Chapter 69

Cong Xia never expected that this was just the beginning.

She had never even set foot on Yan Chaosheng’s bed, yet he placed Liu Shuang on it.

He commanded, “Summon the demon physician!”

Soon, the demon physician was dragged over by Fuheng, trembling with his goat-like beard as he examined the immortal on the bed.

“Mountain Lord, this immortal’s body is extremely weak, having only just materialized, and further weakened by her journey.”

“Enough nonsense. How do we treat her?”

His tone was as cold and indifferent as ever, but this time, there was a faint undercurrent of anger.

The demon physician, frightened, grimaced.

“This subordinate… does not know.”

As demons who had barely scraped by all these years, even if he possessed some medical skills, they were only rudimentary at best.

When would he ever have had the chance to treat an immortal?

The cultivation methods of the two races were entirely different.

No matter how skilled he was, he wouldn’t dare to treat her recklessly.

“Perhaps… perhaps the Mountain Lord could transfer some spiritual energy to her.”

“How dare you!” Cong Xia snapped.

“The Mountain Lord is far too noble—why should he expend energy on an enemy—”

“Get out,” Yan Chaosheng said coldly, cutting them off.

The demon physician hastily excused himself.

Cong Xia, already sensing something ominous, was reluctant to leave but was dragged out by Fuheng.

Once outside, Cong Xia shook him off.

“What are you doing? I need to keep an eye on the Mountain Lord, lest that woman seduce him.”

Fuheng remained expressionless.

“The Mountain Lord does not like you.”

Cong Xia sneered.

“If he doesn’t like me, does he like that immortal inside?”

Fuheng glanced at her and walked away without another word.

Fuming, Cong Xia spotted a small demon bird waddling over with its massive body, peering curiously.

She kicked it.

“Get lost! It’s all your fault—why did you have to bring her here?”

Thick-skinned and good-natured, the bird let out a pitiful “Chirp~”

It liked the little immortal inside.

Connected to Yan Chaosheng by heart and pulse, it naturally favored whomever its master favored.

—

Yan Chaosheng cradled Liu Shuang in his arms, transferring spiritual energy to her.

She must have just awakened, yet she arrived not long after him.

She truly cared about Bai Zhuixu.

His expression was calm as he channeled a steady stream of spiritual energy into her body.

Her icy hands warmed slightly, but her eyes remained closed, her skin pale as snow.

Yan Chaosheng planned to have his subordinates escort her back to Kongsang once she recovered.

From the moment he killed Bai Zhuixu, he knew there was no possibility left between them.

No—perhaps even earlier.

There had never been any possibility to begin with.

Once her body grew warm, Yan Chaosheng laid her back down.

Her eyes were shut, but her sleep was restless.

When he tried to pull his hand away, she gripped it tightly.

Frowning, he considered forcing his hand free, but her grasp was so tight her fingers had turned white.

If he used force, she would surely feel pain.

So Yan Chaosheng stayed still.

He let her hold his hand as he retrieved the Taichu Mirror from his robes.

Having absorbed Bai Zhuixu’s soul, the mirror was now exquisitely translucent, every intricate pattern on its surface a masterpiece.

With his free hand, Yan Chaosheng waved the mirror, using it to form an array.

Unbeknownst to him, Liu Shuang’s closed eyes flickered slightly beneath her lids, and her grip on his hand tightened further.

As the array took shape, the ancient artifact solidified its power, turning the demon palace into a stronghold for all demons, a territory that would gradually expand.

Using only one hand to form the array was taxing, but he never once let go of her.

—

Bai Zhuixu’s soul lamp had extinguished.

He had died for the immortal clan.

By the time the soldiers brought the news back to Kongsang, snow had begun to fall in the mortal realm.

It was still autumn, not yet winter, yet sorrowful cries echoed throughout Kongsang.

Patriarch Bai staggered back and slumped into a chair.

“You’re saying my son… Zhuixu, he…”

Even Chishui Chong hadn’t anticipated this outcome.

He said gravely, “Zhuixu sacrificed himself for the Taichu Mirror.”

He had given Bai Zhuixu the mirror to protect him and the other Kongsang disciples, never imagining it would lead to such a catastrophe.

Bai Zhuixu had tried to destroy the mirror with his own body but failed, scattering his soul instead.

A servant rushed in.

“Lord, Second Young Master Bai has taken up arms and is heading straight for the demon mountain!”

Chishui Chong’s heart sank.

“Stop him!”

The demon palace’s current state was unknown.

With one Bai child already dead there, Bai Yuxiao could not be allowed to meet the same fate!

The servant hurried out.

