BAAF Chapter 109

Ao Yue’s call was stuck in his throat as he watched the scene in the sky with disbelief.

 

Zhou Xuanlan actually allowed someone to hang on him, behaving intimately in public, with the Evil Ghost Immortal Lord right here!

 

Ao Yue was shocked in his heart. It wasn’t just that he was caught off guard, allowing this purple-robed youth to ambush him. This person was merely a small Foundation Establishment cultivator. Although his speed on the tree branch was quick, given Zhou Xuanlan’s cultivation—even a Golden Core cultivator could have reacted in time to dodge completely!

 

Zhou Xuanlan didn’t dodge or deflect, nor did he push the person away, essentially giving tacit consent to the purple-robed youth’s behavior.

 

Ao Yue clenched his fingers, staring at the slender figure in the sky, wishing he could stab several holes in him with his gaze.

 

Over these years, although Zhou Xuanlan’s temperament had greatly changed, like during his time in the Eight Cardinal Realms, despite the number of people wanting to climb into the Demon Emperor’s bed being enough to circle Yanming City several times, not one had succeeded.

 

Ao Yue believed he couldn’t let go of Shen Liuxiang. Now that he was finally alive, and they had found the Evil Ghost Immortal Lord, who was this person who had suddenly appeared?

 

Ao Yue thought about it, feeling his teeth itch with annoyance.

 

The crowd below felt the invisible pressure above dissipate when the youth pounced, allowing them to breathe. But then they witnessed the Demon Emperor being kissed, and collectively held their breath, nearly dropping to their knees in shock.

 

People exchanged glances, unable to resist discussing in low voices.

 

“Did this person eat bear’s heart and leopard’s gall? He’s so fearless of death!”

 

“With His Majesty the Demon Emperor’s cultivation, how could he possibly let a Foundation Establishment cultivator get so close? Allowing him to act like this can only mean their relationship is very deep!”

 

“Could it be that everyone guessed wrong, and this person is the real Demon Empress?!”

 

“Wait! Shen Liuxiang is still standing there! Wasn’t he supposed to be with the Demon Emperor…”

 

The unfinished implication successfully reached everyone’s hearts, and they all looked toward the red-clothed figure in front with various expressions.

 

The impostor, now the focus of thousands of gazes, stared at the youth in the sky embracing the Demon Emperor, then glanced timidly at Zhou Xuanlan, his face paling, nails digging deeply into his palm.

 

His heart was filled with anger and panic.

 

This wasn’t like the plan. Who was this person who suddenly appeared, hugging and kissing the Demon Emperor? And the Emperor allowed him to do so! It was infuriating!

 

The impostor was furious.

 

He was standing in such an obvious place; how could the Demon Emperor not see him?

 

Unlike those disguised impostors, he naturally looked like this, and with someone’s guidance, had deliberately learned Shen Liuxiang’s habits and preferences. After sixteen years, memories would have some deviation. Even Ao Yue believed he was Shen Liuxiang, yet the Demon Emperor wouldn’t even glance at him?!

 

The impostor trembled with anger. Ao Yue noticed his unpleasant expression and hurriedly offered some consoling words, his own face also showing indignation.

 

Meanwhile, Shen Liuxiang, who continued to hold on without letting go, wasn’t actually doing this deliberately.

 

With only Foundation Establishment cultivation, he couldn’t hover in the air. The dry branch he had been standing on had just fallen to the ground with a “thud.” If he didn’t hold tightly to Zhou Xuanlan, he would fall immediately, and if not die, would at least be seriously injured.

 

After kissing him, while tightly holding Zhou Xuanlan’s neck, his gaze greedily examined him.

 

Zhou Xuanlan’s long eyelashes were lowered, his profile immersed in the sunset’s glow. The soft light outlined his almost perfect features—handsome eyebrows, deep eyes, thin lips of a light color, now pressed into a cold, stern line.

 

Shen Liuxiang’s gaze paused, and he looked up to meet the eyes of the person just inches away.

 

His heart skipped a beat.

