Chapter 19 Part 2: Tell everyone we kissed.
Yan Jingyu did not feel any pain. The feather jade on his chest once again gathered a spiritual formation, a thick silver light surging over the dagger, blocking the other’s assassination attempt.
Qin Zixuan was also stunned for a moment, looking at the dagger that was tightly bound by the silver light.
“Why do you want to kill me?” Yan Jingyu asked.
Qin Zixuan looked at him again. “He has been dead for one hundred and thirty years. The Lord has finally managed to move on. Perhaps this year, perhaps next year, he will be able to ascend to immortality.”
“We have unanimously decided that all those who affect his state of mind must be killed.” Qin Zixuan’s expression was complicated. “You look too much like him, but in the end…”
He looked at those clear eyes and for a moment, he suddenly couldn’t say the words “in the end, you are not.” He only said in a hoarse voice, “You, your soul-lamp is about to be extinguished.”
“Your soul-lamp being about to be extinguished means that even if you go back, you will only be a burden to everyone.”
A cold voice came. Qin Zixuan abruptly retreated, his expression wary. A man wearing a ghost mask slowly walked out from the source of the voice, but Yan Jingyu did not look.
The man sneered. “If you go back, you will ruin Qin Zhongyou’s state of mind and make him fall into the demonic path again.”
“So, whether you are Yan Jingyu or not, it’s best if you are dead.”
Qin Zixuan’s face was ugly. “He can’t be young master Yan…”
“Of course he isn’t.” The ghost-masked man’s voice was cold and sinister. “The entire Yan Clan of Hutian has been annihilated. Where is there a young master?”
A chain-like whip lashed out. Qin Zixuan hurriedly put up a spiritual energy shield, but the whip, filled with divine might, directly shattered the shield. He was sent flying, crashing through the wall behind him. He scrambled up wretchedly, his expression panicked. “Soul-Tethering Lock, you are Yin Shi… You protect him like this, he is indeed one of your Demon Realm…”
“What does my protecting him have to do with him?!” The Soul-Tethering Lock rolled in the air, stirring up broken snow and wild wind. The spreading killing intent cut through the beams of the inn and once again lashed fiercely at Qin Zixuan—
“Liao Chen isn’t dead?”
Yan Jingyu came back to his senses, his voice as light as falling snow.
The man in the dim room’s will wavered, and he coughed heavily.
The ghost-masked man’s force slightly stagnated. Qin Zixuan rolled away in a panic, at the same time flying up and throwing out a talisman that flashed with golden light. “You rats of the Demon Realm, shameless to the extreme! You can’t beat young master Yan, so you create a waste to impersonate and slander him! Even if your Demon Lord can control this waste, he will become a laughingstock of the world!!”
Liao Chen’s expression was cold and sinister.
The ghost-masked man leaped up, the chain like a poisonous snake flicking its tongue, suddenly chasing after Qin Zixuan on the crane and piercing through his body.
Blood spurted out. The chain was abruptly pulled out, bringing out more blood.
The crane let out a shrill cry, struggling to flap its wings, and flew away with a screech.
The ghost-masked man landed back on the ground. The man in the dim room spat out a mouthful of blood and quickly formed a seal again to calm his mind, promptly cutting off the connection with the secondary cultivation body.
Drip. The chain was held in the ghost-masked man’s hand, thick blood dripping onto the white snow. Yan Jingyu stared blankly. The other also stood motionless. He didn’t know how long had passed before a faint cry for help suddenly came from the collapsed house in front.
Yan Jingyu finally came back to his senses. “There’s someone inside!” he said hastily.
When cultivators fought, mortals suffered. Yan Jingyu rushed over, reaching out to lift the wooden beam on top. His strength was too small. He was out of breath, and even with his shoulder, it was difficult to move. He turned his face and saw that Yin Shi was still standing there, motionless.
“…Guardian Yin, please help.”
The other waved his hand, and a vast amount of spiritual energy easily lifted the stone pillars and slabs on top.
With his help, Yan Jingyu quickly rescued a man and a woman who had been almost buried alive from inside. Fortunately, Yin Shi’s whip had only knocked down a corner of the eaves and hadn’t really collapsed the entire house.
At this time, most of the people in the entire inn had also been woken up. The shopkeeper rushed over, his face full of heartache, but he didn’t dare to make a sound.
Yan Jingyu had no choice but to take out all the money he had on him. But he hadn’t won much money at the gambling den to begin with, so he had to look at Yin Shi again. He had also dealt with this guardian back then and knew that he was always taciturn. Even though he seemed to be different from before now…
“Do you have any money on you?”
A money pouch floated out of the Qiankun Pouch at his waist. Yan Jingyu took it and compensated the owner and the injured.
When everything was settled, he looked at Yin Shi again. The latter finally spoke. “Let’s go.”
It was also snowing in the Demon Palace, much heavier than in the mortal world. As soon as Yan Jingyu walked out of the teleportation array, his nostrils were filled with the wind and snow, and his lungs were also filled with cold air. A warm feeling rose in his chest again. The feather jade once again wrapped a thin layer of spiritual membrane around him. In an instant, his feeling of the wind and snow had faded a lot.
Clusters of snowflakes piled up in his hair. Yan Jingyu followed beside Yin Shi, pulling up the fur collar of his cloak, and gazed at the vast, dark Demon Palace.
…So this is the truth of the great auspiciousness.
If it weren’t for Liao Chen, he would have died under Qin Zixuan’s knife today.
