If it were before, Chu Hanjin might have thought this situation was worth celebrating.

But now, looking at how Yue Lin was behaving with more caution, there seemed to be a rift between them, indicating that he wasn’t particularly happy.

Chu Hanjin had never encountered such a situation before. He held his stern expression for a while before saying, “Actually…”

He got stuck.

Yue Lin, “Actually what?”

“There’s a barren courtyard in Yuan Shan Sect. If you want, you can plant something there.” After hastily blurting this out, Chu Hanjin felt extremely uncomfortable and quickly walked into the flower bushes.

He moved quickly, feeling an uncharacteristic unease in his heart, but soon after, he heard a soft chuckle behind him.

The moonlight tonight was beautiful.

Chu Hanjin could clearly sense that Yue Lin’s mood had improved. Holding a flower branch in his hand, Chu Hanjin asked, “How will we leave tomorrow? Flying on swords or using teleportation talismans?”

Yue Lin replied, “Teleportation talismans. I just remembered where this place is.”

Suddenly, Chu Hanjin recalled that when they had first arrived at the ancient tomb, Yue Lin had been pale and weak, clearly having just exhausted a large amount of spiritual energy by using a teleportation talisman, which was also affected by the magnetic field of the formation.

Chu Hanjin couldn’t help but ask, “Why did you lose your memory?”

It made sense to be teleported here, but how could Yue Lin have lost his memory?

Yue Lin removed the oil flame from the lantern and filled it with fireflies. He looked at Chu Hanjin and said, “Someone wanted to kill me.”

“The person who created the illusion?”

“Yes, but they couldn’t defeat me with sheer force, so they tried to use my inner demons.” Yue Lin explained, “The illusion they created was filled with all the killings I had committed, trying to use my guilt to make me fall into madness again, like I did when I died that one time…” He took a deep breath and looked into Chu Hanjin’s eyes. “They wanted me to willingly forfeit my life, handing over my body for someone else to deal with. Once I had lost the will to live, it would have been easy for them to kill me.”

The inner demons he spoke of were the villagers who had been brutally killed in revenge.

The husband who had died before his wedding night and the ghost bride who followed him in grief.

The citizens who sacrificed themselves for their city, the mother and daughter who were living peacefully until they were suddenly killed, and the group of people who, in fear of punishment, committed suicide…

And perhaps, there were even more.

Chu Hanjin stared at him directly.

Yue Lin’s face twisted slightly in pain, “I wasn’t the only one responsible! They pushed all the blame onto me, and I… bore all the sins. I already paid with my life.”

Chu Hanjin glanced at him, brushed his sleeve, and walked deeper into the flower bushes.

Yue Lin followed a step or two behind him, “At that time, I was trapped in the illusion, but I didn’t want to die again. So I erased the memories the illusion used to confuse me, returning my mind to the day I was buried after being executed. That time, I paid with my life, and the resentment in my heart dissipated, leaving me without any inner demons.”

One had to admit, it was a clever method, like cutting off a part of oneself to survive.

For those entangled in their emotions, unable to let go of love and hatred, they are often trapped by their inner demons. The only way to escape is either to spend a long time seeing through it or to choose to forget, letting it fade away over time.

Yue Lin was undeniably very smart.

After a while, Chu Hanjin asked, “Since the other person knew your inner demons so well and immediately recognized who you were, could they be someone you knew from the past?”

Yue Lin’s eyes flashed a deep red, “Definitely, someone close to me.”

Under the ethereal moonlight, Yue Lin’s tall figure cast a shadow, his expression carrying a hint of coldness as he murmured in confusion, “Why can’t they let me go, even after death?”

After his death, they had mutilated his body, dismembering it and burying him in this cursed forest. The tomb was covered in malicious symbols, cursing him to never find peace in the afterlife, denying him eternal salvation.

Chu Hanjin didn’t know the full story of what had happened to him, but from everything he had learned so far, he could only think Yue Lin was pitiful. “Maybe they knew they treated you unfairly and were afraid you’d come back for revenge, so they wanted to make sure you never returned.”

The only thing that can drive someone to want another dead at all costs, besides hatred… is the fear of survival. That’s called terror.

Finally, Chu Hanjin understood why Yue Lin said there was no place for him in this world. Even those closest to him wanted him dead at all times.

