AUOF - 61

With Ji Xun providing cover, Sang Li charged straight into the Fuqu Palace.

All the hidden guards stationed outside had been wiped out by their combined efforts, allowing Sang Li to enter the inner hall effortlessly.

The Fuqu Palace was brightly lit with candles.

This palace was different from any other in the Demon Realm. It was adorned with pearl-encrusted walls and carved jade structures, its towering halls intricately decorated. It seemed as if all the finest treasures had been piled here, showcasing the importance and favor bestowed upon its occupant.

In the center, a curtain concealed the figure within, faint breathing sounds emanating from behind it.

Sang Li’s expression remained grim as she approached step by step.

Cui Wanning seemed to hear the commotion. “Chun Ling, is that you?”

Sang Li held her Huagu Ling like a blade, gripping it tightly between her fingers. Her eyes reflected in the candlelight were cold and emotionless.

“Chun Ling?”

A delicate wrist extended, pulling back the curtain.

She looked up, only to meet not Chun Ling, but Sang Li.

Sang Li gazed down at her from above.

When she wasn’t smiling, her fox-like eyes drooped slightly, exuding an air of intimidation.

Cui Wanning’s heart skipped a beat, and she immediately called for help.

Ignoring her cries, Sang Li tightened her grip on the Huagu Ling and thrust it forward.

Cui Wanning shrieked and dodged, tumbling off the bed in a rather undignified manner.

In her panic, she knocked over a nearby sword stand. Though the sword was merely decorative, Cui Wanning grabbed it without hesitation and pointed it at Sang Li—

“Sang Li—! Have you gone mad?!”

“This is the Fuqu Palace! I am the Demon Lord’s Consort Ningyue! As my subordinate, do you dare attempt to harm me?!”

The fear in her eyes was genuine.

In Cui Wanning’s estimation, Sang Li would never have escaped the trap. If she dared approach Liu Liu, corpse insects would have swarmed her! Even if Sang Li managed to escape and harbored resentment towards her, she wouldn’t dare act now.

She was certain Sang Li lacked the courage!

Cui Wanning trembled as she looked at the Huagu Ling in Sang Li’s hand. Could it really be that it alone allowed her to evade the layers of danger? Impossible… She must have had help!

“Sang Li, so you’ve truly... betrayed the Demon Realm?”

“Betrayal?” Sang Li couldn’t help but sneer. “We were never of the same ilk. There was no trust to begin with, so how can there be betrayal? Speaking of harm, I’d like to ask Consort Ning, why did you harm me, my donkey, and Liu Liu when we’ve never had any enmity?”

Images of the past flashed through her mind one after another. Her shoulders quivered, and the ice blade in her hand shook with anger and frustration.

Both women stood facing each other with swords drawn. Cui Wanning couldn’t utter a single word.

Sang Li launched another attack. However, this being her first time truly attempting to kill someone, her resolve wavered, causing her strike to miss and giving Cui Wanning an opening.

Cui Wanning scrambled toward the exit, just in time to see Chun Ling returning. Seeing her as a savior, she shouted desperately: “Quickly, call for help—!”

Sang Li pursued closely behind. Chun Ling screamed “Miss!” and abandoned the medicine bowl, preparing to rush to her aid.

Suddenly—

A tall figure appeared out of nowhere, blocking her path.

At first, Cui Wanning felt relieved, mistaking him for one of the hidden guards. But she quickly realized something was amiss.

The man wore a dark robe, its hem embroidered with shadowy patterns.

He stood tall and broad, his back straight as a pine tree. Even without seeing his face, the oppressive aura radiating from his silhouette froze the surroundings.

So familiar...

Vaguely resembling the figure she had seen at Gui Chui Ridge.

Cui Wanning’s throat tightened, and it took her a moment to shout—

“Chun Ling! Run!”

But it was too late.

Ji Xun summoned countless fine needles, piercing her body like a beehive.

Her screams echoed endlessly.

It didn’t end there. The needles transformed into venomous insects inside her body, burrowing through her wounds into her organs, voraciously devouring her insides.

“Ah! Ah! It hurts!”

