Chapter 41

Liu Shuang never expected to stumble upon Yan Chaosheng committing murder.

In Kongsang, there are strict rules. Disciples are not allowed to fight amongst themselves or engage in self-harm.

Any offender is to be dealt with according to Kong Sang’s law.

Yan Chaosheng disregarded Kongsang’s rules and attempted to kill someone in the Dusheng Bamboo Forest. If this were discovered, he would certainly be expelled from Kongsang.

Unfortunately, if he were punished and banished from the immortal realm, resentment would surely brew, and he would hate Kongsang even more.

That’s why Liu Shuang couldn’t allow him to murder someone.

First, as the young miss, no matter the reason, she couldn’t let Yan Chaosheng act recklessly in the immortal realm. Second, she needed to destroy the Clear Essence Jade right away.

So, Liu Shuang stopped Yan Chaosheng.

From her experience, finding Yan Chaosheng in the act of murder could very likely lead to him deciding to silence her as well.

After all, he was the type to not stop once he started.

Thankfully, without his Ten Commandments Ring and with her cultivation being superior, she didn’t need to worry too much.

They walked to the side, and Liu Shuang took out the Clear Essence Jade .

Liu Shuang thought, there’s no way she could tell Yan Chaosheng that this stone was a cursed object for Kongsang, and ask him to take it.

Yan Chaosheng wasn’t a fool.

Maybe the murderous intent she felt earlier had already grown full by now.

She then said, “I told you I’d help restore your cultivation. See, I’ve brought you a gift.”

It was, in a sense, the truth.

The decision to give Yan Chaosheng the Clear Essence Jade wasn’t an impulsive one.

She had been thinking for a while about how to settle things with him and send him away.

While the Clear Essence Jade was a curse for the Immortal Clan, it was, as a demon bone stone, something that had its own significance.

It was said that the ancient demon gods were born with demon bones, which had the power to destroy heaven and earth.

Later, when the Eight Wilderness became clear, the gods and demons were gone, and the Immortal Clan took control.

Since then, the taboo of demon bones had rarely been mentioned.

The demon bone stone, it was said, came from the pure remnants of a large demon that had fallen.

For the Immortal Clan, the demon bone stone would corrupt the human heart and cause demonic energy to invade, but for demons, it was a kind of tonic.

However, most demons didn’t have such good “luck.”

If a demon consumed a “complete” tonic stone, it might even make them stupid.

Yan Chaosheng was different.

Liu Shuang had studied him, and according to records, he became a demon lord in a century, which showed his extraordinary talent and great fortune.

The fact that the ancient demon bird, Qingluan, bowed to him could already show he was someone remarkable in his youth.

If he could save Qingluan, he could definitely refine the demon bone.

Yan Chaosheng asked, “Is this specifically for me?”

Indeed, this object couldn’t be taken to Kunlun, and since you were already considering murder to restore your cultivation, Liu Shuang thought.

She hesitated but said, “I saw that you were about to kill someone.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Yan Chaosheng’s expression turned cold.

Yan Chaosheng’s thoughts were partly in agreement with Liu Shuang’s, but also partly opposite.

He was eager to restore his cultivation, win the competition, and become an official disciple.

Liu Shuang wanted to compensate him for his cultivation, turn the grudge into favor, and send him away, not letting him seek revenge on Kongsang.

Now, the first step was in place—restoring his cultivation.

That shouldn’t be a problem.

There was no way she could allow him to absorb other people’s cultivation.

She wanted to destroy the jade, and he wanted cultivation; it was a win-win situation.

“If you take this, your cultivation will return. Don’t kill anyone, Yan Chaosheng. Murder brings karmic debt.”

The moonlight bathed Yan Chaosheng’s figure, and Liu Shuang saw his indifferent expression.

He seemed unaffected, but it looked like his mind was made up.

She had no choice but to add, “He’s not worth it. You should take care of yourself.”

Liu Shuang reflected on her earlier cold tone.

Yan Chaosheng might have thought she was trying to harm him.

Well, now she added this line to make it sound more like genuine concern from an ally.

Sure enough, after hearing this, the previously indifferent Yan Chaosheng raised his gaze.

His eyes held a mix of complex emotions, but in the end, his expression softened slightly.

“I won’t kill him. You can go now, I don’t want your gift.”

“… You do want it. You have to take it,” Liu Shuang insisted, earnestly recommending the jade to him.

“Yan Chaosheng, this is the Clear Essence Jade , once a treasure of Kongsang. It contains immense spiritual energy, not only can it restore your previous cultivation, but it can even bring you more.”

She promised, none of it was an exaggeration.

Yan Chaosheng frowned.

“I believe you.”

Liu Shuang was puzzled.

“Then why don’t you take it?”

Yan Chaosheng looked at her face for a long while, before looking away.

“I’ll rely on myself to grow stronger. I don’t need your help.”

Well, he was one of those traditional men, refusing help from women.

“I do believe you’ll be great,” Liu Shuang said.

