From birth to that very moment, his stamens, which weren’t even a day old… Who knew they could bring such an indescribable ripple every time they came in contact with even the slightest breeze?! And now, they were so proudly exposed to the air, and even forcefully touched. Feng Qingyun’s face stiffened, and his mind started buzzing.
His tender stamens that had never been seen before were suddenly rubbed, to the point that even his petals forgot to close. However, the man who started everything was still gently fiddling with it, tossing and turning every single piece to study and understand.
“Sure enough,” Long Yin said with a rigorous and serious look on his face. “Your stamens are not yet developed, but the petals are in a state of ripening. It’s the complete opposite, so how could your flowers open–“
Before he could finish his words, Feng Qingyun, who had long been completely unable to hear anything he said, finally couldn’t stand it anymore. A vine unceremoniously slapped Long Yin’s face once again, but not before gathering all the flower buds that had been abused and bringing them back to his side.
“Hiss!” Long Yin covered his face and began to pretend to be hurt, acting in a half-true and half-false manner. “I heard that in the past, your good brother needed to seek medical treatment, and you went as far as borrowing money for his sake. Now it’s my turn to get hurt for you. Is this how the Little Palace Master thanks his benefactor?”
“Benefactor my ass!” Feng Qingyun finally said something that sounded suspiciously like a swear word, continuing: “How dare you mention him? I think you are–” But before he could finish, a wave of spiritual power came from outside the door, clear enough that even the weakened Demon Lord could feel it. Feng Qingyun was already in a state of great excitement and had not yet come back to his senses so, after being shocked by the sound, his vines exploded and… Directly rolled and smashed Long Yin against the wall.
However, after smashing, he soon remembered that Long Yin’s cultivation had not been restored, so he rushed to his side and said with a little guilt: “…Are… You okay?!”
“It hurts so much! How can I be okay?! Is the Little Palace Master trying to murder his own husband?!” Long Yin asked, feigning being hurt once again.
Feng Qingyun’s face turned hot, and the guilt that only just started growing from the bottom of his heart quickly disappeared. He couldn’t help but scream back: “…Why don’t I just knock you out once and for all?!”
……………
By the time Yue Jinshu entered the door respectfully, all she saw was Long Yin with a fresh, new gruesome wound on his face sitting on the bed, while Feng Qingyun knelt beside him, frowning and pressing spiritual power in an effort to heal it. And yet, he still did not forget to scold: “You should be honest with me and stop moving around!”
Completely shocked by the scene she blissfully walked into, Yue Jinshu’s only reaction was to simply kneel down resolutely. After a thud, the whole room fell into silence, and the two people who were busy arguing finally stopped and looked over. Yue Jinshu bowed her head and said: “I heard that Your Majesty is choosing servants for the Demon Palace. I dare to recommend myself!”
Almost no demonic cultivator in the whole damn world dreamed of ending up as a servant in the Demon Palace. After all, no matter how much the survival rate had improved during Long Yin’s reign, it still only went up from 50% to 70% so… There was still a substantial chance of death, and that was only in the best-case scenario.
Therefore, in the past 100 years, Yue Jinshu was the first to come and try to sell herself.
However, being a “servant” was ultimately Long Yin’s method of controlling the demon world. According to Yue Jinshu’s still ordinary level of cultivation, even if she was anxious to die, it was still not her turn in line. Long Yin simply glanced at her and said in a bored tone of voice: “Being picked to serve this Lord would make you a general by my side. You’re just a low-level cultivator. What’s the advantage of choosing you?”
Yue Jinshu took a deep breath and said: “I am from the Rakshasa clan…”
“Since your origin is not low, why is your cultivation so disappointing?” Long Yin interrupted her without hesitation, continuing: “Was all that talent wasted on a dog?”
The poor little demon was stunned to hear his words. Long Yin withdrew his gaze, waved his hand, and gave his verdict: “You’re not qualified enough. Not to mention being a demon general, you’re still 100,000 miles away from even being a city guard. Go back and practice.”
However, the girl was extremely determined. Seeing that Long Yin did not agree to take her in, she continued to kneel down, but the direction of her begging changed from Long Yin to… Feng Qingyun.
