Chapter 82

Mo Lin knew that he was completely doomed.

The two translucent, jade-like eyes gazed at him, making him feel as if he had lost his armor and helmet, helplessly allowing her to gently and cruelly strip him bare, opening the corners of his heart that had never been shown before, easily invading and filling them.

He was immersed in the overwhelming warmth, enveloped by emotions he had never felt before. But even as he searched through the experiences of past years, he couldn’t find an appropriate response.

Liuyu lifted her head, looking at the tendrils that surrounded her like a cage from above.

Those soft, sticky tendrils seemed to be coveting, salivating, twisting and writhing, as if they were struggling against some force, trying to devour her whole.

Liuyu tilted her head back, watching them entangle and writhe above her head.

…What were they doing?

Seeing that the tendrils had almost twisted her into a knot, Liuyu thought for a moment, grabbed the nearest one, and gently kissed it on the lips.

The sixteen tendrils, covered in bone spurs and scales, froze for a moment.

The next instant, they suddenly surged upwards. The expanding demonic and ghostly energy blew Liuyu’s hair into disarray, and the writhing tendrils shot toward her at the same time.

These tendrils, wrapped in overwhelming love, entangled her arms and waist.

Any more force would have been painful, any less would have been too distant. Mo Lin had never liked his body, which was so different from normal, but at this moment, he suddenly felt grateful for all these “arms”—

Arms to embrace her.

“…I feel the same.”

The young man, buried in her chest, murmured:

“I… I love you too.”

Liuyu softly laughed, her voice gentle, “I know.”

It seemed like she didn’t fully understand.

In this life, he had gotten everything he wanted. Happiness had reached its peak, and once it reached the top, there was only a fall. He couldn’t bear it; he couldn’t accept it. If that were the case, he would rather die at this moment.

The girl he liked was too kind, too strong, always thinking of others.

If he could ease her guilt, if he could stop her from being so sad…

—He would rather exchange places with his past self.

Mo Lin silently held her tighter.

The group of mountain demons returned at the break of dawn.

“Yue Niang is fine.”

Fang Fucang, who had just sat down and drunk a bowl of tea, continued:

“But the Zhongli family is in big trouble. Last night, the Jiufang family sent a hundred cultivators to attack, with thirty percent of them at the seventh realm. They were well-prepared, and their target was very clear— they came for that giant puppet.”

Even though it had been anticipated, hearing it in person still caused Liuyu to freeze for a moment.

“And the result?”

“Of course, they successfully took it. The Zhongli family is furious.”

The ghost girl, happily devouring beef noodles made by Yin Lan Ruo, replied:

“The young lady from the Jiufang family who led them looks small and thin, but her technique is incredible. Every time she spoke, her words became law, and everything she said was followed. It was truly astonishing.”

Liuyu’s mind was heavy.

This unexpected turn of events wasn’t entirely good news, but it wasn’t bad news either.

The puppet in the hands of the Jiufang family was just a block of iron that couldn’t move. It was much safer than being in the hands of the Zhongli family.

Moreover, this battle meant that the alliance between the Jiufang and Zhongli families was starting to fall apart. Their focus would no longer be solely on seizing the Yingshan family’s assets.

Thinking of this, Liuyu’s mood lightened slightly.

“This kind of speech-based technique is not easy to master.” Liuyu handed the ghost girl a handkerchief to wipe the grease from her mouth. “Miao Yi has never been allowed to speak casually since she was young. She can only communicate with others through paper and writing, all to keep her vocal cords in the best condition to exert the maximum power of her technique.”

The mountain demon found it interesting:

“This third young lady’s technique, like her brother’s, is special. One uses the voice, and the other uses the eyes. The Zhongli family uses weapon forging as their strength, but the Jiufang family, it seems, uses themselves as a weapon.”

“A family of warriors, each family has its own unique martial arts. The Jiufang family’s technique is strange, but it’s very powerful. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have risen so quickly in just a hundred years.”

After giving his assessment of his former family, Fang Fucang looked at Liuyu.

“However, this is a good opportunity for the Jimo family. The Jiufang family, who has always been reactive, is rarely the one to take the initiative, especially against their former allies. There will definitely be a conflict between the Jiufang family and the Zhongli family. Miss, Master, what are your plans next?”

