Chapter 65

The sensation of the sleeve brushing against the back of his hand lingered. Jiufang Zhanghua looked at the retreating figure, slightly distracted.

It was a strange feeling.

A person whose way of doing things was completely different from Liuyu’s, yet in the smallest of details, there was a certain resemblance to Liuyu. So much so that when she passed by him, heading toward that demon, it inexplicably stirred a feeling of wistfulness within him, as if something had been lost.

But Liuyu would never run so urgently towards anyone.

Nor would she look at anyone with such a gaze of pity.

Jiufang Zhanghua was slightly distracted, as though he could hear the soft and sweet voice of the young girl from the past.

“Are you angry?”

The mountain cherry tree that grew in the water dropped crimson petals.

She lay on the swing, the skirt as bright as the morning dawn brushing across the water’s surface. She turned a page of her book and said leisurely:

“Even if you’re angry, you can’t use the medicine Tanning gave you. Look, it’s on the table in my study. Take it yourself; it’s all yours.”

The tall and jade-like young man stood quietly by the shore, but didn’t move. He simply picked up a nearby low stone and sat down.

“My leg hurts; I can’t walk anymore.”

The girl on the swing put down the book and glanced at him with a faint look.

The young man sat calmly, a pack of pastries in his arms, smiling gently.

“The line for the Fuling cake was too long, I got tired from standing. Could you trouble Junior Sister to help me with the medicine?”

He knew she would soften her heart.

The young lady, who had countless attendants at her service, wouldn’t help others with medicine. Fortunately, the injuries from sparring with her classmates weren’t deep, and even if she poked at them randomly, it would only cause insignificant pain.

The sunlight shone on her amber-colored eyes, as clear as jade.

Her long, thick lashes curled like little brushes, and with each blink while focusing on applying the medicine, they brushed across his heart.

He said, “Actually… Aunt Liu’s matter, Tanning is also very angry. She’s just too proud and didn’t mean to oppose you. You don’t have to…”

The girl’s expression turned cold.

“Are you speaking for her?”

The young man looked at her steadily, softening his tone.

“You sent me to buy the Fuling cakes, which is fine, but I don’t want you to get close to me just to make Tanning angry.”

The girl gently put down the cloth in her hand, and when she looked up, her eyes were like two pearls—bright and cold.

“Is this how you think?”

Everyone believed that he and Liuyu were childhood sweethearts, a match made in heaven.

But only he knew that he had never truly entered Liuyu’s heart.

She had once unknowingly witnessed him punishing a servant for an offense. Although he was always adept at reading the room and had pardoned the servant after sensing her displeasure, he still felt a subtle distance between them.

His master had taught him, “Heaven and earth are heartless, treating all things as straw dogs; the sage is heartless, treating the people as straw dogs,” meaning that heaven and earth are impartial, and all beings are equal.

But he didn’t understand.

Why should the clouds and moon in the sky be treated the same as the dust and mud on the ground?

They were born into noble families, with the best food, clothes, and a life above the commoners. While he wouldn’t indiscriminately take lives, it didn’t mean he would forgive their mistakes either.

This was the power granted to them by the world.

But he knew his master disliked this, and Liuyu disliked it too, so he never showed this side of himself in front of them.

When natural disasters struck, he would donate money and goods, and when he saw a beggar child on the road, he would take them home to do some chores. These were nothing to him.

But Liuyu remained distant from him.

She stood at the boundary between being a friend and a lover, unwilling to come any closer.

Jiufang Zhanghua looked indifferently at the couple, so different in status, not feeling envy, only absurdity.

Liuyu could never be so intimate with that demon.

Even though she had sympathy for both demons and commoners, it was only out of a sense of superiority. She liked beauty and was born noble—how could she allow those lowly beings to dirty her luxurious clothes?

She and he were the ones who walked the same path.

Once the Jiufang family became stronger, no longer fearing the forces from the other side of the Demon-ghost Great Wall, she would sooner or later return to the Celestial Capital and her own world.

Through the misty night fog, by the Luo River, the reed flowers seemed like snow. Mo Lin caught the indifference and contempt in Jiufang Zhanghua’s eyes.

This kind of gaze, he had seen countless times since birth.

He knew why—it was something he had long gotten used to.

But when he lowered his gaze and met Liuyu’s eyes, a cold flame burned in his chest.

He could endure such disdain, but he could not bear seeing Liuyu endure the same look.

He had to become stronger.

So that he wouldn’t become a reason for others to look down on her.

His arm, which had been loosely resting on her shoulder, tightened a little.

