Hearing Han Caiheng’s suggestion, Yan Chen said, “That would be fine.”
Just then, a voice came from the corner. “I…”
The voice still held a trace of childishness, drawing everyone’s gaze towards him.
Rong Wang stood up from beside the table and said, “I’m itchy.”
He had a delicate, lovely appearance and looked well-behaved, but He Zhanyang had taken an inexplicable dislike to this boy. Hearing him interrupt the conversation between his fellow senior and junior disciples, he said irritably, “If you’re itchy, tell one of the servants to take you to have a bath!”
Rong Wang: “…”
Had he known that later generations would have a word like “idiot” for someone like this, he would certainly have cursed him aloud.
Yan Chen stepped forward and took hold of Rong Wang’s thin, bony wrist, rolling up his sleeve. He saw that the other’s arm was covered in a patch of red marks resembling a rash, as though he were allergic to something.
Yan Chen’s eyes sharpened. “Cen-shimei, come and have a look.”
Among the twelve masters of the Xuantian Tower, each division was named after a musical mode. The Ruibin Division, under Cen Hui, was the most proficient when it came to all manner of unusual ailments. She came over and examined it for a moment, then said in surprise, “This is… a blood curse?”
She turned to look at Rong Wang. “Could this child be a remnant of the Chu Zhao Kingdom?”
Everyone around them wore astonished expressions, for the Chu Zhao Kingdom had fallen a thousand years ago, and it was now rare to hear anyone mention it.
Yet this ancient and extraordinary kingdom had left behind many legends. It was said that the Chu Zhao Kingdom had been founded by a tribe, and that most of its people were naturally members of the Chu Zhao clan.
From the moment they appeared in the world, the Chu Zhao clan had been especially favoured by Heaven. The men were brave and handsome, while the women were radiant and skilled in dance. Legend held that they were a race blessed by the gods. Because their customs were simple and honest and the weather was favourable, the kingdom attracted large numbers of outsiders, among them no small number of demons.
During that period, the demon race was in a state of fragmentation. Its people had not yet become the terrifying beings whose very name inspired fear today. Instead, they were despised and excluded everywhere, their status exceedingly low.
This situation only changed after the fall of the Chu Zhao Kingdom, when the Beicang Demon Lord appeared.
At that time, the Chu Zhao Kingdom did not expel the demons, but it explicitly forbade its own people from marrying into the demon race. It was said that doing so would defile their pure bloodline and cause the entire nation to suffer divine punishment.
Despite repeated prohibitions, there were still people who knowingly broke the rule. One of the princes of Chu Zhao took a demon woman as his concubine, ultimately bringing about the destruction of the entire kingdom. The Chu Zhao clan went from being Heaven’s favoured children to an abandoned people, plagued by disaster from then on and bringing misfortune wherever they went.
So much time had passed that it was now impossible to distinguish how much truth and how much falsehood there was in these legends. Yet in truth, there were still occasional remnants of the Chu Zhao clan appearing in the world. Because they were often subjected to discrimination and revulsion, however, most chose to conceal their true identities and live ordinary lives like everyone else.
Of course, to cultivators like Yan Chen and the others, whose lifespans were long and whose magical powers were profound, even wronged souls and vengeful ghosts were things they encountered from time to time. A so-called “abandoned people” were hardly anything remarkable, and they would not take these half-true, half-false legends particularly seriously.
What astonished them now was not that the child Ye Huaiyao had brought back was actually a member of the legendary Chu Zhao clan, but that the demonic energy had genuinely been drawn towards him.
A demon-blooded hybrid abandoned by the gods, with a sacred bloodline that had been defiled. Could this really be true?
Yan Chen asked, “Are you certain?”
Cen Hui said, “Other people might feel physically unwell when affected by demonic energy, becoming dizzy and light-headed, and in severe cases even losing their lives. But the only people who would develop red marks on their bodies because of it are members of the Chu Zhao clan.”
Rong Wang did not care what they said. It all fell within the range of reactions he had anticipated. After Yan Chen released him, he withdrew his hand, slowly straightened his sleeve and smoothed it flat, then took a deep breath before lifting his eyes towards Ye Huaiyao.
When Rong Wang had said that he was itchy, Ye Huaiyao had already risen and was about to go over to him. But the moment he heard the words “Chu Zhao clan”, his footsteps stopped.
For him, it was a name he had not heard in a very long time.
He had never expected this child to have such a connection.
Ye Huaiyao paused briefly where he stood, then looked up, only to meet Rong Wang’s silent gaze as he stood between Yan Chen and Cen Hui.
That gaze was like a red maple beneath the frost of late autumn, a thin layer of cold white upon the surface, while behind it a fire of yearning seemed to burn faintly.
He had seen that expression on different faces more than once before.
