“The Haoli Empire had hunted demons for hundreds of years. How could they allow a demon offspring like me into the ancestral temple genealogy, tarnishing the purity of royal bloodlines? After Hao Minghuan took power, relations between the Haoli Kingdom and demon tribes eased somewhat. From the moment my mother became pregnant, she wanted to avoid trouble. To keep this secret, she concealed her identity and moved to Yingshui City, focusing on a peaceful delivery. Therefore, even the demons of White Elephant Lake didn’t know who my father was.” Yun Ya said coldly. “Most importantly, I was born precisely when the Demon Lord attacked the city. After that calamity, the Haoli Empire was at its end, and no one cared anymore about Hao Minghuan’s romantic affairs.”
Feng Miaojun gently held his hand, feeling his body temperature rise again. His emotions weren’t as calm as they appeared. Even if he resented his father for his mother’s sake, it was a matter from three hundred years ago. Why was he still troubled by it now?
“The Demon Lord’s attack on the city.” Feng Miaojun had read countless history books, and any that mentioned the Haoli Empire would never omit the section about the Demon Lord attacking Yingshui City. In the eyes of countless later generations, although the Haoli Empire had long been corrupt and declining, the fatal blow was this major event. “Wait, Emperor Li, the Severe issued the ‘Infant Massacre Edict’ after the Demon Lord’s attack. Could it be that he… that you…”
Yingshui City had successfully blocked the Demon Lord’s invasion, which was truly a remarkable achievement. But Emperor Li the Severe subsequently ordered the slaughter of all infants born in the imperial capital that night!
At that time, Yingshui City was one of the most prosperous metropolises across the continent, with a permanent population exceeding two million, not counting various merchant groups, temporary workers, and other floating populations. The actual number of people in the city had reached over three million.
The number of infants born that day exceeded twenty thousand. They had been in this world for less than ten hours—some had just been delivered—before being brutally killed by the city guard!
Emperor Li the Severe’s governance before this could be considered that of a wise ruler, but it was precisely this “Infant Massacre Edict” that earned him the posthumous title “Emperor the Severe” from later generations!
“Yes.” Yun Ya said quietly. “On the fifteenth day of the twelfth lunar month in the 627th year of the Haoli calendar, when the Demon Lord attacked the city, I happened to be born that very night, and I was on the city guards’ kill list.”
A chill rose in Feng Miaojun’s heart. “You once said that after your birth, someone ambushed you, intending to take your life, but your mother stopped them. Was this person Emperor Li the Severe?” The White Dragon’s cultivation level was such that even if city guard troops invaded her home, they couldn’t subdue her, let alone deal with the little prince.
Unless Emperor Li the Severe personally intervened.
“Hao Minghuan chased after the Demon Lord and was himself corrupted. He believed that the Demon Lord’s remnants would certainly possess newly born children. To eliminate future troubles, he didn’t even spare his flesh and blood.” Yun Ya lightly touched his chest. “My mother desperately tried to stop him, but she was weak after giving birth. He still managed to raise his knife and pierce my heart.”
Even though he was standing perfectly fine before her now, Feng Miaojun held her breath and asked nervously, “What happened then?”
If someone else were telling their history, no matter how tragic or terrifying, she would remain unmoved.
Had she not seen enough of the hells on earth?
But he was different. He was Yun Ya.
“Perhaps he still cared for my mother, so the knife didn’t penetrate completely,” Yun Ya said mockingly. “Or perhaps the city guard reported sighting the Demon Lord in another direction, which is why he spared me. In any case, my mother took me away from Yingshui City and returned to live at White Elephant Lake until she passed away.”
Feng Miaojun leaned into his embrace, hugging his neck for comfort. Her delicate head rested against his chest, feeling his slow heartbeat.
This was his weakness, the place he never allowed others to touch.
“Is your heart ailment also related to the Demon Lord?” Otherwise, why hadn’t it healed after so long? Why did the Demon Lord have a projection in his mindscape?
“Yes. After the crisis in Yingshui City, Hao Minghuan successfully sealed them again. To this day, only I know this secret.” His emotions quickly settled, returning to their usual calm, as if he were discussing someone else’s troubles. “They always find ways to reach me.”
“All these years, they’ve been lurking in the shadows, waiting for an opportunity. Whenever I become weak or vulnerable, they swarm in, trying to obtain the secret of the seal.”
Feng Miaojun immediately thought of the labyrinth and the abyss, of that howling icy world within his mind. So his world used ice as armor to resist the Demon Lord. As long as he remained weak, the Demon Lord would launch a massive invasion, with the abyss representing their breakthrough point.
Freezing one’s heart—what a helpless choice. And how many years had this situation persisted?
She planted a compassionate kiss on his lips. This fellow had been fighting the Demon Lord his entire life. If he lost, the human realm would be beyond salvation. Yet no one knew of his efforts.
This kiss was both fragrant and soft, and naturally, Yun Ya wouldn’t let it pass. The two became entangled for several breaths, and the temperature around them rose.
He immediately moved to the next step, but Feng Miaojun caught his hand. “Your vital energy isn’t fully recovered yet.”
But seeing the expanse of fair skin, his eyes fixed, and he felt a surge of desire in his lower abdomen. He licked his thin lips. “It’s precisely because my vital energy isn’t recovered that we should practice the method of dual cultivation.” On so many nights, thinking of her had left him tossing and turning, unable to sleep. Now that they were finally reunited, not even mountains crumbling or the earth splitting could stop him!
Having abstained for too long, she was also moved. Half-resisting, half-yielding, she complied.
His body temperature rose again as if he could ignite her. In her half-awake, half-dreaming state, Feng Miaojun recalled living on the estate with her foster mother when she was young. Every winter solstice, Madam Xu would lead her in making rice balls by hand. Making rice balls was just like this—kneading and pinching, rolling them round then flat. But rice balls that hadn’t been boiled were raw and couldn’t be eaten, otherwise, one’s mouth would be full of powder…
She thought hazily, suddenly letting out a whimper, straightening her body and holding him tight. Then, the farmhouse bed began to creak, the rhythm becoming increasingly lively.
Feng Miaojun felt her soul about to fly to the ninth heaven when suddenly, with a jolt, she extended her arms against his chest and said, “Gentler, someone’s living next door!” And it was very likely Xiao Yan!
Even if Yun Ya had set up a barrier, it would only block sound but not the transmission of vibrations. Anyone next door with a bit of experience would know what was happening here.
Yun Ya, like one drunk on fine wine, was at the height of pleasure—how could he care about such things? Her slight struggle only made it more enticing. He pressed down on her slender waist and continued his assault.
At this moment, he couldn’t feel the coldness in his heart. Her snow-white, delicate body twisted beneath him, her pleading cries like the song of an oriole, successfully sending his blood rushing to his head.
He was focused solely on galloping freely in his territory, momentarily unable to speak.
After a long while, he finally had the chance to whisper in her ear: “There’s no one next door.”
The next morning, Feng Miaojun knew Yun Ya had lied, because she saw with her own eyes Xiao Yan walking out from the neighboring dwelling.