Yue Lin walked deeper into the shadows of the flowers, disrupting a patch of blooming Drunken Fish flowers, and stared at his reflection in the clear water.

He scooped up some water, furiously washing his face. When he looked up again, his eyes were blurred with moisture, his deep golden pupils half-closed in exhaustion, and his lips were wet with water droplets.

He stood there for a long while before returning to Chu Hanjin’s side. “I’ve been lying here for over twenty years without seeing a single outsider. The place is incredibly hidden, and very few know of its existence. I suspect the person who sent you to my sword-forging formation is the same one who buried me here.”

Chu Hanjin nodded.

Yue Lin continued, “Do you remember when I met this person at the bridge? He seemed incredibly surprised to see me, likely not expecting to run into me. His original plan was probably to lure us to the northern desert using Wu Lan as a pawn, but my sudden appearance disrupted everything, leading to the series of battles that followed. His illusion was hastily created, not very thorough. I think his original goal was simply to lead us to the northern desert.”

Chu Hanjin nodded again. “The northern desert, why there?”

Yue Lin hesitated for a moment. “Perhaps there’s something they want us to see.”

That’s one possibility, but there’s also another.

Chu Hanjin lowered his eyes. “Or perhaps it’s a trap they’ve set for us, to catch us in a death trap.”

If someone was deliberately setting a trap, then the journey to the northern desert would surely be filled with danger.

“Knowing there are tigers in the mountains, yet still heading there.” Yue Lin thought for a moment before saying, “People always make mistakes, and even a trap would leave some trace of its setup. If we can make it through, we might find some clues.” He added, “In that case, let’s head back to Yuan Shan Sect first. You can rest and recover, while I go to the northern desert alone to figure out what’s going on.”

Go to the northern desert alone?

Chu Hanjin slightly widened his eyes. “Stay at Yuan Shan Sect? If, as you said, someone is after me, staying there might not be safe either.”

Yue Lin raised his brow slightly, seeming to realize Chu Hanjin’s decision.

Chu Hanjin’s sleeve brushed through the romantic sea of flowers, his voice calm, “I’ll go with you.”

Since he was unfortunately bound to Yue Lin, how could he let Yue Lin head into danger alone? Chu Hanjin was not someone who feared death. He said, “It’s better to have someone to watch your back on the road.”

Yue Lin, “But…”

Chu Hanjin’s face remained expressionless, “What am I supposed to do for the next ten months? Sit idly and wait for you? And if something happens to you, I’ll just wait to die?”

“That’s not what I meant.”

Chu Hanjin closed his eyes, as if recalling something, and added, “Besides, for now…”

He couldn’t leave Yue Lin.

The child needed the comfort of his father’s spiritual energy.

He knew clearly over the past few nights that whenever he felt hot and restless, weak and fatigued, it was Yue Lin gently holding him, transferring spiritual energy, and sometimes even patting his back, occasionally murmuring comforting words.

Chu Hanjin was a bit thin-skinned, and since Yue Lin always did it quickly and silently, neither of them brought it up the next day.

At this point, they were inseparable.

Yue Lin nodded. “Alright, let’s go together.”

Back in the wooden house, Yue Lin took a piece of yellow paper from the table and, using the ink on the table, began drawing the teleportation talisman. High-level spells weren’t particularly mystical, but they had to match the level of spiritual energy within the person using them. Otherwise, even if someone got their hands on a high-grade cultivation method, it would look like nonsensical scribbles to them, and they wouldn’t be able to use it.

Chu Hanjin fell asleep.

In his unconsciousness, everything was dark, and he couldn’t tell where he was.

But gradually, he felt a wave of heat surging through his body.

It felt like he was sleeping, but before long, something bright shone on his face, making his skin tingle slightly from the heat.

Chu Hanjin shook his head, not opening his eyes. Then he heard a sharp voice by his ear, “Thief! There’s a thief!”

“…”

What followed was chaos—doors being opened and things being brought in. The voice was sharp, but upon closer listening, it was actually a man’s voice, “A thief! Who are you?”

Chu Hanjin opened his eyes and realized the scorching sensation on his skin was from the blinding sunlight. Just as he was about to get up, he found his shoulder and legs were pinned down by something.

