Mu Xuanling’s trembling hand touched the warm spot on her brow. “I… I didn’t sense its presence before.”

Sang Qi slowly composed himself and said with a smile, “When the Immortal Alliance’s Law Bodies gathered in Yongxue City, he probably concealed the existence of your Spirit Aperture, fearing others might detect it. He might have fooled others, but not me.”

“How did you know?” This was also what puzzled Mu Xuanling.

“Do you often feel a tightness in your chest?” Sang Qi got the expression he wanted from Mu Xuanling’s face and smiled, “Because I planted a spell on your heart. It has a beautiful name, called ‘Lingxi’.”

“Hearts connected, thoughts transmitted.” Sang Qi recited slowly, “Therefore, no matter where you are, I can sense your location. I’m also aware of any changes in your body. I knew more clearly than you when your cultivation was dispersed and your Spirit Aperture was opened. Lingbei, since I knew early on that your heart belonged to Xie Xuechen, how could I not leave myself a backup plan?”

“So you manipulated people’s hearts and set up so many traps, all for the Jade Threshold Scripture,” Mu Xuanling coughed lightly and said with a bitter smile, “Now you’ve brought me back for the same purpose.”

“I have to do this,” Sang Qi sighed, “Although practicing demonic arts enhances my power, it still can’t change the fate of a half-demon. My lifespan is nearing its end, but by opening the Spirit Aperture, I can continue cultivating, break through the thousand-year lifespan, or even longer.”

“What’s the point of living that long…” Mu Xuanling couldn’t understand Sang Qi’s greed for longevity.

“Because I still have very important things to accomplish.” A fierce look flashed in Sang Qi’s eyes. He looked down at Mu Xuanling, pretending to stroke her hair affectionately, “With Lingxi, I can comprehend the Jade Threshold Scripture through you, though you’ll inevitably suffer a bit. Lingbei, you’re still my disciple after all. Even if you hate me, I won’t harm you.”

Mu Xuanling let out a cold laugh.

Sang Qi extended his left hand, holding a black porcelain bottle in his palm. With a flick of his eyes, the bottle’s lid fell off.

Mu Xuanling stared warily at the bottle and asked hoarsely, “What is this?”

“This is a medicine to make you forget pain,” Sang Qi smiled slightly and said gently, “It’s a secret drug from Xuantian Temple, called Wuxin. When Xuantian Temple’s practitioners ascend to become Law Bodies, they must abandon all worldly emotions and affections, sever family ties, and give up small love to achieve boundless great love. After drinking this medicine, they still remember worldly matters and people around them, but when recalling everything, there’s no longer any love or hate, no ripples in their hearts. This drug is extremely rare, with few left in the world. I obtained a bottle twenty years ago and refined this potion anew. Unlike ordinary Wuxin, by adding just one drop of blood to it, you’ll only forget your emotions and love for the owner of that blood drop.”

“All your love stems from Xie Xuechen, and your hatred for your master also arises from him. Once you forget your love for him, naturally, you won’t hate me either. With no more grudges between us as master and disciple, I can feel at ease sparing your life.”

Mu Xuanling watched in shock and trembling as Sang Qi approached, shaking her head, “No, I won’t drink it…”

“I’m doing this for your good,” Sang Qi consoled softly, “Lingbei, having feelings for humans is harmful and without benefit. Human hearts are most fickle; today’s sweet words can turn into tomorrow’s cold shoulder. Your master can’t bear to see you hurt.”

Cornered, Mu Xuanling covered her mouth tightly with both hands, hot tears rolling down and wetting the back of her hands.

“After drinking this, you’ll have no more worldly love for Xie Xuechen. You’ll only know that you approached him on your master’s orders to deceive him for the Jade Threshold Scripture,” Sang Qi’s silver eyes held a cold and cruel smile, “He’ll also understand that he’s been deceived. If this creates inner demons in him, that would be for the best.”

Mu Xuanling, tears streaming down her face, looked at Sang Qi with pleading eyes.

“Lingbei, you’re too weak,” Sang Qi’s gaze slowly turned cruel. An invisible force pried open Mu Xuanling’s hands, firmly fixing them to her sides. Sang Qi gripped Mu Xuanling’s jaw, forcing her mouth open.

The blood-red liquid seemed to come alive, crawling out of the black porcelain bottle’s mouth, hovering in the air, and slowly flowing toward Mu Xuanling’s mouth.