Chun Ling writhed on the ground, screaming in pain.

Ji Xun remained indifferent, unwilling to grant her a quick death.

“It hurts! Miss, save me! Save me!”

Chun Ling stretched out her arms, blood flowing from her seven orifices as she pleaded for mercy.

Cui Wanning’s wide eyes shed two streams of hot tears unconsciously.

She wanted to beg for Chun Ling’s life, but knowing she herself was in grave danger, she chose to endure. This was the Demon Palace; as long as she could hold out until Master Yan arrived, she wouldn’t die.

Cui Wanning crawled to Sang Li’s feet, clutching her robes and pleading incessantly: “Ali, it wasn’t me… Liu Liu has always been with me. How could I possibly harm her? I remember... that day, Liu Liu wanted to plead for your forgiveness, but Lord Yan was furious and silenced her voice. Afterward, he removed Liu Liu from my side. I don’t know what happened after that. You...”

Trust me.

Before those two words could leave her lips, a blade as cold as snow pierced through her chest.

She stared in disbelief at the blood seeping from her wound, unable to comprehend how decisively Sang Li had acted.

For a moment, Cui Wanning felt no pain. She merely gazed at Sang Li with confusion, her eyes reminiscent of the spring rain in Jiangnan.

Tears gathered in Sang Li’s eyes, yet her face remained as still as stagnant water.

The light in Cui Wanning’s eyes dimmed like a dying candle flame. Her arm hit the ground with a thud, and she collapsed at Sang Li’s feet, lifeless.

The Huagu Ling absorbed the bloodstains, leaving no trace behind.

Sang Li lowered her gaze, staring fixedly at Cui Wanning’s lifeless body. A sense of satisfaction mingled with an indescribable heaviness weighed on her heart.

“Let’s go.”

Outside, hurried footsteps echoed—it was clear that Yan Jinglou had arrived with reinforcements.

Ji Xun scooped up the injured person and leapt away from Fuqu Palace.

By the time Yan Jinglou reached the scene, all he found was Chun Ling’s body, completely devoured, and Cui Wanning lying in a pool of blood.

The scarlet stains reflected in his eyes, fear gripping him, veins on his forehead pulsating as if about to burst through his skin.

He strode forward and lifted her up.

First, he checked her breathing—she was already dead. Her heart had stopped beating.

Her soul had not yet dissipated because the Fan Sha flower was still holding it together.

Yan Jinglou clutched her tightly, recklessly transferring his own life force into the Fan Sha flower within her. Only this could temporarily keep her alive.

Finally, she managed to take a faint, shallow breath.

The excessive outflow of spiritual energy had left him mentally exhausted. Yan Jinglou quickly stopped, his pale face making his dark, menacing eyes appear even more terrifying.

“Master—!”

Shao Jun rushed over, too panicked to pay respects. “It’s bad news! The real Liuyan Pearl... it’s been stolen!”

Yan Jinglou glared at him. “What did you say?”

Shao Jun knelt down, kowtowing, too afraid to respond.

The entire hall was suffused with Yan Jinglou’s leaking rage. It felt like a heavy blow struck him directly; his figure seemed to shrink, leaving only a violent fury etched across his face.

“Send out the order,” Yan Jinglou said, his voice eerily calm. “Summon the thirty-two halls. Capture Sang Li alive. Whether in the three mountains and four seas or at the ends of the earth, find her.”

The last few words were spoken with clenched teeth, almost tearing his jaw apart.

________________________________________

Sang Li and Ji Xun fled the Demon Realm, arriving at a willow grove in the mortal world.

She buried Liu Liu’s bundle of withered branches here, casting a spell. She believed that by next year, a new sprout would emerge.

It was springtime.

Even under the night sky, this willow grove didn’t appear desolate but rather lush and vibrant. Under the shimmering moonlight, it stretched out like an endless emerald sea.

Sang Li didn’t linger for long, nor did she grieve for too long.

She knew well that now was not the time to indulge in sorrow—even a brief moment of crying could put her in grave danger.

She turned around, noticing the figure lingering not far away lifting their gaze.

In that instant their eyes met, Sang Li paused briefly before walking over.

