Chapter 2

Yan Chaosheng said he would come to keep her company when he had time, but several days passed and he still hadn’t come.

Instead, it was his attendant, Su Lun, who came.

Su Lun, whose true form was a fox with brown fur, brought a box of peach blossom pastries with him.

Smiling, he said, “My lady, I hope you’ve been well. Look at the gift I’ve brought you. Do you like it?”

Foxes are usually known for their good looks, but Su Lun was an exception. He was quite ordinary in appearance and lacked the charm typically associated with his kind.

However, Su Lun was extremely perceptive and had a talent for reading people and pleasing them. Every time he traveled with Yan Chaosheng, he never forgot to bring Liu Shuang a gift.

“Thank you, Su Lun,” Liu Shuang said, accepting the pastries.

“Why did this campaign take so long? Didn’t they say the Six Realms Treaty had already been established? And who gravely injured the Demon Lord?”

Su Lun’s eyes flickered, and he replied with a smile, “It shouldn’t have taken this long. The Demon Lord was guarding the Ghost Realm, and some of the old figures in the demon clan decided to make a move. The Demon Lord had to deal with them, which took some time.”

Liu Shuang said, “It must have been a hard journey for you, Su Lun.”

“Actually, there’s another reason I came today. My lady’s constitution isn’t well-suited for the Ghost Realm. Would you like me to escort you back to the demon realm?”

Liu Shuang took a light bite of a peach blossom pastry and paused. “Is this your idea, or… his?”

Her clear eyes gazed at him, making even the eloquent Su Lun feel somewhat guilty.

“My lady, you’re overthinking it. This is not the Demon Lord’s idea,” Su Lun said.

“The Demon Lord couldn’t bear to be separated from you. It was my own concern for your well-being. Now that the war is over, you and the Demon Lord have a long future ahead. Your health is paramount.”

Liu Shuang replied gently, “It’s fine; I’m doing well.”

Su Lun smiled and didn’t press the matter further. He shared a few interesting stories with her before leaving. As he walked out of Liu Shuang’s courtyard, his smile faded.

“Lord Su Lun, how did it go?” someone asked.

Su Lun curved his lips. “The lady still refuses to return to the demon realm. Oh well, she doesn’t like walking around the Ghost Realm much, so she probably won’t discover anything for now. I’ll report the truth to the Demon Lord.”

“Understood.”

Su Lun opened his fan and shook his head. He had deliberately lied to give the Demon Lord another chance to choose.

Inside, that innocent and sincere person—at first, he found it easy to lie to such a pitifully sweet individual, but now, even someone as thick-skinned as he was beginning to feel uncomfortable.

Living surrounded by people with evil hearts yet still remaining so happy—there might be only one such person in all the Eight Wildernesses.

After Su Lun left, Yan Chaosheng was still nowhere to be seen in the Ghost Realm.

Even the ghost phoenix butterflies thought the Demon Lord wasn’t there and started to flutter around Liu Shuang’s swing again. Liu Shuang felt down for a few days and remembered the double fish pendant she had treasured for so long, which had started to show strange cracks.

This pendant was a gift from Shao You when he left. Why was it starting to break now?

Sitting under the phoenix tree, green spiritual energy flowed from her fingertips like fireflies, covering the pendant in an attempt to repair it. The phoenix tree swayed its leaves, and its large red flowers fell like tears, spreading a red carpet at her feet.

The pendant still had unsightly cracks, and her spiritual energy had no effect at all!

Chang Huan stood outside the door for a while. Seeing Liu Shuang lost in thought, she quickly entered and called out, “My lady?”

“Has the Demon Lord returned?” Liu Shuang’s eyes brightened as she asked.

Chang Huan hesitated, then shook her head. “I came to ask what you would like for dinner.”

Liu Shuang put away the jade pendant.

Whenever Yan Chaosheng returned to the Ghost Realm, though he was often busy, he would always find time to spend with her because she was so clingy. This time, however, she hadn’t even seen a trace of him.