She whimpered and struggled fiercely, but was firmly suppressed by Sang Qi. Tears gushed out as she helplessly felt the cold liquid slide down her throat and into her stomach.

It was icy cold, that bone-chilling coldness slowly spreading from her abdomen, almost freezing her solid.

Sang Qi released his hold on her. Mu Xuanling, shaking all over, lay on the ground, retching, futilely trying to vomit out the poison.

“It’s useless. Once it enters your mouth, there’s no turning back,” Sang Qi chuckled.

Mu Xuanling covered her mouth, sobbing, seeming to laugh and cry, as if mad. She slowly raised her head, her eyes red-rimmed, feeling that thread of coldness pass over her heart.

“Sang Qi, have you ever loved someone?” she asked hoarsely.

Sang Qi’s smile gradually faded.

“Did she hurt you… Twenty years ago, you lost an arm, was it because of someone?”

“Shut up!” Sang Qi coldly interrupted her, his body emanating a terrifying aura.

Mu Xuanling laughed, yet tears spilled from her eyes: “But Sang Qi, you’ve been deceived, you’ve been hurt, yet you still don’t want to drink Wuxin. Why?”

“You don’t want to forget that bit of warmth she gave you, even if it might have been fake.”

Mu Xuanling said, “I don’t want to either!”

The bone-chilling cold froze her entire body. She closed her eyes and fell unconscious with tears.

Every little moment of their first encounter, she had replayed countless times over these seven years. Each day, she missed him more than the last. She had even thought about ending it all, dying and disappearing, to follow him. But half-demons have no souls after death. In the vast netherworld, where would she go to find him?

The belief in avenging him and the longing for him sustained her through seven years of living in hell in the demon realm until they reunited.

He had forgotten her, but that was okay. Just seeing him alive made her happy.

In her blurry consciousness, Xie Xuechen’s face vaguely appeared.

— Demons are inherently vicious, and beast-folk are the best at deception.

— But there’s one true thing.

— Which one?

— The part about liking you.

Xie Xuechen…

I didn’t lie to you…

Heart-wrenching pain spread, memories so vivid yet stripped of all color, layer by layer frozen over. In her memories, he was no longer special. When she thought of him again, there would be no joy or pain.

— Then what meaning is there in my life…

She was born without meaning.

From her earliest memories, she was a beast wandering on the fringes of human society. She moved nimbly, with strong limbs, keen hearing, and sharp eyesight. From a very young age, she could easily hunt for food to fill her stomach. She secretly took discarded clothes from nearby villages to cover herself, learned to use fire to cook food like humans, and even learned to speak. She liked to hide and watch them live. Humans were much smarter than the animals in the wilderness. She heard that the teachers in schools were the smartest, so every morning, she would hide in a tree outside the school, basking in the warm sun, eavesdropping on the teacher’s lessons. After school, she would watch with great interest as the human children played.

She wanted to play with them too. They looked so happy.

One day, she carefully washed her face and hands, and tidied up her patched clothes, wanting to play with the children. She thought she was a human child too, but her appearance startled the others. They pointed at her face, saying she must be too ugly, that’s why her parents abandoned her. She touched her face a bit sadly; there were golden patterns on it, and that’s what made her different from others. A tall, strong boy came over to push her away. She was a bit sad and just gently pushed his hand away, but somehow he flew out. The other children were all frightened. They screamed, attracting adults. A middle-aged man carrying a sword tied her up fiercely, saying she was a half-demon, evil and harmful, injuring people, and that he would send her to Mingyue Manor.

From then on, she became a demon slave at Mingyue Manor. The spirit-binding ring on her foot was numbered zero-zero. She had no name, so zero-zero became her name.

It was said that the previous zero-zero was also a half-demon, who died at sixty. Half-demons’ bodies were stronger than ordinary people, often living two to three hundred years. But after becoming demon slaves, affected by the spirit-binding rings and endless labor, they often died before reaching a hundred.

Most of the demon slaves around her had numb faces. They seemed to have lost consciousness, unwilling to say an extra word, just mechanically following the steward’s orders to reduce beatings and earn an extra mouthful of food.