Feng Qingyun’s eyes twitched, but he still listened to Yue Jinshu’s words: “… I know that I’m not strong enough just yet, but I still ask you to give me a chance to prove myself!”
“You’re good at picking people.” Long Yin raised his eyebrows, pointed to Feng Qingyun, and asked: “Is he the Demon Emperor, or I am?”
Yue Jinshu bowed her head and did not answer, but her attitude was quite obvious.
In the end, Long Yin wanted to say something else, but Feng Qingyun pulled his sleeve sideways and whispered in his ear: “Yue Jinshu will become one of your most prized demon generals. She’d be useful in the future, so it’s not bad to take her in now.”
The breath between his words swept over the tip of Long Yin’s ear, making him pause. After a while, who knows what he thought about since he mumbled: “So you really like to order me around now…”
Feng Qingyun was a little anxious, but he still wanted to convince him so… Since he was shorter than Long Yin, he did not realize that he was now hanging from him, completely wrapped around the man’s arm. However, it worked.
The Demon Lord turned his head and asked: “Are you looking for this Lord because of Mu Hanyang?”
Feng Qingyun’s heart jumped, unsure if Long Yin remembered something. However, he did not get the chance to ask because Yue Jinshu simply exploded when she heard that name.
“Your Majesty, please let me be clear!” Yue Jinshu said in an aggrieved tone. “I was born in the Rakshasa clan so I had no other choice but to become a demonic cultivator! However, a hundred years ago I was just starting my cultivation and still trained in the righteous way when I met him! I did not hurt a single soul and yet he wanted to kill me indiscriminately! In desperation, I ran away and hid in fear, but I never imagined Mu Hanyang would still chase after me! At this point, I’m too afraid to even step into the sun, so how could I find the peace to cultivate?!” Speaking of that, Yue Jinshu gritted her teeth before continuing: “The Demon Palace is the only place where I can hide from him, and the only place where I can feel safe enough to cultivate! Please, I know all the bad things he’s been doing and have a lot of information about him!” By the end of her words, Yue Jinshu’s tone changed from aggrieved to full-on begging, even crying to Feng Qingyun: “Mu Hanyang is a bad person, please don’t go back to him! I beg you to save me, and to repay Your Grace I’m willing to work like a cow and horse for Your Highnesses! I swear I’ll never give up on serving my Lords!”
After saying that, she bowed three times again, but her “Your Highnesses” directly stunned the other two people present. Originally, there was only one majesty, that being Long Yin, the sole emperor. But now… It was self-evident what Yue Jinshu’s words implied. Feng Qingyun blushed immediately while Long Yin raised his eyebrows, obviously in a good mood. Holding back an avalanche of teasing words, he said without acting surprised to be included in the “royal couple”: “In this case, for the sake of your sincerity and talent, this Lord and my Empress shall make an exception.”
Feng Qingyun: “…”
That man clearly said that Yue Jinshu’s talent was wasted on dogs!
Yue Jinshu was overjoyed to be accepted, so she quickly bowed her head to thank him: “Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty!”
“What are you doing?” After less than a while, Long Yin could no longer pretend to hide his teasing nature, immediately revealing his real self while saying: “Thank your Empress as well.”
Yue Jinshu immediately accepted: “Thank you, Your Majesty, the Empress!”
As the saying goes, Feng Qingyun was not raised in the Demon World, so his face was nowhere near as thick as theirs. In the end, he could only purse his lips and stare at Long Yin, in an effort to change the subject. “… You… Let’s go find the city lord before we leave,” he said. “Don’t we need to report to him for wrecking havoc in his city?”
Unthinkingly, as soon as that was said, the two demonic cultivators looked at him at the same time. Feng Qingyun’s heart jumped, thinking it was some unwritten taboo in the Demon World. After a pause, he wondered: “What?”
“This city’s lord has already been killed by you, and even his heart was dug out. However, you only took one bite and then spat it on the roadside in disgust,” Long Yin laughed. “Why, that poor fellow was in charge for only a few days before you came, but now his body is already stiff. Who you you want to report back to?”
