Guwu Lin cried out in her sleep.
"Tangyu Sanjun don't come closer. I mean it. I'll really do it. Don't force me. I'm not afraid to die."
Then her shrill cry erupted in the night.
When Guwu Lin became conscious again, she found she was in the arms of her elder brother, Guwu Yun.
Guwu Yun gently patted his sister's back to soothe her.
"It's alright. You're safe."
Recently, his vibrant sister had turned taciturn. At night, she would have nightmares about a person named Tangyu Sanjun.
In the three realms, there really was a person named Tangyu Sanjun, but as far as Guwu Yun knew, there was no possible way the two of them had ever encountered each other before. His sister was a devil and had never set foot outside of the devil world. As for that Tangyu Sanjun, he was the beloved youngest son of the celestial emperor and empress. Where could he find the time to visit the devil world. Especially since, the devils and celestials have always been on opposing sides.
The celestial world and devil world were separated by the mortal world. Unless someone no longer wanted their life, they wouldn't rashly enter the other's domain. This was a case of the river water not invading the well water.
A rush of footsteps entered Guwu Lin's room.
"Father," Guwu Yun greeted as he moved back to allow his father to get closer to Guwu Lin.
"Father," Guwu Lin whispered.
Guwu Daniu sighed as he saw his daughter's disheveled appearance. Her matted hair glued to her forehead as beads of perspiration dotted the rim of her face. He himself didn't know the root cause of her sudden change.
The royal doctors were of no use. He who ruled the devil world for a millennia had no idea what was ailing his beloved daughter.
Guwu Daniu held his daughter's fair hand. He thought of when he first met her. She was just a toddling dandelion weed, struggling to grow on the edge of a desert. At the time, he and his beloved empress took pity on the young demon and brought her home, adopting her as their daughter and educating her on the devil's cultivation path.
How many years ago was that?
Guwu Daniu remembered that he too used to be an ox. Afraid of being slaughtered, he ran away into the mountains to hide from his owner. Thanks to this, he met a wandering immortal cultivator who instructed him on the path of cultivating immortality.
Because he saw himself in the young dandelion, he immediately took a liking to her. From then on, he had held her in the palm of his hand. In fact, he had to admit that he cared for her a little bit more than his own biological son.
Patting her hand, Guwu Daniu said to his daughter, "If there is anyone who has wronged you, you can tell father. Father will bring them to justice."
With a weak smile, Guwu Lin answered, "It's just a nightmare and nothing more. Now that I am awake, I am fine."
Although what Guwu Lin wanted to actually say was, "Now that I am awake, I no longer fear him."
But she could not tell her father nor her elder brother this. Even if she told them, they had no memory of it. The God of the World had done as he said. The devil world was fine. Her father and elder brother were alive. She was still the beloved devil princess. And yet, her heart felt stuffy. At times, she felt like she would simply burst into tears. However, she knew she had no more tears. All her tears had been given to that man.
Everything has reset, and what happened then, is a mere dream, she told herself. Despite her wish to comfort herself, the words rang hollow. The nightmare haunting her dreams would not pass.
Because even though she had ignored it, ever since her return to the present, she could not forget the undeniable fact: Tangyu Sanjun still exists in this world.
But she did not know if he was still the bloodthirsty Tangyu Sanjun or if the events which unfolded before had changed him. She had to believe he had changed. For the devil world was still here.
The only way to know for certain was to ask that old rascal the God of the World. However, to enter the celestial world, she would most definitely encounter Tangyu Sanjun in the flesh. If the mere thought of the person could make her anxious enough to down a bottle of poison, what would the real person do to her?
Guwu Lin did not want to find out.