“Anything is fine, as long as it’s light,” Liu Shuang said, then smiled as she remembered something. “Chang Huan, when you have time, could you find me some bright-colored celestial silk?”

“What will my lady use it for? How much do you need?”

“My husband’s birthday is coming up. I want to make him a headband.”

It was never easy for Liu Shuang to give him a birthday gift. Almost everything she had was given to her by Yan Chaosheng. If not for absorbing the Demon Lord’s blood, she would still be a small, shapeless immortal grass.

For a hundred years, she had taken care of his daily needs. She sewed his battle robes, embroidered his belts, and even the fierce beasts on his clothes were stitched by her own hands using gold thread.

While she wasn’t particularly talented in cultivation, she was quite adept at these tasks. Recognizing his extraordinary identity, she became even more skilled, crafting exquisite and beautiful garments and accessories. Although Yan Chaosheng might not care about these things, Liu Shuang firmly believed that when he and Chiyuan fought outside, wearing the items she made gave a sense of her accompanying him.

Chang Huan opened her mouth, then finally said, “Yes, my lady, I will look for it today.”

In the Ghost Realm, the sky always seemed covered with a layer of blood-red mist, making it hard to tell the time. It was the ghost crows on the branches that marked the hours instead.

After Chang Huan left, Liu Shuang realized that Yan Chaosheng had been away on this campaign for an unusually long time. His battle robes might not be usable anymore.

Although the Eight Wildernesses were now at peace, she had gotten into the habit of preparing in advance. Otherwise, she might not have had time when something happened.

Liu Shuang rushed out.

“Chang Huan!”

Outside the palace, Chang Huan’s figure was already gone.

Ghost cultivators were naturally quick and agile. Having spent decades with Liu Shuang, Chang Huan likely noticed that the timid immortal grass was somewhat afraid of “ghosts.”

So, she never floated around Liu Shuang like other ghost cultivators who would casually detach an arm to scratch an itch.

Chang Huan had been trained to behave more like a “mortal,” walking in embroidered shoes and even learning to cover her pale face with makeup.

But when her back was turned, she reverted to her ghostly nature and quickly vanished.

Liu Shuang walked out and saw numerous maids with bowed heads passing by.

Their lower bodies were blurred, like a layer of black mist, and they carried exquisite jade trays. The items on the trays piqued Liu Shuang’s curiosity.

She leaned in for a closer look. As an immortal, merely standing beside them, she could sense that the treasures inside were extraordinary, even alleviating the discomfort the Ghost Realm caused her.

“What are these? Where are you taking them?”

“These are Soul Calming Elixirs, Your Highness,” one ghost cultivator replied flatly.

“We are delivering them to the Xiangze Hall.”

Hearing “Xiangze Hall,” Liu Shuang was stunned.

Xiangze Hall was supposed to be uninhabited.

She still remembered that, about a few decades ago, when she first arrived in the Ghost Realm, Yan Chaosheng had told her that she could go anywhere except the Ruthlessness Hall, which would harm her, and the Xiangze Hall, which was off-limits to everyone.

For those long decades, the Xiangze Hall had remained a forbidden place in the Ghost Realm.

Liu Shuang once got lost and nearly stumbled into the hall, only to be grabbed by the back of her collar by Yan Chaosheng, who instantly appeared in front of her.

That time, he looked at her coldly. He had been away on a campaign for half a year without sending any word back.

Since then, Liu Shuang has never ventured near that place again. Her curiosity wasn’t particularly strong, so the matter gradually faded from her mind. Until one day, when the great demons from the demon realm came to celebrate Yan Chaosheng’s birthday, Liu Shuang heard a rumor.

They said that a female immortal had once lived in the Xiangze Hall. This female immortal and Yan Chaosheng had a deep relationship, almost becoming the Demon Lord’s fiancée. If she hadn’t entered the Immortal Palace and become the Heavenly Lord’s consort, who would be the demon queen now was still uncertain.

Liu Shuang didn’t believe it. Although she was just a young immortal grass of about a hundred years, she knew that her husband had never been with another woman.