Feng Qingyun: “…”
“According to our rules, whoever kills the old city lord becomes the new master.” Seeing that he didn’t say anything, Yu Jinshu continued tentatively: “ So Your Majesty is now the city lord, right?”
“…Why would I be the city lord?!” Feng Qingyun thought everything was unimaginable. “But if I refuse, who will run this small domain in the future?”
“You don’t have to worry about that. There will naturally be someone willing to compete for the position. They’ll find one within three months,” Long Yin said. “And even if they don’t, I’ll help them choose.”
Hearing that, Feng Qingyun no longer cared about the situation of unknowingly becoming the city lord of a small demon realm, peacefully looking at the rising sun outside the window. “In this case,” he said, “our purpose here has been achieved. Let’s go back to the palace.”
…………………
The two of them came over under hidden identities, but when it came time to leave, there was no need to hide since the whole city knew they were there. Therefore, countless demonic cultivators knelt on the ground, with even Hua Ying and other disguised righteous cultivators being forced to kneel in greeting. After Feng Qingyun glanced at them, he and Long Yin took Yue Jinshu back to the Demon Palace. However, as soon as they returned, the pristine Demon Lord turned his head, refusing to deal with the weak little demon while saying: “Since you wanted to bring her back, she should naturally serve you.”
Feng Qingyun was stunned, looking at the Demon Palace where he had lived for less than a month, and whose master he had apparently become, seemingly overnight, since he now had his own “servants”. After a long time, he finally said: “In this case, I will trouble the girl to sort out the jade tablets in the library, gather them into a book, and hand them over to me.”
Hearing that it was such an easy job that would also give her enough time to cultivate, Yue Jinshu was overjoyed, immediately answering with a radiant smile: “Yes, thank you, Your Majesty!”
Her brilliant appearance was the complete opposite of the gloomy one he had seen in his previous life, making Feng Qingyun sigh. Then, he remembered the domineering words the little girl said, becoming less and less eager to further interact with her. However, since meeting Yue Jinshu, it was the third time he had shown that kind of expression in front of her, making Long Yin curious to get to the bottom of it.
As for Feng Qingyun, he had no idea he had aroused someone’s curiosity. Suppressing his emotions, he said: “Girl, please wait a moment. I have something else to ask you.”
Yue Jinshu was flattered to be addressed and quickly said: “Your Majesty, please order this slave.”
“How did you know the remains of the Xuanwu were there before we entered the ruins?” Feng Qingyun said. “Were there people who knew beforehand?”
“That’s true.” Yue Jinshu immediately said. “It was something that the previous city lord said. He seemed to have achieved a breakthrough in his cultivation, gaining the ability to briefly interpret the will of the Heavens.”
But at present, the old city lord was already dead, with his soul already reincarnated so… It was probably too late to rush and ask him what he knew.
Feng Qingyun couldn’t help frowning slightly. Seeing his reaction, Long Yin still thought of teasing: “Do you regret eating him? I’m afraid it’s too late to regret it now. Who told you to kill everyone so quickly? And after killing, you didn’t even enjoy him but threw his poor body away casually. You’re so picky.”
Feng Qingyun looked at him angrily.
“But I have heard some rumors…” Yue Jinshu thought for a moment and said with a little hesitation. “It was said that the previous city lord was half from the Huangquan clan, born in the Underworld Sea. Some even said he had met the Mistress of the Underworld. By chance, he had gained the art of prophecy, allowing him to kill the previous lord.”
“The Huangquan clan…” Hearing that familiar name, Feng Qingyun frowned slightly. “Sure enough,” he mumbled. “Do we eventually have to go down there?”
“The art of prophecy can indeed allow you to see a glimpse of the future,” Long Yin said casually. “Do you think he predicted his own death?”
“Even if he did, I’m afraid he wouldn’t have backed down anyway. For those who cultivate the demonic path, isn’t it your rule to bravely embrace death?” Feng Qingyun answered. “As the saying goes, it’s worth hearing the Dao in the morning even if it means dying in the evening.”