Yin Shi had no intention of talking to him, and Yan Jingyu didn’t know how to start. He didn’t have much of a connection with this Demon Sect guardian. The things he had said and done today… were very much like Liao Chen.
It must have been his instruction…
After meeting this time, Liao Chen always had many behaviors that he couldn’t understand, all of which went against his position.
Back then, he and Liao Chen had chased each other, each being the other’s prey. He figured that the other must have felt some sympathy for his current self, like a rabbit mourning the death of a fox…
“You wait in the front hall.”
Yan Jingyu stopped in his tracks and saw at a glance the four large characters hanging high on the obsidian throne: To Attain the Dao Through Demonic Means.
This was the main hall of the Demon Palace, named Suixing, and also the place where Chi Yuan had lived back then. But it was very different from back then. When Chi Yuan was alive, the Demon Palace was brightly lit, with demons dancing wildly. The entire Demon Palace was extremely noisy, its prosperity and luxury far surpassing that of an imperial city.
But now, not a single lamp was lit in this great hall. There were only a dozen or so withered and gaunt puppets, woodenly going back and forth like dried corpses, following a predetermined command to clean the non-existent dust everywhere.
Not a single beautiful demon maid, much less a servant.
On a snowy night, this place, so vast, only made one feel desolate.
“…Truly thrifty and managing the household well.” Yan Jingyu was a little amused for a moment. He walked over and stroked the cold jade ornaments on the shelves. These things should have come from skilled craftsmen of the mortal world. He just didn’t know if they were offerings from the mortal nobility or stolen by some demonic cultivator to please their master.
“Why doesn’t he know how to enjoy himself after becoming a Demon Lord?” Yan Jingyu looked around, took a fire starter from a shelf on the side, and walked over to light the palace lanterns placed everywhere. When he put the last lampshade back on and looked back, the entire main hall was brightly lit.
The various glazed jade ornaments and other decorations placed everywhere reflected a faint glow under the light. Some were charmingly naive, others were exquisitely crafted, all lifelike. There were also iridescent silk screens and hanging beaded curtains. To say it was magnificent was no exaggeration.
Yan Jingyu walked back, feeling that every step was a new scene. His mood also improved because of this, and even his body seemed to warm up due to the light in the environment.
When he came under the sign “To Attain the Dao Through Demonic Means” again, Yin Shi had not yet come out.
Yan Jingyu fell asleep. When he woke up again, the snowstorm was still raging, and the sky showed no signs of brightening. He rubbed his eyes and looked behind him in a daze.
He didn’t know how long had passed. He gradually felt hungry, and the sky still hadn’t brightened. Yan Jingyu had heard that in the Demon Realm, there would be a long period of polar night and polar day between winter and summer. Could it be polar night now?
As he was thinking, a voice suddenly came to his ears. “Get in here.”
Liao Chen is awake! Yan Jingyu quickly got up from the table. His feet were a little numb. He hopped a few times and quickly crossed the winding corridor, running all the way to the back hall.
The back hall was lit. Yin Shi was no longer there. He pushed the door open and saw at a glance a small pond next to it, with lotus flowers full of spiritual energy, currently in bud.
On the table behind was a wooden frame with some exquisite wood carvings on it. At a glance, they were almost all ferocious ancient beasts, such as Taotie, Nine-Tails, Xiangyao, Yanchi, Dafeng, Qiongqi… Not only were they lifelike, but they also carried a strong killing aura. Yan Jingyu quickly averted his gaze and turned to the expressionless Liao Chen on the white jade bed.
Yan Jingyu scanned him up and down and found that there were almost no injuries on his body. Even his complexion was as usual, healthy and vigorous. He immediately understood that this fiend had used an illusion again…
So pretentious.
He couldn’t help but curve his lips. Before he could speak, the other said, “You killed me to please your lover, but were stabbed in the back by your lover. How do you feel?”
“…” I should really tear your mouth apart. Yan Jingyu raised a smile again and said, “Thanks to the jade talisman given by the great benefactor, my life was saved.”
“You ungrateful thing,” Liao Chen said. “How do you plan to repay me?”
I’ll give you a bottle of the best silent poison. As Yan Jingyu walked towards him, he said softly, “Knowing that the benefactor is fine, I am completely relieved. How about this, you first remove the illusion and let me see your injuries… I have always been proficient in pharmacology and can help you refine pills to speed up your recovery.”
“Not long ago, didn’t you want to help Qin Zhongyou refine pills?” Liao Chen said sinisterly. “Is that all you have in your bag of tricks to please men?”
…Why is this dog thing always so sarcastic? Yan Jingyu, who had felt a little guilty just now, was about to get angry from his few words. He let out a light breath. “I didn’t expect Guardian Yin to become so talkative after changing masters.”
Yan Jingyu remembered that when Chi Yuan was alive, Yin Shi was not so talkative. Now that he had even learned to say such things, it was clear that he had been influenced by his company.
“You’re not much better.” Liao Chen, thinking of something, curved his lips slightly. “Guess what, how am I going to reward you for surviving this time?”
Yan Jingyu stopped his steps towards him, his lips slightly pursed. “Don’t you always feel that being invincible is very lonely? Now that I’ve risked my life and gambled everything to seriously injure you, you should be happy! What, you always say you want to fight me to the death, and now that we’ve finally fought to the death, you can’t afford to lose?”
“…” Liao Chen stared at him with deep eyes, his words spoken one by one, “Those who cannot kill me…”
Yan Jingyu interrupted him without hesitation. “…will eventually make you stronger! I came here to make you stronger!”
“…” Liao Chen’s words were stuck in his throat.