“But there’s only half a month left before the competition. If you can’t restore your spiritual energy and can’t win, how will you become an official disciple? Yan Chaosheng, the next competition is in ten years, can you wait that long?”

Yan Chaosheng coldly replied, “Enough. Don’t say it again. I can wait.”

“You can wait, but I can’t!” Liu Shuang was almost panicking.

Could she really spend the next ten years worrying about him potentially turning against Kongsang and destroying it?

Yan Chaosheng stopped.

“Chishui Liushuang, you…” Liu Shuang wasn’t sure what had triggered him, but with a simple sentence, he struggled to finish his words, unable to speak for a while.

The air went still for a moment, and then Yan Chaosheng lowered his gaze, his lips curling slightly.

Liu Shuang: “…?” She didn’t understand why Yan Chaosheng was so happy.

Was it because he was willing to stay in Kongsang and not leave? Did he think that would make him happy for the next ten years?

Liu Shuang tilted her head and looked at him.

Well, at least he seemed to be in a good mood.

Since meeting Yan Chaosheng, she rarely saw him this happy.

It was the first time she had seen him smile, not a fake or sarcastic one, but a pure, youthful smile under the clear night sky.

He resembled a lush bamboo forest, exuding the simple, pure, and vigorous joy that only youth could possess.

Even as he lowered his eyes, trying to cover his emotions, Liu Shuang could still see the smile.

Liu Shuang gave up.

Based on Yan Chaosheng’s character, she steeled herself and, following the example of Lord Su Lun’s thick skin, said, “Then just accept it for now. Think of it as a debt you’ll repay later, okay?”

She forced the gift into his hands.

He hesitated for a moment before accepting it.

The young man’s clear eyes softened as he lowered his voice, “Okay. I won’t make you wait long.”

Liu Shuang looked at him in confusion. Well, at least the meaning was roughly, seemingly, probably the same.

Seeing Yan Chaosheng about to leave, Liu Shuang asked, “Where are you going?”

Yan Chaosheng glanced at her.

“To deal with Ding Feng.”

Liu Shuang was worried and felt she needed to see him destroy the Clear Essence Jade herself. In case something went wrong, she could stop it in time.

“I’ll go with you.”

Yan Chaosheng frowned.

“I said I won’t kill him, I absolutely won’t.”

“I’m not worried about him,” the girl said seriously.

She believed Yan Chaosheng wouldn’t lie about such a thing.

Yan Chaosheng suddenly fell silent.

Under the moonlight, she was already very beautiful, her eyes bright and clear, with a soft, watery hue.

For some reason, he suddenly recalled what the disciples had been gossiping about during the day.

“What’s the Young Miss’s appearance really like? Which rumors are true, and which are false?”

“Not only is her beauty unparalleled, it’s said that she surpasses Daji and Bao Si.”

At the time, Yan Chaosheng had been preoccupied with planning how to lure Ding Feng out at night to kill him quietly, cover up the traces, and hadn’t paid much attention.

But now, under the bright moonlight, with the occasional faint chirp of insects in the air, and the gentle sway of the bamboo leaves in the Dusheng Bamboo Forest, everything around seemed beautiful, yet the most beautiful thing was the person before him.

Yan Chaosheng intended to refuse.

He didn’t want her to see how he dealt with Ding Feng, but as he met her slightly pleading gaze, he fell silent for a moment.

When he turned back, a small tail was following him.

The girl asked, “Did Ding Feng bully you?”

Yan Chaosheng remained silent.

As they approached, he finally spoke.

“Stay back, he’s dirty.”

She nodded obediently and stepped back two paces.

Yan Chaosheng turned around and added, “Please turn your back.”

She muttered, “I’m not peeking, you’re so petty.”

Yan Chaosheng insisted on watching her, and Liu Shuang turned her back.

Yan Chaosheng breathed a sigh of relief, expressionless, and grabbed Ding Feng by the neck, waking him up.

When Ding Feng woke and saw Yan Chaosheng, he instinctively screamed, but the next moment, his gaze collided with Yan Chaosheng’s strange silver eyes.

Ding Feng’s eyes gradually dulled.

Yan Chaosheng sneered, closed his eyes, then opened them again, and his demonic eyes turned completely black.

He looked at Liu Shuang, who had her back turned, keeping her promise and not looking back.

“Senior Brother Ding, apologies for tonight. You may leave now.”

Ding Feng, hearing Yan Chaosheng’s words, stood up in a daze and nodded.

“I understand, it was my fault. Junior Brother, please forgive me.”

He then circled around Liu Shuang and headed deeper into the bamboo forest.

Liu Shuang turned around, somewhat disbelieving.

“Just like that, he’s leaving?”

Yan Chaosheng replied, “Once the misunderstanding is cleared, there’s no problem.”

After walking a few steps, Yan Chaosheng noticed she was still following closely behind him.

A trace of helplessness, not unpleasant, stirred in his heart.

“What is it now? Does the Young Miss have something else to say?”

“You won’t eat the Clear Essence Jade , I’m not at ease. This thing is very powerful.”

