Chapter 54: The King of Hell’s Wedding (34)
When Cui Yu said those words, they were very likely spoken in anger. But as Jian Yuntai listened from the side, his heart felt heavy as well.
At times like this, he would think back to the first round. Back then, Cui Yu had burned the King of Hell as if he were the Child-Giver Guanyin, and he had immediately felt much better. No matter what had happened in the past, at least a thousand years later, Cui Yu would no longer endure the King of Hell the way he had when he was young.
People were always growing up. Cui Yu was no exception.
In the past, Jian Yuntai had always believed that the instance NPCs were nothing more than pre-set “programs,” and that their emotions were not truly real. However, after going through two instances, his thoughts had changed drastically.
Perhaps what Fatty had said about the “parallel time loop” theory was not entirely wrong: the people inside the instances might truly exist. It was just that they were anchored to a certain moment in time, endlessly repeating the same yet slightly different lives. Of course, this theory had not received any academic recognition. Fatty had majored in human geography, so writing a doctoral dissertation on something like this had really been outside his field.
While he was thinking about all this, Yan Luo was suspended by silver chains. His expression was tangled with regret and remorse. In the end, he actually pouted and burst into loud sobs, his wailing startling countless birds into flight in the forest.
Because he was choking on his tears, his words were slurred and incoherent. Jian Yuntai could not understand what he was saying at all.
Cui Yu could not understand him either.
After a brief stalemate, Cui Yu suddenly withdrew the silver chains and shot Yan Luo a cold glance. “From today onward, I will move out of Chenyue Ridge.”
“?!” The King of Hell’s crying abruptly stopped. He stared at Cui Yu in shock. He seemed to want to speak and persuade him to stay, but Cui Yu had already stepped onto the clouds and left without looking back.
Darkness fell over Jian Yuntai’s vision again, and his consciousness sank sharply. When he opened his eyes once more, he had returned to the foot of Chenyue Ridge. The sword marks had now reached nearly three hundred.
By this calculation, almost another hundred and fifty years had passed. Chenyue Ridge had changed tremendously.
In the previous two times, the roads had been wrapped in immortal mist. Although the lesser immortals had gossiped behind others’ backs, it was clear they had lived comfortably, carrying an air of innocence untouched by the world.
But this time was different.
All the immortals on the road were brimming with anger, their brows filled with displeasure. Each step they took kicked up clouds of dust, as if their resentment were physically pressing into the ground.
“Lord of Dawn went to exterminate demons and ended up bringing back a little ash-smeared immortal. This was utterly ridiculous! Did Chenyue Ridge not have a lady of the house anymore? How could he be so heartless and unfaithful?”
“Forget the Moon Immortal—even I couldn’t stand it. Do you know how many years it took for those two high immortals to confess their feelings to each other back then? If they hadn’t shared that spiritual resonance, they might not have achieved a happy union even until now. It was already so difficult, yet Lord of Dawn didn’t cherish it at all!”
“Wasn’t it because Miss Yan Xiang was frail and had no one to rely on that Lord of Dawn pitied her and brought her back?”
“Frail and alone? I’m frail and alone too! Why couldn’t Lord of Dawn pity me? Which of the lower immortals in Chenyue Ridge wasn’t frail and alone? Lord of Dawn was truly acting absurdly.”
“That wasn’t the important part. Have you all forgotten? When Miss Yan Xiang was brought back, she had been gravely injured and on the verge of death. Lord of Dawn had exhausted his own immortal essence to reconstruct her physical body! With no kin, no ties, and no prior favor, she was treated so generously. That day, High Immortal Cui Yu had been so furious he had almost killed Yan Xiang on the spot. If the Moon Immortal hadn’t stepped in out of compassion for life, Yan Xiang would have long since died!”
Jian Yuntai listened from the side, his pupils trembling slightly. His mind was left with only one thought: That was a massive amount of information!
Just as he was about to keep listening, the gossiping immortals suddenly fell silent. As if by prior agreement, they lowered their heads in fear.
Following their line of sight, he saw the Moon Immortal standing outside the palace, her gaze lowered as she looked down upon the masses. Her back was straight, as if she carried an unyielding pride within her bones. Her moon-bright eyes held a trace of sternness.
“Who gave you the courage to discuss High Immortals behind their backs?!”
All the immortals hurriedly knelt and kowtowed, trembling and not daring to rise, their faces growing even more fearful.
No one dared to speak.
It was not just them who had been gossiping about High Immortals.
By now, the entire Heavenly Court had been spreading rumors about this matter. These immortals had at least been speaking up for the Moon Immortal, but the ones outside would not. Countless embellished and scandalous versions of the story had already spread beyond these grounds. No matter the version, the Moon Immortal was always portrayed as the pitiful one who had been abandoned.