The two of them merely looked at each other for a moment, yet each felt as though an extraordinarily long stretch of time had passed between them. Ye Huaiyao raised the tip of one eyebrow, the gesture lending him an air of effortless elegance and aristocratic poise.
He walked over, then, without the slightest reservation, put an arm around Rong Wang’s shoulders and said with a smile, “All right, it’s nothing serious. Most of that demonic energy has dissipated anyway. Shijie, why don’t you treat him?”
With that single sentence and smile, the atmosphere of surprise and tension miraculously vanished. Cen Hui said, “My Lord, you make it sound rather easy. I can only temporarily stop the pain and itching he’s experiencing, but demonic energy has entered his body, and it is the Beicang Demon Lord’s demonic energy at that. To eradicate it completely, we’ll have to go to Biluo Palace and find a way to remove it.”
Ye Huaiyao smiled down at Rong Wang and said, “The Beicang Demon Lord has been resurrected, and an old friend should offer his congratulations. I happen to be going there anyway, so I’ll take him with me.”
A light flickered in his dark eyes, like the red glow of a candle glimpsed by a traveler returning home through wind and snow, leaving a flame-shaped scar upon Rong Wang’s heart.
He knew that he might be acting too composed and aloof at present, which did not quite fit the identity of a “naive young boy.” Revealing himself as a “survivor of the Chu Zhao clan,” though unavoidable, would inevitably invite suspicion from others.
It wasn’t that he had no better way to disguise himself, but in front of Ye Huaiyao, Rong Wang simply had little desire to put on an act or deceive him.
Ever since recovering his memories, he had remembered too many things. He could no longer retreat into being that simple-minded child. There were simply too many things beyond his control. The grievances, love, and hatred between the two of them. How could they possibly be explained in a single sentence?
At this moment, his thoughts seemed to have been split in two. On one side, he resignedly waited for Ye Huaiyao to discover his true identity, after which he would surely return to treating him with that same distant wariness. On the other, Rong Wang was simply too reluctant to give up the kindness he was receiving now, so much so that he could not bring himself to reveal the truth himself.
After all, to him, even a smile from Ye Huaiyao, even a single gentle word, was extraordinarily precious.
From a poor, penniless youth to a demon lord whose very name inspired terror, there had only ever been one person who could make Rong Wang experience such anxiety and leave such an indelible impression upon his heart: Ye Huaiyao.
Rong Wang felt like a prisoner awaiting judgment. Unfortunately, his handsome and dashing executioner was simply too gentle, lingering and refusing to bring down the blade and grant him a swift end.
Ye Huaiyao had far too many questions in his heart and had already planned to visit Li Hentian. However, he had only just returned, and the moment everyone heard he intended to venture into such a dangerous place, they immediately objected.
Guan Wanqiong said, “Shixiong, why do you have to risk yourself personally? Wouldn’t it be better for us to go in your place?”
Cen Hui said, “You wild brat. You used to wander around everywhere and that was how you kept running into danger. You nearly died once, and you still haven’t learned your lesson. You haven’t even had time to warm your seat yet—at the very least, you should recover from your injuries before leaving!”
Yan Chen was even more blunt. “Nonsense! Aren’t you afraid of running into Beicang again? You can’t expect to escape unscathed by sheer luck every single time.”
Ye Huaiyao felt that Yan Chen sounded just like a mother frightening a three-year-old child by telling him that if he went outside at night, a wolf would carry him away. He said, “That’s taking it too far. At most, he and I are evenly matched. How is it that my injuries haven’t even healed, while he can come back to life and immediately start jumping around?”
Yan Chen said, “You know perfectly well that demons have unusual constitutions and recover much faster than ordinary people. Stay put and behave yourself for a year before you start talking about leaving.”
The others naturally couldn’t be as forceful with Ye Huaiyao as Yan Chen was, but neither did they want to let him leave. They all joined in, urging him to wait until his injuries had fully healed.
Ye Huaiyao shook his folding fan and said, “If I really wait until my injuries are completely healed, Rong Wang will probably have had a son by then. Don’t forget, what happened to the two of us and brought us to this point wasn’t caused by either of us.”
He continued, “Apart from the two of us, who else knew that the final battle would take place at Yaotai? And why did the ground suddenly collapse there? Whoever is behind this probably wants to wipe both Rong Wang and me out in one fell swoop. In other words, he’s a common enemy of ours. I have to go there and explain all of this to him face-to-face.”
The reasoning was sound. However, the impression Rong Wang had left in everyone else’s minds was already deeply entrenched. In a nutshell, he was “ruthless, vicious, and unscrupulous.” Even if he saved Ye Huaiyao another ten times, everyone would still assume he had some ulterior motive.
Yan Chen said, “You definitely can’t go alone. How about this? Rest for three days, then take more people with you. I’ll also notify the various branch strongholds along the way in advance so they can look after you.”
