After cultivating for a few hours, Ronin woke up from his cultivation trance to the delightful sounds of Mei Ling's laughter. She was playing with butterflies and squirrels.
Suddenly, he found himself able to see and feel everything around him in intricate detail, as if he had become one with nature. His perception had increased significantly.
"Boy, how are you feeling right now?" a voice echoed inside Ronin's consciousness.
"Even though I felt exactly like this when my consciousness merged with the demon lord's body, I now feel as though I'm one with nature. The Demonic energy inside my body has become even thicker and purer than before. Is it related to the Demonic way of the sword that I cultivated?" asked Ronin.
"Boy, you will find the answer to this question in the future," replied the voice.
"This person, why can't he simply say 'yes' or 'no'?" Ronin cursed, his face displaying irritation.
"Brother Ronin, I'm hungry," said Mei Ling, wiping the sweat off her forehead.
Ronin went to pick a few vegetables and fruits and began preparing breakfast for her.
"Brother Ronin, what are you cooking for breakfast?" asked Mei Ling eagerly.
"Vegetable soup and fruit salad," Ronin answered while preparing the dishes.
"What about pork?" she asked anxiously.
"No pork for breakfast," said Ronin in a stern tone.
"Brother Ronin, I want pork... I want pork... I want pork," Mei Ling started shouting while closing her eyes.
Ronin reached out his hand, picked a few pieces of fruit from the fruit salad, and put them into her mouth.
"Mmm... Mmmm..."
*gulp*
Mei Ling chewed and gulped down all the pieces of fruit in her mouth and glared angrily at Ronin.
"Seeing that you're eating meat early in the morning is not good for your health," said Ronin, putting a few more fruits from the salad into her mouth.
After a few minutes, both of them finished their breakfast, and Mei Ling went to play with her little friends.
Ronin sat in a meditation position and started cultivating. "Boy, right now I sense that your mind is in a mess. What is bothering you so much?" a voice echoed in Ronin's consciousness.
"I know that the stupid author wrote that humans and demons are sworn enemies, and he even created a ridiculous main character who will supposedly eradicate the whole demon continent in the future. It was just a novel, but the world I'm in right now is real. It's not a fictional novel. Yes, this world is based on that crappy novel, but it's still really hard to see humans fighting demons just because they are demons, and demons fighting humans just because they are humans. Who is right, and who is wrong here?" said Ronin, his face reflecting deep thought.
"Boy, in this world, there is no absolute right or wrong. It doesn't matter which race you're from or the good or bad things you've done. In the end, all that matters is survival. Both demons and humans have to survive, and they will do whatever it takes to ensure their survival," a voice filled with wisdom reassured Ronin in his consciousness.
"Haha..."
"Boy, why are you laughing?" A voice filled with surprise echoed in his consciousness.
"Who came up with this survival crap? You or that author?" asked Ronin, shaking his head, and continued, "I don't care about this survival nonsense. All I care about is staying happy, and I will do everything in my ability to remain happy and keep the people around me happy."
"Whether they are humans, demons, or any other race, anyone who dares to ruin my happiness or the happiness of those around me will have to face severe consequences," said Ronin, as he started cultivating the demonic energy and increasing his strength.
"Interesting," a voice responded in his consciousness, and then fell completely silent.
As usual, Ronin stopped cultivating during meal times, prepared a meal for Mei Ling, and then resumed his cultivation.
The next morning, while he was preparing breakfast, Mei Ling said, "Brother Ronin, I saw a few humans who came to the forest talking about their village nearby. They mentioned that they are going to have a celebration in their village for five days, and there will be many toys, tasty food, and exciting exhibitions."
"Exhibition?" asked Ronin, his face displaying surprise.
"Yes, in the exhibition, there will be a giant wheel, wooden horse riding, and many more fun activities. It's really exciting and fun to go to an exhibition," said Mei Ling, her face filled with excitement.
"Oh, have you been to an exhibition before?" asked Ronin, looking at Mei Ling curiously.
"Yes," Mei Ling nodded her head with a huge smile, and she continued while showing three fingers to Ronin, "I went to an exhibition with my mother when I was three years old."
"Nice," said Ronin with a calm expression.
"We're going, right?" asked Mei Ling, bending her back a little and placing her hands behind her close to her hips.
"Right," said Ronin, and both of them set out on their way toward the village that was located close to the forest where they had been living.
After a few minutes, they finally arrived near the entrance of the village.
"Ah... Waaah..waaah..."
"Brother Ronin, did you hear that? Someone is crying," asked Mei Ling, scanning her surroundings.
"There she is," said Mei Ling, spotting a little girl sitting on the ground, crying and rubbing her eyes.
"Little girl, why are you crying?" asked Mei Ling, adopting an elder sister's caring expression.
"Little girl?" The little girl stopped crying and turned to look behind her.
"Who are you looking at? I'm calling you," said Mei Ling, placing her hands on both sides of her waist.
"You're not a little girl?" The little girl asked while looking at Mei Ling.
*Pfffft...*
Ronin struggled to contain his laughter, attempting to disguise it by turning away and pretending not to see or hear anything.
"I'm older than you. I'm 8 years old," said Mei Ling, patting her chest.