A deathly silence fell outside the palace.
A cold wind swept through, stirring everyone’s hair and sending dust swirling into the air. The surrounding grass and vines already showed signs of withering.
After a long silence, the Moon Immortal’s brows twitched slightly, and she quickly glanced behind her. She did not punish the gossiping immortals. She merely told them to leave at once and not to offend again.
Before long, three people walked out of the palace.
Jian Yuntai’s spirits lifted. He quickly stood on tiptoe to look up— all three had black hair.
Cui Yu was not there. Why wasn’t he there?
Oh right. He had moved out.
The excitement that had just risen in Jian Yuntai’s heart quickly settled back down. He walked up dozens of steps before reaching the three of them. The Moon Immortal also drifted down on clouds, landing lightly beside them.
No sooner had she steadied herself than the King of Hell’s voice rang out, full of confusion and dissatisfaction. “I only took Yan Xiang to the Immortal Ceremony to have some fun. What was wrong with that?”
Lord of Dawn frowned deeply as he replied, “Yan Xiang’s body had only just been reconstructed. Her soul was unstable, yet you let her run around everywhere. Were you trying to get her killed?”
The King of Hell disagreed even more. “Didn’t I already say I would protect her?”
Lord of Dawn’s brows remained tightly knit. “No means no!”
The two argued earnestly. Even though the Moon Immortal had already descended beside them, neither of them noticed her.
Jian Yuntai could not help but click his tongue at the sight.
Many livestream viewers felt the same and began flooding the chat with sympathy for Cui Yu’s mother.
“Even though the Moon Immortal’s expression didn’t change and she still looked lofty and pure, maybe her heart had already gone cold. Her husband and eldest son were arguing over the same woman, and the only son who cared about her feelings had already moved out early on.”
“My goodness, you can’t blame Cui Yu for this! It was lucky he moved out. Otherwise, he would have had to suffer through this too. Just looking at this scene is suffocating.”
“Damn, did this Yan Xiang pick up some ancient Mary Sue script or something? She wasn’t even that good-looking!”
While many viewers were commenting on Yan Xiang’s appearance, Jian Yuntai also stepped closer to take a better look.
Frail and alone—that description had been completely accurate.
Jian Yuntai could not help but frown. Perhaps because of his own upbringing, he did not like people who were overly weak and could only depend on others. Regardless of gender, he did not like that type.
The Yan Xiang before him was about five feet tall, much shorter than everyone else present. She did not look very old. Her complexion was dull and grayish, as if a layer of incense ash had been dusted over her face. Her eyes were filled with naive innocence. At this moment, she was trembling and shrinking behind Yan Luo.
She seemed somewhat afraid of Lord of Dawn.
After watching quietly for a while, Moon Immortal suddenly spoke in a calm tone. “Do you like Yan Xiang?”
She did not address anyone in particular. Both Lord of Dawn and Yan Luo turned around at the same time, only then noticing that the Moon Immortal was standing beside them.
The anger that had still lingered in Lord of Dawn’s eyes immediately melted into tenderness the moment he saw her. Meanwhile, Yan Luo’s face flushed bright red. Stammering, he said, “Mother, wh-what are you saying? How could you ask something like that so directly?”
Moon Immortal’s expression did not change. She asked again, “Did you like her?”
Yan Luo’s face grew even redder, embarrassment and irritation mixing together. Before he could speak, Lord of Dawn’s expression suddenly darkened, and he scolded, “Don’t entertain thoughts you shouldn’t be having!”
Yan Luo froze for a moment, as if he had been struck at the core. He shot back angrily, “What do you mean by ‘thoughts I shouldn’t be having’? In what position are you saying that to me?”
Lord of Dawn’s lips twitched slightly. “I was your father. Of course I was speaking from a father’s position.”
“…?” Yan Luo stared at him in disbelief. “You only sired me but never raised me—what kind of father did that make you?!”
That single sentence was like a spark thrown into a powder keg. The already tense atmosphere exploded at once.
Lord of Dawn, furious, drew his sword. Yan Luo shouted, “What are you feeling guilty about?!” and raised his sword to block. In just a few leaps, the two of them had flown down the steps, the clang of clashing blades ringing out repeatedly.
Only the Moon Immortal and Yan Xiang remained before the hall.
Along with Jian Yuntai, who was watching the commotion from the side, and the hundreds of thousands of viewers clicking their tongues in amazement.
Even though father and son were already fighting below, the atmosphere before the hall was still relatively calm. The Moon Immortal’s voice softened as she gently asked, “How old are you now?”
Yan Xiang answered timidly, “Fifty years old.”
