su Ningxin, and it would be easy for them to be affected by seeing it.

"Where is this?"

"The demon race."

Zhuang Jingbai's brows furrowed even more.

Jiang Huaiyu walked out from behind her, holding Ling'er in her arms. The little girl was sleeping soundly on her shoulder.

Yu Ning led Bao'er at the back, holding her hand. Bao'er rubbed her eyes and looked at the purple world in a daze.

"Demon race? What are you doing in the demon race?"

Before Lu Chen could answer, the courtyard gate was pushed open.

Zi Yao stood at the door with a plate of spiritual fruit in her hand. When she saw the three women and two children who had suddenly appeared in the courtyard, she paused for a moment, then continued to walk in and placed the spiritual fruit on the stone table in the courtyard.

Her gaze swept over the three women's faces, then fell on their protruding bellies, pausing for a moment, her purple pupils contracting slightly.

That's not wariness; it's something more instinctive, something ingrained in our blood.

Child-rearing instinct.