She was young then, maybe five or six, maybe seven or eight, still longing for a free life in the wilderness. She sneaked away a few times, but because of the spirit-binding ring’s restriction, if she left Mingyue Manor for more than thirty miles, the ring would produce spirit thorns, piercing her shinbone, making her bleed profusely and faint from pain.

She was caught and brought back, assigned by the steward to do dirty and heavy work, carrying loads several times her weight, each step leaving a bloody footprint.

“Half-demons are strong, most suitable as demon slaves,” the steward chatted while wielding his whip. “It’s thanks to our Mingyue Manor watching over them. Otherwise, with these half-demons wandering outside, who knows how many people would be harmed.”

She pouted, thinking, I never harmed anyone.

At most, I just took some discarded clothes they didn’t want.

The steward said half-demons with human bodies but beast forms were unsightly, so some half-demons had their beast ears cut off and tails chopped off. Those with their beast ears cut off became deaf, and those without tails couldn’t walk steadily. Once, when she was ordered to feed horses, the young miss saw her face. The young miss was startled and disgustedly whipped her face, telling her to get lost. The steward apologized with a smile, beat her, and ordered her to wear an iron mask, not to scare people. If he saw the mask fall off, he would weld it to her face.

She was terrified and never dared to take off the mask in front of people again.

She slowly learned to control her demonic power, preventing the spirit-binding ring from piercing into her bones. Her right foot had been in pain for so long that it seemed to have become numb. As the years passed, she gradually got used to that kind of life.

She thought she would probably be like the previous zero-zero, living in a daze at Mingyue Manor for decades, no longer wanting to say a word, and finally dying silently.

Six years later, she met someone.

She met him amid wind and snow. He asked if she was cold.

For the first time in over a decade, she heard such a question.

She said, “I’m a half-demon. Half-demons don’t get cold.”

He took off his fur coat and draped it over her, wrapping her frozen red hands in his warm palms. He didn’t say anything, his deep eyes filled with heaviness she couldn’t understand.

The stinging and tingling as she warmed up made her realize that half-demons do get cold. It’s just that no one had ever cared, no one had ever been concerned.

He gently took off her mask, not minding her ugly appearance. His calloused fingertips tenderly caressed the demon markings on her face, smiling and saying, “Beautiful.”

She immediately blushed.

He heard her stomach growling with hunger. She lowered her head in embarrassment, but he hugged her and rose on his sword, letting her nestle in his arms to avoid the frost and snow. He took her to a nearby town, rented an entire restaurant for her, and let her have the most satisfying meal of her life.

Biting her chopsticks, she ventured to test him, “I’ve heard that wine is a human delicacy…”

He shook his head gently, his youthful voice carrying a hint of attractive huskiness as he firmly rejected her unreasonable request: “You’re still young, you can’t drink.”

“Alright.” She nodded obediently, her eyes rolling as she asked nervously, “Why are you so kind to me? Do you… want me to do something for you?”

His beautiful phoenix eyes shimmered with a soft, warm light as he said gently, “I just want you to be happy.”

She frowned suspiciously, her heart skipping a beat: “Could it be… are you my long-lost father?”

The young man was stunned, then lightly flicked her forehead, saying with a mix of amusement and exasperation, “Is that what you hope for?”

She lowered her head with some disappointment: “If so, it would be quite nice.”

“Why?”

“Then you’d take me away, wouldn’t you?” A hint of longing flashed in her eyes. “You abandoned me for so many years, you should make it up to me… right?”

“Heh…” The young man chuckled softly, his long lashes hiding the complex emotions in his eyes. “So how do you want me to make it up to you?”

“I want to wear pretty clothes, eat delicious food, live in a big house, and sleep for two hours every day!” She spoke with a dreamy look, expressing her fantasies of a good life.

“Alright, I’ll take you.” He fondly ruffled her hair. “Now that you’ve eaten your fill, shall I take you to buy clothes?”

“Yes, Father!” she called sweetly.

The young man shook his head with a laugh, took her hand, and said seriously, “Don’t call me Father.”

“You won’t tell me your name,” she grumbled discontentedly. “Then what should I call you…”

“Anything but that is fine.”

“Then… can I call you Big Brother?”

“…Alright.”

That was the happiest day of her life. He smiled and indulged her whims, fulfilling many of her reasonable and unreasonable requests. Such a cold and handsome person, yet his palm was so warm. He held her hand the entire time without letting go. He clumsily but patiently helped her tie up her soft, long hair and tenderly treated her old and new wounds. He wanted to use his mighty sword to break the spirit-binding ring, but it only made her tremble in pain.

