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Wu Lan knelt on the ground, his expression defiant. “I don’t understand why Lord Yue Zhao suddenly struck out and hurt people. Do the righteous sects use their high positions and power to bully us commoners?”
“Did he strike out and hurt people? Wasn’t it you who struck first?” Yue Lin countered.
Wu Lan retorted, “But if you hadn’t appeared in this deep mountain forest, looking like bandits blocking the road, why would I have drawn my weapon?” Yue Lin laughed mockingly. “So, you’re saying Lord Yue Zhao looks like a bandit?”
Wu Lan glanced at Chu Hanjin, who was dressed in flowing white robes, looking ethereal. Does he look like a bandit? In front of him, anyone could look like a bandit, but he certainly could not. Wu Lan stubbornly added, “You can never see a person’s heart.”
Chu Hanjin frowned slightly, his voice tinged with weariness. “Making excuses.”
Yue Lin, more grounded than Chu Hanjin, circled Wu Lan twice. “You can see that you’re shameless, twisting facts even when there’s concrete evidence.” He looked at Chu Hanjin. “What should we do with such people? Simple, peel off his thick skin.”
He drew a sharp dagger, gesturing towards Wu Lan’s face as his smile deepened. “You rely on Lord Yue Zhao being a righteous gentleman not to harm you, daring to speak nonsense. But I’m not like him. I’ll count to three, and if you don’t tell me who paid you to spread rumors about Lord Yue Zhao, I’ll slice off your face bit by bit and leave it bloody on the roadside for the dogs.”
Wu Lan’s eyes widened. “This is the conduct of the wicked—”
He was cut off as a fierce knife plunged into his cheek—blood sprayed wildly as he thrashed about like a struggling fish! Chu Hanjin merely pressed his lips together, making no move to intervene because the blood was an illusion; Wu Lan hadn’t actually suffered any harm.
But the pain was real, and Wu Lan instantly broke down. “I’ll talk! I’ll talk! I don’t know who he was, he just found me, paid me to do it, just had to claim I’d seen a curse mark in the North… promised me a hundred taels, and to meet at the archway in the town at the foot of the mountain at the hour of the dog…”
Yue Lin casually remarked, “Lying.” Wu Lan angrily protested, “I’m not lying!” Yue Lin countered, “You’re so smart, didn’t you think he’d just run off without paying once the job was done?” Wu Lan fell silent for a while, then pulled something out from his sleeve, wrapped in a piece of cloth. “I… I asked him for a token…”
Yue Lin took it and walked over to Chu Hanjin, unfolding the handkerchief. Inside was a small piece of broken bone, pale white, likely human, turned into a pendant, shrouded in a dark aura. As soon as it was uncovered, wails of vengeful spirits howled, darkening the entire forest. “This is…” Chu Hanjin examined it.
Meanwhile, a “click click click” noise rang out. Something was vibrating with excitement. Chu Hanjin shifted his gaze to the source, finding Yue Lin’s massive sword. It seemed to respond, emitting whistles, but was quickly silenced by Yue Lin’s slender fingers pressing on the hilt.
“What’s happening?” Chu Hanjin turned to him.
Yue Lin’s expression was eerie as he scrutinized the bone, his fingers nearly turning blue, and after a moment, he chuckled. “My sword senses the demonic aura in the bone.” Chu Hanjin inquired, “Hmm?” “This is the bone of a former Demon Lord,” Yue Lin said calmly, though his tone held a hint of mockery. “In his day, he was skinned and dismembered, left without a whole corpse. Born with a spirit bone, he had unmatched talent, envied by many who couldn’t even dream of reaching his level. So those jealous ones not only wanted him dead but also picked up his bones to make magical tools. Isn’t it ironic? This piece is actually one of the Demon Lord’s finger bones.”
Chu Hanjin asked, “So the person meeting him is from the demonic factions?”
Yue Lin rewrapped the finger bone. “Uncertain. The artifact has changed hands many times; we won’t know until we meet.”
That town, nestled at the foot of the Far Mountain Sect, was bisected by a moat that ran along the street, bustling with merchants. Boats packed the river, and vendors shouted from their stalls along both shores. Cultivators in various attires walked the streets, especially lively during the Spring Festival. Chu Hanjin, in his white robe, walked along the muddy path, making everyone stop their activities at the sight of him.
Yue Lin chuckled, “Everyone loves to watch a beauty, it’s true.” Chu Hanjin’s gaze remained indifferent, ignoring his flippant comment.
“Lord Yue Zhao, how about disguising your identity? You’re a revered immortal of the Far Mountain Sect, and with so many eyes here, someone is bound to recognize you. We wouldn’t want to spook anyone,” Yue Lin stopped at a cosmetics stall. Chu Hanjin asked, “How would I disguise?”
Yue Lin picked up a jar embroidered with copper patterns and lined with magnolia buds, the rouge concealed within the petals, which would burst upon touch. He then gestured towards a nearby clothing store. “Lord Yue Zhao, you’re so handsome, I bet you’d look stunning in women’s attire too?”
Chu Hanjin glared at him fiercely before turning and walking away. Yue Lin followed him openly. “We’ll meet at the archway at the hour of the dog, and we probably won’t make it back to the Far Mountain Sect tonight. How about we find an inn first?” Chu Hanjin remained silent. “If you’re up for traveling through the night, I’m here to keep you company under the stars and the moon.”
