Demon Lord (9): He felt that his life now was better than in his dreams.

After waking up, Zhou Qinghao could still remember fragments of the conversations from his dream.

Compared to before, his dream had become much clearer.

If this had happened in the past, he would have treasured the dream in his heart and reminisced about it from time to time.

Having lived for a thousand years, he had never been loved or shown much kindness, so his sweet memories were exceptionally few.

If it weren’t for the dreams of a beautiful and warm life, he wouldn’t have known how to keep going.

He had loved the people in his dreams who treated him so well, and he had been willing to treasure them, keeping them hidden deep in his heart.

But now, things had changed.

After waking up, Zhou Qinghao felt the comfortable environment around him and the presence of Gu Juntian, whom he was coiled around. Suddenly, the things in his dreams didn’t seem so precious anymore.

The things in his dreams were fake, but the Gu Juntian in front of him was real.

Now that he had someone who cared for him, he no longer needed to envy the version of himself in his dreams.

Thinking this, Zhou Qinghao nuzzled against Gu Juntian again, flicking out his forked tongue to sense Gu Juntian’s scent.

Gu Juntian looked helpless and gently pushed Zhou Qinghao’s head away.

This little perverted dragon kept finding ways to take advantage of him, and while doing so, he even stayed in his true form.

If he had the guts, he should transform into his human form before trying to kiss him!

Thinking about the scene of Zhou Qinghao in human form clinging to him, doing all sorts of things… Gu Juntian took a deep breath and tried to focus on his cultivation technique to suppress certain thoughts.

Zhou Qinghao was still coiled around him. If his body suddenly reacted, how awkward would that be!

Reciting the mantra for calming the mind over and over, Gu Juntian suddenly felt a bit like a beast.

The original owner had fallen in love with Ao Jin at first sight, and he wasn’t much better.

The way he was now, he had pretty much fallen for the little black dragon in front of him.

If it weren’t for that, why would he feel so heartbroken just seeing Zhou Qinghao pull out two scales?

He also wouldn’t have let Zhou Qinghao take advantage of him like this.

And earlier, when Zhou Qinghao called him “little partner,” although he thought Zhou Qinghao was being mischievous, he wasn’t truly angry. Deep down, he had even felt a bit happy.

“If you push me away again, I’ll bite you!” Zhou Qinghao glared at Gu Juntian, opening his mouth to show off his sharp fangs.

Gu Juntian patted his head: “If you don’t rub against me so much, I definitely won’t push you away.”

Zhou Qinghao snorted: “You’re mine. I’ll rub against you however I want.”

Despite all the tough talk, Zhou Qinghao didn’t continue pestering Gu Juntian.

He transformed into his human form, changing from a pitch-black giant snake into a handsome Demon Lord, and then said, “Let’s eat.”

“Alright,” Gu Juntian agreed, and Zhou Qinghao immediately brought out all the food they had packed yesterday.

The food had been preserved using a formation, so its taste was no different from when it had just been cooked.

Yesterday, Zhou Qinghao had been putting on airs while eating, but now that it was just the two of them, he didn’t need to act so formally.

He didn’t need Gu Juntian to feed him either and quickly started eating, his cheeks puffing out.

This food was so delicious!

After eating for a while, Zhou Qinghao realized that Gu Juntian hadn’t touched his chopsticks. He pushed a plate of meat toward Gu Juntian: “You eat too.”

Gu Juntian said, “You go ahead. I don’t need to.”

“But you said you wanted to eat earlier,” Zhou Qinghao asked, confused.

Gu Juntian explained, “I had never tried food from the Demon Abyss before, so I wanted to taste it. Now that I’ve tried it yesterday, it doesn’t matter whether I eat it or not.”

“Are you really not going to eat?” Zhou Qinghao asked again.

“I won’t eat. You go ahead,” Gu Juntian replied with a smile.

Seeing that Gu Juntian really didn’t want to eat, Zhou Qinghao stopped insisting and happily continued eating.

Seeing this, Gu Juntian took out a demonic beast from his storage ring and began skinning and deboning it.

