Liu Shuang watched raindrops falling on the green tiles, her mind preoccupied with one question.

Where was the divine artifact of Taichuan City hidden, and what exactly was it? In her previous life, she had died too quickly to discover who had harmed Cang Lan, but now this divine artifact was the closest answer to the truth.

With the crimson python dead, whoever obtained the divine artifact might be the culprit who sought to harm Cang Lan.

While Liu Shuang was lost in thought, Yan Chaosheng, behind her, had already put on his clothes.

The immortal robe naturally adjusted to one’s physique; the dark blue garment fit Yan Chaosheng perfectly. The wooden door, unable to withstand the impact of the citizens outside, crashed to the ground.

“Let’s leave first.” Liu Shuang quickly pulled Yan Chaosheng through the wall. The citizens who rushed in found no one and looked at each other in confusion.

Liu Shuang examined Yan Chaosheng. The young man’s face was covered with scrapes, his internal organs damaged, and there wasn’t a single patch of uninjured flesh on his body.

Yan Chaosheng’s pitch-black eyes were dark and somber. He turned to look at the citizens beyond the wall, and the coldness in his gaze made Liu Shuang shudder.

Demons had always been vindictive, never tolerating any affront to their dignity.

Yan Chaosheng had indirectly saved the people of Taichuan, yet they shouted for his death, enough to provoke such a look in his eyes. What about herself and Bai Yuxiao?

The original owner had wrongfully framed Yan Chaosheng, and Bai Yuxiao had added insult to injury by destroying his hard-earned cultivation. With such deep hatred, Liu Shuang feared that in Yan Chaosheng’s heart, graves were already prepared for both her and Bai Yuxiao.

Her decision had been correct—she needed to eliminate all future threats before Yan Chaosheng became the Demon Lord.

Recalling the look in Yan Chaosheng’s eyes when he pulled her close during the battle with the crimson python, Liu Shuang felt a chill.

Had he intended to devour her at that moment?

Liu Shuang’s gaze toward Yan Chaosheng shifted. Well, well, it seemed they both harbored ulterior motives.

Quickly, not a moment to waste! No one would see them here, and she wouldn’t break the original owner’s timid character. While Yan Chaosheng wasn’t paying attention, Liu Shuang frantically searched through her qiankun pouch for something that could pierce him directly.

Inside the qiankun pouch was an exquisite dagger. Liu Shuang quickly concealed it in her hand. Yan Chaosheng covered his mouth and coughed; his injuries were severe. Liu Shuang glimpsed fragments of internal organs in his cough. Fortunately for him, he possessed demonic bloodlines; an ordinary person would have died long ago.

If he didn’t die, she would be the one to die! Liu Shuang raised the dagger. Quick, stab him! Stabbing the heart would be fatal, right?

Without hesitation, she swung forward, but the young man happened to slide down into a sitting position.

Yan Chaosheng released his palm, coughing up a handful of blood. He raised his eyes to say something to Liu Shuang, only to see her dagger that had nearly missed its mark.

Their eyes met, and the air fell momentarily silent.

Yan Chaosheng glanced at the dagger in Liu Shuang’s hand. For the first time, he thought he might have misjudged her—this was still the Kung Sang Young Lord who had harmed him, the woman who had colluded with Bai Yuxiao. But why had she given him her immortal robe and held an umbrella for him?

Which was the real her?

He turned to look at her, his voice cold: “What does the Young Lord wish to do?”

Liu Shuang: “…”

Liu Shuang mentally assessed whether she could defeat Yan Chaosheng. The conclusion was absolutely—strike while he was weakened.

She was about to turn hostile and attack.

But she saw Yan Chaosheng staring coldly at her, and whether intentionally or not, his wide sleeve slipped, revealing the silver ring on his wrist.

Liu Shuang recognized it as the Ten Commandment Ring that Chi Shui father had given to Yan Chaosheng to restrain her.

It had even temporarily confined Bi Xun earlier. Liu Shuang drew in a breath.

The young man leaned against the wall, observing Liu Shuang with calculated calmness: “Young Lord, hmm?”

His voice was soft, seemingly inquiring, but Liu Shuang inexplicably felt threatened. She shifted her gaze away. Yan Chaosheng had the Ten Commandment Ring; she had to be careful not to be killed by him instead.

No need to panic. There were always more solutions than problems.

She would throw him back into the crowd and deal with him secretly. No matter how powerful the Ten Commandment Ring was, it couldn’t restrain her and the citizens simultaneously.