“What a nice feeling, I didn’t expect that the Second Palace Master of the Xiān Gōng Sect had such a good impression of us demons. I believe the entire Demon World would be flattered,” Long Yin smiled and said. “As the master of the biggest righteous cultivation sect in the cultivation world, for you to have such a good opinion of us… Is it because you love both the house and the crows on it?[mfn]爱屋及乌 (ài wū jí wū) literally translates to “love the house and its crow.” This phrase conveys the idea that when someone loves a person, they also extend that love to the things associated with them, including the bad aspects like their family or other less-than-favorable situations. Long Yin implies that since Feng Qingyun loves him, a demon, then he also loves his entire demonic race, or at least, he’s more tolerant toward them[/mfn]”
Feng Qingyun could no longer bear the teasing, angrily asking: “…Are you alright? With how weak you are right now, do you think you can afford to piss me off?!”
Poor Yue Jinshu was stunned to hear that, and it was only now that she realized how battered the Demon Emperor actually was. Then, she couldn’t help but look at them in shock, unable to understand why such dangerous information was oh-so-casually mentioned in front of her. And yet, as soon as she saw the look on Feng Qingyun’s face, she suddenly understood that it was neither a test nor a threat. They were simply in the same boat. After all, there was only one person who could truly kill the Demon Lord and that was Mu Hanyang, the only person in the entire world she could never go to sell information to. Therefore, there was no need to hide in front of her. As for Long Yin, he simply smiled after hearing Feng Qingyun’s threat, saying: “There’s no need for my Little Palace Lord to use his sword. You only need to bloom for me once and I’ll be more than happy to die under a peony flower[mfn]牡丹花下死，做鬼也風流, comes from a Chinese proverb that translates to “If I should die beneath a peony flower (metaphor for a beautiful woman), I will still be charming as a ghost.” I think it means that the best way for a man to go is while being intimate with a beauty 😂[/mfn]~”
Feng Qingyun felt a knot of anger forming in his throat, and his eyebrows almost stood up: “You’re not finished, are you?!”
“I… I’ll just leave now.” Seeing that the two were about to quarrel again, Yue Jinshu was quick enough to bow and go back to work.
In the end, it was Feng Qingyun who couldn’t hold back, slapping Long Yin’s back with all his force, unable to control his rage. However, the Demon Lord did not react despite taking a veritable hit, making Feng Qingyun feel completely shocked. He quickly pulled Long Yin’s right hand, and then naturally wrapped his hand around the other man’s wrist. Maybe it was not obvious to outsiders, but Feng Qingyun could clearly see it. After half a day, Long Yin’s cultivation recovered to… Less than 10% of what it was before. “Are you playing tricks on me?!” He immediately frowned and asked suspiciously.
This time around, even the Demon Lord was shocked by his lack of trust, complaining: “Who made me look like this?! Did you already forget how you used me?!”
Feng Qingyun pursed his lips again and said after a long time, no longer doubting him: “…This matter was indeed caused by me. I’ll let you pick a few flower buds, even if I can’t completely cure you, at least it would make you feel less uncomfortable.”
“There is no need to pick it,” Long Yin explained seriously. “Compared to eating flowers, I would rather wait until I can enjoy your fruits.”
Feng Qingyun was stunned. After thinking about it, he suddenly blushed. However, before he could speak, he was dragged in one direction. “Where are you taking me?!”
“To solve our urgent problem, as you said,” Long Yin smiled and continued. “Otherwise, if one day you still need my essence to bloom, but I’m too wasted to completely satisfy you… How shameful would it be for that information to spread outside this Lord’s palace?”
Looking at Long Yin who was not anxious at all, Feng Qingyun knew that the Demon Palace also had a hidden place that aided in recovery. It’s just that the entire place was huge, so he had not stumbled upon it just yet. Anyway, Long Yin was more than strong enough to solve his own problem by himself, so he planned to pull back his hand and no longer follow him. However, Long Yin held his palm with a death grip, saying: “You’re my Empress, there’s no place in my Demon Palace you can’t enter.”
Feng Qingyun felt a breath getting stuck in his lungs, asking from between his teeth: “… You’re still not done with that, aren’t you?!”
