Xuan Yi closed her eyes again and silently gnawed at the sugar cake before her. This thing suddenly became so unpalatable she couldn’t swallow it at all.

She simply spat it out in one go and said flatly, “I’m full. Let’s go.”

Fucang was peeling tangerines. The nine-headed lion before him squeezed all nine of its heads into his embrace like a cat. Eighteen eyes stared at the tangerines in his hands as tenderly as water. Upon hearing Xuan Yi say they should leave, it deflated, all its heads drooping down together.

Fucang paid her no mind, only stroking the soft fur on the nine-headed lion’s back as he said in a low voice, “Hungry, aren’t you?”

Unable to find anything in the mortal realm that could fill Little Nine’s stomach, he peeled five or six tangerines in succession to feed it, not even sparing the peaches. Finally, he looked up at the absurd statue of the Dark Goddess. He reached out to grab Xuan Yi’s tail, turned his wrist, and the loach was stuffed back into his sleeve. The divinely handsome deity drifted away from the Dark Goddess temple, leaving behind a ground covered with tangerine peels, peach pits, and pastry crumbs.

After a long while, the dim candlelight in the Dark Goddess temple flickered several times. A shadowy mass poured down from the Dark Goddess statue like flowing water, quickly transforming into a young man dressed in gorgeous lilac-colored robes, his long hair flowing and his features handsome. He glanced outside the temple several times and let out what seemed like a sigh of relief, “That scared me to death. I thought the patrol spirit officials from the divine realm had tracked me down so quickly—turns out it was just two young minor deities.”

He groped around behind the Dark Goddess statue for quite a while before extracting a palm-sized stone. Its color was like ink, densely covered with black energy. He seemed both apprehensive and to be struggling with some decision, staring at the stone for a long time before finally making up his mind. He tucked it into his bosom, drifted gracefully out the door, turned a corner on the small path, and disappeared into the night.

“Didn’t you want to hurry back to the Southern Heavenly Gate?” Xuan Yi’s soft voice carried a trace of drowsiness after eating her fill. “Why are we following this little demon?”

He was the one who said they should return quickly, and now he was also the one making trouble for nothing. A minor demon occupying the Dark Goddess temple—was it worth sneaking along behind him? They had both discovered this little demon the moment they entered the Dark Goddess temple. His cultivation level was so shallow that it wasn’t worth the effort to speak up and frighten him, so neither of them had paid him any attention.

Fucang said, “The stone he just took out was covered with demonic malevolent energy.”

So what? Xuan Yi yawned inside his sleeve.

“That stone’s texture is thick and heavy. It should have once been divine realm soil.”

The Sea of Severed Regret had already fallen down—what did one stone a few inches in size from the divine realm matter?

Fucang said nothing more. In his heart, he had a vague premonition, only he couldn’t yet be certain.

The little demon ahead drifted along a winding path for a while before suddenly diving into the courtyard of a mortal household. It appeared to be a wealthy family—the courtyard was quite spacious, the trees lush and verdant, the pavilions and towers exquisite. Outside, turbid energy rolled forth, but once inside the courtyard one immediately felt refreshed all over. Clear energy abundantly wafted forth. Who knew what kind of personage lived here.

The little demon suddenly stopped beneath an embroidery tower. He pulled out a small bronze mirror from his bosom and held it up to the moonlight for quite a while, tidying his hair and clothes. Then he plucked a wild grass and transformed it into a fan. While waving the fan, he floated before a second-floor window with the bearing of an immortal sage and coughed heavily.

Xuan Yi had almost fallen asleep. Startled awake by his cough, she stuck her head out with dissatisfaction and stared at the little demon for a moment. Suddenly she exclaimed, “He looks… doesn’t he look a bit like Senior Martial Brother Shao Yi?”

Shao Yi?

Fucang’s brow furrowed slightly, then relaxed. “I don’t think so.”

Xuan Yi was still critically evaluating him. “He really does look a bit like him. Look at his flamboyant clothes—his profile also resembles him somewhat, though he’s far inferior to Senior Martial Brother Shao Yi.”