The Moon Immortal smiled. “Then you are still a child.”
Her faint smile was as radiant as the sun and moon shining together, her white hair gleaming behind her.
Yan Xiang no longer seemed as frightened as before. She stared blankly at the Moon Immortal, utterly captivated, and said dreamily, “Older Sister, you were so beautiful. Just as beautiful as the older brother who almost strangled me with a silver chain that day.”
The Moon Immortal covered her mouth as she laughed softly. “You’ve mixed up the generations. Since you called Cui Yu ‘older brother,’ you couldn’t call me ‘older sister.’”
“Then what should I call you?”
“You could simply address me by my title—High Immortal Moon Immortal.”
“High Immortal Moon Immortal,” Yan Xiang obediently repeated.
Moon Immortal let out a quiet sigh. After hesitating for a moment, she said, “Cui Yu had also been acting out of anger that day. You… you must not blame him. I had already spoken to him. He would not try to kill you again in the future.”
The viewers in front of their screens silently clutched their hearts.
“Sisters, I’ve fallen in love with Moon Immortal qaq.”
“LMAO then you’d be messing up the family tree. My wife’s husband’s mother is your wife—so who are you to me?”
“I thought that while the father and son were fighting below, Moon Immortal would tear apart the homewrecker above. Didn’t expect her to be this calm… She didn’t even seem to hate Yan Xiang that much.”
“Yan Xiang didn’t count as a homewrecker, right? It’s still unclear what the situation was. With Moon Immortal’s stubborn and proud personality, even if Yan Xiang had taken her place, she probably wouldn’t have targeted Yan Xiang. She would’ve gone after Lord of Dawn instead. Lord of Dawn was the one who betrayed her.”
As the two were speaking, a streak of sword energy suddenly shot toward them—it was Yan Luo who had lost control for a moment. The Moon Immortal had her back to the incoming strike. Her reaction was sluggish by several seconds before she waved her sleeve and deflected it.
She hissed softly. A cut had opened across her palm, drawing blood.
Yan Xiang was far too weak. Even though the Moon Immortal had deflected the sword energy, the aftershock still sent Yan Xiang flying backward. She let out a scream and fell heavily to the ground in an extremely disheveled state.
The father and son immediately stopped fighting. They rose on clouds and rushed back to the front of the hall, running toward Yan Xiang.
“Are you alright?!” the King of Hell asked as he helped her up.
Lord of Dawn frowned tightly. “Were you injured?”
Yan Xiang was overwhelmed by the attention. She shook her hands and head repeatedly. “I’m fine. It was High Immortal Moon Immortal…” who had blocked it for her.
Before she could finish speaking, Yan Luo glared angrily at the Moon Immortal and demanded, “When the sword energy came at us, you only shielded yourself?!”
Moon Immortal froze at the accusation and immediately wanted to explain. But when she turned her head and saw that Lord of Dawn was also looking at her with reproach, her heart turned cold in an instant. She felt a deep sense of irony.
“…………” Jian Yuntai was rendered speechless.
She had blocked it! Moon Immortal had blocked it!
She had just reacted half a beat too slow and couldn’t stop it completely. Didn’t they see that her hand was bleeding?!
And wasn’t that sword energy caused by your own mistake?!
Under Moon Immortal’s mocking and heart-chilled gaze, Lord of Dawn seemed deeply concerned about Yan Xiang’s condition. He lifted her into the air and left, saying only, “I’ll go check whether her reconstructed body has been damaged again.”
Yan Luo, furious, immediately chased after him. His voice drifted back on the wind, “I did like her! I liked her the first moment I saw her! In what position were you competing with me for her?”
After the three of them left, it felt as though all the liveliness had been carried away at once. Only a cold sense of emptiness remained before the hall.
Moon Immortal raised her eyes and extended her hand slightly. A ray of morning light fell upon her pale palm. She tried to catch that beam of light, but no matter how tightly she curled her fingers, she couldn’t grasp it.
She let out a soft sigh and turned to walk back into the hall.
It was that same room again.
The first time Jian Yuntai had entered, it had been filled with children’s toys and many sets of men’s clothing. The second time, aside from Moon Immortal’s own belongings, only a few pieces of men’s clothing had remained.
This was the third time. The room now held only Moon Immortal’s personal items.
It had grown more desolate with each passing time.
Moon Immortal walked to the bookshelf, pulled out a volume, and began flipping through it. Only then did a sweet smile appear on her face.
Jian Yuntai had thought she was reading love letters she and Lord of Dawn had written to each other back in the day. But when he leaned in for a closer look—
[On the Twins’ 29th birthday celebration, he had still not returned from demon extermination. Cui Yu had spent a large sum of money to buy a bottle of fine wine to present to me. When I tasted it, I discovered it was water. I told him it was delicious, and he was very happy. Yan Luo took a sip and immediately burst out laughing. After that, Cui Yu angrily chased the merchant for eight hundred kilometers and snatched the money back.]