Having figured out a plan, Liu Shuang quickly offered a sincere explanation: “Though the crimson python is dead, there might still be unknown dangers in Taichuan City. The citizens recognize you; you need something for self-defense. Look at this dagger, isn’t it beautiful?”

She nervously curved her eyes and presented the dagger to Yan Chaosheng, ingratiating herself: “It’s a gift for you.”

The jewel-encrusted dagger was extremely beautiful, its glimmer shifting in the young man’s pale palm.

Yan Chaosheng looked up to see a pair of smiling eyes. She had put her veil back on at some point, and without her six layers of clothing, she wore only a pretty gold vest.

As if hurrying to make amends for a mistake, she eagerly asked, “Can you stand up? Do you need my help?”

Yan Chaosheng stared at her impassively, toying with the dagger in his palm.

This small dagger was quite a fine spiritual weapon. He wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but he had clearly sensed ill intentions from her moments ago, yet now those feelings had completely vanished.

He had thought she wanted to kill him, but looking again, the young woman’s eyes curved with utmost sincerity as she placed the dagger in his hand.

Yan Chaosheng’s tense body didn’t relax. A cold feeling rose in his heart, unsure of what trick she was playing. He tucked away the dagger and smiled: “Very well, Young Lord, may help me up.”

Under her veil, Liu Shuang’s expression soured. Fearing Yan Chaosheng would realize her murderous intent and become wary, potentially trapping her with the Ten Commandment Ring, she resigned herself to helping him.

She had never so strongly felt that the Realm Lord father was the most formidable ally.

Summoning her strength, Liu Shuang helped Yan Chaosheng to his feet and dragged him toward the crowd.

Go on! Outside, a group of practitioners was waiting!

Whether intentional or not, the young man’s full weight pressed against her, nearly making Liu Shuang’s legs buckle.

At this time, Yan Chaosheng’s frame was slender, somewhat shorter than he would be seven hundred years later. The youth had not yet fully grown and was at most half a head taller than her. But when Liu Shuang tried to support him, she discovered he was much heavier than she had imagined.

Yan Chaosheng leaned more than half his body against her. Without the six layers of clothing as a barrier, her body was nearly covered by his.

Liu Shuang quickly channeled her spiritual power, finally making his weight manageable as she dragged him outside.

Yan Chaosheng had been nursing a burning rage toward the citizens of Taichuan, but now, seeing Liu Shuang struggling to carry him, he felt an inexplicable urge to laugh. Leaning on the young woman’s shoulder, he put on his hypocritical mask again and idly observed her: “Where is the Young Lord heading? Taking me to the crowd?”

She gave a dry laugh: “Of course not. I see your injuries are severe, so I’m finding a doctor for you.”

“A mortal doctor can’t heal me. Perhaps the Young Lord can.” Yan Chaosheng deliberately exposed the Ten Commandment bracelet on his wrist for her to see. “This disciple became like this for the sake of the Young Lord’s Taichuan City. Will the Young Lord take good care of this disciple?”

She held her breath and replied, “Yes, yes, yes, of course.”

Yan Chaosheng saw her cheeks puff slightly with anger beneath her veil. He looked away, the corners of his mouth rising involuntarily.

Nevermind. Since he hadn’t figured out her intentions yet, he would devour her next time.

Yan Chaosheng said, “Young Lord, come this way. There’s no one here; let’s go this way.”

Liu Shuang had never so desperately wanted to see Bai Yuxiao. Previously, she had found Bai Yuxiao annoying, but now she wished he would appear before her immediately so she could shout: Bai Yuxiao, come eliminate this future threat!

After all, they had offended him together; there was no reason the task of delivering the fatal blow should fall to her alone.

With Liu Shuang’s immortal body, it was easy to hide with Yan Chaosheng in the city.

She attempted several minor actions to expose Yan Chaosheng to the practitioners, but he seemed to have eyes in the back of his head, turning her face toward him: “Young Lord, focus on finding the way.”

The devastation Bi Xun had brought was immense. Now the city was in ruins, needing to be rebuilt. Under the threatening power of the Ten Commandment Ring in Yan Chaosheng’s hand, Liu Shuang found an unoccupied inn and dumped him on a bed.

Yan Chaosheng’s face was deathly pale, but he didn’t make a sound.

Liu Shuang fidgeted restlessly and said, “I’ll go outside to set up a spirit-gathering array for your recovery.” If she left him here, she could turn around and run, bringing practitioners to surround him.

