Chapter 2: Jade Shattered

Yan Chaosheng had promised to come and accompany her when he had time, but several days had passed, and he still hadn’t shown up.

Instead, it was Su Lun, his close companion, who came. Su Lun’s true form was a fox with brown fur. When he arrived, he brought a box of peach blossom pastries and said with a smile, “Your Highness, it’s been a while. I brought you a gift. Do you like it?”

Foxes were supposed to be naturally good-looking, but Su Lun was an exception. His appearance was ordinary, with none of the fox clan’s inherent charm.

He was a master at reading people’s hearts and knew exactly how to please others. Whenever he accompanied Yan Chaosheng on his travels, he never forgot to bring gifts for Liu Shuang.

“Thank you, Su Lun,” Liu Shuang said as she accepted the gift. “Why did this battle take so long? Wasn’t the Six Realms treaty already established? Who injured the Demon Lord?”

Su Lun’s eyes flickered as he smiled and replied, “It shouldn’t have taken this long, but the Demon Lord was guarding the Ghost Domain. Some of the old-timers in the demon clan had ulterior motives, and it took him some time to deal with them.”

Liu Shuang nodded. “You must be tired after such a long journey, Su Lun.”

“Actually, there’s another reason for my visit today. Your Highness, your constitution isn’t suited for the Ghost Domain. Would you like me to escort you back to the Demon Realm to stay?”

Liu Shuang took a small bite of the peach blossom pastry and paused. “Is this your idea, or… his?”

Her clear, watery eyes looked straight at him, and even the eloquent Su Lun felt a pang of guilt.

“Your Highness, you’re overthinking it. It’s certainly not the Demon Lord’s idea,” Su Lun said. “The Demon Lord wouldn’t want to be separated from you. It’s just that I’m worried about your celestial body being affected by the oppressive ghostly aura. Now that the war is over, you and the Demon Lord have a long life ahead of you. It’s important for you to take care of your health.”

Liu Shuang’s voice was soft and gentle. “It’s alright, I’m fine.”

Su Lun smiled and didn’t press further. He chatted with her about a few interesting things before leaving. As he walked out of Liu Shuang’s courtyard, the smile in his eyes faded.

“Su Lun, how did it go?”

Su Lun’s lips curved into a smile. “Her Highness still refuses to return to the Demon Realm. But it’s fine, she doesn’t wander around the Ghost Domain much, so she probably won’t notice anything for now. Let’s report the truth to the Demon Lord.”

“Yes.”

Su Lun opened his fan and shook his head. He had deliberately lied, giving the Demon Lord one more chance to make a choice.

The one inside was pure and innocent. In the first few decades, he had no trouble lying to such a pitiful little creature. But now, even with his thick skin, he felt uneasy.

To live surrounded by people as cunning and wicked as them and still be so happy—she was truly one of a kind in the Eight Desolates.

After Su Lun left, Yan Chaosheng still didn’t appear in the Ghost Domain.

Even the ghost butterflies, thinking the Demon Lord was away, began to flutter around Liu Shuang’s swing again. Liu Shuang had been feeling down for a few days when she remembered the twin fish jade pendant she had treasured for so long. Strange cracks had started to appear on it.

This jade pendant was a gift from Shao You when he left. Why was it cracking now?

She sat under the phoenix tree, her fingertips emitting a soft green spiritual energy. The energy, like fireflies, enveloped the twin fish pendant as she tried to repair it. The phoenix tree swayed, its large red flowers falling like tears, forming a pool of red at her feet.

The cracks on the jade pendant remained, and her spiritual energy had no effect at all!

Changhuan stood outside the door for a while, seeing her lost expression, and quickly came in. “Your Highness?”

“Is the Demon Lord back?” Liu Shuang’s eyes lit up as she asked.

Changhuan hesitated, then shook her head. “I came to ask what you’d like to eat tonight.”

Liu Shuang put the jade pendant away. Although Yan Chaosheng was usually busy when he returned to the Ghost Domain, because she was clingy, he always made time to accompany her. This time, however, she hadn’t even caught a glimpse of him.

