Ling Luo took his hand: “Last time, it wasn’t intentional, I was afraid—”

Yue Liangze interrupted her: “I’ve told you before, no matter what you become, I will always like you.”

He spoke with unprecedented seriousness.

Ling Luo’s eyes reddened, yet she was smiling. Something filled her heart, making her feel that this moment and this world were so beautiful it almost brought tears to her eyes.

She opened the Death Mist Gate and took Yue Liangze away from Tianji.

The Death Mist Gate opened and closed, and Ling Luo brought Yue Liangze back to Mount Tianzhao.

The mountain was bathed in magnificent moonlight. Small puddles dotted the ground in front of the dilapidated bamboo house. Little spirit demons gathered at the edge of the puddles to drink water, and upon seeing the two return, they happily surrounded them.

Ling Luo shooed them away. Just as she was about to release his hand, Yue Liangze gripped it tightly.

She looked back at him. With his other hand, Yue Liangze gently caressed her face, wiping away the blood stains.

“Have you been here all this time?” he asked.

Ling Luo made a sound of affirmation. “Mount Tianzhao is beautiful. You’ll like it here.”

Yue Liangze’s eyes reflected her image: “When did you first learn about Yun Shouxi’s intentions?”

His tone was somewhat muffled.

He had always felt something awkward when Yun Shouxi stood with Ling Luo—something subtle yet impossible to ignore.

But because the man was Ling Luo’s master, he wouldn’t say a single word about it.

Even when he learned that Yun Shouxi had intercepted his letters, he merely assumed it was because Yun Shouxi didn’t want any connection with the Sacred Sword Sect.

Ling Luo answered honestly: “From the beginning.”

Yue Liangze fell silent.

Recalling Yun Shouxi’s perverted actions, his eyes darkened as he asked: “Who taught you how to kiss?”

Since opening up to Ling Luo, he didn’t want to remember or guess about these things. After all, Ling Luo liked him now, and he was the one by her side.

Even if it had been Yun Shouxi, Yue Liangze would only think the man was despicable and immediately take his sword back to Tianji to kill him.

Ling Luo had expected Yue Liangze to be angry, but instead, he was jealous.

So her obedient demeanor vanished, replaced by mischievous, teasing eyes.

“That’s hard to say,” Ling Luo pretended to contemplate. “Are you jealous now?”

Yue Liangze’s cold finger stopped at the corner of her lips: “Yes.”

Ling Luo couldn’t suppress the smile in her eyes and at the corners of her brows. She took out the Flying Thunder Pearl and handed it to him: “Then see for yourself who it was. I intended to give this to you when I took it. It can’t revive those who have died, but it can show you who taught me. So it’s not completely useless.”

Yue Liangze felt a heaviness in his heart as he listened.

You won’t tell me directly, but insist I see for myself, and with that attitude—do you really think I’m impervious to pain?

He was both angry and hurt, looking down with lowered eyes in silence, gripping the Flying Thunder Pearl so tightly as if he might crush it.

Ling Luo observed his expression and knew she had annoyed him. She soothed him: “I swear, the person I love most is you, has always been you, and will only ever be you.”

Yue Liangze felt his chest grow warm at her words. He reached out to pull her into his embrace and lowered his head to kiss her, his voice hoarse: “No need to look anymore.”

Ling Luo: “…”

That won’t do! You must look!

Ling Luo grabbed his shoulders and said: “I don’t let just anyone touch me. If I don’t want it, no one can. You’ll regret not looking.”

Yue Liangze was persuaded by her, or perhaps Ling Luo’s earlier confession had given him confidence. He silently sent his divine consciousness into the Flying Thunder Pearl.

Ling Luo helped him sit under the eaves, using her spiritual power to transfer the Suffering Flower given by the Heavenly Dao into the Flying Thunder Pearl. Inside the pearl, a small boat that led to the Yellow Springs of the netherworld gently rocked, carrying a strand of a wandering soul through the Yellow Springs.

Yue Liangze was transported by the small boat to the water’s edge, where he saw fields of blooming flowers along the way. The ground was covered with colorful, vibrant flowers, each representing moments of his life.

Past life and present life overlapped.

Wandering the world with his father, then being taken to Tianji Sect by a demon disguised in human skin—his world became distorted because of this. The curses and hatred of all demons overlapped with the blurred face of a woman.