As they passed under a pomegranate tree, Jiufang Zhanghua spoke softly:

“The Jiufang family has a doctor accompanying us. If you need anything, I can call the doctor right away.”

Mo Lin didn’t say anything.

But Liuyu was certain that even if he were left with just one breath, he wouldn’t want a doctor from the Jiufang family treating him.

“No need to trouble yourself,” Liuyu said, supporting Mo Lin. “The Jimo family has its own doctors. I had someone prepare the medicine before I came out.”

Jiufang Zhanghua then realized that her appearance tonight wasn’t to chat with him, but to personally escort this demon.

Nowadays, there were rare cases of human-demon marriages among the common folk.

But the numbers were extremely few. Moreover, with her noble status, many from the aristocracy speculated that this demon beside Jimo Gui was probably favored for his powerful abilities.

“I see,” Jiufang Zhanghua said, not pressing further. “Today, outside Longduo City, Lin Lang worked hard. The Shentu family is hosting a banquet, inviting the Jimo family and all the aristocratic families from the Demon-ghost Great Wall. I wonder if Miss Jimo and your husband would honor us with your presence?”

When he mentioned “husband,” Jiufang Zhanghua distinctly felt a strange look from the blood-soaked demon.

It was hard to describe.

But it seemed to be an expression of pleasure.

“Of course.”

With the Jimo family rising to prominence, there would naturally be many social events. Liuyu did not refuse and agreed.

But there was no need for further idle chatter. After bidding farewell to Jiufang Zhanghua, she immediately supported Mo Lin back to the guesthouse.

Inside the guest house, everyone had been waiting for a long time.

“…Fortunately, most of the injuries are external,” Xiangli Hualian checked Mo Lin’s pulse, her brow still furrowed. “But there’s a lot of blood loss, and he needs proper rest. Also, the wounds still have lingering qi attached to them. Each injury needs to be thoroughly cleaned, otherwise, it will be difficult to heal.”

Liuyu nodded in agreement.

The Ghost Girl looked outside, then asked, “Where’s the mountain demon?”

“I’ve sent him and the rest ahead to take up residence in Longdui City.”

Mo Lin’s voice was hoarse as he briefly explained:

“Long nights bring more dreams. It’s better for everyone to be inside, then we can rest easier. The mountain demon and the others are also injured, so it will be more convenient to treat them nearby.”

Liuyu raised her eyes and glanced at him.

“Then why don’t you receive treatment nearby?”

The moon girl’s head suddenly popped in from somewhere, and with keen insight, she remarked:

“Of course, it’s because he’s worried about you, and doesn’t want to be away from you for too long.”

“You’re everywhere,” Fang Fucang grabbed her and pulled her to the back. “Once your studies are done, go to sleep. Why do you always need to be told to sleep?”

Mu Cangshui patted the moon girl’s head and said to everyone:

“Since it’s nothing serious, let’s all disperse. This will allow the young lord to rest and apply medicine earlier. Any other matters can be discussed tomorrow.”

Although there were many affairs to discuss after capturing Longdui City, it was not urgent.

After everyone dispersed, the inner room returned to quiet.

Liuyu lit a few more glass lamps, making the room brightly illuminated. Mo Lin, injured, instinctively felt a bit uncomfortable with such bright light. His muscles tensed in alertness.

However, watching her light the lamps from behind, an inexplicable thirst suddenly rose in his throat.

“Are you going to apply medicine to me?”

Liuyu was picking up the medicine left by Xiangli Hualian on the table.

Although Xiangli Hualian was skilled in medicine, she was still a pampered noblewoman and didn’t have much experience with treating external wounds, so she had left the task of applying the medicine to Liuyu.

“Of course, unless you want to call for a doctor from the Jiufang family.”

Liuyu sat down by his bed with the tray and asked:

“Do you want to remove your clothes yourself, or should I help you?”

Mo Lin leaned slightly forward, his long arms resting on his knees, silently watching her under the light.

He was tall, and even sitting like this, he looked broad-shouldered and long-legged, like a giant beast. But at this moment, this giant beast had hidden all the violence and ferocity he showed in front of others during the day, and his expression was now calm, almost like a well-behaved dog.

“I’ll do it myself.”

Liuyu actually preferred this, because his injuries looked so grim, with blood and torn clothes sticking together. She wasn’t sure where to begin and was afraid that if she wasn’t careful, she might make his injuries worse.

“You don’t need to worry about your uncle.”

He slowly untied his clothes and started to remove his outer robe.