“The spirit-binding ring is not easily destroyed by ordinary external force…” He frowned. “Unless there’s the power of a Law Body, but I’m only at the Yuan Ying stage.”

“Forget it, don’t force it,” she said, her little face pale, her right foot trembling slightly. “I’ve gotten used to it after so many years anyway.”

His eyes darkened as he said, “I’ll go to Mingyue Manor and have them release you.”

“Big Brother, who are you exactly? Will they listen to you?” she asked curiously.

She remembered many years ago, Young Master Nan from Yunxiu Manor had said the same thing, but in the end, he didn’t take her away either.

“Big Brother, it’s alright, don’t force it,” she comforted him, covering the back of his hand. “Although it was only one day, I’ve been very happy.”

Although she was a bit worried that she had run away for a day and hadn’t completed the tasks assigned by the steward, and would be punished tomorrow, having such a full day of happiness was enough for her to cherish for a lifetime.

She was still a bit disappointed that Big Brother wasn’t her long-lost father.

“Lingbei, I will take you away,” the young man said, gently stroking her hair. “In the future… you must live well.”

“I’ve always been fine,” she said with a grin.

“Silly girl,” he said, looking at the scars on the back of her hand with some sadness.

He took her back to Mingyue Manor and told her to hide while he went to see the manor lord. She obediently hid, but the steward still found her by following the direction of the spirit-binding ring. He scolded her for being lazy and stealing the young miss’s clothes and dragged her to see the young miss.

The young miss glanced at her, turned away in disgust, and said, “These aren’t my clothes. I don’t know where she stole them from. Give her fifty lashes and lock her up. There are many guests at the manor these days, don’t let people see and laugh at us.”

The steward bowed and agreed, then had people take her away for punishment.

To avoid disturbing the guests, her mouth was gagged, and she was pressed down in a side courtyard to receive fifty lashes, her body seeping with countless bloody marks.

As darkness fell, she thought hazily, had Big Brother left?

Suddenly, flames erupted everywhere, along with terrifying roars and shouts. She struggled to raise her eyes to look outside, but everything went black as someone picked her up and threw her into a room.

An old voice said, “This demon slave is about the same size as the young miss. Put the young miss’s clothes on her, I’ll take her to lead away the pursuers.”

“She has a demonic aura,” said the steward.

“I can conceal the demonic aura.”

In her hazy consciousness, she recognized it as the voice of the Elder.

She was hurriedly dressed in the young miss’s elaborate clothes, hoisted onto someone’s shoulder, and felt the wind and frost hitting her face as the Elder carried her away from Mingyue Manor.

At that time, she didn’t know what had happened. She opened her eyes slightly and saw a large dark shadow chasing after them. The Elder fought while retreating. Her body was in severe pain, and she soon fainted.

When she regained consciousness, she was in a pool of blood.

Someone was holding her tightly in their arms. She smelled the fragrance of ice, snow, and plum blossoms. Warm droplets fell on her forehead. She hazily looked up and saw Big Brother’s handsome but pale face.

“Big Brother…” she called out hoarsely.

Around them was a sea of corpses and blood. He held her thin body tightly, his breathing becoming heavier and weaker. Hearing her call, he lowered his head and gave her a gentle smile.

“Lingbei, don’t be afraid.”

They were surrounded by demon and fiend soldiers. The Elder was already dead, and Big Brother was covered in wounds.

“I’m not the Young Miss Gao, you’ve got the wrong person!” she cried out to the demons and fiends.

But those bloodthirsty demons and friends paid no attention to her words.

“Kill that sword cultivator, he’s almost done for!” The leader of the demons opened his mouth, revealing sharp fangs.

The young man took a deep breath, suddenly raised one hand, and gently pressed it against the back of her head, holding her to his chest. He said softly, “Lingbei, don’t look.”

Her vision went dark, and she could only hear the powerful beating in his chest and a muffled groan caught in his throat.

A thunderous explosion erupted behind her, and she heard countless demons and fiends screaming. It was as if the sun had descended beside them in that instant.

The beating in his chest suddenly slowed, his breathing became heavier, and he weakly lowered the arm that was holding her. She could finally raise her head to look at him.

