Xiyu could more or less guess what it was.
Sure enough, after crying for a while, Lu Zhixing took out the Heart-Guarding Scale he had brought back yesterday.
Lu Zhixing’s voice was terribly hoarse. “Everything I have was given to me by Master. I really don’t have anything worthy of presenting to you. I only have this Heart-Guarding Scale.”
“I haven’t treated Master as well as Master has treated me. Master gave me something so precious, but all I have to give you is this bare scale.”
The Heart-Guarding Scale was the toughest scale on a snake’s body, and it had the ability to regenerate flesh and bone.
Zhili had already lost his divine bones, and he had also left his Heart-Guarding Scale inside the lotus at the Jade Lake.
Xiyu could hardly bear to imagine how fragile Lu Zhixing must have been when he had just been reborn.
The fact that he hadn’t come looking for him immediately meant he must have been extremely, extremely weak. He must have been in such a bad state that he couldn’t even get out of bed. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have failed to go looking for him.
Lu Zhixing sniffled as he carefully offered the Heart-Guarding Scale to Xiyu, as though afraid Xiyu might dislike it.
How could Xiyu possibly dislike it?
He rarely cried, but his heart ached for how difficult Zhili’s journey had been. He touched the Heart-Guarding Scale, which reflected a rainbow of colors, and transformed it into a snake-shaped ring. Then he held out his hand.
“It’s pretty like this now, isn’t it?”
After taking off his spatial ring, Xiyu’s hand was left without any adornment. He held it out before Lu Zhixing, giving him the greatest encouragement he could.
Lu Zhixing’s eyes were blurred with tears, and his hand trembled so much that he could barely hold the ring.
But Xiyu patiently waited until it was finally slipped onto his ring finger.
Lu Zhixing was still crying.
Xiyu thought that Zhili really was a little snake who cried a lot.
Those pale purple eyes, filled with tears, were so beautiful they could captivate one’s soul.
Xiyu held the back of Lu Zhixing’s neck and kissed the tears at the corners of his eyes.
“What I gave you is nowhere near as precious as what you gave me.”
“That’s nonsense,” Lu Zhixing protested. “Obviously, Master’s gift is more precious.”
It was so precious that he couldn’t even bear to wear it.
Lu Zhixing’s eyelashes still glistened with tears. Xiyu cupped his face and rested his forehead against his.
“I once said that the thing I regretted most was taking you as my disciple.”
Lu Zhixing’s eyelashes trembled, brushing across Xiyu’s brows and eyes and stirring up a faint, lingering itch.
“Back then, I was saying the opposite of what I truly felt,” Xiyu said softly. “The truth is, you’re the most precious gift I’ve ever received.”
“Zhili, I love you. I’ll love you forever.”
Throughout the long life in which he had been consumed by hatred, the few moments of happiness he had experienced had all been given to him by Zhili.
After freezing for a moment, Lu Zhixing excitedly threw his arms around Xiyu.
“Master, I love you. I love you so much. I love you more than anyone!”
Lu Zhixing kept confessing his love. When those simple words could no longer express what he felt, he lowered his head and kissed Xiyu on the lips.
Xiyu closed his eyes, feeling the two hearts beating in unison within their bodies.
Every blade of grass and every tree in Lanxing Hall remained exactly as they had been a thousand years ago. But the number of people who called this palace home had become two.
For the first time, Lanxing began to look forward to the future—a future unknown, but one in which he would have someone by his side.
The red pear blossoms swayed, as though applauding their happiness.
—————————End of Main Story—————————
The Netherfrost Palace was decorated with lanterns and colorful ornaments, filled with the festive atmosphere of a wedding. Yet throughout the Demon Realm, everyone was as silent as a cicada in winter.
On the elevated platform stood a dark crimson throne adorned with carved fire dragons. Its brilliance was restrained yet dazzling.
Flames burned within the cracks of its surface, like flowing lifeblood that would never be extinguished.
