The boy dragged Ming Sui, who was taller than him, without showing any emotion. His long, black hair was tied high behind his head, and his skin gleamed under the sunlight, even paler than the snow beneath his feet.

Lady Wan narrowed her fox-like eyes and stared at the boy for a while. Suddenly, with a light tap of her toes, she leaped gracefully from the fifth-floor platform.

Those below felt a gust of wind and, looking up, saw the familiar black veil fluttering through the air. Immediately, the crowd parted noisily to make way for her.

The area, which had been packed tight moments before, now scattered like the retreating tide.

Mi Lu noticed the light dimming in front of him as the cold wind, mixed with a refreshing scent, hit him in the face. By the time he realized what was happening, a graceful figure was already standing between him and Hulü Yan.

Or, more accurately, between Hulü Yan and Ming Sui.

And since he was behind Ming Sui, that meant she was also between Mi Lu and Hulü Yan.

Even though the woman had her back to him, Mi Lu recognized her identity at a glance.

It was none other than Lady Wan, the demon cultivator hosting this competition.

Compared to his past ten lifetimes, Mi Lu had met Lady Wan seven or eight years earlier this time around. In his memory, Lady Wan in her thirties was mature, composed, and skilled at hiding her emotions, only revealing her true feelings after falling head over heels for Hulü Yan. She had acted like a lovestruck young girl, pouring her heart out to him.

But now, Lady Wan was only in her twenties—fiery and bold, much like a black rose in full bloom. Even in a crowd, she was the most eye-catching presence.

Nearly everyone’s gaze was fixed on Lady Wan.

Everyone except one person: the blind Hulü Yan.

Hulü Yan could sense Lady Wan’s arrival. His empty hand clenched into a fist, and he wrinkled his nose slightly before rasping, “Who is it?”

Lady Wan paused, then covered her mouth with a soft laugh. “You’re the first to meet my challenge, and yet you don’t even know who I am?”

Hulü Yan remained silent, but the impatience on his face was unmistakable.

At that moment, Hei Sha and the others hurriedly squeezed through the crowd, rushing to Lady Wan’s side.

Lady Wan glanced at Hei Sha. “Is this the ordinary person you were talking about?”

Hei Sha nodded eagerly. “Yes, that’s him.”

Upon hearing this, the smile on Lady Wan’s face deepened. She looked Hulü Yan up and down, then clicked her tongue. “His body is indeed that of an ordinary person, but this face—this face is definitely not ordinary.”

Before she even finished speaking, Lady Wan suddenly leaned in close to Hulü Yan.

Her movements were swift and graceful, and the fragrant breeze she brought with her wrapped gently around Hulü Yan, lifting the fine strands of hair from his forehead, revealing his smooth, white skin.

In the blink of an eye, Lady Wan was standing right in front of him.

With a casual flick of her wrist, she shattered the illusion that had been concealing Hulü Yan’s face.

The next moment, Hulü Yan’s true appearance was fully revealed before Lady Wan’s eyes.

Lady Wan seemed shocked by the sight of such a captivating face hidden beneath such a simple mask. She froze, unable to hide the amazement in her eyes. “You…”

But before she could finish, Hulü Yan raised his hand and aimed a strike at her throat.

Caught off guard, Lady Wan barely dodged in time, retreating in a flurry.

Hulü Yan had no intention of lingering, immediately moving to grab Ming Sui once more.

But Lady Wan had no intention of letting him succeed.

Just as Hulü Yan’s hand reached for Ming Sui’s clothes, Lady Wan’s sleeve swept aside his attempt.

“Why the rush?” Lady Wan deliberately softened her tone. Though her voice was hoarse, when she spoke softly, it carried a particular charm. “Since you’re the first to meet my challenge, I will fulfill my promise. I, Lady Wan, always keep my word.”

She seemed to have conveniently forgotten her earlier desire to sneak away, speaking with complete confidence.

Hei Sha and the other two beside her exchanged looks of uncertainty, clearly reluctant to speak.

Hulü Yan remained silent for a moment before asking, “What promise?”

“The first person to cross the Serpent Pit may ask me for any one thing,” Lady Wan said in a low, alluring voice, her beautiful fox-like eyes locking onto Hulü Yan. “So, tell me, what is it that you want?”

