Chapter 7

When Mo Lin pushed the door open, Liuyu was drawing a pattern for a sword hairpin by the lamp.

In the world, practitioners channel Qi—whether it’s the life Qi of humans, or the demon and ghost Qi of demons and spirits—in five ways:

Namely, Refining, Releasing, Controlling, Transforming, and Condensing.

The Yinshan clan’s expertise was in refining the innate Qi within jade stones for their own use.

When the innate Qi of the jade stones was exhausted, the stones would shatter, just like the jade hairpin that broke during the confrontation with Lan Zhu. Hence, Liuyu needed to frequently replace her sword hairpins.

When she had free time, Liuyu would design the patterns herself and have the Yinshan clan’s jade refining room craft them according to her designs.

The candlelight flickered as Liuyu meticulously sketched.

In her previous life, she spent a hundred years in the Lingtai Pavilion. With nothing to do, she had ample time to focus on cultivation, progressing rapidly.

By the year of her death, she was a top expert of the Ninth Realm, just a step away from becoming a Grandmaster beyond the Ninth Realm.

But in this life, she had many things to do and might not be able to pursue the Dao as single-mindedly as before.

So, she had to work twice as hard.

Just as her pen reached the tail of the sword in the hairpin design, she heard the door open behind her.

Liuyu paused, raising her eyes slowly.

At that moment, her gaze fixed.

Among the aristocratic youth of the Great Chao, those with exceptional charm were like ritual and music instruments of the ancestral temples, resonant like courtly music.

Mo Lin’s eyes, however, were like an armory, the sound of spears and halberds clashing, making it clear he was not a gentleman versed in literature and etiquette, but a ghostly spirit emerging from a place like Wuse City.

This was how Liuyu had always viewed him.

But now, seeing Mo Lin dressed in the attire of Xian Du Yu Jing, his features almost eerily exquisite and his face sullen due to his bad mood, she suddenly realized how handsome he actually was.

She had not been completely unaware of this before.

If Mo Lin had been an ugly monster with three heads and six arms, she might not have proposed a marriage alliance during the peace talks between the two regions.

But for some reason, seeing him again after her rebirth was like having a hand wipe away the fog on a mirror, making the once blurry figure in her memory gradually clear.

It felt like she was getting to know this person all over again.

Seeing Liuyu’s gaze roaming over him, Mo Lin frowned, feeling a subtle discomfort.

“What are you looking at?”

The girl propped her chin and said slowly:

“Nothing, just realizing… I might not have really looked at you properly before.”

A cold, mocking smile appeared on Mo Lin’s lips.

Stepping over the threshold, his gaze swept over the newly refurbished room.

One had to admit, Liuyu’s taste was indeed first-class. Compared to the previously overly luxurious yet lacking in elegance setup, the current arrangement was much more harmonious.

The only incongruous item was the chair by the window.

It was the same zitan wood lounge chair that Liuyu had once called so ugly it was despairing.

He moved his lips but didn’t ask about it.

Instead, he casually found a chair farthest from Liuyu, sat down with a swagger, and coldly eyed the girl under the candlelight, her hair hanging down and dressed in plain clothes.

“And this is the result of you looking at me properly?”

He was referring to the pile of things Chao Ming had brought earlier.

Actually, Mo Lin knew he would need to bathe and change after returning covered in blood before he could rest.

But Liuyu’s urgent instructions made it seem like she was afraid his dirty feet would soil her expensive carpet.

Or perhaps she thought he, as a demon, was inherently unrefined and needed to be supervised even in such small matters.

Whatever she thought, it was tantamount to trampling on his dignity.

However, Liuyu seemed completely unaware, nodding:

“Isn’t this fine? I’ll wear your Jiuyou attire outside, and you can wear our Xian Du Yu Jing clothes inside. It’s fair.”

She had her own logic.

But mentioning this left him speechless.

“…Forget about the rest.”

He coldly pointed to his clothes:

“Don’t scent my clothes in the future.”

Liuyu asked curiously, “Why?”

“This incense is expensive—though I don’t understand why—and since I don’t appreciate your refined ways, it’s a waste on me.”

Not just the incense.

He had no interest in expensive teas, musical instruments, exquisite porcelain, or priceless paintings.

If it weren’t for marrying Liuyu, he would have used everything in the Jiyegong Palace as it was, without any refurbishing or decorating.

Perhaps realizing his words might imply she was being extravagant, he added:

“If you like these things, use them yourself. If it’s not enough, make a list, and I’ll have someone bring more from the south.”

Liuyu didn’t respond, just glanced at the lacquered table.

On the table, the incense burner emitted a delicate fragrance, filling the room with misty white smoke.

In her previous life, he had said something similar.

Back then, Liuyu had rolled her eyes, thinking it was fortunate he didn’t live in Xian Du Yu Jing. Otherwise, people would mock him for being so uncultured.

But now, having died once and lived again, Liuyu looked at the precious incense with a different feeling.

She recalled an incident in the year 272 of Zhaoye.

At that time, Aunt Liu had died, and Yan Ning was captured by the Zhongli family, leaving Liuyu with only an old servant in the Eighth Realm.