Wanren was shattered on the ground. There wasn’t a hint of color on his face, but his eyes held a sad smile.

“Lingbei, run quickly…” Hot blood seeped from the corner of his lips as he struggled to speak. “Sang Qi will be here soon…”

“Big Brother…” She trembled as she tried to wipe away the blood from the corner of his mouth, but more blood kept flowing. She was terrified, more afraid than she had ever been as if the most important thing in her life was being slowly taken away.

“Big Brother, what’s wrong? Are you in pain?” Tears fell drop by drop as she sobbed, caressing his face, wanting to give him her warmth, just as he had once given to her.

“Lingbei, be good, run quickly.” He wanted to push her away but had no strength left. “I’ll be fine, the Immortal Alliance people will be here soon, go!”

He used almost all his strength to shout at her, but she didn’t leave. She knelt beside him, holding him helplessly.

“Big Brother, let’s go together. You promised to take me with you!” She couldn’t help but cry out, almost shouting at him, “You can’t lie to me! I don’t want to be alone!”

“Lingbei…” His lips parted slightly, weakly calling out her name. “You must live well…”

“I’m not well, I’m not well at all!” she cried. “I’m just a demon slave. Besides you, no one cares about me, no one loves me. You said you’d take me away, and I believed you! Just now when they beat me, I wasn’t sad at all. I thought Big Brother would take me away soon, and I could be with you every day from now on. Just thinking about it made me happy.”

“Big Brother, wherever you go, I’ll go with you…”

To the ends of the earth, to the netherworld, I’ll go with you…

She was very strong and carried him on her back. Her tears flowed so heavily she couldn’t see the road ahead clearly. Warm blood trickled down her neck, but the body on her back grew colder and colder, as cold as snow. She bit her lip hard to keep from crying out, but she couldn’t stop her whole body from shaking.

“Big Brother… don’t go…” She trembled as she called out to him, but there was no response.

Her strength was exhausted, and she stumbled and fell in the snow. The young man’s cold body fell beside her. She hurriedly crawled over, hugging him tightly, her tears soaking his chest.

“Big Brother, wake up…” She touched his face and lay on his chest, but couldn’t hear even the faintest heartbeat.

His fingers were stiff and cold, no longer able to gently hold her hand.

She knelt beside him, dazed. The wind and snow were fierce and urgent as if holding a grand funeral for someone.

Her heart suddenly convulsed, and a sweet, bloody taste rose in her throat, falling onto his chest. She reached out, wanting to wipe away the bloodstains on his chest, afraid of soiling his body, but the blood gradually seeped in and couldn’t be wiped away.

The heavy snow covered his eyebrows, eyes, and body layer by layer as if trying to take him away from her.

“Ah—”

She clutched his hand tightly and let out a painful wail. Excruciating pain exploded in her heart. She felt something being pulled out of her body. Her vision blurred, and all she could see was a vast whiteness and specks of plum red.

It seemed that more demons and fiends were coming…

She staggered to her feet—she couldn’t let them find Big Brother’s body, or they would desecrate it.

He was as pure as ice and snow, as proud as a plum blossom. She couldn’t let him be insulted again.

She ran through the snow in a daze, trying to lead those people away.

Her Big Brother remained forever in that snowy field.

She didn’t know how long it had been when she opened her eyes again and saw a crimson moon.

“We half-demons are abandoned at birth, with no birthdays, no names,” Sang Qi’s voice came from above as Mu Xuanling raised her head to see the tall black-robed priest.

“I was abandoned under the Fusang tree at a crossroads, so I named myself Sang Qi,” Sang Qi said calmly, looking at the black demon tree at the edge of the Void Sea. “You are the dusk bellflower of the demon hour, so I’ll call you Mu Xuanling.”

“You’ve been alone and suffering since childhood, enduring torment at Mingyue Manor. Today I take you as my disciple. Remember, your enemies are those cruel human cultivators. They hurt you, they abused you. One day, you will step on their heads and be called king!”

Mu Xuanling heard her childish voice say, “Not all human cultivators are like that…”

The image of a young man in white flashed through her mind.

“So what?” Sang Qi sneered. “It’s time to let them experience our pain.”

Those cherished memories in her heart played out one by one like a kaleidoscope, finally becoming pale and no longer stirring any ripples in her heart.