By the time he caught up to Bai Yuxiao, the latter had just left the immortal realm—and coincidentally ran into Mi Chu, who was returning.

Their states could not have been more different.

Bai Yuxiao trembled, his eyes red-rimmed, while Mi Chu sat in her palanquin, her complexion rosy, her eyes brimming with spring-like joy, like a flower in full bloom.

She smiled.

“Yuxiao, I’m back. Where… where are you going?”

For some reason, Bai Yuxiao recalled his elder brother’s warning not to be too devoted to Mi Chu—she hadn’t gone to south immortal vein.

His face was expressionless as he asked hoarsely, “Where have you been these past few days?”

Mi Chu’s eyes flickered.

“I went to visit my father.”

“Oh, really?” Bai Yuxiao said.

“But I sent someone to the south immortal vein to look for you. You weren’t there.”

Mi Chu was irritated by his cold, mocking tone.

Bai Yuxiao had never spoken to her like this before—this was the tone he used against Chishui Liushuang for her sake!

Her voice cooled.

“Yuxiao, what do you mean by that? Are you accusing me of something?”

Bai Yuxiao said softly, “Mi Chu, did you know? My elder brother is dead.”

Mi Chu said nothing.

She already knew.

These days, she had stayed with the Heavenly clan, not as a heavenly consort but enjoying the privileges of one.

Feng Fuming treated her exceptionally well, and news from the immortal clan traveled faster than in Kongsang.

The moment the snow began to fall in the mortal realm, Feng Fuming received word: Bai Zhuixu was dead.

But Mi Chu felt no grief.

Since childhood, that gentle man had always looked at her with piercing eyes, seeing through her every act, which infuriated her.

The thought of how devastated Chishui Liushuang must be now filled her with glee.

She hoped Liu Shuang would be so heartbroken she’d throw herself at that newly emerged great demon and perish with him!

As for Bai Yuxiao before her—recently basking in her good fortune, she had forgotten that Bai Zhuixu’s death would shatter him.

She had once harbored some genuine affection for Bai Yuxiao, seeing him as a useful spear.

But now… with Feng Fuming’s favor, maintaining ties with Bai Yuxiao no longer mattered.

Mi Chu said, “My condolences.”

Bai Yuxiao let out a low laugh.

Clutching his chest, he staggered back, right into the arms of the general who had come to stop him.

“Second Young Master, the Lord orders you to return! Do not act recklessly!”

But Bai Yuxiao seemed not to hear him.

He seized Mi Chu’s hand inside the palanquin.

“Mi Chu, come with me. Let’s go collect my brother’s remnants, alright?”

Mi Chu winced at his grip, growing impatient.

“Yuxiao, didn’t the Lord forbid you from going?”

“We grew up together. My brother treated you well. If we gather his remnants, there might still be hope for him to return!”

“Yuxiao, calm down,” Mi Chu said.

“No one knows the situation at the demon palace. Going there rashly would be dangerous. Besides, sacrificing for the Taichu Mirror leaves no remnants. Haven’t you seen the snow falling in the mortal realm?”

Bai Yuxiao looked at her as if she were a stranger.

He said softly, “Do you know? If you were the one who died today, I would still charge at the demon palace, even if it meant smashing an egg against a rock, even if it was hopeless. If there were even a sliver of hope for you to live, my brother would have led an army for you.”

Mi Chu fell silent.

She knew Bai Yuxiao spoke the truth.

Coldly, she said, “You should be looking for Chishui Liushuang, not me. After all, Bai Zhuixu’s favorite was her.”

Bai Yuxiao let out a sorrowful laugh.

How laughable.

Even if he had been foolish as a child, his brother had always been wise, seeing through all of Mi Chu’s tricks yet never exposing her, still protecting her, treating her well out of respect for her father’s merits.

But in Mi Chu’s eyes, unless she was the absolute favorite, even collecting his remnants wasn’t worth her time.

“I don’t need to seek out the Young Miss,” Bai Yuxiao said.

“She will go.”

He knew—Liu Shuang would definitely go.

—

Liu Shuang withdrew her spiritual consciousness and opened her eyes, looking at the person beside her.

He sat by the bed as demons continuously came to report affairs of the demon palace.

The matters requiring Yan Chaosheng’s attention could have piled into a mountain.

He had ordered a curtain drawn, separating her from the demons.

Through the curtain, he listened to their reports.

The moment she opened her eyes, he noticed and looked down at her.

She still held his fingers—only the last two—clutched tightly all this time.

Had he been mortal, his fingers would have long gone necrotic from lack of blood.

But his demon body was resilient, so such concerns didn’t apply.

