Chapter 77

Mo Lin heard faint conversations in the pitch-black abyss.

“…Damn it! These tentacles are entangling me! I can’t cut them! The knife is right by your feet, kill him, and if you kill him, I’ll take you away!”

The man, whose body was entangled by the tentacles, squeezed this out through his teeth, his breath nearly choking from the tightening grip of the tentacles.

The sound of a woman’s footsteps echoed in the empty cave.

Her fingers were soft, her breath calm, and she was the most familiar presence to him since birth.

“It will be over soon.”

“A man should protect his mother, right?”

“A Lin, it will be over soon, the pain will go away soon.”

Hot tears fell on his face. When the blade’s reflection appeared in his eyes, the young boy seemed to be seized by an invisible force, suddenly freezing in place.

“In the next life, don’t be born as a little monster again.”

—-

The autumn rain hit the banana leaves outside the bamboo cottage, and the raindrops falling from the eaves formed a continuous line, washing the moss-covered stone steps.

Mo Lin woke up listening to the sound of rain. The blankets soaked in a warm fragrance, the embers in the copper furnace crackled softly. He stared at the beam above him, taking a while to remember where he was.

—This was a bamboo cottage in the Bronze City, far from the estates of the Shentu and Zhongli families, rented by Fang Fucang for them to rest and recuperate for the past few days.

Mo Lin regained his senses and instinctively reached for the pillow next to him.

She wasn’t there.

“Lord?”

The mountain demoness and the three others were playing Liubo (a Chinese board game). Seeing the young man in a cloak appear silently, they looked up in surprise.

Mo Lin’s gaze leveled forward.

“What are they doing?”

The demoness turned her head to look at the two women lounging on the corridor, Yue Niang and Yin Lan Ruo. The two of them were chatting lazily on deck chairs, Yue Niang gesturing dramatically with her hands, making Yin Lan Ruo laugh continuously.

“Clearly, they’re admiring the rain and chatting.”

Mo Lin stared impassively at Fang Fucang, who was adding coal to the fire and then serving tea and arranging snacks for Yue Niang.

“I mean, what is he doing?”

Yue Niang, biting into a soybean cake, furrowed her brows in serious thought:

“Little Fang, this soybean cake wasn’t freshly baked, right? It doesn’t taste sweet at all.”

Fang Fucang gritted his teeth: “With this heavy rain outside, where would I find freshly baked ones? And if you call me ‘Little Fang’ again…”

“Master’s wife!”

“Fang Fucang,” Yin Lan Ruo’s soft voice carried an unusual pressure, “If it weren’t for Yue Niang being so capable, and Miss Liu Yu and the Lord of Jiuyou fighting desperately ahead, I wouldn’t be able to rest here peacefully. Do you really think it’s all your achievement?”

Yue Niang nodded along from the side, agreeing.

Fang Fucang endured.

Because Yin Lan Ruo was right. The plan this time indeed relied on Yue Niang’s talent for success.

If Yue Niang hadn’t gained Zhongli family’s favor, even if they had managed to capture Yin Lan Ruo, Zhongli family wouldn’t have let them go easily.

“Fine,” Fang Fucang forced a smile, “Anything else?”

Yue Niang barely stretched out her short arms to rest them on the armrests of the deck chair, squinting her eyes in satisfaction:

“Great, then please press my shoulders again…”

“Don’t make me really slap you next time we spar.”

Yue Niang: “…I’m going to read! In a few days, I need to go to the Zhongli family to repair the puppet. I, I don’t have time for sparring these days!”

Mo Lin watched Yue Niang fluster, nearly crashing into a pillar, then slowly withdrew his gaze.

“What about the lady?”

Lan Zhu stared at the chessboard, feeling irritated by the demoness’s forced moves. He absentmindedly replied:

“She went to the kitchen early in the morning.”

Mo Lin slightly furrowed his brows: “Why did she go to the kitchen?”

“To prepare breakfast for the lord,” the demoness smiled with crescent-shaped eyes, looking at Mo Lin, who was suddenly taken aback, “She must have thought the lord worked hard yesterday and wanted to cook for him. The lord is really lucky!”