That year, there was a severe drought, and countless disaster victims roamed. Liuyu and the old servant, disguised as refugees, planned to escape to the Central Zhou Imperial Palace to seek help from the young emperor Murong Chi.

When they reached Xianliu Town, on the border of Dongji Yanggu and the Central Zhou Imperial Palace, they encountered a group of followers claiming to be from the Tianqi Sect spreading their teachings.

The Great Zhao Empire still had its Dao intact, but the rulers’ authority had long waned. It had become a world dominated by powerful aristocratic families, especially during these war-torn times. As a result, countless sects arose across the land, each claiming to “end the chaos and bring peace,” whether for gathering wealth or inciting uprisings. For Liuyu, these were common occurrences.

However, it was said that the Tianqi Sect had gained a significant reputation. Rumor had it that they possessed some kind of celestial talisman that could cure all illnesses. Despite being established for less than three years, they had amassed thousands of followers.

Curious about this celestial talisman, Liuyu infiltrated the sect to see what kind of trickery was involved.

She was given a bowl of elixir water mixed with talisman ashes and rice soup.

It turned out that some people in this world had never eaten a grain of rice and would treat a bowl of murky rice soup as a miraculous elixir.

If humans lived like this, what kind of lives did the demons and ghosts, who were born inferior, lead?

Liuyu tried to imagine it but found it difficult.

Not just during their time being hunted by the celestial aristocracy, but even when they were slaves in the Colorless City, the methods of torture employed by the deputy city lords were numerous and severe.

Her long eyelashes cast sparse shadows in the candlelight, reflecting on her delicate, jade-like face, revealing an expression of rare compassion and purity.

She sighed softly.

“You’re right, it does seem like a bit of a waste.”

Mo Li was stunned.

Then, Liuyu raised her hand, ringing the silver bell in the inner chamber.

The maid standing outside immediately entered.

“From now on, the celestial elixir should only be used for incense in the inner chamber. Extinguish it when no one is present. There’s no need to use it to scent clothes or bedding.”

The maid’s pupils dilated, and she looked up sharply.

She didn’t dare question Liuyu’s decision.

But the look of profound grievance on her face and the fleeting glance of reproach, as if blaming Mo Li for not even allowing her lady to burn incense, made Mo Li’s temples throb.

Seeing Mo Li wanting to say something but hesitating, Liuyu smiled and said:

“Don’t worry, it’s not because of you. Saving this money is good; I have other uses for it.”

Mo Li squinted, finding it hard to believe his ears.

Save money?

The young mistress of the Yinshan Clan, as wealthy as a nation, needed to save money?

Even though he knew Liuyu couldn’t possibly be short of money, Mo Li pursed his lips. After a moment, he spoke in a calm voice:

“If you’re really concerned about the cost, you can take it from my…”

“What are you thinking?”

Liuyu put down her pen, blew on the still-wet ink on the paper, and turned to him with a radiant smile:

“I have other uses for your money too.”

Mo Li: “…”

Liuyu put the drawn pattern into a box and then waved her sleeve, extinguishing the candle in the inner chamber, plunging the surroundings into darkness.

The young man, sitting far away, slightly curled his fingers on the armrest.

In the darkness, there was the faint rustling of clothes as the girl gathered her long hair to one side, hanging her outer robe on the rack beside the bed.

Sparse moonlight filtered through the window paper, falling on her gauzy nightwear.

It wasn’t transparent but clung softly to her figure, giving a jade-like texture.

Even without moonlight, it was clear as day.

His vision in the dark was always better.

Liuyu turned and asked:

“Do you want to sleep inside or outside?”

“…Whatever.”

Liuyu nodded: “Alright, then I’ll sleep inside.”

She didn’t notice the deep, forest-like gaze from the shadows. Liuyu quickly lay down under the brocade quilt.

To others, it was just an ordinary day, but to Liuyu, it was a monumental change from death to rebirth.

Even now, she still felt a bit disoriented, worried that closing her eyes would take her back to the ravaged past life.

Despite being extremely tired.

She couldn’t sleep due to the lingering fear in her heart.

As sleepiness and anxiety battled, the bed beside her slightly dipped.

Liuyu once again smelled the sweet fragrance of the morning mist grass.

It’s said that morning mist grass could be used in medicine and to brew the strongest liquor in the world.

This cheap, common grass exuded its scent even in a room filled with rich fragrances, as if it came from the very essence of its being.

Just like its owner, highly invasive.

Such an intense person—

Even in death, he left an indelible mark.

Fear inexplicably dissipated, and Liuyu closed her eyes, feeling sleepiness wash over her like a tide.

“By the way.”

In a daze, Liuyu suddenly remembered something she noticed earlier and mumbled with her eyes closed:

“Why do you… sleep with your gloves on?”

Her voice, tinged with weariness, was low and sweet like honey.

He moved his gaze away from her lips, where a strand of hair clung.

Looking up at the embroidered phoenix on the red silk canopy above.

Mo Li calmly replied:

“Because I want to. Don’t worry about it.”