A handsome man wearing a black robe that left much of his chest exposed lounged against the throne. His dark green eyes stared at the trembling rabbit demon kneeling half a meter in front of him. The rabbit demon was so terrified that its ears had already popped out.
“Can’t find him?”
Mingye slowly descended from the throne. He tossed the empty wine cup in his hand in front of the rabbit demon, the corners of his lips curling into an innocent yet cruel smile.
“Didn’t I tell you? If you can’t find him, then go die.”
“Your Majesty, spare my life! Your Majesty, spare my life!” The rabbit demon repeatedly knocked its head against the floor with loud thuds. Its entire body trembled as it begged for mercy without stopping. “Give me a little more time! I can definitely find the Queen! Please, Your Majesty, just give me a little more time!”
Mingye crouched down. A curved blade materialized in his hand, and his smile was cruel.
“I’ve already given you three months, Bunny. You’ve disappointed me so much.”
The cold blade pressed against the rabbit demon’s neck. At that critical moment, someone suddenly rushed in.
“Master! We have a lead!”
Mingye raised his eyes, a sinister gleam flashing in his dark green pupils.
The newcomer kicked aside the rabbit demon, which was trembling like a leaf.
“Why aren’t you leaving yet? Hurry up and get out!”
The rabbit demon gave him a grateful look and hurriedly fled.
“Speak.” Mingye had no interest in his subordinate’s ridiculous sense of compassion.
All he wanted to know was who that man who had toyed with him so thoroughly actually was.
He had better hope Mingye never found him. Otherwise, he would make that man wish he were dead.
The subordinate knelt at Mingye’s feet.
“An unusual phenomenon suddenly appeared in the Jade Lake in the Heavenly Realm. A thousand years ago, Divine Venerable Lanxing, who had died with both body and soul destroyed, was born from the snow lotus inside the Jade Lake. After that Venerable fell, the lotus withered. But three days ago, that lotus… bloomed again.”
“Lanxing…” Mingye murmured. “Did he deceive me just to save this person?”
His voice was so quiet that the subordinate couldn’t hear him clearly.
“Master, what did you say?”
“Nothing.” Mingye shook his head, his expression sinister. “As long as we have a lead, things will be much easier.”
The Soul-Transferring Jade was a supreme treasure of the demon race, extraordinarily precious and held by each successive Demon King. It could transfer the soul of someone who had died into another place. As long as a person had even a single wisp of soul remaining, they could return to the world.
However, the Soul-Transferring Jade required an enormous amount of energy to activate. There were only a handful of people throughout the Three Realms capable of doing so.
He should have known from the beginning that the person wasn’t someone weak and helpless.
But he hadn’t expected him to be a god.
“Master, what should we do now?”
The corners of Mingye’s lips curled into a sinister smile.
“Attack them.”
The subordinate’s pupils contracted. He hurriedly said, “Master, you mustn’t! The Bear Clan is currently watching us like a tiger watching its prey. Attacking the Heavenly Realm at a time like this would be extremely unwise!”
Mingye looked down at him condescendingly.
“Since when did you have the right to question my decisions?”
The subordinate clenched his teeth. After what seemed like an enormous internal struggle, he finally spoke in a trembling voice.
“Master, the Queen approached you in the first place because he wanted the Soul-Transferring Jade. If we attack the Heavenly Realm now, you’ll suffer a tremendous loss of strength. Even if we capture him, there’s still a chance he’ll escape. The best course of action would be…”
\*
The rabbit demon hid in the distance. When it saw someone come out, it hurriedly called out, “Lord Yichuan!”
Yichuan’s expression was grave. Seeing that the rabbit demon still hadn’t left, he furrowed his brows slightly.
“Why haven’t you left yet?”
The rabbit demon grinned. “Thank you, Lord Yichuan. Otherwise, I would’ve ended up as spicy rabbit head just now.”