The mountain demon glanced at the demoness.

Even though it was surprising that the lady was cooking, the lord had been running around to make sure her plans went smoothly and had suffered some injuries. He felt that, with such a husband, the lady was indeed the luckier one.

The demoness added: “The doctor said your Qi Sea was over-exhausted, you need to rest for a few days, so you should go back and lie down.”

“Big fuss over nothing,” the mountain demon glanced at her, “The lord always heals after one good sleep. When has he needed to rest…”

“Don’t tell her I’ve been up.”

Mo Lin withdrew his foot, which was about to step out. Before closing the door, he gave a warning with his eyes:

“Keep playing your game. If you mess up, I’ll take it out on you.”

The door quickly shut, leaving the mountain demon standing there, bewildered.

Soon, the sound of footsteps echoed in the corridor. Mo Lin swiftly rolled onto the bed, closed his eyes. He heard the girl outside asking the mountain demon whether he had woken up, but the mountain demon hesitated and said—

“Your Majesty, is this the breakfast you prepared for the Lord?”

Mo Lin’s brows moved impatiently.

“Never mind.”

“It’s not for him anyway.”

The door to the room was slowly pushed open, and Liuyu placed the tray at the bedside before turning around, just in time to see Mo Lin slowly opening his eyes and looking at her.

“You’re awake?” Liuyu hung the hanging gauze curtain on the silver hook. “Did I wake you?”

Mo Lin, however, lowered his gaze and looked at the breakfast she brought.

“Did you make this?”

“How did you know?”

Liuyu scooped out a bowl of white porridge from the clay pot, eagerly asking, “Want to try it?”

He glanced at the edges of the clay pot that were burnt, and the originally white porridge had some black charred rice grains floating in it.

But Mo Lin wouldn’t mind this.

The Lord of the Demonic Spirits held the bowl of ordinary white porridge, showing no trace of the viciousness and arrogance from yesterday. Beneath his flowing black hair, his eyes were like the damp moss outside the window, filled with a misty dark green.

He took the bowl, spooning one mouthful after another, finishing the entire bowl before saying:

“It’s very delicious.”

Liuyu blinked, somewhat surprised.

“But next time, you don’t need to cook for me. The kitchen is not a place for you to go.”

He still seemed to have trouble speaking in a softer tone. Liuyu couldn’t help but laugh. Though he was showing concern for her, it never sounded like something kind.

“I didn’t cook just for you.”

She rested her chin in her hand, her eyes bright.

“This rice came from Dan Sui. It was delivered in a box, a golden bundle, just like the rice eaten by the noble families, but its yield is higher. More importantly—this was grown using the soil from your Nine Hells.”

According to Dan Sui, the “Complete Book of Immortal Agriculture” referred to the soil of Nine Hells as rotting soil, not suitable for ordinary rice.

But the author discovered that regions with active venomous worms thriving there had lush vegetation. The worms would consume the foul miasma and expel a nectar that could purify the soil, helping crops grow.

So, all they needed to do was breed these worms in large numbers, and Nine Hells would no longer be a barren land where no flowers bloomed.

Of course, the more important thing was that Nine Hells would be self-sufficient in food in the future, no longer needing to rely on the immortal families of Da Chao.

They might even be able to turn the tables and control them instead.

Thinking of this, Liuyu sighed with emotion:

“When I was a child, I thought all the ugly and disgusting little insects should be exterminated. I never expected that, though ugly, they would actually be useful.”

Upon hearing this, Mo Lin’s gaze shifted slightly, and he remembered the dream he had earlier.

He lowered his eyelids, concealing the dark, fluctuating emotions in his eyes.

Liuyu stirred the porridge with Mo Lin’s spoon and took a bite.

“Yuck, yuck, yuck—”

She immediately spit it out.

“Why is it bitter?” Liuyu stared at him in astonishment. “Why didn’t you tell me the rice was burnt?”

Mo Lin answered truthfully: “I thought it was obvious that the porridge was burnt.”