[On the Twins’ 32nd birthday celebration, he had not returned. Yan Luo broke Moon Elder’s chamber pot and, frightened, hid the fragments. When I asked him about it afterward, he remained silent. The following year, when a lesser immortal from Moon Elder’s palace renovated the immortal herbs, they discovered that he had hidden the chamber pot beneath the plants. When Moon Elder stormed over in fury to question him, Cui Yu replied coldly, “You entered it yourself and you exited it yourself. What was there to be angry about?” The Moon Elder grew even angrier and fell ill for several days, unable to get out of bed.]
“Hahahahahahaha why was Cui Yu like that? I’m dying of laughter. Was he saying Moon Elder ate what he produced himself? Moon Elder was both miserable and hilarious hhhhh.”
“Cui Yu had actually been scammed as a kid hahaha. He should’ve downloaded an anti-fraud app!”
“Chased him for eight hundred kilometers—Merchant: Take the money, take all of it! What rotten luck I had to scam you tat.”
Jian Yuntai couldn’t help laughing as well. He continued flipping through many years of Cui Yu’s childhood embarrassments.
When he reached the Twins’ fiftieth birthday, his smile froze.
[Cui Yu moved out of Chenyue Ridge.]
Moon Immortal gently brushed her fingers over the two characters “Cui Yu.” Tears gathered in her eyes. With reddened rims, she turned the page.
[On the Twins’ hundredth birthday celebration, great victory was achieved on the front lines. Lord of Dawn sent word that he would return soon. Enclosed with the letter was a gift for the Twins’ hundredth birthday. Yan Luo refused to see me. I took the gift to Cui Yu’s new residence. After a moment of silence, Cui Yu asked, “Will Father truly come back?” I nodded. Only then did he accept the gift.]
In the years recorded afterward, the chronicle became as bland as water. Cui Yu and Yan Luo had both come of age. They no longer had the reckless spirit of their childhood.
For many consecutive years, there was not even any mention of Cui Yu’s recent circumstances. He had grown increasingly steady, doing the same things day in and day out, leaving nothing worth recording.
When the chronicle reached its end, a lesser immortal stepped forward and bowed, asking, “High Immortal Moon Immortal, you had previously discussed with Lord of Dawn about holding the wedding ceremony again. Now that Lord of Dawn has returned, should the date be set?”
Moon Immortal closed the book and asked, “How is Cui Yu doing now? That day I had lectured him rather harshly. He must have felt wronged.”
The lesser immortal thought for a moment and replied, “High Immortal Cui Yu showed no abnormalities. Given how meticulous he was, he surely understood your good intentions. Killing would only have brought unnecessary karmic burden.”
Moon Immortal let out a breath of relief. “That was good.”
The lesser immortal hesitated and asked again, “Then the date for the wedding ceremony…?”
Moon Immortal also grew troubled. This was not something she could decide alone. She would have to consult Lord of Dawn—choose an auspicious day when both of them were free, and hold a lively ceremony.
With that thought, she rose onto the clouds and headed toward Cui Yu’s residence.
Over the past few days, Lord Chen had been helping Yan Xiang reconstruct her physical body, which required a safe and quiet place. The mountain peak where Cui Yu lived was the most suitable location.
The mountain towered high and massive. Cui Yu resided in an immortal palace at the summit, while Yan Xiang had been settled halfway up the mountainside.
The Moon Goddess did not know exactly where Yan Xiang was staying, so she first ascended to the peak, intending to ask Cui Yu.
As she hurried along, Jian Yuntai followed right behind her.
The wind lashed against his face the entire way. Jian Yuntai felt that Cui Yu’s mother was far more fiery and impetuous than he was. The way she drove that cloud—if Heaven had traffic patrols for speeding, Moon Immortal would definitely have been arrested.
They had only just steadied themselves after landing when a deep voice rang out: “Don’t tell Moon Immortal about Yan Xiang’s matter. With her temperament, she would absolutely never agree.”
Moon Immortal’s brows furrowed. She shifted her steps lightly and hid behind a massive peak, her straight back pressed tightly against the rock.
She had already felt somewhat chilled to the heart. But when another voice sounded, it was as if a bolt from a clear sky had struck her. She froze instantly.
“Father.” Cui Yu’s voice was calm.
Even Jian Yuntai was startled. He quickly craned his neck to look and saw Lord of Dawn standing side by side with Cui Yu.