Yichuan shook his head and continued walking out at an unhurried pace. He still had to go to the Heavenly Realm to investigate the Queen’s whereabouts. It had taken considerable effort to calm their king down, and there was no time to waste. He needed to find the man as soon as possible.
The rabbit demon followed behind him and asked cautiously, “Lord Yichuan, can we really find the Queen? It’s already been several months. Living in fear every single day isn’t a solution, either.”
Yichuan said nothing.
The more the rabbit demon thought about it, the angrier it became. It began grumbling, though its complaints weren’t directed at Mingye, but at that runaway Queen who had faked his own death.
“That heartless scumbag! He seduced our king and sweet-talked him into emptying the entire treasury to prepare his betrothal gifts. His Majesty even planned to marry him with a grand eight-bearer sedan chair! But in the end, that damn scumbag just took the Soul-Transferring Jade and faked his death!”
“If our king hadn’t gone crazy and dug up the coffin in the middle of the night, he would’ve been completely fooled! He discovered that the coffin was empty and the Soul-Transferring Jade was gone!”
“Honestly, what was that scumbag thinking? Our king is handsome, devoted, and romantic. Sure, his temper is bad and he likes killing people, but other than that, doesn’t he have any good qualities?”
The rabbit demon kept rambling on and on. Yichuan stopped walking and patted its shoulder.
“Our master also likes spicy rabbit head. Would you like to contribute yours?”
The rabbit demon touched its neck and hurriedly shook its head.
“No, no, I don’t!”
“Then keep your little mouth shut.”
In the Heavenly Realm, inside Zichen Hall.
A woman dressed in a blue-green, gold-brocaded long gown sat upright. Her expression was somewhat nonchalant, and a golden token in her hand shimmered with a gentle radiance.
“Huai Xi, have you made up your mind?”
Huai Xi rested his elbow on the couch. His long hair fell loosely, and his amber eyes held a contradictory mixture of cool detachment and deep affection. His complexion was pale, while his dark gold cloud-patterned brocade robe made him look all the more noble and distinguished.
“My elder sister is more suited to the position of Heavenly Emperor than I am.”
Huai Xi’s tone was flat, as though giving away the supreme authority to someone else were of no concern to him.
Hearing this, Xiyao chuckled. She concealed the token symbolizing imperial authority within her sea of consciousness, propped up her head, and asked her younger brother, “A thousand years ago, you went to such lengths to ascend to the position of Heavenly Emperor. You seemed to have an extraordinary desire for that supreme position. Yet now, after only a thousand years, you’ve abandoned it as though it were worthless. My dear younger brother, I’m truly beginning to wonder what love feels like. What kind of thing could make someone as proper and disciplined as you commit so many acts that go against all conventions?”
Huai Xi’s eyelashes trembled, but he remained silent.
He had never expected to be able to hide anything from Xiyao—not his feelings, nor the many things he had done over the past thousand years.
Only after a moment did he slowly speak.
“Once I’ve brought him back, I’ll pass the throne to you. During my absence, I’ll have to trouble you to take care of things, Elder Sister.”
“Of course, of course. But there’s one troublesome matter you’ll have to deal with before you can leave.”
“What is it?”
“It’s nothing particularly serious. A few months ago, the Demon King Mingye held his wedding. Unfortunately, his Queen had a terrible fate. On the very day of their wedding, an enemy shot him through the heart with an arrow, destroying both his soul and body.”
“I heard the Demon King was heartbroken. He held the body for several days and refused to let go. In the end, he forced himself to obey his beloved’s final wish and buried him at Mount Linyue, together with all the betrothal gifts.”
Huai Xi slowly lifted his teacup. With a hint of regret, he said, “That is indeed unfortunate. I can only hope the Demon King comes to terms with it soon. But what does that have to do with me?”
Xiyao smiled brightly.
“Originally, it had nothing to do with you. But not long ago, someone from the demon race secretly came to investigate the Heavenly Realm. After I had people conduct a counter-investigation, I heard that the bastard Mingye had dug up the grave just a few days after burying him. And guess what he found…”