Yan Chaosheng opened his eyes, gazing at Liu Shuang with an eerie calm: “Would the Young Lord abandon me?”

Liu Shuang shook her head, putting on a righteous face: “Never. As the Young Lord of Kung Sang, I must take care of my disciples. Before, I was wrong to have caused you to become like this. Rest assured, after experiencing so much, I’ve realized my faults and will not abandon you.”

With a wooden expression, Yan Chaosheng said, “This disciple is deeply moved.”

Liu Shuang didn’t detect any genuine emotion from him. She walked to the door, feeling a chill on her wrist. She saw Yan Chaosheng’s silver ring split in two, transforming into silver bracelets that clamped around her wrist.

With a gesture from Yan Chaosheng on the bed, as if invisible threads were pulling, Liu Shuang’s hand was tugged along.

Liu Shuang steadied herself against the door and looked up.

Yan Chaosheng curved his lips: “Young Lord, go ahead. Return soon.”

Liu Shuang gritted her teeth but smiled: “Alright.”

Despite all her calculations, Liu Shuang hadn’t anticipated that even now, he still didn’t trust her and had fastened the Ten Commandment Ring to her wrist.

When Liu Shuang returned after finishing her tasks, she truly wanted to smother the meditating Yan Chaosheng with a pillow—if only that could kill him.

He meditated with closed eyes. Liu Shuang had been perfunctory in setting up the spirit-gathering array. When she was still a little celestial herb, healing arts had been her specialty, but today she didn’t want him to recover, so she merely went through the motions.

On her way back, she had broken off a willow branch and transformed all its leaves into paper cranes, sending them to find Bai Zhuixu and Bai Yuxiao.

A large flock of green paper cranes flew around her, all chirping in unison: “Master, master, what are your orders?”

Liu Shuang formed seals with her hands, infusing the paper cranes with immortal power, and sent them all away.

Without the divine artifact’s suppression, the benefits of her recent cultivation became apparent. Previously, Liu Shuang would have found these spells taxing, but now she performed them with ease.

Liu Shuang hadn’t considered searching for the divine artifact.

If she wanted to find the culprit who had harmed Cang Lan, she could only observe who ultimately obtained the divine artifact.

After releasing the celestial paper cranes, with nothing else to do, Liu Shuang chose to cultivate in the adjacent room. Yan Chaosheng didn’t bother her, and they peacefully coexisted.

About three days later, Yan Chaosheng’s injuries had healed significantly. When he opened the door, his face showed no particular emotion.

Liu Shuang couldn’t help but marvel at the demons’ incredible recovery abilities. No matter how severe the injury, as long as they could breathe, they could survive.

Liu Shuang tried to discern any lingering pain in his face, but he calmly said, “Young Lord, it’s time to leave.”

“Where to? Aren’t we staying here to wait for Bai Zhuixu and the others?”

Yan Chaosheng walked ahead, saying, “To kill Si Yun’er.”

“You… you hate her for telling the citizens to kill you, so you want to kill her?”

“In the Young Lord’s eyes, am I that petty?”

Liu Shuang thought to herself, isn’t that exactly right? But she couldn’t say it directly, instead using her eyes to express her disdain.

Yan Chaosheng’s face darkened, and he said irritably, “Why hasn’t the Young Lord gone out to inquire about the deaths in Taichuan City these past few days?”

Liu Shuang frowned: “What do you mean?” She had been bound to his side by the Ten Commandment Ring; how could she have gone out?

“A seven-thousand-year-old ascending serpent’s demon core—Si Yun’er, a mere mortal, cannot bear it. If she wants to survive, she must continually kill people, absorbing the vital energy of mortals to suppress the demon core’s malevolent energy,” Yan Chaosheng explained. “Just like on the wedding day.”

With his explanation, Liu Shuang instantly recalled the red threads emerging from Si Yun’er’s body, killing people days ago.

At the time, she had thought it was Bi Xun’s doing, but now she realized the red threads were controlled by Si Yun’er.

Liu Shuang made a quick decision, fearing Si Yun’er might be killing people: “Let’s go check the city lord’s mansion.”

Indeed, as Yan Chaosheng had said, the city lord’s mansion was shrouded in a faint demonic aura, and beyond that, the air was thick with ghostly energy.

Liu Shuang thought this was bad. She and Yan Chaosheng went near Si Yun’er’s chambers and witnessed this scene: five mortals, drained to withered corpses, collapsed.