He Zhanyang immediately said, “I’ll go! Take me with you!”
The folding fan spun once between Ye Huaiyao’s slender fingers before he tapped it against He Zhanyang’s forehead. “I’m going to discuss important matters, not go there to tear the place apart. The moment you see Rong Wang, you start fighting like a blazing furnace. How could I possibly dare take you with me?”
Before He Zhanyang could protest again, Ye Huaiyao turned to Yan Chen and said, “Alright, Shixiong, let’s do that. Now that Rong Wang and I have returned one after another, another storm is bound to follow. The mountain gate can’t be left undefended. You must have rushed out here in a hurry, so you should go back. I’ll secretly take a few people with me. I certainly won’t act recklessly, so don’t worry.”
Ye Huaiyao might have a gentle temperament, but he was still the leader of a sect. Once he had made up his mind, no one could change it. Seeing that he had considered everything thoroughly and that there was nothing to fault in his plan, Yan Chen could only agree.
He agreed, but he was still reluctant to let Ye Huaiyao leave immediately. “Li Hentian is a long way away, and the journey will take quite some time. You’ve only just returned, and your body hasn’t fully recovered. Stay at the branch for another five or six days before leaving. That will also give me time to arrange guards along the route.”
The others were equally reluctant to see Ye Huaiyao leave and joined in persuading him. Cen Hui also said that she wanted to prepare some medicine for Rong Wang to apply, to help stabilise his condition. Unable to refuse their concern, Ye Huaiyao smiled and agreed.
Rong Wang then followed Cen Hui out to have the medicine applied. The others remained behind and chatted for a while before preparing to leave as well.
Guan Wanqiong lingered for a moment before finally saying, “I thought that after Shixiong came back this time, you’d be able to dissolve your Dao companion contract with Yuan Xian. Why would you still want to remain Dao companions with someone like him? You two were never even together.”
She was the youngest among Ye Huaiyao’s generation and did not know why the Dao companion contract between Yuan Xian and Ye Huaiyao had originally been formed. She had simply disliked that man for a long time. There were so many girls who liked her shixiong, and plenty of decent men as well. There was really no reason to maintain this relationship.
Thinking about Ji Lanying’s irritating behaviour from before still made Guan Wanqiong angry. She had waited and waited, yet no one brought up the matter, and eventually she couldn’t hold herself back any longer.
Yan Chen rubbed his temples and fell silent for a moment.
How could he not have considered this matter? Given everything Yuan Xian had done, if Ye Huaiyao’s fate weren’t still tied to him, Yan Chen would have gone straight to his door, beaten him senseless, and annulled the marriage long ago.
But now Ye Huaiyao had only just returned from disaster. No one knew whether his fate had changed, nor what consequences dissolving the Dao companion contract might have.
These matters still required some time to observe. They would have to wait until Ye Huaiyao’s condition stabilised before making a decision. After all, no matter what happened, his safety was the most important thing.
At this moment, none of them knew that the person bound by that contract had already quietly changed into the far more feared Beicang Demon Lord. If they did, they truly wouldn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
Yan Chen said slowly, “Let me think about it.”
Ye Huaiyao’s attitude was actually even more decisive than Yan Chen’s. “The engagement is definitely going to be annulled. But back then, it was Guiyuan Manor that came to us seeking a deal. Naturally, we can’t let them walk away with all the benefits. Once I’ve finished dealing with the matters at hand, I’ll find a formal occasion to invite Manor Lord Yuan over and discuss everything openly.”
As far as Ye Huaiyao was concerned, matters of fate were not something he placed much importance on. If he truly allowed himself to be controlled by so-called destiny, there would never have been the Lord Yunqi of today.
In the past, Yuan Xian had been relatively trouble-free, so Ye Huaiyao hadn’t particularly minded maintaining a marriage contract that had little practical effect. But now, he no longer wanted to remain bound to the other party.
Yan Chen said, “If you’re unwilling, then we’ll dissolve the engagement. But everything should be handled cautiously. If necessary, we’ll have to find another way to suppress your fate. Don’t rush into anything.”
Once everyone had discussed and settled all the matters that needed to be addressed, the usually cheerful He Zhanyang inexplicably became depressed.
Several of his fellow disciples invited him to drink with them, but he refused. Instead, he went alone to the back garden, climbed onto the top of a wall, and began prying out its stones one by one, throwing them down at the base.
When it became apparent that Division Head He was about to single-handedly tear down half the wall, the people at the branch didn’t dare stop him. They could only report the matter to the Illustrious Sage, who had finished meditating and was now outside practicing his sword.
When Ye Huaiyao arrived, he discovered that the branch members had not exaggerated at all. A small pile of stones had already accumulated beneath the wall, while He Zhanyang’s back was stretched long by the sunlight.