“Anything is fine, just something light,” Liu Shuang said, then smiled as she remembered something. “Changhuan, when you have time, find me some silkworm threads, in bright colors.”

“What will you use them for, Your Highness? How much do you need?”

“My husband’s birthday is coming up. I want to make a hair ribbon.” Every time she gave him a birthday gift, it was always a challenge. Almost everything she had was given by him. If it weren’t for absorbing the Demon Lord’s blood, she would still be a small celestial grass unable to take human form.

For a hundred years, she had carefully taken care of his life. She sewed his battle robes, embroidered his belts, and even the fierce beasts on his clothes were stitched by her with gold thread, strand by strand.

Though she wasn’t particularly talented in cultivation, she was very skilled in this area. Knowing his extraordinary status, she became even more dexterous, making clothes and accessories that were exquisite and bold in style.

Although Yan Chaosheng might not care much for these things, Liu Shuang firmly believed that when he was out fighting with Chi Yuan, wearing things she made gave her a sense of accompanying him.

Changhuan opened her mouth, then finally said, “Yes, I’ll go find them for you today.”

The sky in the Ghost Domain always seemed covered with a layer of blood mist, making it hard to tell the time. The crows on the branches became the timekeepers.

After Changhuan left, Liu Shuang remembered that Yan Chaosheng’s battle this time had been unusually long. His battle robes must be unusable now.

Though the Eight Desolates had stabilized, she was used to preparing in advance, lest she be caught off guard next time.

Liu Shuang ran out. “Changhuan!”

Outside the palace, Changhuan’s figure had already disappeared. Ghost cultivators were naturally fast and elusive. Changhuan, having been with her for decades, had probably noticed that this timid celestial grass was a bit afraid of “ghosts,” so she never floated around in front of Liu Shuang, nor did she, like other ghost cultivators, casually detach an arm to scratch an itch.

Changhuan had been raised by her to be more like a “mortal,” walking in embroidered shoes and even learning on her own to use makeup to cover her pale face.

But when her back was turned, the ghost cultivator’s nature still took over, and she vanished in an instant.

Liu Shuang walked out and saw countless maids with lowered heads passing by outside the palace.

Their lower bodies were ethereal, like a layer of black mist, and they carried exquisite jade trays. The items on them piqued Liu Shuang’s curiosity.

She leaned in to look. As a celestial being, just standing nearby, she could sense that the treasures inside were extraordinary, and even the discomfort the Ghost Domain brought her lessened.

“What is this? Where are you taking it?”

“Your Highness, these are soul-soothing elixirs,” a ghost cultivator turned and replied in a flat voice. “We are taking these to the Xiangze Palace.”

Hearing the name “Xiangze Palace,” Liu Shuang was stunned. Xiangze Palace had been uninhabited.

She remembered, about a few decades ago, when she first arrived in the Ghost Domain, Yan Chaosheng had said that except for the Ruthless Hall, which could harm her, she could go anywhere, but Xiangze Palace was off-limits to her, and no one else was allowed there either.

For decades, Xiangze Palace had been a forbidden place in the Ghost Domain.

Once, Liu Shuang had gotten lost and nearly stumbled into it, only to be grabbed by the collar and teleported away by Yan Chaosheng, who had appeared before her in an instant.

That time, he had looked at her coldly. He had been away on a campaign for half a year and hadn’t sent a single word back.

Since then, Liu Shuang had never set foot in that place again. Originally, Liu Shuang wasn’t very curious, and the matter had gradually faded from her mind. Until one day, when the great demons from the Demon Realm came to celebrate Yan Chaosheng’s birthday, Liu Shuang heard a rumor.

They said that Xiangze Palace had once housed a female immortal, who had a deep relationship with Yan Chaosheng and had nearly become his fiancée. If the immortal hadn’t entered the Heavenly Palace and become the Heavenly Emperor’s consort, who would be the Demon Empress now was anyone’s guess.

Liu Shuang didn’t believe it. Though she was just a little celestial grass of a hundred years, she knew that her husband had never had another woman.