The jade-white fingers lightly tapped on the stone table in the courtyard, and Liuyu glanced at Mo Lin.

Mo Lin thought back to his previous dealings with the Jiufang family.

The Jiufang family had promised Mo Lin that he could leave the Demon Ghost Wall in the western region of Yuyuan. This was almost a clear indication that they would give him the six cities under the Shentu family as a gift.

At that time, both he and Liuyu had wondered why Jiufang Qian dared to release Mo Lin from the Demon Ghost Wall.

Now, they understood the reason.

Because Jiufang Qian had long known about the existence of the Tianjia Thirty-One.

He was confident that even if Mo Lin led the Twelve Nuo Gods to sweep across the Great Chao, with just the Tianjia Thirty-One, he would still have the ability to suppress Mo Lin’s momentum.

And indeed, things were proceeding just as Jiufang Qian had planned.

The Yinshan family was being weakened.

The Tianjia Thirty-One had returned to his hands.

Once Mo Lin defeated the Shentu family, the Zhongli family would be crippled, losing their ability to compete with the Jiufang family.

To Jiufang Qian, aside from the unexpected development of the Jimo family taking over the Yinshan family’s market, everything else was under control.

Mo Lin said, “Naturally, we will follow their plan.”

—

The sky darkened, and breath turned to mist.

The Jiufang family’s team had crossed mountains and ridges from the western region of Yuyuan for over a month. Along the way, they had been ambushed by the Zhongli family twelve times. Finally, they returned to Xiandu Yujing with a large iron cage.

Jiufang Miaoyi reported to her father and, after exiting the secret room, passed through the corridor, where she saw her two brothers waiting for her.

Jiufang Shaogeng was sitting at the edge of the corridor, leaning back with his hands behind his head, gazing lazily at Jiufang Zhanghua in the distance.

“Back already?” he patted the spot next to him, signaling for his sister to sit. “Why didn’t you put on a cloak? It’s getting cold these days. Was your journey smooth?”

The sixteen-year-old girl, in powder-colored clothes, obediently sat down. Her smooth, neatly parted hair revealed a small face that had turned a little red from the cold, making her appear even more innocent and quiet.

She lowered her head and wrote on a special cardboard:

【Very smooth! Thanks to Big Brother’s good timing, they were completely unprepared, so we broke through easily! The people who tried to chase us were also quite lazy, not sure if they were from the Zhongli family or if they weren’t paid enough, but they were pretty weak! It’s a shame we didn’t meet the Jimo family’s miss, though! I heard she had just left when I got there, but maybe that’s a good thing, in case we accidentally hurt her, Big Brother would be heartbroken.】

Jiufang Shaogeng squinted as he deciphered the words on the cardboard.

There were too many words, and it took him quite a while before he reached the part “Big Brother would be heartbroken if we hurt her.”

Jiufang Shaogeng paused, then sneered:

“What kind of nonsense is this? I’m not the type to like my own enemy’s eldest brother. Jimo Gui is affiliated with the Zhongli family, making her our enemy. If she falls into my hands, I’ll make her wish she were dead. Feel sorry for her?”

Miaoyi scrunched her nose and wrote on the cardboard again:

【Liuyu is the best in the world, Big Brother’s love for Liuyu is rightful! Second Brother has no taste!】

Jiufang Shaogeng straightened up, folded his arms, and coldly laughed:

“No taste? Yinshan Liuyu is arrogant and pretentious. I’m not saying this, but except for her face and family background, Jimo Gui is better than her in every way. Look around Xiandu Yujing—how many people still think highly of Yinshan Liuyu? It clearly shows she doesn’t have much going for her besides her family background… Miaoyi! You actually used a board to hit me for Yinshan Liuyu?”

Miaoyi ran towards Jiufang Zhanghua in the flower garden.

【Brother, I’ll help you!】

Jiufang Zhanghua was spreading warm fragrance cloth to insulate the gold-threaded jade for the winter. When Miaoyi’s cardboard was placed right in front of his eyes, he smiled helplessly:

“No need, it’s almost done.”

Footsteps approached from behind:

“Jiufang Miaoyi, stop!”