“Although I had to hurt your uncle to perform this act, I only bruised his arm and chest. The injury on his chest is more of a surface wound. It looks severe, but it only affects the skin, not the lungs. I’m glad your uncle cooperated well.”

Nangong Yao had been stationed in the capital for years, and this was Mo Lin’s first time meeting the man who was said to be the number one in the nine realms.

If it hadn’t been for the fact that this was all a staged act, he had quietly calculated that with his own suppressed strength, he would have only been able to fight to a draw with Nangong Yao.

But if he hadn’t restrained his strength…

Mo Lin wasn’t sure. Both were at the peak of the nine realms, and without holding back, it would be difficult for either of them to predict the outcome.

“I know. Before you returned, I already received a message from my uncle saying that he and the Dan clan’s troops have retreated to Yan Jue City. Tomorrow, he’ll send a deputy to return to Xian Du, and he will meet us again.”

Liuyu didn’t have a very strong impression of this uncle.

Shortly after her birth, Nangong Yao had already been stationed in the capital, and he rarely came to Xian Du Yujing to see them even during the holidays.

When she asked about the reason, Nangong Jing only told her that the Emperor was surrounded by wolves, and if not careful, the royal family or powerful clans would capture the young emperor, making him a puppet to control the entire kingdom.

Thus, Nangong Yao had to guard the capital to protect the royal family from these ambitions.

“But it’s strange,” Liuyu slightly furrowed her brows, “When I spoke with Fifth Uncle about this matter, he said it was just a formality, that we just needed to select a trustworthy minister. I never expected that my uncle would be the one to come in the end.”

It seemed a bit overkill for the task.

Fortunately, the Shentu clan had sent Shentu Chi, a practitioner of the nine realms; otherwise, this act might have been hard to pull off.

“When we see him, the mystery will be solved.”

Liuyu nodded. When she looked up again, she was met with the sight of his badly injured back.

Mo Lin felt a pause in his breath.

After two breaths, he sensed that the girl behind him had begun to move.

The cool liquid gently cleaned the dried blood and the dust from the ground that had clung to his wounds.

Mo Lin thought she would be a little clumsy, like when she applied medicine to Jiufang Zhanghua, but as each bloodstained piece of cloth was replaced, he didn’t feel any extra pain.

He suddenly remembered that during her past life as a refugee, she had suffered many injuries, and most of the time, she had to treat herself.

He turned his head slightly and comforted her:

“…The recovery ability of demon ghosts is several times stronger than that of ordinary people. Even if it’s not treated, it will heal quickly. It’s not that serious.”

The girl murmured a low “mm.”

When she finally cleaned off the surface blood, revealing old injuries beneath the new ones, she couldn’t bear to look any longer. She had to turn away to calm herself by rearranging the cotton and medicine bottles on the tray.

“After we capture Longdui City, we may need some time to settle in. Longque City has a lot of wasteland, perfect for cultivation. Taiping City is prosperous and is our main source of wealth. Longdui City, although a stronghold, has many local families who may resist demons. If we don’t approach carefully, it could lead to public resentment.”

Mo Lin also understood this point.

The human race harbors hostility toward demons and ghosts. Under such animosity, while demons and ghosts may endure for a time, it is impossible for them to silently bear it without resentment for long.

Once both sides grow bitter and hostile, or even clash further, the supposed cooperation between demons, ghosts, and humans will instead become a hidden danger that undermines their foundations.

“Let’s follow what Grandma Mu said.”

Mo Lin’s mind replayed the national policy written on the scroll.

“Establish the Immortal Dao Academy and hold examinations.”

The national policy stated that the Immortal Dao Academy was to train more cultivators who would obey Liuyu, rather than those who followed the aristocratic families. It also aimed to help demons and ghosts forget their evil bloodlines and, through gradual influence, integrate them into the human race.

The examination process was the most crucial part.

In the current world, selecting talents for official positions was essentially based on evaluation by middle-ranking officials, who rated individuals from each city based on their family background and conduct, and then sent them to the royal capital for selection.

It seemed well-founded, but in reality, it was controlled by the aristocratic families. To take control of a city, one simply had to make the local aristocracy submit, offer a sum of money to the royal capital, and the position of city lord would be theirs to command.

Mu Cangshui believed that the decline of the aristocratic families, and even the overall decline of the Great Zhao dynasty, was rooted in this system.

But just as a decaying tree cannot sever its rotting roots, once severed, it loses its final nourishment. Even if the aristocratic families knew this, they could not change it.

