Chapter 21 Part 2: You’re staring at me so intently, don’t you have anything else to do?
Qin Zhongyou clenched his fist slightly, his voice hoarse. “That day, he helped me defeat Liao Chen. He knew Liao Chen’s weakness, and also knew that I had a water-element Heavenly Soul… His voice has changed a little, but still…”
Zeng Huacai said, “He knew you had a Heavenly Soul?”
“Yes.” Qin Zhongyou said, “He directly told me to use a holy-grade water-element artifact to attack Liao Chen. The only holy-grade water-element artifact I have is my mother’s legacy Heavenly Soul… Back then, when my mother failed her immortal ascension, the legacy Heavenly Soul was coveted by the upper echelons. They wanted me to put my mother in the treasure pavilion. It was Uncle Yan who stood up for me and protected my mother… It’s impossible for someone from the Demon Realm to know.”
A legacy Heavenly Soul was a supreme treasure of the world. They were all formed from great powers who had failed their immortal ascension. Their power was boundless, and one might not even appear in a thousand years. Once one entered the world, it would cause a great stir. But this kind of thing, to others, was a supreme treasure, but to close relatives, it was still flesh and blood.
“Although you never used the Heavenly Soul when Uncle Yan was alive, after he passed away, you already had enough cultivation to use its power… Perhaps, someone leaked the news?”
“But I think it’s him.” Qin Zhongyou said, “That day, he came to Yaoguang Valley and said he was an old friend of Immortal Lord Dufang… I had a feeling…”
“You’re possessed.” Ling Dannan said unceremoniously, “What a magnificent person Jingyu was! How is that person even a little bit similar to him?! Liao Chen called him Yan Qi, and you really think he is? He’s just trying to shatter your Dao heart! I think we really need to find time to kill this impostor, otherwise, I’m afraid you’ll also follow in the footsteps of Aunt Qin and Uncle Yan.”
“But if Liao Chen wanted to create a fake Yan Jingyu, why would he use a waste?” Qin Zhongyou cast his gaze over. “If he wanted to ruin Jingyu’s reputation, wouldn’t it be better to find a peak Taiqing cultivator to draw the skin and then control him to cause chaos in the immortal sects?”
“Liao Chen’s actions, how can we possibly see through them…”
“Jingyu said that although Liao Chen’s methods are cruel, he is very lacking in scheming against people’s hearts… If we can’t see through his actions at all, then he hasn’t done anything. It’s us who have gotten ourselves twisted up.”
Ling Dannan said, “That was the Liao Chen of a hundred years ago. A hundred years have passed now. Even a pig would have grown a brain! Let alone a person?!”
“Achoo—!”
Yan Jingyu slept quite well this time, but this bed was not specifically for sleeping after all. He propped himself up and climbed up. He found that the clothes under him and on him had disappeared, as if the fur blanket he had been lying on last night was just a fantasy before he went to sleep.
“What.” He rubbed his eyes, his voice soft and hoarse. “Are you so weak that you’ve caught a cold?”
“Since you’re awake, drink the silent poison.”
“…” Yan Jingyu covered his mouth and yawned, then patted his own mouth. He sat up with a twist, as if he hadn’t woken up yet, and slid off the jade bed with boneless grace. He picked up a cup as if sleepwalking and walked towards the lotus flower at the door, which was emitting a faint spiritual light.
There was a bamboo water dispenser next to the lotus flower. Yan Jingyu could tell at a glance that this was connected to some small spiritual spring, perfect for rinsing his mouth and cleaning his teeth.
And a drop of dew from the lotus petal…
“This is a lotus flower that Chi Yuan raised for a thousand years. If you can wait for it to transform into a spirit and consume it, it can greatly improve the purity of the spiritual energy in your body. Don’t you dare damage it.”
Yan Jingyu took a drop of dew from it. “Wait for it to transform into a spirit, but…”
The lotus flower in front of him suddenly trembled slightly, and at the same time, more dew seeped out. Yan Jingyu was suddenly stunned. He subconsciously tilted his head and glanced at the demon lord behind him with the corner of his eye…
It’s already transformed into a spirit.
But it clearly already had a spiritual consciousness and had always maintained a state of budding. It must be to confuse cultivators like Chi Yuan and Liao Chen, who knew that treasures were good, but didn’t know how good they were.
These two demon lords had raised it together for a thousand years, yet they hadn’t even realized that it was already edible.
Yan Jingyu reached out and gently touched its tender petals. The dew immediately flowed more freely, all of it soaking into his fingertips, making his already white fingertips even more translucent.
Yan Jingyu only felt a lightness throughout his body, as if all the impurities in his body had been cleansed.
This is a bribe.
“Hmm?” A voice suddenly came from behind. An invisible net seemed to spread in the air. The lotus flower became calm and serene again, and the overflowing dew returned to its usual slow pace.
Liao Chen had withdrawn his divine sense while healing. Now that he suddenly opened it, he saw Yan Jingyu gulping down the spiritual spring water. He examined him for a moment. “What did you discover?”
“I discovered.” Yan Jingyu straightened up, his eyes shining. “That drinking this water can make your breath fragrant!”
Liao Chen raised an eyebrow, clearly not believing him, and continued to observe the calm lotus flower. “When do you think it will transform into a spirit?”
“Ha—”
A breath of fresh lotus fragrance rushed to his face. Liao Chen immediately distanced himself from him and said expressionlessly, “Get lost.”
“Isn’t it fragrant?” Yan Jingyu brought his face closer to him again, breathing on him. “Isn’t it fragrant, isn’t it fragrant?”