From this angle, he couldn’t see Cui Yu’s expression clearly. He could only see the ends of his white hair bathed in a faint layer of moonlight. His figure was as bright and pure as the moon itself, yet the words he spoke were incomparably cruel:
“When did you intend to take Yan Xiang as a concubine?”
Moon Immortal raised a hand to cover her mouth, biting down hard to keep herself from making a sound. It was as if she had collapsed all at once. Her whole body trembled, tears pouring down like a spring.
Lord of Dawn replied at that moment, “The sooner the better. Tomorrow.”
“…………” Moon Immortal’s vision went black. A metallic taste surged up from her chest, and within seconds she spat out a mouthful of blood. She wiped the blood from her lips in disarray, summoned clouds through her tears, and flew away under the cover of the mountain peak. Her retreating figure looked like someone fleeing in panic, utterly lost and desolate.
The livestream viewers immediately erupted:
“Damn, Lord of Dawn was really a heartless scumbag?!”
“No way, Moon Immortal, you were eavesdropping—you had to listen to the whole thing! Leaving halfway through is killing me!”
Jian Yuntai did not follow Moon Immortal. Instead, he stepped forward and walked all the way to Cui Yu’s side.
Only up close did he realize that someone like Cui Yu, who rarely revealed his emotions, was now clearly displeased.
“You would only hurt Mother’s heart by doing this!”
“That was precisely why it had to be kept from her.” Lord of Dawn frowned deeply. “Say no more. I was doing this for her own good.”
Cui Yu clearly did not agree. Pressing his lips together, he said, “You didn’t even know what she truly wanted.”
“……” Lord of Dawn grew somewhat angry as well and said sternly, “This was exactly what she wanted most.”
Cui Yu turned away. “I will tell Mother the truth.”
Before he could leave, Lord of Dawn abruptly waved his hand.
A streak of fluorescent light shot straight into Cui Yu’s forehead. Cui Yu froze for a moment. “What did you do?”
“I have sealed your divine consciousness. You would not be able to tell Moon Goddess about these matters. Besides… once tomorrow arrives, everything will be over. I have my own fate to fulfill. Do not involve yourself any further.”
“……”
Cui Yu frowned at Lord of Dawn. Well-bred as he was, he could not utter any harsh words. He only said, “You would only bind yourself in your own cocoon,” before storming off in anger.
Jian Yuntai quickly hopped onto the cloud beneath his feet and followed.
By now, the livestream viewers were completely dumbfounded. Even Jian Yuntai himself felt confused.
The truth—what exactly was the truth Cui Yu had mentioned?
Taking a concubine was supposedly for Moon Goddess’s own good? Lord of Dawn had even said this was what she wanted most.
He truly could not understand.
……
……
Cui Yu was furious. After flying five kilometers away on his cloud, he suddenly remembered that he had been the one to leave his own bedchamber.
If anyone should leave, it should have been Lord of Dawn.
He paused midair for several minutes. His expression dark, he turned back and flew toward the mountain again, looking rather sullen.
Before he even neared the peak, strands of moonlight unraveled through the air and halted the cloud beneath his feet.
“Mother?” Cui Yu was slightly startled.
Jian Yuntai looked up as well, expecting to see a woman in complete disarray.
But he did not.
Moon Goddess still stood with her back straight, her white hair cascading behind her, embodying unyielding pride. Only the faint redness around her eyes betrayed that she had truly wept bitterly just moments before.
When she saw Cui Yu, her eyes were filled with complexity. “I heard every word you and Lord of Dawn just said.”
Cui Yu’s expression changed slightly. “……”
Her voice was hoarse as she forced herself to ask, “Tomorrow, your father intended to take Yan Xiang as a concubine. Was that true?”
Cui Yu immediately parted his lips, intending to reveal the truth. But when the words reached his mouth, it was as though something blocked his throat. No matter how hard he tried, he could not speak them.
In the end, he could only say stiffly, “It was not what you thought. Father had no feelings for Yan Xiang.”
“Then why was he taking a concubine?!” Moon Goddess demanded angrily.
“……”
Cui Yu’s face turned pale. He desperately wanted to say that Lord of Dawn had cast a spell on him—but even that sentence would not come out.
He could only remain silent.
As the two stood in confrontation, Jian Yuntai’s sharp eyes caught sight of a figure flashing behind the trees.
He jumped down from the cloud and jogged over to take a look. The livestream camera followed him.
The moment they saw clearly who it was, everyone was shocked.
“The King of Hell? Why was he here?!”
“Good grief, this whole family loved eavesdropping. The King of Hell’s face was practically green.”
“The King of Hell liked Yan Xiang, and the day after tomorrow she was supposed to become his stepmother. Of course his face was green.”