Yesterday, when the plump demonic cultivator was preparing food for Zhou Qinghao, he had specifically asked if there was anything else they wanted. Gu Juntian had then asked Zhou Qinghao to request some demonic beasts.

For Zhou Qinghao, plates of meat were just for tasting flavors. If he really wanted to replenish energy, he needed to eat large chunks of meat or even whole demonic beasts.

Gu Juntian had already arranged with the plump demonic cultivator to deliver demonic beasts to the Demon Palace every day. He would then cook them for Zhou Qinghao to eat.

The Demon Palace’s underground was filled with treasures, and among them were many edible items that were beneficial to the body. These could also be used to feed Zhou Qinghao.

The maturation process of a dragon was incredibly important. If a young dragon was well cared for, it could purify its bloodline and elevate its rank after reaching adulthood.

Currently, the dragons on Dragon Island were usually born with three claws, but after reaching adulthood, they would grow a fourth claw.

Ao Jin, being the child of the Dragon King and Queen, was born with four claws and had the potential to grow a rare fifth claw after reaching adulthood.

What about Zhou Qinghao? He was born with defects. Forget three claws—he didn’t even have a dragon form.

But if he was well cared for, he might be able to develop a dragon form after reaching adulthood.

If that happened, his strength would increase significantly, and no one in the world would be able to bully him again.

“Are you going to roast meat?” Zhou Qinghao paused his eating and asked Gu Juntian.

Gu Juntian replied, “Yes, I’m going to roast some meat for you.”

Zhou Qinghao stared at Gu Juntian for a while, then said, “I’ll definitely finish all the meat you roast!”

He had once dreamed of Gu Juntian roasting meat for the version of himself in the dream.

In the dream, he had been very picky, taking just one bite before refusing to eat more… Would the meat Gu Juntian roasted taste bad?

But since it was Gu Juntian who was roasting it, even if it tasted bad, he would finish it all.

At worst, he could just transform into his true form and swallow it in one gulp.

After all, he was a thousand-year-old serpent. He would never disdain his little partner’s cooking skills.

Gu Juntian glanced at the Demon Lord, who seemed lost in thought, and quickly set up a formation. He then channeled fire-attribute spiritual energy to activate the formation.

This formation wasn’t designed for combat; it was usually engraved on alchemy furnaces for refining pills.

Of course, it could also be used to roast meat.

Ao Jin was quite powerful and didn’t actually need to eat, but he enjoyed gourmet food and wanted to taste everything he came across.

The original host had specifically practiced roasting meat to please Ao Jin.

Gu Juntian’s roasting skills were excellent, and soon, the demonic beast meat in his hands began to emit a rich, mouthwatering aroma.

Zhou Qinghao had already finished the packed dishes and was now staring eagerly at the meat in Gu Juntian’s hands.

The meat Gu Juntian roasted smelled delicious and didn’t seem bad at all. He couldn’t understand why the version of himself in the dream had been so picky.

The Demon Lord’s face was cold and indifferent, surrounded by thick, dangerous demonic energy, but the way he looked at the roasted meat was as if he wanted to devour it in one bite…

Gu Juntian couldn’t help but laugh. Just as the outer layer of the meat was cooked, he sliced off a portion, placed it on a large plate, and handed it to Zhou Qinghao.

Zhou Qinghao picked up a piece and took a bite. Immediately, his eyes lit up: “It’s delicious!” The version of himself in the dream really had no taste. How could he have disliked such delicious meat?

Gu Juntian knew his cooking skills couldn’t compare to the chefs working for the plump demonic cultivator.

However, his little black dragon ate so voraciously that he probably didn’t have the time to savor the flavors carefully.

“If it’s delicious, eat more,” Gu Juntian said, adding more meat to Zhou Qinghao’s plate.

Zhou Qinghao ate even more enthusiastically.

Yesterday, he had thought he had tasted the most delicious food in the world, but now, he believed that what Gu Juntian made was the best.

The gentle way Gu Juntian looked at him made his heart beat faster.

His little partner was so wonderful! The best person in the world!

Seeing how much Zhou Qinghao enjoyed the roasted meat, Gu Juntian’s mood also improved.