The woman called “mother” would always look at him and smile, gently stroking the top of his head, watching him eat every bite of food she gave him.

Yue Liangze faced these painful childhood memories that had tormented him day and night with a calm expression.

Before dying, that demon had tried to drag the child down with it but was blocked by a power—gentle, strong, and sorrowful—which sealed the demonic energy in Yue Liangze’s body and weakened his spirit veins.

The demon died. The Second Sect Leader went into seclusion because of the disciple’s incident. The Third Sect Leader was away and unaware of the matter. Mu Hengtian looked at him with a lofty, scrutinizing gaze mixed with disgust.

For the sake of his mother, Mu Hengtian did not kill him but banished him to the outer sect, ignoring him completely, leaving him to fend for himself.

The two people who loved him most in this world were both dead. During his days at Tianji, he was lost but gradually grew accustomed to it. Yue Liangze lived meaninglessly.

He didn’t care if he was bullied or ignored.

He counted the days, wondering how much longer he needed to live before seeing his parents again.

Everything changed at Tianji.

Separated from his father, he met Ling Luo.

In his previous life, he had only silently watched Ling Luo, sensing the power he sought to pursue through her cultivation.

In this life, Ling Luo had found him.

They thus had a different ending.

While Ling Luo was out training, Yue Liangze was driven down the mountain by Mu Hengtian because he could increasingly not control his demonic energy. Mu Hengtian would never allow anyone to discover that Tianji had harbored a creature even more detestable than demons.

After the suppressive power disappeared, he was consumed by demonic energy and considered just a spirit demon.

He hid in East Island City.

Unlike his previous life, this time he had a clear purpose—to wait for Ling Luo to return and see her once more, to say a proper goodbye. But because of the demonic energy within him, he dared not approach her and found it difficult to speak.

His saying he didn’t want to harm people was true.

His fear of people was also true.

Perhaps Ling Luo had been unintentional, or perhaps she had spoken those words about him persevering and believing in himself with a teasing attitude. But for Yue Liangze at that time, every word was the strongest incantation in the world, binding him firmly, and giving him a goal to strive for and persist towards.

Not long after he left the city, he was taken away by the Strange Compassion Immortal.

He entered the Sacred Sword Sect, learned to control his power, and gradually subdued and eliminated the uncontrollable demonic energy within his body.

The young man summoned his courage and wrote a letter to the girl still at Tianji, expressing his gratitude and sending many gifts of thanks.

Yet he received no reply.

So years later when they met at West Sea Taichu, he didn’t dare to disturb or approach Ling Luo on his own initiative.

Yue Liangze watched his previous life, his gaze always following Ling Luo, forever behind her, watching her brilliantly guide him from ahead.

Watching her go from protecting the human realm to entering demonic ways at Snow River.

Watching her wield Suiwu against him.

Hearing her cold mockery.

Yet each scene only made his heart ache.

After the battle at Snow River, Ling Luo was left alone.

Yue Liangze watched her figure disappear into the Death Mist Gate, and a corner of his heart suddenly collapsed.

After that battle, he set aside Wusheng, because Wusheng would affect Ling Luo’s still unstable demonic nature.

He returned to the sect and knelt in penance, contemplating: choose the demonic path, or choose the human realm?

His master said: “This is a choice you cannot regret. You need to decide carefully and thoughtfully.”

Yue Liangze chose Ling Luo.

His master didn’t want him to make such a choice, so he ordered the senior disciple to guard the sect gate.

But he also knew that the senior disciple couldn’t resist when the junior disciple showed weakness.

Even using all his strength, Yue Liangze couldn’t defeat his senior brother, who eventually let him go.

He left the Sacred Sword Sect and went to South River City.

Even though he was abandoned by Ling Luo several times, he still followed her all the way to Mount Tianzhao.

Ling Luo gradually ceased associating with those demon lords and devoted herself to cultivation on Mount Tianzhao, ignoring the conflicts between the three realms. However, the destructive thoughts in her heart grew stronger until there was no turning back.

Yue Liangze knew it was too late.

By then, even if he confessed his feelings to Ling Luo, it would be useless—perhaps she would even mock him.

Maybe he had been wrong from the start.