“…”

Liuyu couldn’t help but feel soft-hearted again when she remembered that he had drunk the whole bowl without changing his expression, thinking it was made specially for him.

“You really want to eat the food I made?”

She gazed at him brightly, the cold rain outside pattering, while the fire inside the room crackled, filling the air with warmth and a faint fragrance that made the room feel cozy and slightly heated.

Mo Lin turned his eyes away, but she quickly turned his face back toward her.

She leaned so close that she could almost smell the fragrance of gardenia in her hair.

“Don’t you want to?”

He quietly gazed at her, intending to respond with a kiss, but she blocked him with her hands.

Sometimes Liuyu really didn’t understand.

He would say all kinds of shameless things when he was in the mood, but when it came to the simplest questions, he would keep quiet, avoid answering, and do everything he could to dodge her questions.

Wasn’t it just whether he wanted to eat the food she made? Was that such a hard question to answer?

Mo Lin sighed lightly.

“I do, but not that much, because I want you to do many things for me. Are you planning to fulfill each one?”

Liuyu nonchalantly replied:

“Well, tell me, maybe I can.”

He didn’t think she could.

Mo Lin skipped the topic. He leaned against the bedpost, propping up his long legs, and asked:

“Earlier, I heard Yue Niang say that she’s going to meet with the automaton called Tianjia Thirty-One from the Zhongli family in a few days?”

“Yes.”

Liuyu set the bowl down.

“It’s said that after using the Puppet Control Staff to forcibly restrain these automatons, they can only be reactivated by a Heavenly-grade craftsman from the Zhongli family. So, in a few days, people from the Immortal Capital will come here. The Zhongli family will probably take that opportunity to test her talent once again.”

Mo Lin raised his eyes to look at her. “Are you going too?”

“Of course.”

Mo Lin pursed his lips, a trace of frustration appearing between his brows.

“Are you worried about my safety?” Liuyu blinked. “There’s nothing to worry about. That automaton can’t move anymore, right? It was all carried back by people from the Zhongli family yesterday.”

He seemed distracted as he muttered, “I know.”

But his expression still appeared heavy with concern.

For the next few days, Liuyu was busy dispatching people to escort the supposedly dead Nanguang Yao back safely to the Immortal Capital. When she finally returned to her senses, she suddenly realized—

Over these few days, Mo Lin had been coming and going early and late, and they hadn’t spoken much.

The night before receiving the Zhongli family’s invitation, Liuyu managed to catch Mo Lin returning at midnight. She used her magic to light a glass lamp, illuminating the Lord of Demons who appeared worn and ragged.

“Your clothes… What happened?”

The girl, dressed in pure white nightclothes, walked toward him in surprise, looking at his tattered outer robe.

He was wearing his old clothes.

Mo Lin saw her grab his hand, turning him in circles to look at him, but what he said was:

“Why aren’t you asleep yet?”

Liuyu gave him a quick glance.

“If I were asleep, how could I see the mighty Lord of Demons turning himself into a beggar by burning himself? What’s going on?”

Mo Lin’s control over the Boundless Ghost Fire was already as smooth as breathing after countless battles.

This wasn’t the first time Liuyu had seen him fight. Whether it was now, or the version of him from a hundred years ago in the past life, he would never make such a mistake.

To be honest, Liuyu’s first reaction was to think of that giant puppet from that day.

She grabbed his sleeve and asked, “Did you get badly hurt after fighting it?”

Mo Lin paused.

“No…”

“Then how did you burn yourself?” Liuyu grew more convinced as she spoke, pulling on his sleeve to make him bend down. “I’ll send a message to Xiang Li Hua Lian tonight and have her check you from head to toe…”

“Liuyu.”

He took her cool hand into his, softly comforting her.

“I’m fine, really.”

The girl in his reflection had her lips tightly pressed together, and as their gazes met, she still looked at him with disbelief. Mo Lin saw the anxiety rising in her eyes, and gently rubbed her finger with his thumb.

His wife was really worried about him.

Perhaps it was because of the intense memories he left her in the past life, but every time he was injured, he noticed the fear in her eyes. It was different from her usual calm and composed demeanor.