As soon as she spoke, the crowd erupted into chatter.

The Serpent Pit had become more dangerous each year, and with the forest blanketed in snow, none of the peak Foundation Establishment cultivators who had led the way had made it out alive. Everyone had assumed the competition would be canceled.

No one expected someone to emerge from the pit in just two days.

And what was even more surprising—

Lady Wan herself had initiated the negotiation, and yet the boy in question showed neither joy nor excitement, as if nothing unusual had happened.

Some even wondered if it was their imagination, but the boy seemed uninterested in Lady Wan.

But if he wasn’t interested, why had he entered the Serpent Pit in the first place?

Then again, if he was interested, why didn’t he show any reaction in front of Lady Wan?

While everyone was still confused, the boy said, “I want someone.”

Upon hearing this, the crowd collectively revealed expressions of understanding.

Ah, of course.

See? He made a request after all.

They had been wondering if the boy had stumbled into the Serpent Pit by accident and just happened to make it out by sheer luck.

But now it seemed they had overthought it.

The boy had come for Lady Wan. He was simply good at hiding his emotions.

It made sense.

Lady Wan was the flower of the demon realm, a rare beauty both in heaven and on earth. What man could resist her allure?

If there were a man who could, he probably wasn’t interested in women.

Lady Wan’s smile bloomed even brighter, her beauty dazzling. With a playful raise of her eyebrows, she asked knowingly, “And who might that be?”

Hulü Yan raised his hand and pointed at her.

Seeing this, Lady Wan could hardly contain the joy rising from her heart. She was so elated that her smile nearly reached her ears, but she didn’t want to let Hulü Yan have his way too easily. So she feigned composure, coughing lightly. “If you don’t say it aloud, how am I supposed to know who you’re pointing at?”

The crowd joined in the teasing.

“Yeah, if you want the beauty, you can’t be stingy with your words!”

“Lady Wan isn’t someone you can just point at and claim! At least say something.”

“If you don’t speak up, we won’t agree to let you take Lady Wan away.”

Soon, someone noticed something odd.

“Didn’t you see that he hasn’t even opened his eyes? Lady Wan is talking to him, and he’s standing there with his eyes shut! That’s rude. No matter how good-looking he is, what’s the point if he’s disrespectful?”

“And what’s the use of that?” Lady Wan retorted, clearly displeased, casting a disdainful glance at the man who had spoken. “If you looked like him, even if you couldn’t get through the Serpent Pit, I’d still take you home.”

The man hadn’t expected Lady Wan to defend the boy, and his face turned an embarrassing shade of red and white. He stammered, “Lady Wan…”

“Enough.” Lady Wan waved him off dismissively. “Don’t talk to me with that ugly face of yours. You have neither the skills nor the looks. What right do you have to criticize him?”

The man’s face turned black with humiliation.

The crowd burst into laughter, and no one dared to speak ill of the boy again, seeing how fiercely Lady Wan defended him.

Through all of this, Hulü Yan stood expressionless, unaffected by the crowd’s gossip or Lady Wan’s attempts to engage him.

It was as if none of it mattered to him.

Once Lady Wan had finished speaking, Hulü Yan simply said, “You—”

Lady Wan’s eyes lit up with anticipation.

Hulü Yan continued, “That person behind you.”

Lady Wan: “…”

Hulü Yan added, “I want Ming Sui.”

Lady Wan: “…”

Now it wasn’t just Lady Wan—everyone present was stunned.

What did the boy just say?

He wanted Ming Sui?

Had they misheard, or had the boy misspoken? But the sounds of “Ming Sui” and “Lady Wan” were so different. How could he have made such a mistake?

If they had misheard, could all of them have misheard together?

It was Hei Sha who finally reacted, storming over to the shocked Lady Wan and angrily pointing at Hulü Yan. “What nonsense are you spouting? You want Ming Sui? Then why did you enter the competition Lady Wan organized? Are you deliberately trying to embarrass her?”

Hulü Yan remained silent.

Hei Sha, enraged, shouted, “Answer me!”