With a smile, Long Yin continued to move forward. Just like the Xiān Gōng Sect had its Luhua Pool, the Demon Palace naturally had a similar pool of healing water. After Long Yin led Feng Qingyun to stand in front of the magic spring, he simply began to take off his clothes in front of him.
Feng Qingyun suddenly blushed, unable to stop himself from asking:”…What are you doing?!” But his words stopped halfway, as soon as he saw Long Yin’s naked upper body and… The seven scars arranged in a magic formation, going all the way from his strong shoulders to the small of his back, along his spine. In an instant, he knew what it was, since it was he himself who had pulled out those nails. A terrible wave of memories washed over his consciousness in an instant… His Dragon God bleeding to death because of him, the image of him being buried alive under the collapsing mountain still vivid in front of his eyes.
Feng Qingyun was overwhelmingly stunned for a moment…
…And at that moment, Long Yin took advantage of his daze by suddenly turning around, grabbing his wrist, and dragging him into the pool.
“——?!”
Feng Qingyun opened his eyes wide in astonishment, and the water drops splashed on his face, making it look particularly vivid. However, the anger in his eyes was also just as evident. Seeing that, Long Yin did what he knew best, adding fuel to the fire with a smile: “Why, do you feel sorry for your Dragon God?”
“What are you laughing at?” Feng Qingyun said angrily. “What’s wrong with the scars on your back? A mere illusion shouldn’t have hurt you like this, how come—”
“Wait, wait, you’re asking too many questions in a row. Which one do you want me to answer first?” Long Yin raised his hand and placed it over Feng Qingyun’s mouth, silencing him. “Besides,” he continued. “Even if I answer them one by one, would you believe what I tell you?”
Feng Qingyun was soaking wet all over and he could only stare at him, with eyes that clearly said: “Believe your ass!” In that way, he looked at Long with crooked eyes, making the man laugh. However, the Demon Lord’s amusement was evident, making Feng Qingyun turn his head and release his mouth. “Whoever believes your nonsense is a fool,” he said, full of anger.
Poor Little Palace Master, even if he was angry enough to curse, he still did it in a completely spoiled manner. Long Yin continued to giggle, unable to suppress the corners of his mouth. However, before Feng Qingyun could get any more annoyed, he finally proposed a way that would not lead to domestic violence: “Since my Empress won’t believe that I’m telling the truth anyway, why don’t we make a deal?”
As soon as Feng Qingyun heard that, alarm bells started ringing in his mind. After all, he had the experience of striking “deals” with Long Yin before… Like that time when he was coaxed by him into telling what his real form was only for the man to resolutely go look for death as soon as he finished speaking.
“Don’t look at me so fiercely. I won’t eat you.” Fortunately, Long Yin gave a seemingly fair method this time. “Although your cultivation is normally lower than mine, in my current situation I can’t win against you. How about you cast a spell on me? We’ll both ask our questions, and no one is allowed to lie, or leave until they say the truth, okay?”
Feng Qingyun opened his eyes slightly in the steaming pool, looking at him with a hint of distrust and a little hesitation: “… Aren’t you afraid that I’ll cast a curse on you instead?”
Those eyes looked particularly bright in the steam, making people’s hearts ache. Long Yin simply smiled, raising his hand to hold his wrist. Feng Qingyun hesitated for a moment but did not withdraw his hand. Instead, he gently pulled Long Yin to his side, sitting down next to him.
“I believe the Little Palace Master will not break his word on this kind of thing.” Long Yin whispered in his ear, but his eyes couldn’t help falling on the person next to him. His snow-white clothes were soaked by the dark red water, turning them translucent enough to firmly attach to his body, outlining the gentle contours of his bones.
However, Feng Qingyun was still blissfully unaware of his appearance, warning him: ”… Then, you’re not allowed to fight back.”
“I barely have enough magic breath to survive. How could I do that?” Long Yin said while handing his wrist to him, looking extremely frank.
Feng Qingyun’s doubts were finally erased. Finally, he grabbed his wrist with one hand and gently pressed it to his lips with the other, reciting a barely audible spell. However, he was still worried about the level of effect it would have on the Demon Lord, starting with a tentative question: “Were you really the Dragon God in that illusion?”