Only by starting from scratch and laying a new foundation could they hope to flourish again, no matter how difficult the beginning. As long as the foundation was solid, they would not worry about it failing to grow strong in the future.

Liuyu recalled Mu Cangshui’s words, a mix of admiration and a subtle unease at the heavy burden she now carried.

At first, she just wanted to save the Yinshan family.

How had it come to this?

Liuyu curiously asked, “That scroll was so long and obscure. I had some difficulty reading it. How did you understand it?”

“If you can’t understand, you can ask. She seemed happy to explain it to me,” Mo Lin replied, lowering his head, letting his back rest against her as sweat dripped from him, soaking into the brocade quilt.

Liuyu’s movements with the medicine powder slowed.

“Isn’t that even more exhausting? Grandma Mu is great, but once she starts talking about these topics, she can go on for hours.”

At the Lingyong Academy, she had been the top student in both literary and martial exams.

Even she found it tiring; it was easy to imagine how complicated these matters were.

As she finished wrapping the bandages around his wound and tied the knot, he took her finger and pressed it to his lips.

“I’m not tired.”

“How could I be tired, when I’m standing here with you?”

Liuyu read the meaning in his deep, lingering gaze.

Mo Lin kissed her finger a little longer before saying, “I’m just a little hungry.”

Liuyu then remembered that he had rushed back after the battle and probably hadn’t eaten. She stood up and said, “I’ll have someone prepare some food for you.”

“Mm.”

Since others were likely already resting, Liuyu didn’t want to disturb anyone. She went to the kitchen by herself, intending to wait there, but then realized—

Mo Lin never allowed her to do such things. Even if he was hungry, he certainly wouldn’t let her run this errand.

Sure enough, when she returned to the courtyard, the entire room had been surrounded by his force.

“Open the door!”

After a brief silence inside, Mo Lin’s hoarse voice could be heard.

“Wait a bit.”

Several lanterns had been blown out, but under the faint light, Liuyu could still see the shadow of his limbs reflected on the window.

They were his limbs.

It only then occurred to her that, in his battle with Shentu Chi, he had suppressed his strength and hadn’t used his infinite ghost fire, instead forcing himself to fight with his limbs. The injuries were heavy, but how could his body be the most affected?

“Are you opening it or not?” Liuyu sniffled, her voice low. “If you don’t open it, I’m going to the ghost girl’s room to sleep tonight.”

There was still no response.

“Not just tonight, I won’t let you into my room for the next month.”

The limbs reflected on the window seemed to twitch, but the force blocking her didn’t retreat.

Liuyu was left with no choice but to play her final trump card.

“Fine, if you don’t let me in, I’ll go stay in Jiufang Zhanghua’s courtyard…”

With a creak, the tightly shut door was pushed open by a serpent tail, creating a small gap.

Liuyu coldly pushed the door open.

A strong stench of blood and decay rushed to her face, mingled with the medicinal smell, overwhelming all her senses.

Despite only one lantern remaining in the room, Liuyu could clearly see the chunks of flesh scattered across the floor.

These chunks were slimy, writhing, and merging together, soaked in blood, with blood vessels clearly visible on the severed surfaces, growing and reattaching.

Liuyu squatted down and touched them with her cold fingertips.

There was an odd softness and warmth.

It was human body temperature.

“If you don’t want to see, then close your eyes.”

A low gasp came from behind the bed curtains. From the voice alone, she could sense the pain being endured. Unlike the terrifying sight before her, it was like an injured beast hiding in the shadows, using a weak voice to prevent others from approaching.

“It’ll be over soon.”

Liuyu sat on her knees, watching as the flesh and blood slowly fused back together, then softly asked, “Does it always have to be like this when you get injured?”

Her voice was unbelievably soft.

Mo Lin was silent for a moment.

“Mm.”

“Is it only you who suffers like this, or do other demons and ghosts also go through this?”

After another long silence.

“Ordinary demons and ghosts only have demon qi or ghost qi in their bodies, so they don’t need to do this. But I have both types of qi in my body. Once my qi sea is drained, these two types of qi will lose control in my meridians, clashing against each other. The body will be burned by the qi flow.”

“So, the rotting flesh burning inside needs to be scraped out and then re-integrated.”

When he fought with Shentu Chi, he used no techniques, only the purest form of Qi cultivation, just like the soldier during the Qingtan discussion.

As a result, the consumption of his Qi was especially great.

Mo Lin saw a pair of white embroidered shoes appear at the foot of the bed.

Along the way, the shoes had become stained with blood.