At this point, Lady Wan gently pushed Hei Sha aside. Though she still wore a smile, it no longer reached her eyes. If you looked closely, it would send a chill down your spine.

“So, you’ve gone to all this trouble just for Ming Sui.” Her smile disappeared, replaced by a cold voice. “But you’ve broken the rules of my competition for your own selfish reasons. How should I punish you?”

Hulü Yan’s brows furrowed, clearly reaching the limit of his patience.

Then, in his hoarse voice, he called out, “Mi Lu.”

“Mi Lu?” Lady Wan was puzzled. “Who’s Mi Lu?”

Hulü Yan called again, “Mi Lu.”

Before Lady Wan could figure out who this Mi Lu was, she saw Hulü Yan bypass her and Hei Sha, walking straight toward a young man in white.

Hulü Yan grabbed the young man’s hand and said, “Mi Lu, I want to leave.”

The white-clad youth seemed momentarily flustered, but quickly regained his composure. He placed his other hand on top of Hulü Yan’s and patted it gently.

Only then did Lady Wan notice the existence of this white-clad youth.

Her gaze lingered on their intertwined hands for a moment, and her eyes darkened.

Mi Lu, now the center of attention, appeared calm, but inside, he was panicking and wished he could disappear into thin air. He had just wanted to watch the drama unfold from the sidelines. How had he suddenly become the main event?

But given the situation, he couldn’t just push Hulü Yan away. So, steeling himself, he pulled Hulü Yan forward and said, “Lady Wan, we apologize for breaking the competition rules. We entered the Serpent Pit only to find someone. We hope you can show mercy and let us go.”

Lady Wan sneered. “And what if I say no?”

Mi Lu looked up at her.

Lady Wan crossed her arms and looked back at him, her expression both amused and mocking. “Ming Sui is somewhat of an old acquaintance of mine. It wouldn’t be right, emotionally or logically, for me to let you take him away.”

Mi Lu felt a headache coming on, but before he could respond, Hulü Yan said, “What if I insist on taking him?”

Lady Wan raised an eyebrow. “You’re welcome to try.”

Before she had even finished speaking, Hulü Yan quickly summoned a dagger from his storage pouch and aimed it directly at Lady Wan’s chest.

Lady Wan, having anticipated this, dodged with ease.

“Such a petty trick, and you dare to flaunt it in front of me?” she mocked. Without even using a magical artifact, she gently moved her jade-like fingers, causing a dense, almost tangible thread of spiritual energy to coil around her fingertips.

Her gaze sharpened, and she spread her fingers wide.

The thread of spiritual energy expanded like a spider web, descending from above to envelop Hulü Yan.

Lady Wan shook her head with regret. “What a shame, that beautiful face of yours.”

But in the next instant, she watched in disbelief as her web of spiritual energy dissolved like dandelions scattered by the wind the moment it touched Hulü Yan’s body.

Her spiritual energy…

Had been absorbed by the boy?

Lady Wan’s face went pale, and she was so stunned that she couldn’t recover for a long time.

Who was this boy?

How could he absorb someone else’s spiritual energy?

A name began to surface in her mind, a person who had once been the leader of the demon realm, causing a bloody storm among the righteous sects before meeting a glorious end.

Even after his death, when people in the demon realm mentioned his name, they did so with fear and awe.

Hei Sha and the others, unaware of what had just happened, thought Hulü Yan had merely dodged Lady Wan’s attack by chance. They began moving to surround Hulü Yan and Mi Lu.

But Lady Wan’s voice rang out sharply, “Stop!”

Hei Sha and the others froze. Though they didn’t understand, they obediently backed away.

The shock in Lady Wan’s eyes hadn’t yet faded as she stared incredulously at Hulü Yan, as if trying to peer into his soul through his face.

It didn’t add up.

No matter how she looked, neither his appearance nor his aura resembled that person.

But just now, she hadn’t been mistaken—he had indeed absorbed her spiritual energy.

“You…” Lady Wan’s voice echoed in Hulü Yan’s mind, half testing, half hesitant. “What’s your connection to Demon Lord Lin Chong?”

Author’s Note:

Besides recovering his organs, this story also slowly reveals the protagonist’s past and lineage.