Long Yin finally answered neatly this time: “Yes.”
The moment he heard him actually admit it, Feng Qingyun’s heart felt tight. After a second, he asked the question that had been tormenting him for a long time: “…Then why did you come to my sect not long after to find fault with me?”
“I’ve been wronged, really.” When mentioning that matter, Long Yin felt slightly depressed. ”I naturally came to get my bride, but you did not recognize me as your husband at all! Instead, you jumped straight to cutting my head with your sword. What was I supposed to do? Take you away by force or just stand there waiting to die by your hand?”
Feng Qingyun choked up, never expecting to hear such an answer. In the past, he was indeed raised by Mu Hanyang who firmly believed that there was nothing good about the demonic path. Therefore, when the Demon Lord himself came to his door… He could only find fault with him… Especially after that infuriating man stood outside the gates of his sect, calling for him by name and acting like he was there to raze everything to the ground unless he got what he wanted.
And when Feng Qingyun went out, he only needed to hear two words to realize just how frivolous Long Yin was, never believing a single sound he heard. In the end, it was only natural for him to directly take out his sword and start a fight without thinking about it.
Long Yin was right. If he hadn’t retaliated at the time, Feng Qingyun’s sword would have been enough to directly reincarnate him. After being silent for a while, he couldn’t help opening his mouth again: “Then you–“
“Wait, stop,” Long Yin suddenly interrupted him. “You have asked two or three questions. It’s only polite to let me ask now, right?”
After all, Feng Qingyun was a sincere person. Hearing Long Yin complain about their deal being unfair, he also cast the same spell on himself, saying frankly: “Ask me.”
Long Yin did not beat around the bush, acting on his curiosity: “I have wanted to ask you for a long time. From the first time you saw Yue Jinshu, it seems that you have looked at her differently.”
Feng Qingyun’s eyebrows jumped, answering in a slightly sheepish way: “That’s because she’s one of your future demon generals so of course I’ll pay her more attention–“
“I naturally understand that.” Long Yin waved his hand before continuing: “However, every time you look at her, there seem to be some indescribable subtleties in addition to appreciation… Something like fear or something else… Why is that? Had she done anything harmful to you before?”
Long Yin looked serious for once, but Feng Qingyun’s face turned both red and white. For the first time in his life, he regretted everything, from accepting that “deal” to following Long Yin into the healing pool. However, his cultivation was still very solid, so naturally… The spell he had cast on himself was completely effective. Feng Qingyun almost opened his mouth to say the answer but, at the critical moment, he no longer cared about keeping his dignity. Instead, he raised his hand to cover his mouth and got up, planning to flee. Under the moonlight, the extremely slender body that was outlined by the wet clothes bumped into Long Yin’s eyes, making him stunned for a second. However, he was still the flirtatious Demon Lord, so he recovered quickly from his surprise, grabbing Feng Qingyun’s wrist and dragging him back into his arms. “What’s going on,” he asked. “Is my Little Palace Master planning to leave instead of answering my question?”
The effect of the magic spell was still in effect, forcing Feng Qingyun to answer all and any questions he received from Long Yin. However, he still planned on struggling, only to discover that from some point onwards, he was no longer able to. Looking up at the Demon Lord, the man had unexpectedly recovered more than half of his strength, catching Feng Qingyun off guard. Feng Qingyun looked at Long Yin in shock, while Long Yin held his wrist and said seriously: “Yue Jinshu… Has she troubled you before because of Mu Hanyang?”
“…No.”
“Then why do you look like that every time you see her? What’s wrong with you?”
Feng Qingyun suddenly closed his eyes, looking both ashamed and angry, but completely unable to control his mouth at all. “Because when the sky collapsed,” he mumbled. “I came to the Demon World inexplicably, only to hear her say–“
“I want to see… If he watched his dear brother cry in pleasure underneath another man… Would he still be able to maintain his disgusting hero appearance?”
As soon as those vulgar words came out, the whole pool fell into unprecedented silence.
……………………..
As usual, up to five chapters in advance are available here. Happy reading!