Mo Lin cherished her concern for him, but he didn’t want to frighten her so much.

He could only tell the truth.

“I was practicing.”

Liuyu froze for a moment.

“Practicing?”

“Do you remember when your uncle sparred with me and gave me some pointers? That day I fought your uncle with all my strength, and then also sparred with that… that broken iron lump. I got some inspiration and wanted to see if I could improve a bit more.”

Mo Lin opened his palm, and a cluster of ghost fire with a different hue from before flickered within it.

It was a higher purity of the Boundless Ghost Fire.

Liuyu was happy for him, but then asked:

“Then why did you secretly find a place to practice by yourself? Why didn’t you tell me?”

The ghost fire flickered for a moment, and Mo Lin turned his face away.

“…If you hadn’t said anything, you’d be sleeping on the floor tonight.”

Facing Liuyu’s expression of “Well, it’s the same old trick, but now it’s your turn to decide if you’ll eat it or not,” the Lord of Demons hesitated for a long while. He frowned, looking a little awkward, before speaking.

“That broken iron lump—if I had fought it head-on, I wouldn’t have won.”

When Mo Lin realized this, an uncontrollable rage boiled within him.

He couldn’t explain why he felt such hostility towards that puppet. It couldn’t even speak a word, yet whenever he saw it approach Liuyu, every part of him screamed, wanting to drive it away from her.

It was as if… as if it and he were two opposing forces.

Between them, water and fire could never coexist.

If it got close to Liuyu, he would be pushed aside.

Mo Lin himself found this thought quite absurd, but just the fact that the puppet’s strange fire was superior to his own was enough to make him feel an intense sense of danger.

This time, it seemed like the puppet had no murderous intent towards Liuyu.

But what about next time?

After Zhong Li’s Clan repairs the puppet, if it becomes harmful to Liuyu, would he be able to protect her?

Liuyu could see the heavy fear in his eyes, even a hint of dejection. Instead of thinking less of him, she found this side of him strangely endearing.

“I know, and I can’t win either. So what?”

If you can’t win, find a way—there’s no need to make it such a big deal, it’s not like we’re about to die. Why so serious?

Mo Lin stared at her fearless, clear eyes for a long time before finally speaking.

“…You don’t understand. That thing is definitely not an ordinary puppet. I have a guess… Do you remember when the Jiufang family sent Jiufang Shaogeng to Yashan?”

Liuyu’s lashes trembled slightly.

“Yashan’s Tianmen is a place that seals evil spirits from beyond the heavens. I don’t know what they did, but it’s very likely that that black strange fire, or that puppet… is related to the evil spirits from beyond the heavens.”

Having inherited half of the bloodline of the evil spirits from beyond the heavens, Mo Lin awakened the Boundless Ghost Fire and the Heavenly Ghost Laws.

This wasn’t something that came out of nowhere.

His bloodline had undergone a return to its ancestral roots. The pure demonic power made him extraordinarily talented, enabling him to naturally control the Boundless Ghost Fire. In fact, when he first mastered the Boundless Ghost Fire, the names of 360,000 demons and ghosts appeared in his mind, granting him the ability to command them.

Mo Lin didn’t know if the puppet was the second version of him chosen by the evil spirits from beyond the heavens.

But this strange fire definitely had something to do with them.

He explained all these speculations to Liuyu, then, with a hoarse voice, said:

“So, I need to get stronger quickly. Do you understand?”

He was different from Liuyu.

In his survival rules, the world was a vast wilderness, and the only law was to become strong enough to protect his territory and his people. Any sign of weakness would invite enemies who would secretly watch and prey upon him.

Weakness meant being robbed—of life, territory, loved ones, and… lovers.

He needed to be strong enough to hold onto everything he had gained.

“It’s not just you,” the girl cupped his face and said slowly, “It’s us.”

Mo Lin looked into her eyes, and for a moment, his breath became erratic.

“In this life, I will become very strong, very strong. I will protect my husband, never let him suffer again, and never let him die in front of me.”