Miaoyi quickly hid behind the young man in a moon-white robe.

The two chased and played, and while Miaoyi was cautious, Jiufang Shaogeng was careless. In his clumsy attempt to catch up, he accidentally broke a gold-threaded jade flower.

Both siblings’ faces changed at the same time.

【Sorry, it’s all my fault.】

Miaoyi trembled as she raised the board to apologize.

Jiufang Shaogeng turned his face away:

“It’s just a flower, we have plenty at home… I even think this flower is unlucky to have in the house. Big Brother, now that Nangong Yao is dead, half of the royal family’s power is already under our control, and the Yinshan family has lost half of their market. Destroying the Yinshan family is only a matter of time. By then, Yinshan Liuyu will probably just want you dead. Do you think planting flowers will move her?”

Miaoyi nudged her second brother and glared at him.

【Why do you want to destroy the Yinshan family?】

“I can’t explain it to a child like you.” He answered impatiently.

【You’re only one year older than me!】

Jiufang Zhanghua silently looked at the broken gold-threaded jade flower.

The fall of the Yinshan family was faster than he had imagined.

So fast that he hadn’t had time to make a final decision. The Yinshan family’s market had fallen into the hands of outsiders, and the coffin of Nangong Yao had been sent back to Xiandu Yujing. The Jiufang family now controlled half of the royal capital. The next step was to wait for the move of the Nine Underworld Demon Ghost.

Once the Yinshan family collapses, and the Demon Ghost Mo Lin and his army of ten thousand demons break free from the Demon Ghost Wall, invading the Great Chao—

What will become of Liuyu in the Nine Underworld?

Jiufang Zhanghua closed his eyes.

“Shaogeng, I heard you’ve been spending a lot of time around Mr. Ji Yu these past few days. Is it related to Nangong Jing’s search for the Grandmaster of the Xiangli family for medical treatment?”

Jiufang Shaogeng didn’t understand when his older brother learned about this matter.

He also didn’t understand why he was bringing it up in front of Miaoyi.

【Why is Mrs. Jing seeking medical treatment? Who is she treating? Second Brother, do you know something? Did Father tell you? How much are you all hiding from me?】

Miao Yi, holding a cardboard sign, was chasing after Jiufang Shaogeng with great determination, his teeth clenched in frustration:

“Big Brother! Are you doing this on purpose?!”

He knew full well that Miao Yi was close to Yinshan Liuyu, and this was clearly an attempt to leak information to her!

“If this gets out and Father finds out, I won’t…”

“Shaogeng.”

The young man, with a striking appearance and a demeanor as cold as ice, looked at him in silence.

“Don’t forget, I returned to this family for whom?”

Jiufang Shaogeng suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Around them, countless dark memories seemed to flood through both their eyes—falling into the deep, fractured iris like pieces of ice in the sea.

The first snow of the winter fell in the Celestial Capital, Yujing, and a significant event occurred near the Demon Ghost Wall.

The Dragon Vein foundation near the western border, close to Yu Yuan, became unexpectedly unstable, causing a crack to appear in the barrier.

This meant the Demon Ghosts were no longer bound by the restrictions of the Wall’s Jade Order. As long as the barrier remained intact, the demons from Jiuyou could freely pass through the Demon Ghost Wall.

And the Demon Ghost Mo Lin wasted no time exploiting this crack.

On December 21st, the Winter Solstice.

Mo Lin, leading his ghost generals, Shen Tu and Yu Lei, along with thirty thousand demons, broke out of the Wall and split into three groups to attack the six cities of the Shentu family.

Shentu Xiang led his entire family in a desperate defense of the city, swearing never to surrender.

The news quickly reached the Jiufang family, arriving at Jiufang Qian’s secret study.

“This battle, from what you see, how do you think it will end?”

The two brothers sitting across from him sat upright, and upon hearing this, Jiufang Shaogeng began to sweat nervously, glancing at his older brother.

“Shaogeng, you answer.”

Jiufang Shaogeng closed his eyes in despair, then reluctantly spoke:

“Mo Lin… and Shentu Xiang are both at the peak of the Ninth Realm. Shentu Xiang also has a younger brother, Shentu Chi, who is also at the peak of the Ninth Realm. The six cities of the Shentu family are easy to defend and hard to attack, so… the odds are in favor of Shentu Xiang…”

“Zhanghua, you say.”

