The Demon Lord's Second Life[BL]

The road ahead was long, and the wind carried no name.

Mo Tianzun walked alone, his white robes brushing against the tall grass as the sun dipped low on the horizon. His steps were slow but firm—no longer limping, no longer crumbling under the weight of grief. But the silence around him made every footstep echo.

He had traveled for days since leaving Yunxiao, with only his thoughts and the distant fluttering of spirit birds to accompany him. Occasionally, he passed streams and empty shrines, sleeping forest groves, and the ghosts of memories too painful to name.

But on this particular evening, as the sky bled orange and the first stars began to blink awake, he stumbled upon a place unlike the others.

A village.

Small. Peaceful. Secluded between the arms of two hills, with rows of little homes built from warm wood and red-painted doors. Lanterns hung from branches and rooftops, swaying gently in the breeze.

Children were laughing.

Women tended to hanging laundry. A dog barked at geese waddling down the path.

Mo Tianzun blinked.

For a moment, he wondered if he was dreaming.

This… peace. This untouched joy.

It didn't belong in his world of betrayal and war. It was far too soft.

A young man chopping wood looked up and smiled. "Ah! You're a traveler, aren't you?"

Mo Tianzun nodded slowly.

"Welcome to Qingping Village! You look tired. The pavilion by the lotus pond is quiet and clean. You're welcome to stay the night there. We don't charge cultivators."

Mo Tianzun thanked him with a gentle bow.

As he followed the path toward the lotus pond, passing villagers who bowed or nodded warmly, he felt something loosen in his chest. Just slightly.

The pavilion was simple but beautiful. Wooden beams carved with cloud motifs. A woven mat. A small table with two cups. The scent of lotus filled the air as petals floated on the moonlit pond.

He set down his belongings and sat quietly, the reflection of the moon dancing in his tea.

Just as his eyes began to close—

"Hic..."

He froze.

"Hic… sob…"

He turned slowly.

A child—small, dirty, shivering in worn clothes—sat crouched at the steps of the pavilion. His knees pulled up to his chest, tear tracks on his cheeks, eyes red from crying.

Mo Tianzun blinked, startled. "You—how long have you been there?"

The child flinched. "I-I didn't mean to come close, mister…"

Tianzun's expression softened. He rose and approached slowly, crouching down to the boy's level.

"What's your name?" he asked gently.

"…Don't have one."

Tianzun's heart ached. "Where are your parents?"

"Dunno." The boy's lips trembled. "They left a long time ago."

"Are you hungry?"

A tiny nod.

Tianzun reached into his pouch and pulled out a steamed bun he'd saved. He broke it in half and handed it over. The boy took it with both hands like a sacred treasure and began devouring it ravenously.

"Slow down," Tianzun said with a soft smile. "You'll choke."

The boy looked up with wide, teary eyes. "You're… not scary."

Tianzun chuckled faintly. "I try not to be."

"Can I stay here tonight?" the boy whispered. "I don't like the cold…"

"You can stay," Tianzun said without hesitation. "You can stay with me."

DING!

The air around him rippled.

A familiar, long-lost voice echoed in his mind—clear and mechanical.

[SYSTEM RECONNECTED.]

New Quest Triggered: Fate of the Twin World.

[Special Entity Detected: Yin-Yang Vessel – Child Form.]

Warning: Suppressed energy sealed within unknown parameters.

Protect this target at all costs.

Tianzun's eyes widened. His gaze slowly turned to the child, who was now asleep on his lap, soft snores rising and falling with each breath.

"…You?"

He brushed the child's messy hair aside.

His heart trembled—not from fear, but from fate.

He didn't know how or why. But somehow… this child was part of the turning wheel that would change everything.

———

Later That Night

Wrapped in his robe, the boy slept curled beside him under the pavilion, warmed by a soft blanket conjured from Tianzun's qi. The moon shone bright above.

Tianzun stared into the night sky.

"Why you?" he whispered. "What are you to the heavens?"

The stars did not answer.

But deep in his bones, he knew.

A new arc had begun.