In the original owner’s memories, Ao Jin was always picky and hard to please. In contrast, his little black dragon was so much better: “The ingredients are limited right now, so I’ll make something simple for you. Later, I’ll write a list, and you can have the plump demonic cultivator prepare everything I need according to it. Then, I’ll make even more delicious food for you.”

“Alright!” Zhou Qinghao nodded.

Zhou Qinghao looked particularly well-behaved, so Gu Juntian added, “Qinghao, let me tell you a story.”

A story? Zhou Qinghao wasn’t sure what that was, but if his little partner wanted to tell one, then he would listen.

Seeing Zhou Qinghao nod in agreement, Gu Juntian began.

What he told were actually various tales from the cultivation world, but to make them more interesting, he often started with gossip: “I want to tell you a story about a healer and a demonic cultivator…”

Storytelling was a way to convey one’s own perspectives and subtly impart knowledge to the listener.

Gu Juntian wanted Zhou Qinghao to understand the cultivation world, to know its intricacies, and to develop a proper sense of morality.

And this could all start with storytelling.

The first story Gu Juntian told was about a healer who saved a demonic cultivator, only to be betrayed in return.

Zhou Qinghao listened angrily: “That demonic cultivator is despicable!”

Gu Juntian smiled and then told Zhou Qinghao another story, this time about a righteous cultivator who, after obtaining a magical treasure, was framed and eventually forced into the Demon Abyss, becoming a demonic cultivator.

“If I were him, I’d definitely kill all those cultivators who wronged him!” Zhou Qinghao said indignantly, taking a bite of roasted meat.

In his life, Zhou Qinghao had rarely interacted with others.

No one had ever treated him the way Gu Juntian did—cooking for him, telling him stories.

Eating while listening to stories made him feel incredibly happy, and he thought his current life was particularly good.

In the past, he had always envied the version of himself in his dreams, but now he didn’t feel that way anymore. He believed his current life was even better than the one in his dreams.

Just as he was thinking this, Zhou Qinghao felt Gu Juntian move closer and reach out, as if to touch his belly.

Startled, Zhou Qinghao quickly dodged and looked at Gu Juntian with displeasure: “What are you trying to do?” Was Gu Juntian trying to make advances on him?

Zhou Qinghao very much wanted to be intimate with Gu Juntian, but he was afraid that Gu Juntian would discover his inadequacy and then reject him.

Gu Juntian simply wanted to touch Zhou Qinghao’s belly to see if he was full.

But when Zhou Qinghao dodged, Gu Juntian realized his actions might have been inappropriate: “It’s nothing. Are you full?”

Zhou Qinghao nodded hastily, his mind in turmoil.

If Gu Juntian made advances on him, what should he do? If he rejected Gu Juntian, would Gu Juntian go looking for someone else? No, that absolutely couldn’t happen!

Gu Juntian, unaware of what Zhou Qinghao was thinking, assumed that Zhou Qinghao’s evasion was due to being wary of him.

This was quite normal, considering that not long ago, the original owner had tried to assassinate Zhou Qinghao!

Gu Juntian decided to skip over that topic and brought up what they needed to do next: “Qinghao, let’s go out and repair the formations.”

Now that they had eaten and drunk their fill, it was time to get to work.

He was determined to repair all the formations in the Demon Palace and add some new ones to ensure Zhou Qinghao’s safety.

Seeing that Gu Juntian wasn’t making any advances, Zhou Qinghao breathed a sigh of relief: “Let’s go!”

Once outside, Gu Juntian began explaining to Zhou Qinghao what they needed to do next.

Zhou Qinghao listened, feeling his head spin.

Gu Juntian had so many demands and was so meticulous! How had he ended up with such a partner?

Despite thinking this, Zhou Qinghao still followed Gu Juntian’s instructions and diligently began repairing the formations.

Once he finished, he looked proudly at Gu Juntian.

Gu Juntian would always praise him: “Qinghao, you’re amazing! It’s hard to believe you just learned these formations!”

After receiving such praise, Zhou Qinghao would happily move on to repair the next formation.

Of course he was amazing—he was the Demon Lord, after all!