Before anyone could speculate further, the King of Hell’s gaze hardened. He quietly shifted his steps, turned, and left.
He did not disturb the two confronting each other ahead.
When Jian Yuntai returned to Cui Yu’s side, he did not know what had been said in the meantime. All he saw was that Moon Goddess looked utterly heartbroken. Choking and trembling, she said, “Even you would abandon me?”
Cui Yu’s face was deathly pale. “…… I did not.”
“Even you would abandon me!” Moon Goddess seemed unable to accept it. She looked at Cui Yu in utter despair, then fiercely swept her sleeve and forced back the Cui Yu who tried to approach her. When she spoke again, her voice was nothing but ice: “Go tell your father—on the day he wished to take a concubine would be the very day I held our wedding ceremony anew. He could only choose one. If tomorrow he did not come to the wedding ceremony, I would strip myself of my immortal rank—”
“In this disgusting world, I would rather return to being mere moonlight!”
After saying that, Moon Goddess no longer paid any attention to Cui Yu. She turned and left. Her steps were unsteady, yet her back remained ramrod straight.
Jian Yuntai, standing to the side, felt like he was about to suffocate from watching.
What on earth was Moon Goddess thinking?
In a situation like this, why would she choose to hurt herself?
If he put himself in her place—on the very day Cui Yu brought someone back—both he and the person he brought back would have died.
Jian Yuntai’s final act of mercy would have been to let the two of them die at the same time, in the same place, and be thrown into the same mass grave.
No. Jian Yuntai suddenly snapped back to himself.
Why was he placing Cui Yu into this hypothetical scenario? He and Cui Yu were not a couple in the real world.
When he turned his head again to look at Cui Yu, he saw that Cui Yu had lowered his eyes slightly. There was not a trace of color on his face, and his fingertips had curled faintly.
It was as if only after several long minutes did he finally catch his breath. His steps faltered, and he looked as though he was about to fall.
Jian Yuntai instinctively stepped forward to support him, but his hand passed straight through Cui Yu’s body.
Cui Yu swayed for a moment, then braced himself against the stone wall and steadied himself on his own. In the desolate valley, the chill seeped through his entire body.
Many of the livestream viewers were so distressed they almost winced in pain:
“Damn!! Cui Yu didn’t betray Moon Goddess! Cui Yu was way too miserable. I seriously don’t even know what to say anymore.”
“If I were Cui Yu, I would’ve been completely numb. I’d have jumped into a lake and killed myself on the spot. Stuck between his parents, with a stubborn father scheming who-knows-what, and a mother… his mother’s good, but she shouldn’t have misunderstood little Cui Yu like this!”
“Did you all forget there’s still Brother Yan Luo? I’ve got a bad feeling about him. The look in his eyes when he left just now was really off.”
“But I still don’t understand. Seeing all this, I don’t think Cui Yu was disgraceful at all. I just think he was tragic.”
“!!! Suddenly remembered Sun Bin’s destined person. Zhang Zhiyan said—Cui Yu killed his mother!”
“And Yan Luo—he killed his father!”
“Hiss—Jian Dadan, protect me. I’m scared.”
As the saying went, what you feared would come true. The viewers feared that Yan Luo would stir up trouble—and he really did.
When Cui Yu arrived at Yan Xiang’s residence, he found only a note left on the table, written in Lord of Dawn’s handwriting:
—Yan Luo eloped with Yan Xiang. Come quickly and help me capture them.
Cui Yu’s figure stiffened. He immediately turned and strode out. Just as he was about to summon clouds to fly, he suddenly remembered that Moon Goddess had asked him to pass along a message. Now that Lord of Dawnwas nowhere to be found, there was no way for Cui Yu to deliver it.
After a moment of thought, he picked up a brush and wrote a letter. With a flick of his fingertip, the letter caught the wind and flew away—
Toward the direction of Chenyue Ridge.
…
…
A cold wind howled. The crescent moon was dim and without light.
By the stream, two figures hurried past. Yan Luo was almost dragging Yan Xiang as they ran wildly.
“Father! Yan Xiang loves me, not you. Just let us be together!”
Behind them, Lord of Dawn was furious beyond measure.
“Stop!”
Yan Luo glanced back in terror and saw Lord of Dawn slash out a fierce streak of sword light. His heart felt both desolate and shocked—he had never expected his father to truly harbor killing intent toward him.
Before he could even curse aloud, he suddenly realized that the sword light was not aimed at him—it was aimed at Yan Xiang!
Father actually wanted to kill Yan Xiang?!
Wasn’t he supposed to take her as a concubine?
In that critical moment, Yan Luo cast aside all distracting thoughts and instinctively rushed in front of Yan Xiang, using his own body as a shield.