Chu Hanjin could no longer bear it and quickened his pace. He slipped into a deserted alley, changed his appearance, and emerged wearing the clothes of a common cultivator, looking more ordinary but still unable to hide his transcendent aura and demeanor. Yue Lin’s gaze lingered from his hair to his shoes, smiling slightly without speaking. “Let’s first scout the archway,” Chu Hanjin stated.
“Alright.”
In the city’s midsection, a stone bridge spanned the creek, adorned with bright red lanterns in celebration of the Spring Festival, radiating the joyous brilliance of a lovers’ meeting. Chu Hanjin approached a tavern by the bridge. “Two bowls of ‘Little Three Whites’.”
“Right away.”
Yue Lin sat down, his expression strange. “You drink?” Chu Hanjin replied, “Occasionally.”
When the drinks arrived, Yue Lin extended a finger to block the bowl, pouring the wine into a nearby flower pot and replacing it with water. He said, “You’re pregnant, you shouldn’t drink.” Chu Hanjin: “…………”
He bit his lip, a flush of rose spreading over his neck and ears.
Underneath the awning, an old woman with a basket covered with a cloth was selling apples. “Want one?” Yue Lin asked. Chu Hanjin didn’t reply, and Yue Lin went ahead and bought two, saying, “It’s good to eat more fruit.”
Outside the awning, the weather was slightly warm. Yue Lin took out a dagger, its blade as white as a mirror, and leisurely peeled the apples. At that moment, a scholarly young man dressed in a Confucian robe with a square hat suddenly spoke. “Nice dagger.”
Chu Hanjin looked over. The man’s face was emaciated, his cheeks hollow, making him look sickly, yet his eyes shone brightly. He repeated, “Nice dagger.” He also glanced at Yue Lin’s casually placed massive sword. “The sword is also good.”
“Thank you,” Yue Lin glanced at him.
The man had one hand wrapped in bandages, hidden in his sleeve, and he rotated his wine cup. “This dagger isn’t just good for cutting through iron like mud, it can also collect souls. There’s a rune on the dagger that, once it touches someone’s blood, absorbs that person into the handle, refining them into a spirit.” He laughed. “It’s a pity, such a beautiful weapon, now being used to peel fruit, a fallen hero indeed!” His tone was tinged with regret, clearly referring to more than just the weapon.
“Good things should be used in the right place. For me, using it to peel apples instead of killing and arson has more meaning, so there’s nothing to regret, right?” Yue Lin nonchalantly replied. The other man slowly nodded. “I’ve learned something.”
He sat for a while longer, then asked, “May I know your name, sir?” “People come and go, and we’ll never see each other again, so there’s no need to know,” Yue Lin replied. The man laughed. “Fair enough.”
After saying that, he stood up, his leg apparently lame, hobbling out of the tavern.
Chu Hanjin watched Yue Lin, who was skewering the sliced fruit with a toothpick, offering it to him. “Try this.” The fruit was fragrantly sweet, causing Chu Hanjin to momentarily lose focus. But he quickly collected his thoughts. “What’s the name of this dagger?” Yue Lin flipped the handle, smiling. “It’s called ‘Little Knife’, a name you picked before, cute, isn’t it?”
Chu Hanjin was not in the mood for banter. “The curse inscribed on the handle is forbidden magic, recklessly stealing other’s souls to refine into a sword spirit, which is against the natural order. What’s cute about that?” Yue Lin looked unconcerned. “I know, I know. The first one to refine a sword spirit was the last Demon Lord, a short-lived ghost who committed murders. He met a bad end and has already faced retribution. This dagger is decades old, it hasn’t touched blood for a long time, now just used for peeling fruit, peeling toys.”
Is it really that simple?
Chu Hanjin parted his lips. Outside the tavern, spring was in full bloom, the sunlight turning the scrubbed wooden tables to a pale wash, the aroma of the wine growing even richer.
Chu Hanjin looked away. “If you are wicked, this world cannot accommodate you and me.” His softly spoken words chilled the air of June.
Yue Lin’s fingers paused. He ground his teeth slightly, a complex and dark emotion flashing through his eyes, inscrutable. But when he raised his face, his eyebrows relaxed, and he wore a cordial smile. “How could I be wicked? I’m just an ordinary cultivator from a prominent family, questioned by Lord Yue Zhao like this, it really makes me uncomfortable, uneasy, even slightly offended.” His smile was warm, the corners of his lips curved in a genuinely kind look.
Chu Hanjin watched his face.
Yue Lin’s tone turned somber, his enunciation carrying a chilling undertone, seemingly off but inscrutable. “You’ve never spoken to me like this before.”
He set the apple down and slowly wiped the dagger with a cloth, eyes downcast. “Honestly, your words hurt me. Regardless of whether it’s the righteous or the wicked path, I never thought of leaving you, nor did I ever think of being your enemy.”
He looked up, his golden pupils staring unblinkingly into Chu Hanjin’s eyes. “But to you now, I’m just someone who could be there or not.” He said, “Really, it really hurts me.”
After saying that, he picked up his sword, ignoring Chu Hanjin, and strode out of the tavern.
Mini Theatre
Demon Lord Yue: Do you like me?
Amnesiac Chu Chu (snuggling): Like.
Demon Lord Yue: Have you ever thought, maybe I’m a bad guy?
Amnesiac Chu Chu (pondering): Is there a possibility that I’m not a good person either?
Demon Lord Yue (laughing): Hmm, we’re locked, locked tight.
I really want to write about their past, it will be super sweet!
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Eexeee[Translator]
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