Chapter 30 Part 1: Is this action wrong…
Yu Qiuye’s small courtyard was filled with all sorts of beauties, both men and women, their faces like flowers. The entire courtyard was like a brocade of flowers, the lamps always lit, far more lively and prosperous than the Demon Palace.
But he was a demonic cultivator, after all. Although there were so many living people around him, it still gave off a strange and demonic feeling. The smiles of most people also gave a stiff and unnatural feeling.
Most importantly…
Yan Jingyu looked over, his eyelids twitching. “These people…”
“Aiya.” Yu Qiuye said, “These have all more or less incorporated some of your, Immortal Lord’s, appearance. What do you think, Immortal Lord?”
He came to a man’s side and pushed him out. “Look at these eyes, aren’t they exactly the same as yours?”
He then pulled over another woman. “Here, here, look at her profile. Isn’t it very similar to yours?”
“And…”
Before Yan Jingyu could give any reaction, a few clusters of pure black and purple demonic flames suddenly struck several people whose expressions were clearly a little dazed, turning them to ashes in the blink of an eye. Yan Jingyu’s heart tightened. Yu Qiuye also knelt down with a thud, frantically picking up the scattered dust in the air. “I spent a lot of effort to draw these! Yin Shi—”
His resentful gaze fell on Yin Shi, but the Soul-Tethering Lock suddenly wrapped around his neck. The cold and evil touch made Yu Qiuye’s eyes clear up a little. He grabbed the chain and said in a panic, “Guardian, Guardian, spare my life. It was this subordinate who was out of line just now. This subordinate knows his crime, knows his crime…”
“In the future, don’t let me see anything in your courtyard that is similar to him. Otherwise, they will be your end.”
“Yes, yes, yes.” Yu Qiuye nodded repeatedly. “I will never dare to offend Immortal Lord Dufang again. This subordinate will remember! Remember!”
An Long silently pulled his chair to the other side, but Yin Shi still had no intention of letting him go. “In all these years, how many Yan Jingyus have you drawn?”
“No, no more. This is all.”
“What about outside?”
“Indeed, there are…” Although he couldn’t see his expression hidden under the ghost mask, Yu Qiuye could clearly feel that he was in a bad mood. He guessed that this must be the reason why Liao Chen had forced him to be submissive to Yan Jingyu. He cursed himself for being so talkative today. He should have run away with his courtyard as soon as he saw this fiend, then he wouldn’t be on the verge of death now. His face was pitiful. “There are often admirers of the Immortal Lord who come with portraits. This subordinate also wants to improve his skills, hoping to one day be able to perfectly replicate the perfect Immortal Lord Dufang, so…”
“Was Ruan Qixi your handiwork?”
Yu Qiuye’s pupils contracted. Yan Jingyu also suddenly looked at him. Under the dark and ferocious ghost mask, he couldn’t even see the other’s eyes, only hearing Yu Qiuye’s trembling voice: “Absolutely not. As everyone knows, my Demon Realm and Hutian are mortal enemies. How could I possibly do business with the Zuoqiu family?!”
“You can do business with other immortal sects. It’s not like you wouldn’t dare to do business with the Zuoqiu family.”
“Absolutely not!” Yu Qiuye trembled all over. His forehead was beaded with cold sweat. He said with a tremor, “Guardian, Guardian, please see clearly. That Ruan Qixi didn’t just change his appearance recently. He has looked very similar to Immortal Lord Dufang since he was a child. This subordinate, no matter how capable I am, I can’t possibly have drilled into Ruan Qingwan’s belly to draw his skin for him!!!”
Yin Shi seemed to be in thought. Yu Qiuye looked at Yan Jingyu again. “Immortal Lord, Immortal Lord seems to be in a bad mood today. This subordinate has some Nine Heavens Immortal here. Immortal Lord, would you be willing to honor me with a drink?”
His original intention was to remind Yin Shi that his mission was not yet complete. Yan Jingyu’s mood was clearly still a little low. But as soon as he said this, the Soul-Tethering Lock suddenly tightened even more.
The veins on his face immediately bulged. His lips parted, and his breathing clearly became difficult.
…What the hell? It’s not okay to offend Yan Jingyu, and it’s not okay to please him either. This Yin Shi is even more moody than Liao Qi Mei…
“Thank you, Mad Doctor, for your generosity.” Yan Jingyu spoke softly. Yin Shi was quiet for a few moments, then suddenly withdrew his hand. The Soul-Tethering Lock crawled into his sleeve like a poisonous snake. Yu Qiuye fell to the ground. He didn’t even bother to touch his own neck, but coughed and quickly crawled out.
He glanced at the quiet-as-a-chicken An Long beside him, and a wicked thought suddenly arose. He supported himself on the door frame and stood up, coughing as he said, “Just now, it seemed that Leader An Long was here to ask if the Immortal Lord was a painted-skin ghost? Was it to confirm the Immortal Lord’s identity, cough, cough, cough, cough, so you can avenge your older brother?”
Yin Shi tilted his head, his gaze once again falling on An Long. Yu Qiuye had already slipped away, quickly running to the wine cellar in the back.
At the same time, he threw out a shadow-recording pearl, and from behind, he rubbed his neck and took out a small mirror, closely watching the movements in front.
Yin Shi slowly said, “Hmm—?”
“No, no.” An Long shook his head. “And, it’s not like I have to take revenge…”
His older brother was not his direct relative. If Yan Jingyu hadn’t killed him, he wouldn’t have been able to sit in this leader’s position. But his own person had been killed, which made him grit his teeth with hatred. If it were within his ability, this feud would naturally be irreconcilable. But now, with Yin Shi protecting Yan Jingyu like this, this clearly represented Liao Qi Mei’s attitude…
“You mean, if you could take revenge, you definitely would, right?”