 

The black eyes staring at him had changed, revealing coldness and indescribable anger, as if his actions just now had irritated the other person.

 

Zhou Xuanlan’s cold eyes looked askance at the person hanging on him, the feeling of lips on his cheek not yet faded. His slender hand fell to Shen Liuxiang’s waist. When he discovered he couldn’t push the person away, his eyes gradually clouded with gloom.

 

The reverse scale was indeed on Shen Liuxiang—

 

He couldn’t hurt or move him, otherwise he could have blasted him away when the person was flying over on the dry branch!

 

Noticing Zhou Xuanlan’s slight change, Shen Liuxiang was stunned. Before he could figure out why, he felt his waist tighten as he was carried back to the ground.

 

Shen Liuxiang stepped on the ground, looking puzzledly at the person in front of him, his hands still unconsciously hanging on the other’s neck, until Zhou Xuanlan slightly turned his head, his thin lips near his ear, with a cold, deep voice: “Let go—”

 

Shen Liuxiang woke as if from a dream, released his hands, and stepped back.

 

At this time, Ao Yue pushed the red-clothed man forward and said with an exasperated tone: “The Evil Ghost Immortal Lord is here! Look at him!”

 

Zhou Xuanlan cast his gaze, but his eyes were indifferent.

 

He seemed to look like his master, but so what? His master occasionally harmed him and finally perished to save Ye Bingran. That could be considered dying for a worthy cause.

 

Why was this person looking at him with such expectation? Could he really think that by resembling Shen Liuxiang, he could gain favor from him?

 

“What Evil Ghost Immortal Lord?”

 

Ao Yue exclaimed in surprise: “Of course it’s Shen Liuxiang, your master!”

 

Zhou Xuanlan glanced at the thoughtful purple-clothed youth beside him, his tone bland: “Is that so? So he’s my master.”

 

Ao Yue became anxious: “How can you be so cold! He’s the person you cherish most!”

 

“The person I cherish most?” Zhou Xuanlan’s expression was half-smiling, half-not, his gaze falling on the red-clothed figure, asking, “You are my master?”

 

The impostor’s forehead broke out in a light sweat. Only when directly facing the Demon Emperor could one feel that almost suffocating pressure. He clenched his hand, forcing himself to calm down.

 

According to what the masked person had said, the Demon Emperor loved his master extremely.

 

He had waited for many days, wasn’t it for this opportunity to ascend to heaven in one step? As long as he made the Demon Emperor believe he was real, he would have everything!

 

The impostor steeled himself, blinked his phoenix eyes, and with a slight curl of his lips, said: “Zhou Xuanlan, don’t you recognize your master? I’m not dead. I’ve missed you so much these years.”

 

Ao Yue found the impostor’s blinking gesture both familiar and strange. Feeling somewhat moved, he glanced at the purple-clothed youth standing aside without saying a word.

 

The other’s gaze fell on Zhou Xuanlan, with a strange scrutiny.

 

Ao Yue snorted, thinking what random nobody had come to compete with the Evil Ghost Immortal Lord for someone.

 

The impostor, seeing that Zhou Xuanlan neither confirmed nor denied, and didn’t rebuke him for directly calling his name, felt a glimmer of hope. Remembering Shen Liuxiang’s earlier actions, he tentatively stepped forward.

 

He blinked his phoenix eyes, smiling and about to reach out, when he was immediately pushed back several zhang by a force.

 

“Bang—!”

 

The red-clothed figure slammed heavily onto the ground. With only Qi Condensation level cultivation, this made him severely injured, too painful to get up, continuously spitting blood.

 

This scene happened unexpectedly, shocking everyone. No one had anticipated that Zhou Xuanlan would have such an attitude toward ‘Shen Liuxiang’, striking so ruthlessly.

 

Ao Yue was shocked and pale: “Zhou Xuanlan! Have you gone mad? He is your master!”

 

Zhou Xuanlan’s demeanor was casual, but as he raised his hand, the weather changed drastically. He said to the figure struggling to get up from the ground: “Since you so desire to be my master, I shall grant your wish.”