She paused, then added, “I have to warn you, it might hurt.”

Yan Chaosheng glanced at her, not really concerned about the pain she mentioned.

He said, “I need to go back now.”

A relieved smile appeared in her eyes as she replied, “Then I’ll go with you.”

Liu Shuang thought to herself, the young demon lord’s mood swings were acting up again.

After she said, “I’ll go with you,” his expression changed to something strange, and finally, he clenched his teeth and said, “No.”

She looked at him.

Yan Chaosheng said, “It’s late.”

Liu Shuang nodded, thinking, yes, it was late.

That’s why they needed to hurry, in case, when dawn came, the Immortals discovered the Clear Essence Jade was gone and came after her. By then, if the Clear Essence Jade was returned, Yan Chaosheng’s cultivation would be beyond recovery.

After a while, Yan Chaosheng’s expression became somewhat awkward.

He asked, “Do you really have to watch me eat it?”

Liu Shuang nodded.

“Alright, then let’s do it here,” Yan Chaosheng said.

Liu Shuang had no objections; as long as the matter could be resolved, the location didn’t matter.

Yan Chaosheng swallowed the Clear Essence Jade .

Liu Shuang nervously observed him.

Gradually, beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead, his lips turned pale, and he clutched his abdomen.

With a loud crash, he collapsed to the ground.

Liu Shuang hurried over to him.

Seeing him in immense pain, she thought that although he was recovering his cultivation, he had still done her a huge favor.

She gathered green spiritual energy with her fingers and gently pressed it to his forehead.

Suddenly, his hand grasped hers.

“Yan Chaosheng?” she called out in confusion.

“That… doesn’t work,” the boy gasped, his body trembling violently.

“Are you… in a lot of pain?” Liu Shuang asked.

She had never encountered such a situation.

“Would you like me to chant a calming spell for you?”

As a demon lord, Yan Chaosheng occasionally chanted this.

“No need,” he gripped her hand tighter.

“Can you sing?”

“No.”

“Tell a story?”

Liu Shuang honestly shook her head.

“I can’t. They don’t teach that in the human world.”

“…” After a long pause, he let out a low laugh amidst his trembling.

“You really…”

He could still laugh; it didn’t seem too serious.

He just held her hand even tighter.

Liu Shuang didn’t pull away, sighing and resignedly letting him hold it.

She understood this type of situation.

Some women in the human world, when giving birth and in extreme pain, would grip something or bite something.

Liu Shuang, being considerate, said, “I’ll break a piece of bamboo for you to bite.”

With her free hand, she waved, and a thin bamboo segment appeared in her grasp.

She offered it to Yan Chaosheng’s lips, but he chuckled in a breathless voice.

“No need, I can bear it.”

“Oh.”

She wasn’t sure how long they had been there, but her hand was nearly exhausted from him gripping it.

Since he could endure, Liu Shuang naturally didn’t say anything.

She thought to herself, she couldn’t be worse than him.

He lay prone in the bamboo forest, never asking her to help him up.

Occasionally, his body trembled, but he didn’t even groan, as if nothing was happening.

Gradually, the sky began to brighten with the first light of dawn.

Yan Chaosheng suddenly stopped trembling.

His face was ashen as he stood up, with a slightly gloomy and splendid air about him.

Their gazes met, and Liu Shuang softly called out, “Yan Chaosheng?”

His expression was strange, his pupils deep, his gaze drifting over her as if unsure.

Liu Shuang felt a chill run down her spine, and her hand seemed to be lightly brushed, though it was probably just a sensation from her numb hand.

After a long pause, Yan Chaosheng looked away, released her hand, and panted, “I’m fine.”

“Are you really okay?”

Yan Chaosheng didn’t respond.

With a flick of his hand, a small piece of green bamboo was instantly reduced to powder.

It didn’t seem too powerful, but it wasn’t weak either.

Liu Shuang asked, “Your cultivation has returned?”

Without looking at her, Yan Chaosheng nodded.

“Hmm.”

Liu Shuang let out a sigh of relief.

“I have to go back now. If you feel anything unusual, you can always come find me.”

He nodded, and Liu Shuang finally left.

Once she was gone, Yan Chaosheng’s fingers subtly moved, and the powdered green bamboo quickly returned to its original form.

His spiritual energy was so abundant that it seemed he could raise his hand and split mountains or part seas.

But… Yan Chaosheng gritted his teeth.

What exactly was this thing? His demonic nature was becoming nearly uncontrollable.

When he opened his eyes after refining the Clear Essence Jade , he thought he had degenerated into the lowest tier of the snake race, entering mating season.

When he saw her, he was so excited that his body reacted immediately.

Fortunately, the outer disciples’ robes were loose.

His mind had almost stopped working, uncontrollably flirting with her, even thinking of transforming and coiling around her.

It was madness.

Thankfully, he used all his willpower to look away, and she didn’t notice anything strange.

Yan Chaosheng walked stiffly toward the bamboo house.

This stone was not right.

It would be best not to see her again anytime soon.