Clang! Clang!
Lord of Dawn’s expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly withdrew his sword. A ruthless glint flashed through Yan Luo’s eyes. Seizing the opening, he raised his sword and thrust back. The treasured sword that Lord of Dawn had personally gifted him years ago was now personally driven by him into Lord of Dawn’s chest.
Squelch—
Blood sprayed three feet into the air.
Lord of Dawn drove the sword tip-down into the ground and bent over, coughing up a large mouthful of blood. Bright red streams continued to flow, pooling at his feet into one small puddle after another. The sight was horrifying.
Yan Xiang was so frightened she could not stop crying.
Yan Luo was stunned as well. “You—you’ve become this weak? I thought you would block it!”
Yan Xiang cried, “He used his origin immortal power to reconstruct my physical body. He even personally went to the Three Lives Stone and tied a red fate string between me and him. That red string could last only a few days at most, yet even so it consumed an enormous amount of his immortal power. Yan Luo, Yan Luo! I told you long ago that we shouldn’t have run away on our own! You can’t save me—this will only make things worse and worse!”
Every word was clearly understandable on its own, yet strung together, Yan Luo could not comprehend them at all.
He stared at Lord of Dawn several times in shock and muttered, “You—you tied a red fate string with Yan Xiang? And why did you want to take her as a concubine?”
“For you—for Moon Goddess!” Yan Xiang finally broke down completely, collapsing to the ground in tears. “I was originally dust from the incense burner before the Buddha, pure by nature. Many years ago, out of curiosity, I slipped out of the Buddha’s hall and accidentally wandered into the demon realm, where Lord of Dawn saved me.”
“At that time, he told me clearly that he saved me only so he could kill me in the future. I was born from Buddha’s ash, the purest of all. If a red fate string were tied to me, I would be the best possible vessel for transferring shared sensation—there would be no room for error. To deceive the workings of heaven and prevent the red string from breaking too soon, he had to take me as a concubine.”
To Yan Luo, every single word struck like a nail through his heart.
Years ago, after he forced Moon Goddess to tell him about the matter of shared sensation transfer, she had never been able to let it go. She had run about repeatedly, trying to sever the shared sensation between her two sons.
However… to transfer shared sensation, one would have to find another “vessel.” With Moon Goddess’s temperament, how could she possibly transfer something so curse-like onto an innocent person?
She had exhausted herself for years, pouring her heart and soul into it, yet to no avail.
As time passed, the hostility around Moon Goddess grew heavier and heavier, and she became increasingly paranoid. When sending letters to Lord of Dawn, she had often complained about this matter, almost as if she had been possessed by inner demons.
“Moon Goddess pitied all living beings and was unwilling to harm a weak life. Lord o fDawn instructed me not to tell her about this—she would certainly never agree,” Yan Xiang sobbed again. “You have misunderstood Moon Goddess all along. The moment I saw her, I knew her heart was pure and sacred. She even showed compassion to me—how could she not love her own children? How could she have deliberately given birth to you just to transfer shared sensation?”
Yan Luo’s face turned from shock to a deathly pallor. He opened his mouth several times, but not a single word came out.
When he thought about the way Moon Goddess had looked at him over the years when he had pressed her for answers, Yan Luo felt as though sharp blades were stabbing repeatedly into the tip of his heart. All he felt was overwhelming regret.
By this point, Yan Xiang’s face was already filled with pain. “My life was saved by Lord of Dawn. He had said long ago that he would take it back someday. But I was afraid. I didn’t want to die. I wanted to live well. I was wrong. I shouldn’t have repaid kindness with betrayal and run away with you—”
Before she could even finish her sentence, in a flash of lightning speed, Lord of Dawn suddenly used the last of his strength and swung his sword fiercely.
The sword energy struck Yan Luo, knocking him straight back into the stream. With a loud bang, his head hit a massive rock in the water, and he fainted on the spot.
Yan Xiang was even more fragile. Lord of Dawn had not even directly attacked her—she was merely brushed by the sword light, and she died instantly.
With a soft thud, she turned into incense ash.
By the time Cui Yu and Jian Yuntai arrived, everything was already too late.
Lord of Dawn sat slumped by the stream, his eyelids drooping slightly. His entire body was shrouded in the fading aura of impending death. In his hands, he held a white jade bottle, and at its mouth lingered faint traces of dim incense ash.
Cui Yu’s face turned slightly pale. For a moment, he almost did not dare to approach.
Lord of Dawn turned his eyes to him and extended the bottle of ash forward, his entire arm trembling.
Only then did Cui Yu step forward and firmly grasp the bottle.