 

The red-clothed man sensed the killing intent coming at him, frightened to the point of trembling all over, desperately trying to escape, “Demon Emperor, spare…”

 

Thunder echoed above Yanming City.

 

A bolt of black lightning struck down. The struggling figure on the ground didn’t finish his plea for mercy before turning into a puff of black smoke.

 

“This is the fate of being this lord’s master.” Zhou Xuanlan’s thin lips moved slightly, and as he spoke, his gaze, full of unclear meaning, fixed on Shen Liuxiang.

 

Shen Liuxiang suddenly widened his eyes as he found the answer to his earlier sense of incongruity.

 

This was—the Zhou Xuanlan from the original story!

 

Shen Liuxiang stood stunned, his heart stirring with shock. By the time he came to his senses, Zhou Xuanlan was already standing before him, using a voice only they could hear: “Return the reverse scale to this lord, and I will spare your life.”

 

Shen Liuxiang looked at the somewhat unfamiliar figure in black robes, his blood seeming to flow backward, feeling bone-chillingly cold, not knowing how to face him for a moment.

 

Hearing his demand for the reverse scale, he replied without hesitation: “Impossible!”

 

That was given by Zhou Xuanlan… given by his disciple… it now seemed to be the only thing left to him.

 

Shen Liuxiang’s face was bloodless as he looked toward Ao Yue, who was wailing at the place struck by lightning. He quickly ran over, grabbed Ao Yue’s collar, his lips trembling.

 

“What’s happening? Ao Yue, where is Zhou Xuanlan? Where is Zhou Xuanlan? Where did my disciple go? It’s not him! It’s not him!!”

 

Ao Yue, who had been immersed in grief over the Evil Ghost Immortal Lord’s death by lightning, suddenly heard this familiar voice. Looking at the completely unfamiliar face, he was stunned and instinctively cast a spell on it.

 

In an instant, a fair and handsome face appeared.

 

The young man had bound his black hair with a red hair ribbon. His jade-white hand gripped Ao Yue’s collar, his long eyelashes trembling slightly, a pair of exquisite phoenix eyes reddening, his expression revealing panic and distress.

 

The crowd below the Cloud-Viewing Platform, who had been discussing among themselves, suddenly fell silent. After a moment, when Ao Yue transformed into his original form and carried the person away, they erupted.

 

“The red-clothed one was fake! The purple-clothed one is real!”

 

“No wonder the Demon Emperor was so indulgent toward him, he is indeed Shen Liuxiang!”

 

“Ahhh, I was wrong, the real person is a hundred times more handsome than the portrait!!!”

 

Amidst the noisy crowd, Gu Taotao, who had witnessed the entire process from the tavern, thoughtfully wiped his mouth, glanced at the place struck by lightning, jumped out the window, and left without looking back.

 

A huge figure moved through the clouds and mist. Ao Yue flapped his wings. If not in his original form, his cheeks would have been flushed red.

 

In front of the Evil Ghost Immortal Lord, he had mistaken him…

 

Ao Yue was too embarrassed to speak. Shen Liuxiang, sitting on his back, had his soft black hair flying wildly, the wind making it difficult to keep his eyes open.

 

Without the spiritual power to set up a barrier, facing the oncoming fierce wind, he could only tightly grasp Ao Yue’s back fur to barely avoid being blown away.

 

Zhou Xuanlan sat nearby, watching calmly, showing no intention of offering assistance.

 

Shen Liuxiang glanced at him. According to Ao Yue, Zhou Xuanlan had become like a different person after waking up, with some memory loss.

 

Shen Liuxiang felt a chill in his heart. The Zhou Xuanlan before him should be the “Lord Yuan” from the original story.

 

Without memories of this world, only memories from the original story, his attitude toward him as a master made sense, but… Shen Liuxiang thought of the Nascent Soul who called himself “this lord,” who had used primordial qi to nurture his primordial spirit. By rights, that should be the Zhou Xuanlan from the original story.

 

But why did the person before him seem completely unaware?