The youth interrupted by Jiufang Qian turned pale, knowing he had made another mistake.

It’s over.

He had answered wrong again.

Jiufang Zhanghua thought for a moment before speaking:

“Besieging the city, the Shentu family will definitely lose. If the city falls, the Shentu family will be massacred.”

Jiufang Shaogeng looked at his brother in disbelief.

How did he come to this conclusion?

Jiufang Qian gave his eldest son a deep look, then lowered his gaze to sip his tea without giving a direct response.

In the following months, battle reports confirmed Jiufang Zhanghua’s prediction.

Mo Lin didn’t launch a full assault on the six cities but instead chose to besiege the three wealthiest cities of the Shentu family.

The siege lasted for two whole months.

During these two months, Shentu Xiang attempted three breakthroughs, all of which failed.

The winter cold grew more intense, with snowstorms getting worse, and the world seemed blanketed in white.

The food supplies in the city dwindled day by day, and the Shentu family sent desperate pleas for help to the Zhongli family, but no reinforcements or food came.

Shentu Xiang couldn’t believe it.

The Zhongli family had already formed an alliance with the Jimo family, and the Jimo family held the “Xian Nong Quanshu,” which allowed for four harvests a year—why couldn’t they send aid?

The Shentu family had been loyal to the Zhongli family for a hundred years!

They had risked their lives for the Zhongli family, even sacrificing their own daughters to keep peace between the two families.

They had done everything in their power to maintain harmony during these chaotic times, to protect their people and civilians. Yet in the end, they couldn’t even spare a little food.

Why?

Because the Zhongli family was too busy dealing with the rebellious Jiufang family? Did they not want to weaken their own strength?

“Shiying.”

Shentu Xiang looked at the distant army of demons in the snowstorm and said to his daughter beside him:

“When the city falls, take my head and the entire wealth of the Shentu family, and go appease the wrath of that demon lord. Do not be greedy, do not hold anything back. If we do not offer gold and silver voluntarily, they will certainly slaughter the city to make up for their military expenses.”

“At that time, not only will the citizens of the city be slaughtered, but all the members of the Shentu family will be wiped out.”

Jiuyou is not a place of wealth, and the demons are not merciful. Even human armies will resort to sacking cities to maintain the loyalty of their troops and to replenish their resources. What hope did they have against these demons?

Shentu Shiying hesitated, then asked:

“…Father, if you were given another chance to sever ties with the Zhongli family and ally with the Jimo family, would you?”

Shentu Xiang looked at his daughter in confusion.

He sighed and patted her head.

“Do not blame your father for being shortsighted.”

“The young lady from the Jimo family is no ordinary person. The Jimo family will eventually become as large as the Zhongli family. In the world of aristocratic families, whether you ally with them or with the Zhongli family, there is no difference.”

Shentu Shiying tightly gripped the jade slip in her hand.

No.

She didn’t feel that way.

She had a strong intuition.

Jimo Gui… was different from them.

On the coldest day of winter, within a single day, the cities of Qingtong, Shitou, and Xuantie were all breached by the Demon Ghost army.

Upon receiving the news, the Zhongli family could only sigh helplessly, powerless to intervene.

The Jiufang family remained calm and composed, still in constant conflict with the Zhongli family, pressing forward step by step, using the Jiufang family’s retreat as a condition to fix the Heavenly Armor Thirty-One.

The major families in Yujing watched the rapidly shifting tides of power. Some were busy realigning their strategies, while others sought connections with the Jiufang family.

In contrast, the usually bustling Yinshan family estate suddenly became much quieter.

Tan Ning listened to the rumors outside but said nothing, instead, focusing intently on his cultivation.

The tenth day after the city fell.

The cold plum blossoms begin to bloom, signaling that the harshest part of winter has passed.

The battle reports finally arrived from the city that had been breached by the demon spirits.

— Three cities, and not a single one was massacred!

Jiu Fang held this unexpected report, and his usually calm and composed face slowly froze, becoming heavier than ever before.