As he tried to rise, he heard the sharp voice exclaim, “Oh! So you’re not thieves, huh? Just a pair of wild lovebirds. If you want to have fun, couldn’t you find a better place than my room? I don’t even want to sleep in this bed anymore, get up now!”

With that shout, Chu Hanjin’s mind finally cleared.

Looking down, he saw that what was pressing on him was Yue Lin’s arms. Both of them were disheveled, and neither of their clothes were in proper order. No wonder the person had mentioned things like “wild lovebirds” and “getting into bed together.”

Chu Hanjin glanced up and saw that the speaker was a clean-looking youth with a few hairpins on his head, dressed in flamboyant clothes, almost like a woman.

He immediately caught the scent of the strong fragrance of Hehuan San.

“….”

Chu Hanjin knew where they were now.

Years ago, when his senior brother had just reached the fifth step of cultivation, he excitedly invited a group of friends to drink on a painting boat. Midway through, a group of beautiful young men and women entered, their laughter filling the air as they joined in the drinking. Some even insisted on sitting on the laps of the immortals. Annoyed, Chu Hanjin had casually pushed one of them into the water.

That young man’s appearance and manner of speech were just like this person.

“What are you staring at?” The youth said, “You, with your refined and scholarly appearance, looking all proper and dignified, and so handsome too, how could you break into someone’s room after getting drunk? And this one over here—hey, what were you two doing in my room, huh? Were you planning to… both sleep with me?”

“…” Chu Hanjin coughed loudly.

Yue Lin also woke up, sat up, and found two jeweled flowers stuck in his hair. He looked somewhat surprised at the youth standing in the doorway, shouting.

The youth noticed him, “Wow, you look pretty good too! How about a little fun tonight?”

“…”

Outside, there was a noisy commotion, as if a few heads were peeking in.

In all his years, Chu Hanjin had never been in such a place, surrounded by people. He quickly raised his sleeve to cover his face. Yue Lin saw his reddened ears and tightly pursed lips, his whole demeanor filled with embarrassment.

Yue Lin hurriedly pulled Chu Hanjin up, “Sorry, sorry! We drank too much last night, ended up dragging each other into the wrong room, and accidentally slept here. Apologies for the trouble, we’re leaving now.”

He grabbed Chu Hanjin’s hand and rushed out. Behind them, the youth was still laughing, “You go to brothels and bring along your lover? That’s so disrespectful!”

“Hey, are you two coming back tonight? I won’t charge you!”

Flowers were tossed in the air, accompanied by endless giggles from the girls.

Finally, they managed to escape the brothel. Just as Yue Lin was about to speak, the sleeve in his hand was harshly shaken off.

Chu Hanjin’s expression was shadowed, his face dark and unpleasant, “Why did the teleportation bring us to…” He really couldn’t bring himself to say the words, and after a long pause, he ground out, “A place like this?”

Yue Lin was also a bit puzzled. “I just teleported to a place I remembered. It wasn’t a brothel before.”

Chu Hanjin glared at him, his face dark, “You used to come here often?”

Yue Lin explained, “Back then, this was just an ordinary tavern. They sold the strongest Nan Hua wine. I used to come here with friends and always ended up passing out after a jar.”

Chu Hanjin reluctantly believed him this time.

They quickly hurried away from the brothel, but their clothes were disheveled, and their hair was a mess. Passersby couldn’t help but comment as they walked by.

“Looks like they couldn’t pay their tab after drinking at the brothel and got kicked out, huh?”

“They look so ethereal, so handsome, yet they do things like this?”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk…”

Chu Hanjin shot Yue Lin another glare.

Yue Lin even turned back to look at the passersby. “What, good-looking people can’t drink at brothels? What’s your problem?”

Seeing that he was about to start arguing with the passersby, Chu Hanjin couldn’t hold back and yanked his wrist, dragging him to a quieter spot.

As they walked, they fixed their clothes and hair. To be honest, Yue Lin had known Chu Hanjin for so long, and aside from their intimate moments, this was the first time he had seen Chu Hanjin so out of sorts. After walking for a while, he couldn’t help but chuckle.

Chu Hanjin was running his fingers through his hair when he realized his hairpin had fallen out, causing him to frown slightly.