“Shared sensation… cough… shared sensation was originally the innate curse between your mother and me. The sun and moon shining together, bound to feel each other’s pain… After it was transferred onto you, your mother carried that knot in her heart all this time.” Bright red blood flowed from the corner of Lord of Dawn’s lips. His eyes, fixed on the moon, began to lose focus as he muttered, “Now the vessel already exists. I will drink half of this ash… You give the other half to your mother. When she drinks it too, the two of you will never again suffer the torment of shared sensation.”
After saying that, Lord of Dawn slowly closed his eyes.
Not long after, he transformed into a streak of brilliant morning light, slipping silently into the earth with the wind, leaving not a single trace behind.
“…”
Cui Yu clenched the bottle of incense ash tightly, his eyes rimmed red.
Under Jian Yuntai’s astonished gaze, Cui Yu suddenly stood up and, with a crash, flung out a silver chain that locked around Yan Luo.
Clank—
Clank—
The chain kept tightening. Yan Luo’s neck seemed to emit a scalp-numbing cracking sound.
At that very moment—
A wisp of white light suddenly rose from the ground, gently wrapping around the silver chain and prying it slightly apart.
Cui Yu’s pupils darkened, his jaw tightening.
After a long pause, he finally withdrew the silver chain with a grim expression. The way he looked at Yan Luo was as though he were staring at a complete stranger.
…
…
Red candles illuminated the wedding feast, and red silk draped the hall in celebration.
The hall was filled with guests; not a single seat was empty.
Under the strange and probing gazes of everyone present, Moon Goddess sat alone in bright red wedding robes for an entire day.
Her face was expressionless, as though her heart had frozen solid.
“The greatest joke in all three realms!” whispers rose from below the hall. “Who would have thought Moon Goddess would end up like this?”
“Exactly. Moon Goddess was always proud and unyielding, unable to tolerate even the slightest stain in her sight. Now… now it’s not just her sight—her whole body is probably tainted.”
“Back then, when her beloved luminous pearl was merely touched by a lesser immortal, she flew into such a rage. Now that her husband has been touched by someone else, wouldn’t she be even angrier? Hahaha…”
“So what if she’s angry? A man’s heart—if you can’t keep it, you can’t keep it. When she and Lord of Dawn first got together, I already said it wouldn’t last. Look at this mess now. Why did they have to be together in the first place?”
“At this very moment, Lord of Dawn is probably enjoying a night of passion with that incense-ash lesser immortal, hahaha…”
Laughter. Mockery.
Each sound was like a poisoned needle stabbing into her heart, which was already riddled with holes and leaking cold wind.
Moon Goddess had lived her entire life in pride and purity. After today, she would become the laughingstock of the world, a topic of idle gossip over tea.
Her dignity had shattered into pieces.
She stood up, casting those mocking gazes behind her, and walked step by step down the long corridor.
Toward the room where she had lived alone for years.
A lesser immortal ran over anxiously and said, “Moon Goddess! High Immortal Cui Yu has sent a letter—it’s urgent!”
Without turning her head, Moon Goddess asked numbly, “What time is it?”
The lesser immortal froze. “Ah?”
She asked again, “Has midnight passed?”
“It has. Do you want to read the letter?”
“…Burn it.”
He had said it was for today. Now that midnight had passed—
It was already the next day.
Let alone a letter—even if Lord of Dawn returned at this moment, Moon Goddess would resolutely refuse to see him.
If he had said one day, then it was one day.
If he did not return, then he had broken his promise.
…
…
Despite hurrying as fast as he could, Cui Yu still failed to return to Chenyue Ridge before the wedding feast ended. When he finally arrived, the vast Chenyue Ridge was already empty, not a single immortal in sight.
Even the servant immortals were gone.
Moon Goddess had dismissed everyone from Chenyue Ridge.
The viewers were so frightened that they covered their eyes one after another. “Holy crap, I’m completely stunned. Ahhh Jian Dadan, stop him!”
“Cui Yu, don’t go over there, please…”
“Yan Luo killing his father is already a fact. What I’m really curious about now is how Cui Yu could possibly kill his mother in this situation.”
“It can’t be an accidental killing! I can’t figure it out. Right now the one with the most unstable emotions should be Moon Goddess. Even if it were accidental, it’d probably be her killing Cui Yu by mistake. Hiss… what on earth is going on?”
At this moment, Jian Yuntai already had a very bad premonition. He desperately wanted to grab Cui Yu, but he was powerless.
He could only watch helplessly as Cui Yu walked step by step—
Toward the darkest moment of his life.
If you like this novel and would like to show your appreciation, please head to my Kofi by (click here -> Kofi)—and if the cliffhanger demons are haunting you, join the membership tier to access advanced chapter access (up to 10!).