He slowly raised his gaze and looked at Liuyu. For a moment, his throat became dry, and he was left speechless.

After a pause, the cold, slippery snake tail wrapped around Liuyu’s waist and lifted her out of the blood-soaked ground.

His dark green eyes reflected a faint light, like a shimmering lake.

He gently wiped her wet face with his fingertip, sighing softly:

“…Had I known, I would have come back later.”

In the past, he thought that if there ever came a day when she shed tears for him, even if he died, there would be no regrets.

But now that he saw her tears, he thought that even if he were truly dying, with that tear, he couldn’t let go of this life.

“You don’t have to come back.”

Liuyu watched as his body slowly healed, his touch reorganizing, turning back to normal. She blinked her tear-streaked lashes.

“You get hurt and hide away. Sooner or later, someone will take advantage of it. If you die, I’ll go back to the Immortal Capital Yujing and find a husband who’s better than you—”

Mo Lin couldn’t bear to hear more and pressed his lips to hers, silencing her.

Such a soft tongue, yet the words that came out were so sharp and cruel.

The room was thick with the smell of blood, and the two squeezed together in the narrow space behind the bed curtains, kissing. Liuyu was worried his upper body wounds might tear, but he held her tightly, as if his injuries didn’t exist.

As their clothes became disheveled, footsteps approached outside.

“Ji Mo Gui.”

It was Jiufang Shaogeng’s voice.

“Come out, I need to talk to you.”

Come out?

Liuyu, breathing heavily, glanced at her disheveled clothes and outer robe, inwardly cursing Jiufang Shaogeng for being insane.

Mo Lin frowned as well.

“She’s not here.”

Hearing a strange man’s voice coming from Liuyu’s room, Jiufang Shaogeng froze for a moment before realizing who it was.

It was the demon from Ji Mo Gui’s side.

Jiufang Shaogeng immediately furrowed his brows. “How did you end up in her room…?”

He stopped mid-sentence.

That’s right, Ji Mo Gui had called him her husband.

Naturally, they would be staying together at night.

For some reason, when this thought crossed his mind, Jiufang Shaogeng felt a strong sense of discomfort and hostility.

He paused for a moment before asking harshly:

“Then where is she?”

Mo Lin coldly sneered, “Why should I tell you?”

Jiufang Shaogeng didn’t expect him to be so aggressive and was momentarily enraged to the point of laughing.

“A demon, do you think just because Ji Mo Gui calls you husband, you can sit at the same table as the noble families? You’re just a plaything for the noble families. How dare you act so recklessly in front of me? One day, when she marries into a proper noble family, what will you even be?”

Liuyu thought that the slap from earlier had been too light.

But Mo Lin turned his gaze from the door, locking eyes with Liuyu, his brows showing a hint of understanding. He silently mouthed the words:

“He likes you.”

Liuyu had no idea how he could come to such a terrifying conclusion from just those few words.

But then, he bit her fingertip, as if punishing her, and his tongue wrapped around her finger, slowly sucking. The sensation made Liuyu’s fingers tingle and her spine shiver.

Outside, Jiufang Shaogeng was still cursing.

“…Don’t think you’re so strong. You’re just at the eighth realm. I don’t know how many centuries you’ve lived as an old demon, but people like us who reached the seventh realm in our teens are on completely different levels. In five years, I’ll kill you like I’d kill livestock…”

Mo Lin secretly scoffed, but his fingertips never stopped moving.

Liuyu was too distracted by the sensations to care about the noise outside. She was more worried about Mo Lin’s injuries.

“…Your wound is still fresh and bleeding…”

The pain from his arm injury was severe, so he could only use his teeth to bite off her last clothing tie.

Mo Lin glanced up at her.

“So what? My mouth’s fine.”

Liuyu was sitting at the foot of the bed in his arms, her hand weakly resting against the bedpost, and she had to control her breathing, or else the people outside would notice.

Her senses were heightened in the night’s silence.

Breathing and sweat intertwined in chaotic disarray.

Outside, Jiufang Shaogeng had been cursing for quite a while without receiving a response, and it felt like hitting cotton with his fists. At that moment, a servant came in, saying someone had seen Ji Mo Gui head toward the kitchen.

Jiufang Shaogeng asked:

“Hey, did she go to the kitchen?”

In the midst of their disordered, humid breathing, Mo Lin pressed his lips against hers to silence her struggling sounds.

When they parted, he placed his wet fingers on his lips, licking them as he asked:

“Did she go?”

“She might have, yeah.”