They walked under a red wall, where peach and apricot blossoms peeked out from the courtyard. Yue Lin said, “Don’t worry, wait here, I’ll make you a wooden hairpin.”

With that, Yue Lin climbed up the wall.

There were fewer people around, but that didn’t mean there weren’t any. Chu Hanjin gritted his teeth, about to call him down, when he saw Yue Lin among the flower branches, seriously selecting a branch, pruning it until he was satisfied. Then, Yue Lin waved it at him, “This one looks good!”

Just as he said that, a scolding voice came from inside the wall, “Who’s breaking my flowers?”

Yue Lin jumped down from the wall, quickly stuck the branch into Chu Hanjin’s hair, and grabbed his wrist. “Let’s go.”

“…”

Chu Hanjin really wanted to hit him.

This time, Chu Hanjin didn’t move. He stood still, watching as the door opened and a frail-looking middle-aged woman stepped out. “Who’s breaking my flowers?”

The woman was dressed in expensive clothes, indicating she came from a wealthy family.

Chu Hanjin let go of Yue Lin’s hand and said, “I apologize. I was walking along the road, and my hair was messy, so I broke a branch to tie it up. I’m truly sorry for the offense. I have silver here and can pay for the flowers.”

“Oh.” The woman nodded. She had a kind face but seemed preoccupied with her own thoughts. “It’s alright, breaking a flower is no big deal. I was just worried that the rough handling might have damaged my tree.”

She sighed and added, “But it’s fine.”

It was only then that Chu Hanjin noticed she had a white flower in her hair, and her expression was filled with sorrow.

There was a white lantern hanging by the door as well, suggesting there had been a recent funeral.

Chu Hanjin glanced at Yue Lin, who apologized, “I’m sorry to trouble you, kind lady.”

“It’s alright, it’s alright,” the woman nodded and was about to go back inside when she noticed their swords and turned back. “Are you two immortal masters?”

Ordinary people often referred to cultivators as immortal masters.

Not knowing why she was asking, Chu Hanjin still responded, “Yes, we are cultivators.”

The woman’s kind expression instantly turned cold as she glared at them before slamming the door shut with a loud bang.

Chu Hanjin and Yue Lin exchanged glances.

As they walked toward the bustling part of the street, Yue Lin asked, “Why did her face change the moment she heard we were cultivators?”

Chu Hanjin guessed, “Perhaps she holds a grudge against cultivators.”

Ordinary people, if they didn’t steal, kill, or commit arson, rarely had conflicts with cultivators. But cultivators, who focused solely on their path to immortality, often caused damage with their magic, unintentionally encroaching on the interests of ordinary people.

There were often incidents where cultivators’ fights damaged crops and farmlands. If the cultivators had a conscience, they would compensate, but if they didn’t, the ordinary folk would just have to suffer, as they couldn’t fight back and complaining might lead to retaliation.

The town was bustling, as it was a junction between two realms. Everywhere, vendors were selling goods you wouldn’t find elsewhere. Yue Lin stopped by a stall selling cosmetics and picked up a jade hairpin. “Should we buy a new one?”

Chu Hanjin asked the price, “How much?”

The vendor said, “This is genuine Black Mountain jade, ten taels of silver.”

Hearing this, Chu Hanjin, who had just reached for his money pouch, paused mid-motion.

Yue Lin, “Not enough money?”

Chu Hanjin glanced at him. “I thought it was just a regular trip, so I didn’t bring much.”

Yue Lin was even poorer. He had been lying in a tomb for so long that even the burial items had turned to dust, let alone money.

After thinking for a while, Yue Lin said, “No need to worry. I’ve stored some money with a friend. Let me go get it.”

With that, he tried to navigate the streets, crossing a bridge and walking past the marketplace until they reached a large Huangjiao tree. There was a funeral goods shop, with a coffin shop on the left and a general store on the right, selling paper effigies and houses. Yellow paper was being blown about by the wind, and there were hardly any people on this small street. Business was clearly bad.

As the black-and-white pair appeared on the street, the old man smoking a dry pipe was startled, looking up at them.

Yue Lin walked over and smiled. “I’m here to collect a debt.”

The old man said, “This is a funeral goods shop. We only owe debts to the dead, not to the living.”

“That’s just perfect,” Yue Lin sat down next to him. “You owe a debt to me.”