 

Shen Liuxiang’s thoughts were somewhat chaotic. According to Fang Zhongqing, he was originally a person of this world, and the so-called original story could be seen as the world after his soul had dissipated. However, someone had saved him, causing the future described in the original story to change.

 

If so, what was the Zhou Xuanlan from the original story?

 

Shen Liuxiang’s long, fair fingers tightened.

 

Were his disciple and Lord Yuan completely different souls, two separate people… or like him, just existing in different memories?

 

Just as before recovering his memories, he firmly believed he was the modern-day actor Shen Liuxiang, only to discover after memory recovery that the Shen Liuxiang of this world was also him.

 

Shen Liuxiang’s eyes flickered uncertainly. Was it a complete possession, or had Zhou Xuanlan’s memories belonging to ‘Lord Yuan’ been restored from his primordial spirit? For some unknown reason, had he forgotten their past memories, leading to this situation?

 

As Shen Liuxiang pondered, he recalled those blood-red black eyes, containing a trace of resentment.

 

His fingertips trembled.

 

Memories don’t disappear without reason. Could it be… that he had hurt Zhou Xuanlan, and Zhou Xuanlan wanted to forget him, deliberately burying their past memories…

 

Shen Liuxiang’s heart ached, his whole body trembling, the hand grasping Ao Yue’s fur unconsciously loosening.

 

Ao Yue could fly thousands of miles in the blink of an eye, his speed astonishing. Sitting on him without a barrier for protection, and with his hand now loose, the wind’s force instantly blew Shen Liuxiang onto the gray, fluffy dog’s back, half his body hanging in midair, about to fall from the cloud layer thousands of feet high.

 

At this moment, a slender, powerful hand grabbed Shen Liuxiang, suddenly pulling him back.

 

Amidst the spinning world, Shen Liuxiang’s back crashed into a broad chest, his waist tightly encircled, falling to sit in a familiar embrace, warm breath enveloping him.

 

Shen Liuxiang was stunned, feeling the rapidly beating heart pressed against his back.

 

Nervous… nervous for him…

 

Shen Liuxiang turned his head, just in time to see Zhou Xuanlan’s startled expression, as if he had initially not intended to save him, but for some unknown reason, had still pulled him into his arms for protection.

 

His body seemed to act on its own, involuntarily.

 

Zhou Xuanlan’s face darkened as he released the person in his arms, pushing him away mercilessly.

 

The purple-clothed youth he pushed away, however, seemed to realize something, his brow gradually smoothing out, his handsome face breaking into a smile.

 

—It was Zhou Xuanlan!

 

Shen Liuxiang blinked his phoenix eyes, and in the oncoming fierce wind, turned around and hid behind Zhou Xuanlan, his slender fingers grasping the black robe with golden edges.

 

Zhou Xuanlan’s voice suddenly turned cold: “Let go.”

 

Hearing this, Shen Liuxiang gripped even tighter. Zhou Xuanlan lowered his eyes to look at the hand at his waist, his eyes subtly revealing annoyance. He wanted to throw it off his clothes, but the other person was holding on tightly. Forcing it would inevitably hurt Shen Liuxiang’s fingers.

 

Due to the reverse scale, Zhou Xuanlan couldn’t harm him, so the force applied to Shen Liuxiang’s hand was light as a feather.

 

The young man hiding from the wind behind him noticed this and asked softly: “How is it? Do my hands feel nice?”

 

Zhou Xuanlan: “…”

 

He set up a barrier.

 

As the fierce wind was blocked outside the barrier, Shen Liuxiang sighed with disappointment and released his hand, only to have his chin gripped, forcing him to raise his face to meet a pair of deep, ink-black eyes.

 

Zhou Xuanlan’s thin lips moved slightly, uttering cold words: “Return the reverse scale to me, or once we reach Xuanyao Palace, I’ll make you beg for life but be unable to obtain it, beg for death but be unable to achieve it.”

 

Shen Liuxiang narrowed his eyes slightly. With the temperament of the original Lord Yuan, he wouldn’t waste words asking for something; usually, he would directly kill to take what he wanted.