Their first time together was when he was drunk. He was somewhat rough, not gentle and smooth. Later, as he found pleasure, he relaxed.

She was certain that she was his only love in his long life. How could her husband possibly like someone else? If he did, why would he marry her?

But she was born too late. By the time she took human form, he was already renowned and feared by all. Could it be true that a few hundred years ago, he had someone he cherished deeply?

The demons spoke with great interest and certainty. These old demons had lived much longer than she had, and indeed, she hadn’t been part of his youth.

Her distress was noticed by him, and she couldn’t help but ask if there had been such a relationship.

He grasped her chin, looking coldly into her eyes. “What do you think?”

Seeing his cold eyes, she felt a deep shiver from within. Everyone knew that the Demon Lord disliked anyone discussing his past.

It was said that his youth was miserable and that he practiced righteous ways with a demon body, suffering discrimination and hardships.

Looking into his dark eyes, she realized she was wrong to question him. Why didn’t she trust him? Liu Shuang thought that if he suspected her of having something with Shao You, she would be furious too.

So she rubbed her reddened eyes and stopped pressing, saying, “Husband, when the tribulation thunder comes, will you accompany me to stay by the Canglan Lake for a few days?” If he stayed there for a few days, he could save countless of her kin from the lake.

He looked at her for a long time and then murmured in agreement.

This verbal promise felt like sweet honey in her heart.

She beamed with joy and never brought up Xiangze Hall again. After all, it was just a courtyard. The man was hers, his heart was hers—how could a cold courtyard take him away? That female immortal was already the Heavenly Lord’s consort. Immortals were supposed to be kind and wouldn’t fight her for Yan Chaosheng.

But from that day on, she vaguely understood that there was not just a difference in their statuses but a seven-hundred-year gap between them.

She hadn’t shared his hardships or known anything about his difficult past.

Now, hearing about Xiangze Hall again from the ghost cultivators, she felt a sense of discomfort deep in her heart.

Perhaps every girl has a natural instinct to sense danger. Why had the long-sealed Xiangze Hall suddenly reopened, with countless ghost cultivators delivering soul-soothing treasures inside?

Why had her husband, upon returning from his campaign in the Immortal Realm, clearly having pacified the Eight Wilderneses and with major affairs that could be handled gradually, no longer shared a bed with her?

It was as if he was staying chaste for someone else.

Although his emotions were not intense, Liu Shuang knew he wasn’t indifferent to her. When he was deeply moved, even if she mischievously stepped on his shoulder with her small foot, he wouldn’t argue with her. He would just expressionlessly pinch her cheek and say, “Disrespectful.”

He was stern and cold, yet he indulged in her mischief.

Liu Shuang recalled the night he returned and asked for the Mingxi Pearl. She had affectionately hugged his neck, only to have him push her hands away. Something inside her began to take root, growing into a monstrous beast that opened its bloody mouth at her, laughing eerily.

A suspicion so terrifying that she dared not even consider it began to form in her mind, making her shudder all over.

Chang Huan brought the fabric over and saw her standing dazedly on the palace path in the Ghost Realm. She hurried over and asked, “My lady, what’s wrong?”

“Chang Huan, they say someone is living in Xiangze Hall. Do you think the Demon Lord, who hasn’t returned for days, is staying there?”

Chang Huan’s fingers trembled slightly.

Seeing the fragile, tense look in Liu Shuang’s eyes, she calmly said, “My lady, what are you thinking? The Demon Lord was seriously injured this time. I asked Brother Fu Heng a few days ago, and he said the Demon Lord has been healing in  Hall of Ruthlessness every night.”

Liu Shuang bit her lip and reluctantly nodded.

Chang Huan quickly showed her the fabric she had brought. “I found the material you wanted, My Lady. The Demon Lord’s birthday is approaching. If we don’t hurry, there won’t be enough time.”

“Mm.”

Her husband was the Demon Lord and the Ghost King, a ruler of two realms who dealt with significant matters daily, far beyond the trivialities of her romantic concerns.

Liu Shuang sighed.