Si Yun’er’s complexion was rosy. Stroking her face, she smiled and said, “Drag them out and bury them. Don’t let anyone find out.”

The mansion guards she commanded lowered their heads, their expressions grim.

Liu Shuang and Yan Chaosheng had concealed themselves. Unable to see them, Si Yun’er immediately slapped a guard behind her: “You can’t hear my orders? Or do you want to die too? Let me tell you, don’t betray me. Even that snake demon died at my hands—what are you compared to him?”

The guards hurriedly dragged away the corpses.

Left alone, Si Yun’er played with the red threads emerging from her palm, murmuring: “This demon core is truly useful. Given time, I too can become immortal, never falling ill, never dying of old age.”

Her lovely face was filled with joy, utterly unlike the disgust and rejection she had shown toward the demon core when forcing Bi Xun to his death.

Yan Chaosheng coldly asked Liu Shuang, “Young Lord, according to immortal law, should Si Yun’er also die?”

Liu Shuang silently nodded.

The next moment, Si Yun’er felt a gust of wind by her ear. The powerful demon core alerted her to danger, but panic spread across her face as she didn’t know how to control the immense power she possessed.

She frantically let the red threads fly everywhere, attempting to find the hidden presence.

A pain shot through her abdomen. She stared down in shock to see a hand piercing through, grasping the crimson demon core. Si Yun’er’s face twisted in terror. She desperately reached for the demon core, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth: “Give… give it back… to me… it’s… mine…”

Yan Chaosheng watched coldly as she fell.

In her final moments, Si Yun’er stared vacantly at a spot, as if finally remembering something, and unconsciously mumbled: “Bi Xun, save… save me… one more… time.”

Large tears rolled from her eyes. In the courtyard, a gust of wind blew past—never again would there be that powerful yet foolish demon who would frantically sacrifice everything for her.

Her pupils gradually dilated. She finally remembered the Daoist priest telling her that demons without their demon cores were useless. Fearing he would reclaim his core, she had already forced Bi Xun to his death.

In Yan Chaosheng’s palm, red light gleamed brilliantly. He lowered his eyes to look at the ascending serpent’s demon core, concealing the emotions in his gaze.

Liu Shuang tensed, instinctively feeling that he would swallow the demon core. With such a core, much of his lost spiritual power would return.

To her surprise, he walked over and, as if with disgust, placed the demon core in her hand before turning to leave.

The demon core in her palm was scorching hot, still stained with Si Yun’er’s blood. Liu Shuang quickly performed a cleansing spell and placed it in her qiankun pouch.

Liu Shuang caught up to him, hardly daring to believe: “You’re giving it to me?”

Yan Chaosheng, with cold eyes, spat venomously: “The demon core of a fool—I don’t want it anyway.”

“So you came specifically to kill Si Yun’er?”

A flash of cold mockery crossed Yan Chaosheng’s eyes: “In my youth, I heard of Bi Xun. He was a lord of a demon mountain, secluded there for thousands of years, never daring to leave, never provoking mortals. The demons under his rule in that mountain never caused trouble.”

Bi Xun had fallen in love with the city lord’s daughter, Si Yun’er. When she fell gravely ill, near death, Bi Xun couldn’t bear to let her die, so he dug out his demon core for her. It had always been Si Yun’er who actively killed people, including during the wedding. But Si Yun’er refused to acknowledge this, blaming it all on Bi Xun.

Bi Xun had tacitly accepted the blame and was ultimately forced to death by Si Yun’er.

It was laughable that there could be such a pure and foolish snake demon in the world.

Liu Shuang vaguely understood something. Looking at Yan Chaosheng’s expression, she asked knowingly, “You admired him in your youth, didn’t you?”

Yan Chaosheng laughed coldly: “Who would admire a fool? Anyway, in that woman’s eyes and yours, demons are all evil things, inherently vile and deserving of death.”

This wasn’t right, Liu Shuang thought.

“I believe,” Liu Shuang said. “I believe Bi Xun was a good demon.”

Yan Chaosheng stopped in his tracks, pressing his lips together as he turned to look at her. She stood in the sunlight of Taichuan City and said, “I know not all demons are bad.”

Is she talking about me? Yan Chaosheng inexplicably felt his throat dry. He flattened the upturned corners of his lips and avoided her gaze: “Whether you believe it or not, what does it matter to me?”