Their first time together had been when he was drunk, and he had been a bit rough, not as smooth as one might expect. Only later did he find pleasure and relax.

She was certain that she was the only love in his long life. How could her husband have loved someone else? If he had loved someone else, why would he have married her?

But she had been born too late. By the time she had taken human form, he was already a renowned Demon Lord, someone no one dared to provoke. Could it be that hundreds of years ago, he had someone he cherished deeply?

So many demons spoke of it with such enthusiasm, swearing it was true. These old demons had lived much longer than she had, and his youth was something she had never been a part of.

Her despondence must have been obvious to him, and she couldn’t help but ask him if there had been such a relationship.

He pinched her chin and looked coldly into her eyes. “What do you think?”

She looked into his cold eyes and, for some reason, felt a deep shiver. It was well known that the Demon Lord disliked anyone discussing his past.

It was said that in his youth, he had not had an easy time. As a demon cultivating the righteous path, he had faced much discrimination and hardship.

She looked into his dark eyes, as cold as ice. Suddenly, she realized how wrong it was to question him. Why didn’t she trust him? Liu Shuang thought, if he suspected her of something with Shao You, she would surely be angry too.

So she rubbed her reddened eyes and didn’t press further, saying, “Husband, when the summer thunder is frequent, will you accompany me to stay at the Canglan lake for a few days?” If he just went back for a few days, he could save countless of her kin at the Canglan lake.

He looked at her for a long time, then grunted in agreement.

This verbal promise was like sweet honey in her heart.

She smiled happily and never brought up Xiangze Palace again. After all, it was just a palace. The person was hers, and his heart was hers. How could a cold courtyard take that away? That female immortal was already the Heavenly Emperor’s consort. Immortals were surely good people and wouldn’t try to take Yan Chaosheng from her.

But after that day, she vaguely understood that between them, it wasn’t just their statuses that were different, but also the seven hundred years of time that separated them.

His difficult past, the trials he had faced—she had never shared those with him. She didn’t even know anything about that part of his life.

Now, hearing about Xiangze Palace from the ghost cultivators, she felt an inexplicable discomfort.

Perhaps every girl had a natural ability to sense danger. Why had the long-sealed Xiangze Palace suddenly opened, and why were so many ghost cultivators bringing soul-soothing treasures there?

Why, when her husband returned from the Heavenly Realm after pacifying the Eight Desolates, and even though major matters could be handled gradually, did he no longer share her bed?

It was as if… he was preserving himself for someone.

His affection might not be passionate, but Liu Shuang knew that he wasn’t indifferent to her. When he was deeply moved, even if she stepped on his shoulders with her little feet, he wouldn’t mind, just expressionlessly pinching her face and saying, “Overstepping your bounds, how insolent.”

He was stern and cold, but he indulged her antics.

Liu Shuang also remembered the night he came back and asked her for the Mingxi Pearl. She had hugged his neck affectionately, but he had pushed her hand away. Something inside her had sprouted, growing into a monstrous beast, opening its bloody maw and cackling at her.

A guess she didn’t dare to think about, one that made her whole body tremble, emerged.

When Changhuan brought the fabric, she found Liu Shuang standing dazed on the small path in the Ghost Domain palace. She hurried over. “Your Highness, what’s wrong?”

“Changhuan, they said someone is living in Xiangze Palace. Do you think the Demon Lord has been staying there these past few days?”

Changhuan’s fingers twitched. Seeing the vulnerability and tension in her eyes, she calmly said, “Your Highness, what are you thinking? The Demon Lord was seriously injured this time. I asked Fu Heng a few days ago, and he said the Demon Lord has been recuperating in the Ruthless Hall every night.”

Liu Shuang bit her lip and nodded reluctantly.

Changhuan quickly showed her the materials she had brought. “I found the fabric you wanted, Your Highness. The Demon Lord’s birthday is coming up. If we don’t hurry, we might not make it in time.”

“Alright.” Her husband was the Demon Lord and also the Ghost King. As the ruler of two realms, he dealt with important matters every day, far beyond the trivialities of her heart.