“In broad daylight, am I seeing a ghost?”

Just as he said that, the old man’s hand trembled violently, causing the pipe to fall to the ground.

He carefully studied Yue Lin’s face, his expression gradually turning to one of fear.

Yue Lin’s deep golden pupils locked onto him. He picked up the pipe, placed it back into the old man’s hand, and patted his shoulder reassuringly. “Do you remember me now?”

The old man fell to his knees with a thud, wanting to speak, but his mouth was suddenly sealed by some unseen force, leaving him to let out only faint, terrified groans, “Spare me… spare me…”

Yue Lin said, “I’m not here to settle old scores. I just need some money. Of all the people in this town, you’re the only one I remember. Show me what you’ve got.”

The old man scrambled back into the house, returning with a money jar and presenting it to Yue Lin.

Yue Lin grabbed a handful and stuffed it into Chu Hanjin’s money pouch. “Thanks. By the way, I won’t be paying this back.”

The old man didn’t dare say a word, nodding frantically.

His memories went back more than twenty years.

That day, a strong wind swept through, the autumn air chilling him to the bone. He had been sent by someone to deliver paper effigies and offerings to a Daoist temple, where a corpse was being kept. But this wasn’t just any corpse—its identity was extraordinary.

The temple housed many coffins, but only one of them attracted a crowd, the atmosphere thick with desolation. The white lanterns hanging by the door swayed in the wind, as if they were about to be blown away.

Someone said, “This body is here for you to do whatever you want with. As long as you make the one sitting inside happy, a flick of his finger could reward you enough to live comfortably for the rest of your life.”

But when the old man worked up the courage to glance inside the coffin, it wasn’t a whole body lying there—it had long been mutilated beyond recognition!

Only the head remained intact, with eyes slightly open, its deep golden pupils staring directly at the crowd.

He looked further inside and saw a man in green robes sitting calmly, sipping tea.

Summoning his courage, the old man began cursing the corpse, hurling all sorts of vile insults, even stabbing at a little paper effigy. It wasn’t until he spat, “You’ll be a wretched ghost, stepped on by everyone for eternity,” that he finally heard a laugh from the man inside, who tossed him a hundred taels of silver.

That event had stayed with the old man ever since.

Now, as he watched the black-and-white figures walk away, his knees went weak, the terror welling up inside him, his throat screaming—

The Demon Lord had returned from the dead!

–

The money pouch was full, so the first thing they did was return to the cosmetics stall and buy that jade hairpin.

Chu Hanjin couldn’t help but ask, “Was that not robbery just now?”

Yue Lin laughed. “Of course not. If I wanted to rob someone, I’d target someone wealthy. That man and I have a history, or do you think he’d let me off without saying a word?”

Was that really not robbery?

It sure felt a bit like extortion.

The money pouch was in Chu Hanjin’s hand. Yue Lin didn’t take it back and instead asked, “Will what’s left be enough for us to eat and stay somewhere?”

Chu Hanjin, “It should be enough.”

Afterward, Chu Hanjin couldn’t help but remark, “It’s really hot here.”

After all, this was the northern desert. Although there was a water source nearby, turning this city into an oasis untouched by sandstorms, it was still very hot, with the sun blazing fiercely.

Yue Lin looked around and said, “There’s a stall selling iced jelly. Let’s have a bowl.”

Chu Hanjin asked, “Iced jelly?”

“A refreshing summer treat to quench your thirst. Don’t tell me you’ve never had it?”

“….”

Even if he hadn’t, why did Yue Lin have to sound so condescending?

Chu Hanjin gave a soft humph.

They walked over to the old lady selling iced jelly. She had two wooden barrels—one covered with a white cloth, filled with a mixture of ice and water, and the other filled with soft, pink, translucent jelly.

“There’s rose-flavored sticky rice, peach blossoms, sweet rice wine, honey and raisins…” the old woman said as she scooped out the iced jelly.

Just as Chu Hanjin was deciding on a flavor, a familiar figure appeared, speaking in a sharp voice.

“So, it’s you two?”

Chu Hanjin turned his head and saw the youth from the brothel, holding a parasol and grinning.

Instinctively, Chu Hanjin looked at Yue Lin.

Now that they had already paid for their iced jelly and were holding small porcelain bowls, there was no way to turn around and run.