Fucang said flatly, “Be quiet. Don’t let him discover us.”

As they spoke, the second-floor window suddenly opened. A mortal girl of about fourteen or fifteen poked her head out. Her delicate round face still carried childish innocence, yet between her brows there seemed to exist naturally a trace of melancholy, making her appear extremely pitiful and touching.

The moment Xuan Yi got a clear look at her face, she nearly cried out. She hastily bit down on her tail. Even Fucang felt shocked. “…Senior Martial Sister Yan Xia?”

“Zidu!” The girl called the little demon’s name softly, her tone lilting.

The demon called Zidu leaned against the window frame, waving his fan with a whooshing sound as he said teasingly, “A’Xia, did you miss me?”

Her name was A’Xia? Could it really be Senior Martial Sister Yan Xia? Xuan Yi released her tail in shock, half her body emerging as she scrutinized the girl from top to bottom with all her might.

A flush rose on A’Xia’s face, her eyes flowing with emotion, clearly unable to contain her joy and endless affection.

“Coming to see me secretly like this again—what if you encounter a powerful dharma master?” Her voice was very low.

Zidu said tenderly, “My longing is etched into my bones. Not seeing you for one day feels like three autumns have passed. No matter how powerful a dharma master might be, they can do nothing to me. Don’t worry. Tonight the wind is clear and the moon bright. A’Xia, will you come out with me to talk for a while?”

The flush on A’Xia’s face deepened. She slowly shook her head. “Mother is a light sleeper. If she wakes and doesn’t see me, she’ll surely panic. Let’s just talk like this for a while.”

But Zidu was extremely anxious and eager. “Remember what I told you last time? I’ve opened a new cave dwelling in the nearby mountains. The scenery is extremely beautiful. Let me take you to see it?”

As he spoke, without waiting for her answer, he reached out to grab her shoulder.

Suddenly, a bone-chilling cold sensation arose at the back of his neck. A pressure aura from the upper realm that made his hair stand on end descended like dark clouds covering the sky. He froze in midair, instantly breaking out in profuse sweat.

“Get down.” An ice-cold yet bewitching voice slowly sounded behind him.

A’Xia behind the window exclaimed in alarm, “Zidu? What’s wrong?”

With her current mortal eyes, she couldn’t see true deities. Fucang waved his long sleeve. The light in her eyes gradually dimmed. She closed the window, turned around, and obediently went inside to sleep.

Zidu crashed heavily to the ground. Transforming into a shadowy mass, he was about to flee when a cold gleam flashed before him. With a “clang,” the Pure Jun sword plunged straight into the earth before him. He immediately froze in place.

“Get up.” Fucang pressed his hand on Pure Jun’s hilt and commanded coldly.

The shadow shrank and coalesced back into the handsome man from before, prostrating himself on the ground. “Upper deity, spare my life! Upper deity, spare my life! I shouldn’t have occupied the Dark Goddess temple!”

Fucang said, “I ask—who is this mortal woman?”

Zidu said in a trembling voice, “She’s the eldest daughter of a wealthy landowner in this city. She’s fourteen this year. We fell in love at first sight. I had no intention of eating her! Please, upper deity, investigate clearly!”

“Lying.” Fucang lightly pressed Pure Jun against the back of his neck. “One last chance.”

The might of the heavenly treasure sword pressed down on him until his face turned deathly pale. He finally collapsed completely, murmuring, “I… I’ll tell the truth! I’m a vine demon from the nearby mountains. Old Huai from the mountains told me that this young lady is the little princess of the Red Emperor who descended to the mortal realm to settle karmic ties. If I could dual cultivate yin and yang with her, my cultivation would surely make tremendous progress. Old Huai is currently at a critical juncture in his cultivation and cannot leave the mountain, so he promised me benefits and told me to secretly bring the young lady into the mountains. It just so happened that half a month ago the Sea of Severed Regret fell, and the patrol spirit officials haven’t come for a long time. I… I revealed myself before her, and who knew she would fall for me! I… I thought I’d help myself to a taste first… I… I haven’t succeeded yet! I’ll never dare again!”