Liu Shuang sighed. Twenty years ago, she had been jealous and caused quite a scene: Yan Chaosheng had been locked in the main hall with someone for three days and nights, not coming out.

She had thought he was abandoning her, but the person he had been in deep discussion with was a bearded male demon, whose steps made the ground tremble.

When he found out what she had misunderstood, Yan Chaosheng’s face had turned dark.

This time, she couldn’t let her imagination run wild and misunderstand him again. She took the silkworm threads and slowly walked back into the hall.

Changhuan watched her back, biting her lip, and silently followed her.

At night, the ghost crows cawed three times, signaling the third watch.

Liu Shuang lay with her arm under her head, unable to sleep, watching the flickering light in the glass lamp. Beside her were the cut silkworm threads, but for some reason, her thoughts kept returning to the cracks on the twin fish jade pendant.

The twin fish pendant and the Mingxi Pearl were two things Shao You had given her before he left.

She still remembered that day, when the wind was gentle and the air warm, he had stood there in white, as gentle as jade. “I’ll ask you one last time. Will you come with me, travel the mountains and rivers, and go to Jiangnan Prefecture, as I once mentioned?”

She had smiled and shook her head, her eyes bright. “I like being with him.”

Shao You’s eyes had dimmed. “Then take these two things as my wedding gift. The twin fish pendant—don’t lose it. If it remains intact, stay with him. If it… starts to crack, leave immediately. Return to Canglan lake or go back to the mortal realm, but don’t stay by his side anymore.”

“As for the Mingxi Pearl, your spiritual energy is weak. It’s not suitable for you to cultivate by his side. When you face the bloodline tribulation, it might help you withstand some of the heavenly thunder.”

After that, Shao You had left these two things behind and never returned, not even attending her wedding. She didn’t understand the value of these items, but if Shao You gave them to her, they must be good. Shao You was a descendant of the ancient peach wood clan, which, in a way, made them similar.

He was naturally skilled in healing and divination, gentle and humble in character. She had met him in the mortal realm shortly after taking human form and had followed him through the river paths, naively learning many things from him.

For Liu Shuang, Shao You was a mentor and a close friend. She had once knelt before him with her hands clasped in front of her forehead, ready to respectfully call him “Master.”

Shao You had pursed his lips, and peach wood had wrapped around her knees. “I won’t be your master.”

At the time, she had thought it was because she was too foolish and that Shao You had rejected her, and she had been sad for a while.

Now, the twin fish pendant Shao You had given her was cracking on its own. Why would a good piece of jade crack? She remembered that his divination skills were unmatched in the world. Clutching the quilt, she felt uneasy.

After much thought, Liu Shuang got dressed and went out.

It must be because her spiritual energy was too weak to repair the jade. She couldn’t do it, but her husband surely could. He was so powerful; it wouldn’t be difficult for him. Shao You must have been wrong. She didn’t believe such an ominous prophecy. She wanted to stay by his side for a long, long time, to accompany him for the rest of his life.

She carried the glass lamp, walking through the howling winds of the Ghost Domain at night, until she reached a palace made of jade.

This was the main hall of the Ghost Domain, where Yan Chaosheng handled important matters. He was a born warrior, fond of battle and strategy, fearless and ambitious, single-handedly turning the era of the Heavenly Realm’s prosperity into an era where humans, immortals, demons, and ghosts coexisted.

The history books spoke of seven hundred years ago, when immortals reigned supreme and the descendants of demons lived no better than livestock—a scene she had never witnessed. By the time she was born, demons already had dignity.

Though she shouldn’t disturb him, she couldn’t help it now.

“Your Highness, why are you here?” The guards outside the hall stopped her. “It’s late. Please return.”

“I’m here to see the Demon Lord.”

“The Demon Lord isn’t here.”

She looked at the towering, dark palace. It certainly didn’t seem like anyone was there. If he wasn’t here, where else would he be?

A voice seemed to firmly state a location.

Liu Shuang’s palms were sweating. She clenched the jade with its cracks and walked towards Xiangze Palace.