 

Now that he didn’t remember him, he probably regarded him as the villainous master from the original story. If so, mouth threats would be too light; could it be…

 

Shen Liuxiang blinked his phoenix eyes: “Is it that you can’t hurt me?”

 

Zhou Xuanlan’s face darkened: “I can have others hurt you.” Even without acting personally, there were many ways to make Shen Liuxiang surrender the reverse scale.

 

But as his words fell, he saw Shen Liuxiang extend a slender index finger, poking his own cheek, introducing himself: “But I’m only at the Foundation Establishment stage. My body is as fragile as paper, unable to withstand any damage. Otherwise, with the slightest mishap, I’ll die, and you’ll never find the reverse scale again.”

 

Zhou Xuanlan said unhurriedly: “Don’t worry, you won’t die. You’ll just be begging for life but unable to obtain it, begging for death but unable to achieve it.”

 

Shen Liuxiang’s mouth opened in fear: “Is it being locked in a dark room?”

 

Zhou Xuanlan looked at him without speaking.

 

Shen Liuxiang continued guessing: “Or piercing my fingernails with bamboo skewers?”

 

Zhou Xuanlan still didn’t respond.

 

So Shen Liuxiang probed indirectly, wanting to know the worst outcome. “Will I be given water to drink? Food to eat? Medicine for wounds? Sleep to rest?”

 

He asked somewhat desperately: “Can I still read story books and eat sugar figurines?”

 

Zhou Xuanlan raised his hand, regarding Shen Liuxiang with an indifferent gaze, using a silencing spell to stop his chatter.

 

Everything suddenly became quiet. Shen Liuxiang was separated from Zhou Xuanlan by a layer of barrier, sighing helplessly, lying on Ao Yue’s back, idly playing with the gray, shallow fur.

 

Before long, his long eyelashes lowered, and he fell into slumber.

 

Zhou Xuanlan gazed at the serene, peaceful sleeping face, his eyes obscure and unreadable.

 

This world had many discrepancies from his memories, the biggest change being the person before him, completely different from his foolish master. Moreover, Ling Ye, Ye Bingran, Xu Xingchen, and others were no longer infatuated with Su Baiche, instead focusing on Shen Liuxiang…

 

Zhou Xuanlan’s eyes narrowed slightly. He had no interest in how Shen Liuxiang had changed; the reverse scale was crucial to him and must be recovered intact.

 

Of course, after retrieving it, this person… could not be allowed to live!

 

When Shen Liuxiang woke up, his vision penetrated through the clouds and mist, faintly seeing the grand, majestic Xuanyao Palace.

 

He sat up startled: “This is bad! Once we reach Xuanyao Palace, won’t I be at your mercy?!”

 

The black-robed man rested his head on his hand, looking at him askance: “Do you have any other choice?”

 

Shen Liuxiang turned his head to look at him, moved a bit closer, blinked and asked: “Would begging for mercy work?”

 

“Hand over the reverse scale, and I’ll spare your life,”

 

Zhou Xuanlan revealed a dangerous look in his eyes. “But if you keep delaying, once this lord’s patience runs out, I won’t spare you.”

 

After he finished speaking, he saw the young man before him turning pale with shock. “Either way I die!”

 

Zhou Xuanlan frowned: “This lord said, as long as you…”

 

Halfway through his words, his slightly parted thin lips were sealed. Shen Liuxiang leaned forward, his soft lips moving slightly, leaving a trace of warm breath on his lips.

 

After this unexpected ambush, the young man smiled like a cat that had stolen cream, adding: “Either way I die, so I might as well die happily!”

 

As he spoke, he found that Zhou Xuanlan seemed not to have recovered, frozen in place, his black eyes slightly widened, his expression tense.

 

Shen Liuxiang was stunned for a moment, recalling just now Zhou Xuanlan’s thin lips remaining stiff and immobile, his pupils contracting, and his breath unconsciously held.

 

He fell silent for a moment, as if discovering an earth-shattering secret.

 

“You… haven’t kissed anyone before, have you?”

 

Zhou Xuanlan came to his senses, his face instantly darkening.

 

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