“No, no, no.” An Long waved his hands repeatedly. “I have no grudge against the Immortal Lord. I would never kill him without reason.”
Yin Shi snorted lightly. “There are no painted-skin ghosts in the Demon Palace. Yan Jingyu is Yan Jingyu. Take your answer and get lost.”
This no longer needed to be pointed out. When Yin Shi had punished Yu Qiuye just now, it was already very clear. An Long nodded repeatedly, took a few steps back, and then turned into a wisp of black energy and left the small courtyard—
He circled around and went into the wine cellar, just in time to see Yu Qiuye putting away a small mirror with a disappointed look on his face.
Anger surged in his heart. He suddenly threw a punch. “You dare to harm me!!!”
The small courtyard was in a clamor. Yan Jingyu sat speechlessly for a while. When the noise gradually subsided, Yu Qiuye had already limped back, chuckling. “The Nine Heavens Immortal is here. Immortal Lord, please have a few more cups.”
Yan Jingyu couldn’t help but laugh. Thinking of Liao Chen, his eyes darkened again.
No wonder Liao Chen has no sense of security in the Demon Realm. Here, everyone has their own little schemes, and no one can stand to see others do better than themselves. No one is willing to trust. They have long since become accustomed to this way of getting along…
But why does he trust Yin Shi so much?
“Hehe. I’ve been saving this Nine Heavens Immortal for many years. It’s much more mellow than what’s sold in the Fusheng Tavern now. Immortal Lord, Guardian, please have some more.”
“This Lord has other matters.” Yin Shi stood up, then glanced at Yan Jingyu again. “I will come back to pick you up later.”
After being interrupted just now, Yan Jingyu’s mood had calmed down a lot. He was not used to having an outsider who cared about his emotions around him, so he nodded to Yin Shi.
As soon as the wine was poured, a rich fragrance overflowed. When it entered his mouth, it was even more fragrant. Yan Jingyu’s tongue was almost numb from the fragrance. He couldn’t help but praise, “This Nine Heavens Immortal is truly top-quality. It must have been aged for a hundred years, right?”
“Over a hundred and thirty years.” Yu Qiuye was clearly also a wine connoisseur. He was quite proud when he talked about the age. Yan Jingyu glanced at him. Yu Qiuye poured him another bowl. “May I ask, Immortal Lord, now that you have the blood beast, what are your plans for the next step?”
“No plans.” Yan Jingyu said, “After I finish drinking, I’ll go back to the Suixing Hall.”
“Didn’t you just have a fight with the Demon Lord?”
Yan Jingyu let out a light laugh. “I’ve been at odds with him for so many years. Wouldn’t it be abnormal if we were to get along peacefully?”
“I, on the other hand, feel that the Immortal Lord and the Demon Lord have a certain mutual appreciation. If it weren’t for their different positions back then, they would have probably already become sworn friends. Not to mention anything else…” Yu Qiuye pointed to the Demon Palace, which was decorated with palace lanterns and bright pearls, making it exceptionally brilliant. “When he took over the Demon Palace back then, the first thing he did was to put all the treasures into his own Qiankun Pouch. He even took down all the night-luminescent pearls on the walls, one by one. He didn’t leave a single good thing for others. Today, to make the Immortal Lord happy, he actually took them all out. I estimate that the little ones in the academy are probably overjoyed right now.”
Yan Jingyu continued to drink. “I can’t figure out what he’s thinking.”
“Actually, I can’t figure it out either.” Yu Qiuye shook his head. “You know, if it were me, and I really saw my enemy become a waste, I would have to go up and step on him a few times. He’s not stepping on you now, and he even let you take the blood beast. And just now, he had Yin Shi declare war on the five major tribes… What on earth does he mean?”
“…Declare war on the five major tribes?”
“That goes without saying.” Yu Qiuye said with a straight face, “What was An Long here for today? It must be because those who were supposed to be food for the blood beast have all gone back. The news of you subduing the blood beast has spread throughout the entire Demonic Domain in an instant. Whether it’s a human or a ghost, someone has to come and ask clearly. Although I don’t know why An Long would be the one to stick his neck out, Guardian Yin’s words today were clearly telling the five major tribes. You had some enmity with these people back then, right?”
Yan Jingyu thought for a moment, then picked up the wine jar and drank directly from it for a while. Yu Qiuye was surprised at his alcohol tolerance. Not until Yan Jingyu put down the wine jar, out of breath, his eyes already faintly red from the wine. “It would have been better to let me be a painted-skin ghost in the Demon Palace. Isn’t this just causing trouble for me?”
“If he wanted to cause trouble for you, wouldn’t it be better to just kick you out of the Demon Palace?”
Yan Jingyu was quiet for a while, then finished the entire jar. He then picked up another jar and held it in his arms. “Let’s talk about you. I heard that you entered the Dao through medicine back then and were the head disciple of the Suwen Medical Valley. You could be said to be quite glorious. Why did you willingly fall into the demonic path and eke out a living under these demonic cultivators? I see that you don’t get along with them very well either.”
“Me?” Yu Qiuye clearly had a bit of a buzz too. He laughed out loud. “Who made me unacceptable to the world! The Suwen Medical Valley produced a head disciple who likes to peel off people’s skin to paint on. How sensational would that be if it got out!”
“That’s true.” Yan Jingyu clinked his jar with his and suddenly said, “What is the highest stage of the art of painting?”
Yu Qiuye’s expression suddenly stiffened.
When Yin Shi came over again, Yan Jingyu was already drunk and unconscious. The blood beast was lying on its back on the table, its eyes also half-open and half-closed, drunk.
Yu Qiuye was mumbling, “I have not yet drunk so freely with anyone. Immortal Lord, Immortal Lord, have another…”