Ye Huaiyao also flashed up onto the wall, bent down, and patted his junior disciple on the shoulder with a smile “What’s wrong? Did this clueless little wall offend our Division Head He?”
He Zhanyang usually lit up whenever he saw Ye Huaiyao. This time, however, he ignored him completely. He twisted away, shaking off Ye Huaiyao’s hand, then pried out another stone and threw it onto the ground.
Ye Huaiyao was amused. “Oh? So it seems I’m the one who offended someone by being so thoughtless. What happened? Tell me. Then I’ll know what I did wrong.”
His gentle tone, coaxing He Zhanyang as though he were a child, only made He Zhanyang feel worse. He pressed his lips together, looking as though he might cry, but still said nothing.
Ye Huaiyao lifted the hem of his robe and sat down beside him. He raised He Zhanyang’s chin with his folding fan, then leaned over with a smile to inspect his expression.
He Zhanyang finally couldn’t hold it in any longer. A little embarrassed and a little angry, he threw the two small stones he had been clutching until they were warm onto the ground and huffed, “Ever since you came back, you don’t care about me like you used to!”
Ye Huaiyao hadn’t been speaking loudly before, but He Zhanyang’s shout was loud enough for everyone nearby to hear. They couldn’t help looking over with strange expressions.
No one had expected that the usually arrogant and overbearing Division Head He would turn into a resentful little wife in front of the Illustrious Sage.
Ye Huaiyao really wanted to laugh, but seeing how angry his shidi was, he could only desperately hold it back. “How do I not care about you like I used to? I care about you very much. Look, you like drinking Sanguotou Fen Liquor, don’t you? I even specially saved a jug for you and kept it warm so they wouldn’t drink it all. Come on, let’s go have a couple of drinks with your shixiong.”
The more Ye Huaiyao treated him this way, the more miserable He Zhanyang felt. His shixiong had always been wonderful. But whenever he thought about such a wonderful shixiong being tied to that bastard Yuan Xian for the rest of his life, he simply couldn’t get over it.
Whenever He Zhanyang remembered Ji Lanying’s fussy, irritating manner, he felt that Yuan Xian must have been blind. He was already both anxious and furious.
And for some reason, seeing Rong Wang also made him inexplicably unhappy. Yet he couldn’t bring himself to quarrel with a child. Then his shixiong was being so concerned about Rong Wang, refusing to take him along while instead planning to take Rong Wang… the grievances simply piled one on top of another.
He Zhanyang knew that it was unreasonable to quarrel with a child. If he said any of this aloud, even his little shimei would laugh at him. So he could only bottle it all up, becoming so depressed that even alcohol held no appeal. In the end, he had come here alone to dig at the wall.
Part of it was because he felt sorry for Ye Huaiyao, and part of it was jealousy. After being coaxed a few times, he finally couldn’t hold out any longer and muttered, “You just came back and you’re already leaving again, and you aren’t even taking anyone with you. Don’t you miss us at all? And…”
He had intended to mention Yuan Xian, but after thinking about it, he realised there was no point. It would only upset his shixiong, so he swallowed the words.
He Zhanyang said, “Anyway, I…I’m unhappy.”
Ye Huaiyao smacked him lightly on the back of the head and laughed. “Oh? Getting worked up now, are we? Alright, that’s enough.”
Even as he said this, Ye Huaiyao couldn’t help reflecting on himself.
For him, recovering his memories had happened not long ago, and he had returned home soon afterward. But for He Zhanyang and the others in his sect, he had effectively come back from the dead.
Everyone must have spent a long time grieving and worrying about him, while he had simply rushed in and out without staying to accompany them properly.
Ye Huaiyao’s smile faded. “Zhanyang, let me explain. When I was speaking with the Beicang Demon Lord at Yaotai, I wasn’t entirely conscious. Then something unexpected happened, and I lost my memory. There are many details I can’t remember, and some of the doubts in between can only be clarified by the two of us speaking face-to-face.
Besides, you know what he’s like. He’s eccentric and dislikes talking to people. In the entire Xuantian Tower, I’m probably the only one who has had relatively frequent conversations with him. So I have to go. And I can’t bring too many people, otherwise it’ll only make it harder for us to talk.”
He paused. “In any case, your shixiong promises you that I’ll come back as soon as I can.”
He Zhanyang understood all the reasons. But the fact that Ye Huaiyao was willing to patiently explain everything to him himself left his heart warm and comforted beyond words.
He couldn’t help grabbing Ye Huaiyao’s sleeve. “I understand. Shixiong… I’m sorry.”
Author’s Note:
Yaoyao wipes away his sweat: Luckily I’m good with sweet words. Otherwise, the backyard would have caught fire.