Twenty years ago, she had a bout of jealousy that turned into a joke: Yan Chaosheng was locked in the great hall with someone for three days and nights without coming out.

She thought her husband didn’t want her anymore, but it turned out the person in the great hall with him was a bearded male demon whose steps shook the ground.

When Yan Chaosheng learned of her misunderstanding, his face turned dark.

This time, she couldn’t let her imagination run wild and misunderstand him again. Taking the celestial silk, she slowly walked back to the hall.

Chang Huan watched her back, biting her lip, and silently followed her.

At night, the ghost crows cawed three times, signaling it was the third watch of the night.

(T/N:  third watch of the five night-watches, around 11 p.m.–1 a.m)

Liu Shuang lay with her head resting on her arm, unable to sleep, watching the flickering light of the glass lamp. Beside her was the cut celestial silk. For some reason, she gradually thought of the cracks on the double fish pendant.

The double fish pendant and the Mingxi Pearl were gifts from Shao You before he left.

She remembered that warm, windy day when he, dressed in white, as gentle as jade, asked, “I’ll ask you one last time: would you like to go with me, travel the mountains and rivers, and visit the Jiangnan County I once mentioned to you?”

She had smiled and shaken her head, her eyes bright. “I like being with him.”

Shao You’s eyes dimmed.

“Then keep these two items as my wedding gift to you. Take care of the double fish pendant. If it remains intact, you can stay with him. But if it shows any signs of cracking, leave immediately. Whether you go back to Canglan Lake or return to the mortal world, don’t stay by his side any longer.”

“As for the Mingxi Pearl, your spiritual energy is weak, and staying by his side is not conducive to your cultivation. When you face your bloodline tribulation, it might help shield you from some of the tribulation lightning.”

After that, Shao You left these two items and never came back, not even attending her wedding. She didn’t understand their value, but since they were gifts from Shao You, they must be valuable. Shao You was from a branch of the ancient bloodline, the Peach Tree clan, which made him somewhat related to her true form.

He was naturally skilled in healing and divination, kind-hearted, and gentle. She had met him in the mortal world shortly after taking human form. They traveled together, and she learned a lot from him, albeit somewhat cluelessly.

To Liu Shuang, Shao You was both a good teacher and a dear friend. She had once folded her hands and bowed her head, preparing to kneel and call him “Master” with a sweet voice.

Shao You pursed his lips and bound her knees with peachwood: “I won’t be your master.”

She thought it was because she was too foolish and felt heartbroken for a while.

Now, the double fish pendant he gave her was beginning to crack. Why would a perfectly good jade start to crack? She recalled that his divination skills were unparalleled, and she clutched her brocade quilt, feeling uneasy.

After much deliberation, Liu Shuang dressed and walked outside.

Surely, it was because her spiritual energy was too weak that she couldn’t repair the jade. She couldn’t do it, but her husband certainly could. With his immense powers, it should be no problem for him. Shao You must have been mistaken. She didn’t believe in such ominous prophecies. She wanted to stay with him for a long, long time, to spend her life with him.

Carrying a glass lamp, she walked through the ghost realm, where the wind howled at night, and finally stopped at a palace made of jade.

This was the main hall of the ghost realm, where Yan Chaosheng handled important matters. He was belligerent, loved to kill, had great ambitions, and was fearless. He had transformed the flourishing era of the Immortal Realm into an era where humans, immortals, demons, and ghosts all stood together.

According to history books, seven hundred years ago, immortals were supreme, and the descendants of the demon clan lived worse than livestock. She had never seen such a scene. By the time she was born, the demons already had their dignity.

Although she shouldn’t disturb him, she couldn’t help it now.

“My lady, why are you here?” The attendant outside the hall stopped her.

“It’s late. Please go back.”

“I’m here to see the Demon Lord.”

“The Demon Lord is not here.”

She glanced at the grand, dark palace. Indeed, it didn’t seem like anyone was there. If he wasn’t here, then where could he be?

A voice inside her seemed to pinpoint a specific location.

Sweat broke out on her palms as she tightly held the cracked jade pendant and walked toward Xiangze Hall.