Words that needed to be said should have been spoken earlier.

He battled the Four Forbidden Beasts, exhausted all his power, and walked to the end amid fierce black flames.

As his divine consciousness dispersed through heaven and earth, Yue Liangze thought: I hope in her next life, she won’t suffer so much, that she’ll grow up loved by parents and friends, and live a life without illness, pain, disaster, or difficulty.

His wish had not yet been fulfilled.

When Yue Liangze awoke, Ling Luo was beside him, picking off the small spirit demons that had climbed onto his shoulders and head. She was momentarily stunned when she unexpectedly met the man’s open eyes.

Those eyes looked at her with a gaze both familiar and long-missed.

Ling Luo smiled and waved her hand lightly in front of him, eyes narrowing: “Still jealous, Danshui True Lord?”

Yue Liangze grabbed her hand and pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly. In this moment, she was his treasure, lost and found again.

Ling Luo laughed in his embrace: “The person who taught me didn’t teach well, did they?”

Yue Liangze made a sound of agreement from his throat, reluctant to let her go. He lowered his head for a lingering, tender kiss. They stayed like this for a long time. As dawn approached, the two sat quietly under the eaves, watching.

Ling Luo felt a sense of security like dust finally settling. She clutched Yue Liangze’s sleeve, then took his hand, intertwining their fingers. Looking at the weeds and puddles in the courtyard, she said: “The flowers I had Mu Sujing look after have all sprouted, and some have even budded. When daylight comes, I’ll go bring them back.”

“The courtyard and houses you gave me are all gone. Only this broken bamboo hut remains.”

Yue Liangze said: “We’ll build them again.”

Ling Luo looked up at him: “Why did you like building houses so much before?”

Yue Liangze tilted his head slightly: “You said you wanted to build a detached palace, and that the detached palace had many beautiful courtyards and flowering trees.”

Ah, she had no recollection of this at all.

At that time, Ling Luo truly hadn’t taken Yue Liangze to heart. She had noticed him but had suppressed this awareness.

“This is your mountain, and I built the courtyard. It counts as a place to belong. Sometimes you go outside for a long time without returning. If I make the courtyards of Mount Tianzhao more beautiful, more to your liking, perhaps you’ll think of it, and no matter how far you go, you’ll want to come back.”

Yue Liangze spoke softly, and then his lips curved into a silent smile.

In the past, he would never have told Ling Luo these things.

He feared she would call him childish, disregard him entirely, or not even spare him a glance.

Though rare, Ling Luo’s occasional mockery could truly hurt him. Each time he fell silent, it wouldn’t be long before Ling Luo sensed something was wrong. Upon vaguely realizing what had happened, she would awkwardly and helplessly try to cheer him up and make him feel better.

Ling Luo truly didn’t know how to comfort people.

For Yue Liangze, just seeing her take the initiative to approach him was enough to satisfy him.

Everything else was merely icing on the cake.

“This life isn’t easier than before. No matter what, I am still a demon,” Ling Luo watched the fading night, lying down on his lap. Her voice was very soft: “Being a good person is difficult.”

Those who do bad things are bad people.

Those who do good things but then do bad things are also bad people.

What should a good person be like?

They can’t do even one bad thing.

They also can’t be with people who have done bad things.

Yue Liangze gently stroked her hair, joining her in watching the gradually brightening sky.

“Ling Luo, don’t live in anyone’s shadow or by their judgments. They cannot bear your suffering for you, nor can they ever truly empathize with you.”

In her previous life, Ling Luo had later gone on a killing spree, incurring much hatred. Countless cultivators sought to kill her for revenge or to eliminate the threat.

Ling Luo rejected no challengers.

She didn’t care who wanted to kill her, as long as they could accomplish it.

Yue Liangze said: “I never thought you were wrong. Others believed you were wrong from the start. These opinions are just what different people determine through their own eyes. But you only exist in your own eyes.”

Ling Luo felt better hearing his words. She smiled and asked: “So that’s how you think? Is that why you always appear indifferent, as if you don’t want to bother with anyone?”

Yue Liangze nodded.

“If you must care about others, then only care about how those you care about see you,” he looked down at Ling Luo. “For instance, me. You will never see anything in my eyes that you don’t want to see. How others think doesn’t matter. You only need to look at me.”