Side Story 11

For nearly ten years since becoming a demon, the torment of each night was like burning Yin Ze alive, yet he never mentioned it to Zi Xiu. This was because Zi Xiu was clearly unaware of his agreement with the Heavenly Emperor, and so he believed that Yin Ze would remain a demon forever and placed his full trust in him. In his final days, he didn’t want to owe anyone anything, including this demon lord who had once been his thousand-year enemy.

In truth, he had only two goals for becoming a demon: to find a way to prevent the Luo River from drying up and to see Luo Wei one more time. Unfortunately, after ten years, he had made no progress in either. To prevent the Luo River from drying up, he would have to make the universe smaller, but even Yuanshi Tianzun couldn’t do something so against the laws of nature. As for Luo Wei, she had never left Su Zhao, and Su Zhao was already under the Heavenly Emperor’s watch. In his current condition, he couldn’t freely control his demonic energy, nor could he enter Su Zhao. So, the only time he saw Luo Wei again was when she and Xuan Yue went out on their own.

In that vast expanse of high mountains, the frost flowers were scattered by the wind. Xuan Yue had transformed into a white tiger, and she lay on its high back, her spine straight, her snow-white robes flowing, and her eyes as deep as ice. As the wind swept across the plains, her long, snowy hair fluttered in the wind, but her eyes remained unwavering. If it weren’t for her unchanging face, Yin Ze would have thought it was someone else.

“Could this really be Wei’er?” After a hundred years, even her voice when speaking to Xuan Yue had become much deeper and steadier. Forty years had passed since they last met, and she was both so familiar and so foreign. Now, he was no longer the lofty Cang Ying God, and she was no longer the young woman with the smiling almond eyes. They were no longer who they used to be. Even if they met again, they might not recognize each other.

It was Xi He, who had secretly followed her, that gave Yin Ze a momentary sense of warmth. The little girl, with her nimble movements, bore a striking resemblance to the young Wei’er. Seeing Xi He, Yin Ze felt his heart melt for the first time in a long while. All these years, he had never had the chance to reunite with his daughter and her father. He felt immense guilt towards her and yearned to see his daughter more. When he finally revealed himself to Luo Wei on the third night and was forced to stay in the next room, his wish was finally granted.

Under the swaying red lights and the moonlit clouds, who was that beautiful girl on the steps? With her slender waist and flowing robes, her white fox fur against her porcelain skin, and her skirt like ten miles of green lotus grass, she was the little princess of Su Zhao. She was playing with a young bird, both lively and delicate, and if she were to cry, it would be like a string of precious pearls. Yin Ze stood in the darkness, watching his daughter’s figure, searching her eyes for the shadow of young Luo Wei, but he suddenly realized that the bird she was playing with was a flying demon bird. Moreover, its eyes glowed red as it sucked the life force from Xi He.

If he revealed himself now, Luo Wei might suspect something. After some thought, he forced the demon bird back into the room and returned it to its original form. Xi He’s cry finally brought Luo Wei over.

However, just as Xi He had her mother’s good qualities, she also had her mother’s flaws. She was as stubborn as a mule, and even when she stepped into a coffin, she wouldn’t shed a tear. She had once again caught a Henggong fish, which attracted a large creature, a míng shé. Although Xi He was a headache, she did at least give him a chance to show himself.

When the míng shé fell, he sheathed his sword and turned back to face Luo Wei, standing behind her. The heart that had been corrupted by demonic energy began to pound again.

“You can do whatever you want with me, just please let my daughter go.”

Hearing her mature and steady tone, he finally realized that no matter how much they had changed, the blood of their affection would only grow stronger with time.

When he turned around and saw Luo Wei and Xi He, he realized that this was probably the happiest moment of his life.

However, he could only stand at a distance and talk to her like a stranger. When she asked his name, he could only think of a new name and reply coldly, “Shattered Sea.”

Shattered Sea, a Buddhist term meaning the sea of suffering. He had spent the thirty years he missed Luo Wei the most in the Shattered Sea Heart Tower. The name was truly fitting for him.

Everything was good when he was with Luo Wei and Xi He, except for the annoying follower, Su Shu. He noticed that Su Shu was the spirit of Su Lian and felt a familiar divine power, but he didn’t know where it came from. He didn’t care about Su Shu, he just wanted to focus on his wife and daughter... Thinking of the words “wife and daughter”, he had to face the fact that Luo Wei was not his wife.

But that no longer mattered.

He only knew that the remaining time he would spend with Luo Wei would be the happiest days of the past forty years.