It really was Yan Xia!

Time flowed quickly in the mortal realm. Less than a day in the divine realm, and already half a month had passed in the lower realm. Yan Xia had descended to the mortal realm less than a year ago, yet she had already grown to fourteen years old.

Xuan Yi looked with disdain at the little demon trembling before her like chaff in a sieve. “She fell for you?”

No matter what, Yan Xia was still the Red Emperor’s little princess. In the upper realm she had been precious and pampered, associating only with deities of noble status. Even if she became a mortal in the lower realm, she wouldn’t stoop to getting involved with such a shallow little demon, would she?

Zidu simply didn’t know how to bare his heart. “It’s true! I… how would I dare lie! I don’t know why she fell for me either. She said she found my face familiar. Last time she even gave me a precious pearl from her forehead…”

Xuan Yi quietly looked at his appearance that bore two or three parts resemblance to Shao Yi, and understanding dawned in her heart.

No wonder… but who would have thought. Who would have thought that even after descending to become a mortal, she would still once again fall for someone similar to that person.

Fucang said, “That thing in your bosom filled with demonic malevolent energy—that’s the benefit Old Huai promised you? Where did he obtain it?”

Zidu’s gaze flickered. After hesitating for quite a while, he suddenly said in a low voice, “Upper deity, if I tell you, will you still kill me?”

Fucang said slowly, “I will not rashly commit murder.”

A trace of gloom passed across Zidu’s face. Prostrating on the ground and trembling violently, he said, “This is something that fell from the divine realm three hundred years ago. Old Huai said it’s divine realm soil that’s been soaked in turbid energy. He often takes fragments to give us, entrusting us to run errands for him… Upper deity, I’ll give you the treasure right now! Don’t kill me!”

He pulled out from his bosom that stone filled with demonic malevolent energy, making as if to present it. Fucang suddenly felt an ominous premonition. He immediately flicked his fingertip. Pure Jun traced a beautiful arc and with one stroke severed both of Zidu’s hands at the wrists. The left hand that fell to the ground had already turned completely black—while he had been speaking, he had actually absorbed much demonic malevolent energy.

Zidu let out a miserable shriek of pain. He bit down on his own severed hands, transformed into a shadowy mass, dove underground, and fled.

Fucang didn’t pursue him, only using his sword to poke at the pitch-black stone that had fallen to the ground. In the courtyard, clear energy abounded. The little demonic malevolent energy remaining on the stone collided with it, producing a subtle yet piercing whistle.

“So noisy.” Xuan Yi’s ears hurt from the noise. She jumped out of his sleeve. “Why didn’t you chase him?”

Fucang shook his head. “This place has no patrol spirit officials watching over it. We cannot leave.”

Zidu wasn’t the only demon coveting Yan Xia. Goddesses who descended to the mortal realm had patrol spirit officials guarding them daily, preventing the demons from acting rashly. Now that the Sea of Severed Regret had fallen and the divine realm was in chaos, the patrol spirit officials were delayed in coming. If they left, Yan Xia would surely be abducted.

Xuan Yi used her tail for support and hopped in a circle around the stone. This thing was making her brain hurt with its noise, so she said, “Turn your head away.”

Fucang’s brow furrowed again. “What are you doing?”

“This thing is too noisy. I need to make it quiet. Turn around and don’t look.”

Fucang glanced at her, then slowly turned his back. He actually truly didn’t look. He only heard a “poof” sound. Before long, the piercing whistle suddenly stopped.

Xuan Yi wrapped the stone up tightly with Zhuyin’s white snow, making it look like a large snowball. She had just placed it in her hand and bounced it twice when she turned her head and saw that Fucang had somehow turned back around and was staring fixedly at her.

Disaster! He had seen her human form—he would surely come to cut her hair!

She rolled on the spot and with a “poof” transformed back into a loach. Unexpectedly, his hand shot out like lightning, catching her in one grab and placing her in his palm.

“Can’t cut it.” She became smug again.

Fucang gently rubbed the bump on her little head twice, his voice very soft. “Mm, I can’t cut it.”