“Ji Hengyu.”

“Mm.”

Sang Li pursed her lips, carefully taking out the box.

Holding the box, she hesitated, struggling to find the words. After rolling them over in her throat several times, she finally spoke: “Can I take the Liuyan Pearl with me?”

“This one is fake.” Ji Xun immediately pointed out, opening his palm and pulling out the real Liuyan Pearl without hesitation. “This is the real one.”

It was a pearl the size of a palm.

Its flame resembled a crouching crow. In this land teeming with treasures, it wasn’t particularly rare, but it could protect what she wanted to safeguard.

Sang Li slowly raised her head.

Ji Xun was also looking at her, his eyes dark as jade.

“If I wanted it...”

“You can have it.”

Before Sang Li could finish her sentence, Ji Xun nodded in agreement.

He even conjured another box to hold the real pearl, swapping it with the fake one.

Holding the real Liuyan Pearl, Sang Li’s emotions were complex.

“You’re not going to ask what I plan to do with it?”

“No.” After saying that, Ji Xun paused, perhaps feeling it came off as dismissive. He added, “Do what you wish.”

[Do what you wish.]

Sang Li caressed the patterns on the box. Those six simple words stirred an overwhelming wave of bittersweet feelings within her. Clutching the box, she slowly sat down on the ground.

After some thought, Ji Xun mimicked her and sat beside her.

In truth, Sang Li herself didn’t know what she wanted to do.

At first, she simply wanted to survive, leave Gui Xu, leave the Demon Realm, and find a good place for the little fox’s kin to live. But gradually, she realized it wasn’t that simple. On the contrary, it felt impossibly distant and exceedingly difficult.

Now, having killed Cui Wanning, Yan Jinglou certainly wouldn’t let her go easily.

“I feel like you’re not really Ji Hengyu anymore.” Her tone was both reflective and earnest.

Ji Xun’s expression trembled slightly.

Her profile was serene, but devoid of its former vitality, leaving him feeling helpless.

“This isn’t my true form.”

Almost involuntarily, Ji Xun uttered those words.

“I know.” Sang Li nodded, unsurprised. “A puppet—I understand.”

Ji Hengyu wasn’t a reckless fool. How could he possibly bring his real body here?

Most likely, just like Yan Jinglou, he created a puppet and controlled it with his consciousness. Even so, it still astonished her.

Ji Xun wanted to explain further, but after some thought, he realized he had no right to justify himself.

To Sang Li, he was indeed no different from a puppet—perhaps with just an extra heart that didn’t belong to him.

At this moment, that heart conveyed emotions belonging to someone else.

Sadness, grief, indecision—all stemmed from Sang Li. He empathized deeply, feeling low alongside her.

Sang Li tilted her head toward the moon.

The scenery of the mortal world wasn’t as breathtaking as that of the immortal realm, but it offered the peace she most desired.

“Actually, I wanted to ask this last time.” Her eyelashes fluttered slightly, then after a pause, she looked over at him with such candor that Ji Xun instantly guessed what she was about to say.

“Do you like me?”

Ji Xun’s heart skipped a beat. Though he had anticipated this outcome, hearing her say it aloud brought a powerful wave of unease and disarray crashing over him.

His master was a man without emotions.

No one understood Ji Hengyu better than Ji Xun did. He was calm, proud, decisive in killing, and free of desires. In the myriad paths he sought, there was no place for “emotion.”

—The silken worm controlling him clearly resided in another person, yet he wasn’t swayed by the worm’s control but moved instead by emotion.

Ji Xun’s clenched fist slowly relaxed. “Yes.”

Ji Xun suddenly wondered what her response would be.

If she agreed, then they would share mutual affection, their hearts connected. As a mere puppet, he naturally wouldn’t have the right to keep this heart. He would return to the sea of consciousness, once again becoming a wisp of malicious spirit. If she refused, showing no interest in Ji Hengyu, he could continue pretending nothing happened and stay by her side as her protector.

For some reason, Ji Xun leaned toward the latter.

He didn’t want Sang Li to fall for Ji Hengyu.

Even though he was his master, his true self.