“…” Liao Chen was annoyed. He flung him aside with a wave of his hand. “Do you believe I’ll send you to purgatory to be skinned?!”
He had recovered quite a bit. Yan Jingyu was thrown to the ground, still looking boneless and weak. He glared at Liao Chen, then turned over and came to the table. “I’m hungry.”
“What can you do besides eat?”
Yan Jingyu pouted and picked up a brush to start flipping through the books he had brought from the library.
Liao Chen released his divine sense to linger on the words, and found that the books he had taken were all related to medicine. He examined the effects of the herbs above, and a sneer once again appeared on his lips. “What, you’re already in the Demon Palace, and you’re still thinking of refining pills for your lover to heal his injuries?”
Yan Jingyu felt that ever since he was seriously injured, his mouth had become even more talkative than before. It seemed that unless he got a good revenge on him one day, he would not be appeased.
Unfortunately, I’m too weak now. Liao Chen doesn’t seem to want me to die, and he hasn’t figured out how to torture me… He can only curse a few times to vent his anger.
To be honest, he’s quite pitiful.
Yan Jingyu decided to forgive him and said in a good-natured tone, “I was thinking of how to use pills to help you heal.”
There was a few moments of silence in his ear. Yan Jingyu continued to flip through the book and heard him snort again, his voice no longer as full of hostility as before. “Do you think I will use your medicine?”
“I know you won’t.” Yan Jingyu continued to draw and write on it. “So I specifically went to the library to find ancient texts. Now I’ve marked out all the medicinal properties and side effects of the herbs needed. This is all the original text of the ancient books, not a single word is my own fabrication. If you don’t believe me, you can also learn according to the key points I’ve marked and refine them yourself.”
“…” Liao Chen didn’t know if he couldn’t find an angle to criticize, or if he was moved by him. He didn’t speak again for a long time.
“Here.” Yan Jingyu threw two books over. “There are a few herbs in here that can help you heal. If you have them on you, you can have a puppet refine them directly, or you can decoct them. If you have ready-made pills, you can also compare their medicinal properties to see if I’m lying to you.”
With that, he buried his head in the book again.
The two books hovered in the air and opened at the same time. Beside them was a piece of paper with Yan Jingyu’s handwritten instructions on the heat and method of refining the pills, as well as the order in which to add the herbs, and the dosage for decoction.
“…You have always been treacherous and cunning. Who knows what other tricks you will use.”
Liao Chen waved his hand and sent the books back, saying coldly, “I don’t believe you.”
The books floated back to the table. Yan Jingyu did not stop his movements. He continued to mark the remaining books on hand. Only then did he pick up all the books, come to Liao Chen’s side, and place them in front of him for the second time. “I know it’s hard for you to change your impression of me, no matter what. But whether you use it or not is your business, and whether I do it or not is mine. Since you saved me, I will definitely remember your kindness.”
“I think you’ve discovered that you can’t go back to Hutian and have no way out, so you can only come to please this Lord.”
“Yes.” Yan Jingyu admitted frankly, looking him in the eye. “I don’t have long to live. But I still want to live well for the time I have left. Since I’m already under your command, what else can I do besides trying my best to please you?”
Liao Chen pursed his lips.
Yan Jingyu continued, “You’re right. I’m actually very afraid of going back to Hutian. Too much time has passed. I’m not sure if there’s still a place for me there. I’m afraid they’ll pity me, and I’m even more afraid that my affairs will affect them. You asked me how it felt to be assassinated by Qin Zixuan. I can tell you very clearly that I felt an unprecedented sense of relief, as if a great weight had finally been lifted from my heart.”
“It’s great that they won’t recognize me. It’s great that no one in this world will have any hope for me anymore… This way, I can do whatever I want, and I can die in peace, without worrying about letting anyone down.”
“I know what you want to see from me. You want to see me curse, see me resist, see me accuse them of treachery. You want me to go all out and fight them to the death.” Yan Jingyu let out a breath, his voice becoming very soft, but also very firm. “But I won’t.”
“I don’t think they did anything wrong, and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with them wanting to kill me… I’m a dying man anyway. What’s the difference between dying sooner or later, and where I die?”
Yan Jingyu took out the feather jade from his bosom. The feather jade reluctantly emitted specks of silver light, gently winding around his fingertips.
“But I’m still very grateful that you saved me.” Yan Jingyu stroked the feather jade and slowly handed it to him. “Because even if I know I’ve become a waste, even if I know it’s better for everyone if I die… but being killed, it still makes me a little sad.”
Liao Chen did not take the jade pendant. Yan Jingyu had no choice but to pull his hand open and place it inside. “Actually, I feel more relaxed around you, because I know that you will never be affected by me…”
“Watching me die slowly, you will only feel great satisfaction.”
The feather jade, with the warmth of his body, landed in Liao Chen’s palm. He looked up at Yan Jingyu, his dark pupils filled with crimson-gold ripples.
Yan Jingyu’s lips curved. “Are you happy n—ah—”
Liao Chen struck his chest with his palm. Yan Jingyu floated up, caught off guard, and stared at his extremely cold expression in a daze.
The space behind him was torn open. Yan Jingyu fell on his butt into the warm spring water. Countless bubbles immediately appeared before his eyes, and his ears were filled with gurgling sounds. He held his breath, held his breath, and swung his arms, desperately trying to get his head out of the water. He spat out several mouthfuls of water, grabbed the nearby rock, and while choking and coughing, he stared with wide eyes at Liao Chen outside the gap.
“You seem to be possessed by something dirty,” Liao Chen’s expression was calm. “Wash yourself clean before you come out.”