He instinctively tried to pull his hand back, but Liu Shuang didn’t let go.

Yan Chaosheng paused, his cold eyes silently asking: What do you want?

Of course, it was to collect Bai Zhuixu’s remnants.

Yan Chaosheng had probably guessed.

As an immortal, she wouldn’t cough blood and faint for no reason.

The only explanation was that her spiritual consciousness had left her body.

Over the past few days, Yan Chaosheng had maintained this posture, finally realizing what she had done.

While he held her, she had sent her spiritual consciousness into the Taichu Mirror to search for any remnants of Bai Zhuixu’s soul.

She had risked her life, unafraid of her spiritual consciousness being trapped in the mirror forever.

Yan Chaosheng’s mood grew darker by the day.

Now that she was awake, his expression remained icy, his eyes shadowed.

But he could no longer hear what the demons outside were saying.

Seeing Liu Shuang refuse to release his hand, he said coldly, “Let go.”

His tone startled the demons outside.

Yan Chaosheng ordered, “All of you, leave.”

Liu Shuang spread her palm open.

In the dim palace, on his bed, she actually smiled.

“I found it. Bai Zhuixu still has half a wisp of his soul left in the Taichu Mirror. Yan Chaosheng, give him to me.”

Yan Chaosheng’s gaze swept over her smile, unreadable.

“Even if there were remnants, why should I give them to you?”

Extracting a soul from the Taichu Mirror was akin to destroying the artifact.

Even if the mirror didn’t shatter, it wouldn’t last much longer.

This was why Mi Chu was certain Yan Chaosheng wouldn’t spare Bai Zhuixu—who would keep a threat hidden in the mirror?

Yet he hadn’t completely obliterated Bai Zhuixu’s soul.

She tilted her head.

“Why?”

Yan Chaosheng didn’t answer.

Coldly, he said, “If you’re fine now, leave. Otherwise, if I change my mind—”

She pulled his hand to her chest.

“Because of me, right?”

Liu Shuang’s move caught Yan Chaosheng completely off guard.

His words died in his throat.

She looked up at him, her hair spilling over the pillow, her soft, clear eyes fixed on him.

Beneath his palm, her heart beat steadily.

It was a treasure rumored to exist only in legend throughout the Eight Wilderness.

Yet beneath his hand, it was simply her.

To him, it was no less precious than the Huiling Heart.

“You’re afraid I’ll hate you, but you still want my sincerity,” she said softly, yet each word chipped away at his defenses, laying bare his heart.

“Give Bai Zhuixu back to me, and let’s start over, alright?”

Start over.

Those four words carried irresistible temptation, striking the young Mountain Lord’s heart.

She wasn’t wrong.

Her eyes were so pure yet so cunning, easily seeing through what he truly desired.

Not the Huiling Heart—but her heart.

A love that mirrored his own.

Liu Shuang watched him closely, not missing the flicker of hesitation beneath his cold facade.

She was like an angler watching a fish tentatively nibble at the bait.

She continued to lure him in, whispering, “Just like in Taichuan City. You were happy then, weren’t you?”

The “fish” pressed his lips together, weakly resisting.

“No.”

She smiled faintly.

“Zhan Xueyang told me everything. You used your blood to make medicine for me. Yan Chaosheng, whatever happened before, I can let it go. Just give Bai Zhuixu back to me, and I’ll gladly stay by your side.”

Yan Chaosheng closed his eyes briefly, his heart in turmoil.

His suspicious nature warned him she was lying—just like before, when she’d coaxed his core from him without a second thought.

If he believed her now, his fate would be worse than Bi Xun’s.

But another voice whispered: If you don’t try, you’ll never have a chance.

After a long silence, he said, “Fine. I’ll give you his remnants.”

She held his hand, guiding it to her cheek, nuzzling against his palm.

He stiffened but didn’t pull away.

Instead, his thumb brushed lightly over her fair skin.

“So this is how it feels,” Liu Shuang thought.

A person’s sincerity is so easily exploited.

Knowing there was a trap, knowing it would lead to ruin—yet even the cleverest couldn’t resist this fleeting joy.

The Taichu Mirror… the Taichu Mirror had actually recognized Yan Chaosheng as its master.

Seven hundred years later, was that how he had looked down on her as she foolishly pleaded before the ghost realm, then slaughtered her Canglan?

Watching her weep tears of blood, dying beneath heavenly lightning—had he, like her now, watched with cold amusement as he fell?

How despicable.

He’d even had Zhan Xueyang lie to her, claiming he’d used his blood for her medicine.

After the Huiling Heart awakened, the first thing she sensed was that the immortal pill contained only Shaoyou’s aura.